Tag Archives: iPhone

Before there was iPhone there was…iPod

New iPod Touch Released: Increased Power, Performance and Features –

Finally, a new iPod Touch release from Apple. Available immediately online (at Apple.com) and hitting stores later this week, with features like a speed bump, provided by Apple’s A10 Fusion chip. The added oomph will enable better gaming, group FaceTime and AR capabilities and a general performance increase. Soon, of course, the power under the hood will also have iOS 13, expected to debut in June at WWDC, to extend software quality and features as well.

With a lowest price of $199 and a max storage up to 256GB available (for an additional $200), the sleek beautiful form factor will be on a higher functional level than ever. So thin and light, due to the intentional omission of iPhone elements for telephony, on a trip to Europe people will think you have an iPhone 12 and beg you for a closer look!

Sometimes Less is More

It has been a closely held secret that the thinner form factor, lower cost and full software functionality are all a huge plus for anyone who wants to enjoy an iPhone-like computing experience without the cost and size of the real thing.

Now with the improved power of the A10 fusion chip and additional storage available, it’s an improved alternative, even if you have an iPhone and just want a thin, light non-phone device to surf news aggregators or check emails and add to notes, etc. With iOS 13 and full iCloud synchronization across all your devices, the usefulness of this new iPod is increased even more.

The new iPod touch also provides fun and productive AR experiences across gaming, education and web browsing. AR is even more engaging and immersive with the new capabilities of shared AR, persistent AR, which is tied to a specific location, and image detection, making it possible for the new iPod touch to magically bring to life 3D objects like toys and sculptures.

It is very good news that Apple made the decision, after several years without an update, to continue with the iPod Touch line, like they did by resurrecting the Mac mini last October.

Read More:

After new iMacs, iPads and iPad pro, as well as AirPods, were released in March, and with the Mac Pro promised before the end of 2019, this might just be the year of Apple’s ultimate upgrade redemption. Great news for lovers of these special products, somewhat neglected and needing updates for so long. In this case we can agree with Greg:

“The ultra-thin and lightweight design of iPod touch has always made it ideal for enjoying games, music and so much more wherever you go.”

– Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing

With Apple Music, subscribers can gain access to a catalog of over fifty million songs, Beats 1 Radio, thousands of playlists and daily selections from the world’s best music experts. Apple is offering the new iPod touch in Pink, (PRODUCT)RED, Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Blue.

Pricing and Availability

  • The new iPod touch starts at $199 (US) for the 32GB model, $299 (US) for the 128GB model and $399 (US) for the 256GB model from apple.com, in the Apple Store app and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
  • The new iPod touch models are available to order starting today from apple.com and in the Apple Store app in AustraliaAustriaBelgiumCanadaCzech RepublicDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyHong KongHungaryIrelandItalyJapanLuxembourgNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPolandPortugalSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkey, the UAEUK and US.

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New Memoji Videos Released In Time For 2019 Grammy Awards

Apple Produces More Singing Heads

3 new Apple Memoji videos hit the street today, and, like previous Animoji clips are basically Karaoke Music Videos. Timed to coincide with the 2019 Grammy Awards, today’s batch feature heads crafted to look like the original artists themselves, as a way to emphasize the “me” in Memoji.

In previous “Animoji” video clips Apple used anonymous people that were carefully chosen to match pre-set characters, such as the Cat or Unicorn. Generally, the entire Animoji project appears to be a fringe benefit from the face ID security system, and as a gift from the Steve Jobs Pixar legacy. Ok, true or not, in any case, they look like Toy Story style characters.

It’s a mystery why the talking heads always sway from side to side. Perhaps this is meant to show off the head tracking response, for example, but by now one would think that’s a given.

Although extremely cute and more responsive and adaptable all the time, it looks like third-party apps will have to fill the void, if virtual actors with more range are to emerge.

Read More: Disney, Universal and Pixar Films available to Stream in advance of original VOD release date

It would be great to see a talking avatar that has more realism or at least a personality that goes beyond “cute” and “super cute”.

When this concept finally goes beyond fun, games and Karaoke, a wide variety of potential uses could become possible. Just ask Max Headroom.

All the angst over AI taking over service and manufacturing jobs notwithstanding, by now you’d think someone would have created an automated Megyn Kelly. The 69 million pay-out she received when she was fired could have recouped any prior outlay for research and development. And, hey, at least the animated anchor would have stayed on script.

In November of last year the world’s first AI news anchor started working in China. The Chinese-English speaking bot “…can read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor”, the state-run Xinhua news agency that created the bot, claimed in a statement. Judge for yourself:

If you know of any third party apps trying to graduate from cute when it comes to Memoji recording, please contact our video department. Here at Lynxotic News we could definitely use a few new spokes-bots.


Find books on Big TechSustainable EnergyEconomics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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iOS Update 12.1.4 Released

photo / Adobe Stock

Fix For FaceTime Bug Included

The newest iOS fix for iPhone and iPad was released today and can be accessed via software update. Apple recommends that all users update immediately to install a patch that fixes the nasty bug that enabled eavesdropping via FaceTime.

The issue, where an iPhone microphone could become active without user consent or participation, appears to have been related to the new group FaceTime calling feature that was added late last year with the iOS 12 launch.

Stories documenting the problem have flooded the blogisphere lately and Apple was forced to temporarily disable the group FaceTime feature while the patch was being prepared.

Although it’s very likely that most of us have little to fear from anyone listening to our uneventful private conversations, the thought alone is enough to cause concerns.

As per the usual method, going to Settings>General>Software Update and then choosing “Update and Install” is highly recommended, just make sure you are either plugged into power or have at least 55% battery life (to be sure). Fortunately, with this update, the FaceTime bug days should almost certainly be in the past.


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Apple Releases “Shot On iPhone XR” Experimental Clip

Read More: New Music Video by Lady Gaga “Stupid Love” Yields Eye Popping Views and All Shot on an iPhone

https://youtu.be/ggL3OdWaZxM

Above you can also see the “Behind The Scenes” clip, released along side the video above, which shows in some detail all that’s involved in setting up a “Bullet-Time” rig, other than acquiring 32 iPhones !

Find books on Big TechSustainable EnergyEconomics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

Enjoy Lynxotic at Apple News on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and subscribe to our newsletter.

Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.