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New Siri Remote for Apple TV on the Way

Charlotte Henry ·

There are lots of rumors currently flying around about an updated Siri remote, with a new Apple TV expected. 9to5Mac has a good roundup, including details of the product’s code name.

Details about this new Apple TV Remote are still unknown, but 9to5Mac’s sources have told us that this model is being developed under the code name “B519,” which is quite different from the code name of the current Siri Remote — internally identified as “B439.” When Apple introduced the Apple TV 4K in 2017, the Siri Remote had a small change with a white ring around the Menu button, which made it be identified as a new model. However, as the new Remote has an internal model number way above the current version, we believe the changes will be more significant. Siri Remote has always been a controversial accessory among Apple TV users. While some people love it, there are a significant number of users who hate it for not having physical navigation buttons or for having a glass surface, which makes it extremely fragile. With a new Apple TV model on the way, this could be the perfect opportunity for Apple to create an improved Remote

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Spotify Looks to Take on Clubhouse With New Live Audio Experience

Charlotte Henry ·

Spotify announced Tuesday that it had acquired the creators of live audio app Locker Room, and will be moving into that space. The move is part of its attempts to take on Clubhouse.

“Creators and fans have been asking for live formats on Spotify, and we’re excited that soon, we’ll make them available to hundreds of millions of listeners and millions of creators on our platform,” said Gustav Söderström, Chief Research & Development Officer at Spotify. “The world already turns to us for music, podcasts, and other unique audio experiences, and this new live audio experience is a powerful complement that will enhance and extend the on-demand experience we provide today.” In the coming months, Spotify will evolve and expand Locker Room into an enhanced live audio experience for a wider range of creators and fans. Through this new live experience, Spotify will offer a range of sports, music, and cultural programming, as well as a host of interactive features that enable creators to connect with audiences in real time. We’ll give professional athletes, writers, musicians, songwriters, podcasters, and other global voices opportunities to host real-time discussions, debates, ask me anything (AMA) sessions, and more.

TMO Deals

BackPack Magnetic 5,000mAh Powerbank: $39.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on BackPack, a magnetic wireless charger equipped with extra strength magnets inside, which perfectly align and attach to your iPhone 12 family of devices. It has a built-in 5,000mAh battery, and bottom ports allow Type-C out and/or Type-A out. It’s $39.99 through our deal.

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Google Maps Will Provide 'Eco-Friendly' Routes to Drivers

Charlotte Henry ·

Google Maps is to provide an ‘eco-friendly’ route to drivers by default, Reuters reported. Further upgrades to make comparing transit options are also on the way.

Unless users opt out, the default route will be the “eco-friendly” one if comparable options take about the same time, Google said. When alternatives are significantly faster, Google will offer choices and let users compare estimated emissions. “What we are seeing is for around half of routes, we are able to find an option more eco-friendly with minimal or no time-cost tradeoff,” Russell Dicker, a director of product at Google, told reporters on Monday. Google said it derives emissions relative estimates by testing across different types of vehicles and road types, drawing on insights from the U.S. government’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). Road grade data comes from its Street View cars as well as aerial and satellite imagery. The potential effect on emissions from the feature is unclear.

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PayPal Will Let Customers Pay With Bitcoin at Online Merchants

Andrew Orr ·

PayPal users with Bitcoin can now pay with the cryptocurrency at supported online merchants globally. It will be rolled out later in 2021.

The ability to pay with bitcoin at checkouts with PayPal’s estimated 29 million merchants means that cryptocurrency use is now easier than ever before. Despite all of this, there is still some concern about the volatility of bitcoin and other cryptos, though PayPal hopes to address this with the conversion to fiat currency.

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Adobe Announces a Mobile Bundle for iPad Apps

Andrew Orr ·

Adobe announced on Tuesday its Adobe Design Mobile Bundle as a subscription plan. It will cost US$14.99/month or US$149.99/year.

The Design Mobile Bundle includes Photoshop on the iPad, Illustrator on the iPad, and Fresco on the iPad and the iPhone, as well as Adobe Spark, the Creative Cloud Mobile app, and the benefits of Creative Cloud services, including 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Fonts, Adobe Portfolio and Behance.

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Most Browser Tracking Protection Isn’t Very Effective by Default

Andrew Orr ·

DuckDuckGo wrote on Tuesday that most browser tracking protection doesn’t stop tracking by default. There are multiple ways to track people besides third-party cookies, for example.

The issue is that once such trackers are loaded in your browser, they have a ton of ways to track you beyond just third-party cookies (e.g., by another form of cookies called first-party cookies, by your IP address, and much, much more).

Therefore, to really stop a cross-site tracker, the kind that tries to track your activity from site to site, you have to prevent it from actually loading in your browser in the first place.

Of course, the post is a plug for the DuckDuckGo browser extension, but the details behind tracking are good to know.

Cool Stuff Found

TMO's Charlotte Henry on MacVoices #21060 With Chuck Joiner

Charlotte Henry ·

Part two of the episode of MacVoices with Chuck Joiner featuring The MacObserver‘s UK Associate Editor and host of the Media+ podcast Charlotte Henry is now available to view. The discussion looks at how tech and politics affect each other. There is also a look at what Amazon securing Thursday Night Football means for sports and streaming. (Spoiler alert, Apple TV+ should still look at getting into sports.) Part one of the conversation, which focussed on the Media+ podcast, is also available to view.