Read Craig Federighi’s Op-Ed about the Apple V FBI case

The Apple Vs FBI case is heating up.

The case concerns the FBI asking Apple to unlock one of the iPhones used by one of the San Bernadino shooters. Apple has said that doing so would set a dangerous precedent, and privacy is a vital part of the issue.

Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi has written an op-ed  for the Washington Post, explaining Apple’s position. It’s a worthwhile read for an important issue.

Check it out here.

Tech Tip of the week! Autocorrect edition

Do you HATE autocomplete? Do you want to know how to ducking disable it? BECAUSE YOU CAN!!

Over your WHOLE phone.

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard, and tap turn off Auto-Correction.

BAM!

Just be prepared for realizing how crap you actually are at typing. It’s kind of like when you sing along with the radio and then it cuts out….

While you’re there – check out http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/. Just cos it’s Monday, and why not?

App of the week! Party edition

Hey! Guess what? It’s the weekend. How rad is that? And sometimes, we hear, people like to drink all kinds of liquid refreshments on the weekend, like fancy cocktails and fine wine’s and crafty beers.

That’s cool. But what if those things are, like, really really far away? Our App of the Week is here to help, yo!!

It’s called Minibar delivery and it is exactly as cool as it sounds. You shop for liquor, beer, wine etc online, you buy it (with no hidden fees) and some awesome little elf (probably) delivers it to you door within 30-60 minutes.

Whaaat. Is that or is that not hella cool? TRICK QUESTION IT’S HELLA COOL.

Currently, Minibar delivery is available in New York City, Chicago, Miami, Brooklyn, Hoboken, The Hamptons, San Francisco, Washington DC, Jersey City, Silicon Valley, Palm Beach, Austin, Minneapolis, San Diego, Denver, San Antonio, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas.

The App is free, so check it out here, and have a good weekend!

Kiddle! Google’s new kid-safe search engine is here!

Do you have children? Worried about them Googling and getting some less than ok results? Well, good news parent guy! Google has just released ‘Kiddle’ a kid safe version of their search engine (That’s google, just in case you didn’t know).

Bad words are not allowed. As you can see.

The first 1-3 results are curated by editors and are safe sites written specifically for children. The next few results are in simple kid-friendly language and the rest are filtered by Google safe search to avoid them stumbling on anything inappropriate.

Additionally, Kiddle’s logs are cleared every 24 hours and it collects no personal information.

Check it out at www.kiddle.co

Virtual Reality Happy Meal an actual reality!

Aw the Swedes get all the good things. McDonalds is beginning a program in Sweden whereby your Happy meal Box turns into Virtual Reality Glasses. Whaat.

After they’ve eaten their meal, kids (and lets be real here, adults) can transform their Happy meal Box into VR glasses supposedly similar to Google Cardboard with a couple of folds and the included plastic lenses. They call them Happy Goggles.

You need to provide your own Smartphone, but they do have an App for download which includes a virtual Ski race game which has been officially endorsed by the Swedish alpine ski team

From the Sauce, the Happy Goggles website: “It’s our mission to ensure that the world’s most famous box will continue to be magical and relevant to families for another 30 years. The Happy Meal simply must move with the times.”

Watch:

That is so cool.

Are you an IT Asset Manager?

Are you an IT Asset Manager? Do you have iPads or iPhones in your office that are not being used, are broken, water damaged, or cracked? Are you looking to upgrade your staff devices soon?

We at iPhone Antidote are branching out into Mobile Asset acquisition. We have been buying used and broken devices from members of the public for five years and believe that we have the knowledge, experience, and understanding of the market to help businesses transition between upgrades and receive fair compensation for broken and old devices they no longer need.

We believe we offer very competitive bulk trade-in rates as well as some of the best customer service in our aim to make the transaction as easy and painless as possible.

If this is of interest to you, please email our President, Ryan Wallace at Ryan@iPhoneAntidote.com and he will contact you personally to discuss the terms.

NYC judge rules FBI can’t force Apple to unlock iPhone

Apple Vs The FBI update!

A federal judge in the Eastern District of New York ruled Monday that the Department of Justice cannot force Apple to unlock a phone for the FBI.

While the ruling is for a different case than the one regarding the iPhone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernadino shootings, it may have bearing on it.

It was from a Brooklyn drug case, and it rejects the government’s argument that the All Writs Act, a law from 1789, can be used to force Apple to help access a suspect’s iPhone. The FBI are also using the All Writs Act to compel Apple to unlock the San Bernadino gunman’s phone in the upcoming case.
From the Sauce, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein:

“I conclude that under the circumstances of this case, the government has failed to establish either that the AWA permits the relief it seeks or that, even if such an order is authorized, the discretionary factors I must consider weigh in favor of granting the motion.”

Apple will go to court on May 22nd.

Indiegogo project of the week! Standing desks for everyone!

Our future tech of the week is the Ombee Standing desk.  It’s an Indiegogo fundraiser project that claims to be the the perfect standing desk. As of writing it’s raised 128% of it’s goal so far, so you know it’s gotta be good!

It’s portable, modular, quick to set-up and comfortable. AND according to Ombee, it’s the only stand up desk that turns into a case and provides lower body movement while standing.

Stand up desks are all the rage at the moment – promoting a lifestyle that keeps you healthy even while you work and at $199 plus shipping, it’s an excellent deal.

Some reviews, off their website-

“The OMBEE desk keeps the brain more active during work.” – Dr. Geoffrey Pfeifer, PH. D. Neurophysiology

“Some studies have show that frequent exercises throughout the day, even small ones, can improve blood circulation, which will lower blood pressure, promote weight loss, and even improve blood sugar control. The OMBEE desk system allows the users to move their legs and with minimal impact on their work.” – Grace Huang, D.O. Interventional Cardiologist

Plus, we hear it’s all the rage in Hollywood. Healthy and hip? You gotta get one.

There’s still 9 days left on their Indiegogo project, check it out here! 

Kickstarter of the week

CHAAAAAAAAAARLIE

CHAAAAAAAAAARLIE

If the above speaks to you, of your past, of unicorns and weird hilarity, then this might just be the best Saturday morning news you weren’t expecting.

Seemingly ancient (2003) viral Internet hit Charlie the Unicorn now has a Kickstarter. The Kickstarter is to fund the finale of Charlie the Unicorn’s story and has been fully funded.

Doubly funded, actually.

You have the opportunity to buy such amazing mystical prizes as T-shirts, Signed books, plush toys, signed artwork, and having a character designed after you (Whaaat!).

Check it out here! 

Deal of the Day! $300 off Macbooks at Best Buy!

Get thee to a Best Buy! Right now they have 2015 Apple MacBooks at $300 off list price!

Open box items also scaled to discount!!!!

Before you get thee there, go to your local post office and get the Movers discount pack (free) and inside you’ll fine a 10% off coupon for Best Buy. Use that.

If you’re a student with a .edu email address, you can get an additional $50 off.

Holy Mackeral that’s some cheap Macbooks.

Cheeeeek it out!