The Verge:

This isn’t an investment column, and I am not an investment adviser. But here’s a free financial tip: if any company actually mass-produces a new, safe, practical, affordable, reliable, proven, much longer-lasting type of battery for digital devices, buy stock. Buy a lot of it. Because batteries are the key to every electronic device we now depend upon — especially smartphones and laptops — and they are the weak link in the system.

He’s right. And it’s not just digital devices. Better batteries are the key to the electric car’s future, too.

The App Factor:

Long exposure photography lets you capture light trails, motion blur, and better low light shots. While the built-in Camera app doesn’t let you control shutter speed and light sensitivity, there are lots of apps available in the App Store that do.

The iPhone is a great camera – for a phone. It’s low light capabilities aren’t very good. But, with proper technique and some clever apps, you can create pretty good low light images with your iPhone.

iMore:

If you’re a big fan of comedic fairytale-esque stories (who isn’t?), or just want to catch up on one of ABC’s generally well-praised outing from 2014, you can currently grab the first season of Galavant for free on iTunes.

Galavant stars a hero of the same name as we follow his humorous journey to get his “happily ever after.” The story sees Galavant going after King Richard, who stole his love, with characters breaking out into musical numbers along the way.

Sadly, this isn’t available on the Canadian iTunes store so I can’t grab it but for our American readers, go get it now. No telling how long it will be available.

Taylor Swift:

Taylor Swift is giving her fans on Apple Music a special surprise this holiday, The 1989 World Tour LIVE. The 1989 World Tour LIVE was filmed in front of 76,000 fans at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia on November 28, 2015. The 1989 World Tour LIVE captures Taylor’s entire performance from Sydney with never seen footage filmed backstage and during rehearsals with surprise musical and special guests that appeared on The 1989 World Tour.

Beginning Sunday, December 20, The 1989 World Tour LIVE will be available in its entirety exclusively to Apple Music members around the world

I expect this to be the first of many such exclusives. Apple has a lot of clout and can make these kinds of deals very lucrative for artists.

TidBITS:

I haven’t been able to determine why it’s happening, or if there’s anything to be done about it, and it’s certainly only a minor irritation. I’m technically proficient and relaxed about errors that don’t cause data loss, but I am concerned that inexplicable behavior like this could start to undermine an inexperienced user’s trust in iOS as a predictable, reliable system — Touch ID is in essence lying to the user through this error message. Technically there’s no real damage here, but psychologically, it’s a bad thing — it’s important for interfaces to communicate clearly, accurately, and reliably to build user trust.

I’ve been dealing with the same (minor) issues as Adam has for just as long. It seems to be very common. There’s no real concern (these issues aren’t deal breakers) but they certainly are annoying and frustrating when they occur for no apparent reason and have no apparent solution.

Mashable:

Apple’s first ever battery iPhone case has generated a range of reactions and emotions. Some people simply can’t get over the hump.

I caught up with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was in town to participate in an Hour of Code event, to take his temperature on the $99 iPhone 6 and 6s case, with the noticeable battery pack hump on its back. We asked Cook if he is excited about the hump.

“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.

I find the Sturm und Drang over this case to be fascinating. I have no opinion about the design until I’ve seen it for myself but the amount of electronic ink spilled over this on both sides speaks to many things, not the least of which is Apple is under intense focus no matter what they do.

9to5Mac:

Apple Watch is at the top of many holiday wish lists this year and luckily for gift shoppers it’s received numerous discounts since Black Friday. In fact, Target and B&H are both offering significant Apple Watch promotions right now.

This morning Best Buy jumped into the fray with the best straight up Apple Watch deal we’ve ever seen: $100 off any Apple Watch Sport or Apple Watch model. More than 20 different watch configurations are eligible for this discount.

This looks to be the sweet spot for Apple Watch pricing. It’s also interesting that these deals are coming from the stores and not Apple. Will the lower price encourage you to buy an Apple Watch this holiday season?

BGR:

One of the more interesting aspects of Apple’s legal battle with Samsung is that it gave us an unprecedented look behind the veil of secrecy that typically shrouds all aspects of Apple’s product development and day-to-day operations. Over the course of discovery, innumerable court filings, and a fascinating trial, the inner workings of Apple were brought to the forefront for the first time in history. From photographs of iPhone prototypes to how Apple conducts market research, Apple’s legal battles with Samsung provided tech enthusiasts with a treasure trove of previously top-secret information.

With Samsung now agreeing to pony up for damages, we thought it’d be a good time to take a step back, reminisce, and take a look at some of the more interesting nuggets of information the hard-fought patent dispute brought to light.

The downside to lawsuits is this kind of insider info can often be gleaned from court filings. Apple has to give up some of its secrets in order to go to court. I’ll be the first to admit I love this kind of stuff, especially about prototypes. To me, they are fascinating glimpses into “alternative Apple universes” and things that might have been.

Medium:

This fall’s release of the new Anki Overdrive set feels a bit like the moment when James Bond’s quartermaster Q rolls out a go-go-gadget Aston Martin DB5 and says, with smug understatement, “I’ve added one or two rather special accessories…” The upgraded set, with reconfigurable tracks, might not look so different from the previous Anki Drive, or, for that matter, the Christmas present Elvis unwrapped in 1965. Inside the box, it’s still a set of little toy cars.

The innovation isn’t immediately obvious. Though the bluetooth relays that control the cars and the sophisticated infrared sensors that keep them on track are ingenious, the real action isn’t under the cars’ hoods, either: The genius is in the code. Like Tesla and Google’s self-driving car, Anki’s real leap forward is its software.

I was an early adopter of the original Anki Overdrive and really enjoyed it but ultimately returned it. But I still think it’s a very cool race car set if you have kids who are into them.

Dropbox:

We’re committed to making the transitions from these products as painless as possible. We’ve posted more information on the Carousel blog and the Mailbox blog, and we’ll be communicating details directly to users of both apps in the coming days. Mailbox will be shut down on February 26th, 2016, and Carousel will be shut down on March 31st, 2016.

To our Carousel and Mailbox users, thank you for embracing these products—and we’re sorry. It’s not easy to say goodbye to products we all love. But ultimately, we think this increased focus will help us create even better experiences for you in the months and years to come.

I never used either product in part because of this. I’ve been around long enough to see dozens, if not hundreds, of services come and go. I rarely rely on new services (but I often test them out) simply because, to paraphrase Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, “Products come and go so quickly around here.” I may be too old and jaded but I think my time is too valuable to constantly be flitting from one new service to another, only to have the owner shut it down, sometimes with very little advance notice.

Calgary Sun:

Jordy Stallard brought down the bears.

Calgary Hitmen fans had to be patient, holding their bears until the 2:41 mark of the second period when Stallard triggered the avalanche of stuffed animals at the 21st annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss on Sunday afternoon at the Saddledome.

I think I write about this story every year. I do it because it seems like fun event for a good cause and the video is always wonderful.

io9:

For one year, Mork and Mindy was arguably the most successful science fiction TV show ever made. The comedy about an alien and his human best friend turned Robin Williams into a global sensation. How did this miracle happen, and why didn’t it last? To find out, I talked to the people who made the show.

I don’t think I can name another TV show from my youth that was more of a must-see than Mork and Mindy. To this kid, the show was funny and different and Robin Williams was a force of nature, even within the confines of a situation comedy. Plus, I had a huge crush on Pam Dawber.

Tony Zhou:

Before Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. And nearly 100 years after he first appeared onscreen, we’re still learning from him. Today, i’d like to talk about the artistry (and the thinking) behind his gags.

I discovered Keaton as a kid and loved his comedy. But it wasn’t until adulthood I realized just what level of genius I was watching. His stunts are, to this day, still incredible and many of them are unrepeatable. As an aside, if you’re a film buff, Tony Zhou’s “Every Frame a Painting” Youtube page has some great videos dissecting why we love what we love about movies.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Attendees at any of Chappelle’s 13 sold-out Thalia Hall performances will be greeted by staffers handing out gray smartphone sleeves, available in three sizes. They are then instructed to place their phones inside the sleeves and fasten them, at which point they are welcome to carry them inside the venue.

As soon as they enter the “no-phone zone,” however, the pouches will have locked shut, preventing anyone from firing off so much as a winking emoji. Need to make a call or send an email? No problem. Simply leave the designated zone (and head, say, to the lobby bar), and, as you move past several strategically placed stations, the pouches can now magically be unlocked.

This is an interesting use of technology to defeat technology. In a broad sense, I’m all for it and can see this being extended to many other events. I was at a concert a few months ago and could barely see the artist because of all the smartphone screens being held up, recording the music. It’s incredibly annoying. I get the idea that attendees want to “capture the moment” but people have taken it way beyond that impulse.

Wired:

It’s essentially a CliffsNotes version of popular music in 2015, the bare essentials of the year boiled down into one five-minute track–with a frenetic video that cuts around to feature the lead vocal track at any given moment. It’s not quite a heart-racing banger, but anchored chiefly by the bass line for The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face,” it’s an addicting track worthy of DJ Earworm’s name.

For me, the most amazing part is the editing. I can’t imagine the amount of work that went into creating this video.

Macworld:

One of the cool things about the new fourth-generation Apple TV is that it supports HDMI-CEC, so that you can control your TV or your speaker system using the remote control that came in the box along with it, automatically switching everything to the right input, controlling volume, and turning everything off at once when you’re done.

But like the fourth-gen Apple TV, the second- and third-gen models (so, basically, every “black puck” Apple TV) have another, often overlooked trick up their utterly non-existent sleeves: they can be controlled from any other remote control. (Caveat: it needs to be a remote that issues its commands over infrared, not RF, but since that accounts for the overwhelming majority of remotes, we’re pretty confident saying “any.”)

Doing this won’t mean your TV automatically switches to the correct input, say, and of course it wouldn’t allow you to use Siri on the new Apple TV, since the third-party remote you’ll be using wouldn’t have a mic or Siri support. But what it does mean is that you can either deliberately or accidentally loose the little white or silver remote that you had been using with your Apple TV and just use the big remote that came with your TV.

Really useful tip for those of us who want to use a single universal remote to control all of our TV-connected bits and bobs.

ZDNet:

In the survey, almost 20 percent of respondents reported a breakdown in the first 3 years of use, most of them seriously affecting system use.

Apple, as in year’s past, has the most reliable notebooks by far – a 10 percent breakdown rate in the first 3 years – with Samsung and Gateway distant seconds at 16 percent, and the rest of the industry – including Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, Dell and Asus, at 18-19 percent.

Windows machines used more than 20 hours a week – average for Windows systems – have a higher break rate. Apple users report using their machines an average of 23 hours a week, 15 percent more. More hours, fewer breakdowns, what’s not to like?

The results of the Consumer Reports survey are predictable. While Macbooks aren’t perfect, they do tend to be significantly more reliable than their Windows counterparts. Good ammunition for those of you having the “Should I buy a Mac or a PC?” discussion with friends and relatives this holiday season.

Petapixel:

There are a number of websites and apps out there that help you track sunset and sunrise times so that you can plan your shoots around specific golden hour lighting. SunsetWx is a new website that takes things to the next level: it can forecast the quality of the upcoming sunset in your area (in the United States).

Created by three Pennsylvania-based meteorologists, the sunrise and sunset models take into account things like humidity, pressure changes, and clouds at various levels in the atmosphere. Wispy, high-altitude clouds are indications of a “high quality” sunset/sunrise, while low and thick clouds lower the score.

Photographers will tell you that not all sunsets are created equal. This site might be a way to increase your chances of getting that great sunset shot.

Microsoft:

To celebrate the holidays, Microsoft employees, who were selected from across the country, gathered together, meeting each other for the first time, at the new Microsoft 5th Ave Store to spread some holiday wishes. Joined by a local NYC children’s youth choir, they share a message of peace and harmony with their neighbor down the street.

I hope we’re not too cynical and jaded that we can’t just sit back, watch this video and accept its message this holiday season.

TidBITS:

Randy Spydell asked, in essence, why the File menu has a Duplicate command instead of the traditional Save As command. Implicit in his question was “and is there any way to bring back Save As?”

The answer to that second question is yes, and I’ll explain how in a moment.

This is one of those wonderful little “hacks” that you either don’t care about or you’re sitting there right now, going through Adam’s steps to put Save As back where it rightfully belongs.

Sketch:

We’ve been considering our options for some time. Over the last year, as we’ve made great progress with Sketch, the customer experience on the Mac App Store hasn’t evolved like its iOS counterpart. We want to continue to be a responsive, approachable, and easily-reached company, and selling Sketch directly allows us to give you a better experience.

There are a number of reasons for Sketch leaving the Mac App Store—many of which in isolation wouldn’t cause us huge concern. However as with all gripes, when compounded they make it hard to justify staying.

Not the first and certainly not the last developer to make this decision. As detailed in this blog post, the Mac App Store simply doesn’t work for some developers. Personally, I avoid using it whenever possible.

Rolling Stone:

In 1992, Mike Myers used “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the rambunctious centerpiece of the indelible opening scene of the film, Wayne’s World, which had been adapted from a Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, and gave the song and the band behind it an unprecedented second life.

The gleeful scene has become iconic itself, a cultural touchstone that’s been parodied, copied and celebrated almost since the moment of its release back in 1992. Here, the creative forces behind the scene and the beneficiaries of its influence tell the story of how all that happened and how it almost didn’t.

There are few movie scenes more full of childlike joy. I defy you to watch the attached video and not smile and sing along with Wayne and Garth.

Anandtech:

Over the Thanksgiving break the intrepid crew over at Chipworks sent over their initial teardown information for Apple’s A9X SoC. The heart of the recently launched iPad Pro, the A9X is the latest iteration in Apple’s line of tablet-focused SoCs. We took an initial look at A9X last month, but at the time we only had limited information based on what our software tools could tell us. The other half of the picture (and in a literal sense, the entire picture) is looking at the physical layout of the chip, and now thanks to Chipworks we have that in hand and can confirm and reject some of our earlier theories.

I only understood about every fourth word in this article but it sounds like Apple has done some pretty incredible engineering.

Re/code:

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will collect a humanitarian award from an organization founded in honor of one of his personal heroes, Robert F. Kennedy.

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights will present Cook with its Ripple of Hope Award on Dec. 8 in acknowledgment of his work on behalf of social change. He will be recognized in New York City, alongside U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and Freedom Rider during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s; Evercore co-founder and former assistant treasury secretary Roger Altman; and UNESCO Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis.

The Apple executive has become an outspoken advocate for workplace equality, arguing that businesses benefit when their workers feel fully recognized.

Congratulations to Mr Cook. Even though he gets a great deal of flack for it, I admire him for taking a stand on these issues.

Universal Pictures has released the script for the Aaron Sorkin Steve Jobs movie as a PDF. I love reading movie scripts of films I’ve seen but I’m unlikely to read this one because I’m not very interested in seeing the movie. Thanks to John Watson for pointing me to the web page.

Fraser Speirs:

There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the MacBook Pro and, in particular, whether it can replace an iPad Pro for getting real work done.

Only those with very specific workflows could realistically switch from iPad Pro to a MacBook Pro.

Speirs does a masterful job of flipping the question on its head.

Expercom:

Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to three years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage—including both parts and labor—for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.

Thanks to Dan Frakes on Twitter for this link. When I first saw it, I asked Dan if it was legit (knowing it was. Dan is the Senior Editor at Wirecutter and was formerly the same at Macworld magazine) and I trust him. There are some really good deals here – up to $100 off some AppleCare plans. I asked Dan for further info and he said, “I’ve purchased two AppleCare policies from them. You get a box with a code; you redeem the code on the AppleCare site.”

/Film:

While Pixar Animation is nearly 30 years old, it’s only been 20 years since the company ventured into feature length, computer animated filmmaking with Toy Story. The film was an instant classic in 1996 and it spawned two successful, acclaimed sequels with a fourth installment on the way in 2017, and it was just the beginning of what the animation house had to offer.

In celebration of Pixar’s milestone anniversary this year, editor Kees van Dijkhuizen has paid tribute to Pixar with a supercut of the films they’ve made over the years, from their early shorts to this year’s feature films. You might find yourself getting some tears in your eyes since it’s accompanied by Michael Giacchino‘s score from Up.

I don’t know if I could name a single studio that has moved me to the range of emotions Pixar has over the past 20 years.

The Verge:

Adele’s 25 is the biggest album in the world right now, and it’s made it there all without a single stream on Spotify. In fact, it might have made it there because there hasn’t been a single stream on Spotify: Adele and her label made the decision not to stream 25 anywhere online, encouraging people to actually buy the album or its songs outright. But despite the ban, some services have songs from 25 up streaming.

25 isn’t on Pandora because Adele specifically wanted it there. It’s on Pandora because Adele and her label don’t have a say.

This is a great example of the giant hairball that is streaming services and the confusion that consumers have with regards to which service does what and how they play you music.

Alphr:

With the teetering stack of virtual reality headsets coming to market over the next year, eyes in the tech sector are being consistently turned towards facial recognition software. While Facebook has made moves to develop facial mapping technology for the Oculus Rift, news has now emerged of an intriguing buy up by Apple.

The company has announced that it has acquired Faceshift, a Zurich-based startup responsible for developing technology capable of real-time facial-capture and avatar creation. The tech boasts plenty of high-profile use, having even been used in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens to give alien characters an extra semblance of reality.

Could Apple really be interested in any aspect of Virtual Reality? I think this buy is fascinating but I don’t think it’s use inside the company will be as obvious as many are assuming.