Author: Staff

The ‘canary in the coal mine’ in Apple’s transparency report

November 6, 2013 /

Several people have pointed out that Apple’s “Transparency” report of government requests for information contains a brilliant end run around the government’s gag order on revealing that certain requests have even been made.

At the end of the report’s Notes section, Apple states it “has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. We would expect to challenge an order if served on us.”

Sounds pretty innocuous, right? But here’s the kicker. As long as Apple never receives such a request, we can expect future reports to contain the same statement. If that statement were to go missing, however, it would be a clear message that a request or requests had been received.

Well played, Apple. Well played.

‘Cosmetically damaged’ PowerPots on sale for $100

November 1, 2013 /

BioLite’s stove may have gotten more buzz, but Power Practical’s PowerPot V is — to me — a much better implementation of generating electricity with heat. I’ve talked about it during my Tech vs. Wild sessions, and it always scores high on the “wow factor.”

Now, Power Practical is selling “cosmetically damaged” PowerPots for $99 — a third off the regular price. The sale is this weekend only, so if you’re interested, check them out now. My perspective is that if you’re really using it out in the field, it’s like to get cosmetically damaged before long anyway, so why not get it that way and save some money?

More information, including an online order form, is available here.

Sinbad, the Sox and the long con

November 1, 2013 /

My friend Paul Kafasis of Rogue Amoeba is — among other things — a brilliant prankster with a lot of patience. His write-up of a “long con” he played on John Gruber is not to be missed. And as much as it pains me to say it, the fact that it was the Sox (you’ll see) makes it even better. (via The Loop)

‘Open vs. Closed’ and other mythical battles on The MacJury

August 20, 2013 /

I joined a panel of pretty smart pundits on the latest edition of Chuck Joiner’s MacJury podcast. We started out with a look at the “battle” between so-called Open and Closed ecosystems, including of course Android and iOS (and some thoughts on why Android is ahead of iOS in market share), and then delved into TV and movie content distribution and other tangents. As usual, it was a lively discussion that I think shed some light on some of the issues at play. Guests Peter Cohen of The Loop and iMore and Weldon Dodd of Rewind Technology were lots of fun to banter with.

The episode’s worth checking out if for no other reason that to see how much grayer my hair’s gotten since my last appearance.

New iPhones on September 10th? ‘Yep.’

August 12, 2013 /

Jim Dalrymple puts his signature stamp of approval on an AllThingsD report claiming Apple will unveil its next-generation iPhone at a special event on September 10th.

Apple could introduce two new models at the event, the report says: an iPhone 5S, a speed-bumped version of the iPhone 5 that could include a fingerprint sensor and improved camera. The company may also announce a lower-cost “iPhone 5C,” which pundits have been saying would help Apple in the mid-range market, where it faces competition from low-cost and highly subsidized Android phones.

Any phones introduced are expected to ship with iOS 7 — an update to the iPhone’s operating system.

As far as I can recall, Dalrymple hasn’t tossed out a wrong “yep” yet.

‘Automatic’ pairs your car and iPhone to provide OnStar-like features

May 1, 2013 /

Regret not ponying up for that OnStar subscription for your last car? A startup called Automatic promises to provide most of those features (and a few extra) with an iPhone app and a hardware dongle that plugs into your car’s diagnostics port.

The device performs diagnostics, lets you turn off your “Service Engine” light, provides fuel-saving tips based on your driving habits, remembers where you park (and where you drove), calls for help in an accident and more.

The device (expected to ship in August) costs a one-time fee of $69 and connects to a companion iPhone app via Bluetooth. (An Android version is planned; Windows Phone and Blackberry users are out of luck.) The company says it works with virtually every gasoline-powered car sold in the U.S. since 1996.

If Automatic lives up to its promise, it could be huge. More information, including a link to pre-order, is on the company’s website.

Here’s Automatic’s promo video:

RM Flashback: How we covered the introduction of the iTunes Music Store

April 28, 2013 /

decadeOn the 10th anniversary of the iTunes Music Store, we thought it would be fun to turn back the clock and take a look at how we covered Steve Jobs’ introduction of the service. The event also introduced iTunes version 4 and the third generation iPods, with what turned out to be a short-lived redesign and a capacity of up to 30GB — “up to 7,500 CD-quality songs,” according to Jobs, in an analogy that might not have much meaning for today’s music buyers.

Read on for our “as-it-happened-coverage” of the birth of a music industry sea change.

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Site news: ‘Readers, we had a problem’

February 20, 2013 /

My apologies for the site outage over the last couple of days, especially to those who were looking for the slides from my Macworld/iWorld session. (They’re here by the way.) We moved to a new server and due to an unfortunate typo (damn you, Mountain Lion autocorrect!) the site was unreachable and it took a little while to track down the problem.

If you’re reading this, all should be well in the domain name server department, and I’m happy to report that the new site seems “wicked fast” so far. I’m using a very minimalistic theme at the moment, although you expect some modifications over the next several weeks.

Please let me know if you have any issues navigating the site, and thanks for your patience.

Where to find me at Macworld/iWorld 2013

January 28, 2013 /

I’ll be making a few appearances at this year’s Macworld/iWorld Conference in San Francisco next week. I always love meeting readers/listeners, so if you spot me, please take a minute to say hi.

Here’s where I’ll be:

  • Thursday, Jan. 31st, 1-1:45: TT803: Tech vs. Wild: Surviving Your Next Campout (and Other Natural Disasters) with High Tech Gear
  • Friday, February 1st, 3-3:45: TT843: iTravel Well: Troubleshooting Your Tech Travel
  • Friday, February 1st, 9PM-?: Cirque du Mac featuring the Macworld All-Star Band (If you see me on the show floor, ask — I may have a ticket or two.)

Psst — want a free ‘golden ticket’ to Macworld?

January 19, 2013 /

Going to Macworld/iWorld? I’ve got one Free iFan Pass to give away (a $100 value), courtesy of the kind folks at IDG. First reader to claim it, gets it. Send a DM to me on Twitter: @ChuckLaTournous.

[Update: The pass has been claimed; thanks to all for your interest. For those who didn’t get the free iFan pass, I’ll have a link for 1/2 price iFan passes and free Expo Only passes soon. Stay tuned.]

[Update 2: Use the link below a free Expo Only Pass or a $50.00 iFan pass (that’s 1/2 off): https://2013.macworldiworld.com/portal/registration/mwspeo13]