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How iPads Helped Baseball Crowds ‘Return’ to Ballparks
When Major League Baseball returned, without fans, during the coronavirus pandemic, those involved realised crowd noises still needed to happen. Oakland A’s executive producer for ballpark entertainment Amelia Schimmel and others told Sports Illustrated how iPads helped bring empty ballparks to life.
“When you see a fly ball that’s clearly not going out for a home run, but everybody does that oooh? That still has to happen,” says the A’s Schimmel. “Because we’re not trying to make it sound just like how we’d want it to sound. We’re trying to make it sound real.” The end result of all those layered noises is somewhere north of 1,000 individual sounds per game in Oakland, Schimmel estimates. (It’s common to have several different ones layered for each at-bat, she notes, as they try to adjust the background murmur a bit for every individual pitch in the count.) “It’s almost like playing the piano,” she says, with some buttons pressed together like chords and others on their own, all blended into one greater body of sound.
WhatsApp Users Can Now Send Disappearing Messages
WhatsApp finally gave users the ability to send that message that disappear after a certain period of time. As The Guardian noted, it’s something of a shift for the Facebook-owned app.
Unlike some competitors, such as the secure messaging app Signal, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, decided against offering flexibility to users. There is no option to change the length of time messages are stored, for instance; and the service also removes images and videos sent. “We’re starting with seven days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about,” the company says in a blogpost. “The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t. “While it’s great to hold on to memories from friends and family, most of what we send doesn’t need to be everlasting. Our goal is to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t have to stick around forever.”
Deadline is December 8 for App Store Privacy Labels
Apple announced on Thursday that developers have to get their apps ready for the new privacy labels by December 8, 2020.
Apple Facing Potential iPhone 12 Chip Supply Shortages
Apple is facing a potential shortage of chips crucial to iPhones and other devices and is battling to make sure it can meet holiday demand.
tvOS 14.2 Released for Apple TV Fourth Fifth Generation
Apple released tvOS 14.2 for the fourth and fifth generations of Apple TV that brings general performance and stability improvements.
Ready Apple One Maths – TMO Daily Observations 2020-11-05
Dave Hamilton and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the Apple One bundles and how to find the subscription sweet spot.
iOS 14.2 is Released With Intercom, Music Recognition, and More
Apple released iPadOS and iOS 14.2 on Thursday, bringing new wallpaper, new emoji, Intercom, and a music recognition button in Control Center.
Michigan Prop 2 Passes; Police Need a Warrant to Search Your Devices
Voters in Michigan overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2 which adds “electronic data and electronic communications” to the state’s search and seizure laws.
The person, houses, papers, possessions, and electronic data and electronic communications of every person shall be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. No warrant to search any place or to seize any person or things or to access electronic data or electronic communications shall issue without describing them, nor without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.
Translation: Michigan police need a warrant to search your electronic devices. And as a Michigander myself I definitely voted in favor of this.
iPhone 12 Pro Max and Mini Pre-Orders Open Friday, November 6
The iPhone 12 Pro Max and mini will become available for pre-order on Friday, November 6 from 8 A.M. EST, 5 A.M PST.
Arc Pulse is a Minimalist Titanium Bumper for iPhone 12
I have one more piece of iPhone 12 phone case news for today. I was alerted to the Arc Pulse on Indiegogo. It tries to strike a balance between protecting your phone and enjoying its naked beauty. It’s not a case but a couple of metal attachments that slide over the top and bottom, protecting it from drops. There is an aluminum 7075 version and a titanium grade 5 version.
Mattel Revealed it Suffered a Data Breach on June 28
Toy company Mattel suffered ransomware attack on June 28, 2020. It revealed this in a 10-Q form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
On July 28, 2020, Mattel discovered that it was the victim of a ransomware attack on its information technology systems that caused data on a number of systems to be encrypted. Promptly upon detection of the attack, Mattel began enacting its response protocols and taking a series of measures to stop the attack and restore impacted systems. Mattel contained the attack and, although some business functions were temporarily impacted, Mattel restored its operations.
Nikon Releases Utility to Use Your Camera as a Webcam
Nikon has released Webcam Utility Software in beta to let you use your mirrorless or DSLR camera as a webcam for your Mac.
6-Foot Magnetic Fidget Cable (Glow/3-Pack): $56.99
Our deal on the Magnetic Fidget Cable is back, only this time it’s the 6-foot version. This Lightning cable has magnets all along its length that allow it to coil automatically. You can also unwind just the amount you need at any given time. Or, you could just play with it—and it glows in the dark. I’m linking to the USB-A-to-Lightning version of the deal, but there are also non-glowing (Black or White) and USB-C options you can choose in the deal listing. Our deal is for a 3-pack of 6-foot cables for $5799. The non-glow models are $56.99 for a three pack.
Apple Watch Blood Oxygen Levels, Battery Life, and Free Guitar Lessons
This week Dr. Mac has hints, tips, recommendations, and advice on a bunch of things including Blood Oxygen levels, iPhone and Apple Watch battery life, and free guitar lessons.
Why The 'Vintage' iPhone 5c Lives on
The iPhone 5c is now officially vintage, meaning support is “subject to availability of inventory.” However, as Cult of Mac points out, the colorful, budget-friendly, device has had a lasting impact on the iPhone range.
The iPhone 5c was one half of the first bifurcation of an iPhone launch. Up until that point, Apple released just one iPhone each year, the only variations being color and storage capacity. In 2013, with iPhone sales still rocketing upward with no sign of an end in sight, Apple released two different handsets for the first time. There was the premium iPhone 5s, which came with the all-new Touch ID. Then there was the cheaper, primary-colored, “unapologetically plastic” iPhone 5c. Despite being cast as a failure by many, Apple doubled down on the iPhone 5c concept in the years following. For one thing, Apple never again had a year in which it launched just one iPhone. This year, it offers five models: The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone SE.
California Prop 24 Will Hamper Facebook, Google
California passed Proposition 24 on Tuesday, expanding the state’s existing privacy laws to make it harder for companies to collect your data.
Apple Pay Now Available to Bank of Ireland Customers
Bank of Ireland announced that its customers can now use Apple Pa, following the rollout of the bank’s new app.
5 Fun Apple Arcade Games to Entertain and De-Stress
Apple Arcade is available in all three Apple One subscription tiers. Games are fun and a great way to entertain and de-stress. Here are five.
Spotify App for Apple Watch Now Has Standalone Streaming
Spotify has started rolling out standalone streaming for its Apple Watch means users can access their music without needing their iPhone.
TV Fever and Numbers of Ks – TMO Daily Observations 2020-11-04
John Martellaro joins host Kelly Guimont to chat about televisions as we enter the holiday shopping/deal season, and decode all those acronyms.
Apple Pay Set to Launch in Israel
Apple Pay looks is heading to Israel, the Isracard Group has told the country’s stock exchange, with other credit card firms also involved.
Metallica's Lars Ulrich Discusses Rolling Stones and More on Apple Music One
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. They discussed a range of topics, from the drummer playing with the Rolling Stones to when he hosted his own show, It’s Electric!, on Apple’s radio offering – then Beats 1. A video of the discussion is available on YouTube.
‘The Mandalorian’ Supports AirPods Pro Spatial Audio
As Andrew tuned in to watch the second season of “The Mandalorian”, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it supports AirPods Pro spatial audio.
Portland, Maine Votes to Ban Facial Recognition
Amongst various ballot initiatives to pass on Tuesday, voters in Portland, Maine decided to ban the use of facial recognition tech by police and city agencies. The Verge reported that private citizens will be entitled to at least $1000 if the police use such technology on them.
The initiative follows a city council vote in August, which put a preliminary ban in place as an ordinance. Today’s vote replaces that ordinance with a stronger measure, which cannot be revoked for at least five years. The ordinance was placed on the ballot earlier this year by the Southern Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, as part of a raft of other progressive initiatives including a $15 minimum wage and new limits on rent increases. The new measure also adds concrete penalties, entitling private citizens to a minimum of $1,000 in civil fees if they are surveilled in violation of the ordinance. Violations of the ordinance are also established as grounds for terminating or suspending a city employee. Private sector use of the technology is not affected.