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‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Arrives Fall 2020

Andrew Orr ·

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).

TMO Deals

Babbel Language Learning 1-Year Subscription (with 14 Languages): $119

Bryan Chaffin ·

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.

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New Year’s Resolution: Delete These Apps

Andrew Orr ·

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.

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YouTube Took Responsibility in 2019 - What's Next?

Charlotte Henry ·

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.

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We Are All Tracked, All The Time

Charlotte Henry ·

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.

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The 10 Biggest Apple Stories of The Last Decade

Charlotte Henry ·

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).

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40 Days of Russian Darkness With iPhone Night Mode

Andrew Orr ·

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.

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YouTube Calls Cryptocurrency Videos ‘Harmful Content’

Andrew Orr ·

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.

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Happy Holidays from The Mac Observer!

Bryan Chaffin ·

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.

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What Are the Privacy Implications of iPhone 11 Ultra Wideband?

Andrew Orr ·

The iPhone 11 models have a new chip called U1 to enable ultra-wideband (UWB). It allows for precise location tracking. Apple says it lets these phones have “spatial awareness” so the iPhone 11 Pro can figure out its location in relation to other U1 chips. A use-case is pointing your iPhone at another iPhone so AirDrop will prioritize that device when it comes to sharing files. But what happens when retail stores can track your chip?

Essentially, the new chip is a marketer’s dream in a box. Shops already track your purchases, leading to cases like the infamous 2012 case where Target unintentionally divulged a teen’s pregnancy to her father. When a store has UWB-enabled access points, it will be easy to monitor a phone’s location indoors and track what you considered purchasing in addition to what you actually purchase.

Track Santa’s Journey Around the World
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Track Santa's Journey Around the World

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s that time of year ago – to follow Santa and Mrs. Claus on their journey around the world! Google’s Santa Tracker is ready and waiting for Santa to take off on his journey delivering presents around the globe. You can follow that journey as Christmas day begins.