Cool Stuff Found

Behind the Scenes With Student Filmmakers Working With iPhone

Charlotte Henry ·

A new ‘Shot on iPhone’ video goes behind the scenes with four student filmmakers. They all reimagine cinema tradition in a different way, covering genres like classic noir, magical realism, and stop-motion animation. Two of the films will become available in full via Apple. The theme of the clip, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the flexibility an iPhone provides filmmakers with.

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Using Open Source Software to Extend Apple’s HomeKit

Andrew Orr ·

Simon Bisson wrote a cool story for ZDNet. It involves using an open source tool called Homebridge that can be used to integrate smart home devices that don’t natively support HomeKit.

The plugin ecosystem is where Homebridge really excels. By having its own defined APIs, it’s possible for anyone with access to developer documentation to build a simple translation layer that links devices to HomeKit and to Home (and to Siri). Most of the plugins are on GitHub, so if you want additional features or support for alternative hardware, you can fork existing code and start to add your own features.

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Epic Games Submits Complaint Against Apple in UK

Andrew Orr ·

The latest move in the Epic v Apple legal battle involves the former expanding its complaint to other countries. This was made public [PDF] by the Competition Appeal Tribunal of the UK.

This is an important argument to make on behalf of consumers and developers in the U. K. and around the world who are impacted by Apple and Google’s misuse of market power. Epic is not seeking damages from Apple or Google in the U. K., Australia or the U. S., it is simply seeking fair access and competition that will benefit all consumers.

TMO Deals

Portable Air Heater with Detachable Hand Warmer: $84.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the Nordic Hygge Värme, an innovative portable heater that comes with a detachable hand warmer that you can bring anywhere with you. Inside the portable hand warmer is something called Phase Changing Wax that can capture the heat and hold the temperature around up to 122°F/55°C for up to an hour. The company says the space heater part of the device can heat small spaces in as little as 3 seconds. It’s $84.99 through our deal.

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AirPods Spatial Audio Could Arrive on Netflix

Andrew Orr ·

As I noted last year in my AirPods Pro editorial, Spatial Audio is a great audio experience. It can be found on Apple TV+ and Disney+, but not Netflix. But a recent rumor claims Netflix is testing it.

The iPhoneSoft report doesn’t include specific information on when Netflix will roll out spatial audio report, instead only vaguely suggesting a spring release with a “limited” catalog.

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This is How Seriously Apple Takes Partner Secrecy

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple, as we all know, loves secrecy. No wonder Hyundai did a quick retreat when it confirmed talks about an Apple car. But, CNBC revealed, the burden placed on partners can go even beyond that.

One example is Corning, which supplies glass for iPhones. Apple has paid the company at least $450 million since 2017 and has highlighted it in its own press releases as an example of an American manufacturing company it supports. But its CEO said earlier this year he wasn’t comfortable talking about the relationship until Corning’s new stronger glass was mentioned during the recent iPhone 12 launch livestream. “I have to tell you that it feels not quite right to use Apple’s name out loud. I still don’t think I’ve ever done that. Inside the company, we have a codename for Apple, we never even say ‘Apple’ inside the company,” Corning CEO Wendell Weeks said on an earnings call in October. “So, if you could see me, I sound like I’m turning a little pink and I am having an anxiety attack, if I read their name out loud.”

Cool Stuff Found

Pixelmator Shares Free Photo Presets From Professional Photographers

Andrew Orr ·

Pixelmator wrote on Thursday that it will share three collections of color adjustment presets. These have been each designed by a photographer and shared for free. Paolo Baretta’s style is “characterized by cold delicate colors and a nostalgic, intimate mood, uniting my empathy with the loneliness of the human being.” Oladimeji Odunsi’s style is “more of people and portraits because I get to represent the part of the community I’m from and my style tries to include more vibrant colours/tones, contrasts and shadows.” Finally, Lan Nguyen’s style is “I don’t have a particular style since I’m very versatile, but the photos that I post on social media can fit in categories like: magical / dreamy / fantasy.”

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Apple REJI Program Lead Alisha Johnson Discusses Latests Announcements

Charlotte Henry ·

On Wednesday, Apple announced new programs and investments as part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI). Program lead Alisha Johnson talked to Bustle about how efforts fit within the company.

When we looked at REJI as an effort, we had this great model to follow. And it was the environment work that Apple’s been steeped in for over a decade, where in order to ensure this work is sustained and that it’s far-reaching and affects every part of our operations. We have employees in every part of our operations who are looking at ways to already start to focus this work in their daily roles… We talked to our content team, Apple Music, and Apple TV+, and they’re already looking at ways that they can ensure they’re elevating Black voices, that their programming is focused on educating customers. As we were having internal conversations within Apple around launching REJI, there were teams that were already deploying education moments for customers. They weren’t waiting for our green light. We had a Siri team that was already put together in response to the question, “Do all lives matter?” so people could really understand the importance of saying Black lives matter.