For my fellow U.S. residents, happy post-Thanksgiving break; only 27 shopping days until Christmas. For my non-U.S. readers, happy Monday. Read on for a peek into Apple’s location-tracking shopping systems, an iPhone that’s too hot to handle, and a nifty Siri trick that’s not for the faint of heart. I give you my personal guarantee that none of the remainders for Monday, November 28, 2011 are turkeys.
A Look at Apple’s Spot-the-Shopper Technology (New York Times)
We know you can make your Apple Store purchases from your iPhone these days, but wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t even have to flag down a blue-shirted store employee once you arrived? Good news: Apple Store personnel can be alerted when you walk into the store, thanks to location features of your iPhone. Or, alternatively, you can use the features to play a rousing game of Marco Polo with the employees.
Mobile Phone Self Combustion (Regional Express)
One passenger on a regional Australian flight experienced a bit of a surprise when, after landing, his iPhone started glowing red and emitting smoke. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the phone was quickly extinguished as a flight attendant summoned Father Lankester Merrin.
USPTO Announces New Exhibit Highlighting the Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs (United States Patent and Trademark Office)
An exhibit honoring Steve Jobs’s many patents is being displayed in the lobby of the USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Sadly, the exhibit was forced to shutter after it ran afoul of a Jobs patent on a “Method and Apparatus for Honoring An Inventor’s Patents and Trademarks.”
Steve Jobs’ $4.6B in Disney shares go to trust (Yahoo Finance)
At the time of his passing, Steve Jobs was the largest individual shareholder of Disney; those shares will go into a trust, administered by his wife Laurene Powell. In a statement, Disney’s second largest shareholder, Scrooge McDuck, pointed out that he was still the richest duck in Duckburg.
Using the Siri Proxy to watch videos on Plex (9to5 Mac)
Having found themselves already bored with what Siri can do, hackers have taken it upon themselves to improve the virtual assistant’s capabilities. The latest development allows you to control media center software Plex via Siri, thanks to some very technical jiggery-pokery. At this rate, it seems like only a matter of time before Siri is capable of carrying out complicated tasks like making my breakfast, driving me to the grocery store, and explaining to my mother why she doesn’t have grandkids yet.
Product News:
Instacast HD 1.0 – Vemedio has released the iPad version of its podcast client Instacast. Its main features are a fullscreen video player, easy-to-read show notes, and Web integration. It includes support for AirPlay, background playback, and HTTP authentication, among other capabilities. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. $5.
Evernote 4.1.6 – Evernote has released an update to its iPhone and iPad note-taking app to include a new rich text editor for iPad running iOS 5, the ability to stop sharing notes, and a number of bug fixes. Free.
INRIX Traffic 3.5 – Inrix’s traffic-monitoring app has been updated to version 3.5, adding more up-to-date information about major arteries and side-streets, live alerts for traffic-impacting incidents, and Chinese language support. Free.