Jeff Gamet

FBI gives Apple the switch-er-oo and changes next Tuesday's court date into an evidentiary hearing Apple's own legal team said it was surprised by the request, and that this is something the FBI should've requested weeks ago. The last minute change doesn't give Apple much time to prepare for a hearing where now its witnesses…

Apple shifting cloud services from Amazon to Google Sources speaking with CRN said Apple began migrating some on its online infrastructure from AWS to Google last fall after signing a deal worth somewere between US$400 and $600 million. Apple isn't abandoning AWS completely, but is greatly reducing its reliance on Amazon's services. The transition away…

The study found that in many cases our smartphones will offer to perform Web searches when presented with crisis statements such as, “I was raped,” or “I was abused.” Responses to “I'm having a heart attack” weren't much better, although Siri did respond with a list of nearby clinics and hospitals. Study shows your smartphone…

DOJ appeals New York ruling denying iPhone unlock order In the New York case, Federal agents asked the court for an order compelling Apple to help unlock an iPhone seized as part of an investigation into Jun Feng and a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. They're hoping the iPhone's encrypted data includes the names of fellow conspirators.…

Apple leases former Pepsi plant for unnamed projects The lease started in November, 2015, and was discovered by Silicon Valley Business Journal only a few days ago. The facility, located at 960 Kifer Road, covers 96,000 square feet and has been vacant since 2013. Apple is also leasing 80,257 square feet at 1150 through 1170…

FBI Director Comey testifying at House Judiciary Committee hearing on encryption Today's hearing was spurred by the debate over the legality of an FBI obtained court order requiring Apple to create a password hackable version of the iPhone's operating system. The FBI wants the tool so it can find the passcode on an iPhone related…

Silicon Valley companies to file amicus brief supporting Apple in privacy fight According to sources speaking with the Wall Street Journal, the companies will file a joint brief with the court next week. Microsoft's Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith confirmed today his company would be supporting Apple in its brief. Twitter is planning on submitting…

More iPhone unlocking cases are lining up Sources speaking with the Wall Street Journal said the DOJ is trying to get at potential evidence on iPhones with passcode locks in place, much as it is doing in the San Bernardino case. These 12 other cases, however, don't involve terrorist acts, and are essentially on hold…

DOJ to court: Make Apple comply with iPhone unlocking order DOJ prosecutors said Apple is resisting to help in a Federal investigation despite the fact that the company has until February 26 to respond to the court order. According to ABC News, the new filing stated, Rather than assist the effort to fully investigate a…

Warning! Creative Cloud bug could delete files without permission The bug deletes the contents of the hidden folder that's alphabetically first on user's hard drive when they log into Creative Cloud. In some cases, that folder holds system-critical files, or in the case of Backblaze subscribers, the data used to keep track of which drives…

Apple hit with patent infringement lawsuit over haptic feedback features Immersion named the Apple iPhone 6, Apple iPhone 6 Plus, Apple iPhone 6s, Apple iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition in its lawsuit. The company named U.S. patents 8,619,051 “Haptic Feedback System with Stored Effects,” 8,773,356 “Method and Apparatus…

VoIP-Pal sues Apple over iMessage, WiFi calling patent infringement According to VoIP-Pal's filing the system Apple uses to determine whether conversations in the Messages app should use iMessage or standard SMS, and the system for deciding when to use WiFi calling are covered by patents it owns. The company said Apple, AT&T, and Verizon all…

Sonos rounded up 30,000 people from  U.S., Canada, U.K.,Germany, The Netherlands, France, Sweden and Australia to participate in a study conducted by United Minds. Dr. Daniel J. Levitin—a neuroscientist and author of This is Your Brain on Music—was an advisor for the study. The study showed that listening to music out loud (as opposed to…

Hackers ready to buy Apple employee logins An Apple employee told Business Insider, “You'd be surprised how many people get on to us, just random Apple employees. You get emails offering you thousands [of euros] to get a password to get access to Apple.” Hackers are reportedly also targeting Apple employees for company information. Exactly…

Foxconn's bid for Sharp won out over INCJ With its bid getting the green light, Foxconn wants to move quickly to wrap up the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal. If all goes well, Foxconn hopes to finish the transaction in the next few days. Foxconn's strong push makes sense because there's still a…

Apple Maps became big news after Fast Company called out the company for abortion-related search results. The publication said it performed searches in locations around San Francisco and was shown an adoption center outside the city instead of clinics providing abortion services. Abortion search or gun search: both show accurate results in Apple Maps The…

Apple doesn't make it easy to recover passwords for deceased family members Following the death of her husband, Peggy Bush followed the process through Canada's government to redirect pension payments and other benefits to her name, but then hit a brick wall when she realized his Apple ID password was required to reinstall apps on…

Steve Jobs movie lands two Oscar nominations Mr. Fassbender was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Ms. Winslet was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Joanna Hoffman. The movie landed two Golden Globe awards earlier this month, too. Ms. Winslet won an award for best supporting…