Month: January 2017

Bar Exam test takers in North Carolina must disable new MacBook Pro Touch Bar

Dan Uff January 30, 2017 0

If you're taking the Bar Exam in North Carolina next month and are bringing your new 2016 MacBook, you will have to disable the new Touch Bar just to gain entry according to an announcement from the state.

Before the start of the exam, a proctor will ask if anyone is using the laptop and have either another proctor or an ExamSoft technician ensure the feature is disabled, the state's Board of Law Examiners said. The Touch Bar must already be off prior to entering the examination site.

Instructions note that the feature can be disabled by going into the Keyboard menu under System Preferences, clicking the drop-down for "Touch Bar Shows," then picking Expanded Control Strip.

The board didn't explain its policy, but it's presumably concerned about cheating. The Touch Bar is designed to replace physical function keys with context-sensitive touch commands —a programmer could, however, conceivably write software that would display test answers.

The Touch Bar is so configurable that people have managed to get games such as Doom running on it, even if they're not playable in any practical sense.

Removing the technology can make a Pro more difficult to use, forcing owners to click through menus to accomplish common tasks.

Apple highlights what Siri can do before and during the Super Bowl

Dan Uff January 30, 2017 0

Early Monday, Apple put up a new web page that highlights how its Siri assistant can help someone before and during this Sunday's Super Bowl.

For more information, click here.

Order Starbucks Coffee using Tech and your Voice

Dan Uff January 30, 2017 1

(Eater): Starbucks is making it ever easier to order your $7 morning latte. Today the chain launches voice ordering on two platforms: its iOS mobile app and Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa.

When utilizing the mobile order and pay feature on the My Starbucks app, users can now speak their full order instead of selecting it on-screen. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the app should in theory have no problem taking your order for an extra-complicated venti two-pump half-caf extra-hot skinny vanilla almond milk latte. The feature is currently in beta, and is currently only available to 1,000 customers nationwide; it will be rolled out in phases to the rest of the U.S. by summer, and an Android app is also to come.

The Alexa voice ordering function is more limited: Users can say “Alexa, order my Starbucks” to place their “usual” coffee order, but can’t deviate from that or tack on additional items. (The same goes when voice-ordering delivery via Amazon Restaurants or getting Alexa to place a Pizza Hut order.)

Starbucks’ mobile app currently accounts for more than 27 percent of its sales — a figure the chain is clearly hoping to boost even further by integrating this new AI-powered technology. As more customers begin to use its mobile order and pay system, the coffee giant is also adding more staff during rush hours to keep the mobile order pickup line moving quickly.

Apple Maps updated with Houston, Texas Transit Data for Super Bowl LI

Dan Uff January 30, 2017 0

Apple has updated its Apple Maps app that includes transit data for the Houston, Texas area for those persons who are going to Sunday's Super Bowl game.

The update is automatic and should be available now.