Apple; Join Us as We Dance Madly on the Lip of the Volcano →
If you haven’t seen this, you’ve missed out on the greatest spoof of an Apple ad that was ever created.
New iPhone Ad with Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster →
(New!) I Dig It Remastered – iOS – Entertainment – €3.99 →
The original version of this game was created in 2009. I distinctly remember spending hours upon hours playing it. I Dig It Remastered is updated for the current crop of iOS devices — it’s a universal app supporting both iPhones and iPads. I will definitely give this one a shot.
App Store Deals — 16/03/2016
Not much happening today, but there were enough price drops to warrant a separate post instead of posting each one individually. You might want to take a look at Almost Impossible! and Snapheal in particular.
★ Almost Impossible! – iOS – Games – €1.99 > €0.00 →
★ Astrå – iOS – Games – €2.99 > €0.99 →
★ Instant – Quantified Self – iOS – Lifestyle – €2.99 > €0.00 →
★ London Travel Guide – iPhone – Travel – €4.99 > €0.00 →
★ SidTracker64 – iPad – Music – €12.99 > €1.99 →
★ Snapheal – Fix your photos – Mac – Photography – €14.99 > €7.99 →
★ Sputnik Eyes – iOS – Games – €1.99 > €0.00 →
★ Tembo 2.0 – Find Files – Mac – Utilities – €14.99 > €1.99 →
★ This War of Mine – iOS – Games – €14.99 > €3.99 →
★ Train Conductor 2: USA – iOS – Games – €2.99 > €0.00 →
Algorithmic Feed to Be Introduced on Instagram →
Instagram blog:
You may be surprised to learn that people miss on average 70 percent of their feeds. As Instagram has grown, it’s become harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share. This means you often don’t see the posts you might care about the most.
To improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most.
Nooooooooooooooo!
As I complained when Facebook introduced this “feature”, I carefully curate my feed to display what I want it to display in the correct order (by time and date!). I don’t want a machine to screw this up for me.
PlayStation VR Launching October for $399 →
Andrew House:
With the annual Game Developers Conference in full swing, I’m pleased to give you an exciting update on PlayStation VR. Today, we are announcing that the PlayStation VR headset will launch in October of this year for a suggested retail price of USD $399 / CAD $549.
This is probably the first time VR has actually caught my interest. I might actually get this.
Racism, Sexism, and Discrimination at Squarespace →
Amélie Lamont:
As a young black woman in the tech industry, by virtue of my existence, I am bound to face discrimination. I’ve wanted to share this story for 2 years, but I’ve been scared. I recently decided that speaking up is far more important than remaining silent.
I’m hoping that telling my story urges both Squarespace and other companies in the tech industry to change their behaviors for the better.
If my experience resonates with you, maybe you’ll be inspired to speak up, or at least seek help. If it doesn’t, that’s fine. Keep it civil.
My Photography (2) — Ponte Sant’Angelo, Rome, Italy, 2015
We went to Rome last year to a concert by Ludovico Einaudi. Naturally, I couldn’t resist going out and shooting one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The sun was starting to go down as we arrived at our hotel, so we quickly went out not to miss the evening magic hour.
Shot with Fuji X100T: f/8, 1/120, ISO 200.
Overcast 2.5 Is Out With New Features →
Marco Arment:
Overcast 2.5 is now available, bringing major under-the-hood improvements and some of the most requested features to my iOS podcast player.
The new features are: a new dark mode using the system font, audio file uploads, optimised battery life, a separate Voice Boost profile when listening via the built-in speaker, and many bug fixes. The first two are for patrons only. Speaking of battery life…
Some results were unsurprising: Compared to wired headphones, Bluetooth headphones cut battery life by about a third, while AirPlay cut it about in half. But the biggest battery drain is the built-in speaker, which is even more costly to the battery than AirPlay.
Marco’s battery results actually surprised me. I didn’t think that the impact on the battery by using Bluetooth headphones was so big.
I’ve used Overcast solely since its release and apart from one bug/feature1, it has been the perfect companion during my walks and runs. There are many other great podcast players out there, but Overcast’s simplicity, Voice Boost, and Smart Speed2 won me over.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Apple vs. FBI →
I haven’t watched it yet, but knowing John, this is going to be gold.
Facebook, Google and WhatsApp Plan to Increase Encryption of User Data →
Danny Yadron:
Silicon Valley’s leading companies – including Facebook, Google and Snapchat – are working on their own increased privacy technology as Apple fights the US government over encryption, the Guardian has learned.
The projects could antagonize authorities just as much as Apple’s more secure iPhones, which are currently at the center of the San Bernardino shooting investigation. They also indicate the industry may be willing to back up their public support for Apple with concrete action.
Within weeks, Facebook’s messaging service WhatsApp plans to expand its secure messaging service so that voice calls are also encrypted, in addition to its existing privacy features. The service has some one billion monthly users. Facebook is also considering beefing up security of its own Messenger tool.
Snapchat, the popular ephemeral messaging service, is also working on a secure messaging system and Google is exploring extra uses for the technology behind a long-in-the-works encrypted email project.
At this point in time I would like to see more action from the other tech companies — this is obviously a delicate situation, but too much is at stake.
The Sequel to the Crypto Wars →
Steven Levy:
As with the first round of the crypto wars, the stakes could not be higher. Once again, the government is seeking to control that genie first released by Diffie and Hellman. But the physics of computer security have not changed. Last July, a panel of fifteen eminent security specialists and cryptographers — many of whom are veterans of the first crypto war — released a report confirming there was no way for the government to demand a means of bypassing encryption without a dire compromise of security. It just doesn’t work.
There is no middle ground.
Barack Obama: ‘Smartphones Can’t Be Allowed to Be Black Boxes’ →
Justin Sink:
President Barack Obama said Friday that smartphones — like the iPhone the FBI is trying to force Apple Inc. to help it hack — can’t be allowed to be “black boxes,” inaccessible to the government. The technology industry, he said, should work with the government instead of leaving the issue to Congress.
“You cannot take an absolutist view on this,” Obama said at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. “If your argument is strong encryption no matter what, and we can and should create black boxes, that I think does not strike the kind of balance we have lived with for 200, 300 years, and it’s fetishizing our phones above every other value.”
I’m disappointed in Obama. I also don’t think he knows exactly what he’s talking about.
WhatsApp Encryption Targeted by DOJ →
Matt Apuzzo:
But in late 2014, the company said that it would begin adding sophisticated encoding, known as end-to-end encryption, to its systems. Only the intended recipients would be able to read the messages.
“WhatsApp cannot provide information we do not have,” the company said this month when Brazilian police arrested a Facebook executive after the company failed to turn over information about a customer who was the subject of a drug trafficking investigation.
The iPhone case, which revolves around whether Apple can be forced to help the F.B.I. unlock a phone used by one of the killers in last year’s San Bernardino, Calif., massacre, has received worldwide attention for the precedent it might set. But to many in law enforcement, disputes like the one with WhatsApp are of far greater concern.
For more than a half-century, the Justice Department has relied on wiretaps as a fundamental crime-fighting tool. To some in law enforcement, if companies like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram can design unbreakable encryption, then the future of wiretapping is in doubt.
Amazon Removing Kindle eBooks That Have Table of Contents at the End →
Michael Kozlowski:
Amazon has begun a quiet campaign of removing Kindle e-books that have the table of contents at the end of the book, instead of the front. Amazon has a new algorithm that is automatically emailing authors and telling them they have five days to make the changes or the BUY button will disappear. In some cases authors aren’t even getting the emails and their e-books have just been removed.
The giant, stretching and flexing his muscles.
Warrant-Proof Places →
Jonathan Zdziarski:
We, as everyday Americans, should also encourage the idea of warrant proof places. The DOJ believes, quite erroneously, that the Fourth Amendment gives them the right to any evidence or information they desire with a warrant. The Bill of Rights did not grant rights to the government; it protected the rights of Americans from the overreach that was expected to come from government. Our most intimate thoughts, our private conversations, our ideas, our -intent- are all things our phone tracks. These are concepts that must remain private (if we choose to protect them) for any functioning free society. In today’s technological landscape, we are no longer giving up just our current or future activity under warrant, but for the first time in history, making potentially years of our life retroactively searchable by law enforcement. Things are recorded in ways today that no one would have imagined, even when CALEA was passed. The capability that DOJ is asserting is that our very lives and identities – going back across years – are subject to search. The Constitution never permitted this.
My Photography (1) — Paharganj, Delhi, India, 2014
We arrived in Paharganj in New Delhi on 11 November 2014 and spent the day sightseeing the district. We were walking down Qutab Road and suddenly came upon these public urinals. Not something we expected.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 35 mm f/2D: f/4, 1/160, ISO 1250.
Screening Room — New Movies Straight to Your Living Room →
Chris Welch:
Screening Room plans to charge $150 for access to a tightly-secured set-top box that would let people skip theater lines and watch brand new films in their own living room. On top of the equipment cost, viewers would have to pay $50 per screening, and they’d get only 48 hours to watch the movie after laying down that money. Theaters and movie exhibitors are expected to receive a decent chunk of profits to offset complaints that Screening Room could potentially throw a wrench into their profits.
I’m fine with the price, but I’m pretty sure the technology will be atrocious. I wish they could just get their act together, and put the movies in iTunes.
Make it easy, and people will pay; make it hard and people will go out of their way to make it easier, pirating along the way, not caring about the fact that they are doing so.
Snapheal – Fix your photos – Mac – Photography – €14.99 > €7.99 →
Eric Schmidt Spotted Snapping Pics With an iPhone →
Appleinsider Staff:
While the sight of Schmidt using an iPhone, and not an Android device, may come as a surprise to some, it’s not entirely unexpected — Schmidt continued to use a BlackBerry well after the launch of Android, candidly admitting he preferred the handset’s physical keyboard.
Probably got a good deal from his carrier. On a more serious note, I don’t see why this is even a subject. I’m sure he has a good reason for using it — Google does make software for iOS after all.
NepTunes 1.2 With Album Artwork on Desktop
I wrote about NepTunes two days ago — a simple Mac app which scrobbles Last.fm. Well, it was updated to version 1.2 and adds something that I was missing.
Apple Special Event to be livestreamed on 21/03/2016 at 10:00 PST / 18:00 CET →
Apple sent out an invite yesterday to select people and media, inviting them to the March 2016 Special Event — it will be held in the Town Hall on the Infinite Loop campus, and could be the last event held there.
The event will be live streamed.
How to Use Workflow for iOS When You Don’t Know Where to Start →
Federico Viticci:
With Workflow, your imagination is, in many ways, the only limit. And that can also be a problem at first. Facing the potential of Workflow and the breadth of its actions can be a little daunting; fortunately, the app makes it easy to get started and experiment.
The first thing you’ll want to understand is which kind of task you want to automate on your iOS device, and why. My suggestion, if you’re new to automation: Find common tasks that would truly benefit from requiring fewer seconds each day. They don’t even have to be extremely complex; something simple will do. When automating, it’s better to save a second on a trivial task that you repeat 10 times a day than to save 30 seconds on an impressive workflow you only need once a month.
A good starting point for those of you who are at a loss. I love the app myself. In fact, I used my own workflow to publish this post.
Apple: iOS Apps That Adjust Display Temperature Aren’t Allowed →
Juli Clover:
Earlier this week, we shared a blue-light reduction app called FlexBright, which worked similarly to Apple’s own Night Shift mode. Apple initially approved the app, which was able to adjust the screen temperature for the entire iPhone, but after it garnered attention following our post, Apple pulled it from the App Store.
Normally I would be against pulling apps like this, but since it uses silent background audio to keep it alive, which surely increases battery drain, I’m not disappointed. Most users would blame iOS or their device instead of the app.
What It’s Like to Fly in an Apartment in the Sky →
Chris Guillebeau:
Earlier this year I identified a new travel goal: to fly in the Etihad “Apartment,” a full-on suite that’s included on their A380 aircraft on certain routes.
Well, as of last week I can now say “mission accomplished”—I flew in The Apartment from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, a 15-hour journey. The short version of the flight is: it was amazing.
Here’s how it all went down.
NepTunes — a Simple Last.fm Scrobbler for OS X
I used to have an app named CoverSutra running on my desktop. Not only did it display iTunes artwork in a visually pleasing way, but it also updated my Last.fm account with what I was listening to in iTunes. Unfortunately, Sophie Teutschler stopped development, and found a job at Apple. CoverSutra no longer works properly under OS X El Capitan, and while it ‘kinda works’ with iTunes, it doesn’t support Apple Music at all.
Polish developer Adam Różyński has the answer to my problems. His NepTunes is a simple app1 which lives in the OS X menu bar. All it does is report back to our Last.fm account2, correctly scrobbling the music we are listening to. Although it is not as nice graphically3 as CoverSutra, it gets the job done. The preferences panel also allows the app to integrate with iTunes. This allows to ‘star’ songs with ‘hearts’ on both Apple Music and Last.fm with one keyboard shortcut (which can be customised).
Simple, but it gets the job done. That’s usually enough for me.
Punch Club – iOS – Games – €4.99 > €2.99 →
BADLAND – iOS – Games – €2.99 > €1.99 →
Ulysses 2.5 for iOS Adds iPhone Support
Ulysses 2.5 for iOS is out. My go-to writing software is now a universal app, supporting both the iPhone and iPad, and it naturally syncs with the Mac version, should you work cross-platform. At this point in time, I favour it over both iA Writer [iOS / Mac] and Byword [iOS / Mac]. The main features that got me to start using it are:
- easy to divide documents into separate sheets and combine them if necessary;
- lots of customisation options, including fonts (I currently use Menlo Regular) and themes (my favourites are Solarised, Yosemite, and Cursor Console);
- a good selection of customisable export options, including Markdown, DOCX, and various others such as PDF, etc.
★ Ulysses – iOS – €19.99 →
★ Ulysses – Mac – €44.99 →
Unfortunately, it’s pretty expensive compared to the other apps, but in my opinion it is worth the money — I use it every single day.