Innehållsförteckning för #372 från AppleMagazine

THE FINAL SECTION OF OUR YEAR-CONCLUDING EXTRAVAGANZA It’s the end of the year, and Apple has announced the movers, shakers and groundbreakers that created the most popular apps of 2018. Last week we looked at some of the most popular trends, games, free-to-download apps and the apps designed to make organizing your life just that little bit easier. This week, it’s time for part two. With 2018 being such an incredible, exciting and diverse year to be engaged with the App Store, we’ve still got plenty more to come. Here, in part two of the apps that could improve your life, we feature the most innovative and popular for your wrist, desktop and phone camera, as well as those AR-awesome apps that reshape reality in front of us. We’ve also…

THE BEATING HEART OF APPLE Despite being announced back in June, it wasn’t until the launch of watchOS 5.1.2 earlier this month that the long-awaited ECG app finally dropped. Available on Apple Watch Series 4 models in the United States, the app is designed to indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation, thanks to electrodes built into the back of the new Watch. In this week’s issue, we take a closer look at the new feature, explore the future of digital tech and our health, and reveal how the Apple Watch is already helping to save lives… REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY Whilst ECG technology certainly isn’t new, Apple brings it to everyday users on a device that they’re already using. Indeed, the Apple Watch is now the world’s most…

Google is still having trouble protecting the personal information on its Plus service, prodding the company to accelerate its plans to shut down a little-used social network created to compete against Facebook. A privacy flaw that inadvertently exposed the names, email addresses, ages and other personal information of 52.5 million Google Plus users last month convinced Google to close the service in April instead of August, as previously announced. Google revealed the new closure date and its latest privacy lapse in a Monday blog post. It’s the second time in two months that Google has disclosed the existence of a problem that enabled unauthorized access to Plus profiles. In October, the company acknowledged finding a privacy flaw affecting 500,000 Plus users that it waited more than six months to disclose.…

Sam Paschel is the CEO of Zero Motorcycles Inc., a privately-held company based in Scotts Valley, California, that designs and makes electric motorcycles and powertrains, including fleet vehicles for police and the military. The company was started in 2006 by Neal Saiki, a former NASA engineer. The Q&A has been edited for clarity and length. Q: How has your industry changed over the last decade or so? A: Zero is driven by two separate dynamics: the trends in the electric vehicle space and those in the traditional motorcycle market. In the traditional motorcycle market, overall volume peaked most recently in 2007. After the financial collapse of 2008, the market has seen a slow and steady climb but still hasn’t returned to pre-recession levels. The electric vehicle market has seen explosive…

Santa Claus When a burglar breaks into a house dressed as Santa Claus, an enchanted little boy follows him, and an unforgettable adventure unfolds. FIVE FACTS: 1. The movie in French was originally released in 2014 as Le Père Noël. 2. Director Alexandre Coffre was nominated for the Grand Prize award at the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival. 3. The movie was shot in Paris. 4. Santa Claus marks the film debut of Victor Cabal. 5. The movie is a cross-production between Belgium and France. The Storyteller Abby is attempting to leave her mysterious past behind, and with the help of a fairy, she falls into a loving family that she helps to bring together with the joy of music. FIVE FACTS: 1. The Storyteller was filmed in Indiana, USA.…

Superheroes who travel by sea horse never get any respect. Since Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger first dreamed him up in 1941, Aquaman’s fate has largely been as the Rodney Dangerfield of DC Comics — a regular punchline for his not-so-potent powers. Sure, he can talk underwater and brandishes a big fork for weapon. But like Luca Brasi, he sleeps with the fishes. Yet Aquaman’s day has finally arrived. And if there was one inspired stroke behind the first solo movie for the Atlantis hero, it was in casting Jason Momoa in the Justice League role, one he begun in 2016’s “Batman v Superman.” It’s almost a dare: Try telling this guy your Aquaman jokes. In James Wan’s waterlogged, fitfully entertaining “Aquaman,” a heavy metal guitar riff blares at our…

For the first time, average Cubans became eligible to sign up for internet service for their mobile phones, a development long awaited on the communist-ruled island. Users began receiving text messages in the morning from the state telephone monopoly informing them that they can buy an internet access packages for 3G service. Previously, nearly all Cubans could use their mobile phones only to get their state-run email accounts unless they connected to the internet at a limited number of government-sponsored Wi-Fi spots. Government officials and foreign businesspeople could use their mobiles anywhere to access the 3G network in recent years, though not always reliably. The new service is being made available gradually through last weekend depending on a user’s phone number, to avoid the congestion that struck Cuba’s mobile network…

WHAT’S HAPPENING A top executive with Chinese electronics giant Huawei faces a bail hearing. The U.S. wants Canada to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies. She was detained Dec. 1 while changing planes in Vancouver. U.S. authorities allege Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran. China is pressuring both the U.S. and Canada over her arrest. Their ambassadors in Beijing were summoned by the Chinese government over the weekend, and an editorial in China’s Communist Party newspaper called her treatment “inhumane.” WHY HUAWEI? Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies. It has become the target of U.S. security concerns because of its ties to the Chinese government. The U.S. has pressured other…

Saying it’s lost patience with missteps and earnings shortfalls, a large shareholder at Yelp is seeking a board reshuffle at the online review site. In a letter released publicly this week, SQN Investors said that it wants Yelp Inc. to add some new directors to its board, including shareholder representatives. SQN, which owns more than 4 percent of Yelp’s shares, says it believes that “the board has failed to hold itself and management accountable for the company’s strategic and operational missteps, repeated missed earnings, lost opportunities and poor corporate governance.” SQN has built up its stake recently, and is now one of Yelp’s top five shareholders. The technology investor, based in Redwood City, just south of Yelp’s San Francisco headquarters, argues that the company’s board lacks urgency in addressing significant…

A survey says Americans today are more likely to get news from social media web sites than newspapers. The Pew Research Center said that 20 percent of Americans cited social media as a frequent news source, compared to 16 percent that credited newspapers. It’s the first time since Pew has found sites like Facebook and Twitter outpacing newspapers. Pew has been asking about news consumption, with a slight change in wording, since 1991. That year, 56 percent of Americans said newspapers when asked where they had gotten their news yesterday. The survey also found that 81 percent of people aged 65 and over often get news from television, compared to only 16 percent of people aged 18 to 29.…

Action-camera maker GoPro says it will move production of U.S.-bound cameras out of China by the summer over tariff-related concerns. Companies have been voicing concerns over a looming trade war between China and the U.S. as both countries have been threatening tariffs against one another. GoPro did not say where production was moving or how much the move would cost. The San Mateo, California-based company did say that it owns its own manufacturing equipment, so it will only be changing the physical location of where production will take place. Production of international-bound cameras will remain in China.…

Online retailers are getting physical. A growing number of brands born on the internet are now opening brick-and-mortar stores and moving into the suburban malls once considered doomed as more Americans shopped online. But they’re taking it even further by doubling-down on the tactile experience. Online mattress retailer Casper, for instance, is opening stores that allow customers to book naps and test out mattresses before buying. Indochino — the online tailor — decided to borrow from the old Savile Row model where customers can be measured face-to-face for custom suits. “Online brands have embraced clicks-to-bricks,” said Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s retail division. “Shoppers love to touch, interact and try on in person and malls are upping the ante by offering immersive experiences that are exciting and…

Springsteen on Broadway Bruce Springsteen It is becoming increasingly popular for legendary artists to ditch their usual vigorous tour regimes and start up concert residences. In recent years, megastars such as Britney Spears and Celine Dion have broken records with such ventures. For the past year, rock icon Bruce Springsteen has been playing to sellout crowds at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in New York and at long last, a live soundtrack is here. Relive the eclectic journey through the rock star’s back catalog. Icarus Falls Zayn Zayn returns with his long-awaited second studio album following his 2016 debut – and, according to the CEO of RCA Records Peter Edge, a more optimistic tone. Singles to have already been released from the album include “Let Me”, “Entertainer” and “Sour…

NASA’s Voyager 2 is now the second human-made object to zip away from the sun into the space between the stars. Voyager 2 last month exited “this bubble that the sun creates around itself,” longtime NASA mission scientist Ed Stone said. The spacecraft is now beyond the outer boundary of the heliosphere, some 11 billion miles (about 18 billion kilometers) from Earth. It’s trailing twin Voyager 1, which reached interstellar space in 2012 and is now 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth. Interstellar space is the vast mostly emptiness between star systems. Even though they are out of the sun’s bubble, the Voyagers are still technically in our solar system, NASA said. Scientists maintain the solar system stretches to the outer edge of the so-called Oort Cloud. It…

ELSEWORLDS, PT. 2 ARROW, SEASON 7 HOPE AND PRIDE VANDERPUMP RULES, SEASON 7 BREAK FREE KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS, SEASON 15 ELSEWORLDS, PT. 1 THE FLASH, SEASON 5 REUNION, PT. 3 THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY, SEASON 13 REMEMBER IT WAS ME DIRTY JOHN, SEASON 1 HOLI-SLAY SPECTACULAR RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS, SEASON 4 (UNCENSORED) WINTER GARDEN MADAM SECRETARY, SEASON 5 WHINING AND DINING THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA, SEASON 11 MIXED FEELINGS TEEN MOM, VOL. 21…

Protesters disrupted a U.S. government event at United Nations climate talks this week, criticizing the Trump administration’s policy of backing the extraction of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. About 100 people from groups representing indigenous peoples and youth stood up and chanted “Keep it in the ground” near the beginning of the American presentation. As cameras swarmed around them, some of the protesters explained the extraction of coal, oil and natural gas affects their communities. The U.S. event, titled “U.S. Innovative Technologies Spur Economic Dynamism,” took place on the sidelines of the ongoing U.N. meeting in Katowice, Poland. After several minutes, the activists left the room chanting “Shame on you.”Their actions mirrored a similar protest during a U.S.-hosted panel at last year’s U.N. climate talks in Bonn, Germany.…

Biometric screening is expanding to the rental car industry. Hertz said this week it is teaming up with Clear, the maker of biometric screening kiosks found at many airports, in an effort to slash the time it takes to pick up a rental car. Clear hopes it will lead more travelers to its platform, which has 3 million members in the U.S. It’s the latest place consumers will find biometric technology, which has migrated over the last 50 years from secure government facilities and banks to airports, stadiums and even smartphones that unlock with the touch a fingerprint. Hertz is the first rental car company to use the technology. Improvements in cameras and other technology have made it cheaper to install scanners that can read fingerprints, faces, and irises. More…

You might have heard of lights that turn off with an app or voice command. Or window shades that magically rise every morning. Technology companies are pushing the “smart home” hard, selling appliances and gadgets that offer internet-connected conveniences you didn’t know you needed. But before you succumb to the temptation — for yourself or others — consider that these devices might also give companies and hackers a key to your homes. Here’s how to get started on your smart home and what to worry about along the way. STARTING THAT SMART HOME A smart home can encompass features as simple as remote-controlled lamps and as sophisticated as thermostats that know when you’re home and turn up the heat automatically. Down the line, you may want to mix and match…

U.S. lawmakers’ grilling of Google CEO Sundar Pichai may have sounded like a broken record, but it amplified the prickly issues facing tech companies as Democrats prepare to take control of the House next month. The 3 1/2-hour hearing Tuesday hit upon familiar themes — online privacy, data protection and the danger of digital monopolies — that are poised to come into even sharper focus next year. Here are some of the hurdles that Google parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook, Amazon and other tech companies are likely to face when the 116th Congress convenes. USER PRIVACY Looming over the tech industry is the possibility of government regulation intended to protect people’s data. One model for lawmakers may be Europe, where new rules governing data and privacy went into effect this year.…

A journal entry penned when Shameik Moore was a teenager laid out one of his dreams — to play Spider-Man on the big screen. That dream is now partially realized with Moore serving as the voice of the webslinger in the new animated film, ”Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse .” Moore plays Miles Morales, a biracial Brooklyn teen who gains an array of superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Morales melds his superpowers, including enhanced hearing, wall-crawling and camouflage abilities — while putting his own stamp on the character. Gone are Peter’s Parker’s blue-and-red outfits, replaced by a red-and-black version and a cool pair of sneakers. Moore’s ambition was to be the face of Spider-Man in a live-action film, something he still hopes will happen. But for now, he’s…

The University of Hawaii at Hilo has been cleared to launch a four-year degree program in aeronautical science. The university’s board of regents approved last month the provisional Bachelor of Science in two new concentrations: Commercial professional pilot training and commercial aerial information technology, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported this week. The pilot training track would lead students to a commercial airline career, providing a pathway to earn all required Federal Aviation Administration licenses and certificates, according to university documents. The second track will focus on work with drones. The program would guide students in understanding how drones can be used, the type of sensors they have, and the kinds of data they collect and process, said Ken Hon, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. The data collection and processing aspects…

China launched a ground-breaking mission last Saturday to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and the U.S. A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2:23 a.m. from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwestern China, the official Xinhua News Agency said. With its Chang’e 4 mission, China hopes to be the first country to make a soft landing, which is a landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred. The moon’s far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown. It has a different composition than sites on the…

China’s economy czar and U.S. trade envoys discussed plans for talks on a tariff battle, the government said this week, indicating that negotiations are going ahead despite tension over the arrest of a Chinese tech executive. Vice Premier Liu He talked by phone with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about “the promotion of the next economic and trade consultations,”said a two-sentence Commerce Ministry statement. It gave no other details. Lighthizer’s office confirmed the phone call with Liu but provided no additional information. The announcement indicated that talks are on track despite China’s weekend threats of unspecified “grave consequences” if the Huawei Technologies Ltd. executive isn’t released. She was arrested in Canada on U.S. charges of possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Later Tuesday, President…