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The Wait-For-A-Fix Edition Friday, February 12, 2016

Sparkle Updated Vulnerability: What You Need To Know!, by Rene Ritchie and Nick Arnott, iMore

People who have a vulnerable app that uses Sparkle may want to disable automatic updates in the app, and wait for an update with a fix to be available, then install directly from the developer's website.

This iOS Date Trick Will Brick Any Device, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

An interesting bug relating to the date and time system in iOS has emerged recently. Several users have discovered that if you change your iOS device’s date to January 1st, 1970, your device will be permanently bricked.

Error 53 Follow Up

Apple Slapped With Class Action Suit Over Touch ID-related 'Error 53' Code, by Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the pending suit alleges Apple has "gone too far" in its attempts to control the iPhone hardware platform, saying the "Error 53" message some users are seeing as a result of unauthorized repairs warrants redress.

Competition Watchdog Investigates Apple iPhone-killing Error 53 Bug, by Stephen Hutcheon, Sydney Morning Herald

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) is investigating Apple to determine whether a security measure that can transform an otherwise healthy and fully functioning iPhone into a thousand-dollar paperweight contravenes consumer protection and competition laws.

Watching Videos

Vertical Video Is Becoming More Popular, But There’s No Consensus On The Best Way To Make It, by Joseph Lichterman, NiemanLab

As mobile consumption continues to grow, news outlets — especially those publishing on Snapchat Discover — are turning to vertical video, a format that was once widely derided, to optimize their content for viewing on phones.

Les Moonves Says Talks With Apple Have Stopped, by Brian Stelter, CNN

When asked whether 2016 is the year that Apple will enter the marketplace with a streaming TV service, Moonves said, "You'll have to ask Apple that. I don't know that."

His comments are in line with recent news reports that Apple decided to take a step back from its TV efforts.

Stuff

Sleep++ 2.0 Brings Improved Sleep Analysis To Apple Watch App, by Federico Viticci, MacStories

Sleep ++ is receiving a major 2.0 update today that brings improved sleep analysis, better communication with HealthKit, and a redesigned night detail screen with more information about the quality of each night and the ability to trim minutes.

HeartWatch 2 Review, by Jake Underwood, MacStories

Now in version 2.0, HeartWatch looks to be a more all-encompassing aggregator of your heart information. After spending some time with the newest version of the app, I can highly suggest HeartWatch – not only for its capabilities but also for its potential.

Bound Is A Dropbox-Connected Audiobook Player, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Bound starts from the premise that with the advent of cloud storage services like Dropbox, loading your audiobooks onto your iPhone shouldn't require a Mac. Tap on the plus button in the upper righthand corner of the main screen, link your Dropbox account, and then start choosing audiobooks to download to Bound – that's all it takes to get started.

How To Get The News You Want On The iPad: Hands On With News360, by James Kendrick, ZDNet

If you regularly spend time on the iPad following the news of the day, you should check out the free News360 app. It does a great job polling the web to get you the news articles that will interest you, and with a touch user interface (UI) that is nicely implemented.

The Latest Microsoft Garage Project, Fetch!, Recognizes Dog Breeds, by Dave Shanahan, WinBeta

Fetch! is an iPhone app that identifies dog breeds from photos from your iPhone camera, photo collection or dog photos you find online through Bing.

Develop

Apple Updates TestFlight App With Support For iOS 9.3 And watchOS 2.2, by Aldrin Calimlim, AppAdvice

Along with the usual round of stability and performance improvements, the latest update to TestFlight adds support for iOS 9.3 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and watchOS 2.2 for Apple Watch.

Startups Selling To Other Startups: A House Of Cards?, by Bastiaan Janmaat, TechCrunch

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” the saying goes. Well, if you’re running a startup that sells to other startups, you might be putting all your eggs in one blender.

Notes

US And Brussels In Dispute Over Apple Tax Investigations, by Arthur Beesley, Irish Times

Political tension is escalating between Washington and Brussels over EU state-aid inquiries into Apple’s tax arrangements in Ireland and the affairs of other US groups in Europe.

With a ruling from Brussels in the Apple case expected some time after the election, US treasury secretary Jack Lew has called on the European Commission to reconsider the inquiries. A letter from Mr Lew to commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker opens up a new political front in the US campaign against the investigations as previous public criticism was confined to top treasury officials.

Bottom of the Page

In a world where atoms and, especially, bits can move all over the globe easily and quickly, a lot of old ways of doing things just doesn't make sense. Including taxes.

The earlier we realize and embrace this, the better it will be.

~

Thanks for reading.