Apple, working alongside Microsoft, BMW, and others, has urged EU Commissioner Thierry Breton to take action against patent trolls.
M. Night Shyamalan Sued Over Apple TV+ Show ‘Servant’
M. Night Shyamalan is being sued over his Apple TV+ show Servant after another director accused him of copying her show.
Scotland Police to Use ‘Cyber Kiosks’ to Extract Smartphone Data
Starting January 20, 2020 Scotland police will use devices called cyber kiosks to analyze the contents of smartphones during investigations.
Police Scotland will only examine a digital device where there is a legal basis and where it is necessary, justified and proportionate to the incident or crime under investigation.
Cyber kiosks used by Police Scotland will not be enabled to store data from digital devices. Once an examination is complete, all device data is securely deleted from the cyber kiosk.
Apple Acquires AI Company Xnor.ai for Image Recognition Tools
Apple acquired artificial intelligence company Xnor.ai, which specializes in “low-power, edge-base tools” like image recognition.
CaseBoy Gamecase Retro Gaming Case: $18.99
We have a deal on the CaseBoy Gamecase Retro Gaming Case, in black. This iPhone case has game controllers and its own display built into the back of the case. It also comes with 36 emulated classic games built in, including Tetris, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man, and more. It’s just $18.99 through our deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCuTrFFHVfg
Apple Hires Drone Specialist Lisa Ellman to Lobby Washington
Lisa Ellman is a specialist in drone and aviation law and Apple just hired her as a lobbyist in Washington.
Spike Jonze ‘Beastie Boys’ Documentary Comes to Apple TV+ in April
Spike Jonze is partnering with Apple to create a Beastie Boys documentary. It will be available on Apple TV+ on April 24.
5G Infrastructure, 5G in iPhones – TMO Daily Observations 2020-01-15
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss 5G network rollouts, and when iPhones might take advantage of it.
Microsoft Releases Edge Chromium Browser for macOS
Microsoft has released its Edge Chromium browser based on Google’s open-source Chromium browser engine for Mac users.
What we Know About the iPhone SE2
Ever since the iPhone 11 emerged there have been lots of rumors about its successors. Forbes rounded up everything we know about one that is attracting a lot of attention.
The iPhone SE2 will use the same 12MP primary camera as the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, but it will not feature ultrawide or telephoto sensors as Apple looks to save costs. The iPhone 12 will have an exciting new long-range 3D camera, but don’t expect that functionality to reach the iPhone SE2 at its affordable price point. Perhaps the one area where the iPhone SE2 may disappoint is its design. Rather than copy the iPhone X-inspired looks of current models, the iPhone SE2 will look like an iPhone 8, complete with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor and no Face ID. That said, this will make for a very portable device you’ll easily be able to use one-handed. It will also feature a glass back to support wireless charging.
Huawei Pushes Back Against Concerns Over Its Involvement in UK 5G Network
The U.S. urged the UK not to allow Chinese firm Huawei to build any part of its 5G network, presenting a dossier to British lawmakers.
There Were 7.8 Billion App Store Downloads in Q4 2019
There were 7.8 billion downloads from the App Store in the last quarter of 2019, a 7.9 percent increase from the same time the year before.
President Trump Criticizes Apple's Refusal to Unlock iPhones
President Trump said Apple should break its encryption and allow authorities access to devices as it has received his support over trade.
The Unofficial Apple Digital Archive
We all know people have collections, sometimes extensive ones, of Apple gear. They serve as personal archives of what the company has done. There’s an unofficial archive on the web too. It begins with the ‘Introducing the Apple II’ ad from 1977 and ends in 2019 (so far). It includes press releases, products, event details, and more. It really is a great collection of almost everything the company has ever done. The person behind it is Sam Henri Gold. Perhaps one day Apple itself could put together something similar in an official archive!
Google’s iPhone Security App Keeps You in its Ecosystem
Google updated its Smart Lock app on iOS to let iPhones be used for two-factor authentication. But it will only work inside Chrome. Now your only choices for Google two-factor authentication are this Smart Lock app, or a phone number (an insecure method). You can also use a physical security key but not an app like Authy.
After installing the update, users are asked to select a Google account to set up their phone’s built-in security key. According to a Google cryptographer, the feature makes use of Apple’s Secure Enclave hardware, which securely stores Touch ID, Face ID, and other cryptographic data on iOS devices.
Update. So I made a mistake and you can use an app like Authy, but you first have to surrender your phone number to Google. Which I’m obviously loathe to do so I use a disposable number.
Apple Needs to Put Hardware at The Heart of its Smart Home Strategy
Apple needs to dive headfirst into the smart home industry, with hardware at the center of the strategy. That’s according to Jason Snell, who laid out his argument for MacWorld. He argues for the creation of a new product, a kind of hub, that will sit at the heart of it all.
Apple can contribute to the smart-home industry and its own bottom line by doing what it does best, namely creating a new product that’s a fusion of hardware, software, and cloud services. It’s time for Apple to build a product that makes your home smarter and more secure. It’s time for Apple Home. Apple got out of the home router game a while ago, with the discontinuation of the AirPort line. I’m recommending that Apple bring it back, because today’s smart homes require rock-solid wireless connectivity, and while Apple’s two biggest competitors have home-network offerings, Apple’s got nothing. An Apple-built mesh networking system a la Amazon’s Eero seems like a natural.
5G Wireless Actually Has 3 Bands—How That Impacts the Next iPhone
The FCC has approved of a total of three 5G wireless bands, each with its own capabilities. This will dictate the design of the 2020 iPhone.
Cellebrite’s Acquisition Adds Computer Forensics to its Portfolio
Cellebrite, a company specializing in hacking smartphones for law enforcement, has acquired BlackBag Technologies, a company specializing in hacking computers for law enforcement. This will let Cellebrite offer law enforcement an “all-in-one” forensic solution to cover smartphones, laptops, desktops, and cloud data.
It also means offering a broad array of field acquisition capabilities including consent-based evidence collection along with an integrated solution set that provides access, insight and evidence management to facilitate and control large-scale deployments and orchestrate the entire digital intelligence operation.
Cellebrite offers all of these capabilities to law enforcement, but the FBI still wants Apple to create a backdoored version of iOS.
Apple Releases Xcode 11.3.1 With Improvements, Bug Fixes
Apple has released Xcode 11.3.1 for developers with improvements and bug fixes but also with a known issue involving file imports.
Reality Converter App, Online Scam Avoidance – TMO Daily Observations 2020-01-14
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Battery Case Replacements, the AR Converter app, and avoiding online scams.
Rack Mounted Mac Pro Available for Purchase
A version of the 2019 Mac Pro that can be mounted on server racks is now available for purchase starting at US$6,499.
Portable Keychain Apple Watch Charger: $16.99
We have a deal on a Portable Keychain Apple Watch Charger. This charger is small enough for your keyring, and plugs into a USB port to get the power for charging your Apple Watch. It’s $16.99 through our deal.
Apple Brings Reality Converter AR App to macOS
Apple is releasing a beta version of an app called Reality Converter. It helps developers work with USDZ files, an AR file format.
Apple Adds iPhone Battery Case Replacement Program
Apple is launching an iPhone battery case replacement program after a number of customers reported problems with 2019 case models.