Saturday, 29 February 2020

Uber's Sensible Solution for Drivers Concerned About Coronavirus: Just Don't Work, Duh

As the coronavirus outbreak rages on, an increasing number of tech giants have begun adopting additional safety measures to minimize their employees’ exposure, such as restricting travel or canceling prescheduled events. In that vein, Uber pushed out a memo to its global network of drivers Friday with some tips on how…

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Sweet Baby Ray's Is the Best Dipping Sauce, According to Our Readers

Although most of the options nominated weren’t dipping sauces at all (turns out, even true democracy is flawed), Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce has been elected the best dipping sauce by our readers after two rounds of voting. Sweet Baby Ray’s took home 1,039 votes, almost half the total at 43%.

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Samsung Blames the Coronavirus for the Galaxy S20’s Horrible Sales Numbers

As you all might have noticed, the coronavirus outbreak is affecting a lot of things in the tech world, from huge conferences to international and domestic travel, among others. Now, Samsung is also blaming coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, for the new Galaxy S20 line’s horrible initial sales numbers in South…

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Expanded Apple Store in Toronto's Fairview Mall Now Open

As expected, Apple today opened a new 10,287 square-foot store in the Fairview Mall in Toronto, Canada. The updated store is located next to the former location, but it is nearly twice the size.

Fairview Mall Apple Store photo via 9to5Mac and Ronald Quitoriano

The new retail location is the second Apple Store in Toronto with Apple's modern retail design elements, which include large rotating glass doors, a Forum and video wall for Today at Apple sessions, and wooden shelves along the walls for accessories.

With the store opening, Apple is now offering Today at Apple sessions that customers can sign up for either on the store's website or through the Apple Store app.


Apple has been working on revamping its chain of retail stores with updated designs since 2015. Just a few months ago, Apple opened another Toronto store located at the Eaton Centre.


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Courteney Cox to Star in Pilot For Starz Haunted House Comedy Shining Vale

Okay, this seems fun: Starz is in the midst of producing a new horror-comedy called Shining Vale, about a tortured author taking up residence in a haunted house. And Courteney Cox of Friends fame has been tapped to star.

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A M.A.S.K. Movie Is Still Happening, and It Has a New Writer

M.A.S.K., the Kenner toyline about transforming war vehicles helmed by pilots in rejected sets of Destiny armor, has been on the rocky path to a film adaptation for a long time. Last we heard, it was still happening. But that was in 2018, and a lot can change in that time. But this is, apparently, not one of them—…

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Huckberry Is Dropping the Price on This Great, Spring-Ready G.O.O.D. Shirt To A Low $64

The G.O.O.D. Shirt by Proof (Desert or Slate) | $64 | Huckberry

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Seems These Hedge Fund Goons Want to Ditch Twitter's CEO

After scooping up a major stake in Twitter, activist investor Elliott Management Corporation plans to oust its co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey, according to recent reports.

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U.S. Records Its First Death from Coronavirus

A patient infected with coronavirus in Washington State has died. The death, which the Washington Post reports was announced in a statement by the Washington State Department of Health and Seattle and King County health officials, is the first in U.S. from coronavirus.

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Warcraft's Ben Schnetzer Is Y: The Last Man's New Yorick

Alas, poor Yorick, we... Wait, what, we have him? Oh. Oh! Great.

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Saturday's Best Deals: Video Games, Anker Products, Greenworks Tools, and More

A JACHs sweater sale, cast iron Gold Box, RAVPower FileHub, and a Razer mouse lead off Saturday’s best deals from around the web.

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Apple Sends Care Packages to Employees Stranded in China's Wenzhou City and Hubei Province by Coronavirus

Apple has sent gift packages that include an iPad, face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and more, to its employees stranded in Wenzhou and Hubei due to the coronavirus, according to details shared on Chinese social network Weibo.


While over half of Apple Stores have reopened on shortened hours in China, many retail, corporate, and manufacturing staff remain at home. Families who have received the care packages are said to be "moved" by Apple's efforts.

A letter enclosed in each parcel says that the iPads are provided for children's online learning or to help pass the time during the "prolonged stay at home."
Dear Colleagues in Hubei and Wenzhou,

We hope this note finds you heathy and well. Since the last communication with you, we understand that you are all staying strong in this challenging time. We understand the difficulties you are facing and would like to provide our best support to you and your families. Hubei and the city of Wuhan have been hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, which has now claimed 2,835 lives in China.

We are sending our best wishes to you, on behalf of the entire Apple Team, together with another CareKit for you and your families. In the kit, you will find comfort items and an ‌iPad‌ which can be used to facilitate children's online learning or help pass the time during the prolonged stay at home.

In addition, a series of counselling and consultation services have been prepared especially for you to help you through this time.
At Apple's annual shareholder meeting on February 26, CEO Tim Cook commented on the prioritization of employee health and safety amidst the challenges of the outbreak. Last month he outlined plans to donate to coronavirus relief efforts in China, and in February, when Apple announced that it would not reach its March revenue goals, Cook said the company was more than doubling its donation.

Apple's stock price has seen major fluctuations in recent days due to coronavirus causing uncertainty in the global markets.


This article, "Apple Sends Care Packages to Employees Stranded in China's Wenzhou City and Hubei Province by Coronavirus" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Voice Actor Phil LaMarr Runs Down Some of His Most Famous Work

Samurai Jack. Green Lantern John Stewart. Kit Fisto. Phil LaMarr has voiced some of the most compelling animated characters of the past two decades. In a new video, LaMarr talks through some of those fantastic roles.

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Apple AirPods Pro Are In Stock and On Sale! [Deal]



Apple's AirPods Pro are back on sale at their lowest price ever but this time they're in stock!

For the past couple months Amazon has occasionally discounted AirPods Pro but usually they've been out of stock when this happens. Today, the site has AirPods Pro in stock and ready to ship for $234.98, a discount of $14.02.

AirPods Pro have been designed to deliver Active Noise Cancellation for immersive sound, Transparency mode so you can hear your surroundings, and a customizable fit for all-day comfort. Just like AirPods, AirPods Pro connect magically to your iPhone or Apple Watch. And they’re ready to use right out of the case.





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Here's What You Need to Know About New York's Plastic Bag Ban Kicking Off in March

On any given day walking through New York City, plastic bags are everywhere you turn. They’re at your corner bodega where you order your sausage, egg, and cheese on a roll; they hold the last-minute necessities you picked up on the way home for dinner; they litter our streets, our subway stations, and our parks.…

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Top Stories: iPad Keyboard With Trackpad in 2020, Arm-Based Mac in 2021?, MacRumors Turns 20

Apple appears to have a bunch of new products ready to launch in the near future, led by the long-rumored iPad Pro, which is now looking like it may come alongside a new Smart Keyboard that even includes a trackpad.

Powerbeats4 earphones also appear to be imminent, while Target has a ton of new placeholder listings in its inventory system that may point toward updates for a lot of other Apple products.

MacRumors as it appeared in May 2000

Read on for all of the details on those stories and more, and celebrate the 20th birthday of MacRumors!

New AirPods, Apple TV, iPod Touch, and Apple Watch Band Placeholders Listed in Target Inventory System


Just days before March, a common month for new Apple product releases, new AirPods, Apple TV, iPod touch, and Apple Watch band placeholders have appeared in U.S. retailer Target's inventory system. The listings could represent upcoming Apple products or be entirely speculative.


A report last week claimed that Apple is aiming to host a special event on Tuesday, March 31, with rumors suggesting that the company may introduce a new lower-cost "iPhone 9" and refreshed iPad Pro models sporting a triple-lens rear camera system with 3D sensing. We've also heard rumors about new AirPods and Apple TV models.

Apple's plans may change due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, but CEO Tim Cook this week said he feels that "China is getting the coronavirus under control."

Apple's Rumored Powerbeats4 Receive FCC Approval


Another product release on Apple's horizon appears to be Powerbeats4 wireless earphones, which received FCC approval this week ahead of their launch.


While an Apple event in March is certainly a possibility, the Powerbeats4 will likely be announced within the coming days or weeks via press release.

"Powerbeats4" should be an upgraded version of Powerbeats3 with an Apple-designed H1 chip for hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands and "Announce Messages with Siri." Apple already released Powerbeats Pro with "Hey Siri" support for $249 last year.

Apple Said to Release iPad Pro Smart Keyboard With Trackpad in 2020


Apple is planning to release an iPad Pro keyboard with a built-in trackpad later this year, according to a report from The Information this week.


Last month, a separate report claimed that Apple is working on an iPad keyboard with backlit keys and scissor switches, so those features could also be part of this new Smart Keyboard with a trackpad.

Mac With Apple-Designed Arm Processor Expected in First Half of 2021


Apple's first Mac with a processor designed in house is set to be released during the first half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


There are no other details provided, but multiple rumors in the past have suggested that Apple is working on custom Arm-based processors that would allow it to transition away from its current supplier Intel.

AirTags Said to Be 'Completely Waterproof' and Use Magnetic Charging Like Apple Watch


Apple's rumored Tile-like "AirTags" item trackers will be "completely waterproof" and use similar magnetic wireless charging to that seen on the Apple Watch, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara.


MacRumors uncovered evidence of Apple working on item tracking tags in iOS 13 code last year, including an unreleased "Items" tab in the Find My app and a potential "AirTag" name for the tags, which would attach to everyday belongings like keys and backpacks for tracking purposes.

The tags will support Ultra Wideband and launch in the first half of 2020, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Ultra Wideband support would allow for more precise location accuracy than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE.

MacRumors is 20 Years Old This Week


Monday marked the 20th anniversary of MacRumors!


While longtime readers may be familiar with the site's origins, there are plenty of others who are unaware that it began as a hobby while our founder Arnold Kim was a medical student, and it remained a side project for over eight years until he decided to give up medicine to focus on MacRumors as a full-time career.

Kim reflected on the site's beginnings in a 2008 article in The New York Times.

MacRumors Newsletter


Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!


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Money Buys You a Longer Life, Even Under a Fair Healthcare System

We all know the U.S. healthcare system is unequal and inhumane, but apparently your income can determine your lifespan even in places with fairly good healthcare. A new report from the UK shows that, despite ostensibly equal access to healthcare, people with a lower income and who live in less affluent areas have…

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Get a Crewneck From Jachs For a Low $36

Ribbed Crewneck Sweaters | $36 | Jachs | Use the promo code RBSW

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Friday, 28 February 2020

The World Health Organization's Making TikToks to Tackle Coronavirus Misinformation

On Friday the World Health Organization took the fight against online health misinformation to TikTok, the same day it elevated its coronavirus threat assessment to the organization’s highest possible level.

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Facebook Makes Using Its Messenger App Simple Again

Facebook’s redesign for its Messenger app proves two things: 1) Facebook’s leaning hard into its Stories format after the feature’s success on Instagram; and 2) Yes, those chatbots really were the worst.

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March Game Developers Conference Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns

The annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) that was set to take place from March 16 to March 20 in San Francisco, has been postponed until "later in the summer," event organizers announced today.

After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we've made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March.

Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time .

We want to thank all our customers and partners for their support, open discussions and encouragement. As everyone has been reminding us, great things happen when the community comes together and connects at GDC. For this reason, we fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer. We will be working with our partners to finalize the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks.
GDC is the latest event to be canceled due to concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus, and the announcement comes after many major companies had dropped out of the event. Sony, EA, Microsoft, Blizzard, Unity, and Epic had all said they would not attend.

GDC is one of the biggest gaming conferences in the world, last year attracting approximately 27,000 attendees. The event takes place every spring at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

All paid registrants who signed up to attend GDC will receive a full refund within four to six weeks. Presentations from conference speakers and awards recipients that would have been given at GDC will be made available for free online. Some of the GDC 2020 talks, the Independent Games Festival, and the Game Developers Choice Awards will be streamed on Twitch on March 16 to March 20.

The postponement of GDC comes just a day after Facebook announced that its F8 developer conference has been canceled. F8, which was set to take place on May 5 and 6, was going to be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, which is the same venue Apple uses for WWDC.

WWDC typically takes place in June, with this year's dates likely to be right around June 8 to June 12. Given that Facebook has canceled its May event, it's possible that Apple is considering a similar move. Other major upcoming events in California that are still happening as of this time include E3 in June and Google's I/O conference, set to take place in May.

Earlier this year, Mobile World Congress, a major trade show that takes place in Spain, was canceled, and multiple other events have been shuttered due to coronavirus concerns. The Geneva International Auto Show was canceled today, as were Baselworld and the Geneva watch show, both of which focus on watches.

Several Disney parks, including Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland Tokyo Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea are also closed.

GDC's postponement announcement was released just after health officials in California confirmed a second case of community spread COVID-19 in the United States caught by a 65-year-old woman who had not traveled and who had not come in close contact with anyone who had the virus.

The second instance of community spread COVID-19 was found in Santa Clara County, which is where Apple's campuses in Cupertino, California are located. The first case of unknown origin, announced earlier this week, was found in Solano County in Northern California.


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Is This a Joke?

In the wake of a carpet-bomb of Bloomberg-sponsored memes, The New York Times reported rumblings of nervous activity over at Facebook HQ this week. Several meme accounts, including previous FyreFest shills FuckJerry, had mobilized into an entity called “Meme 2020”; Bloomberg appeared on dozens of feeds with millions…

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U.S. Carriers Facing $200M in Fines for Selling Customer Location Data

As expected, the United States Federal Communications Commission today proposed fines against the four major wireless carriers in the United States for improperly sharing and selling real-time customer location information without taking "reasonable measures" to protect against unauthorized access to the data.


In a statement [PDF] released today, the FCC says that T-Mobile should pay the most, while Sprint should pay the least. T-Mobile faces a proposed fine of more than $91 million, while the FCC wants AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint to pay over $51 million, $48 million, and $12 million in fines, respectively.

The fines vary based on the length of time that each carrier sold access to its customer location information without safeguards and the number of entities to which each carrier sold access.

Along with the proposed fines, the statement from the FCC admonishes the four carriers for disclosing customer location data without authorization to third-party entities.
"American consumers take their wireless phones with them wherever they go. And information about a wireless customer's location is highly personal and sensitive. The FCC has long had clear rules on the books requiring all phone companies to protect their customers' personal information. And since 2007, these companies have been on notice that they must take reasonable precautions to safeguard this data and that the FCC will take strong enforcement action if they don't. Today, we do just that," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "This FCC will not tolerate phone companies putting Americans' privacy at risk."
All four of the major U.S. carriers sold customer geolocation information to data aggregators like LocationSmart and Zumigo, with those companies then reselling the data to third-party location-based service providers. The data was ultimately provided to law enforcement officials, bounty hunters, bail bondsman, and more.

The FCC says that though exact practices varied, each carrier relied heavily on contract-based assurances that the location-based services providers they worked with would get consent from the customer before accessing the customer's location information, which did not happen.

Carriers had "several commonsense options to impose reasonable safeguards," but ultimately "failed to take the reasonable steps needed to protect customers from unreasonable risk of unauthorized disclosure."

The fines proposed by the FCC today are not final and each carrier will be provided with an opportunity to respond and provide evidence and legal arguments before final fines are imposed.


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Disney World Returns Fully Working iPhone 11 to Family Weeks After Device Sank to Bottom of Seven Seas Lagoon

A family from Montana has both Apple and Disney to thank for ensuring their recent vacation ended magically after all.

In early October, parents Lisa and Jacob Troyer took their daughter Sophie on a weeklong trip to Disney World to "fulfill a little girl's dream." While there, they took in the Florida sun, went on rides, met Halloween-themed Disney characters, and had all of the fun that one could possibly imagine.

From left to right: Jacob, Sophie, and Lisa Troyer

One not so fun moment came on the final evening of the trip. After attending Mickey Mouse's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom and waiting for a ferryboat to depart the park, Lisa's brand new iPhone 11 fell out of her bag and landed right into the Seven Seas Lagoon, a small body of water in front of Magic Kingdom where Disney operates water-based transportation.

With the iPhone sinking to the bottom of the lake and it being late at night, Lisa believed the chances of getting the device back would be slim.

"I was upset to have lost my phone, and the pictures I had taken that evening of Disney's Halloween party, which had been the main event for our trip," said Lisa. "Our six-year-old daughter was particularly devastated, as pictures of her and Jack Skellington would never materialize; instead, they sat at the bottom of a lagoon."

Seven Seas Lagoon

The next day, Lisa provided her contact information to a Disney World employee, who informed her that the resort had a team of scuba divers that retrieved lost goods every so often. Lisa's hopes remained low, and upon returning to Montana, she purchased a new phone and her family moved on with life as usual.

Almost two months later, Lisa received some missed calls from the Orlando area. Figuring it was a telemarketer, she ignored them. Then came a call from her father-in-law, who let her know that Disney had found her iPhone.

Lisa says the Disney employee mailed the phone to her and, despite being submerged for quite some time, she found the device to be completely functional. "I was able to retrieve all of the pictures from our Disney Halloween night, and besides some sand in my case and a little algae on the cover, the phone seems no worse for the wear," she said, noting that the device was only protected by a thin silicone case.

Lisa's recovered iPhone 11

Impressed with the iPhone 11's water resistance, Lisa wrote about her experience in an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who thanked her for sharing the story. Her husband Jacob then relayed the story to MacRumors.

Lisa says her husband has always been "a very devoted Apple product user," revealing that one of the very first gifts he bought for her was the original iPad. She had purchased an iPhone 11 just a few days before traveling to Disney World, and thanks to its water resistance, her family now has photos that will last a lifetime.

Related Roundup: iPhone 11
Tag: Disney
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 11 (Neutral)

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