The MacValley blog
Welcome to the MacValley blog, your first stop for all the latest MacValley news and views.
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The MacValley blog Editor: Tom Briant
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Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for November 15 2017
Apple Watch retakes the lead in the wearable band market in Q3 2017
Apple retook the lead in the wearable band market in Q3 2017, with shipments of 3.9 million. It posted its strongest quarter so far in 2017, thanks to the release of the Apple Watch Series 3.
Xiaomi and Fitbit are apples main competitors in the wearable market.
Samsung, Apple and Huawei, the top three smartphone vendors by volume in Q3 2017, have positioned smartwatches to complement their premium smartphones.
Several iPhone X Owners Experiencing 'Crackling' or 'Buzzing' Sounds From Earpiece Speaker
Over two dozen users have said they are affected in a MacRumors discussion topicabout the matter, while similar reports have surfaced on Twitter and Reddit since the iPhone X launched just over a week ago.
On affected devices, the crackling sounds occur with any kind of audio playback, including phone calls, music, videos with sound, alarms, and ringtones. The issue doesn't appear to be limited to any specific iPhone X configuration or iOS version.
On affected devices, the crackling sounds occur with any kind of audio playback, including phone calls, music, videos with sound, alarms, and ringtones. The issue doesn't appear to be limited to any specific iPhone X configuration or iOS version.
A Researcher Says He Fooled Face ID on Apple's iPhone X With This DIY Hack
A researcher in Vietnam has demonstrated how he apparently fooled Apple‘s face recognition ID software on its new iPhone X using a mask made with a 3D printer, silicone, and paper tape.
This 10-year-old was able to unlock his mom’s iPhone using Face ID
A new video has popped up showing a 10-year-old unlocking his mother’s iPhone, suggesting that any family members who bear enough resemblance might be able to bypass the system.
After the mother reregistered her face under different lighting, her son was no longer able to unlock her phone. She reregistered a third time in dimmer lighting to replicate her initial registration, and then, her son was able to unlock the phone again.
Video:
We put the iPhone X's Face ID to the ultimate test with identical twins — and the results surprised us
iPhone's Face ID can be hacked, but here's why nobody needs to panic
The release of the iPhone X earlier this month included a new facial recognition security feature called Face ID.
Recently, a Vietnamese company called Bkav has circumvented this technology with a mask made from 3-D parts.
Paul Norris, senior systems engineer at Tripwire, stated that hacks like the one Bkav carried out take a great deal of time and effort.
he said. "What they didn't disclose was how many attempts and what level of effort it took to get the mask to work flawlessly." Norris also pointed out that certain security details built into Apple's Face ID can mitigate risk. Five failed attempts to authenticate users via facial means will force the user to enter a passcode, which is required for Face ID to function.
In addition, there are still more security features.
The Apple Watch Can Accurately Detect Hypertension and Sleep Apnea
A new study from the health startup Cardiogram and UCSF suggests that off-the-shelf wearables like the Apple Watch and Fitbit could be used to accurately detect common conditions like hypertension and sleep apnea. It’s only the latest example in a string of recent studies in which researchers have tapped into the biosensors of wearables to turn them into devices that can detect and monitor serious health conditions.
About 90 percent of the time, the algorithm was able to accurately detect those with sleep apnea; 82 percent of the time it accurately detected hypertension.
That level of accuracy, the researchers concluded, was high enough to serve as an initial screening, with a traditional doctor’s diagnosis getting the final say.
YouTube Promises to Fix iPhone and iPad Battery Issues After Apple Users Report It Is Draining All Their Battery Charge
The YouTube App appears to be secretly draining people's iPhone and iPad batteries at stunning speed.
A number of users of Apple's devices report that the YoutTube app is sapping their battery – even when their users aren't watching videos or even have the app open at all.
Since iOS 11 was launched, a number of people have complained that their updated phones and iPads are running out of battery more quickly. And while it's unlikely that the YouTube problem explains all of those issues, it may help alleviate some of them.
To ensure that YouTube is fully shut and therefore unable to drain your battery, it can be force quit from the multitasking menu.
Apple’s Official “Human Interface Guidelines” for iPhone X
iPhone X ‘notch’ remover now downloadable from App Store
iPhone X owners who are not completely impressed with the so-called camera “notch” on the otherwise all-screen front of their devices now have a workaround through an app.
Appropriately called the Notch Remover, this app disguises the iPhone X notch with a black bar. Doing so makes the top area of the iPhone X appear more traditional.
Appropriately called the Notch Remover, this app disguises the iPhone X notch with a black bar. Doing so makes the top area of the iPhone X appear more traditional.
The app doesn't remove the notch per se, it just makes the notch invisible by placing a black bar across the top.
CNBC reports that the app still has a few bugs to be ironed out.
I've been using the iPhone X for 18 hours, and I'm already sold
The author wrote:
• I've been testing the iPhone for a little less than a day.
• Overall, I enjoy the design and the new, larger screen. And I don't miss the home button.
• Despite some of the concerns over Face ID, it works flawlessly.
AW comment:
Face ID works as well as the author claims, and I’m very impressed.
Click the link after this one to see the video demonstration with identical twins.
Video:
iPhone X Review
What I learned after downloading every iPhone App of the Day for a month
it’s actually really expensive to buy apps every day.
A lot of the apps of the day genuinely aren’t made for me.
A lot of people have a vague desire to get more out of their phone, but get overwhelmed by the sheer number of apps available.
Why I Returned My iPhone X
Getting my hands on an iPhone X was hard. Returning it was easy.
Getting my hands on an iPhone X was hard. Returning it was easy.
I spent a week with Apple’s newest phone, and I’m confident about two things.
First, it’s the best smartphone I’ve used this year.
Second, I’m not ready to spend $1,000 on a phone (or, really, $1,200, since I would really, really recommend getting the $200 AppleCare if you get the iPhone X— repairs are expensive enough to justify it).
I loved the phone but not enough to spend this much money on it. I’m OK with playing catch-up down the line.
Apple Pay Cash guide: What it is, how it works, and what it costs
iOS 11.2 adds Apple Pay Cash, which lets you send money to other iOS users right in an iMessage.
iOS 11.2 adds Apple Pay Cash, which lets you send money to other iOS users right in an iMessage.
It’s an incredibly easy way to send person-to-person money, but it does have a few caveats you’ll need to be aware of.
If you use a debit card, Apple Pay Cash is free. But if you use a credit card, there’s a 3% credit card transaction fee every time you use your card to add to your Apple Pay Cash balance.
Apple iOS 11.1.1 Release: Should You Upgrade?
iOS 11.1.1 is here. Quickly released to correct a bizarre autocorrect bug which caused the letter “i” autocorrect to an “A” with a symbol.
As with all iOS 11 releases, iOS 11.1.1 is compatible with iPhone 5S or later, iPad mini 2 or later and the 6th generation iPod touch or later.
How Apple sold me on buying a Windows laptop
No one thing pushed me to replace my aging 2012 MacBook Air with an HP (HPQ) Spectre x360. But a slew of small issues made abandoning macOS an easier call than I could have predicted three years ago.
That Windows laptop has a touch-screen. MacBooks don’t.
The Windows laptop has both old and new USB ports. MacBooks have only the newest ports.
The Windows laptop has a privacy mode for its screen which turns the screen opaque when seen from the side.
The Windows laptop is less expensive.
Apple Expands 'Everyone Can Code' Initiative to Students Around the World
Apple today announced that its "Everyone Can Code" initiative is being expanded to more than 20 colleges and universities outside of the United States.
Apple introduced its App Development with Swift curriculum in early 2017, with the materials available as a free download from the iBooks Store.
Why you should not rely on iCloud Photo Library as your only media backup
Macworld reader Eric wondered if he could rely on iCloud to be his "main backup of images." The short answer is no, but it's not about distrust in Apple's technical abilities. Rather, about the frailty of all material things, and the risk of putting all one's digital eggs in one basket, no matter how firmly the basket-storing company is holding that basket.
You're relying entirely on Apple for this backup, and you can't reach out to iCloud and backup that backup. It's a single copy, which means a single point of failure.
You're relying entirely on Apple for this backup, and you can't reach out to iCloud and backup that backup. It's a single copy, which means a single point of failure.
All good backup advice recommends you have effectively three copies of a given thing you want to retain forever: a live copy on media you can access; a local copy that's offline or physically and mechanically separate; and an off-site copy that you could retrieve.
How criminals clear your stolen iPhone for resale
Criminals have dedicated themselves to compromising iCloud accounts to wipe clean stolen devices using a set of interesting tools.
Criminals have dedicated themselves to compromising iCloud accounts to wipe clean stolen devices using a set of interesting tools.
In May 2016, a team from Trend Micro (which sells computer security software) stumbled upon an operation in which threat actors were offering tools and services to break open iCloud accounts and unlock stolen iPhones.
Firefox 57 'Quantum' for macOS released, iOS version user interface refresh coming
Mozilla claims that FireFox is twice as fast and uses 30 percent less memory than Google's Chrome.
According to a blog post documenting the new release, 4.9 million lines of code were added, with 6.9 million lines changed by more than 700 authors. There are over 5,000 compatible web extensions available for the browser.
Versions of Firefox 56 for macOS, Windows, and Linux are available now. The new user interface —but not the improvements to the browsing engine —will appear on iOS and Android in time.
Firefox aims to win back Chrome users with its souped up Quantum browser
Did you know that the charging case Apple ships with its AirPods makes for a surprisingly useful iPhone stand? Well, it does.
It's not perfect. The setup is precarious. Nevertheless, it works well enough.
Samsung makes my favorite wireless charger for the iPhone X
Specifically, I like the Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Charging Convertible Stand W/ AFC Wall Charger.
6 reasons why the iPhone X is better than Google's Pixel 2
1. Looks better.
2. Feels better in your hand.
3. Better screen.
4. Wireless charging (Google Pixel doesn’t).
5. Better camera.
6. Apple Eco-system — meaning:
better apps,
more locations (Apple stores) for convenient repairs,
works well with other Apple products,
(better than Pixel 2 works with other Google products)
iPhone X Review: So Refined, It Converted This Android User
I'm not exactly an Apple fan. I've been vocal about my preference for Android's endless customization over iOS's controlling, restricting ways.
But even having said that, after testing the iPhone X for a week and half, I've decided to make it my daily driver. This means the X is currently home to my main sim card, and is the phone I bring out and about every single day.
I'm using the iPhone X as my daily driver because of that notch above the screen, and a bunch of little refinements that are not big deals on their own but the combination makes for a compelling package.
I do wish Apple would implement a one-hand mode that isn't trash [something I could have easily via Android customization].
Should you buy AppleCare+ for your iPhone X? It depends
If you don’t buy AppleCare+ and never need it, you save $199; if you buy AppleCare+ and never use it, you might waste $199. All other scenarios will likely pay off if you anticipate accidentally damaging your iPhone X within the first two years of owning it.
This article has a detailed list of repair prices, both with and without AppleCare+ coverage.
Don’t drop it! Shocking repair prices for the iPhone X
The most expensive smartphone on the market is also the most costly to repair.
The cost to fix a cracked screen at an Apple store is $279. That’s significantly more than replacing a cracked screen on previous iPhone versions. If there is other damage, the repair price jumps to $549 – more than half the retail price of that phone. By comparison, the cost to repair a cracked screen on iPhone 8 is $169 and other damage is $349, according to Apple’s repair pricing page
AW comment: Unless you buy AppleCare for it.
iPhone X Review: One week with the world’s best smartphone
Its “notch” will make it the most recognizable smart phone in the world.
Fantastic cameras.
Better battery life.
Apple usually isn’t first with the newest smart phone features. But moving first isn’t Apple’s goal in most cases. It’s to offer a product that combines technologies the company thinks are ready for prime-time.
Video:
15+ iPhone X Tips and Tricks
Apple 13in MacBook Pro (2017) review: battery life to get through a working day
With its build quality, excellent keyboard and improved longevity, this is one of the nicest computers you can buy – but it will cost you.
Pros: beautiful, great screen, Touch Bar, Touch ID, massive trackpad, thin and relatively light, USB-C, OK battery life
Cons: no USB-A ports, no ethernet, no native display ports, no upgrading after purchase, very expensive
Cons: no USB-A ports, no ethernet, no native display ports, no upgrading after purchase, very expensive
Apple's Mac Sales Up 25% Year-Over-Year in Q4 2017
Apple's iPhone X vs. Google's Pixel 2 XL
Includes a video.
Both devices feature OLED displays, but the iPhone X's display is leagues better than that of the Pixel 2 XL.
So which of these devices is better? It's impossible to say. Both the iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 XL are entirely different platforms, and each one is the best in its respective category.
Video:
Why I loved working with Steve Jobs even though he fired me 5 times and treated me terribly
Before the spaceship: A look back at the previous campuses that Apple called home
Some interesting Apple history.
Tim Cook’s record-crushing tenure as Apple CEO is the most under-appreciated story in business
Jobs did bring Apple back from the brink of bankruptcy to turn it into the most valuable company in the world. But Cook's job in some ways is harder. Jobs was starting almost from zero. Cook has to maintain Apple's growth from an absolutely massive revenue and profit base, while answering critics who long for another world-changing product like the iPhone turned out to be.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/06/tim-cooks-performance-as-apple-ceo-profits-sales-and-innovation.html
Steve Jobs famously said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.
— Carl Sagan
Why the advertising industry believes that Facebook is invincible
Advertisers essentially have no alternative Facebook.
That dynamic is in stark contrast to Google's YouTube, where some advertisers have stayed away ever since some ads ended up next to hate videos.
Marketers have also gotten accustomed to a certain level of dicey ad practices. "Even with the wrong math — it is really small compared to fraud rates on other platforms," said the ad holding company executive. "In digital advertising, you just learn to live with a certain amount of ambiguity."
Twitter admits overstating user numbers for years
Twitter revealed that it has overstated its monthly active user numbers for years by mistakenly including a segment of users from third-party applications.
Twitter revised its previously reported numbers down by 1 to 2 million users for each of the last three quarters. The error is said to date back to the fourth quarter of 2014.
YouTube to crack down on inappropriate videos targeting kids
Automatic filters that are supposed to strip out any YouTube content that’s not child-friendly, so that it can be streamed on what’s supposed to be the kid-safe YouTube Kids site, are far from foolproof.
Who is evading YouTube Kids’ filters to target children with these bizarre videos? And why are they doing it? To what end does someone want to feature Mickey Mouse lying in the street in a pool of blood as Minnie Mouse looks on?
Apparently, the NYT reports, there’s money being made.
Apparently, the NYT reports, there’s money being made.
Google Youtube says that the first step in keeping this stuff off YouTube Kids are the algorithmic filters. Then, YouTube says it has a team of humans reviewing flagged videos. If a video flagged in the main app contains children’s characters, it will be sent to the policy review team. YouTube says it has thousands of people, including volunteers, working to review flagged content around the clock, around the world. If the review concludes that a video violates the new policy, it will be age-restricted, automatically blocking it from showing up in the Kids app.
Thirty countries use 'armies of opinion shapers' to manipulate democracy – report
Governments in Venezuela, the Philippines, Turkey and elsewhere use social media to influence elections, drive agendas and counter critics, says report
Governments in Venezuela, the Philippines, Turkey and elsewhere use social media to influence elections, drive agendas and counter critics, says report
“Governments are now using social media to suppress dissent and advance an anti-democratic agenda,” said Sanja Kelly, director of the Freedom on the Net project.
In each of the 30 countries, the report found “strong indications that individuals are paid to distort the digital information landscape in the government’s favour, without acknowledging sponsorship”.
By bolstering the false perception that most citizens stand with them, authorities are able to justify crackdowns on the political opposition and advance anti-democratic changes to laws and institutions without a proper debate.
Journalists working for Facebook say the social media site’s fact-checking tools have largely failed and that the company has exploited their labor for a PR campaign.
“I don’t feel like it’s working at all. The fake information is still going viral and spreading rapidly,” said one journalist who does fact-checks for Facebook.
How Fiction Becomes Fact on Social Media
Skepticism of online “news” serves as a decent filter much of the time, but our innate biases allow it to be bypassed, researchers have found — especially when presented with the right kind of algorithmically selected “meme.”
The common wisdom that these rumors gain circulation because most people conduct their digital lives in echo chambers or “information cocoons” is exaggerated, Dr. Brendan Nyhan said. Most people are more omnivorous than presumed; they are not confined in warm bubbles containing only agreeable outrage.
Most lies and false rumors go nowhere, but the rare ones with appealing urban-myth “mutations” find psychological traction, then go viral.
The other dynamic that works in favor of proliferating misinformation is not embedded in the software but in the biological hardware: the cognitive biases of the human brain.
Endless Feeds of Social Media Content Need to Die
Those endless feeds of content are a perpetual source of inspiration, information and amusement. And yet, feeds need to die because they distort our views and disconnect us from other human beings around us.
Facebook is now the worst internet forum you can find. Twitter is filled with horrible, abusive people. Instagram has become a tiny Facebook now that it has discouraged all the weird, funny accounts from posting with its broken algorithm. LinkedIn’s feed is pure spam.
Finally, I realized that constantly checking all my feeds caused be to miss out on the real world. By putting my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for days, I discovered new places, started conversations and noticed tiny little things that made me smile.
Forget about your phone for a minute, look around and talk with people next to you.
Google’s physical authentication keys are effective but limited
Provided you only use Google's apps and services.
Provided you only use Google's apps and services.
You'll only be able to use Google's own apps (like Gmail, Backup and Sync, and the Chrome browser) until the company adds support for third-party apps like Apple Mail or Microsoft Outlook. The third-parties will also have to update their apps to work with the keys.
The site found the security of the new physical key-based system to be solid, even for regular folks. If you lose the keys, however, getting access to your account will take longer than it does without them, up to a few days, said the NYT. Ultimately, if you need the higher-level security represented by physical keys, this seems like it could be a great way to get it. If you rely on third-party apps and systems, you might want to wait.
Use Security Key for 2-Step Verification When Using Your Google Account
With Google's Security Key, you add the security of 2-Step Verification but don't need to re-type codes from your phone.
A Security Key is small enough to fit on your keychain or in your wallet.
Google Security Key works only with Google’s Chrome web browser.
Google Security Key works only with Google apps, not with other companies’ e-mail, calendar or contact apps.
Google Can’t Be Trusted With Your Private Data
Multiple journalists — ironically, not conservatives — reported that they’d gotten locked out of projects they were working on using Google Drive, Google’s cloud storage service. Mark DiStefano of Buzzfeed UKreported the news, and later reported on Google’s “apology” for it, via Twitter. Google explained, “This morning, we made a code that incorrectly flagged a small percentage of Google Docs as abusive, which caused those documents to be automatically blocked. A fix is in place and all users should have access to their docs.”
Google needs to stop treating its users like lab rats for its machine learning. Already, their attempt to crack down on YouTube videos have cost perfectly well-meaning and sometimes entirely apolitical channels thousands of dollars in ad revenues over absurd misapplications of the rules by content flagging bots. To play fast and loose with their producers’ revenue streams like this, despite those people bringing people back to YouTube, showed an extreme level of disrespect for those users.
Google needs to stop treating its users like lab rats for its machine learning. Already, their attempt to crack down on YouTube videos have cost perfectly well-meaning and sometimes entirely apolitical channels thousands of dollars in ad revenues over absurd misapplications of the rules by content flagging bots. To play fast and loose with their producers’ revenue streams like this, despite those people bringing people back to YouTube, showed an extreme level of disrespect for those users.
But Google Drive isn’t just any platform. It’s one where people post their PRIVATE documents. Which brings us to the second, and even worse issue with this story: Why on earth is Google sending bots to scan users’ private content for violations of its Kafkaesque, hyper-PC Terms of Service? Unlike YouTube, where Google can at least give the thin justification that it’s policing bad content seen by the public, there’s no guarantee that anything in Google Docs will be seen by the outside world. So what on earth is Google doing policing it?
AW Comment:
Why do people EVER store their personal information anywhere other than their own computer hard disks?
(assuming they have the option of avoiding it)
Video:
So you’ve decided to boycott Google? Congratulations! That’s a great idea! But now, where do you go for alternatives? Are there any other search engines? Join The Corbett Report’s open source investigation into search alternatives as we explore the good the bad and the ugly of online filter bubbles.
This video is about several alternatives.
When you decide it’s time to leave Google for another service, you can download a complete archive of all the files and data you used with Google products.
Google has instructions on how to do this. Click the links below.
CIA’s Secret Spy Tool Steals Biometric Data From Other Intelligence Agencies
WikiLeaks has published a document of a CIA project called ‘ExpressLane’ that allows the agency to secretly extract biometric data from the NSA, the DHS, and the FBI as well as non-U.S. agencies.
“ExpressLane v3.1.1 provides an ability to disable the biometric software if liaison doesn’t provide the Agency with continued access.”
ExpressLane is installed and run under the guise of upgrading the biometric software by OTS agents who physically visit the target site.
ExpressLane is installed and run under the guise of upgrading the biometric software by OTS agents who physically visit the target site.
“OTS/i2c plans to revisit these sites with the cover of upgrading the biometric software to perform a collection against the biometric takes,” a CIA document outlining the program read.
The data exfiltration is then disguised behind a Windows installation splash screen so anyone overseeing the OTS officer installing the “update” doesn’t become suspicious. Meanwhile, the program is siphoning out the agency’s database of biometric data.
The data exfiltration is then disguised behind a Windows installation splash screen so anyone overseeing the OTS officer installing the “update” doesn’t become suspicious. Meanwhile, the program is siphoning out the agency’s database of biometric data.
The files originate from 2009 and were intended to remain secret until 2034.
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