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Apple Invited to Showdown EU Talks

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook are among the tech companies invited to partake in video talks with the EU next week, Reuters reported. It is to discuss draft rules set to be imposed on them that will be presented by Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on December 9.

The video conference on Nov. 24 will discuss the proposed rules, which are known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). Some companies do not think the discussion will lead to changes at this late stage, people close to the companies said on condition of anonymity. The DSA will require tech companies to explain how their algorithms work and also open up their ad archives to regulators and researchers. The DMA targets online gatekeepers with a list of dos, such as sharing data with rivals and regulators, and don’ts, such as not favouring their own services. Breton has invited chief executives from about 20 companies, which also include Microsoft, Booking.com, Expedia, Trivago, DuckDuckGo, a person familiar with the matter said. It was unclear whether CEOs would take part or send senior executives.

TMO Deals

Babbel Language Learning Lifetime Subscription (All Languages): $199

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a lifetime subscription for Babbel, the language learning software. With Babbel, you get to practice with 10-15 minute bite-sized lessons, and Babbel uses speech recognition technology to keep your pronunciation on point. And, it comes with 10,000 hours of online language education. A lifetime subscription is $199 through our deal, and it covers all 14 languages.

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How Oprah Could Interview President Barack Obama in The 'Same' Room

Charlotte Henry ·

In the latest The Oprah Conversation episode, in which Oprah Winfrey interviews President Barack Obama,  the two appear in the ‘same’ room. In fact, they were on two different coasts of the U.S. The team at Harpo Productions explained to Oprah Magazine how it all worked.

To ensure a sense of total seamlessness, the two rooms’ identical furniture was arranged with “extremely precise” measurements. The production teams in D.C. and Santa Barbara used the same cameras, lenses, lighting, and audio equipment, to avoid discrepancies. To incorporate the green screen technology, the 44th president was instructed not to wear any green or white garments, and steer clear of shiny shoes, according to the production team. Further, he couldn’t drink water from a clear glass, as it would “disappear” before the green screen, making it look like he was sipping water out of nothing. Oprah and Obama sipped from matching tea mugs. Finally, once the spaces were arranged, Obama and Oprah really did meet in a shared room—a hybrid of real and virtual.

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Popular Android Messaging App Go SMS Pro Has Exposed Millions of Private Photos And Files

Charlotte Henry ·

Popular Android messaging app Go SMS Pro has exposed millions of photos and videos, it has emerged. Cybersecurity firm Trustwave made the discovery and shared the information with TechCrunch.

Security researchers at Trustwave discovered the flaw in August and contacted the app maker with a 90-day deadline to fix the issue, as is standard practice in vulnerability disclosure to allow enough time for a fix. But after the deadline elapsed without hearing back, the researchers went public. Trustwave shared its findings with TechCrunch this week. When a Go SMS Pro user sends a photo, video or other file to someone who doesn’t have the app installed, the app uploads the file to its servers, and lets the user share a web address by text message so the recipient can see the file without installing the app. But the researchers found that these web addresses were sequential. In fact, any time a file was shared — even between app users — a web address would be generated regardless. That meant anyone who knew about the predictable web address could have cycled through millions of different web addresses to users’ files.

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SiriusXM Enters Podcasting With Original, Exclusive Shows

Andrew Orr ·

SiriusXM announced on Thursday its entry into the podcast market, with original programming like “Marvel’s Wastelanders.”

Original podcasts from SiriusXM that chronicle sports’ greatest rivalries, comedy’s biggest legends, country stars’ humble beginnings, and gripping first-person tales from medicine’s front lines

Plus, influential podcasts from FOX News and popular podcasts from leading creators and providers including Stitcher, NBC News, CNN, NPR, ViacomCBS, The Wall Street Journal, HBO, Wondery, ESPN, Barstool, TNT, Joel Osteen Ministries, WNYC Studios, Slate, TED, Westwood One, PRX, and many more

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Apple Fitness+ Arriving with iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2?

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple has said that its Fitness+ service will arrive by the end of this year. MacRumors reported that the iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 betas (the latest of which was released Wednesday,) indicate the service could arrive alongside those updates.

The current watchOS 7.2 beta that was released this morning has a splash screen with what’s new, and Apple Fitness+ is listed as one of the features. The first iOS 14.3 beta also had an unfinished mention of Apple Fitness+ in the Analytics portion of the Privacy settings, but it has since been removed. Given that we’re expecting iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 to come out right around the beginning of December, it matches up with Apple’s late 2020 launch timeline for Fitness+.

 

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A Review of iPhone 12 Pro Max Photography

Andrew Orr ·

The developers behind camera app Halide examined the iPhone 12 Pro Max photography, as well as that of the iPhone 12 mini.

We had an advanced look at the Pro Max specs, but to recap, it has: A 47% larger sensor A faster ƒ/1.6 lens; A brand-new ‘sensor shift’ stabilization system for low-light; ISO sensitivity is 87% higher; A new telephoto lens, reaching a new length of 65mm (full-frame equivalent)

I’ve been under the impression that the iPhone 12 Pro also had the bigger sensor, but it sounds like it’s limited to the Pro Max. Now I’m sad.

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Pandora’s Holiday Music Enhanced with Modes and Stats

Andrew Orr ·

Pandora announced on Wednesday its holiday shows with seasonal Modes and a Soundboard Study.

Pandora has enhanced two of its most popular holiday stations, Holiday Hits and Christmas Radio. Both stations now feature Modes, a popular feature that allows you to customize your station listening experience based on a musical theme. Whether you want to tune into favorites from Christmas past or present, instrumentals or ensembles, covers or duets, Pandora has a Mode for every warm holiday feel.

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Credorax Adds Support for Apple Pay

Andrew Orr ·

Bank Credorax announced on Wednesday that it added support for Apple Pay to its payment method list.

Credorax reported that both methods may now be added to merchants’ accounts as payment options for their shoppers alongside the more than 150 global payment methods the platform offers.

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First Developer Beta for macOS 11.1 Out Now

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple has released the first developer beta of macOS Big Sur 11.1, AppleInsider reported. Those enrolled in the test program can download it via the Apple Developer Center. There is an over-the-air update for devices already running beta software.

The beta is the first since Apple released macOS Big Sur to the public on November 12, in the form of macOS 11.0.1. More than ten beta builds were released in the time between Big Sur’s announcement and its eventual release, and roughly two months after Apple issued public versions of other operating systems including iOS 14. It is so far too early to determine what Apple has changed in the first beta, but it is likely to include some trial fixes for a range of launch issues.