Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
Dr. Joseph Wiesel Sues Apple Over Heartbeat-Monitoring
Cardiologist Joseph Wiesel from New York University is suing Apple, claiming the company used his patented heartbeat-monitoring technology.
Updated Apple Maps Data Available to All Users
Apple rolled out updated Maps data for Alaska and the Southeastern U.S., MacRumors reported Friday. It tested the update earlier in December and it is now fully available.
The revamped Maps app features more extensive geographical details, with updated buildings, roads, parks, sports fields, parking lots, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways, and bodies of water. To get its mapping data, Apple uses its own vehicles equipped with LIDAR sensors and cameras. Apple has been using this method to collect mapping information for years now. Apple began rolling out its updated mapping app to customers starting in iOS 12, and at the 2019 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple said all customers in the United States would receive the improved Maps app by the end of the year.
Wyze Leaks Data of 2.4 Million Security Camera Customers
Wyze makes cheap security cameras for people, cheap in terms of price and now apparently security (ironically). A database of its user data was found exposed on the internet, unsecured.
This included a staggering array of personal information including email addresses, a list of cameras in the house, WiFi SSIDs and even health information including height, weight, gender, bone density and more.
“We are confirming that some Wyze user data was not properly secured and left exposed from December 4th to December 26th,” the company said. It denied that it had leaked bone density information, for example, but confirmed it had leaked “body metrics” for a small number of beta testers.
I’m still trying to figure out why a security camera company would have health information.
Avoid RISCy Behavior – Mac Geek Gab 795
Ever have an iOS device that won’t stay connected to your Mac? How about needing to connect your Thunderbolt 2 devices to your new Thunderbolt 3-equipped Mac? What about proving your location in the past? Or looking up phone numbers?
These are just a few of the questions John and Dave tackle this week. Of course, Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips are healthily represented as we drive towards the end of 2019. Just make sure to avoid RISCy behavior. Or don’t, and be like Chuck Peddle!
‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Arrives Fall 2020
Fans of Disney’s The Mandalorian will be pleased to know that show runner Jon Favreau confirmed that it’s been approved for season 2, which will arrive fall 2020.
We already knew ‘The Mandalorian’ would be returning for a second season, after Favreau revealed in November that he’d begun filming on the second instalment of episodes. But now we have a better idea of exactly how long we’ll have to wait to find out what happens next in the streaming original, which is arguably the best new Star Wars universe content since the original series of films (yes, I really believe that).
This New Law Could Ban Cable TV Fees
A new law that passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate could ban ISPs from charging you certain fees.
Apple Donates to Australian Fire Relief Efforts
Fires have been raging in Australia for the past two months. Tim Cook tweeted that Apple is donating money to the relief efforts.
Babbel Language Learning 1-Year Subscription (with 14 Languages): $119
This is your last chance on a 1-year subscription for Babbel Language Learning that gives you access to all 14 languages offered by Babbel. You’ll get to practice with 10-15 minute bite-sized lessons, and Babbel uses speech recognition technology to keep your pronunciation on point. And, it comes with 10,000 hours of online language education. 1 year through our deal is $119. There’s also a 2-year option available in the deal listing.
Apps To Delete, Year Of Security – TMO Daily Observations 2019-12-27
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss apps you should remove from your devices, and making 2020 more secure.
New Year’s Resolution: Delete These Apps
As we near the end of a decade, much of the news lately is about privacy, like apps that track your location. For your 2020 resolution, consider deleting these apps.
And as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, apps are sure to become an ever-increasingly important part of our lives. Still, that means there are certain apps that you should probably cut out of your life for good—for the benefit of your finances, mental health, privacy, and time. As we kick off the 2020’s, here are the apps you should consider kicking off your smartphone.
The article mentions categories of apps, and not many individual apps. So here’s my advice: Delete apps from Facebook and Google.
Amazon Boasts Record Holiday Sales
Amazon reported a record-breaking holiday season as U.S. online sales overall hit a record high according to a new report.
YouTube Took Responsibility in 2019 - What's Next?
2019 was a big year for YouTube, as the video-sharing site faced extensive criticism. Bloomberg News looked back on a year spent taking responsibility and what lies ahead for the firm in 2020.
As 2020 begins, the largest online video service is being dragged deeper into political fights over privacy, copyright and content moderation. In response, YouTube is trying to preserve the sanctity of its status as an online platform with little liability for what happens on its site. Instead, that burden is increasingly falling on the shoulders of regulators, video creators and other partners. Nowhere is that more evident than YouTube’s approach to kids. A landmark privacy settlement this year with the Federal Trade Commission is forcing YouTube to split its massive site in two.
We Are All Tracked, All The Time
The New York Times has published a stunning report showing the full extent of how we are tracked via our smartphones. Obviously, it’s behind a paywall, but if you can get to it the piece is well worth reading.
After spending months sifting through the data, tracking the movements of people across the country and speaking with dozens of data companies, technologists, lawyers and academics who study this field, we feel the same sense of alarm. In the cities that the data file covers, it tracks people from nearly every neighborhood and block, whether they live in mobile homes in Alexandria, Va., or luxury towers in Manhattan. One search turned up more than a dozen people visiting the Playboy Mansion, some overnight. Without much effort we spotted visitors to the estates of Johnny Depp, Tiger Woods and Arnold Schwarzenegger, connecting the devices’ owners to the residences indefinitely.
The 10 Biggest Apple Stories of The Last Decade
It’s been an outstanding, dramatic, and sometimes tragic decade for Apple. iMore looked back at the biggest stories that affected the company of the last 10-years. It all started with a misplaced iPhone prototype…
It was April 2010. The rumor fervor hadn’t even gotten into full-swing, when Gizmodo revealed that it had gotten its hands on the iPhone 4 prototype. The website’s parent company, Gawker, had bought it from someone that found it at a bar for $5,000. Oh boy. What a hangover the Apple employee must have had the next day. What this unfortunate mistake that anyone of us could have made revealed is that number one; There are prototypes of as-yet-unreleased iPhones just roaming around in the wild and if you hang out at San Jose based bars, you might just see one, and number two; Apple does not like it when people leak their secrets (Apple ended up seeking damages from both the seller and Gizmodo).
How to Move Your Data to Your New Mac
If you got a new Mac for Christmas there are various ways to get all your data over to your new device so you have everything you need.
Japan Display Looking to Sell Smartphone Screen Plant to Apple And Sharp
Key Apple supplier Japan Display is in talks with Apple and Sharp to sell its main smartphone screen factory for up to $820 million.
AirPods Suppliers Want to Expand Into Vietnam
Two Chinese companies, Luxshare Precision and Goertek, are seeking funding to expand AirPods production to Vietnam.
Twitter Android Bug Matched 17M Phone Numbers to Accounts
By exploiting a bug in the Twitter Android app, security researcher Ibrahim Balic matched 17 million phone numbers to Twitter accounts.
macOS Catalina: How to Make the Cursor Bigger
Apple’s operating systems have a lot of accessibility settings, and one of them is a way to make the cursor bigger on macOS.
40 Days of Russian Darkness With iPhone Night Mode
Amos Chapple bought an iPhone 11 Pro and traveled to Russia’s Murmansk, the biggest city in the Arctic circle. From December to January the sun never rises in the city, and Mr. Chapple went there to test the iPhone Night Mode feature in a photo essay.
On the first morning I woke up in Murmansk, it really hit me what a revolution this generation of phone represents…As I walked down the corridor I remember thinking I’d just had more trouble organizing the equipment I needed to brush my teeth, than I had preparing for a 12-hour day of professional photography. No SD cards to check, no stacks of batteries to charge, no bag full of lenses… Total freedom.
These photos are gorgeous.
Christmas Aftermath, How-To Guides – TMO Daily Observations 2019-12-26
Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss setting up new gear and picks for those new iPhones and iPads.
Syncwire UNBREAKcable MFi-Certified Lightning Cable: $10.99
Check out the Syncwire UNBREAKcable, an MFi-Certified Lightning cable bend-tested for 30,000 charging cycles. It features a TPE jacket exterior and tinplate-wrapped inner wires. And it’s $10.99 through our deal.
YouTube Calls Cryptocurrency Videos ‘Harmful Content’
In a crackdown called ‘The Crypto YouTube Carnage’ the company has been deleting cryptocurrency videos en masse, labeling them as “harmful or dangerous.”
As years’ worth of videos started disappearing from several crypto YouTubers’ channels, many began speculating about the giant’s motivations. Some believe that YouTube is sensing a rise of new, blockchain platforms that can compete for creators both by offering them better “job security” and a higher cut of earnings.
Happy Holidays from The Mac Observer!
It doesn’t matter if you’re into Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, Solstice, or any end-of-the-year holiday. The Mac Observer hopes this weekend is a wonderful time for you, and that you get to take a day or two off to relax. We’re taking (the rest of) Tuesday and Wednesday off, but we’ll be back on Thursday, December 26th, with iPhone, iPad, and Mac coverage, along with a fresh TMO Daily Observations episode, too.