Did you know you can turn your flashlight on without unlocking your iPhone? Use Back Tap to turn on your flashlight, check it out in this segment from Mac Geek Gab 879.
Apple to Limit Siri Interactions With Third-Party Apps in iOS 15
According to a support article for developers, Apple is deprecating some SiriKit intents and commands for third-party apps.
Former eBay Security Chief Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison Over Cyber-Stalking
Philip Cooke is the last of seven former eBay employees to be charged for involvement in a harassment campaign against two bloggers.
1Password Reveals US$100M Funding Round
Password management platform 1Password has revealed it has raised funding worth US$100m. Business is booming thanks to new at-home and hybrid working arrangements, VentureBeat reported.
According to 1Password CEO Jeff Shiner, while multiple factors have aligned to drive demand for password management tools, the single biggest change since its last fundraise has been society’s rapid transition from offices to remote or hybrid working. “Businesses — both large and small — were forced overnight to adopt a remote way of working,” Shiner told VentureBeat. “That switch meant that companies, most of whom were used to a centralized office, suddenly needed to support employees using their own devices, at home on their own potentially insecure networks. With the remote-hybrid shift came a proliferation of SaaS tools to help keep people and teams productive. Many of these tools are brought in to help specific teams solve specific problems, which means that across an organization, there can be hundreds of different software products — all requiring unique logins and access.” Helping workers stay on top of all their login credentials is where 1Password comes into play.
Hackers Increasingly Using Discord to Spread Malware
Researchers found that hackers are turning to Discord to spread malware, such as password-hijacking and Discord chat bot APIs.
But the greatest percentage of the malware we found have a focus on credential and personal information theft, a wide variety of stealer malware as well as more versatile RATs. The threat actors behind these operations employed social engineering to spread credential-stealing malware, then use the victims’ harvested Discord credentials to target additional Discord users.
Apple Wallet Supports Australian Health Insurance Cards Via HICAPS App
Australians are now able to add digital health insurance cards to their Apple Wallet via the Health Industry Claims and Payments Service (HICAPS) app. 9to5Mac has a good explainer of how it all works.
In Australia, when you pay a visit to an Extras provider, the receptionist provides you with a bill and asks if you have health coverage. At that point, you can hand them your HIF membership card and they’ll swipe it through an electronic claiming terminal known as a HICAPS machine. Now, with the Apple Wallet integration, users can just double click the side button on their iPhone with Face ID or double click the Touch ID button to view the health insurance card on the Wallet. Then, they just have to select their health fund membership card from Apple Wallet and hold the iPhone or Apple Watch near the terminal reader.
Apple TV+: Singalong With 'Enjoy The Ride' From 'Schmigadoon!'
A new singalong video from Apple TV+ musical Schmigadoon! has been released. It is for the track ‘Enjoy The Ride’, a play on the classic duet and a highlight from episode two. It is performed by Cecily Strong and Aaron Tveit who play Melissa and Danny. Episode three is out now.
watchOS 8 Developer Beta 4 is Out
Apple seeded the fourth developer beta of watchOS 8 alongside new dev versions of iOS and iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey.
iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Dev Beta 4 Out Now
Apple seeded the fourth developer beta of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 which introduces a new Safari tab interface for iPad.
Mark Ronson Discusses 'Tech-y And Geeky' New Apple TV+ Show
Mark Ronson has given some insight into how his forthcoming “tech-y and geeky” Apple TV+ show ‘Watch the Sound’ came about.
Apple Posts Record June Quarterly Revenues, Blowing Past Wall Street Expectations [Update]
Apple reported record June quarter revenues of US$81.4 billion on Tuesday, a 35% gain year-over-year and blowing past Wall Street consensus estimates of $73.3 billion. Apple also reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.30, which was also well above Wall Street’s consensus of $1.01 EPS. [Updated with additional details.]
Apple and Cars and New Shows – TMO Daily Observations 2021-07-27
Bryan Chaffin joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss a new interview with Phil Schiller, and some TV+ shows (one new, one returning).
Oil Producer ‘Wesco’ Uses Excess Natural Gas to Mine Bitcoin
Utah-based oil company Wesco Operating Co. is using excess gas (natural, not Ethereum) to power a Bitcoin mining operation.
Rather than being “flared,” or burned, to eliminate it, the natural gas is burned to run electrical generators, which in turn power two mobile data centers that process Bitcoin transactions, Wesco representative Steve Degenfelder explained.
The company has connected with a Chicago-based firm, EZ Blockchain, to acquire the two Bitcoin “miners,” portable data processors tied to the Internet.
Apple Seed macOS Monterey Beta 4
Apple seeded the fourth developer beta of macOS Monterey giving those enrolled in the developer program the chance to look at new features.
macOS: Here’s How to Reset an M1 Mac SMC
The System Management Controller manages many low-level functions on your Mac. Here’s how to reset an M1 Mac SMC for troubleshooting.
Apple News Offers Exclusive 2020 Olympics Content With NBCUniversal
Apple is partnering with NBCUniversal to offer exclusive Olympics content in Apple News with daily recaps, audio briefings, event schedules, and more.
'Ted Lasso' Season Two Special — Media+
Ted Lasso and the team are back, and so are Tom Merritt and Jeff Gamet. They discuss the season two opener, and what might be ahead, with host Charlotte Henry.
Samsung Reveals Mini-LED Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Dubbed ‘Odyssey Neo G9’
Samsung has unveiled what it says is the world’s first Mini-LED gaming monitor. It’s a curved, ultrawide display available for preorder on July 29.
‘Unseen Empire’ is a Game Based on a Real-Life Wildlife Study
Based on the biggest wildlife camera trap study ever, Unseen Empire takes you through the research process.
In playing the game, users can re-enact the research process as they place camera traps across eight countries and collected and identify hundreds of never-before-seen photos of rare animal species.
Best VPNs For MacBooks
Listener Jerry asked for the best free VPNs in Mac Geek Gab 879. We went through a few, including Free VPNs: Proton and ListVPN, and Paid VPNs: NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Eleven Reasons Apple Thinks Your Business Should Use Mac
Apple has a new website promoting Macs to businesss and lists 11 (well 10, really,) reasons why professionals should use them.
Learn iPhone Filmmaking Techniques
Apple shared a new video on Monday that showed how various filmmaking techniques can be achieved on the iPhone. They use the Ultra Wide Lens, create a DIY crane shot, and spooky blue light effect with relatively few resources. It’s a fascinating insight into what can be achieved with a handheld device.
Apple Releases Updates for Macs, iPhones, and iPads
Apple has released updates on Monday with macOS 11.5.1 and iPhone 14.7.1 with bug fixes and security updates.
Apple Museum in Poland Will House World’s Biggest Collection of Products
This fall a museum dedicated to Apple products will open in Poland in the Norblin Factory complex with 1,500 exhibits.