The FCC is calling on carriers to start automatically blocking robocalls by default, for free. So far the agency this isn’t a requirement.
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Netflix Boss's Joy At Blockbuster Bankruptcy
It turns out that Netflix is a far better invention than other things Reed Hastings wanted to create, like the ‘foot mouse’.
Future Spotify Ads Will Use Voice Interaction
Spotify is experimenting with voice technology, and future Spotify ads will use users to interact with them with voice commands.
Bumble’s New Tool Can Block Nudes in Chat
Starting in June, people that use dating app Bumble will find themselves protected against unwanted nudes using an AI tool called Private Detector.
Cars With Dashboard Screens are the Next Frontier for Ads
Paywalled article from the Wall Street Journal. If advertisers could beam ads directly into our brains so there was zero chance of escaping them, they would absolutely do it. We don’t have that capability yet, so meanwhile dashboard screens in your car are the next frontier.
On future screens, local restaurants, doctors’ offices and other services could target ads based on typical driving routes. An insurance company could offer lower rates for cautious drivers, while car makers could use system data to offer service on an aging part before it blows. Some envision a world where users could start watching a TV show at home, then with a voice command continue watching the same program in the car. Others are working on allowing users to order and pay for gasoline and coffee on their screens.
Ready? Google Planning Ads in Maps - Think $$
Bloomberg’s Gerrit De Vynck writes:
Service was mostly ad-free for years. That’s changing now.
Company looks beyond ‘utility’ navigation for new ad revenue.
He concludes:
Suddenly charging for something free — or slipping ads into formerly uncluttered services — are rare and risky steps for Google. But parent Alphabet Inc. has shareholders to please and revenue growth targets to hit. Maps is the next, big service the company is leaning on to achieve those goals.
Thank goodness for Apple Maps.
Canadian Woman Bought $6M Worth in iPhones, iPads Unnoticed for 5 Years
Nadia Minetto bought $6 million in iPhones and iPads, charging them to her company credit card. They didn’t notice until five years later.
App Store Q1 2019 Shows Downloads Fell for First Time Since 2015
Morgan Stanley shared some data that show App Store downloads fell 5%, its first decline since 2015. CNBC’s Kif Lessing wrote a Twitter thread.
Kwamaine Jerell Ford Pleads Guilty to iPhone Hack
Kwamaine Jerell Ford has pleaded guilty to hacking celebrity Apple accounts and using them to go on a ‘spending spree’.
Apple Takes a Step Backwards With Touch ID on New iPads
Apple has told us that Face ID is more secure than Touch iD. It’s the future. So Apple’s decision to use Touch ID on the new iPad mini and Air contradicts Apple’s privacy goal. John discusses.
Google Hit With $1.69 billion EU Anti-Trust Fine Over Adsense Restrictions
LONDON – Google was hit by its third anti-trust fine from EU regulators Wednesday. EU competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said the company had stifled competition in the online advertising market and had to pay €1.49 billion ($1.69 billion), CNBC reported. Google’s rivals had claimed that the company placed Adsense ads on websites on the proviso that other advertising systems were not present not the same page.
Google’s Adsense pushes ads triggered by search engines embedded websites. Rival firms to Google had claimed the product was placed on websites with the understanding that no other systems could be on the same page. The Alphabet company has previously defended its use of the technology, claiming it has been in place since 2006, is now superseded, and is a minor product. In the fourth quarter of 2018, Google’s core advertising business saw revenue increase 20 percent from the previous quarter to $32.6 billion — the same rate of growth as the last quarter.
Which Styli Are Compatible With the New iPads?
Which styli are they compatible with the new iPads? Andrew does some research to find out.
Apple Suppliers Reportedly Gearing up For Next Generation of iPads and AirPods
Apple’s suppliers in Tawain are preparing to produce new iPads and AirPods. DigitTimes reported that Flexium Interconnect and Zhen Ding Technology are getting ready to mass produce the next generation of the devices. Those sources said that the new iPads and AirPods will also be unveiled art Apple’s March 25th event. It is though expected that even will largely focus on services,
Flexible PCB firms Flexium Interconnect and Zhen Ding Technology are gearing up for mass production for Apple’s next-generation iPad devices, while Compeq Manufacturing and Unitech PCB supply rigid-flex boards for the forthcoming AirPods, according to industry sources….Both Zhen Ding and Flexium may see their shipments for Apple’s upcoming iPad models offset a slowdown in shipments for the iPhones in the first half of 2019, the sources noted. Meanwhile, the availability of Apple’s long-awaited AirPods 2 is seen as a boost to revenues at both Compeq and Unitech during the six-month period, the sources continued.
iOS: Enable Do Not Disturb to Block Spam Calls
iOS has a feature called Do Not Disturb that can help block spam calls and robocalls.
Now You Can Build a Nintendo Labo VR Headset
You can now build a Nintendo Labo VR headset, the company announced recently. It will go on sale April 12.
Apple AR Headset Set for 2020, According to Top Analyst
Apple’s forthcoming AR headset is set to be released 2020, according to high-profile Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He added that manufacturing will beging by the end of 2019, according to AppleInsider. Significantly, it looks like your iPhone is going to most of the hard work, while the glasses act as a display.
Kuo claims the first generation of Apple’s AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. It is unclear if the accessory would be connected by a cable or take the wireless route and use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another similar technology for close-range communications.
Apple VR Headset Could have Motorized Headband
Apple’s much speculated upon VR headset looks evermore likely thanks to a couple of recent patents. Whatismore, it could come with a motorized headband. Cult of Mac noticed that Apple has applied for a patent for a motorized adjustment system. It also filed a patent for a “Thermal Regulation for Head-Mounted Display.”
The description is written in the stilted language of such things. It says, in part, “the adjustment mechanism includes a variable volume structure that changes fit of the headband relative to the head of the user by volumetric expansion or volumetric contraction.” It gets a bit more eyebrow-raising when the filing mentions “an electric motor that changes fit of the headband relative to a head of the user by constricting or expanding a length of the headband.”
Physical Music Purchases Surpass iTunes Downloads
Sales of physical music media, like CDs and vinyls, have surpassed the number of people downloading music from iTunes. Which makes sense because everyone else has moved on to streaming music, which accounted for 75% of revenue last year for the recording industry.
Downloads represented just 11 percent of US labels’ revenue last year, a music industry trade group said Thursday. Physical sales — the term for music formats you can actually hold, which are mostly CDs and vinyl at this point — booked 12 percent.
Lee Clow: Legendary Creative Behind Iconic Apple Ads Retires
Lee Clow, the man behind 3 decades worth of iconic Apple adverts, including “1984”, has announced his retirement.
Netflix Smart Downloads Come to iOS
Now when you finish watching a downloaded episode it will be deleted and the next episode will automatically download.
Apple Reportedly Shipped 14.5 Million iPads in Q4 2018
Apple shipped 14.5 million iPads in the 2018 holiday quarter, a 10% increase on the year before, giving them 26% of the global tablet market.
CES - VLC Adding AirPlay Support, Hits 3 Billion Downloads
Popular media player VLC will shortly add AirPlay support, it also surpassed 3 billion downloads during CES 2019.
HTC Shows Eye-Tracking Tech in Vive VR Headsets
HTC showed off a new eye-tracking tech in its Vive VR headset line. Vive is aimed at the VR world, rather than the AR world being targeted by Apple, but AR and VR are kissing cousins, and this is interesting. The idea is simply that the headset can track your eye movements, which can then be used to activate menu and navigation controls. I think Apple is right to focus on AR, but there is obviously a big future in VR, too, and if HTC can bring this to market, it will make them a real player in that space. TheNextWeb has a good writeup from CES on this:
The biggest splashes came in the form of the new Cosmos hardware (an Oculus Go/Quest competitor) and a new eye-tracking system to be debuted in an update to the Vive Pro called “Vive Pro Eye.” Eye-tracking is a big deal for VR. The Vive Pro Eye, according to HTC, will accurately monitor users’ eye movements inside the headset.
Google and Facebook Ads Helped Support Illegal WhatsApp Groups
Google removed third-party apps that guided people to WhatsApp groups sharing child pornography after a Techcrunch report highlighted the issue. In a powerful follow-up, the site revealed how Google and Facebook’s advertising networks inadvertently helped finance the apps and the associated WhatsApp groups.
New research provided exclusively to TechCrunch by anti-harassment algorithm startup AntiToxin shows that these removed apps that hosted links to child porn sharing rings on WhatsApp were supported with ads run by Google and Facebook’s ad networks. AntiToxin found six of these apps ran Google AdMob, one ran Google Firebase, two ran Facebook Audience Network and one ran StartApp. These ad networks earned a cut of brands’ marketing spend while allowing the apps to monetize and sustain their operations by hosting ads for Amazon, Microsoft, Motorola, Sprint, Sprite, Western Union, Dyson, DJI, Gett, Yandex Music, Q Link Wireless, Tik Tok and more.