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iPhone passcode entry

Imagine this: You’re at a bar with your friends, enjoying a drink and chatting. You take out your iPhone to check something and enter your passcode. You don’t notice the person behind you who’s watching your every move and memorizing your passcode. A few minutes later, they snatch your iPhone from your hand and run away.

You might think that’s bad enough, but it gets worse. Within minutes, the thief has used your passcode to gain access to your iPhone and change your Apple ID password, which enables them to disable Find My, make purchases using Apple Pay, gain access to passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, and scan through Photos for pictures of documents that contain a Social Security number or other details that could be used for identity theft.

This is not a hypothetical scenario. It’s a real threat that has been happening across the US. The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern has been hearing from victims who have lost thousands of dollars and their entire digital lives after their iPhones were stolen with the thieves obtaining their passcodes.

Click to continue reading How iPhone Thieves Can Ruin Your Digital Life in Minutes

Gallery: How iPhone Thieves Can Ruin Your Digital Life in Minutes


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In this episode I talk to Apple about the design process of Apple Silicon, the M2 chip, the M2 Max MacBook Pro, the M2 Pro Mac mini, and more. These are some of the most powerful and innovative Macs that Apple has ever created, and I wanted to learn more about how they came to be and what they can do. I'm joined by Laura Metz, the Director of Product Marketing, Anand Shimpi of Hardware Engineering, and Tuba Yalcin from the Pro Workflow team. They're all very passionate and knowledgeable about Apple's design process, and they shared some amazing insights.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from some of the people behind the scenes of Apple's amazing products and learn more about how they create and optimize them for different use cases. If you are a tech enthusiast or an Apple fan, you don't want to miss this video.

You can find my M2 Max MacBook Pro review, as well as pick one up for yourself!

Gallery: Talking with Apple about M2 Chip Design and the Power It Brings to the latest Macs


I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim Elliott, Corporate Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. at Samsung Tech Day last October. He runs Memory sales and marketing at Samsung’s North America Semiconductor subsidiary. We talked about how Samsung Semiconductor's technology is ushering the future of artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, super-fast 5G wireless networks, and more. Talking to Jim, it became clear that we're on the cusp of some major technological advancements that will drive forward a new age of innovation. This is similar to what we saw when 4G enabled us to carry devices in our pockets that let us order cars directly to our precise location, stream music and videos no matter where we happen to be, and the ability to post content to social networks for anyone to read or watch. So the question becomes, what's next?

Click to continue reading A Deep-Dive Conversation with Samsung about Powering the Future of Innovation

Gallery: A Deep-Dive Conversation with Samsung about Powering the Future of Innovation


Samsung flew me down to its annual Tech Day event so I could get an up-close look at the company’s latest announcements, including Samsung Semiconductor’s new mobile smartphone processor and 5G modem, to see how they’ll make our devices better in the future. The yearly event is part of Samsung’s ongoing effort to foster innovation across the technology ecosystem, with hundreds of attendees learning about and discussing the future of consumer and business technology. With all the year-end activities keeping us all busy, I finally put my experience at Samsung Tech Day into words - here’s how Samsung is aiming to lead the future of tech innovation.

Just shy of two months after announcing the Exynos 980, Samsung announced a new chipset at the event, the Exynos 990. The new processor is built on Samsung’s 7nm process, and includes a Mali-G77 GPU that increases graphical performance and power efficiency compared to Samsung’s previous chip by up to 20 percent as well as an octa-core CPU that should be 20 percent faster.

Click to continue reading Samsung Tech Day: A look at How Samsung is Leading the Way to the Future

Gallery: Samsung Tech Day: A look at How Samsung is Leading the Way to the Future


The Death of the Xbox

On this week's Geared Up, we talk about the upcoming Amazon Prime Day, celebrating Amazon's 25th anniversary. I bring you my tips on finding the best Prime Day deals, while naming a couple of my favorite Prime Day launch deals (which you can find right now - the Anker PowerPort Atom III and the Jabra Elite 85h headphones!) This year Amazon is extending Prime Day to be a two-day shopping event, which means competing retailers are also preparing their own deals to steal away some attention.

High-quality video game streaming is nearly here, with early launches of both Microsoft Project xCloud (an Xbox streaming service,) and Google Stadia both taking place in the fall of 2019. A listener asked if the fact that people will be able to stream their games to any device - from web browser, to smartphone to smart TV and more - spells the end of the Xbox and PlayStation dedicated video game consoles as we know them. I weigh in with my thoughts, along with my impressions of using Project xCloud (which you can see in the video embedded below!)

Samsung sent out invites for its Galaxy Unpacked event, which takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on August 7th. This will be where the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will make its debut, and we should likely hear news of updated launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy Fold as well. I discuss the expected features and specs for the new Samsung flagship smartphone.

Finally, I also talk about Jony Ive leaving Apple and what his departure means for the future of the company as many wonder if the iconic designs that Apple is known for will suffer as a result.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Amazon, Apple, and Samsung.

Gallery: Geared Up: The Death of the Xbox, Amazon Prime Day 2019 Deals, & Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Rumors!


Nintendo Switch Mini vs Switch

This week on Geared Up, we talk about the latest rumors say that Microsoft is working on a new secret new foldable Surface tablet device that will be able to run Android apps and iCloud services, with a stripped down Windows Core OS - this will likely be more of a mobile device than a laptop, with LTE and 5G options available. This reminds me of the Microsoft Courier project from back in 2009 - take a look at the embedded video below!

Nintendo is ready to release two new updates to the Nintendo Switch lineup. First, a new miniature version of the popular Switch console that will likely be the successor to the Nintendo 3DS. In addition, there will be a more powerful Nintendo Switch "Pro" that will be 4K-capable when docked, with an upgrade to a 1080p display on the Switch unit itself.

Apple and Spotify's battle intensifies in court, with the two companies going back-and-forth in a public battle.

Finally, we also talk about the death of YouTube creator, Etika, and the state of mental health of content creators in this day and age.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Microsoft, Apple, and Nintendo.

Gallery: Geared Up: Microsoft’s Mystery Foldable Surface Tablet, Updated Nintendo Switch Mini, & Apple vs Spotify Intensifies!


Apple Mac Pro and Pro XDR Display

E3 2019 is in the books, and Microsoft Xbox came out swinging! In this episode of Geared Up, we talk about all the big announcements coming out of the Xbox E3 keynote.

First up, Project Scarlett - the all-new next-generation Xbox console that will be launching toward the end of 2020. Microsoft says Project Scarlett will be four times more powerful than the Xbox One X (currently, the most powerful game console on the market.) Additionally, the company announced and demo'd Project Xcloud. Xcloud goes into beta in October and allows gamers to play their Xbox games anywhere they have WiFi or cell connectivity.

In addition to all the Xbox news, we pick up where we left off in the last episode to talk in depth about the upcoming Apple Mac Pro.

I also mentioned the new Ecobee Smart Thermostat that I've been testing - here's the video if you want to check it out:

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Apple and Xbox.

Gallery: The Insane Apple Mac Pro, 8K Xbox, and xCloud Game Streaming!


iOS 13 features WWDC recap

It was a huge news week in the world of Apple, as the company took the stage at WWDC 2019 to show the world what's coming next for all of its major software platforms. In this episode of Geared Up, we talk about all the big announcments coming out of WWDC. These include:

  • The new iOS 13 features (including the long-awaited Dark Mode!)
  • The future of macOS Catalina with iPad apps running on the Mac
  • How the iPad is becoming more of more of a laptop replacement with the dedicated iPadOS
  • How the Apple Watch will continue to help you become healthier in watchOS 6

In addition, we answer listener-submitted questions as well. If you're looking for news and commentary on the new Mac Pro, we'll be covering that on next week's show!

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Apple.

Gallery: Geared Up: Apple’s new iOS 13, macOS Catalina, iPadOS, and Apple Watch updates!


Apple TV+

Apple unveiled a host of new services at their March 25th event this week (be sure to check out my full wrap-up video of the Apple event!), and we take a look at each one in this episode of Geared Up!

  • Apple TV+ is the company's new original TV and movie subscription service.
  • Apple Card is a credit card from Apple that aims to change the way consumers use and view credit cards and their financial data.
  • Apple News+ is a new subscription news service that gives you unlimited access to over 300 magazines and newspapers for a flat monthly fee.
  • Apple Arcade is a subscription gaming service with 100 exclusive games for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.

Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Apple and its new services.

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Gallery: Geared Up: Apple TV+, Apple Card, Apple Arcade and the Rest of Apple’s New Services


Apple News+ subscription

During today's It's Show Time Apple Event, the company unveiled Apple News+, an all-you-can-eat subscription news service that gives you unlimited access to newspapers and magazines. Apple News+ is found within the Apple News app itself, which ships on all iOS and macOS devices. Some of the notable inclusions in Apple News+ are the LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired magazine, Bazaar, InStyle, Sports Illustrated, and more. In all, there are over 300 magazines that will be available with a single subscription. 

As Apple noted on stage, none of the publications get your personal information. Privacy is paramount, and even Apple doesn't know which magazines or articles you choose to read.

Apple News+ will cost $9.99 per month, and in a great move, it is available for families for no extra charge which means that same $10 allows you and up to 5 other family members to access the service. You can access Apple News+ starting today, and the first month is free.

What do you think? Will you be giving Apple News+ a shot?

Gallery: Apple News+: Unlimited access to magazines and newspapers


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