iPhone 7 May Retain Headphone Jack; B of A ATMs getting Apple Pay; Twitter Acquires Another Machine Learning Company

Some new leaked pictures from a generally reliable source indicate that one of the biggest…and most hated….rumors about the iPhone 7 may not be true. Engadget.com says snaps from Chinese repair shop Rock Fix show a lightening port assembly that includes the beloved 3.5 mm audio jack. Also shown in shots are a dual SIM tray and 32 and 256 Gig chips, indicating that the base phone will be 32 gig, not 16, and there will be 256 Gig memory option.

9to5mac reports that Bank of America has some ATMs in place that allow withdrawing cash using Apple Pay. One was spotted in Redondo Beach with the Apple Pay logo and an NFC reader. You can’t make deposits with it, but of course you can already make those using B of A’s app on a smartphone, as well as do transfers between accounts. So far, it only works with B of A’s own cards, not others. Chase and Wells Fargo have also announced adding Apple Pay to ATMs but none have been seen yet.

Twitter has bought Magic Pony Technology for 150 million, according to TechCrunch.com. They use neural networks….basically machine learning…to improve images and videos. The technology can also help develop graphics for VR and AR. Twitter already had bought machine learning tech companies Whetlab and Madbits.


WWDC Keynote Brief Hilights

iOS 10

If you use the notifications on the lock screen, Raise to Wake lets you see them before you hit the button and go to the home screen.

3D Touch allows you to reply to apps including 3rd party ones right from the lock screen.

Control Center has a right swipe now, with a dedicated music screen.

You can also right slide on Lock Screen, and get to the Camera.

Left swipe, and get to your widgets.

They are opening up Siri to developers. Some interesting things should come from this!

Improved contextual suggestions when you’re typing through deep learning.

Photos….significant changes. Adding object and scene recognition to Face recognition, and giving you the opportunity to see pix on a map. It’s all done locally on the iPhone. They also will categorized by trip and dates, and groups of people. A new interface is supposed to pull all these together through a new tab called Memories. In addition to your pix from an event, it will create a collage of what it picks as best, and even put them into a movie with sappy music. You can use key words like ‘epic’ to get different sappy music.

Maps has some cool new proactive updated functions, but also open to developers too, now. For example, Open Table would not only show the location, but you could book a reservation, book a car, and pay for both with Apple Pay all within the app.

Apple Music has finally gotten a redesign from the ground up. It will open to your library first, and they’ve added downloaded music to playlists, songs, artists, etc. You can finally see which songs have actually been downloaded to your phone, instead of being in the cloud.

There is also a discovery playlist, and new curated music, or you can use the Artist Connect to see stuff artist you follow have uploaded…pix, tour info, etc.

Updated design to their Apple News. It will create categories for you based on what you read. They also rolled out subscriptions, so you can now read publications right in the app.

HomeKit- They have added cameras, door locks, air conditioners, and more, and some major builders are integrating HomeKit into new houses now. A new app called Home has all your HomeKit controlled accessories on one screen. Scenes lets you lock the door, turn lights down and off, etc.

You can access all of your stuff from your phone remotely through Apple TV securely.

They have added transcription to voicemail on your phone, so you can read it instead of listening. Another feature uses a giant database to show if incoming calls from unknown numbers might be spam or telemarketers.

Your contact card remembers how you usually communicate, and hi lights that…if you text or call or Skype, or whatever mode you prefer.

Messages is the most frequently used app on iOS. They have added rich links that ads art work from the web automatically. You can tap camera in Messages, and it brings up a live viewfinder right in Messages so you can shoot and send.

Emoji are 3 times bigger in Messages. They have added emoji predictions, and even can add them after you finish tapping….it will hi light words that have emoji associated with them and you can tap and add.

They have added bubble effects…you can make the bubbles wiggle, jump in size, or even appear in ‘invisible ink’ so stuff will appear then disappear right in the app.

Quick replies allow you to quickly select a thumbs up, etc, but you can also scribble with your finger in your own crummy handwriting.

You can now access Apple Music right in Messages, and share songs.

They have a Jib Jab function that lets you plug in faces of your friends on a wacky moving Jib Jab character.

iOS 10 supports all iOS 9 devices except the iPhone 4s and iPad 2.

Mac OS update is called Sierra.

Siri is coming to the Mac, as the headline feature update. They are saying ‘it’s the same Siri we know and love,’ or in the case of some of us, know and hate…

Using the Continuity feature, where your devices sense each other, will now use the connection between Watch or iPhone to auto unlock and log in to your Mac, using a super secure connection. It only works when you’re right by it.

A universal clipboard will let you copy and paste items from, for example, your iPhone right to the clipboard on the Mac!

iCloud Drive will allow you to access stuff in your Documents and Desktop between Macs and from your Mac to your iPhone.

A new interface is offered to let you store older files in the Cloud, and will auto clear some stuff to free up space. For example, it will clear the Safari cache monthly.

Apple Pay is coming to the Mac….it will be web based. Now there will be a ‘pay with Apple Pay screen that will pop up. While shopping online, you can authenticate with your iPhone or Watch.

TV OS….Sling TV available today. New remote app that mimics Siri Remote. Live Tune in lets you load a channel app and start watching instantly.

Watch OS 3.0

Apps will load instantly. Scribble allows you to write replies in addition to just picking Apple’s canned ones. There are a number of updated screens, including showing the temp or your exercise circles on the home screen. You can swipe through the apps quickly, or even swipe faster using the little dots at the bottom of the screen.

A screen gives you a choice of different timers, and another shows you your calendars and to-do lists, etc.

One of the cool new adds is SOS, which will call 911 (or whatever emergency number in different countries) and it will also send your medical card…then, notify your family or contacts you have chosen automatically…and show them a map of where you are. It works over cellular or Wi-Fi.


Bluetooth 5 About to Be Rolled Out; Snapchat Working on Google Glass Type Product

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, the group that sets the standards for the low power wireless standard, is going to rollout Bluetooth 5 next week. Theverge.com reports that it will have 4 times the speed and double the range of the best Bluetooth now available. It will also offer much more support for connectionless services…like beacons that can help people navigate around, both in buildings and outside. The added range and speed are particularly aimed at all the Internet of Things devices popping up for your home.

Snapchat is working on a Google Glass style AR headset, according to businessinsider.com. Snapchat has snapped up a couple of hardware specialists from GoPro, and a tech recruiter from Google’s Project Aura, the division that came up with Google Glass. These strengthen rumors of a Glass-type product from March when it leaked out that Snapc had hired an eyewear designer and a man specializing in miniaturized low power electronics. They are now listing jobs for a 3D mobile software engineer and mobile prototype developer, among others. Stay tuned.


Updated MacBooks Reveal This Month; Facebook Testing Out Twitter-Like Posts

It may not happen at the World Wide Developers Conference, but Apple will announce updated MacBooks this month, according to macrumors.com. A report from Mac Otakara cites a reliable supplier, and supports the earlier stories that Apple will drop he 11 inch MacBook Air, but continue with a slimmer 13 inch and a new 15 inch model. All the MacBooks will have Thunderbolt3/USB-C ports, and will drop USB-A, MagSafe, and Thunderbolt 2 ports. This rumor has them all out in August, although most other reports point to later in the year. The Pros will be thinner and lighter, have Touch ID, and the OLED touch bar we’ve reported previously.

Facebook is experimenting with a new type of post that is more like a Tweet. According to theverge.com, it is only visible in the News Feed, and doesn’t appear in your Timeline. Because these won’t show on the Timeline, and will be pushed down quickly on the newsfeed, the thinking is they might be used for quick or lighthearted updates. The selection is done by the individual post…with a ‘Hide from your Timeline’ option when you hit the post button. Right now, the feature is only showing up for some users, so may or may not be rolled out to everyone. Facebook is also working on a ‘notify a few friends’ feature you could use instead of tagging.


Web Creator Working to Reinvent It; Apple Will Live Stream WWDC Keynote June 13th

A group of scientists got together this week in San Francisco to look for ways to create web 2.0. Tim Berners-Lee came up with the world wide web 27 years ago, originally for scientists to find info easily. Commenting on the present day web, Berners-Lee said “It controls what people see, creates mechanisms for how people interact. It’s been great, but spying, blocking sites, repurposing people’s content, taking you to the wrong websites — that completely undermines the spirit of helping people create.” The New York Times says Berners-Lee and his group are working on coming up with a more peer-to-peer web that would be much less suited to spying on people or hoovering up their information, and might include a micro payment system, so that advertising wouldn’t be the only model to pay for it, and would ease the need for all our information for targeted advertising.

Apple will live stream the keynote for the World Wide Developers Conference Monday, June 13th. According to macrumors.com the stream will be available over apple.com, and via an events app on Apple TV. We’ll cover the hilights of announcements right here.


Bendable, Foldable Samsung Smartphone by Next Year; In-Flight Wi-Fi to Become Much More Useable

Samsung has developed the tech for folding screens to the point they may roll out smartphones with it next year. Engadget.com picked up a story from Bloomberg saying that a couple of devices will have flexible OLED screens- one folding like a cosmetic compact and another that transforms from a 5-inch smartphone-sized screen to a roughly eight inch screen …basically, converting from a phablet to a tablet. If the rumors hold up, we could see these by Mobile World Congress next February!

If you’ve tried it, you know in-flight Wi-Fi is more like in-flight dial up…but that’s about to change. According to bgr.com, American has signed a deal with Viasat, and is ditching Gogo. Where Gogo has relied on ground stations, Viasat use satellite tech to get Wi-Fi to travelers. They are claiming 12Mbps to every passenger, which would be enough to stream movies, make Skype calls (with some lag) or surf the web without feeling like you want to commit homicide. Gogo is also rolling out a satellite system, but it only gives 70 Mbps to the entire plane to share, which won’t be much better than what they already offer. American’s fleet should be equipped with the Viasat faster internet by September 2017.


Outlier iPhone 7 Rumor; Xbox One Getting Cortana; Zuck’s Social Media Accounts Hacked

There are enough rumors and renderings out that we pretty well think we know what the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be like. Here’s an off the wall one picked up by bgr.com, though. It’s from MobiPicker, and they’re saying the the 7 will have 16, 64, and 128 gigs of RAM, but the Plus will have 32, 128, and 256 gigs. Also, the 7 will get two 12 megapixel rear cameras, and the Plus 21 megapixels. The Plus is also rumored to lose the Lightening port and get USB C. This is the only source claiming these things, so keep that in mind!

Microsoft has announced that Xbox One will get Cortana support in a summer update. TechCrunch.com reports that it won’t be just limited to gaming functions, either. You can use Cortana to check with friends, start a party, and search for nearby restaurants. Beta testers should be getting the update shortly, with a rollout to everybody in waves later this summer.

If you haven’t changed your LinkedIn password, stop reading or listening to this and do it now. Venturebeat.com says Mark Zuckerberg has had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts hacked over the weekend, and it points strongly to the LinkedIn password dump of a couple weeks ago. Even the CEO of mighty Facebook can be hacked if he doesn’t change his password after a major hack and dump. Just do it!


HoloLens Rolls Out Email and Calendar Apps; 72 New Emoji Late June, Including All-Important Bacon!

Because everybody needs to be working all the time, even when you’re using your Virtual or Augmented Reality system, Microsoft has rolled out dedicated email and calendar apps for HoloLens. Theverge.com says the apps look just like the standard ones, except…you know….in AR. The apps can be pinned into the side area of your view, so as not to spoil your game quite as much. Microsoft did throw in an image of the Seattle skyline at least. If you’re a developer, and have a $3000 HoloLens system, now you’re in luck…you can check your work email constantly.

72….count ‘em….72 new emoji have been approved, and will be out in Unicode 9 June 21st. 9to5google.com reports this includes the all-important bacon one, as well as a selfie one and a clown face…and as the saying goes, ‘many more.’ It’s worth noting that we probably won’t actually get our hands on these until Google releases Android N, and Apple drops iOS 10 this fall.


Xiaomi Getting Ready to Bring Their Smartphones to the US; Apple’s WWDC Starts June 13th

After following the lead of Samsung and shamelessly aping Apple’s iPhone in their home country of China, it looks like maker Xiaomi is ready for their US closeup. Bgr.com reports that they have become the fastest growing smartphone maker, and now they’re coming to the US. Their latest crop of phones barely resemble the iPhone now, and they’ve purchased about 1500 patents from Microsoft. Xiaomi is known now for selling affordable smartphones with designs and specs that rival much more expensive ones, so if you’re on a budget but want a top flight phone, this could be the real deal.

We knew it was coming soon, and now we have a date. Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference will kick off in San Francisco Monday, June 13th, with the keynote at the usual 10 am Pacific. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium will be crammed to the rafters with tech reporters and developers. By noon that day, we should have lots more details about the next version of Apple’s iPhone/iPad software — iOS 10 — as well as news on Apple Watch, Apple TV and Macs. Cnet.com says they’ll have live coverage, as will a number of other tech sites. We’ll recap things right here. Stay tuned…


Atari Entering Internet of Things; Giant MySpace Hack; Mophie Adds Wireless Charging to Juicepacks

Atari is launching into the Internet of Things with a line of connected objects that will debut later this year. No word on what precise devices are included, but venturebeat.com reports that the legendary video game maker will develop the devices in partnership with Sigfox, a startup based in the south of France that is building a global communications network for IoT devices. Sigfox’s network already operates in 18 countries and runs with 7 million devices.

Mashable.com says MySpace and Tumblr have recently joined LinkedIn on the list of websites that had millions of login credentials stolen and put up for sale later. Over 64 million Tumblr accounts and more than 360 million MySpace accounts were affected by the data breach. Not all of them had complete email, usernames and passwords, but 111 million had a username and 358 million had a primary password. You can’t remember your password? Well 2 of the top 4 most popular passwords in the breach were password1 and 123456.

The Mophie Juicepacks are one of the best battery cases out there…full disclosure…I have had several and really like them. Now, they have just gotten better. In addition to protecting your iPhone and giving you about 50% extra power, Mophie is introducing ‘Charge Force,’ which is a Juicepack only with added wireless charging. Techcrunch.com says the charging pad and battery case are $99, same as previous Juicepacks, but a desktop/dresser stand and magnetic vent mount for cars will each set you back about $60 extra bucks. They should be in stores and online in the next few weeks.