DriveSavers, the worldwide leader in data recovery, eDiscovery and digital forensic solutions, today announced it is utilizing new proprietary technology to recover data from password-locked smart devices with any length passcode. The first-of-its-kind service is being offered exclusively to consumers who have forgotten device passwords, been locked out after too many incorrect attempts, and for those who need access to data stored on the device of a deceased family member.

Other companies offer a similar service only to law enforcement. DriveSavers is the first to offer a Passcode Lockout Data Recovery service to consumers. The DriveSavers service is not available for law enforcement and requires proof of ownership prior to unlocking a device.

According to its web site, they have a 100 percent success rate. DriveSavers is one of the most reputable companies I’ve ever dealt with, so this very interesting news.

Merrit Kennedy, NPR:

At a press conference, Kinam Kim, president and CEO of the company’s Device Solutions Division, gave a low bow as part of the apology.

“Beloved colleagues and families have suffered for a long time, but Samsung Electronics failed to take care of the matter earlier,” Kim said, according to Yonhap News Agency. “Samsung Electronics also did not fully and completely manage potential health risks at our chip and liquid-crystal display production lines.”

And:

One of the instigators of the push was Hwang Sang-gi, whose daughter Yu-mi contracted leukemia and died after working at a Samsung factory.

“No apology would be enough when considering the deception and humiliation we experienced (from Samsung) over the past 11 years, the pain of suffering from occupational diseases, the pain of losing loved ones,” Hwang said at the news conference, according to The Associated Press. But he added that he views the apology as a vow to improve safety conditions.

Damn.

Nice find from Cult of Mac’s Charlie Sorrel. The video below is an interview with Grammy award-winning music producer Henny Tha Bizness and is his take on the iPad’s place in professional music production.

The whole video is interesting but, at the very least, jump to 6:28 into the video when Henny asks producer Ken Lewis about his take on using an iPad rather than a Mac.

Insightful take on the switch from analog (knobs and sliders) to a mouse interface, and back to analog (knobs and sliders that you touch directly). It’s all about feel.

Yesterday, we posted about the Apple, App Store antitrust case that just went before the Supreme Court. A few more details and useful links:

• This case is about the ability of an App Store customer to sue Apple for antitrust violations. This case is not deciding whether or not Apple has violated any antitrust laws but, rather, whether a previously dismissed case against Apple can go forward in a lower court.

• Here’s a link to a transcript of yesterday’s hearing. It’s actually pretty interesting to follow along as the Supreme Court justices apply their legal minds to the mechanics of the App Store.

• If you are interested in following the case, bookmark this Oyez page. It has a nice summary of the case, some useful links and, if you check in periodically, displays the status of the case.

Apple:

Research shows that women face unique challenges in technology, especially when starting and leading companies. That’s why we created Apple Entrepreneur Camp, for organizations founded and led by women.

Our goal is to help these entrepreneurs as they create the next generation of cutting-edge apps and to form a global network that encourages the pipeline and longevity of women in technology.

What a great idea. Surprised this hasn’t happened sooner.

The Globe and Mail:

In late October, the city of Montreal declared what some considered a war on the bagel. When I heard the news, I blew a gasket. Wouldn’t this mean the death of the Montreal bagel?

There are a few immediate reasons to defend the traditional way of making bagels. I don’t want to start a war with the Italians, but no one comes to Montreal for the pizza. Our bagels, however, are famous around the world. There’s no such thing as a “Montreal-style” bagel. There are Montreal bagels, and then there are bread-like items with a hole in the middle. This isn’t controversial – it’s just bagel science.

This story is much bigger than being about “just” a bagel. It’s about tradition vs “progress” and how Montreal sees itself as a city.

There’s a reason why the biggest jazz festival in the world doesn’t happen in Vancouver.

That hurts but he’s not wrong. If the weather were better, I’d much prefer to live in gritty Montreal than beautiful but boring Vancouver.

Even New York Jews (if they’re honest) will admit that our bagels are better than theirs.

Hey New Yorkers – shots fired!

SoraNews24:

The Hands-Free Umbrella is sort of like a raincoat, at least from the chin up. There’s a plastic hood with an opening for your face that you slip over your head, but once you’re under the jawline, things start to get unique. There’s actually no material covering your body. Instead, a wide brim, 76.5 centimeters (30.1 inches) in diameter, sits on your shoulders, blocking the falling rain and causing it to slide off away from you. This gives you a circle of dryness that not only keeps your clothes from getting wet, but also gives you enough space to use your phone or get things out of your bag.

I live in a very rainy part of the world and there’s still zero chance I’d ever wear this contraption. But I love the utter ridiculousness of it.

Denny Bonavita:

My son Greg, now age 41, has Down syndrome. He now lives in a group home in Warren, preceded by 10 years in DuBois. I live outside Brookville. Greg’s brothers and sisters are scattered throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia.

Usually, I call him once a week. Siblings also call, perhaps weekly, perhaps less often, as we all tend to our own busy lives. If Greg wanted to call any of us via phone, he needed the aid of a group home staff member.

That all changed a month ago.

We got Greg an iPad for his 41st birthday.

Beautiful story.

Dr. Drang wrote about a Federico Viticci shortcut he modified (link to that post) and included a screenshot that showed all the shortcut steps.

The thing is (jump to the post to see this yourself), the screen shot was elongated to show all the shortcut steps. The article was interesting, showed how to edit a shortcut you got from someone else, but the screenshot itself did a beautiful job framing all the steps that make up the shortcut.

So the good doctor wrote a second post explaining how that pic came to be. Nice work.

Ryan Christoffel, MacStories:

Google released an exciting update for its Assistant iOS app today, bringing support for Siri shortcuts and, for the first time, opening lines of communication between the two competing assistants.

And:

With the latest update, you can set up a shortcut in iOS to immediately, via Siri, trigger any command you’d like to give Google’s Assistant.

To me, this is yet another sign of the game-changing nature, of the great value Shortcuts brings to the table.

Reuters:

When iPhone users want to edit blemishes out of their selfies, identify stars and constellations or simply join the latest video game craze, they turn to Apple Inc’s App Store, where any software application they buy also includes a 30 percent cut for Apple.

That commission is a key issue in a closely watched antitrust case that will reach the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. The nine justices will hear arguments in Apple’s bid to escape damages in a lawsuit accusing it of breaking federal antitrust laws by monopolizing the market for iPhone apps and causing consumers to pay more than they should.

Major implications here for Apple and the App Store.

From the Supreme Court document summarizing the case:

Electronic marketplaces such as Apple’s App Store present a new wrinkle on this doctrine, because the marketplace sponsor (e.g., Apple) interacts with and delivers goods “directly” to consumers, but as an agent on behalf of third party sellers.

And:

Whether consumers may sue for antitrust damages anyone who delivers goods to them, even where they seek damages based on prices set by third parties who would be the immediate victims of the alleged offense.

Gonna keep my eye on this one.

NASA:

NASA’s InSight lander is scheduled to touch down on Mars at approximately 3 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 26. NASA TV live coverage of the InSight Mars landing will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. UTC). Follow @NASA and @NASAInSight for #MarsLanding news. See a list or an interactive timeline of landing milestones. News briefings and launch commentary will be streamed on NASA TV, YouTube.com/NASAJPL/live and Ustream.tv/NASAJPL.

I’ll be watching it on Monday.

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The Institution of Structural Engineers:

The Steve Jobs Theater Pavilion represents a culmination of the advances in structural glass technology born from the close relationship between Apple and EOC. The 47m carbon fibre roof is the largest of its kind, comprised of 44 radial panels, which were assembled on site before being raised into position in one lift. This 80 tonne roof is supported by a 7m high glass cylinder, made up of glass panels, each consisting of four layers of 12mm thick plies, which hold up the roof without any additional support. It is the largest structure in the world solely supported by glass.

Even from afar, it is a remarkable building. If you get the chance, check out the rest of the 2018 award winners in several other categories.

Ars Technica:

With the newest Mac mini, gone is the two-core, four-thread 28W Haswell processor with up to 16GB soldered RAM. This machine boasts Coffee Lake processors, either a four-core, four-thread Core i3 base model or the six-core, 12-thread Core i7 chip as found in my review system. This processor is paired with up to 64GB socketed, user-serviceable RAM. Storage has also been shaken up. Instead of a range of hybrid and SSD options, the new Mac mini is all SSD, from 128GB to 2TB. There are four Thunderbolt 3 ports, one wired Ethernet port (usually gigabit, but optionally upgraded to 10 gigabit), an HDMI 2 port, two USB 3.1 generation 1 ports, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

It turns out that hardware can get a lot better when you wait four years between upgrades.

The mini is a much loved little box.

MacStories:

It took nearly 18 months of Apple’s regular Today at Apple promotions through keynote events and press releases, but I finally had my interest in the program piqued. As I wrote earlier this month, whereas every other Apple product is analyzed to death by writers, podcasters, and YouTubers, the company’s retail stores and Today at Apple program are often ignored by tech media. But Apple’s increased trumpeting of its retail initiatives, in the face of a collective shrug from the press, made me wonder what exactly we’re all missing out on here. I mean, if the company is passionate enough about Today at Apple to host over 18,000 sessions per week, then there must be something special about the program.

So I attended my first session.

Apple has been doing these classes and sessions for years. I’ve taken a couple and briefly watched many others. I think it’s a fascinating aspect of the company and something I don’t think any other retail environment has.

CNET:

Movies are often described as a visual medium, but what we hear has as much impact as what we see.

Burn made his name working on the sound for the famous Guinness Surfer advert, as well as the avant-garde Scarlett Johansson film Under The Skin. Director Yorgos Lanthimos was so impressed with Burn’s soundscapes that he recruited Burn to work on his highly acclaimed and highly idiosyncratic films The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and his new movie The Favourite — in US theatres on 21 November and Australia and the UK from 26 December.

Starring Olivia Colman, Rachael Weisz and Emma Stone as feuding noblewomen, this blackly comic period tale required Burn and his team to recreate the sound of an 18th-century palace — using 21st-century technology.

I’ve always been fascinated by the behind the scenes work of foley artists, sound engineers, and sound designers.

Topic:

When Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which turned 30 this year, cast human actors alongside a band of rubbery, spring-loaded, zany-violent cartoon characters, it was taking a massive risk: the film went way over budget by around $28 million, attempting technical feats of animation that had never been pulled off before to make the cartoons and humans look like they were really shooting and pawing at one another. But it paid off, taking in $156 million (coming in second only to Rain Man in profits that year) and winning three Oscars.

A brilliant movie and not just for the technical achievements.

AdWeek:

Lovingly, meticulously crafted through a combination of detailed miniatures and digital animation, Apple’s “Share Your Gifts” is the tech brand’s most ambitious holiday ad to date—and one that only gets more impressive with each subsequent viewing.

Among the many visual Easter eggs hidden throughout the spot, there’s also an audio surprise you wouldn’t be able to guess just from listening: Like the fictional star of the ad, the musician behind the commercial’s song is a young artist who began by writing pieces on her Mac.

Billie Eilish, a 16-year-old American singer, recorded the track “Come Out in Play” specifically for the ad. Eilish, who began writing songs at 11 and was signed by Interscope at 14, recorded the spot’s song in her parent’s home with the help of her producing partner and sibling, Finneas O’Connell.

We posted the video yesterday but this article has some great detail about its creation along with a “making of” video and links to other Apple holiday spots from the past.

VOX:

While this may be great for Amazon’s bottom line, all this shopping has a real human cost. As plenty of Amazon employees have attested, working in the company’s warehouses is grueling. Earlier this summer, a former Amazon fulfillment center manager from California reached out to me after I wrote about Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sparring with Amazon over worker rights and pay rates. (The battle ended in Amazon raising the hourly rate to $15 an hour but cutting company stock grants and bonuses.) The former Amazon employee, a US Air Force veteran, requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions.

This story is unlikely to change anyone’s mind about shopping on Amazon but, like all the other stories about working conditions at an Amazon warehouse we’ve seen over the years, it shows how hard the job is.

1Password:

If you purchased 1Password 7 or have an active subscription into 2019, simply click this link to send your gift. Gifts can be sent to direct family members, extended family, friends, or someone who is doing good things in your community. Showing them that you care is sure to bring a smile to their faces.

We Canadians are such a nice lot.

Independent:

The Cambridge Union is used for impassioned debates. The hall is divided in two, with rows of seats facing each other, adversarially. But the first recipient of the Stephen Hawking Fellowship, apart from the professor himself who gave the initial Fellowship speech last year, was anything but combative.

Sir Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer at Apple, was awarded the fellowship because he fulfilled its twin criteria, as explained by Charles Connor, President of the Cambridge Union for the Michalemas term. Connor said Ive showed flair in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields and the ability to communicate complex ideas in a way to excite the imagination.

Jony Ive, as everyone calls him, made a speech that was intellectually rich but still accessible, dense with ideas and fascinating. He spoke eloquently, gently, even tenderly, about the creative process and the importance of listening to the quietest voice. Throughout, he was open and humble, repeatedly revealing the curiosity which is a central part of doing his work.

Like Tim Cook, Ive speaks gently and eloquently. I really enjoy listening to both men speak – for different reasons.