June 4, 2014
City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry group has awarded Apple’s senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, with its highest honor, the 2014 Spirit of Life Award. According to the group, the award recognizes an individual whose work has fundamentally impacted the music, film and entertainment industries.
Cue is the first recipient from the technology industry. The award will be presented during an event in Los Angeles on Oct. 23, the group said.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be recognizing Eddy Cue with City of Hope’s highest honor,” said Jason Morey, president of City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Group. “City of Hope and Apple are both renowned for their passionate embrace of innovation and change. Eddy embodies that same passion. He has played a hugely important role for Apple as it has revolutionized the way consumers enjoy everything from music to films to TV to books to apps. He is an extraordinarily worthy honoree.”
City of Hope is one of the leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, with a mission to shorten the time from new research idea to new medical treatment.
“I’m truly honored to be this year’s recipient of the Spirit of Life Award. The research that City of Hope does impacts the lives of millions and their work personally means a lot to me,” said Eddy Cue. “City of Hope uses the latest research and technology to fight cancer and other catastrophic diseases. I hope that everyone who can, gives what they can, to City of Hope so they can continue to fight the battle against cancer.”
Past recipients of the award include Quincy Jones, Sony Music’s Clive Davis, former Warner music Group Chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman, and Azoff MSG Entertainment Chairman and CEO Irving Azoff. among others.
Cue has long been Apple’s goto person to launch and fix many of Apple’s biggest software and services products. As a fellow music lover, I’ve enjoyed many conversations with Eddy over the years, talking about bands and music in general. He’s a kind man, but he can also get things done when the pressure is on—something he’s proven over and over again.
Written by Shawn King
Mashable:
Imagine a world where your dog could play fetch by himself. It’s not the future; it’s this lucky dog’s reality. Instead of playing the usual game of fetch (when you get tired after 10 minutes), someone removed the human element from the game completely.
The dog is cute as all get out and congratulations to the owner for teaching the dog the trick but, come on! How lazy are you you can’t play catch with your dog for ten minutes!?
Written by Shawn King
Neural Correlate Society:
Every year, the Neural Correlate Society (which promotes scientific research into how sensory perception affects the brain) holds a contest for the best illusions of the year, and it’s announced its top 10 such brain-benders for 2014.
My brain hurts.
Written by Shawn King
LA Times:
Citing a massive increase in reports of illegal flashing of lasers toward aircraft, the FBI said Tuesday it would expand a program that offers a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests in connection with the “dangerous and irresponsible” incidents. Reports of people pointing lasers at aircraft have ballooned nationwide, jumping from 384 in 2006 to 3,960 in 2013, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
I honestly don’t get why someone would do this. What do they hope to accomplish – bringing the aircraft down?
I’m completely incompetent around a grill but even I could pull off Alton Brown’s “non-recipe for skirt steak”.
Written by Shawn King
CNET:
For the past year or so, I’ve been struggling to get my photo situation in more order. I’ve felt overwhelmed with the number of pictures that I and my family take. Ensuring they’re backed up and organized made me write about wanting to declare photo bankruptcy last year. I want one place where all my pictures are kept secure and organized. And I want the photos to be easily viewable on a variety of devices, whenever I want to see them. And if I want to tag the shots, adjust dates, geolocate them, and so on, I want to be sure all those photos will retain that information if I move elsewhere.
I see this problem in my photography seminar all the time – people overwhelmed by their own photo collection. Hopefully, the promise of Apple’s WWDC demo will come true and help users get this under control.
OMG I used to be this guy.
Written by Dave Mark
I am a big fan of escape rooms. The basic premise is, you are locked in a room and need to solve a series of puzzles to get out, perhaps to another escape room. There have long been virtual escape rooms. My favorite of these is The Room series on iOS.
The linked article explores some real life escape rooms. They range from pure puzzle sets to a more theatrical presentation. Personally, I’d love to see a video game that marries the best of both worlds: A multi-player implementation of an escape room that gives you a virtual presence in an escape room, a real social experience.
These escape rooms similar to Toronto room escape are a unique experience where players have fun solving puzzles and turning things into math problems while they’re trapped in an escape room. It’s great for team-building, teaching critical thinking skills, and is even a good activity to do with your friends on days off.
During my numerous travels, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing various interactive and engaging activities, but none quite compare to a particular escape room in Bristol. The experience was a perfect blend of challenging puzzles and a captivating storyline. For those interested in experiencing this for themselves, I highly recommend visiting https://www.escaperoomsbristol.co.uk/. It’s an adventure that will test your wits and teamwork in the most enjoyable way.
This video does a great job of walking you through a nice chunk of the interface changes that come with iOS 8. Many of these were shown off in the keynote, but I thought this video made each feature easier to grasp. Definitely worth a watch. [Via 9to5mac]
Earlier this week, Samsung announced their first Tizen smartphone, sending a shot across Google’s bow, from the Android side. Apple then followed up with their announcement that Bing would be the default search engine in Spotlight searches. Also, note this text from Apple’s Yosemite preview page:
You can also now search the web using DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn’t track you.
Samsung’s Tizen threat is an obvious one, a move to derail Android’s dominance as the number one competitor to iOS in the mobile space.
The change in Apple’s search defaults is much more subtle, but no less important.
From Forbes:
In the new versions of their operating systems, Google results will be removed from Spotlight and replaced with Microsoft’s Bing. Of course Apple is going to offer searches through iTunes, the App Store, Apple Maps, iBooks, and more, but the prize of web searches in Spotlight now goes to Redmond.
Keen followers of Apple will note that Bing was already powering results for Siri.
It’s not a total wipe-out, users searching in Safari will see results from Google, but Apple is slowly winding back their reliance on Google. Wherever web searching remains visible to the user, Google will likely remain in the short to medium term, But in areas where users are searching and just want results rather than Google results, Apple is using alternative providers. Bing is one. DuckDuckGo for private search is another.
From Kyre Lahtinen:
Recently Google received a lot of heat for changes it made to developer builds of the Chrome web browser. Google removed the the url from the top bar. Many suggested that Google was testing this tweak because this is how people use the internet anyway. They open their browser and type a search into Google; Google is most people’s gateway to the web. Google was in effect seeing if they could add one more layer of abstraction on top of the internet so that Google would likely be the only way to the rest of the web.
I can not help but think that Apple is doing a similar thing, but Google is the target. Apple is uniquely positioned to harass Google’s near search monopoly. Because Apple is in complete control of their platform they are able to integrate different services into their search. iOS already benefits from a variety of data sources; iOS gets sports data from Yahoo!, mathematical computations from WolframAlpha.
It appears that much of the search results from Spotlight will not come from Google. [Correct – as pointed out above] I imagine this trend will continue. Apple already encourages users to bypass Google by using Siri to perform searches. Look for Apple to slowly and methodically exclude Google where it can on Apple devices. Users will not care who provides the data just as long as it is fast and accurate, and Apple’s silent war against Google will continue.
The chess match continues. Fascinating to watch this unfold.
Terrific. All the way through.
June 3, 2014
Written by Shawn King
Ars Technica:
The final version of the software won’t be available for a few months, but Apple developers (and, for the first time ever, one million public beta testers) can download and install the first Yosemite beta version now. Developers will be used to the process of testing new OS X versions on their hardware, but those people in the public beta may be wading into uncharted waters. This guide is for those people, the ones who want to test the new OS X beta without wrecking their Mac—you never want to put your data at risk by installing beta software on your main partition. This way, you can play with all the shiny new features without risking the comfortable, stable, non-beta OS X installation you need to get all your work done.
You don’t want to install the Developer Preview or the beta on your main machine without doing something similar to this.
Apple:
“I think a developer would look like a geek – nerdy, plaid, unshaven, glasses, spiky hair beard…
Another typically well done video from Apple. This is the same video that played at the 2014 WWDC Keynote yesterday.
I’ve spent the last couple of days walking the halls of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, talking to developers about the announcements yesterday. One common theme emerged from those discussions: Possibilities.
I haven’t seen developers this excited about a WWDC in many years—probably since Apple first allowed native apps on iOS. There is a real sense of Apple turning a corner with all of the new tools they gave developers during the conference.
This isn’t just good news for developers—everyone will benefit from this type of excitement. The more developers believe in the platform, the more they continue to push the envelope of what can be done with Apple products—that ultimately means more, and better, apps for consumers. That’s just what every platform needs to thrive.
Most non-developers watching the keynote yesterday probably didn’t care much about Apple’s new Swift programming language, but developers sure took notice. Swift is part of the tools that are going to make app development more efficient. And, because Swift code is interoperable with Objective-C, developers can start using it right away.
One developer I spoke with said Swift has him considering the possibilities of taking his iOS app to the Mac. As a small shop, Swift takes away some of the headaches and resource drain on his company when considering such a big move. His plan is to use Swift for any new code, while utilizing common Objective-C code between the apps. When the Mac app is completed, he will systematically replace the remaining code with Swift.
Other developers told me that apps that were in the beginning phases of development will be done in Swift, while they reevaluate what to do with existing apps.
It’s hard to explain how monumental WWDC 2014 has been. Every developer here is excited about the possibilities for their existing apps and new ones they will build—ideas are flowing, but nobody wanted me to say what they were doing, so you’ll have to wait.
There are some great things coming out of WWDC this year.
Written by Shawn King
Re/code:
This morning, Instagram is rolling out the sixth version of its mobile photo-sharing app, loading it up with 10 creative tools, including the ability to manipulate images in a variety of new ways like saturation, sharpening and highlighting. The new version for the 200 million monthly active users of the Facebook-owned service will be available for both Apple iOS and Google Android, adding a number of tools that users pay for when using other photo apps.
Are you an “Instagrammer”? Are these new features of interest to you?
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Flappy Bird done using Apple’s new programming language. I just love developers.
The AltBeard Bash, done in conjunction with AltConf, is happening tonight in San Francisco from 7-11 pm at the Children’s Creativity Museum at Moscone.
Interest from developers has been overwhelming. Be aware that entry to the party is on a first come, first serve basis—it doesn’t matter if you received an invite or not—those that are at the venue first will get in first.
We will also be supporting Home To Stay Dog Rescue at the party. This is my wife’s project to help save, vet, and find new homes for dogs in need. If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket and see her walking around, please consider donating to help the dogs.
We’re grateful to have two sponsors for this year’s AlBeard Bash: Microsoft Azure and Sling Media. Sling is offering $50 off a Slingbox for The Loop readers.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Imagine if poring over your finances were as easy as using your favorite app, or smartphone. – “The Apple of finance,” Quartz.
Now it is, with Betterment.
Betterment is a groundbreaking automated investment service, with over 35,000 customers already benefiting from Betterment’s integration of technology and years of investment expertise, combined in one elegant online application.
Betterment’s UX and UI are adored by tech and design enthusiasts, without the red tape of other investment providers. Betterment is delightful on the outside, with killer technology under the hood, and our free iPhone and Android apps help you stay connected to your diversified portfolio at all times.
Betterment has eliminated the unnecessary costs and complications of investing intelligently. It’s straightforward investing for all, whether you have $10,000 or $10 million.
Ready to invest? We’re excited to offer readers of the Loop up to 6 months of Betterment automated investment management for free.
Written by Shawn King
Stacksocial:
License purchased is good for 1 year of service, upon expiration, the Backblaze service can be renewed for $5/month or $50/year.
These services (Crashplan is another) are very dependent on the amount of data you have and your upload speeds but, if you can take advantage of it, it’s a good deal even at the full price. I always tell people you need multiple backups in multiple places. Having an online backup is an option for some.
Written by Shawn King
TIME:
The story behind Robert Capa’s iconic shot of a soldier in the surf at Normandy, one of the most celebrated pictures of the Second World War, is nearly as complex as it is incredible.
The D-Day anniversary is June 6th. Watch the video on the site for more of this incredible story.
Written by Shawn King
Ole Begemann:
With the release of the beta versions of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite at WWDC 2014 yesterday, Apple has also updated the legal agreements for registered iOS and Mac developers. I am not a lawyer, but if I am reading this correctly, it means that beta version of the operating systems and SDKs are still under NDA, but Apple allows developers to discuss new APIs and features that have been introduced at WWDC in public. That should cover pretty much all the new stuff in iOS 8, Yosemite and the Developer Tools.
Apple has always had very restrictive NDAs (I’ve signed some Apple NDAs that say I can’t even say I’ve signed an NDA with them!) but they have historically ignored all the sites, rumour and otherwise, who have “broken” NDAs for the developer program. Good to see them loosening the reins a little bit to reflect reality.
Handoff is perhaps my favorite of all the new features announced at yesterday’s WWDC keynote.
From Apple’s web site:
When your Mac and iOS devices are near each other, they can automatically pass whatever you’re doing from one device to another. Say you start writing a report on your Mac, but you want to continue on your iPad as you head to your meeting. Handoff lets you switch over and pick up instantly where you left off. Or maybe you start writing an email on your iPhone, but you want to finish it on your Mac. You can do that, too. Handoff works with Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. And app developers can easily build Handoff into their apps.
The key to Handoff’s success is widespread adoption. Apple is building Handoff support into all of their major apps, so that’s already a heck of a start. Developers creating apps with both an OS X and iOS component need to build Handoff support into their apps as well.
I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a new OS release. Clearly, a lot of effort went into not just the individual releases of iOS and OS X, but into their integration as well. This was very well planned and executed, an excellent bit of engineering on Apple’s part. Well done.
There have long been devices that allowed you to use your Mac as a speaker phone. In the long ago, you’d plug some device into a phone jack in your wall (assuming you even had such a thing), then plug another cable into your Mac. The results were spotty at best. Nowadays, you’ve got solutions like iChat and Skype, but they don’t connect to your iPhone.
With the combination of Yosemite and iOS 8, you’ll get a notification on your Mac when your iPhone rings, giving you the option of accepting the call, or ignoring it. You can answer the call from your iPhone, of course, but having the ability to minimize the interruption, keep your focus on your Mac, is a godsend to me.
From Apple’s web site:
Now you can make and receive iPhone calls right on your Mac. When your iPhone rings, you’ll get a notification on your Mac showing you the caller’s name, number, and profile picture. Click the notification to answer, and your Mac becomes a speakerphone. You can also decline the call or respond with a quick iMessage. Making a phone call from Mac is just as easy. Just click a phone number you see in Contacts, Calendar, Messages, or Safari. Dial in to a conference call from a Calendar event, and your Mac automatically enters the passcode for you. And if your iPhone rings while it’s charging in the bedroom, you can answer the call on your Mac in the living room — they just have to be on the same Wi‑Fi network. Because it works with your existing iPhone number, there’s nothing to set up. Just point, click, and say hello.
So if my phone is upstairs, and I’m downstairs on the couch with my laptop, I can still make and receive calls. Genius!
Prior to Yosemite and iOS 8, SMS/MMS text messages were a second class citizen on your Mac. The Messages application only displayed iMessages, not SMS/MMS messages. A new day is dawning. From Apple’s web site:
With OS X Yosemite and an iPhone running iOS 8, you can send and receive SMS and MMS text messages right from your Mac. So when friends text you — regardless of what phone they have — you can respond from whichever device is closest. All the messages that appear on your iPhone now appear on your Mac, too. You can also initiate a text message conversation on your Mac by clicking a phone number in Safari, Contacts, or Calendar.
I use Messages all the time, partly because I spend more time on my Mac than on my phone or iPad, but mostly because I can type a lot faster on my Mac. Most of the folks I interact with work with iMessages, but when I run into someone who doesn’t my workflow grinds to a halt. I have to pull my phone out of my pocket, type a response, perhaps wait for their response, all while switching between my phone and Mac.
To me, this is another home run feature.
Written by Dave Mark
Let’s say you have a spouse and between zero and four children. If that’s you, iOS 8 has a fantastic new feature, called Family Sharing, that will make your life easier.
Family Sharing is a new way to bring harmony to your family’s digital life. Up to six people in your family can share purchases from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store without sharing accounts. Pay for family purchases with the same credit card and approve kids’ spending right from a parent’s device. Easily share photos, a family calendar, and more to help keep everyone connected.
Once you set up Family Sharing, family members get immediate access to each other’s music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps. Download what you want with a tap anytime you like. All without having to share an Apple ID or passwords.
This addresses what has become a bit of a headache for me. My wife and kids all have their own devices and their own taste in music, apps, movies, etc. They also each have their own Apple ID. Sharing media between our group requires a fair amount of hand work. Family Sharing just made the process completely seamless.
Home run, Apple. Big thanks.
Written by Dave Mark
One of the charms (and curses) of WWDC is the massive line outside Moscone of folks trying to get into the main hall. Seeing the keynote from one of the overflow rooms is fine, but there’s a real feel of electricity in the main room that is hard to match.
The San Francisco Chronicle blogged some pictures and tweets from the line. It’s as if you were there in person!
Written by Dave Mark
Good summary of the new features announced yesterday.
If you were hoping for a shiny new Apple TV or wearable, you’ll be sorely disappointed by Monday’s WWDC announcements. But for those interested in advancements for both Apple’s mobile and desktop operating systems, iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite spell big news for both developers and consumers alike.
The biggest news for Yosemite is its redesign, which more closely unifies the desktop operating system with iOS. Broader iCloud-based syncing across Apple’s operating systems virtually erases the borders between devices. But updates to iOS, and the developer side of iOS, were the key focus of today’s presentation. With a slew of new APIs, an entirely new language for developers, and a handful of “kits” (HealthKit and HomeKit) for them to tie into, iOS 8 marks a huge step for iOS.
June 2, 2014
Written by Shawn King
Ars Technica:
The downside of new Apple software is that it usually displaces old Apple hardware. With rare exceptions, new versions of iOS and OS X usually don’t make it to a handful of older iDevices and Macs, leaving owners of those gadgets stuck with old software or pushed into upgrading. Luckily, most iOS and OS X users are getting off easy with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. Any Mac that can run OS X 10.8 or 10.9 can also run 10.10, a list that includes Macs from as far back as 2007. Here’s the full list.
Always happily surprised to see how far back Apple provides compatibility for the latest and greatest OS.
Written by Shawn King
Geek:
Aspiring animators, listen up! Pixar’s working on a brand new version of Renderman, the in-house software they use to render (duh) all their awesome digital creations. There are a slew of improvements coming, but the big news is that there’s a version you can download for free. That’s a pretty amazing giveaway — Renderman is a $500 piece of software. Between Autodesk offering students a free download of Maya and the new Renderman v19 being completely free, young amateur animation enthusiasts have access to two of the tools that power some of the highest-grossing animated features in the history of cinema.
No guarantees you’ll create something amazing but at least the tools are getting cheaper for animators.
Written by Shawn King
Apple:
Recognizing apps that raise the bar in design, technology and innovation.
The list includes the usual mix of games, productivity and information apps ranging from free to $5 – but all good.
