‘Great’ Desktop Macs Ahead; ’Tis the Season to Shop-Online; Hyundai ‘Affordable’ Self-Drivers Coming; AR Wearables Will Replace iPhones?

Posted: December 20, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There was no mention of desktop machines at the MacBook rollout, but Apple CEO Tim Cook did post to an internal employee message board that Apple has ‘great desktops in our roadmap.’ According to theverge.com, Cook commented that the desktop is very strategic to Apple, noting ‘…you can pack a lot more performance in a desktop — the largest screens, the most memory and storage, a greater variety of I/O, and fastest performance.’ The iMac got a minor refresh last year, but the Mac Pro hasn’t been updated in 3 years. Some analysts think it may be dropped.

Never let it be said that most shoppers aren’t bargain hunters. TechCrunch.com says this is the main thing driving online shopping, NOT convenience. A full 79 percent of us now shop online in the US…up from 22% in 2000! Over half of people have bought something via their smartphone. That said, in the PEW study, 65% of people said that…all things being equal, they would rather shop in a physical store. Price, time constraints, and availability of products often dictate going online, though.

Most of the self-driving cars we see in the pipeline are upscale models. Teslas are cool, but pricey. Mercedes, BMW, Volvo…none of them will have anything on the cheap. Hyundai is working on one, though, and they claim it will be a self-driver for the masses. Techcrunch.com reports that the Korean maker rolled out their tech this week, with rides in Vegas ahead of CES coming up in January. The cars look pretty close to stock Ioniq models…no big cluster of sensors on the roof…they do include four optical cameras behind the windshield, front and side facing LiDAR unit, front mid- and long-range radars and rear-facing radars, too…so they’re not exactly rolling blind! Hyundai hopes to have something on the road by 2019-21, but full self-driving may be a few years after that.

AR seems to be nearly the operating system of the future, if you talk to some people, and Apple analyst Gene Munster, who is striking out on his own after Piper Jaffray, thinks AR wearables may eclipse smartphones like the iPhone. Zdnet.com points out that although Munster has a very good track record, he has predicted an Apple branded TV several times, and we’re still waiting for that! Nonetheless, Munster says that in the next 10 years, we may all be using some type of wearable in PLACE of our pocket smartphone from Apple. The amount of miniaturization is staggering, to say nothing of batteries, but considering that the iPhone would by then be 20 years old…that’s a lifetime in tech!

Facebook Messenger Has Tons of Artsy New Text Filters; Watch App To Track Falls of Elderly

Posted: December 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In a move to syphon off users from Snapchat, Facebook Messenger is rolling out a new feature for the camera that gives users a nearly infinite number of overlaid graphics. Techcrunch.com reports that the improved camera app also has AR selfie lenses, holiday themed masks, and tons of filters…over a billion different ways to spice up your text and pictures. It is rolling out, and will be on all iOS and Android phones by the 21st.

A trauma surgeon and emergency doctor are crowdfunding an Apple Watch app called FallCall, which automatically detects when a person falls and calls for what they describe as ‘the appropriate level of help.’ According to 9to5mac.com, the docs cite statistics that a third of people over 65 fall every year, and many aren’t able to call for help…either because they can’t reach a phone or are unconscious. The campaign is on Medstartr (no ‘e’ in starter), and is shooting for 180 grand. Contributors of at least $20 will be listed as a patron.

HBO NOW Premieres on Google Daydream; Microsoft Turning Phones into Real PCs

Posted: December 8, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you are lucky and well healed enough to have a Google Daydream View headset, you know there hasn’t exactly been a flood of material for the VR platform. Well brace yourself…techcrunch.com says HBO’s standalone subscription app HBO NOW is available for the Daydream platform. Google also announced that Netflix will be available soon as well. Keep in mind that the 2D shows will still not be in 3D, but HBO has movies in its library with 3D versions, and Netflix will be able to offer its 3D content up, too.

Microsoft is bringing a full version of Windows 10 to mobile, including desktop app support for ARM chips. According to theverge.com, Redmond demoed running Win 10 on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip today, including HD video playback, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Office. Microsoft put out Continuum for phones last year which emulates a PC, but you can’t run Chrome or Photoshop on it. It’s been tried unsuccessfully before, but maybe this will be the one that actually gives you a full blown PC in your pocket. Stay tuned.

Looking Ahead, Apple Sees AR in iPhone’s Camera App; One Day Amazon Prime Membership Sale

Posted: November 17, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s no secret…Tim Cook has noted several times that augmented reality will become a huge thing. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple has a team working on tech from several of its acquisitions to integrate AR into its camera app. Cupertino hopes people will be able to aim the cam at something in the real world, and have the software recognize it, like facial recognition for everything. The end game seems to be releasing smart glasses that integrate with iPhones. Some VR and AR features could come as soon as next year with the iPhone 8…which one source has already claimed will be ‘a clear piece of glass with mixed reality.

If you don’t have Amazon Prime, here’s your chance to get it at a discount…but only tomorrow, November 18th. Amazon will cut the price from $99 per year to $79 for 24 hours for new members only. A lot of us save it in shipping alone, but you also get Prime Video, Prime Music and more.

Apple Going for Glasshole Market; Twitter Adds Mute to Convos and Hashtags; Nintendo’s ‘Super Mario Run a Month Away; Spotify Has Been Wearing SSDs-Patch Is Out

Posted: November 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yes, they were clunky, but that wasn’t the main reason people who had Google Glass were called ‘glassholes.’ Apple has revolutionized portable music players with the iPod and phones with the iPhone, can they do the same with digital glasses? Bloomberg.com says they’re working on some. A great AR headset would go a long way in bringing in the future, which at lot of people think will involve AR. The real trick will be having small enough components to produce a good AR experience, and batteries that power it which won’t weigh you down. It’s a huge challenge, but think about the iPod and iPhone…maybe by 2018 we’ll see the iAR or will it be Apple AR?

A lot of criticism has been thrown at Facebook and Twitter over fake news and trolls since the election. Now, bgr.com reports that Twitter has added a mute feature to conversations and hashtags to try to contain harassment. Previously, you could only mute individuals, and their friends could still gang up on a person. You will also now be able to mute keywords and hashtags.

Super Mario Run for iPhone and iPad will launch December 15th. Geekwire.com says it will sell for $10, and is specifically designed for mobile devices. Gamers can try before they by for free with elements of the games 3 modes. The game is designed to accomodate one-handed play….Mario runs forward on his own. Just tap to make him jump.

After sucking up life out of SSDs for months, Spotify has released a fix. According to bgr.com, a bug has allowed the app to continually rewrite data to your drive, even while in idle mode…up to 5 to 10 gigs an hour. Over a day, it would write up to 700 gigs. SSDs have a limited number of writes available, although most should last 10 years with normal use. Look for V. 1.0.42, it’s out and you should have it or upgrade to it on your desktop or laptop.

Peeking Ahead at Apple; Samsung’s Amazing Coming AI Assistant; Future Tesla Buyers & Superchargers; New Old Sega Genesis Goes into Production

Posted: November 8, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple has a few things up its tree, including something fresh for the present iPhone 7. Thenextweb.com says they may be readying a ‘Jet White’ shiny new color to the 7 and 7 Plus to bookend the Jet Black color.

As for the future, they may add a feature to Find My iPhone that would surreptitiously turn the phone on for you with the proper authentication, so you could find a stolen phone without alerting the thief, according to bgr.com. What about the iPhone 8? We reported earlier that they were working with Energous on wireless charging. Now, again according to bgr, this is moving forward with Energous getting an infusion from a power management chip maker. You would be able to charge your phone from a source 15 feet away…no charging pad…and it would draw current whether you were at home, work, or wherever!

Appleinsider.com has discovered that Apple was just granted a patent detailing an augmented reality mapping system that harnesses iPhone hardware to overlay visual enhancements onto live video, lending credence to recent rumors suggesting the company plans to implement an iOS-based AR strategy in the near future. Tim Cook has strongly hinted about this.

Meanwhile, over at Samsung, a sea change in digital assistants. The Galaxy S8 will have a digital assistant that takes ‘smart’ to a new level. Samsung will add Viv, from San Jose’s Viv Labs (which they bought last month). Reuters.com says Viv not only can answer questions and look things up, but can effectively write software on the fly to accomplish tasks that you ask it to! This is beyond Star Trek, folks!

A huge change for future Tesla buyers. According to theverge.com, anyone getting a Tesla after January 1st, 2017 will have to pay a small fee to use Tesla Superchargers. Previous owners will still get to use them for free. Tesla says the fee will be much less than the cost of filling a car with gas.

For hardcore Sonic fans, here’s something cool from the dailydot.com: The Sega Genesis is officially back in production. TecToy is making the machines, with Sega’s blessing. Aside from the SD card slot, it’s pretty well a duplicate of the original. It comes with 22 games on the SD card. Preorders are $125 for the box. Are you hearing the Sonic the Hedgehog theme?

Mac Rollout This Week; Crazy New iPhone 8 Rumor; The Planned Galaxy Note 8

Posted: October 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple is expected to roll out freshened MacBook Pros and a 13 inch MacBook on Thursday. Macrumors.com says the MacBook Pro will have the OLED touch bar and Touch ID sensor in both the 13 and 15 inch models, as previously leaked, USB C and Thunderbolt 3 connectors, but also will have an oxide panel screen for better display quality and energy efficiency, and get this…a TWO terabyte SSD available!

There have been rumors for most of the year about the iPhone 8 having glass panels front and back with either an aluminum or stainless steel bezel. Most think it will have an edge to edge glass screen with the fingerprint sensor and home button under the screen. Now, bgr.com reports that it may be more radical than originally thought. New rumors have the iPhone 8 as being a clear Gorilla Glass sandwich…with polycarbonates to help make it more shatter resistant…and with an OLED screen. According to some sources, you will be able to see straight through it, so it can be popped into an AR headset, and it allegedly will have a higher frame rate than a PC with an Nvidia 1080 card installed. It will have a next gen 3D sensor from Apple owned Primesense. Apple supposedly has 600 engineers in Israel working on the sensor alone. Buckle up, this could be youuuuge.

Samsung is officially planning a Galaxy Note 8 to replace the Note 7 after it’s flameout. According to Zdnet.com, they plan to offer buyers in Korea who traded their Note 7’s for S7 or S7 Edge models a 50% discount for the monthly upgrade program to keep them in the fold. No word yet if the deal will be extended to the US or other countries.

New iPads Next Year; Bigger, Range-Increasing Battery for Teslas; Pokemon Influence On Upcoming Tech

Posted: August 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

According to KGI Securities, which has a good track record with accurate Apple rumors, Cupertino will roll out new iPads next year…freshening the 9.7 inch model with a ‘low cost’ version, adding a 10.5 inch iPad Pro, and beefing up the 12.9 inch iPad Pro with a more powerful processor. Macrumors.com also says Apple is planning a so-called ‘revolutionary’ iPad in the fall of 2018, with radical form factor changes and maybe a flexible AMOLED screen.

Tesla is getting ready to release a 100Kw battery for its Model S and Model X cars…giving the Model S a range of 380 miles….more than your bladder can handle without a pit stop. Theverge.com reports that a Dutch regulator that certifies Teslas for sale in the EU published model listings that included designations pointing to the increased battery size…100D and 100X. There’s also a P100D…maybe a higher end version of the Model S…in the listings.

Techcrunch.com is saying the influence of the wildly successful Pokemon Go is already rippling through the tech world, and will for years to come. The relatively simple game has suddenly gotten millions to understand what augmented reality is, and how cool it might be. Even though it’s been used in map software for some time, the game has opened up other avenues. In addition to mobile games, movies and Video games can extend their reach into ‘the real world.’ The Pokemon effect could even be extended to medical apps…helping an elderly person find where they left a medication, and remembering that they ‘captured’ their pill yesterday, and should take another. Look for other applications of AR as offshoots from Pokemon Go in the next months and into next year.

Google Still Working on Second VR/AR Project; Flight Recorder for Self Driving Cars

Posted: July 18, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For those saddened by an article over the weekend that Google had killed their VR project aimed at Oculus Rift…take heart! Engadget.com reports that while it’s true, Google has ANOTHER team working on a dedicated headset that blurs the line between virtual and augmented reality! The headset still being worked on does not require a computer or phone to power it. It appears that it would be aimed at competitor’s headsets that focus mainly on gaming.

With all the flap about several crashes involving or possibly involving Tesla’s Autopilot, Germany is looking to pass a law requiring black boxes in self-driving cars, much like those in commercial aircraft. According to techcrunch.com, the flight recorder type boxes would record whether the autopilot is engaged, when the driver is controlling manually, when the system asked the driver to take over, and when it is disengaged. Most modern cars already have systems that record functions like speed, brake application, and so forth which police and insurance companies can tap into. If the Germans pass this law, expect it to be copied throughout the EU, an probably in the US.

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

Posted: June 20, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

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