President Obama says smartphones cannot be ‘black boxes’; taking ‘absolutist view’ will not work

Speaking to Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith at SXSW, President Obama said that smartphones cannot be allowed to be “black boxes” that are not accessible by the government. He said that tech companies should work with the government to solve such issues, instead of leaving the matter for Congress to solve.

Obama further said that one cannot take an “absolutist view” on this issue, and that having strong encryption on your phone “no matter what” does not “strike the kind of balance we have lived with for 200,300 years.” After all, there are many places where American citizens have created a balance by trading their privacy for better security, like by allowing law agencies to use of warrants to search homes etc.

“The question we now have to ask is, if technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system, where the encryption is so strong there’s no key, there’s no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer? How do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?” Obama said. “If in fact you can’t crack that at all, government can’t get in, then everybody’s walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket.”

President Obama also said that leaving this matter with Congress and other lawmakers will not be the right thing to do, as the end result would be “sloppy and rushed and it will go through Congress in ways that have not been thought through.”
The president further adds that a compromise between Apple and the government is definitely possible, and the two just need to figure out a way to make sure that the encryption and the key to unlock it remains as strong as possible, with access to the latter being given to a very few number of people.
Apple has received a lot of flak from government agencies for not following the court order and its fight against the FBI. The Department of Justice even accused Apple of being “false” and “corrosive” in its motion.
[Via Bloomberg]

Read More And Comment

Google Photos gains shared albums; coming to iOS, Android and web today

At its Nexus launch event in late September, Google announced that it would be bringing ‘Shared Albums’ feature to Google Photos later this year. True to its words and just before the holiday season, the company has started rolling out the feature to iOS, Android and web version of Google Photos.
The steps are pretty simple. You create a shared album, send the link to your friends and loved ones, they join the album and then they can start adding their own photos to it. Once new photos are added in an album, other people who have joined that album will automatically receive a notification about it.

Photos added by someone else in a shared album can also be added to your own Google Photos library.
Shared albums start rolling out on Android, iOS and the web for all Google Photos users starting from today.
[Via Google]

Read More And Comment

Prisoners in the UK could be getting iPads for education and to ‘video chat their families’

The iPad is a powerful tool, especially when it comes to education, and a new proposal in the United Kingdom suggests prisoners should be taking advantage of the mobile devices.
According to a report published by The Telegraph, an adviser to the Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom has made it clear that iPads should be a tool used in the prison system to help those detained with literacy and numeracy. On top of that, the prisoners should be able to keep in touch with their families from within their cells, utilizing things like FaceTime or Skype to “video chat their families.”

According to the former head of the prison service, having iPads in cells could make the time that prisoners spend within them more constructive:

“Prisoners spend a lot of time in cells, and we need to make that time more constructive. They should be meeting a tutor once a week, but doing work on literacy and numeracy on their own. We could look at giving prisoners iPads to work on in their cells.”

At the same time, Dame Sally Coates, a former headteacher in the area, is also conducting a review of education within the UK prison system, and is also considering the proposal. Coates says that if a prisoner doesn’t have the necessary skills to get a job after a stint in prison, then they are more likely to reoffend.
At the time of publication, Justice Minister Michael Gove is looking over the proposals, but a decision has not been made yet.
[via Gizmodo UK; The Telegraph]

Read More And Comment

Apple has reportedly been working on its own GPU for several years

As Apple’s A-branded processors continue to get attention as high-powered chipsets in mobile products, another chip could be getting some of the limelight soon.
According to a new rumor, Apple has reportedly been working on its own in-house graphics chip for quite some time. Many years, in fact, and is still hard at work on developing its own GPU for its mobile devices. The report indicates that Apple has already been working on the GPU for several years now, but there’s no clear indication when, or even if, a finalized product ready for installation in iPhones and iPads will see the light of day anytime soon.

As it stands now, Apple utilizes a variety of PowerVR graphics chips that are designed by Imagination Technologies. If Apple can get its own in-house GPU off the ground and in its devices, it would mean Apple would not have to rely on IT from that point forward.
The report indicates that this new GPU will probably not be ready by the unveiling of the iPhone 7 in 2016.
[via GforGames; Fudzilla]

Read More And Comment

GoPro Apple Watch app lets you Start/Stop recording, preview camera angles, and more

GoPro is one of the go-to brands when it comes to recording just about anything, especially when it comes to outdoor activities, like skateboarding. And now it’s getting even better.
Recently, GoPro updated its mobile app to support the Apple Watch, and bring with it some interesting use case features to the wearable, making it even easier to get that perfect shot without having to rely on your iPhone. GoPro officially showed off the new features in a video starring Mikey Taylor, a pro skateboarder, which you can watch below.

With the Apple Watch app, you’ll be able to Start/Stop recording, add “HiLighted” moments to your recorded clips, and even review clips. Users will also be able to preview an active camera angle, making it possible to double check an upcoming recording session’s angle before it kicks off right from your wrist.
The iOS app has also been updated to make it easier to pull still images from a recording, and even better filtering options as well.

Download

• GoPro — Free

Do you use a GoPro?
[via Engadget]

Read More And Comment

Apple’s Smart Battery case for the iPhone 6s receives the teardown treatment

Love it or hate it, there is no way you can ignore Apple’s Smart Battery case for the iPhone 6s. The case has led to Apple and Jony Ive receiving a lot of flak for releasing a product that does not live up to Apple’s design standard.
While from the outside, the Smart Battery case does not look like a product made by Apple, how does it look from inside? iFixit tore it down to find out.

Just like the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, tearing down the Smart Battery case is an irreversible destructible process. Prying open the soft microfibre finish in the inside revealed the aluminium sheet on which the microfibre cloth sticks to. The sheet has been heavily scratched to improve the adhesive bond. There is also a mesh interfacing to make sure that there are no fatigue damage on the silicone hinge.
Removing the aluminium sheet gives one access to the 1877mAh battery and its logic board. The battery has been strongly glued in its place to improve the rigidity of the case. The logic board connected to the battery is very small and only contains a few ICs related to charging and load switching.
In the end, the iFixit team gave the Smart Battery case for the iPhone 6s a repairability score of 2 out of 10. It notes that while replacing the battery is possible, it will likely destroy the inner microfibre lining.
[Via iFixit]

Read More And Comment

T-Mobile offering one year of Hulu subscription to Verizon subscribers for switching

After giving unlimited LTE data for three months to its customers, offering $200 credit to Sprint users for switching over to T-Mobile and offering a $200 discount to AT&T customers on buying the 128GB iPhone 6s, the ‘Un-carrier’ “Unwrapped” its fourth holiday promotion aimed at getting Verizon customers to switch over to it.
Unlike its previous offerings though, the fourth holiday gift from T-Mobile is not that impressive. The un-carrier is only offering one year of free Hulu Switch to Verizon customers who switch over to its Simple Choice postpaid plan between December 11-17.

“Verizon customers put up with a lot of sneaky tricks from Big Red these days. Overpriced data, shocking overage penalties and no early upgrade option – just to name a few,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “So while Verizon spends billions of dollars on TV ads screaming that ‘better matters,’ we are going to show their customers why the Un-carrier is better with a real gift, half-off the best accessories and a full year of Hulu that comes with unlimited LTE streaming with Binge On at T-Mobile!  It’s a gift that will keep giving all year long!”

Once a Verizon customer switches over to T-Mobile, the un-carrier will send them a $100 Hulu gift code, which can then be redeemed for a year of of Hulu’s Limited Commercials subscription.
Thanks to BingeOn, T-Mobile subscribers can stream TV shows and movies from Hulu without worrying about crossing their data limit.
Additionally, T-Mobile is also offering interested Verizon customers up to a 50 percent discount at its in-store accessories when financed through them. This could translate into as much as $125 discount on accessories like the UE Boom, Fitbit trackers, and more.
T-Mobile’s recent offers have been very tempting compared to what other carriers like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T offer to their subscribers. Have you switched to the un-carrier due to its ‘un-wrapped’ offers yet?
[Via T-Mobile]

Read More And Comment

This clever web app lets you weigh things on your iPhone 6s using 3D Touch

Apple won’t approve apps that use 3D Touch to weigh objects on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but one developer has bypassed its rules with a clever web app that does exactly that. It’s called TouchScale.co, and it’s surprisingly accurate.
Asher Trockman built TouchScale.co after establishing exactly what the 3D Touch displays in the latest iPhones are capable of when it comes to detecting pressure, and therefore weight. You can read the results of his testing on his blog if you want to know all the juicy details.

But if you just want to use the scale, you simply have to visit TouchScale.co in mobile Safari on your iPhone. You can then place objects on your iPhone’s display to weigh them. There are a couple of caveats, however.
The iPhone is only capable of weighing things that can be detected by the capacitive touchscreen, such as fruit and vegetables. To get an accurate reading, you must also place those objects down in such a way that only one touch is registered by your device.
Get it right, though, and you have a surprisingly accurate pocket scale. I did a couple of tests using a satsuma and a lemon, and the reading I got from my iPhone was just 1 or 2 grams out versus the reading I got from a proper kitchen scale — as you can see in the photos below.

We certainly wouldn’t recommend ditching all your scales if you have an iPhone 6s, then, but it’s nice to know that if you really need to weigh something in a pinch

Read More And Comment

Tim Cook: Chromebooks are ‘test machines’

While spending some time at the Apple Store in New York city for the Hour of Code of event, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook called Chromebooks a “test machine” when questioned about the success of Google’s Chromebook in the education field and surpassing the popularity of iPads.
Cook said that Chromebooks are just “test machines” and Apple is interested “helping students learn” and allowing “kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level.” He also said that iPads are better than Chromebooks and its other competitors due to the education related apps available for it, and how the device easily integrates into a school’s curriculum. In comparison, Chromebooks require constant access to an internet connection and can only run apps through its web browser.

“We are interested in helping students learn and teachers teach, but tests, no,” Cook said. “We create products that are whole solutions for people — that allow kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level.”

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions have always used a Mac and iPad for their computing purposes because of the superior experience they offer, but over the last few years, many institutions have swiftly replaced them with Chromebooks.
Cook, however, conveniently forgot the primary reason why Chromebooks are being increasingly preferred by more schools over Macs and iPads: price. Many schools simply cannot afford expensive Apple hardware and Chromebooks are able to offer almost the same experience at one-third the price.
Has your school or college switched over to a Chromebook from an iPad or Mac?
[Via BuzzFeed]

Read More And Comment

Apple is bringing Siri Remote features to the iOS Remote app in early 2016; sees bold future for gaming

Yesterday, Apple released tvOS 9.1 to owners of the new Apple TV. With the new software, support for Apple’s official iOS Remote app was also brought to the table.

Read More And Comment

Tim Cook says the new iPhone 6s battery case is for ‘overnight trips’ not ‘daily charging’

Recently, Apple launched a brand new battery case for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, which left many people scratching their head for a variety of reasons.
One reason could be that many believe the iPhone’s battery life could be better just by default, and that Apple releasing a battery pack is acknowledging that the iPhone’s battery life isn’t great, so just throw more money at the issue. However, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has a bit of a different outlook on the new accessory.

In a recent conversation with Mashable, Cook says the new battery case isn’t meant to be used as a tool to charge the iPhone on a daily basis, but to make sure that your iPhone has enough juice to get you through an extended period of time. Like, for example, going on a hike and then camping out overnight:

“if you’re charging your phone every day, you probably don’t need this at all. But if you’re out hiking and you go on overnight trips… it’s kind of nice to have.”

As for the design of the case itself, Cook has comments on that, too. Starting with what many are calling “the hump,” Cook doesn’t think he’d necessarily call it that:

“You know, I probably wouldn’t call it ‘the hump,’” said Cook, who added he was aware of the comments surrounding the Smart Battery Case.”

Expanding a bit further on the overall design of the new “smart case,” Cook indicates that it was all about making it possible to get the iPhone 6/6s in and out of the accessory as easily as possible. Indeed, many cases out there provide extra battery life for the device by locking the phone into a case with several different parts. Apple’s battery case, on the other hand, has a design that simply allows the iPhone to slide in and out.

“As you probably know from being a user of this now,” said Cook as he grabbed my iPhone 6, which was sporting the new case, “one of the real insights here is, have you ever used other cases and tried to get them on?” If you make this solid all the way across,” said Cook, indicating the spots where the Apple case’s embedded battery stops and you just have the soft fluoroelastomer casing, “in order to get it on, you’d find it very difficult to get it on and off. So the guys had this great insight to put the bend in along with making it a smart case,” Cook explained.”

It’s at least interesting to see what Cook thinks of the new case, though, it’s not surprising that he has an overall positive outlook on the new accessory from Apple.
What do you think of the new case?
[via Mashable]

Read More And Comment

Apple adds 11 new Flyover locations from the U.S., Europe and Mexico

The Flyover feature within Apple Maps continues to expand thanks to locations that Apple adds on a regular basis.
Today, Apple has added 11 new Flyover locations to Maps, letting users get a bird’s eye view of some of the most distinct locations on the globe. With Flyover, users can use Maps to see a 3D photo-realistic landscape of a certain location, with tools that will allow them to zoom in and out, as well as more direct controls to pan around and see areas in greater detail.

Here’s the full list of new locations, which Apple has recently officially added to its growing list of Flyover locations, by way of MacRumors:

• Monument Valley, Arizona
• Detroit, Michigan
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Pensacola, Florida
• Mazatlán, Mexico
• Annecy, France
• Gorges de l’Ardèche, France
• Antwerp, Belgium
• Münster, Germany
• Pamplona, Spain
• Utrecht, Netherlands

Flyover has become a quickly expanding feature within the Maps app ever since it was introduced in 2012, and Apple continues to add locations around the globe to make it even more worthwhile for those that want to take a digital peek at a location on the other side of the planet — or even in the same state.
[via MacRumors; Apple]

Read More And Comment

Microsoft’s digital assisant Cortana now available for iOS

After months of beta testing, Microsoft today released the final version of Cortana — its digital personal assistant — for iOS and Android. The company also released new Cortana apps for Windows 10 users that makes it possible to share your data with your Android or iOS running smartphones.

Due to the various restrictions imposed by Apple, Cortana on iOS will not be as smart or integrate as heavily into the OS as it does on Windows 10 running phones or PCs. This means that you wont be able to bring up the digital assistant by shouting “Hey Cortana” to your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. Additionally, it only limits the digital assisant capable of tracking your flights, packages, and display relevant local news and weather. You can also ask Cortana questions like you can with Siri.

Nonetheless, for people who are heavily invested into the Windows ecosystem, using Cortana might just be more beneficial despite its limited integration with iOS.
The restrictions also means that the Android version of Cortana is far superior to its iOS sibling, with features like the ability to send text messages to missed calls right from a Windows 10 PC missing on the latter.
Microsoft had earlier made Cortana available as a beta download to over 2,000 TestFlight members in late November.
Did you beta test Cortana on your iPhone? If yes, did you like it? Do you think you will switch over to it from Siri?
→ Cortana for iOS – Download
[Via The Verge]

Read More And Comment

Apple share its ‘Best of 2015’ apps and games list for the iPhone and iPad

Apple today released its ‘Best of 2015’ list highlighting the best apps and games to hit the iOS App Store this year. The list includes some popular iOS apps like Periscope

Read More And Comment

How to add awesome live wallpapers to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

Looking for some terrific live wallpapers for your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. Thanks to a new third-party app, you can now download awesome animated wallpapers that come alive with 3D Touch. Here’s how to get started.

Download Live Wallpapers

First, download the Live Wallpapers app by Nick Lauer from the App Store. This is the first app we’ve found that offers animated wallpapers for 3D Touch, though there may be others out there that we didn’t spot. We expect many more to come later, too.

Find a live wallpaper

Once you have the app installed, open it up and you’ll find all the live wallpapers on offer. It’s not possible to view them all as thumbnails yet, unfortunately, so you’ll need to swipe through them to find one that you like.
When you have one, simply tap the “Save” button to add it to your Camera Roll.

Apply it!

You can now return to your home screen and open the built-in Photos app, where you’ll find the live wallpaper you just downloaded in the “All Photos” album. To apply it, open the image, tap the share button, then select “Use as Wallpaper.”
Before tapping “Set,” ensure the “Live Photo” option is highlighted.
And that’s it! You now have a new live wallpaper, which you can activate on the home screen using a 3D Touch press.

Read More And Comment

Apple to launch the iPad Pro in India next week; Apple TV 4 already available in stores

A report from The Quint states that Apple will launch the iPad Pro in India in the second week of

Read More And Comment

Apple support document suggests iOS 9.2 might fix iPad Pro unresponsiveness

If your iPad Pro is still becoming unresponsive from time to time, you should update to iOS 9.2

Read More And Comment

Deal Alert: Get $100 off all Apple Watch models at Best Buy

If you didn’t score a great deal on the Apple Watch over Black Friday weekend, it’s not too late! Best Buy is currently offering $100 off all Apple Watch models, including even the entry-level Apple Watch Sport.

Read More And Comment

Apple releases OS X El Capitan 10.11 open source code

On December 8, Apple officially released the latest version of OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.2. Soon after, a little more went out for developers.

Read More And Comment

Apple releases tvOS 9.1 for new Apple TV

On December 8, Apple released new software for a variety of its products, including iOS 9.2 for iPhones and iPads, and OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 for its desktop lineup.
But, not to be left out, the new Apple TV also received its latest software update, boosting tvOS to version 9.1. This marks the first major release for tvOS and the new Apple TV, bringing with it plenty of small tweaks and improvements behind the scenes.

tvOS 9.1 can be accessed through an Over the Air (OTA) update. Owners can access the software by heading into the Settings app, finding System, and then selecting Software Update.
In a previous beta version of tvOS 9.1, it was discovered that Apple was planning on including Siri search through Apple Music, which would allow owners of the new Apple TV to ask Siri to play certain tracks available through Apple Music. However, as of this writing, it is not known if this new support made it into the final version released today.
As far as what’s included behind-the-scenes, tvOS 9.1 features tweaks and improvements to issues discovered in the recent betas for the software, including to scrolling and networking.

Read More And Comment