Category: Technology

Chuck La Tournous and Chris Breen to speak at NJMUG’s 30th Anniversary

October 20, 2014 /

I was honored to be invited to speak at the New Jersey Macintosh User Group’s (NJMUG) 30th Anniversary on Tuesday, October 21st. Macworld Senior Editor Chris Breen will be the featured speaker for the event.

My presentation will explore digital device security in the “new normal” of the post-Snowden era. Chris will take a look at the “Future of Apple.”

NJMUG has been helping people get the most out of their Apple devices since the age of the Macintosh 128K through the iPhone 6. The group will celebrate its 30th anniversary at a special meeting at the Meadowlands Quality Inn in Lyndhurst, NJ from 7-10 p.m. NJMUG organizers promise a “great night of eating, celebrating and reminiscing.” The group will also be raffling off “some goodies to those in attendance.”

The meeting is free to all NJMUG members; non-members may attend for a $5 admission fee, space permitting. More information is available on the group’s website.

The way we were: A look back at RandomMaccess’ first Macworld

October 15, 2014 /

With the announcement that Macworld Expo is going on an indefinite hiatus (more on that later), I thought I’d wax a little nostalgic and take a look back at my first Macworld — “The Show” — back in 1999. Although RandomMaccess had gotten press credentials before, this was the first time the show’s location made it practical for our little publication to attend.

This piece is undated, but was first published around July 27, 1999. –Ed.

Somewhere between Faith Healing Revival and Grateful Dead Concert you get Macworld Expo NY ’99: a rollicking joyride of new product intros, gee-whiz technology demos and the legendary Jobs “Reality Distortion Field.”

by Chuck La Tournous

I’ve said it before: although I’d never been to a Macworld Expo before, I’m an old hand at conferences and exhibits at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. But the sight of would-be attendees lined up around a New York City block stopped me dead in my tracks.

Something’s wrong, was my first thought; they haven’t opened the doors yet. But closer inspection revealed that the doors were indeed opened. They were opened because that’s where the line around the block snaked its way into the center. And across the entrance hall. And through the registration queue.

I’ve seen crowded shows and long lines at Javits, but I’ve never seen anything like this. What was even stranger was the fact that no one seemed to mind standing in a line that must surely still be winding through the hall as I write this — some 10 hours later.

Thank goodness for press credentials, I think, as I pass them all and follow the signs to the Keynote speech.

Continue reading

Google chair says they’re better than Apple at keeping your data secure

October 3, 2014 /

In an interview with CNNMoney, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt responded to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s message on privacy, saying Google’s systems are “far more secure and encrypted than anyone else, including Apple.”

“They’re catching up, which is great,” Schmidt said, saying Google works hard to protect customers’ information from other companies, the government, and hackers.

The organization notably missing from that list is Google itself, which is of course the point of Cook’s message. While Google uses customer information as its business model, Apple goes to great lengths to point out that it doesn’t ever know your information, locking it away from not only the government and other companies, but itself.

The interview is embedded below; the article is available on the CNNMoney website.

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to fix faulty update and original bugs

September 25, 2014 /

Apple released an update to its iOS operating system, just a day after it pulled a faulty iOS 8.0.1 updater. The new iOS 8.0.2 update addresses the same issues as the previous version as well as the Touch ID and cell connection issues the update introduced.

IMG_0406.JPG

This release contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

  • Fixes an issue in iOS 8.0.1 that impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
  • Fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store
  • Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode
  • Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library
  • Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
  • Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages
  • Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases
  • Fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups
  • Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Early reports say the updater works as advertised, but as for me — I’ll wait until tomorrow to try it.

Apple releases statement on ‘Bend-ghazi’ brouhaha

September 25, 2014 /

Following reports of Apple’s iPhone 6 plus bending in users’ pockets, the company issued a statement to media outlets (via The Loop):

“Our iPhones are designed, engineered and manufactured to be both beautiful and sturdy. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature a precision engineered unibody enclosure constructed from machining a custom grade of 6000 series anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength. They also feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry. We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability. We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle including 3-point bending, pressure point cycling, sit, torsion, and user studies. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.

With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.”

IMG_0401.JPG

It’s still unclear whether the phones are being bent while in users’ pockets or under more unusual conditions, but fans of competitor Samsung have apparently jumped on the issue with an ad that shows the iPhone literally bending down before the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. (The ad has frequently been attributed to Samsung itself, but a spokesperson said he had no knowledge of the ad and pointed out that the company would be more likely to promote its upcoming Note 4 than its existing 3.) And, from a marketing perspective, that would be a risky move for the company if its phone shows a similar proclivity.

Upgrade to iOS 8, but skip iCloud Drive (for now)

September 16, 2014 /

Apple’s iOS 8 update will be released tomorrow (as I write this) and if history is any indication, millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users will hit that update button en masse.

I think that’s fine; the “Gold Master” (GM) version of iOS 8 seems very stable, and while many of the update’s best features won’t really come into play until the release of iOS’s desktop cousin Yosemite, it’s got enough nice new features to make it worth using.

But it’s that very partnership with Yosemite that makes it an extremely good idea not to upgrade your iOS device to iCloud Drive when prompted. That’s because iCloud Drive isn’t compatible with Mavericks, Apple’s current desktop operating system. Nor is it yet compatible with current versions of the many apps that use iCloud (sans the “Drive”) to do things like store information, sync data and do various other things that you are very likely to miss when they suddenly stop working.

Our friends over at TidBITs have more information, but for the time being suffice it to say you should just hold off on iCloud Drive until Yosemite is released and app developers release iCloud-compatible versions of their wares.

You’re welcome.

Exploring Apple’s iPhone 6 and iWatch announcements on the MacJury

September 12, 2014 /

I joined TMO Alumnus Ted Landau, Joe Kissell and host Chuck Joiner on the latest edition of The MacJury. The panel pontificated on new iPhones and analyzed the long term implications of the new “i-less” offerings: Apple Pay and Apple Watch.

What makes Apple’s NFC payment system better than Google’s? (Hint: It’s about who gets to see your data.) Can southpaws get as much out of the Apple Watch as righties? (Spoiler: Yes.) These and other burning questions are answered in The MacJury’s typical light-hearted (yet oh-so-authoritative) style.

The MacJury is available as a video podcast at Apple’s iTunes Store and the MacVoices website.

Ruminations on the Apple iPhone announcement: it’s not an ‘iWatch’

September 9, 2014 /

A lot of the details about the purported Apple iPhone 6 have already come to light, and assuming the multitude of corroborating stories are more than just the same rumor bouncing around the tech press Echo Chamber (a big assumption, to be sure), it seems likely that Apple is set to announce two iPhones today, with a 4.7 and 5.5-inch screen. John Gruber’s math on screen resolution seems to work out well, so I’ll take the “ultra high” resolution speculation on its face; the alternative of a sub-retina display is certainly not where Apple would go with this.

Continue reading