Facebook’s Firing Trending Editors Brings SNAFUs; Future iPhones May Get Better Than OLED Screens; Amazon’s Amazing Numbers

Posted: August 30, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It didn’t take long….barely half a week has passed since Facebook canned 18 editorial contractors and went algorithm only for its Trending Topics. There have been some obvious goofs, like wrong videos linked to stories, but yesterday a completely made-up story made it and stayed for hours. Theverge.com says the fake story about Fox commentator Megan Kelly’s secret affinity for Hillary Clinton sat in the trending topics for hours…proving that algorithms and engineers make lousy news editors! The story, by the way, came from libertarian source End the Fed.

We’ve reported that the iPhone 8 may switch to OLED screens. Now, according to thenextweb.com, Apple may already be looking at a better tech in the next couple years. It’s micro LED. Cupertino bought LuxVue two years ago, and a secret Taiwan facility is working on the tech…which supposedly combines the best advantages of LED screens with OLED ones. It would also be another way for them to cut a further tie with Samsung, which makes OLED screens.

Just how big a gorilla is Amazon online? More than 800 pounds! Businessinsider.com reports that Amazon sold 6 times more online than the next 8 biggest retailers COMBINED! That’s 59 billion worth of stuff in the 2nd quarter of the year, while Walmart, Target, Best Buy and the rest totaled $10 billion together. The Department of Commerce calculates Amazon generated around 30% of US retail sales growth by itself!

Apple Building Video Sharing App Like Snapchat & Facebook; Future iPhones May Grab Photos & Fingerprints of Thieves, Nutonomy Beats Uber in Launching Self-Driving Cabs

Posted: August 25, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple is working on a social networking app along the lines of Snapchat and Facebook. Macrumors.com says Cupertino’s goal is for you to be able to shoot, edit, upload, and share a video in less than a minute…all with one hand! If the stars align in Silicon Valley, Apple will roll out the app in 2017.

Appleinsider.com has uncovered a patent that would allow future iPhones to snag the fingerprints and pictures of thieves. The unauthorized user’s info might be stored locally, or sent to a remote server for more evaluation. It’s not clear that such collection would be legal everywhere, even involving crooks, so it remains to be seen if this will actually be introduced on the handsets.

We reported on Uber’s imminent release of self-driving cabs in Pittsburg to test out their systems. Now, according to thenextweb.com, they’ll be #2 at it. Apparently, a firm called Nutonomy is putting the rubber on the road in Singapore today. As with the Uber test, rides will be free, and there will be a company engineer along to observe the system, and grab the controls if needed. Nutonomy was founded by a couple of robotics and intelligent vehicle tech geniuses from MIT.

Next Year’s iPhone Anniversary May Bring 3rd Model; Twitter Night Mode Hits iPhone; Facebook Tests Autoroll Video With Sound

Posted: August 23, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In a report out of Japan picked up by macrumors.com, Apple is planning a third iPhone model next year with a 5.5 inch OLED screen that will sport curved edges. Earlier rumors had Apple adapting OLED screens in 2018, but now it appears one model of the iPhone 8, or 10th Anniversary iPhone, or whatever they plan to call it will have it, while the 4.7 inch and other 5.5. inch models will have the same LCD screens as the present models. OLED screens have blacker blacks, and the colors on screen ‘pop’ more. Samsung has been using them on their Galaxy series. Of course, the Galaxy S7 Edge also already has the curved screen Samsung has made for a couple years now.

Last month, Android users got Twitter’s Night Mode, and yesterday it rolled out on iOS, according to cnet.com. I like it. It darkens all the white space and pictures, and the Tweets show up as white text on a black background. It even works on my old iPad that doesn’t support Apple’s Night Mode. Find the little settings cog icon, and it’s one of the selections.

In a move certain to infuriate everyone (except advertisers), Facebook is testing out autoplaying video WITH sound! Thenextweb.com says actually, the social giant is testing two versions in Australia. One just autoplays, and another has an unmute button in the lower right corner. The so-called ‘feature’ can apparently be disabled in settings. Hopefully, Facebook will choose the unmute button version if they decide to roll the feature out to everyone.

Uber Rolls Out Self-Driving Cabs; Facebook To Muscle in on Steam

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

We may be seeing quite a few car makers and tech companies rolling out self-driving cars by 2020 or 2021, but meanwhile, Uber is rolling out a small fleet of self driving Volvo SUVs later this month in Pittsburgh. Thenextweb.com says they’ll still have a driver supervising from behind the wheel. The cars will be assigned at random, and here’s the cool part….rides in them will be free for the time being! Uber will be staffing them with a co-pilot of sorts, to take note of how everything is working. Uber has had a $300 million dollar deal with Volvo to build fully autonomous cars, and apparently has been working on its own global mapping system, so they won’t have to rely on Google for navigation.

Facebook is looking to go after Steam, or at least claw back some of the revenue it’s lost since casual gaming moved to mobile. According to techcrunch.com, the social media giant announced it was working with game engine Unity to build a dedicated, downloadable desktop gaming platform, in addition to broadening the Facebook.com experience for gamers. It’s thought the desktop app will support both casual games and more hardcore games. Of course, Oculus was a big…and pricey…step back to gaming for Facebook, but the bulk of us still stare at screens, as opposed to strapping on headsets for hours at a time at this point.

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

Posted: June 9, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

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

Posted: June 6, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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!

Chromebook Has Outsold Macs; Facebook Testing Customizable Categories for Newsfeeds

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

Google’s cheaply priced Chromebooks outsold Macs in the US. first quarter. The verge.com reports that it’s mainly due to purchases of primary and secondary schools. According to IDC, Mac shipments 1st quarter of the year were around 1.76 million, and Dell, HP, and Lenovo combined to pump out almost 2 Million Chromebooks. While Apple can’t be happy about this, the real angst hast to be at Microsoft. Android apps running under Chrome will only further serve to erode Redmond’s grip on the PC market when that happens this Fall.

Brace yourselves….Facebook is once again monkeying with news feeds. According to thenextweb.com, they are testing out customizable news feed categories. Some people are seeing their mobile app news feeds separated by categories, like travel, music, TV and movies, food, and science. You can apparently also customize the specific news you want to see under those categories, such as animated films or reality TV under the entertainment category. Facebook tests out a lot of features, and if this one is adapted, it may be different than it appears right now.

Degrees from Facebook or Google University? Amazon Expanding Private Label Offerings for Prime Members

Posted: May 16, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Britain is looking at changes to their university system that would allow companies like Google and Facebook to set up their own academic institutions in the country that could award degrees. Thenextweb.com reports that neither of those companies has indicated that they would be interested in doing so, but government ministers in the UK think ‘challenger institutions’ set up by companies including Facebook, Google and others would ensure that they have ‘suitably skilled workers’ moving into the future.

Amazon will soon expand its lineup of private-label goods to include perishable food items — offering nuts, spices, vitamins, tea, coffee, baby food and other products under new Amazon brands such as Happy Belly, Wickedly Prime and Mama Bear, according to geekwire.com. The products will only be available for purchase by Amazon Prime members. It’s another perk for prime members, and another profit center for Amazon…private label brands frequently bring in higher profits to companies than name brands.

Facebook Considering Letting Users Monetize Posts; Apple Patents Folding Telephoto Lens for Smartphones

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

Facebook is apparently thinking about letting users accept donations in posts…either to make money or for a charitable cause. According to thenextweb.com, a survey from the social media giant points to this. They are also looking at branded content and sharing earnings from ads on posts. For better or worse, you may be getting your Facebook ‘tip jar’ ready before long!

Apple has patented a super compact folding telephoto lens for mobile devices. Apple insider.com says it resembles a small letter ‘r,’ or a periscope, with part of the lens cluster at the bottom of the upright, and the rest at the end of the top curve….the upright is mirrored. Moving the secondary lens at the bottom up or down gets the telephoto effect, which is passed on to the image sensor. It’s unknown if this will end up in the two camera system touted in the iPhone 7 Plus for this fall, a later model, or like some Apple ideas…be filed away.

Amazon Prime Adding Monthly Subscriptions; GoPro Rolling Out VR Camera

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

Amazon Prime has been $99, and if you get a lot of stuff from them, it’s a bargain in just the saved shipping, let alone Prime Video. Now, gizmodo.com reports that Amazon is offering Prime for $11 a month, and you can get just Prime Video for $9 a month…undercutting Netflix by a buck. The new pricing is available now.

On the heels of Facebook’s $30,000+ insane virtual reality camera that you’ll have to make yourself, GoPro has launched one you can buy from them for $4999. GoPro’s Omni only has 6 cameras….6 Hero4’s…compared to Facebook’s 17, but GoPro says the rig will capture up to 8K video. It’s available for pre-order at their website now. They have also introduced GoPro VR a website and app for iOS and Android to show off VR content and allow for sharing it. Mashable.com says GoPro will continue to offer its high end 16 camera GoPro Odyssey model for 16 grand.

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