Thursday December 8
18:37
FTC to distribute $88M in refunds to customers...
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday announced plans to mete out some $88 million to more than 2.7 million current and former AT&T customers who were affected by "mobile cramming," a scheme that added unwanted third-party service charges to their monthly phone bills.
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17:35
AT&T beginning to pay $88M in refunds to...
The Federal Trade Commission has today announced in a blog post that AT&T will soon start refunding more than $88 million to customers affected by unauthorized charges on their monthly bills.
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17:13
Colin Furze Built a Giant Star Wars AT-ACT in His...
YouTuber colinfurze did what any Star Wars fan would do: he built a 5.5 meter (18 feet) high AT-ACT in his back yard. I love all the projects this nut job builds—he’s awesome—and this one is truly spectacular. It’s a scale model of a scale model on the outside, and on the inside it’s a Star Wars fan club house. In the video below he gives us a great tour, and he also has a behind-the-scenes video of how he built it.
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15:48
Comment: As Microsoft and Qualcomm work on ARM-based...
Qualcomm today announced that it is working with Microsoft to bring support for Windows 10 its Snapdragon line of processors. The Snapdragon chips have primarily been used in mobile devices and the support for Windows 10 is a first for ARM-based processors.
This brings the question, why isn’t Apple working to bring macOS support to its Ax line of processors? Or is it working on it as we speak?
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15:37
After deriding Apple as too slow, China's LeEco...
Ambitious Chinese tech firm LeEco halted stock trading after plummeting share prices reportedly triggered margin calls for its cash-strapped billionaire founder Jia Yueting. LeEco had been hailed as an Apple threat, with tech journalists giddy in reporting Jia's contempt for Apple--a company Jia derided as "extremely slow" and compared to the Nazis.
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15:07
Microsoft, Qualcomm Tuck Windows 10 Into ARM Devices
Microsoft on Wednesday announced the compatibility of Windows 10 and native Windows apps with ARM-based processors, including Qualcomm's Snapdragon, which currently powers a large percentage of Android devices. One of the highlights at this year's Windows Hardware Engineering Community event in Shenzhen, China, the new partnership will make it possible for Windows applications, peripherals and enterprise solutions to run on new mobile, power efficient and always-connected cellular PCs.
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14:45
Hands-on with Spigen’s Car Mount Holder: An easy-to-...
Spigen’s Car Mount Holder is a well designed product that anyone in the market for an iPhone car mount should lend a serious look. It features a typical suction apparatus to make the mount stick your your car’s dash, but has several other notable features that make iPhone car mounting easy. more…
Filed under: Apple ...
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14:27
The Apple Daily Report for Dec. 8, 2016
The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, Apple Daily Report.
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has been slowly adding more electric charging station listings to Apple Maps since the release of iOS 10, and today the world’s largest EV charging network, ChargePoint, officially confirmed integration.
As noted by AppleInsider, Nintendo’s highly-anticipated "Super Mario Run" will be available to all users on Dec. 15, but until then, people anxious to play the game can head to an Apple Store for a few minutes of hands-on time with the title.
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14:24
Notable apps and app updates for Dec. 8, 2016
On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are today's picks.
iOS Apps/Updates
Origin8 Technologies has introduced Solar Siege 1.0.8, their latest mobile strategy title. In the game, you take command of a deep space mining station harvesting the riches of the asteroids, manage a power network crucial to sustain operations, and defend against an alien foe who wants a piece of the galactic pie. Players can spend earnings on a selection of persistent upgrades to support and complement their units, research new abilities, weapons and defenses. Solar Siege is free, but does tout in-app purchases.
Abson Developments has debuted...
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14:21
HyperDrive USB-C Hub for MacBook Pro Raises $341K on...
There’s a project on Kickstarter called HyperDrive that raised more than $341,000 in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. It’s a USB-C hub from Sanho for MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. It’s similar to the 5-in-1 HyperDrive from the same company we had a deal on a few days ago, but this new one in development has even more ports. All told, it has HDMI, USB 3.1 x 2, microSD/SD, Thunderbolt 3, and USB-C. It’s designed to plug into both your MacBook Pro USB-C ports and take the place of any dongles you might need. As of this writing, there are still a few pledge slots for $69 that will net you one, but those are going fast. Sanho has blown by its funding goal of $100,000 by 3X, and there’s still 39 days to go on the campaign. Clearly, there’s a demand for this product in the Mac community. Check out the promo video.
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13:58
Yahoo Answers Now for iOS leaves invite-only period...
13:57
Peel releases super thin Jet Black iPhone 7 and 7...
Peel has introduced a Jet Black color option today for their super thin iPhone 7 and 7 Plus case. Peel launched their iPhone 7 cases soon after the phone’s official announcement, but the shiny Jet Black option had not yet been available. Those wanting to add an additional layer of protection to their phone, without having to lose the beauty of the phone’s sheen might want to take a look here.
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13:54
Review: Elgato Eve Light Switch
Elgato is one of the more prolific HomeKit accessory makers we've covered, with a diverse lineup of accessories ranging from weather sensors to outlets, so it's no surprise that the company has continued to expand its HomeKit lineup in unique new directions with the recent debut of Eve Light Switch, a Bluetooth-based HomeKit in-wall switch for controlling lighting or any other fixtures and appliances that are controlled via a standard wall switch. Although Lutron's Caséta Wireless System was the first to offer HomeKit-compatible in-wall dimmers, it's worth noting that Elgato's new Light Switch represents the first completely standalone HomeKit light switch solution — it connects directly to HomeKit via Bluetooth and no additional hub or bridge is required.{/exp:char_limit}
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13:29
Apple seeds sixth beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.2 for...
Apple on Thursday released another developer-only macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta, the second one in three days, and the sixth overall.
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13:24
Microsoft debuts Visio Viewer for iPad, updates look...
Microsoft on Thursday brought another productivity app to iOS, its diagramming tool Visio, while promising an enhanced iPhone version of its voice assistant, Cortana.
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13:17
Review: iHome iPLWBT5 Docking Clock Radio for iPhone...
iHome's iPLWBT5 ($130) is an alarm clock radio with a built-in Lightning dock, and a built-in Apple Watch charger, allowing users to charge a Lightning-based iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously with no cables. iPLWBT5 has typical alarm clock functions, while also letting users wake up to audio from a docked device or Bluetooth — yes, the speaker is also Bluetooth compatible. An extra USB charging port can be found on the back of the clock radio, so users can even charge a third device, if they so desire. The alarm clock's display has an auto dimming feature to adjust to nearby light. Other features include dual alarms, speakerphone functionality, and auto sync for the time — iHome's clock radio will immediately sync with a docked iOS device to display the time accurately.{/exp:char_limit}
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13:03
Apple rolling out macOS 10.12.2 beta 6 for developers
Apple is rolling out macOS 10.12.2 beta 6 for Mac — the second release in three days. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build is available on the developer center and will likely hit the Mac App Store soon [update: OTA available now].
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12:40
The NHTSA May Have Required Apple to Open Up Its AI...
Right after Apple revealed more of its plans to the U.S. Government regarding its autonomous car project, we learn that Apple is going to break with tradition and start publishing its AI research. This is an interesting sequence of events. John speculates on what may have been the cause of Apple’s more open approach.
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12:21
Apple now at over 200 CarPlay vehicles, confirms 50...
Apple today updated its website listing supported CarPlay vehicles to note that the feature is now available in over 200 models, up from the 150 vehicles the site previously listed. While noting the 200 vehicle milestone, Apple has added 50 new models to its list of supported vehicles, including a number of upcoming 2017 models…
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12:17
Microsoft brings Visio to iOS as Cortana is updated...
Microsoft’s suite of apps on iOS are constantly expanding, and today the company has announced that yet another of its famous desktop apps is making its way to Apple’s mobile platform ─ Visio.
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Filed under: Apple ...
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12:05
Every US Taxpayer Has Effectively Paid Apple At...
An anonymous reader shares an ArsTechnica report: Apple has received at least $6 per American taxpayer over the last five years in the form of interest payments on billions' worth of United States Treasury bonds, according to a report by Bloomberg. Citing Apple's regulatory filings and unnamed sources, the business publication found "the Treasury Department paid Apple at least $600 million and possibly much more over the past five years in the form of interest." By taking advantage of a provision in the American tax code, Bloomberg says that Apple has "stashed much of its foreign earnings -- tax-free -- right here in the US, in part by purchasing government bonds." As The Wall Street Journal reported in September, American companies are believed to be holding approximately $2 trillion in cash overseas that is shielded from US taxes. Under American law, companies must pay a 35-percent corporate tax rate on global profits when that money is brought home -- so there is an incentive to...
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12:04
Team AWT Update
Team AWT members -- just wanted to let you know that we'll be back to our usual programming in the next week. What I found early in my trip is that the internet service on the ship was slow -- not just slow, but so slow that doing things like uploading a podcast was impossible.
Fortunately, the time off has given me a lot of inspiration for special things to add to the Team AWT program to help build our membership. Expect to see some changes to the program in early 2016!
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