Innehållsförteckning för #308 från AppleMagazine

State and federal authorities are proposing tougher regulations against Equifax and the entire credit monitoring industry after the company announced that personal information like Social Security numbers of about 143 million Americans was exposed. This is on top of the lawsuits already filed against Equifax by state attorneys general, and a multitude of lawsuits filed that are seeking class-action status. Here’s the latest on the breach: NEW YORK CLAMPS DOWN New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing new state regulations for credit reporting agencies. The Democratic governor announced Monday that he’s directed the state Department of Financial Services to issue new rules requiring credit reporting agencies to register in New York for the first time and to comply with the state’s cybersecurity standards. The proposal would require Equifax and similar…

It was, not surprisingly, a night for politics, with everyone from host Stephen Colbert to Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Alec Baldwin getting in zingers about Donald Trump - all to be upstaged by Sean Spicer himself, in a controversial appearance that set social media afire. But Emmy night was not only about politics. It was also about diversity and new voices, with notable wins, among others, for Sterling K. Brown, the first black actor in nearly 20 years to win for lead actor in a drama; for Lena Waithe, the first black woman to win for comedy writing, and Donald Glover, the first black director to win the comedy award (and best actor, too.) Riz Ahmed’s acting win was also first for Asian men. Stories about women won big:…

The problems keep piling up for Facebook, and it’s unclear how long the internet giant will be able to brush them aside as it barrels toward acquiring its next billion users. The world’s biggest social network has unwittingly allowed groups backed by the Russian government to target users with ads. That’s after it took months to acknowledge its outsized role in influencing the U.S. election by allowing the spread of fake news - though before news emerged that it let advertisers target messages to “Jew-haters.” Now Facebook is under siege, facing questions from lawmakers and others seeking to rein in its enormous power. The company has turned over information on the Russia-backed ads to federal authorities investigating Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Critics say the company also needs…

One-time pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne has beaten superstar Beyonce at something, but she may not be totally happy with her victory - she’s been named the most dangerous celebrity on the internet. Cybersecurity firm McAfee said Tuesday that Lavigne, whose last album came out in 2013, was the most likely celebrity to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. Searches for Lavigne have a 14.5 percent chance of landing on a web page with the potential for online threats, a number that increases to 22 percent if users type her name and search for free MP3s. Bruno Mars was second in his debut on the list, followed closely behind by Carly Rae Jepsen. Zayn Malik (No. 4), Celine Dion (No. 5), Calvin Harris (No. 6), Justin Bieber (No.…

Concrete and Gold Foo Fighters Recorded in one L.A. studio alongside The Bird and The Bee’s Greg Kurstin, Concrete and Gold balances Beatles-like pop in tracks like “Happy Ever After (Zero Hour)” with the metallic thrills of “Run” while making room for guest appearances from the likes of Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman. FIVE FACTS: 1. The phrase ‘Foo Fighter’ comes from World War II when pilots coined the term for weird sights they encountered while flying in the skies. 2. Before joining the band, Taylor Hawkins was Alanis Morissette’s touring drummer. 3. After Kurt Cobain’s death, Dave Grohl almost joined Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 4. Dave Grohl played every instrument on the band’s 1995 self-titled album except for one guitar part which is…

Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish maker of “Angry Birds” and other popular mobile games, says that its initial public share offering will value it at about $1 billion. The company based in Espoo, Finland said Friday that the shares will be priced in the range of 10.25 euros to 11.50 euros each, for a market capitalization of between 802 million euros and 896 million euros ($953 million to $1 billion). CEO Kati Levoranta said the listing on the Helsinki exchange “will offer new shareholders an opportunity to become part of Rovio’s success.” She said Rovio has become “a global games-first entertainment company.” Best known for its Angry Birds mobile game that was launched in 2009, the company has expanded with other games, a movie and had licensed the Angry Birds brand.…

Researchers say there have been more than 4,500 premature deaths annually in Europe because diesel cars emitted higher levels of pollution than claimed. The study comes two years after Volkswagen was caught cheating on emissions tests in the U.S. The tiny particles emitted are hazardous to human health and contribute to 425,000 estimated annual premature deaths from air pollution in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland. Scientists calculated the share of deaths from excess diesel emissions as part of the overall total, saying Monday they account for 4,560 deaths a year. The risk is greatest in areas with high concentrations of diesel cars, such as northern Italy, according to researchers at the Austria-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.…

Prime Minister Theresa May is urging internet companies to block the spread of extremist material, calling on social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google to develop technologies that will prevent content from being posted in the first place. Britain’s leader will focus on the fight against extremist content during a meeting with internet companies Wednesday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. May says that while social media platforms have made progress in fighting extremist propaganda, they need to ensure content is removed in less than two hours. She will say that “industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content” because extremists “are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead” of surveillance.…

Holding off on upgrading your trusty old iPhone? You won’t need a spiffy iPhone 8 in order to get new maps, photos and other features with a free software update Apple began rolling out Tuesday. The iOS 11 update brings a variety of enhancements, including a new voice and functionality for the Siri virtual assistant and a new photo format to reduce file sizes. Consider waiting a few days in case unexpected problems emerge. The update will work with iPhones and iPads going back a few years, but older models won’t get all the new features. Once you get iOS 11, here are four things to look for. LOOK AND FEEL The Control Center offers easy access to the flashlight and other tools with a swipe up from the bottom.…

The difference between Apple’s new iPhone models is a bit like flying first class compared with coach. We envy first class, but coach gets us there without breaking the budget. The iPhone 8 will do just fine for $300 less than the glitzy iPhone X, even though it won’t make your friends and colleagues jealous. It’s also available now, starting at almost $700. The X (read as the numeral 10) won’t be out until November. Still, the iPhone 8 remains a fairly straightforward update of the iPhone 7, which it self was a fairly straight forward update of the iPhone 6S. Then again, no one expects much different from a coach seat. WHAT YOU’RE NOT GETTING It’s hard to talk about the iPhone 8 without comparing it to my 15 minutes…

The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is gambling that mass-market drivers are going to pivot soon to electric cars, announcing plans to produce 12 new electric models by 2022 and to make electric cars 30 percent of its overall output. The carmakers - who collectively sold more vehicles than any other company in the world in the first half of this year - also announced plans to make “robo-taxis,” driverless public transport vehicles and autonomous cars aimed at middle-class consumers. The announcements are part of an overall strategic plan released last week, aimed at taking advantage of the alliance’s growing reach after taking over Mitsubishi last year to consolidate its position and make electric and driverless cars more affordable. They also unveiled a new logo for the three-way alliance and renamed it Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.…

The horror hit “It” topped the North American box office for the second straight week with $60.1 million, bringing its two-week domestic total to $218.8 million, according to final box-office figures Monday. The Warner Bros. release has quickly become the biggest box-office smash to ever land in September, a typically sleepy month before the fall movie season really kicks into gear. With the Stephen King adaptation drawing moviegoers, audiences had little interest in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller “mother!” starring Jennifer Lawrence. The Paramount Pictures release debuted with $7.5 million and earned an extremely rare F CinemaScore from audiences who rejected the movie’s intense and mysterious thrills. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per…

It’s natural to get the phone-upgrade itch when the likes of Apple, Samsung and others keep coming out with newer models. And sometimes your old phone is just kaput. But what do you do with a serviceable but outdated gadget? Rather than relegate an old phone to a desk drawer, consider reusing, recycling or reselling it. Of course, there’s also the option to donate. Here’s a guide for figuring out what you might do with last year’s model (or even older ones). DONATE TO CHARITY Several charities accept old phones as a donation. But these groups probably won’t physically give your old phones to people in need. Instead, they’ll often sell your phone to recyclers and keep the money. A nonprofit group called Cell Phones for Soldiers will take your“gently…

When watching sports in virtual reality, it’s best to remind yourself that TV wasn’t born in a day. Early television was mostly radio with pictures. It took years - even decades - for producers to figure out the right camera angles, graphics and instant replays to deliver. Sports is going through a similar transformation. VR holds the promise of putting fans right in the middle of the sporting action - on the 50-yard line, say, or in a ringside seat, or standing behind the catcher as the umpire calls strikes. But today’s VR sports have an empty and distant feel to them. Watching through a headset sometimes feels like being there in the stadium... by yourself, absent cheering fans, hot dogs and beer. And it doesn’t get you close enough…

A chief gripe with Apple Watch is that it requires you to keep an iPhone with you for most tasks. The inclusion of GPS last year helped on runs and bike rides, but you’re still missing calls and messages without the phone nearby. A new model with its own cellular-network connection is Apple’s next step toward an untethered world. Now you can make and receive calls and messages on the watch while leaving your phone at home. But the watch still needs regular contact with an iPhone, and for most tasks, the phone needs to be on and connected, even if it’s nowhere nearby. So you can’t get away with ditching the iPhone altogether. (Android users have their own wristwear options, including Samsung Gear and Android Wear watches, some of…

Amazon is attempting to develop glasses that pair with Alexa and would allow users to access the voice-activated assistant outside the home, according to a newspaper report. The Financial Times, citing anonymous sources, says the glasses could be released before the end of the year. Amazon.com Inc., based in Seattle, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Wearable technology, glasses specifically, is already in limited use. Snapchat sells $130 glasses that take a short video and post it on the social media app. And Alphabet Inc. sells Google Glass to employers, so that doctors or factory workers can search information or talk to coworkers hands free. The upcoming iPhone X has many exciting features which Apple thoroughly detailed during the September 12 launch event. We could…

Video streaming pioneer Roku hopes to raise just over $252 million in an initial public offering as it tries to expand into more households. The Los Gatos, California, company on Monday said it would offer about 18 million shares of stock at $14 apiece. The company had 15.1 million active accounts as of June 30 and claims that its users streamed more than 6.7 billion hours over the six-month period ending June 30. Roku is still unprofitable and has amassed $244 million in losses since it was founded in 2002. The company generates most of its revenue from selling its streaming players, but it’s increasingly bringing in money from advertising and commissions from subscriptions and other transactions made on its devices. Roku’s growth strategy also includes boosting its content offerings.…

Baby Driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a talented getaway driver that relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the woman of his dreams (Lily James) he decides to ditch his shady lifestyle and make a clean break until he is coerced by a crime boss (Kevin Spacey) and his life, love and freedom are threatened. FIVE FACTS: 1. Jon Hamm’s role in the movie was written for him, and he is the only actor from the first table read to be in the final film. 2. The movie is named after Simon & Garfunkel’s song “Baby Driver” from their 1970 album “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” 3. A song is played in the background of nearly every scene in the…

“Alone”(Liveright Publishing Co.), by Michael Korda Interest in the 1940 cross-channel evacuation of British soldiers amid the French collapse in World War II has sprung to life this summer, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster movie “Dunkirk.” On its heels comes “Alone,” Michael Korda’s masterful account of that epic drama and its impact on his family. Few of the soldiers, airmen and mariners whose heroism allowed Britain to carry on a singlehanded battle against Nazi Germany are alive today. Korda was only 6 years old at the time, living in London with his filmmaking family whose roots were in central Europe. But he was remarkably aware of events that propelled Europe into war. Korda recounts how he and his family had to cut short their August vacation in France as war…

Employing an array of giant telescopes positioned in the New Mexico desert, astronomers have started a massive surveying project aimed at producing the most detailed view ever made of such a large portion of space using radio waves emitted from throughout the Milky Way and beyond. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory announced the project this week, saying the Very Large Array will make three scans of the sky that’s visible from the scrubland of the San Augustin Plains. It is one of the best spots on the planet to scan space, with 80 percent of the Earth’s sky visible from the location. The array works like a camera. But instead of collecting light waves to make images, the telescopes that look like big satellite dishes receive radio waves emitted by…

This hurricane season is showing how wild and varied storms’ life cycles can be. Most storms seem to be tracked for days while others appear to pop out of nowhere. And some just linger around. Hurricane Jose is pushing the two-week mark as it meanders off the U.S. East Coast. Lee, named a tropical storm last Saturday, is barely hanging on as a tropical depression. Harvey formed, died and then came back to life as a major hurricane, dumping a record amount of rainfall on south Texas last month. Hurricane Katia seemed to just pop up in the Gulf of Mexico days before hitting the Mexico coast. Forecasters for days watched Harvey, Irma, Jose, Lee and now Maria make steady marches west off Africa before they got named. About four…