Tag: features

The iPad Pro just got way more pro. Now it needs pro software

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Apple is fond of declaring that the iPad Pro isn’t a computer . But at its “Spring Loaded” event on Tuesday, it unveiled new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros that are so well equipped they could do a darn good impression of one. The new models are built around exactly the same M1 chip that’s in Apple’s newest Macs . They’re available with up to 16 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage, trouncing any previous iPad and matching a nicely appointed Mac Read More …

Hey, Apple, just make a TV already

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As part of its big “Spring Loaded” press event on Tuesday, Apple announced that it will fix your TV’s picture settings in one of the most roundabout ways possible. Just buy yourself an Apple TV streaming box, plug it into your existing television, then hold your iPhone up to the screen. The Apple TV will then use the phone’s image sensors to calibrate its own color output according to what Apple says are cinematographer-approved specifications. Apple showcased the feature as part of its second-generation Apple TV 4K , which launches next month, though the calibration option will also arrive on existing Apple TV boxes next week. It’s a neat idea, but it also digs up a rather old question : Why doesn’t Apple just make a smart TV itself? Read More …

Your brain wants you to take breaks between meetings. Outlook aims to help

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Recently, Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab conducted an experiment. It involved 14 test subjects sitting through Microsoft Teams meetings concerning typical business tasks such as writing a marketing plan and planning office space. And the whole affair was intended to simulate real-world situations except for one thing: The attendees wore electroencephalogram (EEG) caps that allowed Microsoft to monitor electrical activity in their brains Read More …

‘No one was in the driver seat’ during Tesla crash that killed two

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Authorities in Spring, Texas, say they’re 100% certain that no one was driving during a fatal Tesla crash on Saturday evening. According to KHOU-11 , the 2019 Tesla Model S had two passengers inside, one aged 59 and the other aged 69, when the car went off the road at a slight curve and crashed into a tree, bursting into flames. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said the fire took four hours and more than 30,000 gallons of water to extinguish, as the car’s batteries continued to reignite the flames. Two men dead after fiery crash in Tesla Model S. “[Investigators] are 100-percent certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. “They are positive.” #KHOU11 https://t.co/q57qfIXT4f pic.twitter.com/eQMwpSMLt2 — Matt Dougherty (@MattKHOU) April 18, 2021 While authorities haven’t confirmed whether Tesla’s Autopilot feature was engaged at the time of the crash, Herman said it was “almost impossible” for anyone to have been in the driver seat at the time. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read More …

When broadband monopolies pushed out scrappy local ISPs, we all suffered

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Over time, computers have become easier to use and the internet easier to access. It used to be that people needed special training to be able to use software on a machine. Now, small children can do it. Instead of a long, noisy process of connecting through dial-up, our devices can connect to the internet (and each other) instantly, without human intervention or even awareness. Mostly this is a good thing. More intuitive design means getting more people online and bringing more access to powerful tools for self-expression and community. It would be excruciating to try and use sophisticated online tools and platforms using old-school modems and routers. One advantage, though, of older technologies is that they forced us to think about what’s under the hood of the devices we use every day. The clicking, whirring, and beeping of old-school dial-up made it obvious that digital connections don’t just magically appear—they have to be built and maintained. Read More …