Monthly Archives: July 2017

iPhone 8 Code Name and Image Found in Homepod Firmware

July 31, 2017 · 08:39

Steven did a little sleuthing over the weekend, poking around the HomePod firmware…

Pearl ID and BiometricKit found, but still no word whether the iPhone 8/Pro (or whatever else Apple will call it) will have Touch ID along facial recognition.

Guilherme Rambo‏ also found an image representing the new iPhone, which Steven confirmed, along with its D22 code name.

Someone at Apple is going to have an angry phone call today…

Tesla Model 3 Doesn’t Have a Key →

July 29, 2017 · 09:59

Tamara Warren, writing for The Verge:

And the best part: when I pulled into park, I asked about the key. The car doesn’t haven’t one. You control the car through the Tesla app on your phone. Tesla has succeed in making a car for gadgeteers, and for forgetful people like me that sometimes leave their phones behind. (It does have a small credit card key to hand off to valets, for people that will stunt in their 3.)

I can imagine a few scenarios where that’s a bad idea. They should add one of those rubber band Fitbit-like devices, which you can put on your wrist. I think Range Rover or Volvo does them.

Tesla Model 3 Photos and Specs

July 29, 2017 · 09:43

The Model 3, according to what Elon Musk said, will come in two variants. The standard model will cost $35,000, accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 5.6 seconds , and have a range of 220 miles (352 km). The long range model will be more expensive at $44,000, accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, and have a range of 310 miles (496 km). Still no word on the “D” models, with AWD.

Continue reading →

CEO Says iRobot Will Never Sell Your Data →

July 29, 2017 · 09:13

David Gewirtz, for ZDnet:

First things first, iRobot will never sell your data. Our mission is to help you keep a cleaner home and, in time, to help the smart home and the devices in it work better.

iRobot further clarified:

This was a misinterpretation. Angle never said that iRobot would look to sell customer maps or data to other companies. iRobot has not had any conversations with other companies about data transactions, and iRobot will not sell customer data.

This is in response to Reuter’s report from a few days ago.

Is it “iPod shuffles” or “iPods shuffle”? →

July 27, 2017 · 22:50

Peter Rojas, writing for Engadget on 19 January 2005:

It took us a few days of harrassing Apple’s PR department, but we were finally able to answer one of the most burning questions of the past seven days: Is it “iPod shuffles” or “iPods shuffle?” Here’s a transcript of our conversation…

If Phil Schiller answered, he’d probably troll Peter with “iPod Shuffle devices.”

July 27, 2017 · 22:41

I’m so tempted to move away from WordPress to Ghost or Nanoc. Both are enticing, but then I remember that many things come for free with WP…

iPod Nano and Shuffle Removed from Apple.com

July 27, 2017 · 22:23

Sadly, the iPod Nano and Shuffle were both removed from Apple.com. The iPod brand still lives on, in the form of the iPod touch in 32 GB and 128 GB flavours. I kept hoping Apple would release an iPod Nano with Apple Music support in some form, even if it didn’t have a modem — it appears that those dreams won’t come true.

Roomba Wants to Sell Maps of Homes Its Robots Clean →

July 25, 2017 · 10:38

Jan Wolfe, reporting for Reuters:

Angle told Reuters that iRobot, which made Roomba compatible with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant in March, could reach a deal to sell its maps to one or more of the Big Three in the next couple of years.

I was recently considering buying a Roomba or one of the copycats on the market but I have now changed my mind. I will gladly pay more for a product that does not make me the… product.

Poland — Basically A Dictatorship →

July 20, 2017 · 16:04

Rick Lyman, writing for the New York Times:

An enraged Jaroslaw Kaczynski — the former president’s twin brother and, as leader of Law and Justice, the most powerful political figure in Poland — seized the lectern and fired back: “Do not wipe your traitorous mugs with the name of my late brother. You are scoundrels.”

Law and Justice has long maintained that the 2010 crash was an assassination, perhaps involving Russia and members of the political opposition.

“You murdered him,” Mr. Kaczynski shouted.

Ewa Kopacz, the prime minister under the previous center-right government, declared herself flabbergasted. “This man is crazy with hate,” she said of Mr. Kaczynski. “He cannot control his emotions.”

When Trump won, I thought USA was worse off than Poland.

I was wrong.

Censoring Porn in the UK →

July 18, 2017 · 08:52

Kelly Fiveash, writing for Ars Technica:

Under the yet-to-be-implemented measures, free and fee-based porn operators—many of which are based abroad—will be required to insert age checkers on their sites in the UK, forcing users to dish up their credit card details to prove that they are 18 or over before being granted access to smut.

Hackers are dry-washing their hands right now.

The 1Password Memberships/Subscription Conundrum

July 16, 2017 · 13:31

Dave Teare, writing about 1Password Memberships:

1Password is what it is today because we all love working here and have fun helping our customers. We are completely self-funded, independent, have turned down all offers from venture capitalists, and our board of directors consists entirely of people who work on 1Password and help customers directly each and every day.

I love indies who make it work, without outside help. That is what we’re doing with our publishing business, and it’s not easy.

Continue reading →

Dell Is Selling the World’s First Wirelessly Charging Laptop →

July 12, 2017 · 09:09

Shannon Liao:

Well, it’s not the tablet part that has wireless charging capabilities, as Dell achieves that through a kind of hack. The company uses an attachable keyboard, sold separately, as a wireless charging base, although the keyboard cannot be charged beforehand and you can’t use it on any metal surfaces.

Dell said today that the Latitude 7285 12-inch is available for sale on its website starting at $1,199.99, and the Wireless Charging Keyboard and Wireless Charging Mat will run you $549.99. (You save $29.99 if you buy them together versus separately.)

This is not wireless charging — it’s inductive charging at best, with the wire moved from the laptop to the charging mat.

Winamp’s Woes: How the Greatest MP3 Player Undid Itself →

July 7, 2017 · 18:26

Cyrus Farivar, writing for Ars Technica:

Today, Winamp continues to be updated; AOL released its first Android version in 2010 and a Mac version in 2011. Amazingly, given all the time elapsed, AOL still makes a decent amount of money on the site and on the program—while the company has declined to release official figures, former employees who worked on Winamp estimate its current revenue at around $6 million annually. And Winamp still has an estimated user base of millions worldwide, a small fraction of which live in the United States.

When I first got my hands on Winamp, I learned that ID3 tags existed. That was when I started properly naming all my MP3 files, in both the file names and tags. I got my first iPod in 2006 and switched to iTunes, which I still use today. What’s more, I still have those 128 Kbps MP3 files — some I replaced with better rips, others I just left as they were. My iTunes library was automatically perfectly organized, thanks to Winamp. This was a time when the iTunes Music Store wasn’t yet available in Poland, so I solely relied on ripping my CDs. I did get an US account later and a few gift cards, which made things easier, but this was after Apple dropped DRM, if I recall correctly. I still have fond memories of Winamp, despite the fact that I’m probably one of the few people who like using iTunes, and was quite surprised recently, when I learned that one of my friends still uses it. I didn’t know there was a Mac version either…

RED is Making a $1,200 Smartphone With a ‘Holographic Display’ →

July 7, 2017 · 08:25

Sean O’Kane:

High-end cameramaker RED has just announced a premium smartphone called Hydrogen One, and the headlining feature is something the company is referring to as a “holographic display.” A buzzword-filled press release for Hydrogen One says that the 5.7-inch display somehow uses nanotechnology to “seamlessly [switch] between traditional 2D content, holographic multi-view content, 3D content, and interactive games.”

The teaser image paints it as hideously ugly. That design might work on RED’s cameras, but it sure doesn’t look good on a smartphone. Waiting to see the finished product, but there’s no way I’d put down $1200-1500 on that without seeing the whole picture.

How to Sound Good on a Podcast →

July 3, 2017 · 12:13

Collin Donnell:

If you read this blog, you know that I do a weekly interview podcast called The Run Loop. The show (generally) has remote guests with different audio setups and level of comfort in front of a microphone, so I wanted to write a short tutorial I could send to future guests to prepare them to be on the show and get the best audio quality. I then realized it made a lot more sense to make that a blog post so that other people could use it as a resource as well. So, here it is. Following this should help anyone sound good on a podcast regardless of previous experience.

This is worth reading even if you know what you’re doing (or think you do) — lots of small details, which can make a difference.