John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to look at the potential security threats in iOS 12’s Security Code AutoFill, plus they have some thoughts on Samsung smartphones randomly sending out photos.
Samsung
Facebook's Spy Patent, Apple Music Shows, Samsung Patent Fight Ends - ACM 468
Facebook has a scary new patent application that Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet say “is so Zuck.” They also talk about how Apple might position and price its streaming original content, and there are a lot of possibilities. Plus, Apple’s long-running patent fight with Samsung is over. What does that really mean?
After Losing to Apple, Samsung Demands Yet Another Retrial in Patent Infringement Case
Samsung is demanding a retrial and rejects the US$539 million verdict.
Samsung Thinks Galaxy S9 Is at Least Better than iPhone 6
Check it out. Samsung is positioning its two-month old flagship Galaxy S9 against an iPhone. And when I say “iPhone,” I mean iPhone 6 [via MacRumors]. The ad appears to be a pitch to owners of old iPhones, but it feels more like a Freudian slip to me. “This,” Samsung appears to believe, “is all we can do.” Even if the psychology behind the ad isn’t as twisted and warped as my Samsung-loathing mind wants it to be, comparing a brand new flagship device to a three-and-a-half year old competitor is terrible, awful, absurd positioning. Perhaps that’s part of why iPhone 7 is still selling as well as the Galaxy S9, let alone the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, all of which handily outsell the Samsung device. Anyhoo, you can watch it and judge for yourself.
Apple Headphones, Samsung's AR Emoji - TMO Daily Observations 2018-02-26
Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on a report that Apple is making its own branded over-the-ear headphones, plus they react to Samsung’s AR Emoji feature on the Galaxy S9 smartphone.
Samsung Invents Creepy Animoji for Galaxy S9 Smartphone
AR Emoji on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Animoji, but instead of fun emoji animals, it turns your own face into a creepy cartoon-ish animated homunculus.
iPhone X Perceived Failure, Siri's Device Delegation - TMO Daily Observations 2018-02-20
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about the perception that iPhone X sales are tanking, plus they explain Siri’s hierarchy in deciding when it should respond from your iPhone, iPad, or HomePod.
Samsung Still Plans to Copy Animoji for its Galaxy S9 Smartphone
We noted in January that Samsung is planning on introducing its own version of Animoji, and now there’s another report out saying the same.
OLED Burn Test Pits iPhone X Against Samsung Phones
The results show that Apple’s work to decrease OLED burn have paid off.
Samsung Ready to Invent Face ID, Animoji for Galaxy S9
Samsung just announced a new chip dubbed Exynos 9 Series 9810 for its upcoming smartphone models that sports what the company is calling “realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face.”
FCC Kills Net Neutrality, Samsung's HomePod Competitor - TMO Daily Observations 2017-12-15
Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to discuss the FCC vote to end Net Neutrality, plus Samsung’s HomePod competitor.
Samsung Ready to Jump into the Smart Speaker Market with HomePod Competitor
Samsung is all about innovation, so the company is hard a work on its own HomePod-like smart speaker. The electronics maker expects to release its product some time in the first half of 2018.
Wearable Market Breakdown, Harry Potter AR, iPhone X Camera - ACM 437
Bryan and Jeff argue that the wearables market is breaking down into three competitors, Apple, Xiaomi, and Fitbit. All others are lolwannabes. They also think Harry Potter Wizards Unite will be way bigger than Pokémon Go, and talk about just how good the camera is on iPhone X.
Apple Is Looking Into Reports of Swollen Batteries in iPhone 8
It’s not clear that this is a wide-spread issue, but Apple said, “We are aware and looking into it.”
Samsung's Most Valuable Smartphone will be Apple's iPhone X
Samsung should consider sending Apple a fruit basket because the iPhone X is set to earn the company substantially more in revenue than its own Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone.
You Can Thank Samsung for the iPhone 8's High Price Tag
Apple’s iPhone 8 could cost upwards of $1,000 and that’s thanks in part to the heft price Samsung is charging for its OLED screen.
iPhone 8's Price, The SciFi World of Twistron - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-25
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join guest-host Dave Hamilton to dig into whether the rumored price of Apple’s not-yet-announced iPhone 8 is too expensive. They also talk about the science fiction promise of a new material called Twistron. It’s super cool.
Apple's Titan Car Struggle, iPhone 8 vs. Samsung Galaxy 8 - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-24
John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join guest-host Bryan Chaffin to talk about Apple’s perils an lessons in trying to make a car. They also discuss the perennial topic of whether this is the year when—finally—Apple can’t compete with whatever Samsung announced earlier in the year. (Spoiler: no, it’s not.)
Canadian Regulators Put an End to Locked Cellphones
The regulations, “will erase millions in annual revenue for carriers” because locking phones is a completely arbitrary practice designed to lock consumes to a carrier.
Samsung's Iris Scanning Joke, Crappy Business is Not OK, and PC Design - ACM 412
Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s crappy iris scanner on the Galaxy S8 has been defeated. Worse, defeating it is easy. Bryan and Jeff think it’s a joke and another example of Samsung’s delusions of relevance. They also discuss Bryan’s theory that PC makers can’t compete with Apple’s MacBook with me-too design, and say that surveillance capitalists being honest about spying on your doesn’t make their spying OK.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Iris Scanner Already Hacked
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone iris recognition biometric security feature is surprisingly easy to hack.
Samsung Lands 2 Year Deal for Curved OLED iPhone Displays
Smartphone makers planning on using OLED screens are about to be in a bind because Apple just signed a two year contract with Samsung for the panels. Samsung will reportedly supply Apple with at least 70 million bendable OLED panels this year, and Samsung will take up the rest for itself.
The ISP Coup, an Apple VPN, and Samsung's Bixby Gambit - ACM 404
ISPs performed a coup against consumers, and they did so in collusion with one of America’s major political parties. Bryan and Jeff are two tense geeks about it. Their solution would be for Apple to launch a VPN integrated into Apple’s products. And then there’s Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and that company’s delusions of software relevance. Oh, and Bixby, which could eventually succeed in making Samsung relevant.
Samsung Plans to Refurbish and Sell the Recalled Note 7
Now that Samsung has collected all those Note 7 explode-a-phones, what to do with them? How about put them back out on the market as refurbished. That’s exactly what Samsung is doing thanks to pressure in part from the environmental activist group Greenpeace.