We have a deal on a neat portable charger designed to fit on your keyring. It has a 1,300mAh capacity and an integrated, retractable Lightning port for when you need that quick, emergency charge. It’s $39.99 through our deal, but coupon code BFSAVE15 at checkout brings the price down to $34. I’m linking to the Lightning model, as described, but there are also USB-C and micro USB options in the deal listing, and that coupon code works on them, too.
Subscriber Numbers, iOS and Security Keys – TMO Daily Observations 2019-11-15
Charlotte Henry joins Kelly Guimont to discuss subscriber stats for Disney+ vs Apple services, bundles, and iOS using hardware security keys.
How to Use the Scan Tool in iOS 13
Apple introduced a document scanning feature in iOS 13 that allows users to scan multi-page documents and save them locally or in the cloud.
GitHub Preserves its Code in the Arctic World Archive
GitHub plans to store all of its open source code in the Arctic World Archive to prepare for possible doomsday scenarios.
The data is stored on reels of film coated with iron oxide powder. It can be read by a computer or — in the event of a global power outage — a human with a magnifying glass. Crucially, this film will last for 1,000 years. Among the first data deposit at the vault is the source code for Android and Linux operations systems, as well as a range of programming languages, web platforms, cryptocurrencies and AI tools. GitHub is planning on having all active public repositories stored by February 2020.
This sounds like a neat project. It also sounds like the Arctic World Archive is “around the corner” from the Doomsday seed vault, another preservation project. Note: The photo I chose for the featured image is of that seed vault.
Apple News+ is Apparently Struggling for Subscribers
Apple News+ has not got materially more than the 200,000 subscribers than it got after the service’s initial launch in March.
The 16-Inch MacBook Pro Provides Plenty of Reasons to go Back to Mac
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro has certainly generated a lot of excitement. Cult of Mac‘s Charlie Sorrell said the device will be the first new Mac he has bought in six years.
The thing that really makes me want a new Mac right now is that macOS and iOS are now very tightly integrated. Handoff means you really can switch between devices at will, even when working on the same article. And Sidecar means that I can use touch, and the Apple Pencil, on Mac apps like Ableton Live and Logic. And all the while, I can enjoy the superior customization options of the Mac. It’s a win-win. Albeit a really expensive one. If I wasn’t in a hurry to move (partially) back to the Mac, I’d wait for the MacBook Air to get its keyboard replaced, or for the first ARM Mac to appear. As it is, I’m happy buying the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Finally a Way to Batch-Rename Files on iOS
Every since I bought an iPad Pro I’ve been able to conduct most of my work and personal life on my iPad. But I still need my MacBook Pro for a couple things, like using Automator to batch-rename files (renaming multiple files simultaneously). This isn’t possible to do on iOS, until now. A shortcut I found on RoutineHub lets you do this. It lets you rename your files in custom formats, like alphabetically, prepending text, sorting by date modified, etc.
A Major New Security Feature is Coming to iOS 13.3
iOS 13.3 is heading our way soon, and it is set to contain a powerful new security feature. Forbes reported that it will support NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari.
The move is revealed in Apple’s release notes for the second developer beta, which says iOS 13.3 supports NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. In other words, when the iOS 13.3 update drops, you will able to use physical security keys such as Yubico’s iPhone compatible YubiKey 5Ci–which was previously unavailable to browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome. However, it could be used with some password manager apps such as 1Password.
Facebook is Fine With Political Lies But Bans Pro-Vaccination Ads
Facebook is happy to let politicians lie in advertisements on the platform, but it bans pro-vaccination ads that are rooted in science.
The study, published today in the journal Vaccine…found that a small group of “well-connected, powerful people” promoting broad anti-vaccination messages had successfully leveraged the platform’s targeted advertising service to reach select audiences…Meanwhile, those behind pro-vaccine messages well far less well funded and centralised, with their advertising often focusing on inoculating against specific conditions.
Apple TV+, News+, Music Bundle Could Arrive in 2020
An Apple services bundle, comprising of TV+, Music, News+ and perhaps other services may be on its way as soon as next year.
![Apple TV+ Guide: All of the Original Video Content [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/workfeatured-apple-TV.webp)
Apple TV+ Guide: All of the Original Video Content [Update]
We’ve put together an Apple TV+ guide for all of the original content that the company has right now, and will have in the future. The content won’t appear until fall 2019. The list will be updated continuously, so be sure to bookmark this page.
Gary Oldman Starring in ‘Slow Horses” Drama for Apple TV+
Gary Oldman will star in a screen adaptation of the Slow Horses book series for Apple TV+, about a team of British intelligence agents.
Germany Forces Apple to Open NFC to Third-Party Payment Apps
Germany has forced Apple to open its NFC capabilities on iPhones so that third-party payment apps can compete better with Apple Pay.
After CDC Report Apple Removes 181 Vaping Apps
A recent report from the CDC showed that 42 people have died from vaping-related lung illnesses. Now, Apple has removed all 181 vaping apps.
The New Motorola Razr is a Blast From the Past
The Motorola Razr is back. It’s still a flip phone but it’s a foldable screen with the old UI skinned on top of it, and it’s US$1,500.
As I fold the Motorola Razr in half for the first time, it becomes clear that the Razr — with its foldable 6.2-inch screen, 16-megapixel double-duty camera and $1,500 price tag — is the best designed, most completely thought-out foldable phone to date. Streamlined. Utterly pocketable. Nostalgic, with a sharp futuristic edge.
I still think foldable phones are a bit gimmicky for now, but a phone that folds vertically makes more sense to me than a phone that unfolds horizontally to become a tablet-like device.
Apple's Research App, Health Studies – TMO Daily Observations 2019-11-14
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s new Research app for iOS and the studies announced today.
Apple Releases AirPods Pro Firmware Update
It’s unclear what the firmware update does, and the update process is automatic. But, users are reporting their firmware version number went from 2B584 to 2B588.
Instagram Expanding Test of Hiding Like Counts from Public View
Instagram announced (on Twitter, which has at least some level of meta-element) that it is expanding its test of hiding Like counts from public view globally.
Klokki Automatic Time Tracking Tool for Mac: $12.74
We have a deal on Klokki, an automatic time-tracking tool for the Mac. This app lives in your menubar, and offers reports, support for billable hours, automatic backups, and lots of ways to customize your tasks. It’s $14.99 through our deal, but coupon code BFSAVE15 at checkout brings it down to $12.74.
GitHub Releases iOS App in Beta
GitHub announced a beta iOS app at its Universal conference on Wednesday. The Microsoft-owned company also extended its sponsor program, Techcrunch reported.
The new mobile app, which is now out in beta for iOS, with Android support coming soon, offers all of the basic features you’d want from a mobile app like this. The team decided to focus squarely on the kind of mobile use cases that would make the most sense for a developer on the go, so you’ll be able to share feedback on discussions, review a few lines of code and merge changes, but this isn’t meant to be a tool that replicated the full GitHub experience, though at least on the iPad, you do get a bit more screen real estate to work with.
Siri Might be Able to Interpret Your Emotions in The Future
Siri may soon be able to interpret your emotions using facial recognition. That’s according to a new patent, reported on by AppleInsider.
Intelligent software agents can perform actions on behalf of a user,” says Apple in US Patent Number 20190348037. “Actions can be performed in response to a natural-language user input, such as a sentence spoken by the user. In some circumstances, an action taken by an intelligent software agent may not match the action that the user intended.” “As an example,” it continues, “the face image in the video input… may be analysed to determine whether particular muscles or muscle groups are activated by identifying shapes or motions.” Part of the system entails using facial recognition to identify the user and so provide customized actions such as retrieving that person’s email or playing their personal music playlists.
Apple Store Employee Sent Customer's 'Intimate' Photo to Himself
An Apple Store employee admitted an ‘intimate’ photo from an iPhone he was meant to be helping fix ended up being texted to his phone.
Apple Research App Launches With Three Studies Available for Enrollment
Apple has launched the Research app in the app store and opened three medical studies for enrollment by U.S. customers.
Facebook Pay Rolls Out in U.S.
Facebook Pay launched in the U.S. Thursday, Computing reported, following a trial in India. The service supports payments on the Facebook and Messenger platforms.
“Facebook Pay supports most major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal,” said Deborah Liu, vice president of Facebook’s marketplace and commerce division. She continued: “Payments are processed in partnership with companies like PayPal, Stripe and others around the world. Facebook Pay is built on existing financial infrastructure and partnerships, and is separate from the Calibra wallet which will run on the Libra network.” In addition to enabling users to buy goods on the social network’s various platforms, it will also enable them to send money to friends and donate to fundraisers.