Twitter Nixes Services That Tracked Politicians’ Deleted Tweets
Posted: August 24, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, Diplotwoops, Open State Foundation, Politicians, Politwoops, Siri, Sunlight Foundation, Twitter, Watch OS2, WiFi Leave a commentBecause we wouldn’t want any politicians’ hasty and foolish, embarrassing Tweets to bite them later, or journalists to be able to actually report them, Twitter has kindly blocked Politwoops and sister site Diplotwoops from access of it’s API. Techcrunch.com reports Twitter says it violates terms of service. Surely it can’t be from pressure from politicians and governments? The US version was shut down earlier this year. The Open State Foundation and watchdog Sunlight Foundation said they will look for other ways to report deleted Tweets, noting that politicians shouldn’t have the same expectation of privacy as private citizens.
According to businessinsider.com, Apple is bringing a couple of major changes to the Apple Watch with the software update due out next month. Watch OS 2 will have native access to the watch, which means it won’t have to ‘phone home’ to your nearby iPhone constantly. Apps should load much faster. It will also remember WiFi connections you’ve used previously with your phone, allowing you to connect to the web without having your iPhone tagging along. This won’t work for everything, but will for iMessages and using Siri.
Super King Sized Samsung Tablet Coming?
Posted: August 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Car Play, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, phablets, Samsung, Tablets Leave a commentSamsung had good success for a while supersizing smartphones into phablets, and now theverge.com says SamMobile is reporting the company is working on an 18.4 inch Android tablet. Internally, it’s called Tahoe, and it has a TFT LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 1.6 GhZ processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and rear and front cameras — 8 megapixels and 2.1 megapixels, respectively. SamMobile speculates that it wouldn’t be aimed at mainstream users, but for salespeople to make presentations, and architects needing a large mobile device for site visits. No word on when it might hit the market.
As Apple is rumored to be working in secret on their own electric car that would run their Car Play software, Mercedes-Benz is apparently open to different types of collaboration with Cupertino. In an interview out in the last few days, the Daimler CEO, Dieter Zetsche, was quoted as saying “Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle. That can be interesting for both sides.” According to macrumors.com, Apple hired former Mercedes R&D VP Johann Jungwirth, who is now Director of Mac Systems Engineering.
Big Microsoft Product Event In October
Posted: August 20, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Band 2, Ford, Lumia, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, self-driving car, Surface Mini, Surface Pro 4 Leave a commentMicrosoft is planning a monster product launch event in October. According to theverge.com, they’ll show two new Lumia handsets, the Surface Pro 4, and a Microsoft Band 2. There MAY be a slimmer Xbox One as well, but that’s an outside chance. More likely is additional Surface hardware in addition to the Surface Pro 4….Maybe a Surface Mini.
Ford has patented an autonomous car that allows for the driver pivoting around with their back to the wheel. This would enable 4 adults to sit facing each other. It will be interesting to see how this works out, as Mercedes-Benz already has a functioning self-driving car that does this, and has demonstrated it to the press. A fresh wrinkle in the Ford version is that the entire front seat can fold back, creating a bed or leg rest for back seat passengers. That in and of itself will present interesting scenarios for future parents when junior asks to borrow the car!
Dragon Anywhere Mobile Apps Coming
Posted: August 19, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Blackphone 2, Cortana, Dragon, iOS, Microsoft, Nuance, Silent Circle, Siri Leave a commentAs Apple does more and more with Siri, and Microsoft does the same with Cortana, a long time player in speech recognition will be dropping mobile apps this fall. Thenextweb.com reports that Dragon Anywhere…the app…will be released for iOS and Android, with the focus on professionals. At least the initial release will be designed for lawyers, social workers, insurance adjusters, and public safety officers, according to Nuance…which envisions such pros using the app to create and edit complete reports and documents, or take detailed notes on the go. It will play nice with Evernote and Dropbox, according to the maker. Updates to the PC desktop app will be out in August, and for the Mac in September.
We previously reported on Silent Circle’s 2.0 product, the Blackphone 2. Now, techcrunch.com says it should be launching in September….a little bit of a slide from a promised summer launch, and still no word on a price. It will sport an all-glass front and rear, plus a larger 5.5 inch full HD display, have a 64-bit processor, and more RAM.
Facebook Notes Getting Facelift for Blogging?
Posted: August 18, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple TV, blogging, Facebook Notes, iOS9, Medium Leave a commentFacebook Notes has been one of the social network’s least used and least updated features. It has sat there for years largely unloved and useless…you may not have touched it since 25 Things About Me…remember that? Thenextweb.com reports that Facebook is putting a fresh coat of paint on Notes, and it looks suspiciously like Medium…a blogging platform used by techies and hipsters. One has to wonder if people will blog on Facebook, but they are testing out layouts and features, including cover photos, user tagging, photo resizing, adding links and hashtags. You’ll be able to share notes with the audience of your choice, as you can with normal posts right now.
No specific news on when this might roll out.
It looks like a revamp of Apple TV will roll out along with iPhone 6S and the rest on September 9th, and 9to5mac.com says it will run a full blown iOS 9 core, albeit optimized for the little box. The box is apparently slimmer and a bit wider, and will sport a new remote, with new and more tactile keys, in addition to touch based input and gesture support. The remote will use both Bluetooth and infrared, which should give it better response. It will use Siri for easier search, and Apple TV will have a faster processor and more memory. Sources say it won’t launch with the long sought Apple Cable TV killer service…at least not initially. That may come next year.
Project Sunroof from Google…It’s Not About Cars!
Posted: August 17, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Geekbench, Google, iPhone 6S, Project Sunroof, Solar Panels, TechTastic Leave a commentGoogle unveiled a YouTube video today about Project Sunroof. Project Sunroof is a website that allows people to automate researching and then buying solar panels for home, and thus ‘Sunroof!’ 9to5google.com says it believes it has enough data on the site to determine the feasibility and return on investment for installing solar on your house….down to modeling the roof in 3D to see how many square feet are available, and whether trees or other objects will block sunlight. The site claims if you use their service, Sunroof can recommend an installation size that will generate nearly 100% of a household’s electricity use! The site includes a list of solar panel installation companies in your area.
A leak last week got the tech press in an uproar that the upcoming iPhone 6S might just have 1 gig of ram, disappointing many. Now, according to bgr.com, a leak from the same source indicates that may not be the case. Spotted by Dutch tech blog TechTastic, the new Geekbench Browser benchmark says the iPhone8,2 is going to feature a 1.5GHz tri-core A9 processor and 2GB of RAM.
TechTastic further notes that the iPhone 6s should offer users a performance on par with the iPad Air 2, which has a tri-core A8X processor. In fact, comparing the two devices, the site found that the iPhone8,2 beats the iPad Air 2 when it comes to single-core and multi-core performance.
Useful New iCloud Restore Feature
Posted: August 14, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 128 gigs, Apple, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge, iCloud, Restore, Samsung Leave a commentWithout fanfare, Apple has added a restore feature to iCloud. 9to5mac.com says it’s hidden in the advanced settings pane, and allows you to recover accidentally deleted documents. You can also restore contacts and calendars. The feature shows snapshots of the recently deleted documents, with the contacts and calendars appearing as time stamped. With the latter two, you just recover earlier versions…you can’t go back and grab a single contact like you can with documents.
As we reported, Samsung showed it’s Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge + yesterday at their Unpacked event. Meanwhile, the phablets appeared on their websites with capacities of 32 gigs, 64 gigs, and 128 gigs. According to Cnet.com and others, it was a goof…there’s no 128 gig version…sorry high capacity buffs. If you absolutely must have the 128 gigs and don’t want an iPhone, buy the slightly older Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
Samsung Rolls Out New Phablets & Smartphones
Posted: August 13, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge, Privacy Settings, Samsung, security, Unpacked, Windows 10 Leave a commentAs widely leaked, Samsung showed a couple of new flagship smartphones today at their Unpacked event, and rolled out two new phablets…the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge +. Techcrunch.com notes that this is the first time they have had a major rollout event in August, hoping to get the drop on Apple, which will show new iPhones, iPads, and more on September 9th. The Note 5 continues with the 5.7 inch screen of the Note 4, but has 4 gigs of RAM, it’s thinner, and jumps the front cam up to 5 megapixels. The rear cam stays at 16. The Edge + increases in size from the 5.1 inch screen of the Edge to 5.7, and also gets the same memory and cameras as the Note. Both have built in wireless charging, but the charger pad is extra.
As previously reported, Windows 10 reports back all kinds of info about you to Microsoft. We covered how to turn it all off with privacy settings…and it’s a hassle. Now, arstechnica.com reports that some apps and servers continue to communicate with Redmond’s servers, EVEN after you opt out in the privacy settings. Worse, some connect to Microsoft through unencrypted channels, exposing users to their information being intercepted.
US Phone Carriers’ Switch to Installment Plans = Quicker iPhone Upgrade Cycles
Posted: August 12, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, Installment plans, iPhone, Mobile news alerts, Subsidized contracts, Twitter, Verizon Leave a commentWith big player Verizon now making the move to installment plans on smartphones from contract subsidies, a well-respected analyst says we could see quicker iPhone upgrade cycles. Appleinsider.com notes that Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray has crunched the numbers, and the switch to installment payments may net Apple an extra 2.9 million iPhone upgrades 3rd quarter, and 4.4 million 4th quarter. The installment plans drop the subsidy for a 2 year contract, and you just pay for the phone service, plus either buy the new phone outright…which almost no one does, or you have an installment payment rolled into your bill, and the carrier makes interest on you.
Facebook is building a Twitter-esque app that lets news providers send mobile breaking news alerts out en masse. The stand alone app is part of the Facebook for Business initiative. When it goes live, users can download the app and select what news providers or topics they want to follow for breaking news. The mobile alerts have 100 characters of text…40 less than Twitter…and a link to the article on the news provider’s website. Right now, the app won’t allow links to other sites…in other words, news organizations can’t just ‘reTweet’ another’s link.
HTC One Max Fingerprints Stored in Plain Sight
Posted: August 11, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alphabet, Fingerprints, Google, HTC, One Max Leave a commentHTC has been having plenty of trouble of late, despite making a really cool phone, the One Max. Part of the problem is that HTC is selling phones for just over a penny profit…not a good business model for a device that costs hundreds. Their stock value has plummeted to the amount of cash on hand. For the HTC One Max OWNER, there’s a BIG problem. Geek.com notes that the Max stores fingerprints as an ordinary image file in an unsecure location. Worse…it saves a fresh copy that can be stolen every time you swipe your finger! Researchers at FireEye tipped HTC of this glaring mess, and they’ve issued a patch, so if you own a One Max, update the software!
By now, you’ve heard all about Google starting an umbrella company called Alphabet to be the parent to all their brands: Google, Google X, and so on.
It seems that the execs came up with this naming plan so quickly, no one bothered to check if the name was available online…and it’s not…for now. Theverge.com reports that an individual has @alphabet on Twitter, and alphabet.com is owned by Alphabet Fleet Management…a BMW company, which also owns Facebook.com/alphabet. With Google’s (and now Alphabet’s) billions, they’ll be able to buy up the online names, but a word to the wise for the rest of us…check first!
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