iPhone 13 Rumors; Facebook-Read Article, Like Twitter; Ford F-150 Lightening EV; Bose Hearing Aids

We are roughly 4 months from the rollout of iPhone 13. Here are a few of the rumors swirling around it at this point. Cnet.com reports that the new iPhone 13 may get a bigger battery. The battery life isn’t really bad on the 12 or 12 Pro, but more use per charge is always good. The Samsung Galaxy S21 lasts a couple hours longer than the iPhones. 

Again, this year, we get the rumor that the iPhone will become a completely portliness phone. Even noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has written this, so the 13 could be the iPhone that loses the port forever. With the MagSafe charging system and over the air updates, downloads, and uploads, this might not be totally jarring. If Apple does drop the port, it would stand to reason that they will include data transfer over the MagSafe connector though, just for emergencies when no signal is available or reliable. 

It wouldn’t be an iPhone upgrade without some camera improvements. One mentioned is giving the 13 Pro the same telephoto as the 13 Pro Max. Also…the ultra wide lens may get better low light performance. A video portrait mode is also rumored. 

Finally, one persistent rumor is a return on Touch ID…but operating under the screen…and anywhere on the screen. It would apparently be in a addition to Face ID. That would give double biometric security. 

Since last summer, Twitter has had a feature when you re-Tweet, asking if you want to read the article first. Now, Facebook will join that party. According to theverge.com, a popup on Facebook will ask if a user is sure they want to share an article before clicking on it and posting it. Right now, Facebook is just trialing the feature on about 6% of Android users around the world. I will note that I almost never click through on Twitter to read the article, because normally when I see a Tweet about one in my feed, I have already read the article…either there, or on another trusted news source. Still, it’s a welcome feature if they roll it out 100% to try to get people used to checking things out before they post b.s. that ends up not to be true. 

Ford’s upcoming electric F-150 pickup will carry the name Lightening, a name that was revived from Ford pickups in the 90’s. Techcrunch.com says the truck will have a big enough battery pack to power your house during a power outage! Also, it will feature over the air software updates, and the EV will be quicker than the original F-150 performance truck with a thumping V-8! Ford will reveal the truck via a live stream May 19th. 

Whether you’ve fried your hearing by wearing headphones for 50 years, or from playing in a band, or from going to concerts…or a trifecta…hearing aids may be looking more and more likely. Congress had already passed a law allowing for buying hearing aids without visiting an audiologist or paying thousands. Now, Bose has rolled out the first FDA approved hearing aids sold directly to customers. Engadget.com reports that the gadgets are similar in form factor to a lot of them out there. 

The Bose units will lean on Bose’s expertise in audio, using a Custom Tune feature in a companion app that personalizes volume, tone, treble, and bass for your ears within 30 minutes. You can also magnify quiet sounds or highlight the vocal range to make it easier to hear people talking around you. You can schedule free video appointments if you really want to. The rigs use a standard battery and Bose claims 4 days worth of use,14 hours a day. 

One bummer…they don’t port music or phone through them like some higher end hearing aids. They are $850, and will be available in Massachusetts, Montana, the Carolinas, and Texas starting May 18th. Other states will follow.