Thoughts on the New AirPort Extreme→

Thomas Brand of Egg Freckles thinking out loud about Apple’s latest AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.

In the era of Post-PC computing I would like to see an AirPort Extreme of Time Capsule that do more than just desktop backup and wireless networking. A central household cache for iTunes streaming, App Store downloads, and iCloud backups would be a great start. Maybe next year we will see another vertically oriented white box that does just that.

When iCloud Backups became a thing that we started seeing on rumor blogs, I remember quite a few of us positing that our AirPort devices would become an important piece in that equation. We were wrong, but it’s not hard to imagine an iPhone or iPad syncing to a Time Capsule in the same manner that our Macs do with scheduled Time Machine backups.

You can come close to a proposed solution like this today. Take any old USB hard drive, copy your iTunes data to it, plug it in your AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule, and you’re off to the races. Although loading an iTunes library over a network is so slow there’s really no benefit.

The big con in doing any of this of course is what happens when the hard drive in that Time Capsule dies. If all of your music and mobile backups are on this thing you’re suddenly hosed unless Apple has some cloud storage or RAID solution in mind. This is why I think our Macs and iTunes continues to be the gateway for syncing and backing up our iOS devices — data is at least redundantly stored on both your Mac and Time Capsule.

Although Apple claims the vertical departure from the previous AirPort Extreme’s six-year-old design was choosen for better reception, I tend to think it was a cost cutting measure. The new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule share the same enclosure along designed around the same 3.5 inch hard drive. The added price of the Time Capsule gets you nothing more than said drive, and the cables needed to connect it. Saving Apple millions on duplicate parts.

I forgot who said it, but the theory I like the most is that the new AirPort Extreme design keeps people from stacking crap on top it.

Permalink

The Boy Who Beat Ocarina of Time in 22 Minutes→

This link isn’t strictly about Cosmo Wright’s Ocarina of Time speedrun – which, by the way, is incredible to watch. Make sure to read Computer and Video Games’ feature on it as well.

Rather, I’d like to point out these two tweets by Sonny Fazio in response to Peter Hajas, who originally shared the link to Cosmo Wright’s speedrun last night:

This is an interesting side effect of the App Store that I didn’t think about. Speedruns are an extremely fun-to-watch, but niche use case that, as Fazio notes, are generally facilitated by glitches and bugs in the source code of games. This goes beyond the App Store and extends to games sold on online platforms like Steam and PlayStation Network as well. Because of updates and patches, will it become increasingly difficult – if not impossible – for speedrunners to analyze and play through games in their original form decades from now?

In the video I linked above, for instance, Cosmo explains that a major glitch in Ocarina of Time took 13 years to be discovered and used. That was only possible thanks to the fact that a) Nintendo 64 cartridges are still physically available today and b) Nintendo’s conversion for the Wii’s Virtual Console is a 1:1 port of the original – bugs and glitches included. Can you imagine someone still playing an iOS game in 13 years?

Twenty or thirty years from now, will we see speedruns for iOS, PS3, or Xbox 360 games? Sadly, I think that a mix of retrocompatibility issues, OS and app updates, and lack of physical access to games will hinder speedrunning. Not to mention Apple’s current state of affairs with games and the gaming community.

Overall, Digital preservation is the bigger topic we should be discussing.

Permalink

On Twitter’s Two-Factor Authentication→

Authy (who make consumer and enterprise products for multi-factor authentication) offered their two cents on Twitter’s latest implementation, which works by having you acknowledge login attempts on your iPhone or Android phone. Twitter will show you things like the browser and a general location so you can verify that you’re the one making the attempt, but Authy says this isn’t that secure in practice.

In fact, we publically tested this about a year ago and realized that showing the IP, location, browser or any other data wasn’t enough for people to determine if they should or not authorize a request. Further this data is easy to spoof (like location), so if the attacker is familiar with the user, he can easily select “good” values to further trick the user into authorizing the request. TOTP might seem like a hassle, but the user knows exactly where he is typing the token and the whole Authentication flow happens right in front of him.

TOTP stands for “Time-based One-time Password.” If you have Google Authenticator, you’re already familiar with the concept: the mobile app spits out a randomly generated number that you then enter on your computer. It’s is what you’ll find sites like Amazon, Dropbox, and Google using if you decide to enable multi-factor authentication for those accounts.

Permalink

The Anti-Apple→

Horace Dediu has a great take on the reputed differences and actual similarities between Apple and Amazon:

What I take issue with is the premise that Amazon is the “anti-Apple” in its hunger for growth and patience for profits. Apple has its own “Amazon-like-business”: iTunes has been growing at a steady 25% or more and it also has its ancillary zero-profit hardware analogue to the Kindle called Apple TV. iTunes is a great business in the Amazon vein, harvesting hundreds of millions of users (and their credit cards.) Presumably iTunes could also some day “flip the switch” and become profitable, but something magical needs to happen. Something like becoming a payments processor or retailer of other things. Analyst beware however. There might be conditions that make such switch flipping extremely difficult.

Permalink

Wake-Up Call for New Yorkers→

Winnie Hu and J. David Goodman, reporting for The New York Times on a case of child abduction on July 17, 2013:

You have a lot of people on the road at that hour,” said Robert Hoever, director of special programs at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which tracks Amber Alerts across the country. “You’re looking for those eyes and ears to try to find that child.”

By Wednesday afternoon, the police said that they had found Ms. Lopez and her son in “good condition.” Ms. Lopez was arrested and charged with custodial interference. The police said she was found after the Amber Alert led to a tip to the department’s Crime Stoppers hot line.

And the key risk for non-mandatory AMBER alerts, later in the article:

One former state law enforcement official, Michael Balboni, said the alert system should be used prudently.

“It is crucial that emergency notification systems take every precaution to never ‘cry wolf’ or alert needlessly,” said Mr. Balboni, former deputy secretary of public safety for the state. “The risk is evident: If the public loses faith in the system, they may stop participating and the purpose of the system will be lost.

 

Permalink

Improving AMBER Alerts→

I live in Italy, and I’ve never received an AMBER alert on my phone, because we have no such system here. AMBER alerts are a child abduction system that originated in the United States in 1996 (more on Wikipedia) and that allow the US government to send emergency SMS-like alerts when they believe a child has been kidnapped.

Last night, I watched my Twitter timeline quickly report that the state of California had issued the first AMBER alert at 11 PM (local time). Support for AMBER alerts was added by Apple in iOS 6, and these special alerts get an also-special and loud “siren” notification sound that can’t be changed. They don’t work properly with Do Not Disturb, and they don’t contain additional information or links to photos for the suspects or victims. As a result, many iPhone users who live in California got to experience an AMBER alert for the first time last night, and they were not pleased with the lack of clarity and information in the system.

I think that, for a great and potentially life-saving technology such as nation-wide AMBER alerts, Apple should ensure that iPhone users can properly understand it and not disable it.

Craig Hockenberry has posted a thoughtful critique of the current design of AMBER alerts, suggesting some possible improvements:

This is clearly a problem where cooperation between Apple, the Department of Justice, and the public can improve a system where everyone benefits. Better usability with AMBER Alerts is case where “think of the children” isn’t a trite platitude.

Over at Macworld, Lex Friedman has a good overview of what the AMBER system is and how it works:

It also doesn’t help that the government’s messages via the WEA system are more limited than tweets: They get 90 characters to craft their messages, not enough to include all the relevant details available in an Amber Alert. That’s because the system doesn’t use the standard SMS approach; it’s a special system that’s not subject to delays or congestion from other messages.

As also linked by Hockenberry, Michael Jurewitz’s idea is simple, yet clearer than what the government (and, by reflection, the iPhone) is doing: just call them “Missing Child Alert”.

I’m not judging people who disable AMBER alerts. The system is a powerful resource, made even faster and more ubiquitous thanks to smartphones, but it should be improved in terms of how information is displayed.

Permalink

Twitter 5.9: It’s All About Login Verification and List Management


Twitter’s latest updates bring some significant changes to their official mobile apps, such as the ability to turn on login verification (different from SMS-based login verification) and create lists.

Login Verification

Login verification requires that you have your phone when logging into Twitter on your Mac or PC. To turn it on visit the Me tab, tap on the gear, tap on Settings, then tap on Security. Make sure to save the subsequent backup code in an app like 1Password for safekeeping.

Manage Lists

You can find your lists in the Me tab if you scroll down and tap on the list entry. You can now create your own lists from inside the app, and add / remove people by visiting a Twitter profile and tapping the user button.

Social Context when Searching

As you search Twitter will show you profiles, top photos, and suggestions, while also providing context as how you’re connected to other users based on your search. Your initial query result ends up looking a lot like what’s found in the Discover tab.

View Photo Galleries

Also seen in our header image, photo galleries let you view anyone’s profile and get all of their photos in a gallery view.

You can download the latest Twitter update for free on the App Store. Read about Twitter’s latest update here.

Twelve South Reveals the HiRise for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini→

Today Twelve South announced a brand new addition to their family of products. From their product page:

HiRise for iPhone 5/iPad mini is a beautiful, brushed metal stand designed to work with your Apple Lightning Cable (not included) – and virtually any iPhone/iPad mini case. Place HiRise in your workspace to charge while your hands are free during calls and FaceTime chats. Unlike most other docks, HiRise doesn’t block your speakers, mic or headphone ports. This vertical pedestal is small and beautiful enough to use anywhere in your home or office. It’s the ultimate perch for keeping your iPhone 5 or iPad mini fully charged and ready to go.

Remember when Apple made the keyboard + dock for the original iPad? I feel like this is in the spirit of that idea. Paired with an Apple Wireless Keyboard and an iPad mini, I’d say they’d make for an elegant setup that fits Apple’s motif. By itself the dock isn’t expensive at $34.99, but you’ll likely want to purchase an additional Apple Lightning Cable for added convenience. If you want to use it with your iPhone, the stand can accommodate a variety of cases thanks to an adjustable post.

Permalink

Sprng Makes Apple’s Earpods A Better Fit→

Wired’s Joseph Flaherty showcases a new product from Ohm Industrial Design called Sprng, an adjustable clip that fits around the stem of Apple’s Earpods for a better fit.

A simple accessory called the Sprng, created by Ohm Industrial Design, could mean musical salvation for millions of Apple fans. The Sprng is a rigid plastic clip that attaches to the EarPod stem and an overmolded rubber spring that hooks under the concha of the ear, creating an extra point of contact and a more secure fit. The $10 add-on can be adjusted by changing its position on the EarPod, making it useful for high-performance athletes or kids who just want to watch an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on a long car ride.

As I wrote in my overview, Apple’s Earpods fit my ears comfortably. So while I wouldn’t purchase something like this, I’m sure there are plenty of people that would consider it to keep the buds from falling out of their ears.

Permalink