Apple Event-Both News AND Video Subscriptions; Waymo Disengagement Drops in Half; Amazon Lockers at Coachella; Walmart Grocery Delivery Hiccup
Posted: February 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWe had reported that Apple was planning to roll out its news subscription service air an event March 25th…now, word is out that they will also bow their video subscription service as well. Bloomberg.com reports that major stars have been invited to the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple’s spaceship campus for the event…including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and director JJ Aprams. The video subscription is expected to be much like amazon Prime or Netflix. Sources indicate that Netflix will NOT be part of the offering. As iPhone and other smartphone sales have plateaued or even dropped, Apple is looking to subscription services to pick up the slack. There will be some free content, as well as paid access to shows from other providers.
Disengagement by self-driving cars refers to cutting the computers and having the human driver take over. The stats vary, as there is no standardized way of reporting them yet, but Waymo’s reported disengagement rate dropped in half in California in 2018 while the miles driven increased three fold. 9to5google.com says some disengagement is just due to errors in the system, but others are the more serious ones, as the driver takes over to avoid an accident the car’s system isn’t going to respond to quickly enough. Waymo went from 352,000 miles driver in 2017 to 1.26 million in 2018!
Because we apparently can’t go anywhere and do anything without ordering stuff from Amazon…the company will have lockers at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA! According to geekwire.com, the yellow lockers…now seen at Whole Foods, Safeway, 7-11, and Chase Bank, will on scene at the music festival. In 2017, 250,000 fans attended, so you know many will be needing to order that crucial item with same day or next day delivery! Amazon will also rock a custom Coachella storefront that will feature products tailored to the festival.
Walmart’s same-day grocery delivery service has hit a speed bump. Engadget.com reports that the retailer had partnered with Google-backed logistics company Deliv to get orders to customers homes, but now Deliv has sent Walmart a termination notice. They had been running pilot programs in San Jose and Miami. Apparently, the company was unhappy that drivers often had to wait over 40 minutes to pick up and order at Walmart stores. Walmart has also trialed delivery with Postmates and DoorDash, as well as Uber and Lyft. They even experimented with having their own employees deliver on their way to and from store shifts, but that plan also tanked.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Huge Leak; Apple ‘Subscription Event’; Google Testing AR Maps; Smart Watches Finally Gain Traction; Congress ‘Retires’ the Fax Machine
Posted: February 13, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentSamsung’s Galaxy S10 phones roll out next week. Virtually all the details have now leaked, of course! According to mashable.com,
the S10e, the entry-level phone in the lineup, will have a 5.8-inch display, and will come in four colors: prism white, prism black, prism green, and canary yellow. What about the other screen sizes: The S10 will sport a 6.1 incher, and the S10+ will rock a 6.4 inch display. On the S10+, if you opt for 8GB of RAM your choices are the same prism black, prism white, and prism green as the regular S10. If you upgrade to 12GB of RAM you get a “luxurious ceramic” finish in either black or white.
Cameras are always important, and the S10e will have a 10MP selfie camera and dual rear cameras: a 12MP wide-angle shooter with optical image stabilization (OIS), and a 16MP “ultra wide angle” with a 123-degree field of view. The S10 will have the same 10MP front-facing camera, as well as three rear cameras: a 12MP telephoto with OIS, a 12MP wide-angle shooter with a 77-degree field of view and OIS, and a 16MP “ultra wide angle” lens with a 123-degree field of view.
The S10+ will have a total of five cameras. On the front, a 10MP “main” camera, as well as an 8MP “live focus” camera for shooting portrait-style selfies. On the back are the same trio cameras as the S10: two 12MP cameras for telephoto and wide shots, and a 16MP “ultra wide angle” lens.
All three phone will support AR emoji, stickers, and 4K selfie videos. When it comes to batteries, the entry level phone gets a
3,100 mAh battery, which is very close to Apple’s iPhone XS Max.
The S10’s battery gets a little bigger one, at 3,400 mAh, and the S10+ will have a relatively massive 4100 mAh. All…or what’s left anyway…will be revealed next week!
Apple will hold a ‘subscription event’ on March 25th at Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino. Appleinsider.com reports that they plan to roll out a paid news subscription. Details are still coming together, as some publications are balking at getting only half the subscription revenue, and Apple not sharing data with them. Apple plans to charge $10 a month for a menu of publications you can read…and perhaps an ‘Apple Prime’ version that will include video, Magazines, and Apple Music.
At I/O last year, Google teased AR Google Maps. Now, arstechnica.com says they are doing some private testing of them. Using the phone and software, the system can look at buildings, etc, and determine within inches just where you are, and guide you with augmented reality overlays on top of the view the camera sees….kind of like that green line in the financial services ad from a few years ago that people followed down the sidewalk! Note that it’s very early, and the private testing is still being tweaked, but it’s now obvious that the feature actually has a strong possibility of showing up on your phone eventually.
For a couple years, we’ve heard that smart watches aren’t really happening, and probably won’t really catch on. Well, apparently they have. According to engadget.com, one out of 6 US adults now has one of the handy little wrist computers! Sales jumped 61% in the 12 months ending last November. Most of the buyers are 34 or under. What seems to have moved the needle…and especially so much? NPD Group says it looks like having available LTE connect ability. People wanted to be able to get and receive messages or even call quickly without dragging along their smartphone! It also helps that you can get one for $200, like the Fitbit Versa…although the more pricey Apple Watch is still a market leader.
News flash! Congress did something! You can finally send in authorizations for federal consent forms electronically…instead of by snail mail or fax! The House unanimously passed a bipartisan bill that does away with the need for constituents to use a freaking fax machine, or physical mail, to issue “federal consent forms.” These are documents that authorize congress to contact federal agencies on behalf of their constituents. Gee, the fax machine has only been around since what? The 1930’s. Nice going, Congress!
Pixel Is Fastest Growing Smartphone; WWDC 2019 & Apple’s Head of AR Marketing; Amazon Buys Eero Mesh Router Maker; Mag Safe Kickstarter for USB-C MacBook Pros
Posted: February 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWhile smartphone sales have softened, even for market leaders Apple and Samsung, one brand is showing big growth in the US. 9to5google.com reports that the Google Pixel grew by an astounding 43% year over year, from 4th quarter of 2017 to 4th quarter of 2018! Overall, the US smartphone market was down by 23%, which makes the growth all the more impressive. The Pixel phones have great cameras, which many tests have shown out shoot iPhone and Samsung Galaxy cams. Deals and discounts have also aided the Google phone, but the bottom line is…they’re a great phone.
Rumors are flying that Apple’s WWDC will be June 3-7 in San Jose. Although registration hasn’t opened yet for Apple’s annual developer conference, it’s expected they will show a Dark Mode for iOS 13, as well as new details on macOS 10.15. According to appleinsider.com, Apple has appointed veteran Frank Casanova to the new position of head of AR marketing. Technically, he will have the total of Seiion Director, Worldwide Product Marketing, but Casanova will be “responsible for all aspects of Product Marketing for Apple’s Augmented Reality initiative.” This just adds to the belief that AR will be hugely important to the Future of Apple. Tim Cook has even said it’s a ‘big idea’ on the level of the smartphone.
Amazon is acquiring Eero, a maker of mesh home routers. Theverge.com says Amazon feels that Eero and its technology will help Amazon move the ball forward on making the smart home (to say nothing of Alexa) ubiquitous. The mesh router is a design that helps eliminate the dead spots you can get in a home from normal routers.
USB-C has speed and data advantages, but a lot of people have lamented Apple’s dropping of their great MagSafe tech on the latest MacBook Pros. The MagSafe connector would ‘break away’ if you or someone tripped over the cord, saving the laptop from being pulled onto the floor and breaking a screen or other parts. Now, there’s a Kickstarter campaign to give this capability back to the MacBooks. According to 9to5mac.com, ThunderMag is running a campaign to produce a connector that goes between your USB-C cable and the port with the magnetic break away type design Apple had on their MagSafe. The difference with the ThunderMag is that it allows the connection to carry high speed data…with the MagSafe, the port was strictly for charging. It will support 100w fast charging, 4/5k video and audio, and up to 40G/bps data transfer. The Kickstarter campaign brought in more than 6 times the goal, so expect the ThunderMag to be out in April. It will retail for $79 to the public (or less, depending on store or online discounts.)
Galaxy F Folder May Launch With S10; iPhone to Stick With Lightening Port; Tesla ‘Sentry Mode’ This Week; Aussies-$10 Million-Online Kids Security; Walgreens Creepy Tracking Displays
Posted: February 11, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentIn what appears to be a pretty big hint that the Galaxy F folding phone will bow with the new Samsung Galaxy S10 at Samsung’s event on February 20th, the company released the above graphic. There was also a Tweet saying ‘The future of mobile will unfold on February 20, 2019. Not exactly subtile. Will it be amazing, or meh? We’ll know in a matter of days!
In what appears to be purely a cost-saving move, Apple won’t be switching to USB-C ports on the next batch of iPhones. Theverge.com says they will stay with the venerable Lightening port. Earlier, it was thought the USB-C ports would show up, since they are on the new iPad Pro, but nope. Not only that, they will still be shipped with Apple’s miserly 5W USB-A charger…so you will have to buy a separate USB-C to Lightening cable and a power brick that supports USB-C power delivery if you want to fast charge your pricey iPhone! More profitable accessory sales for Apple. Formerly, you got a Mag Safe cable, charging brick, AND extension cord for laptops for $80. With the new USB-C MacBook Pro, if you want an extra, you’ll drop $120 for the USB-C cable and separate charging brick…and even more if you want the extension cord that used to be included!
The break-in rate on Tesla cars has been in the top tier of autos affected, and Elon Musk is determined to do something to lessen the problem. Electric.co reports that Tesla is planning to release ‘Sentry Mode’ this week. Tesla has offered access to its dash cam over the air since last year, using the Autopilot cam, but it’s front facing only. Sentry Mode would enable more Autopilot cams and a parking mode. The Sentry Mode would enable the car to detect a robbery, record it, and then…blast Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d-minor loudly! (That’s the scary organ music often used is scary movies.) At the same time, Musk says they will release Tesla ‘Dog Mode,’ which is designed to keep your pups safe and cool inside Tesla vehicles. Dog Mode ads to the Cabin Safety mode (which is intended to keep kids safe) with the car able to tell passers by who show concern that the dog is cool and ok.
The Australian government is making grants of AU$10 million to non-government organizations to deliver online safety education and training programs aimed at children. According to zdnet.com, PM Scott Morrison says the intent is to help kids ‘stay safe’ online. The Aussie government is also reviewing ‘digital licences’ and other tools designed to build and test children’s online safety skills.
Most of us have walked by a row of beverage coolers…maybe stopped to peruse one or two…then moved on. Now, Walgreens is testing cooler doors with displays of the drinks instead of glass. Curbed.com says that’s not all…the doors track customers with cams, eye-tracking and motion sensors, then serve them ads in real time! The tech is from the appropriately named Cooler Screens, which claims the data is ‘anonymized’. Even at that, it allows ads to hit you based on gender, age, emotional response (!), and how long you linger in front of a product. Cooler Screens is also working with Coca-Cola and Nestle, and most of the 20 largest consumer product companies. Welcome to your creepy future!
Facebook Slammed in Germany over Data Share; Facebook Will Show Who Uploaded Your Info for Ads; Apple Killing Safari ‘Do Not Track’ as AI Supersedes; Some iPhone Apps Record Your Screen; Google Partners with GS Warriors on Public Cloud
Posted: February 7, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThe US government has balked at regulating social media providers, even though some folks think they and ISPs should be treated as utilities and regulated as such. Now comes the European Union…specifically Germany in this case…clamping down on Facebook’s data collection. A ruling by the German Federal Cartel Office essentially tells Facebook to stop hoarding people’s data. Businessinsider.com reports that this follows a 3 year investigation. The ruling requires Facebook to change its terms and conditions so people can explicitly stop the social network from hoarding data from different sources…including Facebook-owned apps like WhatsApp and Instagram, as well as third-party websites with embedded tools such as the ‘like’ or ‘share’ button. Facebook now has 4 months to draw up proposals to present to the Federal Cartel Office.
Facebook says they have taken steps to keep companies from recklessly using your data from targeted ads. According to engadget.com, Facebook has only been showing which company was using your contact info. After February 28th, you will now also get to see who (if anyone) uploaded your contact info that let to your seeing the sales pitch in the first place. It will let you know if the retailer had your info, or bought it from an outside partner. It’s a baby step, but a start.
Apple is killing Safari’s ‘Do Not Track’ in version 12.1. 9to5mac.com reports that this was published in a blog post from DuckDuckGo. Apple claims that the function has been superseded by their Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature, which relies on AI. The Do Not Track had been largely a failure anyway, as it used a voluntary signal, and numerous websites just chose to ignore it. The Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature has been more successful in iOS 12 and MacOS Mojave, so you should be better off in the long run.
Some iOS apps you use may be recording your screen for analytics purposes. According to macrumors.com, trend capture taps, swipes, and even full screen recording. Some of the apps are: Abercrombie & Fitch, Hotels.com, Air Canada, Hollister, Expedia, and Singapore Airlines. All are using Glassbox, a customer experience analytics firm that lets developers use “session replay” screen recording technology within their apps. Right now, there’ s no way to avoid this intrusion, save for deleting the apps.
Google Cloud is partnering with the Golden State Warriors as the team’s official public cloud provider, in addition to sponsoring the new arena in San Francisco. 9to5google.com says the cloud platform will be used at the new Chase Center to host Warrior and Chase Center mobile apps. Fans will be able to get personalized Maps, and see entertainment options coming to Chase Center. At the team level, the GSW analytics team will get more data analysis. Up to now, they say they have spent 70% of their time collecting and shaping data and only 30% analyzing it.
Tesla Model 3 Price Drop; Gmail Blocking 100 Million Spams Daily; Angela Ahrendts Leaving Apple; E-Ticketing Exposed Some Airline’s Passenger Info; Microsoft Build 2019 Date & Location
Posted: February 6, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentYou can now be driving a Tesla Model 3 for a base price of $35 grand…after government incentives. Engadget.com reports that Tesla found that by dropping the referral spiff that got owners free use of Superchargers for referring friends who bought, they have been able to chop $1100 across versions. the mid-range battery option Model 3 is now $42,900 before incentives, the long-range version is $49,900, and the performance option version Model 3 is still an eye-watering $60,900. Elon Musk says they are doing everything they can to cut the base price BEFORE incentives down to $35,000…but says in a Tweet “It’s a super hard grind.”
In a big plus for Gmail users, Google has applied its in-house machine learning framework…TensorFlow…to your mail, and it is now blocking an extra 100 million spam emails per day. Theverge.com says that Google had already been blocking 99.99 percent of spam, but the AI framework will give them a better crack at screening out that last stubborn .1 of a percent. Google says TensorFlow also helps users to better personalize their spam filtering.
Another one bites the dust. Yes, another head of retail is leaving Apple…this time, Angela Ahrendts, whom Apple recruited from Burberry. According to arstechinca.com, Ahrendts, who joined Apple in2014, will leave in April “for new personal and professional pursuits.” Apple also announced that Vice President of People Deidre O’Brien will take over Ahrendts’ responsibilities running retail and adopt the title Senior Vice President of Retail + People.
E-Ticketing is great…it makes it so much easier to get through the hassle of making it from the curb at the airport to your plane. Now, a downside…at least for some. Cyberscoop.com reports that some personally identifiable information from fliers may have been hacked when email was sent to the customers. It includes names, boarding passes, passport number and flight numbers. The weak spot is a check-in link, and if affects Southwest, Air France, KLM, Vueling, Jetstar, Thomas Cook, Transavia and Air Europa. Wandera notified all of those lines several weeks ago, and none seem to have acted, so heads-up!
Microsoft segues back to their home area for Build 2019. Zdnet.com says they will be holding the event in Seattle on May 6th through the 8th. It will be at the Washington State Convention Center. The event again overlaps with Google I/O (which runs May 7-9.) Microsoft’s premiere developer event session list probably won’t be revealed until near the date, but the agenda should be posted later this month.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro-Big Competition for iPhone & Samsung; Xbox Live on Android, iOS, & Switch; Unsend (Finally) for Facebook Messenger; Alphabet Q4 Earnings
Posted: February 5, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentAll the top line smartphones have pretty great cameras. Lately, Samsung and Google have had models that many think can outshoot Apple’s iPhones. Now, there’s a new gunslinger in town that may be able to blow past all of them. Huawei has…for the last couple generations, had great cameras. Now, bgr.com says the Mate 20 Pro has gone up against a dozen smartphones in a blind camera test put up on YouTube. With a million votes, the easy winner was the Mate 20 Pro. The phone has been banned in the US by wireless carriers since the government has blacklisted the company, but you can still pick one up on Amazon for less than the competing iPhone and Galaxy models. You might want to wait, though…pics have leaked about an upcoming P30 Pro model with even better cameras. Huawei has partnered in the past with legendary German camera maker Leica, so stay tuned! The new phone could roll out at Mobile World Congress in the next few weeks.
In a session description for next month’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft is getting ready to extend Xbox Live compatibility to Android, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. Geekwire.com reports that Windows Central spotted the blurb, which Microsoft has since deleted. Theoretically, the cross platform availability would extend Xbox Live’s reach from 400 million on the Xbox and Win 10 devices to a couple BILLION devices worldwide!
Finally…finally…Facebook is rolling out undsend for Messenger. You need to be quick on the trigger finger, though. According to mashable.com, jus tap on the message and select remove. The app will ask if you want to delete it for just you or for everyone. The rub is…you only have 10 minutes to kill the regrettable message you posted. Facebook has been working on the feature since last April…hey, Zuck and other FB execs have had it for a long time! Finally, the unwashed masses get the chance to retract something they said in haste…or wasted, LOL! Remember—10 minutes, and it’s committed.
Google parent Alphabet reported 4th Quarter earnings yesterday…48.94 billion in income, and revenue of a whopping $39.27 billion! That’s up 22% year over year! Still….it’s never enough for Wall Street…9to5google.com says the stock was down 3.69% in after hours trading. The market is apparently worried they over-rely on advertising income. Gee, TV, Radio, Newspapers, and Magazines have relied almost entirely on advertising and some of them are still going after over 100 years! I don’t think Alphabet is going to collapse in the next quarter or year, Wall Street.
Galaxy S10s Will Support Next Gen WiFi; iOS 12.2 Beta Update; Tesla Buys Maxwell; Hydrogen Trains May Come to Britain
Posted: February 4, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThe imminent Samsung Galaxy S10 phones will support next-generation WiFi. This, according to engadget.com, picked up from FCC filings. The rub? You will have to have WiFi 6 (802.11ax) routers at home or in the office to use the feature. The phones will also support not only wireless charging, but the ability to wirelessly charge accessories. The new Galaxy phones roll out this month.
On the topic of next generation, the hot one will be 5G for cellular systems….which when in place, and the devices that can use it also are out in the world, will give blazingly fast net connections. We’ve covered how AT&T is rebranding their ‘upgraded’ 4G LTE, and now it’s showed up in the iOS 12.2 Beta….the phones display ‘5G E’ when talking to the AT&T network! The fake 5G has already hit Android phones. In something actually useful…ok, fun at least…Apple has rolled out new Animoji in the same Beta. Now, you can rock a giraffe, shark, owl, or boar if you’re into that. If you’re a giant bore in real life, your face can be an animated boar on your phone! There are now 24 Animoji characters available that mimic you’re facial expressions.
Tesla has picked up an ultra capacitor and battery manufacturer, dropping $200 million in the deal. Electrek.co reports that the electric car maker has snapped up Maxwell. Besides its ultra capacitors, Maxwell also has been working with a dry electrode tech for batteries. The dry electrode manufacturing process could result in a 10 to 20% reduction in cost compared to making wet electrodes…and Maxwell claims extending battery life ‘up to a factor of 2.’
In Britain, they had been electrifying trains to cut down on carbon emissions, but ran into a snag…in some places, it was just too expensive to run the third rails and electric service. Now, thenextweb.com says they are turning to hydrogen to extend the routes. Hydrogen train cars with power packs will produce the electricity in locations where they haven’t run electric third rails or overhead wires. Germany has already been replacing diesel train engines with hydrogen electric ones. The hydrogen trains could be on the tracks in Britain by 2022. Hydrogen can carry more energy that the same weight of batteries, and they also take less time to refuel than electric battery packs.
More on Next iPhones & iPads; EVs Will Match Gas & Diesel Cars in Ownership Costs by 2022; Uber Adds Public Transit to App; 25% of Our Lives Online
Posted: January 31, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentBloomberg.com is confirming some details we already had, plus revealing some new ones regarding the upcoming iPhones and iPads and iOS 13. As others have reported, they see the hero iPhones getting 3 rear cams, but a new rub…by 2020, it will include a 3D laser cam system that will ‘scan the environment to create three-dimensional reconstructions of the real world. It will work up to about 15 feet from the device.’ This system is different from the Face ID one, which doesn’t use lasers to scan your face. The rear system will enhance augmented reality on the phone, and capture depth better. In addition, the upcoming iPhones should have better zoom and a larger field of view, plus higher resolution.
The iPad Pro will get the same 3D cam system by 2020, too. Refreshed iPads are expected this Spring, and those will include a 10 inch screen replacing the 9.7 inch original size screen. Aside from confirming that Apple is updating the iPad Mini (finally), no additional details on that model.
iOS 13 will get an expanded Dark Mode and the first real revamp to the home screen since the iPhone came out in 2007. One change will be “the ability to tab through multiple versions of a single app like pages in a Web browser” and file-management improvements.
A new report indicates a ‘tipping point’ by 2022, where the cost of owning an EV should equal that of owning a gas or diesel vehicle. Electrek.co says the report is focused on Britain, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t translate over to the US as well. The Deloitte analysis also sees EVs grabbing 10% of the total market by 2024. The voluminous report points out that 20 major cities have already announced plans to ban gas and or diesel cars by 2030.
Uber has just added public transit to its app. According to theverge.com, it’s only in Denver initially, but people there loading the app today will see a tiny train car with the word ‘transit’ next to it. Tapping it opens a list of bus or train routes as well as expected fare prices and end-to-end directions. Much of the transit data comes from the data firm Moovit. Uber says in a few weeks, users will also be able to buy train tickets within the Uber app, via a partnership with mobile ticketing company Masabi. In addition to adding more cities if this goes well, Uber wants to offer ‘multimodal’ options…where you could hail an Uber to take you to a train station, then board the train with the ticket you bought via the app.
We are spending more and more time online…in fact, up to 6 hours and 42 minutes a day now, according to the Digital 2019 report. The report, covered by 9to5mac.com, indicates that the US number is slightly under that worldwide one, at 6 hours and 31 minutes. It’s such a relief to know we’re disconnecting for that big 11 minutes a day! The biggest net addicts, according to the report? That would be the folks in the Philippines, where people spend an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes a day! The least sucked in by the net? Japan…at 3 hours and 45 minutes. All the numbers are down slightly from a year ago, so maybe there’s hope for humanity keeping a foot ‘in real life!’
Apple’s Down Quarter, Facebook Paying Teens for Info; Samsung Bows 1 TB Storage Chip for Phones
Posted: January 30, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentApple announced earnings yesterday. According to cnet.com, they were down less than 1% at $19.9 billion for the quarter…$418 per share, beating the Street by a penny. The interesting item is that iPhone sales by revenue were down 15%. The iPhone still accounts for 60% of Apple sales. Some have attributed this to the higher pricing. Interestingly, sales were off in Europe, greater China, and Japan, but ‘the rest of Asia Pacific (like Australia) and the Americas had increased sales. Apple warned that the next quarter will be soft. As we noted earlier, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the 2nd half of the year will be at least flat…which compared to other smartphone sellers’ dropping sales and revenue will look good.
Just when you think all the creepy, intrusive stuff about the net is out there, something else bubbles up. Engadget.com reports that Facebook has been secretly paying teenagers about $20 a month to use a VPN app called ‘Facebook Research’, that lets the company have full access to all of their phone and web activity! This app appears to have the same features as Onavo Protect, an app that Facebook had which was pulled from Apple’s App Store last year for violation of privacy policies. This App is downloaded from a separate Facebook URL in order to skirt Apple’s iron hand….although it is running as something under Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program, which is really for internal developer use. Apple has now killed Facebook’s ability to distribute internal iOS apps…so Cupertino ‘is not amused.’ They say Facebook is in clear breach of their agreement. Stay tuned for more fur to fly!
In the ongoing race to get more storage, Samsung has bowed a 1 TB storage chip for smartphones. 9to5google.com says it’s a good bet the roomy chip will be introduced in the Galaxy S10. It is the same size as Samsung’s other storage chips, too! It’s likely that the phone with this monster chip will have a crazy high price, but Samsung notes that for those shooting a lot of video and other RAM-hungry applications, it will be a great addition. The Galaxy S10 will debut February 20th.


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