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Andrew Orr

Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.

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iOS: How To Back Up Voice Memos To iCloud

Andrew Orr found that voice memos aren’t backed up to ICloud Drive. Instead, it’s something you have to do manually. There are multiple locations to choose from, and Andrew shows us how to back up voice memos to iCloud.

Shopping For Mother’s Day? Consider Digital Art Decoration

Looking for a Mother’s Day present? Andrew Orr found a new type of digital art decoration on the market called Meural Canvas. It’s a 27-inch screen you hang on your wall, and change the art it shows using your smartphone. You can upload your own photos to the display, and the company partners with a bunch of big-name art museums. You can choose over 30,000 paintings from Meural’s app and website.

DOK Malware Signed by Valid Developer Certificate (for Now)

A new piece of malware, called OSX/Dok, has been discovered by the Check Point malware research team. It affects all versions of macOS and is signed with a valid developer certificate authenticated by Apple. Dok malware is also the first to spread in a widespread email phishing campaign. Andrew Orr gives us the technical details.

Apple Watch Emergency SOS Helps Student In Car Crash

Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS has saved another life. 9To5Mac reports that Casey Bennett, a college student in Maryland, was driving to class earlier this month. Another driver hit his Jeep, and Casey flipped over. His iPhone dropped out of reach, but he had an Apple Watch. Andrew Orr tells us what happened.

Exxon’s Speedpass For Apple Watch Supports Apple Pay

Exxon updated its Speedpass for Apple Watch app today, finally letting customers pay for gas using their Apple Watch. Although the app uses in-app Apple Pay for transactions, you can use it at Exxon Mobil gas stations even if they don’t have a contactless payment system. Andrew Orr tells us how to use it.

Air Force Bug Bounty Program Goes Live For Hackers

Today the Air Force announced a program for sharing vulnerabilities that it will launch next month. The Air Force bug bounty program will let hackers comb several public Air Force websites for software vulnerabilities. Cash prizes are available for discovered bugs, and this new program also does something new that others of its kind don’t. Andrew Orr reveals all.

iOS Control Center Bug Is Freezing Certain iPhones

An iOS Control Center bug plaguing some Apple customers is causing some iPhones to freeze and restart. It happens when you tap any three buttons in the Control Center at once. iOS versions affected by this include iOS 10 and even the latest iOS 10.3.2 beta. Andrew Orr gives us the details.

Siri Could Access Federal Information One Day

The General Services Administration is launching a pilot program aimed at opening up access to federal information to third-party virtual assistants. Agencies include the departments of Energy, Homeland Security and Housing and Urban development. The purpose is to make it easier for American citizens to find governmental information they need.

New JavaScript API Brings Apple Live Photos to the Web

Apple has created a new Javascript API so developers can bring Live Photos to the web. Live Photos are Apple’s way to bring your photos to life. A live photo is a cross between a video and a GIF, but on-demand animation for live photos was limited to iOS and Instagram’s Boomerang feature…until now.

iOS Tip: Be Careful When Blocking Safari Cookies

Andrew Orr had a funny little incident over the weekend while using iOS. One night, he decided to control his Safari cookies by having the browser always block cookies. Everything seemed okay at first. Then the next day, he cleared his website history and data. What happened next will change your way of thinking.

New Apple Music Show Coming Called House Of Strombo

George Stroumboulopoulos, host for CBC Radio 2, will become the newest Apple Music Curator with new show House of Strombo. A spinoff of his radio broadcast The Strombo Show, a ten episode show featuring video segments, artist interviews and behind-the-scenes details.

A New Drone Is Coming To Apple Stores

A new drone on the market called the Hover Camera Passport will soon be sold in Apple retail stores. Made by Chinese startup Zero Zero Robotics, and it will soon be available for in-store purchase at retail locations around the world.

Microsoft Opens Minecraft Marketplace For In-App Purchases

As part of the Discovery update, Microsoft is also bringing a new feature to the game called Marketplace. Minecraft Marketplace is coming to the Windows 10 platform, as well as Minecraft Pocket edition for mobile platforms. Players can create and sell items in the Marketplace using a form of game currency called Minecraft Coins. When a player creates an item to sell, they can set their own prices as well as take a small percentage of the sale. Once you sell something, such as a custom skin or a map, the app platforms will take a 30% cut. Players can access items they buy through their Xbox Live account. This means that you can access your purchases no matter what platform you use. Microsoft will launch a public beta on Android in mid-April. The beta will test the Microsoft Coins so you won’t see any player creations yet. Microsoft is also hosting a Reddit AMA on April 20 from 9AM-12PM PST.

Apple Pay Cash Transfers Now Work With Western Union App

Western Union has had support for Apple Pay since 2015. But it could only be used in stores for sending money and paying bills. Now, the Western Union app has support for Apple Pay cash transfers. You can finally use Apple Pay with Western Union to send cash from your bank to another person. Andrew Orr gives us the details.

This Robot Will Toss Your Salad for $30,000

Have you ever prepared a salad and thought to yourself, “I wish a robot could do this!” Well you’re in luck, because a company called Chowbotics Inc. created a salad robot called Sally. The robot is more of a tosser than a chef, as a human must load the device with prepared ingredients. (A word of caution though: the robot apparently can’t handle avocado very well.) It’s main selling point is that the customer can specify their ingredients and even the calorie count of a salad. Plus, the jack-a-nape in front of you doesn’t get to graze on the salad bar with his grimy fingers. The salad robot costs US$30,000 right now and is aimed towards small businesses and grocery stores. Eventually Chowbotics hopes to shrink the technology down to a household-friendly size. Sally is really little more than a stepping stone towards our robot welfare state (as John Kheit says), but it’s interesting to see those steps laid out in front of us.