iOS in the Car Expected Next Week

After a long absence of word from Apple, iOS in the Car is suddenly ready to be deployed (according the Financial Times). Ferrari, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz will be the initial cars shown off with the new technology. 

"The deal marks the first time that Apple is embedding its software in devices other than its own branded products. The choice of the Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz is seen to be in keeping with the US tech group’s high-end phones."

Last year, Apple already confirmed some partners including, but not limited to, Honda, Nissan, and Hyundai. Hopefully, many more brands will be incorporated.

Netflix Hack Day 2014!

Hack Day, a day that some Netflix developers wait for all year long. It's a day when Netflix brainstorms some cool ideas that may be random, but are certainly interesting. Take for example, Netflix Beam. An easy way to let friends and family stream their content to a tablet by bumping devices (without needing to exchange passwords). There's also a sleep tracker. If (for whatever reason) you fall asleep during a movie, a FitBit device can tell and the computer to add a "sleep bookmark" so when you wake up, you can jump back to that point in the movie. While these ideas may not become a final product, it's interesting to see what Netflix may or may not do with them.

Videos for more information:

• Netflix Beam
• Sleep Tracker

iOS 7.0.6 Adoption is at 25% in America

Just a few days after iOS 7.0.6 being released as an emergency update due to SSL viruses, it's already at 25% of all iOS devices. This unfortunately causes some people to be forced to iOS 7. Take a look at this chart.

Update Your Mac!

Now that you've updated your iPhone, it's time to update your Mac. Today, Apple released a similar update for the Mac that fixes a crucial SSL glitch. To learn more about this glitch, check out my post on updating your iPhone. Anyways, OS X 10.9.2 adds FaceTime audio calls (a.k.a. free phone calls for Mac) and the security features. You can update by going to the Mac App Store > Updates > and find the update from there.

Update Your iPhone!

I'll just sum this whole situation up for all of you. Some attackers were able to obtain and modify data protected by SSL (secure sockets layer) / TLS (transport layer security). Basically, Apple released a patch for all users, but you got to update ASAP. The update is iOS 7.0.6 (or iOS 6.1.6 for those not eligible for iOS 7). The update will take up 35.4 MB on most devices after installation. You can update by following this simple procedure. On your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Software Update > and following the steps after that. Spread the word! This is an important update! 

Touch Typing!

In a previous post, I mentioned touch typing. I also stated that it is a skill that I use to this very day. Well, I'm here to elaborate on that topic. Touch typing is basically typing fast without needing to look at the keyboard. How can you learn? Today, I tested out a new site just for you guys! It's called Touch Typing Study and it's great for new beginners or the pros looking for a little speed test. Personally, my speed is 29 words per minute. The tutorials are helpful and intuitive. Please check it out if you get a chance!

Twitch Plays Pokémon!

One interesting story that's been making gaming and tech headlines is the original Pokémon game. Popular gaming streaming site Twitch has created a special stream for gamers. It's called TwitchPlaysPokemon! Basically, it's a stream of the original Pokémon game (red/blue) with a twist. We, the gamers, get to play. Every Twitch stream has a chat, but in this chat, you can enter a GameBoy command and the command will be inputted into the game as a command. To put this into perspective, that's 50,000+ people playing a single game. This makes the gameplay harder and more interesting. It's interesting because when everyone inputs commands at once to name a Pokémon, the names are quite funny. Not to mention, that it takes the average player about 30 hours to finish the game. This particular game has gone over 9 days and counting! Not to mention, the anarchy vs. democracy vote. You can also type either "anarchy" or "democracy" to choose your vote. If anarchy has the majority of the votes, all commands will be inputed into the game. Democracy having the majority will make the game only take the most popular command in a 20 second period. Democracy mode is made to prevent trolls from inputting random commands. You can play along with all of the other players by clicking here!

3D Printers!

One topic that's been trending the past few months is 3D printing. For those who don't know, 3D printing is making a digital model on a computer and "printing" it out into real life using a 3D printer. While that's all fine and dandy, I think it's time to discuss some more modern 3D printing. Yes, technology moves fast. And while 3D isn't not that new, it's already evolving. For example, did you know that 3D scanners exist? Creating 3D models without any effort in seconds. Also, many people with MakerBots will be able to control their printing processes from their mobile phones! And 3D printing is getting cheaper. For some people, a $3000 investment is simple and the revolution goes on. What do you think?

Mini Ninjas

Today, Mini Ninjas was named the App of the Week. This means that the app will be free for a week. Be sure to get it! Even if you don't want it, download it and delete it so you can get it one day becomes the next Flappy Bird.

First iTunes Festival in the US

This March, iTunes is hosting another iTunes festival. Mark your calendars! It's March 11-15! It's hosted by SXSW, or South By Southwest. All of this is in Austin, Texas. Some artists performing include Pitbull, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, and more! While tickets are free, they are distributed using a lottery system. More information available from SXSW's website. This is the first time an iTunes Festival has been in the US. An app should be available soon for this festival (closer to the actual event date) so people may watch it.

We Have A Winner!

About a month ago, I announced Tech Talk 4 Geeks' first giveaway. The prize? A Kero Nomad Micro USB Cable in limited edition Kickstarter green color. As the title implies, a winner has been selected. The winner is SunDo Kim. His reason for needing a cable is that his Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 didn't include a cable. Well, worry no more! Congrats SunDo Kim! Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter (@sundokim) and on Instagram (@instasundo) and I hope to do another contest soon!

If you haven't seen my video review yet, be sure to watch it! It's short and to the point!

Jony Ive's Page

Today, there was a crazy rumor that Jonathan Ive, famed as one of the best Apple employees and key reasons for Apple's success, was fired today. Don't freak out! He wasn't. However, his page on the leadership page was removed. Apple stated that this was a technical glitch. International sites were not affected. Many were worried and used the term "Forstalled" when talking about the situation. Forstalled is a term referring to Scott Forstall's firing last year which pretty much means firing somebody important who shouldn't be fired. Also, it should be noted that Jony's page was still accessible using a URL of the page, just not through hyperlinks.

Jonathan Ive's Page

iPad Mini 3 and iPad Pro Not Coming in 2014

Although many speculated that the new, larger iPad, or iPad Pro, would come out in 2014, it's not! Neither is a new iPad mini. iPad Air would get an upgrade. It would get a Touch ID sensor and an A8 processor. As a result, the iPad Air will be the only upgraded tablet from Apple this year.

Tetris for free!

Using the Apple Store App, you can get Tetris for free! Just open the app, tap "Stores," pick a store, and tap the ad for Tetris. The Apple Store App is available for free off of the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Tocomail

About ten years ago, when I was four years old, I got my first email account and it was the biggest deal back then. I could send mail to my friends and family instantaneously! Emails even inspired me to learn how to touch type (a skill I use to this very day)! Now a days, spam is a lot more common and cyber bullying was created. A lot of adults and responsible kids and teens can manage with this, but what about the four or five year olds who want to join the email phenomenon? Well, there's an app for that! Tocomail (not to be confused with "Toca," a popular line of kids games and apps) is an app that lets kids use email safely with the help of their parents. The kids get a custom email account that let's them send messages that are monitored. In addition, they can draw on the message using an iOS device. Here's how the safety works. You create an account for your kid on Tocomail's website or the app. Then, you select contacts that are "safe" for your child to contact without your permission. Basically, anyone not on this list will have their message approved by you, the parent/guardian, before your child can read it. Note: Some features (including some put in this article) are "premium" features. This means you must pay for them by the month or year. A month of premium is $2.99, while a year is $29.99. Other premium features include a bullying filter, as well as a profanity filter. Tocomail is available for free, along with in-app purchases mentioned above, for free off of the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

iPad 2 Production Winds Down

After a three year life, the iPad 2's production is winding down as it's obsolete. Mostly schools and businesses bought them as they are mostly economical while not lacking any essentials. So, if you want to buy an iPad 2 for whatever reason, now's the time! Of course, this means another iPad is probably coming out soon!

Is this the iPhone 6?

New pictures surfaced today that are possibly the iPhone 6, which is expected to be announced this Fall. These pictures look very reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Even if they aren't real, they give us a very clear picture of what Apple's next smartphone looks like. What do you think?

iOS 8 Healthbook Mockups

Some iOS 8 Healthbook mockups (not official) have surfaced. Healthbook is a rumored app by Apple expected with iOS 8. This app seems to be a life tracker. It can track diet, notes, medications, and more. It also seems to be able to sync with iWatch, Apple's rumored smart watch. iOS 8 will be announced at WWDC 2014 in June.

Watch The Beatles On Apple TV

Today, Apple released a new channel for it's Apple TV. It's for The Beatles! This channel lets Apple TV owners see The Beatle's original performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Be sure to see it before it goes away!

Apparently... Shocker of the Century

Today, Flappy Bird was taken off of the App Store. However, those who have downloaded it before can download it again off of the Apple App Store. In addition, there are no more GameCenter leaderboards. This means you can no longer see your friends scores. Yesterday, Dong Nguyen, creator of the app, stated in a tweet that he "cannot take this anymore." The app made him $50k a day from ad revenue. The app was also #1 in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. People who already own the app can still play it.

It's Truly Game Over for Flappy Bird Fans

Shocker of the Century or Marketing Tactic?

Today, the creator of Flappy Bird, Dong Nguyen (@dongatory), announced on Twitter that he will be taking the top app of the App Store down tomorrow. He states that this is because that he can't handle the pressure of having such a popular app.

"I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore."

- Dong Nguyen

This is strange and could possibly be a marketing tactic. Perhaps to get everyone to download the app before it's taken of the App Store. If you'd like to join those people, you can click here to download the iOS version of the app. It was updated today.

 

iPads + Winter Olympics 2014

iPads will be used to analyze events such as the bobsled with slow motion video. Earlier in the week, Samsung, who is sponsoring the event, demanded that all Apple logos to be covered up. That statement has been voided. The app used to film is called Ubersense Coach: Slow Motion Video Analysis [Direct Link] and can be downloaded off of the Apple App Store for free (in app purchases available). Happy Winter Olympics!

Apple Buys Itself!

Tim Cook has purchased $14 billion of his own company in the past two weeks. Apparently, Tim Cook was a bit "surprised" when Apple's stock fell after releasing its earnings (Wall Street Journal reports). This may just work for Apple (APPL) in the stock market tomorrow. I personally own two shares of Apple. 

"We have no problem spending ten figures for the right company, for the right fit that's in the best interest of Apple in the long-term. None. Zero."

- Tim Cook

 

Google Glass: Finding More Ways to Stalk Society Since 2014!

Search your name on Google. Right now. Is there anything that shows up with your name? Any Facebook photos or a bio from Twitter? We all know that anyone can see this information and that we shouldn't put too much of our information online. Well, this search just got a little creepier. Meet NameTag. This Glass app detects faces, sends them to an online database with millions of other's faces, matches them, and tells you every single detail about them. Social networks, jobs, interests, criminal records, residence, you name it! For whatever reason, developers think that we want this. Honestly, who would want this? Who would feel comfortable knowing that someone out there can know every detail of you without even needing to know your name? Comment below as to how you feel about this idea.

Pencil for Developers

FiftyThree's Pencil stylus has been limited to only to their Paper app. However, in an email to FiftyThree, I've found out that there will be an API for the product. This means that we could see Pencil compatibility in more apps on our iPads. As to when, I'm not sure. It is currently in development.

Apple Anniversary Ad

You may have seen Apple's new ad for the thirtieth anniversary of the Macintosh, but did you know that it was shot entirely on iPhones and edited on Macs? Here are the commercials!

Original Commercial

Behind the Scenes

Shazam the Super Bowl!

Want to keep up to date on the game, ads, and more? Shazam the Super Bowl for a live timeline of everything significant that goes on. Shazaming is done by downloading the Shazam app from your app store. 

Control Center

Just a quick tip for today. Control Center is a quick way to AirPlay, AirDrop, and control music. In iOS 7, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Then, you can view settings for Bluetooth, WiFi, and more! You can also activate a flashlight and AirPlay. Try it out!