Dr. Ruja was a business superstar who sold out arenas when she spoke. Leading a cryptocurrency firm called Onecoin, she promised to change her investors’ lives and make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. Then, suddenly, she disappeared. Journalist and author Jamie Bartlett, an expert in the darkest parts of the internet, tried to uncover what happened for this impeccably produced podcast, The Missing Cryptoqueen. Like Serial, I was gripped from episode 1, totally invested in finding out what happened. It is one of the best non-news podcasts I’ve heard in a long time. The podcast was produced by the BBC and is available via the BBC Sounds app or Apple Podcasts.
Amazon's Move Into the Elections Market
U.S. elections are big business. Reuters published a fascinating report into how Amazon moved into the world of politics.
Amazon pitches itself as a low-cost provider of secure election technology at a time when local officials and political campaigns are under intense pressure to prevent a repeat of 2016 presidential elections, which saw cyber-attacks on voting systems and election infrastructure. “The fact that we have invested heavily in this area, it helps to attest to the fact that in over 40 states, the Amazon cloud is being trusted to power in some way, some aspect of elections,” Michael Jackson, leader, Public Health & U.S. Elections at AWS, told prospective government clients in February via a presentation on a webinar, which was viewed by Reuters.
Apple Pay Expands to ABN Amro and Other Key European Banks
Dutch bank ABN Amro today announced it was launching Apple Pay access for its customers, as did German bank IGN and Austrian bunq customers.
Apple Card Credit Reporting is Rolling Out Now, Company Source Claims
Recent stories suggested that Apple Card information is not being sent to credit bureaus, but a source within Apple disputed these claims.
Productivity Coach Brittany Smith - TMO Background Mode Interview
Brittany Smith is a productivity coach who provides a variety of consulting services through her business, Devise and Conquer, that includes ADD/ADHD coaching, technology coaching, productivity consulting, and more. She is a self-designated “well-rounded geek.” She holds an M.S. degree in Cognitive Neuroscience.
In our chat, Brittany told me about her adventures with homemade videos, with a PC, as a youth. Her father was a podiatrist and her mother was a programmer, so there were always computers in the house. But the Vista version of Windows drove her into the arms of the Mac. In the second half of the show we delved into just what cognitive neuroscience is, her productivity and Apple tech coaching. Along the way we chatted about the influence of Star Trek (and Disneyland) on her career. Brittany sparkles in this interview.
Developer Offers Tips for How to Handle Getting Sherlocked
Savannah Reising of Astropad posted a killer blog post (via Dave Mark at The Loop) offering six tips for how to handle being sherlocked by Apple. Getting sherlocked means that Apple just announced the product, software, or feature that you built your business on, and it’s a known risk for Apple ecosystem veterans. It happened to Astropad when Apple announced Sidecar at WWDC this past June. Her lessons include Know your true competition; Don’t wait to diversify; Build a culture of experimentation; Go where your customers go; Seize the narrative; and, When Apple goes wide — dive deep. It’s a very good read, and I strongly recommend it.
But now that the Sidecar dust has settled, I want to share our experience with other players in the Apple ecosystem. My intent is two-fold: On a personal level, it’s therapeutic to reflect on how this has impacted our work. But more importantly, my hope is that by candidly sharing our story, I can pass along some of the painful insights we learned along the way — like how you can prevent getting sherlocked, and what to do if it happens to you.
North Korea Targets Macs with Fake Cryptocurency Trading Site and App
North Korean hacking group “Lazarus Group” has been targeting Macs with a bit of fake website used to promote an open source app that served as a trojan horse. The fake site was called JMT Trading, and was designed to look like a trading platform. To use the trading platform, you had to download an app from Github, but even though the app was open source, it contained malware for Macs, with the whole scheme being part of North Korea’s efforts to steal Bitcoin. Check out Forbes‘s report:
The hackers may then go a step further by contacting administrators and users of cryptocurrency exchanges, asking them to test and review their new app, Wardle told Forbes. If they get lucky, they get a bit of leverage in an official cryptocurrency vendor and start infecting targets.
Apple Launches Dedicated Press Site for Apple TV+ Original Content
This represents the reality that press needs for entertainment are different from the press needs of a technology giant.
Fortnite Sucks Island into Black Hole in Season 'The End' Finale
Called “The End,” the Season X finale for the world’s most popular game ended with the island that plays host to the game being sucked into a black hole.
Bitcoin Top Crypto on the Darkweb, but Privacy-Oriented Cryptos Are Gaining Steam
Bitcoin remains the cryptocurrency of choice on the dark web, according to a report from TheNextWeb. That might be mostly a matter of inertia, however, as privacy-oriented cryptos are gaining steam. Cryptos like Monero and Dash, as well as others, have features baked into their underlying blockchain that can make it much harder to trace transactions. From TheNextWeb‘s coverage:
Bitcoin is still very much the dark web‘s favorite cryptocurrency, but those looking to cover their tracks are slowly learning to use privacy-focused alternatives. […] Authorities say there has been a more “pronounced shift” towards more privacy-orientated cryptocurrencies, and expects this trend to continue as criminals become more security aware.
Safari Browsing Data, iPhone Present/Future – TMO Daily Observations 2019-10-14
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss where Apple is routing browser data, iPhone 11 sales, and the SE 2.
CuriosityStream 3-Year Subscription: $45
We have a deal on a 3-year subscription for CuriosityStream, the streaming and on-demand service with more than 2,000 documentaries and shows. It works in a browser, iOS, Apple TV 4 and above, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One, and more. It’s $45 through our deal.
Disney+ Reveals All the Shows Coming to The Service
Disney+ tweeted almost all of the shows and movies coming to the streaming service in a flurry of tweets on Monday. Techcrunch has a good of rundown of what is on the way.
For anyone who grew up on Disney, the list is a nostalgic look back at not just the studio’s hits, but also the titles that had quickly faded from your memory, or those that even make you cringe. While most streaming services today round out their catalog lineup with less popular content in order to claim a larger number of total titles available, they don’t tend to promote their B movies and crappy TV shows in any of their marketing or advertising, for obvious reasons. Disney’s approach, by comparison, is refreshingly transparent.
iPhone SE2 Will be 'Key Growth Driver' in 2020
Analyst Ming-Ching Kuo believes that the iPhone SE2 will be Apple’s key growth driver next year. He made the prediction in a new note, sent to investors Sunday, CNBC reported.
In a note to investors Sunday, Kuo reiterated that the iPhone SE2 will have a similar design to the iPhone 8. That suggests Apple will be able to reuse parts from that phone while upgrading some of the internal components, like the processor and camera. It will be offered in silver, space gray and red, Kuo said. Kuo also predicted that the budget iPhone will likely attract people who are still using the iPhone 6 and 6s, which he estimates are still being used by as many as 200 million people, even though those phones launched five years ago. He said the new phone will be a “key growth driver” for Apple next year.
A Confusing Tale of Apple Card Fraud
There is a lot of focus on security with the Apple Card, but that has not stopped some instances of fraud emerging.
Apple Using Chinese Firm Tencent For Fraudulent Website Warnings for Safari in iOS
Apple’s Fraudulent Website Feature in Safari for iOS uses Chinese firm Tencent as one of its Safe Browsing Providers.
Things Are Not Gong Well for Facebook's Cryptocurrency
Facebook cryptocurrency has lost a number of big-name backers in recent times. Reuters reported on the problems facing Libra, and looked at where the project might go next.
PayPal (PYPL.O) started the Libra Association exodus this month, leaving Facebook without the backing of any major payments firms for the project, due for launch by June 2020. Libra said this month it would give details after the meeting of the 1,500 “entities” that have indicated “enthusiastic interest” to take part in the project. Members will review a charter and appoint a board at the Libra meeting, which will be held in Geneva, the Wall Street Journal reported this month. A spokeswoman did not immediately respond to enquiries on the meeting of the Libra Association, whose remaining members include Vodafone (VOD.L) and ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft.
iPhone 11 Off to 'Very Strong Start' Says Tim Cook
Tim Cook told the German newspaper Bild that Apple “could not be happier” with how the launch of the iPhone 11 has gone.
Custom 5G Apple Modem has Goal of 2022 Release
Reports say that Apple has moved its timeline for a custom 5G Apple modem to 2022.
It won’t be easy. In fact, bringing a new modem to the finish line in two years is really pushing it, my source said. After all the design work is done, and the fabrication of the chips themselves is underway, an arduous testing and certification process still awaits.
Right now I think 5G is overhyped and even the previous rumor of a 5G iPhone in 2020 didn’t make sense.
iOS 13.2 Will Let You Delete Your Siri Audio History
The latest Apple betas like iOS 13.2 have a feature that lets you delete your Siri audio history in settings.
In addition to offering an explicit opt-in, Apple has promised that only employees, and not contractors, will be involved in reviewing the audio clips. However, this doesn’t stop the automated text transcriptions of your Siri requests from being transmitted to Apple, irrespective of whether you opt-in or -out, although they will pseudonymized and dissociated from your Apple ID. What’s more, these transcripts could be reviewed by employees and contractors.
I’m glad that Apple is adding this feature, and given its privacy stance I’m surprised it’s a feature we don’t already have.
This Super Durable Lightning Cable Doubles as a Portable Charger: $19.99
We have a deal on a Nomad Lightning cable that has its own built-in 2,800mAh portable battery. It’s a 1.5 meter nylon-wrapped MFi -certified Lightning charging cable, and the housings at either end are made of aluminum. And then embedded in the cable is that 2,800mAh battery. This device is just $19.99 through our deal.
Apple vs China Over Hong Kong – TMO Daily Observations 2019-10-11
Charlotte Henry and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s recent decision to pull an app used by Hong Kong protestors.
Looking Ahead to the 2020 iPhone
I know. You’re only just getting used to your new iPhone 11. But Lisa Eadicicco at Business Insider is already looking at what comes next for Apple.
Among the biggest changes that’s expected to come with Apple’s 2020 iPhones is the introduction of a more sophisticated three-dimensional camera, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Debby Wu. Such a camera system would include a laser scanner to create 3D replicas of the real world, boosting the iPhone’s augmented reality capabilities. With the new 3D camera, the iPhone would be better at placing virtual objects in augmented reality and would offer enhanced depth perception, according to Bloomberg. Apple’s iPhones have supported augmented reality applications for years, and the company made its first big push into AR when it launched ARKit in 2016 — a set of tools to help mobile developers build high-quality AR apps.
Apple Launches New In-House Studio and Steven Spielberg Produced Series
Apple is to launch its own in-house studio. Its first production, exec produced by Steven Spielberg, will be a follow-up to Band of Brothers.