Amazon announced today that the Fire TV Stick (2nd gen) and Fire TV Stick 4K now both offer the Apple TV app.
Amazon
Amazon Music Now Featured on Apple TV
Amazon Music now joins Spotify as third-party features available on Apple TV. Download the Amazon Music app to get started.
For now, the tvOS Amazon Music app is available for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD users in thirteen countries: the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and India.
Amazon Music is a free download from the App Store.
Updated Amazon Prime Video App is Back in the App Store
The Amazon Prime Video app was removed from the App Store Friday, but it returned over the weekend with an update available.
Amazon Prime Video Will Return to the App Store Soon
Amazon Prime Video was removed from the App Store today due to some kind of technical issue. But it will return soon.
Amazon Prime Video is currently unavailable in the App Store across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Amazon had updated the iOS version of the app shortly before it was removed from the App Store, but it is unclear why the app was pulled or whether this is a temporary move.
Update: MacRumors has been informed this was a technical issue and the app should be back up shortly.
Apple, Amazon, and the Quest for Device Location
This article is a great example of false equivalence. By including both Apple and Amazon and writing about each company’s efforts with location technology, the reader is led to believe that we have to worry about both companies. But of course, that isn’t true. Apple has much better privacy practices, while Amazon barely knows the word.
It could be that with the privacy-focused techlash of recent years, both are treading carefully in the launch stages. Just look at how Amazon’s acquisition of mesh networking company eero was received earlier this year or the widespread interest in Huawei’s level of involvement with 5G networks. Location tracking in particular is currently the focus of much more granular controls in iOS 13 and Android 10 than ever before.
Smart TVs Send Your Private Data to Facebook, Netflix
Researchers conducted a study that found many smart TVs are sending your private data to Facebook and Netflix.
Legislation and Tech Conflicts, iPhone Battery Life – TMO Daily Observations 2019-09-18
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss tech and legislation colliding in unfortunate ways, and iPhone battery life.
Amazon Has a Mole in the California State Assembly
Perhaps using the word “mole” is hyperbole. But it’s deeply concerning that California Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin is actively trying to kill California’s privacy act that would impede companies like Amazon Ring, when her husband is the COO for Ring.
Like other companies that collect vast amounts of consumer data, Ring — and its parent company, Amazon — has a financial stake in the details of California’s groundbreaking data-privacy law. Industry groups, including those representing Amazon, have been scrambling to change the law before it takes effect Jan. 1.
“We can talk about this later,”Jacqui Irwin said, side-stepping questions about a potential conflict outside her office last week. “It’s a little bit offensive there.”
Amazon Music HD Adds Tracks for Audiophiles
Amazon Music HD is a new service that provides high quality streaming for audiophiles. New subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited get a three month free trial.
Amazon Fire TV Edition Smart TV Arrives in UK
Amazon launched a Fire TV Edition smart television and soundbar in the UK in collaboration with JVC and Anker.
Amazon's Surveillance Company Partners With 400 More Police Forces
Ring, the Amazon-owned surveillance company that sells doorbell cameras, is partnering with 400 more police forces across the U.S.
The partnerships let police automatically request the video recorded by homeowners’ cameras within a specific time and area, helping officers see footage from the company’s millions of Internet-connected cameras installed nationwide, the company said. Officers don’t receive ongoing or live-video access, and homeowners can decline the requests, which Ring sends via email thanking them for “making your neighborhood a safer place.”
This Real-Time Map Shows You the Amazon Forest Fires
Ever since Jair Bolsonaro proclaimed that economic growth was more important than protecting the Amazon, there have been 74,155 fires. For the past three weeks, a giant fire has been blazing its way through the forest, and an interactive map lets you watch it.
Many of the fires are set by farmers to clear land. In early August, farmers in the Amazon self-declared a “fire day” to burn trees, emboldened by the fact that the government isn’t enforcing rainforest protections that are part of national law.
“It’s very rare to have fires starting naturally in the Amazon,” says Weisse. “And so almost everything that we’re seeing is a result of human activity, and it’s mostly happening along roads or in farms or where people are.”
Amazon Helps Cops Get Ring Surveillance Videos Without Warrants
A couple weeks ago I shared news that Amazon is requiring police to promote its Ring surveillance cameras. Not that bad, I thought, because at least the police had to have the owner’s permission. But I was optimistic, because Amazon is giving police talking points on how to persuade owners, and even seizing the video footage if the owner said no.
As reported by GovTech on Friday, police can request Ring camera footage directly from Amazon, even if a Ring customer denies to provide police with the footage. It’s a workaround that allows police to essentially “subpoena” anything captured on Ring cameras.
Things like government surveillance and hacking are precisely why I will never buy smart home products. Update: A Ring spokesperson emailed me a correction: The reports that police can obtain any video from a Ring doorbell within 60 days is false. Ring will not release customer information in response to government demands without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. Ring objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course.
FTC Scrutinizes Amazon-Apple Deal to Sell iPhones
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into a deal between Apple and Amazon that brought direct iPhone sales to the latter.
Germany Orders Google to Stop Human Review of Voice Recordings
On the same day that Apple pauses Siri grading, a Germany privacy watchdog ordered Google to stop its human review of voice snippets.
Amazon Requires Police to Promote its Ring Surveillance Cameras
As part of a secret agreement, Amazon requires that police “encourage adoption” of its Ring doorbell surveillance cameras.
Dozens of police departments around the country have partnered with Ring, but until now, the exact terms of these partnerships have remained unknown. A signed memorandum of understanding between Ring and the police department of Lakeland, Florida, and emails obtained via a public records request, show that Ring is using local police as a de facto advertising firm. Police are contractually required to “Engage the Lakeland community with outreach efforts on the platform to encourage adoption of the platform/app.”
Prime Day 2019 Was Amazon's Biggest Event Ever
Amazon declared Prime Day 2019 the largest shopping event in its history with customers from 18 countries buying over 175 million items.
Sell Your Data to Amazon for $10
During Prime Day, Amazon is offering users $10 credit to install its price comparison tool, which collects a range of user data.
Get eero Mesh Wi-Fi for up-to-50% Off for Amazon Prime Day
eero, one of our favorite consumer mesh Wi-Fi systems, is available for up-to-50% off Monday and Tuesday as part of Amazon Prime day. Deals include:
- eero Pro – $99. Normally US$199, this is the tri-band, flagship model in the eero lineup.
- eero Pro and 2 Beacons – $199. Normally $399, and is probably what most homes need.
- eero Pro and 1 Beacon – $149. Just spend the extra $50 and get the 2 Beacon bundle.
- eero Pro 3-Pack – $299. Normally $499, this is a great deal. But you can save $2 if you buy three standalone units.
All of these deals are only available for Amazon Prime members, and only while supplies last, of course. Go now!
Amazon Prime Day 2019 Deals Are Live
Amazon Prime Day 2019 has started, with deals available in a variety of categories. For the first time, the event will last for two days.
Shop Safe Online During 2019 Prime Day
2019 Prime Day will be held July 15-16, and Safe Smart Living put together some tips to help you stay safe when you shop online.
50 Million Americans are queuing up for Amazon Prime Day 2019. That’s a lot of credit cards swiped, personal data collected and online transactions, resulting in a huge potential threat for identity theft.
UK's NHS to Offer Health Info via Alexa
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) announced a partnership with Amazon which will see Alexa supply NHS-verified health information.
Amazon Alexa Voice Recordings are Stored Indefinitely
In a letter to U.S. senators Amazon said it keeps your Alexa voice recordings indefinitely unless you manually delete them.
In the letter to Coons, Amazon noted that for Alexa requests that involve a transaction, like ordering a pizza or hailing a rideshare, Amazon and the skill’s developers can keep a record of that transaction. That means that there’s a record of nearly every purchase you make on Amazon’s Alexa, which can be considered personal information.
Prime Day 2019 Will Last 48 Hours
Amazon Prime Day 2019 will be a 48-hour long affair, taking place on July 15th and 16th, but some offers are already available.