Tweets are holding steady at 140 characters, but a variety of additions to your tweets will no longer count against that limit. As The Verge reported last week, Twitter said today it was rolling out expanded tweets around the world. Media attachments including images, GIFs, videos, and polls will no longer count against the 140-character limit. Neither will links to quoted tweets.
Twitter has a lot of major problems but removing the pain point of this (relatively) minor problem is a nice little perk.
GoPro is calling the new Hero 5 Black “Simply the best GoPro, ever.” They’re not wrong. Waterproof to 33ft out of the box and featuring 4K video, stabilization, voice commands, and more, the Hero 5 Black is a lot of action camera for $400.
The big news on the surface is that the Hero5 Black can survive below the surface… of the water that is. Out of the box and without a casing of any kind, it’s waterproof to 10 meters (~33ft). This thanks to a new one-button design that takes away a lot of seams and looks pretty sleek doing it.
This just might be the GoPro that makes me buy a GoPro.
Apple released iOS 10 last week, and macOS 10.12 Sierra is due this week. We have three Take Control books about Apple’s new operating systems available now so you can have guides by your side as you install the updates and explore the new features. Buy all three books for just $28.
I’m a big fan of the Take Control books. While most of us would never read manuals (even if our machines had them), some folks want to know all the ins and outs of an OS. The Take Control books will give you a wealth of knowledge.
This is a pretty cool test. No spoilers, save to say that the phones were dropped several times, at successive depths, until the final drop to 35 feet. Suffice it to say, this is way more water exposure than most folks will subject their phones to, but good to know how they fare.
As my iPhone 7 Plus was restoring from iCloud, I thought I noticed some sound. After picking the device up from my desk, it was clear the sounds are coming from back of the phone, possibly from the CPU. It seems to get worse if the iPhone is under load. It’s loud enough to be heard even if the iPhone is just sitting on the table. I don’t have to put it up to my ear to hear it.
Follow the link if you want to hear the hissing for yourself.
I’ve heard from several other people with similar experiences, and others who are saying past iOS devices have displayed this issue. I’ve handled more devices than most, and haven’t come across this.
I’m not saying this is some widespread problem; I just wanted to share my experience with others who may be having it too.
I’ve never heard of this sort of thing before. The only self-moving part inside the iPhone is the taptic engine, and that wouldn’t make a hissing noise. Is this a big deal? Definitely for Stephen, since he’s got to jump through the hoops to replace his phone.
For the rest of us? I don’t get the sense this is a widespread issue. And if it’s true that this has happened with previous models, sounds like a manufacturing defect, a sporadic issue at best.
As to me? I’ve still got my phone on order, not changing a thing.
This is a nice little collection, definitely worth a read. My favorite is to tell Siri:
Show me pictures of my cats
Obviously, you’ll want to replace “my cats” with something that makes sense for you. This was a bit hit-or-miss for me, but I like the direction. Asking Siri to search for cats worked flawlessly for me. Other searches were way off or prompted Siri to turn to the web, which was not what I intended.
But this one also worked flawlessly:
Show me pictures of food
I had no idea I took so many pictures of stuff I like to eat. And now I’m hungry.
This is a small collection of 8 NeXT-era photos, each with a detailed caption. I thought these were worth a look.
My favorite is this one, taken in Palo Alto in 1986.
Here’s that caption:
NeXT design director Eddie Lee said that Steve had a way of “smiling shit at you” when he was getting mad. His head would go down and he’d make this sort of uncomfortable half smile, and you knew you were about to get crushed. Decisions in early team meetings such as this one were fraught with tension because the team was writing its business plan as it went along. One pivotal decision made was to build both the hardware and the software for the NeXT computer, a vastly harder prospect than their original idea to build only software. While still shaping every detail of NeXT in early 1986, Steve also had the incredible foresight to recognize that something amazing was happening with digital animation at Lucasfilm. He capitalized a new spin-off company with $10 million of his own money. They named it Pixar.
A few things really struck me while making my way through this teardown of the iPhone 7 Plus.
The iPhone cover/display flips to the side, like opening a book. Good to know this if you ever plan to open yours.
The edge of the iPhone cover is rimmed with a caulk-like adhesive, which acts like a gasket to keep liquids out, aid waterproofing (water-resistancing?)
The iPhone is filled with lots of tri-point screws, similar to the ones used inside the Apple Watch.
Finally, I found this to be an incredibly good looking design, at least to my untrained eye. Good stuff.
On July 2, 1978 the New York Times made a significant technological leap when they scuttled the last of 60 manually-operated linotype machines to usher in the era of digital and photographic typesetting. When working at 100% efficiency with an experienced operator the Linotype machines could produce 14 lines per minute cast on the spot from hot lead. That number would increase to 1,000 lines per minute the very next day using an array of computers and digital storage.
In our “digital age”, we forget (or never knew) about how things used to be done. While there’s no doubt the new method is better, the old method is fascinating.
Lyft President and co-founder John Zimmer released a 14-page document today in which he predicts that by 2021, “a majority” of rides on its network will be in autonomous vehicles. Also by 2025, Zimmer says personal car ownership in US cities will be a thing of the past.
The end of car ownership will change cities in “huge ways,” he said, echoing those experts and academics that predict streets and parking lots will be transformed into housing and open spaces with the mass adoption of autonomous vehicles. It will also change the daily experience of riding in a car, he said.
I think this is an (understandably) overly optimistic timeline. I don’t think the obstacles – personal, financial, infrastructure, governmental – will be cleared as fast as he seems to believe. Although, as a motorcyclist, self-driving and therefore theoretically safer cars are something I want as soon as possible.
The lawsuit by Jonathan Strobel may be the first in the United States by a Samsung phone user against the South Korean company over a battery defect linked to the Note 7.
You knew it was coming and here it is. The lawsuit said the man had severe burns on his legs caused by the Note 7.
So, on the same day that it launched the new phone, Apple HR chief Denise Young Smith spent an hour with Recode responding to the issues raised in the articles as well as discussing the significant diversity challenges faced by Apple and other Silicon Valley companies.
In recent weeks, Apple has been sending out surveys to users asking about MacBook Pro features, most notably the headphone jack. A survey question shared by MacRumors reader Blake asks “Do you ever use the headphone port on your MacBook Pro with Retina display?”
There are several other reports on Twitter from users who have been asked similar questions about the headphone jack, suggesting Apple is exploring the removal of the headphone jack in a future version of the MacBook Pro.
If there is a MacBook Pro update coming this year, I suspect it will have a headphone jack. This sort of market research would typically be done during the design phase, not in preparation for product rollout. I suspect the headphone jack will, ultimately, go away, as wireless becomes the standard. On the iPhone 7, waterproofing and case real estate are often quoted as two driving reasons for the removal of the headphone jack. Neither of these is a big issue for the MacBook Pro.
The dock is new to watchOS 3. This lays out the process of adding apps to the dock. Pretty simple, but worth walking through the process. Removal is just as easy – click the “-” instead of the “+”.
This is a monster of a post, with a wealth of detail, lots of images and embedded videos. I’m bookmarking this one (I already made my way through it) so I can search it later. Well done.
CNET covers Apple’s iPhone 7 launch at various locations around the world. Even with the news that there would be no iPhone 7 Plus and no iPhone 7’s in Jet Black, there were still plenty of people in line, perhaps hoping against hope that those shortage announcements were not true.
As to the shortages, there seems to be two complementary explanations: One is due to the extra time required to achieve the jet black finish using a technique Jony Ive refers to as “rotational 3D polishing.”
The second issue is apparent supply chain constraints for the iPhone 7 Plus dual camera, which requires more precision and calibration during assembly.
This remarkable video from the InfoHut YouTube channel shows an iPhone 7 Plus submerged in various liquids, then opened up to check for any water inside the case.
Yesterday I almost had a heart attack when I entered McDonald’s and I had a notification on my phone asking me to install their app.
And:
It seems that with the latest versions of Android, Google Maps is on 24/7, waiting to send you notifications, with no way to disable it.
And:
Even if you uninstall Google Maps, Google Play’s background service is tracking your location 24/7.
As proof, that last tweet includes some screen shots with the details.
Is this a bug? Intentional? Is this info saved on your phone? Does your location data ever leave your phone, headed for Google’s servers?
On the flip side, Apple exposes Location Services with a switch in:
Settings > Privacy > Location Services
That switch controls location data for my iOS device and my tethered Apple Watch. According to Apple, if that switch is off, the only time my location is used is when I place an emergency call.
Interestingly, the tweet above was retweeted by Edward Snowden.
Federal consumer safety regulators on Thursday formally recalled 1 million Galaxy Samsung Note 7 smartphones after dozens of users reported the device caught fire while charging.
These things are clearly a hazard. How do you trust their next product?
Tonight’s Thursday Night Football game features the Buffalo Bills hosting the New York Jets at 8:25 Eastern time. For the first time you can watch an NFL game on Twitter via Apple TV (4th gen) or other set top box.
And:
Just yesterday the Twitter app became available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and xBox. The app does not require an account and therefore no log in is necessary. It allows one to view the original CBS broadcast of the game alongside curated Tweets – but you cannot Tweet, Like, Follow or view your own timeline. Its like a “second-screen experience” without the second screen.
Apple doesn’t give a shit about neckbeard hipsters who spent thousands of dollars on expensive audiophile gear that rely on 100-year-old technology to transmit audio signals. They’ll readily drop them faster than Trump drops facts to make an argument in a televised debate.
Apple is securing its future, and to do that, it must continue to shrink the physical distance between its products and its customers’ conceptions of self. The ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ came first, busting our sidekick supercomputer out of our pockets and onto our skin. Apple’s next move will put its products literally within earshot of our minds.
This is no accident.
Good, funny read about the perception of Apple’s new AirPods.
In the middle of Jason Snell’s iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 writeup is this nugget:
One pulled tab and the plastic wrap around the iPhone box unravels. Inside there’s a little paperboard package that features the shockingly tiny Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter, pinned like it’s smiling at you, and on the flip side of the same bundle, your Lightning EarPods. It’s adorable, compact, and plastic free.
Follow the link (Jason’s writeups are always worth the trip), check out the image. Just look at that packaging design. And it’s all made out of recyclable cardboard. Apple is the Steph Curry of packaging.
