Tag Archives: iPhone

PTJ 372: Nothin’ But Bluesky Do I See

September 14, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss life after the Bird-Themed Microblogging-Service-Turned-24th-Letter-Of-The-Alphabet platform, as well as reviews of the new biography of said platform’s owner. Also in the news: A big cyberattack in Las Vegas, cable spats and a possible preview of interoperability in messaging platforms. All this and more as we prepare for Audio Interface October here on PTJ 372!

• MGM Resorts Suffers Cybersecurity Attack, System Outage Reported (Casino.org)
• Elon Musk Wants to Save Humanity. The Only Problem: People.
(The New York Times)
• Let’s put a stake in the ‘great man’ biography — starting with Isaacson’s ‘Elon Musk’ (The Los Angeles Times)
• Twitter appears to throttle New York Times (Semafor)
• 4 years after launch, Nintendo is ending Mario Kart Tour content (VideoGamesChronicle)
• Disney, Charter Settle Cable Dispute Hours Before Debut of ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ (Variety)
• WhatsApp lays the foundation for supporting messages from other chat apps (9to5Google)
• Amazon to require some authors to disclose the use of AI material (APNews)
• Apple Fall 2023 Event on September 12 (Apple)

@prrosado.bsky.social
@jdbiersdorfer.bsky.social

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 362: New Galaxies

February 15, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Samsung has kicked off the year in new phone hardware with updates to its Galaxy line — including a $1200 Ultra model that comes with five cameras, a stylus and a 6.8-inch screen. El Kaiser and JD ponder the possibilities, along in a roundup of other tech headlines and a preview of this year’s new crop of emoji (disco ball!) coming to iOS and Android. El Kaiser also continues his exploration of Marvel and DC Comics adaptations for the big and small screens. All this and more on PTJ 362!

Crypto apps soar in popularity after Super Bowl splurge (The Block)
Microsoft announces new app store principles, aligning with Open App Ma rkets Act (The Washington Post)
Open App Markets Act (Congress.gov)
Tinder to Eliminate Age-Based Pricing for Premium Features (PCMag)
New s From Tinder Newsroom
Making ‘Dinobabies’ Extinct: IBM’s Push for a Younger Work Force (The New York Times)
Everything you need to know from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event (The Verge)
Apple unveils contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone (Apple)
Apple debuts Tap to Pay feature for iPhone, here are the details (9to5Mac)
Apple’s ‘realityOS’ for Rumored AR/VR Headset Referenced in Source Code (MacRumors)
Peloton co-founder steps down after rough ride (AP News)
Amazon and Nike exploring Peloton takeover, reports say (BBC News)
For the first time in its history, Facebook is in decline. Has the tech giant begun to crumble? (The Guardian)
Meta SEC Form 10-K 2021
Meta says it may shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe (CNBC)
We’re Fine Without Facebook, German and French Ministers Say (Bloomberg)
See All 37 New Emojis Coming to Your Phone in Apple’s iOS 15.4 Update (Business Insider)
Emoji Version 14.0 (Emojipedia)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+ Originals)
Peacemaker (HBO Originals)
DC Comics TV
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. (The New York Times)
Martin Scorsese’s fight against Marvel isn’t really about Marvel movies (Vox)
Tom Holland hits back at Martin Scorsese’s comments that Marvel films aren’t “cinema” (NME)

Episode Links

PTJ 353: Deep Purple

April 23, 2021 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and JD ponder the purple iPhone and Apple’s other pile of spring product announcements, as well as other headlines from around the tech world. And space nerds everywhere celebrated NASA’s historic week as the Ingenuity helicopter took its inaugural flight on Mars — and then another — all while bringing a little piece of American aviation history along for the ride.

Spin up PTJ 353 to hear it all!

Nobo dy officia l trailer (YouTube)
Spo tify Set to Ri val Apple Podcasts Subscriptions With New Service That Wo n’t Cha rge Content Creators (MacRumors)
Spot ify Is Launching Podcast Subscriptions, and Unlike Apple Won’t Take a Cut From Creators (Variety)
Ap ple A irDrop shares more than files (Technical University of Darmstadt)
Incor pora ting More Feedback Into News Feed Ranking (About Facebook)
How Fac ebook Failed To Prevent Stop The Steal (Buzzfeed)
Tesla’s A utopilot is ‘easily’ tricked into working without anyone in the driv er’s seat (The Verge)
U.S. age ncy still ‘gathering facts’ on Texas Tesla crash (Reuters)
CR Engin eers Sho w a Tesla Will Drive With No One in the Driver’s Seat (Consumer Reports)
Supr eme Cour t Slashes FTC’s Power to Seek Monetary Awards (Bloomberg)
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight (NASA)
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Logs Second Successful Flight (NASA)
NASA, SpaceX Officials Thrilled With Crew-2 Launch Success (NASA)
Mars helicopter Ingenuity carries piece of Wright brothers’ famous plane (Space.com)
Apple introduces new iPad Pro (Apple Newsroom)
All-new iMac features stunning design in a spectrum of vibrant colors (Apple Newsroom)
Apple introduces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in purple (Apple Newsroom)
Apple unveils the next generation of Apple TV 4K (Apple Newsroom)
Apple leads the next chapter of podcasting with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions (Apple Newsroom)
Apple introduces AirTag (Apple Newsroom)
Apple’s AirTag tracker respects privacy and foils stalking (Fast Company)

Episode Links

PTJ 347: Out With a Bang

December 22, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As 2020 winds down to its final weeks, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the recent spate of bad news regarding national security, pandemic spread and video-game fails. But as depressing as the news can be, there’s new hope for 2021 — at least when it comes to decent Star Wars movies and shows. Punch up PTJ 347 and join us for the ride!

A huge THANK YOU to BROS for hosting us and all our faithful listeners for riding along with us here in the Q-Zone. We’ll be back in January, so Happy New Year!

• Russia’s Hacking Frenzy Is a R eckoning (WIRED)
• Trump Contradicts Pompeo Over Russia’s Role in H ack (The New York Times)
• The Great iPwn: Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage ‘Zero-Click’ Exploit (Citizen Lab)
• A l Jazeera journalists ‘hacked v ia NSO Group spyware’ (BBC News)
• The Antitrust Case Against Big Tech, Shaped by Tech In dustry Exiles (The New York Times)
• Google’s Legal Peril Grows in Face of Third Antitrust Suit
(The New York Times)
• U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed C ompetition
(The New York Times)
• Tim Cook tweeted about App Tracking Transparency and it’s easy to see the targ et (iMore)
• Facebook’s Laugha ble Campaign Against Apple Is Really Against Users and Small Businesses (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
• C OVID-19 closes n early 100 Apple Stores during holiday season peak (9to5Mac)
• Cyberpunk 2077 Was Supposed to Be the Biggest Video Game of the Year. What Happened? (The New York Times)
• A Complete Guide to Every Star Wars Show Coming to Disney+ (Esquire)
• ‘St ar Wars’ and Marvel’s Futures Now Flow Through Disney Plus (Variety)

Episode Links

PTJ 334: Grand Central Tracin’

April 29, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

Contact tracing! It’s all the rage around the world as countries try to track the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus though voluntary smartphone apps. In this week’s news segment, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the various approaches these apps take before moving on to other headlines around the tech world. El Kaiser also shares his adventures with cloning a hard drive. All this and more on PTJ 334!

Links to News and Stuff Discussed on This Week’s Show

Avenue 5 (HBO)
Apple and Google release first seed of COVID-19 exposure notification API for contact tracing app developers (TechCrunch)
NHS rejects Apple-Google coronavirus app plan (BBC News)
Two Million Australians Download Coronavirus Contact-Tracing App (Bloomberg)
Germany flips to Apple-Google approach on smartphone contact tracing (Reuters)
Coronavirus: Why are there doubts over contact-tracing apps? (BBC News)
Europe’s Privacy Law Hasn’t Shown Its Teeth, Frustrating Advocates (The New York Times)
‘iPhone 12’ likely to ship in the same timeframe that the iPhone X did (Apple Insider)
Microsoft Teams Vulnerability Exposed Organizations to Attacks (SecurityWeek.Com)
Verizon, AT&T, Comcast won’t cancel service through June due to coronavirus (Reuters)
Twitter turns off its original SMS service in most countries (The Verge)
Google Pixel Buds 2 review roundup: What critics love and hate (Tom’s Guide)
An ESPN Commercial Hints at Advertising’s Deepfake Future (The New York Times)
Warning Signs And Symptoms Of Hard Drive Failure (Prosoft Engineering)
How to Make a Bootable Clone of Your Mac’s Hard Drive (How-To Geek)
SuperDuper!
Carbon Copy Cloner

Episode Links

PTJ 332: Anti-Virus Software

April 13, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread, Apple and Google join forces to create a platform to track the disease — even though privacy advocates have concerns. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the program, along with the other tech headlines of the week. And, with network connectivity more important than ever, El Kaiser offers some tips on getting the most out of your home Wi-Fi. It’s all here waiting for you in PTJ 332!

Links to News Stories Discussed on This Episode

Coronavirus Contact Tracing: Apple and Google Team Up to Enable Virus Tracking (The New York Times)
How Apple and Google are tackling one of the toughest parts about tracking COVID-19 exposures (The Verge)
Apple and Google detail bold and ambitious plan to track COVID-19 at scale (Ars Technica)
Coronavirus: UK confirms plan for its own contact tracing app (BBC News)
Britain’s NHS working with Google, Apple on app to track coronavirus contact: Sunday Times (Reuters)
Contact Tracing in the Real World (Light Blue Touchpaper)
ACLU White Paper: The Limits of Location Tracking in an Epidemic (American Civil Liberties Union)
Apple Maps will soon display COVID-19 testing locations (9to5Mac)
PayPal, Intuit QuickBooks approved for coronavirus small-business loan (CNBC)
Warehouse workers are forcing Amazon to take COVID-19 seriously (The Verge)
Robots Welcome to Take Over, as Pandemic Accelerates Automation (The New York Times)
Apple Plans IPad-Like Design for Next IPhone, Smaller HomePod (Bloomberg)
Screen time is nothing to feel guilty about during the coronavirus — for adults or kids (The Washington Post)

Episode Links

PTJ 328: Going Viral

March 15, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

With COVID-19 disrupting life all over the world, El Kaiser and JD get socially distant and take to their respective bunkers to discuss the pandemic’s effect on life, work and everything. Click into PTJ 328 to have a listen wherever you happen to spending your international public health crisis!

COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak (World Health Organization)
Coronavirus: What We’re Doing and How You Can Help (Folding@Home)
IsItCanceledYet.com
Twitter makes working from home mandatory for employees around the world in response to COVID-19 (TechCrunch)
Coronavirus Is a Preview of Our Self-Isolating Future (Medium)
Apple’s next iPhone will add a rear-facing 3D depth camera (Fast Company)
AT&T Suspends Broadband Data Caps During Coronavirus Crisis (VICE)
Comcast keeps charging overage fees (Ars Technica)
Comcast accidentally published 200,000 “unlisted” phone numbers (Ars Technica)
Resumption of work at Foxconn factories in China beats expectations, says founder (Reuters)
Apple’s New iPhone Camera Looks Like A Huge Upgrade (Forbes)
Apple’s massive iPhone 12 upgrade to pack a ‘world-facing’ 3D camera (BGR.com)
Bill Gates is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway to focus on ‘philanthropic priorities’ (Business Insider)
Firefox 74 slams Facebook in solitary confinement: Browser add-on stops social network stalking users across the web (The Register)
Why the web needs to work for women and girls (World Wide Web Foundation)
Apple Arcade

Episode Links

PTJ 327: It’s Baaaaaacon!

February 27, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 1 Comment

As El Kaiser and J.D. discuss in the week’s news, the global spread of the coronavirus is starting to take a bite out of the tech industry in multiple ways. But hey, the news wasn’t all bad — a major fast-food chain is now selling a bag of bacon as a tasty snack. Just hit the Play button on PTJ 327 to hear it all, plus a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about reining in your phone’s constant alerts and notifications.

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Apple’s Cook Calls Coronavirus a ‘Challenge’ at Shareholder Talk (Bloomberg)
Coronavirus clouds Apple’s timeline for new iPhones (Reuters)
Apple will surprise everyone with a new iPhone next month, and now we know even more about it (BGR)
The best Apple rumor right now is Gmail (The Verge)
Facebook cracks down on ads about coronavirus (Business Insider)
It’s Facebook vs. the Bloomberg Campaign vs. the Internet (The New York Times)
Google Translate adds five languages (The Keyword)
PSA: Google Nest Cam outage takes down live video, history (9to5Google)
Inside ‘Amazon Go Grocery’: Tech giant opens first full-sized store without cashiers or checkout lines (GeekWire)
Clearview AI: Face-collecting company database hacked (BBC News)
Dunkin’ Snackin’ Bacon

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

How to Take Control of Your Notifications (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 319: Secrets and Lies

October 14, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the recent technology headlines, including Facebook’s wobbly Libra cryptocurrency, yet another iOS 13 update and political chaos around the globe. Also, there’s a giant Ouija board up in Salem, Massachusetts. And, leaving his beloved 3.5-mm headphone jack behind, El Kaiser takes a walk on the wireless side with a pair of Jabra Bluetooth earbuds.
Listen up here in PTJ 319!

High Schools to TikTok: We’re Catching Feelings (The New York Times)
Twitch is testing out watch parties, at long last (Polygon)
WAV audio files are now being used to hide malicious code (ZDNet)
Google Pixel 4: Android And Assistant Are Evolving (Forbes)
Hands-on with Pixel 4 and 4 XL: Google’s new phones only have minor differences (CNet)
The Reason Your Photos Are About to Get a Lot Better (The New York Times)
EBay, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe abandon Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency (CNBC)
Defiant Zuckerberg Says Facebook Won’t Police Political Speech (The New York Times)
Facebook’s Hands-Off Approach to Political Speech Gets Impeachment Test (The New York Times)
Elizabeth Warren targets Facebook’s ad policy — with a Facebook ad (CNN)
Why Facebook can’t stop politicians from lying (The Verge)
Facebook to Pay $40M in Proposed Settlement in Video Metrics Suit (Hollywood Reporter)
Google’s Pixel 4 hardware event: rumors, leaks, and what to expect (The Verge)
Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launching in Q1 2020 with A13 at $399 Price (MacRumors)
Apple Adds Option to Delete Siri History and Opt Out of Sharing Audio Recordings in iOS 13.2 (MacRumors)
Is Amazon Watching You? Cloud Cam Footage Reviewed By Humans (Bloomberg)
Apple Removes App That Helps Hong Kong Protesters Track the Police (The New York Times)
Apple, Google Pull Hong Kong Protest Apps After China Uproar (Wall Street Journal)
Blizzard Boycott After Hearthstone Player Punished For Hong Kong Protest Support (BuzzFeed News)
World’s Largest Ouija Board Unveiled in Salem, Ma. (Geek.com)
Ouijazilla! (Talking Board Historical Society)
Jabra Elite 65t Bluetooth earbuds

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 317: Candied Apples

September 10, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Brand new iPhones in pastel-candy colors, two deluxe “Pro” models with three cameras on the back and a spiffy new iPad were in Apple’s basket of fall announcements this week — along with an updated Apple Watch and two new monthly subscription services for games and movies. El Kaiser and J.D. wade into the Apple news-stream after a look at other headlines, including new government scrutiny for Big, er, Gigundo Tech. Welcome to PTJ 317!

A message about iOS security (Apple)
Apple takes flak for disputing iOS security bombshell dropped by Google (Ars Technica)
A very deep dive into iOS Exploit chains found in the wild (Google Project Zero)
How Google’s Project Zero ended up attacking all iPhone users (iMore)
Texas attorney general leads Google antitrust probe (CNBC)
Google and YouTube Will Pay Record $170 Million for Alleged Violations of Children’s Privacy Law (Federal Trade Commission)
How Each Big Tech Company May Be Targeted by Regulators (The New York Times)
16 Ways Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon Are in Government Cross Hairs (The New York Times)
How Top-Valued Microsoft Has Avoided the Big Tech Backlash (The New York Times)
Your Private Instagram Stories Aren’t Exactly Private (BuzzFeed)
Period Tracker Apps: Maya And MIA Fem Are Sharing Deeply Personal Data With Facebook (BuzzFeed)
Facebook warns about Apple iOS 13 privacy improvement (CNBC)
Understanding Updates to Your Device’s Location Settings (Facebook)
How Apple’s Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls (The New York Times)
Amazon Employees Are Walking Out Over the Company’s Huge Carbon Footprint
(VICE)
The Polaroid Lab delivers instant prints using your phone display (Engadget)
Polaroid Originals
Kodak PRINTOMATIC Cameras

Apple Event Announcements

Everything Apple Announced at Today’s iPhone Event in Just Seven Minutes (macOS Rumors video)
September 2019 event (macOS Rumors)
Apple Arcade invites you to play something extraordinary (Apple)
Apple TV+ launches November 1, featuring originals from the world’s greatest storytellers (Apple)
Apple introduces new version of the most popular iPad starting at $329 (Apple)
Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 5 (Apple)
Apple introduces dual camera iPhone 11 (Apple)
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max: the most powerful and advanced smartphones (Apple)

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