From Apple and Google enabling encryption by default on mobile devices to NASA’s new space transportation program and a review of Jabra’s Stealth Bluetooth headset, we’ve covered a lot over the past week here at Techaeris. Here’s a quick recap of some of the stories we covered in our Weekly Refresh.
Tech
Not a fan of U2 or Apple putting music on your device? Find out how you can get rid of U2’s latest album from your Apple device.
It’s not every day you’ll see Facebook and Google teaming up together. The two companies are teaming up with other companies such as Walmart, Twitter, Twitter, GitHub and Square to form TODO “talk openly, develop openly” aimed at better facing the challenges of open source collaboration.
Germany’s justice minister Heiko Maas is asking Google to give up their search algorithm so the European Commission can better understand why the search giant dominates the European market. I’m sure Google is willing to just hand it over…
T-Mobile customers were able to pick up a free T-Mobile router September 17th, as part of T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 7 program. Turns out the program has been delayed in stores until September 24th.
NASA announced earlier this week that they have picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station starting as soon as 2017, ending reliance on the Russians for astronaut transportation.
Apple has taken steps to secure iOS 8 from prying eyes, those of Apple themselves and those of the authorities saying they have removed the functionality to access user passwords.
Tabloid site TMZ is generally pretty good at ambushing celebrities out in public and this time they caught Steve Wozniak and claim he’s ditched Android in favor of iOS devices. Check out how Woz responded!
Encryption has been available in Android for some time now, with the next release (Android L) Google says it will be enabled by default. About time!
The next to take a crack at the hearts, minds, and eyeballs of consumers is Sony, who today announced their entry – SmartEyeglass. Not only is it a mouthful, it’s not the prettiest wearable we’ve seen.
Apple’s new Apple Pay which will use NFC inside the new iPhone 6 devices will be locked down and reserved only for Apple Pay use for at least a year. Hopefully there aren’t too many developers who were hoping to tap into NFC capabilities for other tasks.
Sercurity is on the forefront of everyone’s minds these days. Google and Dropbox have teamed up with the Open Technology Fund to back a new organization called Simply Secure which is aiming to make your security easier to understand and enable.
Do you text and drive? First off, tsk tsk. Secondly, the police may have a way to catch you using a texting radar gun!
Oculus VR is pushing virtual reality technology as far as it possibly can and has announced the third iteration of their Oculus Rift named Crescent Bay.
Mobile
Google’s Android One has their eyes focused firmly in emerging markets where not everyone can afford a high end Android or iOS device, and are looking to increase their worldwide market share lead over Apple with the release of the budget device.
The official iOS 8 wallpapers have been pulled from the latest iOS 8 developer edition for all to enjoy just ahead of the iOS 8 release later in the week.
A few more apps announced Chromecast support this week including Twitch, iHeartRadio, WATCH Disney, and DramaFever.
Apple released its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on Friday and they’re optimistic that some buyers will be moving from Android to iOS and have created a “moving guide” for those making the switch.
Punit Soni, Motorola VP of Product Management, announced via Google+ that he is leaving Motorola Mobility behind with no word as to his future ventures. Best of luck Punit!
iOS8 will usher in a new age allowing 3rd party keyboards. Two perennial favorites, SwiftKey and Swype have already thrown their hats in the iOS ring. Nice to see some personalisation finally coming to iOS.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 preorders began on Friday with shipping expected on October 17th.
That didn’t take long! The gadget tinkerers over at iFixit have gotten their mitts on the iPhone 6 Plus and already given us a video of their tear down.
Everyone is looking to get into the Smartwatch market while it’s hot. The latest entry into the Android Wear market, Com1, is trying to raise funds for their device via Indiegogo.
Reviews
Christopher Wieninger reviews the Jabra Stealth Bluetooth headset. Overall, he believes the Jabra Stealth to be one of the best Bluetooth headsets he’s ever used!
Gaming
We just can’t get away from hacks these days – the latest malware hack affected users on Twitch, and drained Steam wallets as a result.
HUGE news this week as Microsoft confirmed it will be acquiring Mojang, maker of the extremely popular Minecraft, for a whopping $2.5 billion. Check out what Markus ‘Notch’ Persson had to say about the deal.
Editorials
Alex Hernandez took some of the third party keyboards for iOS 8 for a spin. While he’s a fan of some of them on Android, see what he had to say about how SwiftKey, Swype, and other implementations worked on his iPhone.
Science
Wind and hydroelectric power from a recently purchased plant near the edge of the city will provide more than enough renewable energy for the city of Burlington, Vermont as they become the first U.S. city powered fully by renewable energy. Way to go Burlington!
Business
UK phone retailer Phones 4U closed all 550 of its stores Monday leaving 5,596 employees out in the cold after it lost its contracts with EE and Vodafone.
Just when you thought all hope was lost for TwitPic due to Twitter trademark legal woes, an unnamed buyer has purchased the service with the intent of keeping it around.
Auto
Think bigger with 3D printing – Local Motors debuted their Strati 3D printed car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.
The Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association filed a lawsuit claiming that Tesla Motors was violating laws on the books that protected car dealerships from direct sales from manufacturers. Find out who the judge sided with in this highly contested issue.
Motiv Power Systems has designed the world’s first all-electric garbage truck. The Electric Refuse Vehicle, or ERV, is hitting the streets of Chicago to take out the trash.
Entertainment
Now that the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and Apple Watch are out of the bag, could we be seeing an actual television from Tim Cook and the team at Apple soon?
Occulus Rift? Please! Give me an iPad Mini on my face instead! AirVR wants to strap an iPad Mini (or iPhone 6 Plus) to your face and immerse you in its version of VR… ummm, o.k.?
That about wraps up our Weekly Refresh – look for our recap every Sunday for a quick glance at what you may have missed over the past week. As always, the staff here at Techaeris thanks you – our readers – for checking us out throughout the week and thank you for your continued support. After all, we write because we love to share what interests us and keep you informed on tech happenings around the world!
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
