AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

In reading dozens of articles about certain rumors that either is more and more concrete with each passing hour, there are a couple of takeaways about a potential move into the automotive market by Apple. First, in hiring a former head of R&D from Mercedes, Apple ain't gonna build a minivan that may or may not be electric only and may or may not be self-driving. Have you see Mercedes' non-sedan vehicles. Ugly! Jony Ives and his team should have soemthing for us that should give Telsa a run for their money. So, no minivan. Second, how is your awesome HomeKit enabled and Apple streaming video service working out for you on your awesome Apple TV 3 and Apple Home Cinema 4K panel? What, no? Yeah, it's been years in the making and no evidence that Apple has "cracked" televsion as Jobs alluded to in the Walter Issacson Steve Jobs biography. The Apple TV started off as a hobby and only in the last year when Tim Cook took that label off and, yet, we are still ...

Another van registered to Apple spotted and, this time, it's in the southern part of what I consider to be Southern California, San Diego. More and more, it's looking like the van is taking pictures and data for Apple's own version of street view like Google Maps. However, if someone can confirm whether the license plate of this new sighting is different or the same as the van spotted in the Bay Area, that may go a long way in knowing for sure one way or another. That other speculation is that these are self-driving vehicles. Unlikely. Source: macdailynews . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Most worker drones have an one-screen work routine.  One laptop, one screen.  Or phone or tablet.  However, there are many who deal with multiple screens to increase efficiency.  Recently, I've come acrossed an app called Duet for the iPad ( iOS App Store ) and Mac ( Duet Website ).  By downloading the app from the app store for the iPad and a version for the Mac, you can turn your iPad into a second screen via the cable that Apple provides with your iPad. I can rave about the virtues of having a second-screen, but what good is that if I don't provid examples of how having a second screen can increase productivity?  And I reckon it can also work for entertainment as well. My photo doesn't do justice to Duet but you get the picture, right?  So, what am I doing or will be doing with this app?  I recently started getting into writing as a hobby.  And this universe I've conjured up is vast and elaborate that I constantly have to switch bet...

You really have to applaud Apple's effort to keep aging devices working with the latest OS even if users of older iPhones and iPads do lose out in terms of functionality, mostly due to hardware upgrades that are required such as TouchID.  With that said, there have been talk around the Internet water-cooler this version of iOS has been one of the buggiest.  Of that, I have to disagree. Remember back last year with iOS 7 when it would reboot ever so often.  A few times a day for some?  Well, there are certainly quirks with iOS 8 but you have to distinguish between something being more buggy and something more annoying. My one main gripe about iOS 8 is the search function that seem to have a mind of its own.  There are times when it won't return the search that I want.  For instance, I'll search for an app but no result will show up.  Or if it does show, what I'm looking for is missing but if an e-mail happens to have the keywords I searched for, it'...

China is a very important market for Apple.  It's a very important market for a lot of companies, both big and small.  So, it's no wonder that Apple likes to mention China as often as it can to both as a reminder to investors as Chinese fans.  And with Apple now accepting China UnionPay in the App Store, it's a pretty big deal beyond the convenience it offers to iOS customers.  It's about the road being paved for Apple Pay in China.  And it's brilliant as Apple works on signing deals in China, it's also working with Alibaba, probably playing them off each other.  For a while, I expected Apple Pay would not be available for years but it does look like it could happen within the iPhone 6 cycle rather than iPhone 7 or beyond.  That's a good thing for Apple for more reasons than one. 

Walt Whitman (you have to have seen Breaking Bad to get that) does Frozen. This is just freaking awesome!  I'm so impressed BB still has such a big influence on the Internet and society in general. This is a definite must watch Frozen parody no matter if you are a Breaking Bad fan or not or doesn't even know what that is.  Okay, you have to know a little about it.

AT&T has decided to stop the use of a set of very blatantly privacy-violating cookies that is capable of following mobile users on its network when they go from one site to another by inserting a series of codes.  It's uncertain why AT&T decided not to go down this route but competitor Verizon Wireless continues to practice to track as many of its subscribers as possible. But it's not quite over if you're an AT&T customer.  See, Ma-Bell Wireless still reserves the right to sell information it has already collected.  However, it has given users the option to opt out.   So, I reckon it's probably a good idea for you to log into your AT&T account now and do just that.   Also, if you're a Verizon Wireless customer, you can also log into your account and opt out of VZW following you.   Go...now. Source:   Electronista .