Year: 2019

Apple releases Smart Battery Cases for its newest iPhones

Dan Uff January 16, 2019 0

Sometime Tuesday, Apple officially released its along awaited smart battery case for its newest iPhones.

According to the product information:

Engineered for iPhone XS Max, the Smart Battery Case gives you even longer battery life while offering great protection. Inside, a soft microfiber lining helps protect your iPhone. And on the outside, the silky, soft-touch finish of the silicone exterior feels great in your hand. A soft elastomer hinge design makes it easy to put the case on and take it off.

The Smart Battery Case is compatible with Qi-certified chargers. You can charge your iPhone and battery case simultaneously for increased talk time up to 37 hours, Internet use up to 20 hours, and even longer audio and video playback.* With the Smart Battery Case on, the intelligent battery status is displayed on the iPhone Lock screen and in Notification Center, so you know exactly how much charge you have left.

The case can be charged even faster with USB-PD compatible chargers. It also supports Lightning accessories, such as the EarPods with Lightning Connector (included with your iPhone), or the Lightning Digital AV Adapter (sold separately).

For more information, click here.

Apple in talks to provide its Apple Watch to Medicare users

CompuScoop Staff January 16, 2019 0

Apple has reportedly spoken with "at least three" private Medicare plan providers, exploring the possibility of subsidizing the Apple Watch for seniors 65 or older.

No deals have been signed, but Apple has visited "several of the largest insurers in the market, as well as some smaller, venture-backed Medicare Advantage plans," CNBC said on Wednesday, citing multiple sources. The idea would be to reduce the cost of a Watch for people who can't justify the minimum $279 pricetag for a last year's Series 3. The Series 4 starts at $399.

Both models can monitor heart rate and detect signs of atrial fibrillation. The Series 4 has additional health features, namely built-in ECG support and fall detection.

While the Watch is more expensive than other fitness trackers, insurance executives told CNBC that they're willing to work with Apple if it can show that the product can prevent costly medical treatments.

"Avoiding one emergency room visit would more than pay for the device," commented Bright Health CEO Bob Sheehy.

Via: AppleInsider.com

Search Engine “DuckDuckGo” now Powered by Apple Maps

CompuScoop Staff January 15, 2019 0

We’re excited to announce that map and address-related searches on DuckDuckGo for mobile and desktop are now powered by Apple’s MapKit JS framework, giving you a valuable combination of mapping and privacy. As one of the first global companies using Apple MapKit JS, we can now offer users improved address searches, additional visual features, enhanced satellite imagery, and continually updated maps already in use on billions of Apple devices worldwide.

With this updated integration, Apple Maps are now available both embedded within our private search results for relevant queries, as well as available from the “Maps” tab on any search result page.

At DuckDuckGo, we believe getting the privacy you deserve online should be as simple as closing the blinds. Naturally, our strict privacy policy of not collecting or sharing any personal information extends to this integration. We do not send any personally identifiable information such as IP address to Apple or other third parties. For local searches, where your approximate location information is sent by your browser to us, we discard it immediately after use. You are still anonymous when you perform map and address-related searches on DuckDuckGo.

Source: DuckDuckGo.com

Police CAN’T Force you to Unlock an iPhone with Face or Touch ID

Dan Uff January 15, 2019 0

According to a Judge in California, police cannot force someone to unlock their iPhone using Face or Touch ID. The ruling The ruling, which was shared this morning by Forbes, was the result of an Oakland investigation into possible extortion. Police officers asked the court for permission to seize multiple devices and then compel the suspects to unlock the devices using biometric authentication.

To read the rest of the Forbes article, click here.