As usual for its annual June World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple dumped a massive number of function and feature upgrades for its collection of operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch and Apple TV.
But what impact with this variety of these upgrades have on the industry?
Read the rest of this report at TWICE.com here.
A new generation of smart locks that has built-in Wi-Fi for remote operation —instead of forcing you to buy an add-on module — is a positive step forward for consumer convenience. Yet when you buy a lock that includes Wi-Fi, you expect to get a raft of advanced features that take advantage of this upgrade. That’s the promise of the new Schlage Encode Smart Lock. We’d hoped for more.
Read the rest of this review at Gearbrain.com here.
Apple Pay. Samsung Pay. Google Pay. Walmart Pay. Alipay. WhatsApp Pay. Retailers still recovering from the trauma of updating to mandated EMV chip-reading POS terminals are now being pestered to accept an increasing number of mobile and contactless payment systems – including the upcoming Apple Card – their still shiny chip-reading terminals might not be able to accept.
Read the rest of this report at TWICE.com here.
Sleep Number has combined its 360 adjustable smart bed with its SleepIQ sleep tracking app to create a new kind of automated sleeping experience.
Read the rest of this news report at Techlicious.com.
“The night is dark and full of terrors” was never truer than in the Game of Thrones installment Season 8, Episode 3, “The Long Night” (aka “The Battle of Winterfell”). While viewers rapturously recapped and reviewed the episode’s heroes and villains, action scenes, thrilling climax and consequences, one complaint was constant and continuing: because the battle action took place during Westeros’ pre-dawn hours, with an added magical obscuring blizzard, it was often difficult, if not impossible, to tell what was going on.
Read the rest of this report at DTC Reports here.
The Yale Assure Lock SL Connected by August is, essentially, everything you want from a smart lock. You can unlock the door with a PIN code on its touchscreen, through a single tap or with a simple voice command with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. You even get up to 250 guests codes — ideal for large families, friends, people who work in a home, or spaces used for Airbnb. A confusing set-up, however, adds a wrinkle. Our experience, hopefully, will help you bypass those issues since this is a smart lock worth considering.
Read the rest of this review at GearBrain.com here.
“We need to break the monopoly on college and university degrees being the only pathway to high tech jobs,” Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA asserted. “How can we create a system that’s going to allow people to quickly acquire the skills they need to get jobs in the job market?”
Read the entire version of this report at the Creating IT Futures’ web site here.
Do you own Apple’s wildly popular AirPods true wireless Bluetooth buds? If you do, you are now on the horns of an upgrade dilemma: do you step-up to the company’s second generation AirPods 2 ($199)?
At first glance, Apple’s AirPods augmentations are impressive: voice-activated Siri, Qi wireless charging, longer battery life, clearer calls, and faster iPhone-to-AirPods switching when a call comes in all point to a definitive “Sure!” switch decision.
Not so fast, however. Your upgrade decision from the first generation to the second generation AirPods actually hinges on what you’re listening to through these devices.
Read the rest of this review at GearBrain.com here.
You may be excused if you thought that Apple’s AirPods are the first and only so-called “true wireless” earphones—completely cordless in-ear “buds” that connect both with each other and to your smartphone via Bluetooth—since their distinctive white sticks seem to be protruding from hipster ears everywhere.
Fortunately, if you’re not an iPhone owner, or a fan of the AirPods’ distinctive look or not-necessarily one-size-fits-all fit, there is a growing number of other “true wireless” earbud choices. And in contrast with Apple’s one-for-all approach, most AirPod alternatives address specific use cases, style preferences, and budgets.
Read more of this review wrap at Sound & Vision here.
Initial reaction to Apple’s entrance into the credit card space via its Apple Card was met by the expected healthy skepticism. After all, Apple may know tech, but what does the company know about consumer credit?
Many observers also looked askance at Apple Cards reward benefits, pointing to other similar or even more lucrative money-back programs from other more well-established card issuers.
But as those in the tech business have learned, discounting Apple’s ability to create consumer must-have craving into any market it enters — music selling, smartphones, tablets, wearables — often makes initial cynics look foolish.
Read the rest of this report here at TWICE.com.
