Overthought.org:

This morning, Adobe kindly alerted me of an update available for Flash to take it to version 13.0.0.182.

The update breaks Flash.

DO NOT run this update, at least until Adobe solves whatever is causing the plugin to fail.

Several readers of Overthought.org have reported that this update completely breaks Flash for Safari on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. I have also personally experienced this issue.

If you run into a problem with your newly updated Flash install, read the rest of the post. Hopefully, it will help. [Via @stumark and @jordanmerrick]

We have some sponsorship weeks available coming up in May and June. If you want to get your product or service in front of the fine readers of The Loop with an exclusive sponsorship, let me know.

Available exclusively for UAD-2 DSP Accelerators and Apollo-equipped workstations, the Chandler Limited GAV19T Amplifier Plug-In is an exacting emulation of the dual EL84-powered boutique guitar amp. Inspired by British classics such as Vox and Marshall — and lesser-known gems from Watkins and Selmer — the Chandler Limited GAV19T Amplifier plug-in offers features not found on the original hardware, such as an FX Rack with an onboard noise gate, host-syncable lo-fi delay, Power Soak, and pre/post switchable EQ filter controls.

Can’t wait to try this out.

heineken has teamed up with over 40 legendary individuals from the worlds of sport, entertainment and art to create a series of bespoke posters in support of reporters without borders, a global non-profit which which protects journalists and ensures freedom of information.

I need a drink.

To help meet the growing demand, we are adding two new cities. This fall, we will be returning to Columbus, Boston, and Atlanta, and making our first stops in Seattle and Las Vegas! It is going to be one exciting fall conference season!

I’ve always heard great things about CocoaConf.

The news:

When it comes to Samsung’s fingerprint scanner technology embedded in the home button on the new Galaxy S5, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we have spent plenty of time testing it, and we’ve found that it works very well. The bad news, however, is that it has apparently already been hacked, leaving Galaxy S5 owners’ devices and their PayPal accounts at risk.

My reaction:

Great article by Kirk McElhearn.

Today we’re announcing that it’s available for purchase–$69.99 USD/year or $6.99 USD/month (ERP)1–online at Office365.com, at Microsoft Stores and through online and retail partners.

An Office 365 Personal subscription allows for one PC or Mac, and one tablet (including iPad) to be connected to the service, and is the best option for individuals interested in using Office 365.

Microsoft is trying, I’ll give them that. It’s a good move on their part.

Pioneer Corporation today announced one of the first aftermarket in-dash car multimedia systems to provide Apple CarPlay, allowing consumers the ability to upgrade the vehicle they already own to the smarter, safer and more fun way to use iPhone® in the car. CarPlay compatibility will be available in early summer 2014 via a firmware update to the five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers.

CarPlay is gaining momentum.

Did Samsung steal its slide-to-unlock feature from Apple’s smartphone software?

“Absolutely not,” said Samsung senior UI designer Youngmi Kim, who has worked on user experience strategy on the Samsung design team since 2004.

Bullshit.

The Lexus Design Award provides an opportunity for young innovators to showcase their works while receiving feedback from world renowned professionals in the area of design. Through this initiative, Lexus hopes to nurture and support world-enriching creators. 1,157 submissions were received during the application period from August 1 to October 15, 2013. After careful consideration by six judges, 12 winners have been selected. Read on for more information on the designers and their winning entries. The designers of two winning entries will create prototypes of their designs in close collaboration with mentors Arthur Huang or Robin Hunicke.

It’s hard to believe that these buildings and streets are still around.

Some great winners this year.

This is fantastic.

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BlackBerry said in a filing last Friday that the injunction is needed now. “Typo has contradicted its prior sworn statements and has significantly changed the way it does business in an attempt to flood the market with infringing keyboards before entry of the injunction,” BlackBerry said in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

They should be banned from selling the keyboards. BlackBerry is right on this one.

Slate:

Do you live in North America, South America, Australia, or eastern Asia? Then you get to see a lunar eclipse on the night of April 14–15! And while North America is the best place to watch—we’ll get to see the whole event—the real action doesn’t begin until 05:58 UTC on the April 15, which is just before 02:00 EDT, so it’s a bit late. You might just want to stay up for it, though.

I’ll be having a nap later this afternoon so I can get up and take photos of the eclipse. In related news, apparently I’m so old now I need a nap in order to be up at midnight.

There are definitely some great ones here.

DOOMED!

Remember last week when Android engineering VP, Hiroshi Lockheimer, testified in the Apple vs. Samsung trial and lied his ass off saying, “Google did not look to copy the iPhone when it designed Android.” Lies.

Kyle Russell writes for Business Insider. He was wrapping up an assignment, covering a protest of a Google lawyer turned part-time landlord, when someone ran up to him and grabbed his Google Glass from his face.

The story is less about this assault and more about the impact well heeled startups are having on the local communities. As the money floods in, housing prices rise, taxes increase, and local residents are priced out of their homes. Anger and resentment brews. Can this be fixed? A thoughtful read.

Nikkei.com:

While a slew of carmakers will soon start offering vehicles that come standard with a CarPlay interface built in, the Japanese company’s device is to be the first aftermarket product compatible with the system. It will first be available in the U.S. and Europe and likely cost around $500 to $700.

The device will connect to an iPhone 5 or later by wire. Drivers will be able to view maps on its screen, likely 7 inches, and use voice commands to access messages, make calls and play music. The system will be able to read messages and directions aloud.

This looks pretty cool. A real boost for CarPlay. [Via MacRumors]

Many thanks to Betterment for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. Imagine if poring over your finances were as easy as using your favorite app, or smartphone. – “The Apple of finance,” Quartz.

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Betterment lets you manage multiple investment goals in one delightful place. Our UX and UI are adored by design enthusiasts, separating us from the red tape of other investment providers. Betterment is slick on the outside, with killer technology under the hood, and our free iPhone and Android apps help you stay connected to your diversified portfolio at all times.

Ready to invest? We’re excited to offer readers of the Loop three months of Betterment investment management for free.

Amazon has a tough row to hoe here. Wooing developers to a nascent market is never easy. Just ask Microsoft.

Amazon is working hard to flesh out a portfolio of key apps that will likely be crucial to its new smartphone’s success. That’s no easy task in a smartphone market dominated by two giant device-makers, Apple and Samsung, which together account for 60 percent of the phones currently in use in the U.S., according to research by the Yankee Group.

As with its Kindle Fire tablet, Amazon is building its phone with a modified version of Google’s Android OS. Sources said the company has been developing a mechanism to automatically translate existing Android apps to Amazon apps. But it hasn’t yet finished it. In the meantime, Amazon has been wooing app developers with offers of money, Amazon Web Services, development assistance, and the promise of potentially being preloaded onto the phone.

Perhaps the most interesting bit:

Another issue Amazon faces as it works to bring its first smartphone to market: Google, which has recently become stricter in its approach to Android and its app ecosystem. The company no longer gives forked Android sellers access to crucial phone features such as its maps, in-app purchases and notifications.

Some big problems to solve.

One person from a company that has decided for now not to take Amazon up on its offer to develop a smartphone app for the device’s launch expressed skepticism about building Amazon-specific wrappers and workarounds.

“I don’t know how they’ll differentiate with Samsung,” the source said. “There’s nothing really that different.”

This is really getting interesting.