MobileViews Blog

Jon Westfall and I welcome frequent guest panelists Jack Cook, Sven Johannsen, and Don Sorcinelli for podcast 250. We discussed:

1. Jack’s Surface Book 2
2. SURPRISE: Windows 10 Mobile gets an update!
3. Some Android devices not receiving all security updates – Some Android OEMs are effectively lying about security updates by changing dates without adding patches [Update] 9to5Google also PCMag
   “Companies such as Google, Samsung and Sony had the best record of installing the patches, whereas Chinese vendors including Lenovo’s Motorola, TCL and ZTE had trouble fully rolling them out.”
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (New phone for Jack’s wife)
   Microsoft Launcher
   Office Apps
   One Drive
5. AndroidOne Moto X4 still not on 8.1 (mine) holdup? GSM Arena
6. Windows 10 upcoming major update
7. ConspiracyViews
   Former Coast-to-Coast AM radio host Art Bell died.
   Radio show was on 500 stations at its peak.

   Forbes

   Wikipedia entry

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

1. Google WiFi in Starbucks wants to know who you are. Asks you for first/last name, email, and ZIP code. Noticed it the other day. Found this ref dated March 22: SeattlePI
   Tip people often forget: GMail allows for instant email address creation with +@gmail.com – perfect for times when you might want to give out your address, but want a quick way to filter it away.
2. Raspberry Pi microSD card performance comparison – 2018

   “I decided to re-run all the benchmarks for all the Samsung and SanDisk cards (the rest, from Sony, Toshiba, Lexar, and no-name brands were so slow for Pi usage as to not warrant any testing at all!)”

3. Cloudflare’s new DNS attracting ‘gigabits per second’ of rubbish
4. CloudFlare 1.1.1.1 Twitter Resolver
5. Google Arts & Culture Monet & Architecture virtual exhibit
6. Skype for Content Creators.

   [With Skype for Content Creators, Windows 10 and Mac users will be able to select the Content Creators mode to place and record calls directly within NewTek NDI®–enabled software such as:

   Wirecast – $1000
   Xsplit – $200 (sale price)
   Vmix – $700 for two callers, $1200 for 8 callers

   Once the call is recorded, content can be easily imported into apps such as Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe Audition for editing. In addition, users can customize the look and feel of the call—so they can be part of a live show ready for streaming to audiences of all sizes.]

7. SkyKnit: How an AI Took Over an Adult Knitting Community
8. RANT: The problem of depending on Google services and products…
   Transitioning Google URL Shortener to Firebase Dynamic Links
   Left bit.ly for Google’s shortener because bit.ly is so unreliable. Google’s Firebase is not an alternative for consumers (vs. developers). So back to bit.ly?

   Solution: Get your own domain and use YOURLS https://yourls.org

9. Google Voice WiFi calling:
   https://www.androidcentral.com/google-voice-running-open-beta-wi-fi-calling

   https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/voice/aI7m1PrV21Y

10. Jon’s Technology Find: Microsoft Bookings enabled for Academic tiers. https://outlook.office.com/owa/?path=/bookings/

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss:

1. The Verge: Google Home now works with Bluetooth speaker
2. How a UA professor uses student-ID card data to help predict dropouts
3. watchOS 4.3
   Return of controlling music on an iPhone – also HomePod.
   Nightstand mode orientation
4. iOS 11.3
   Disable performance throttling on older phones due to degrading battery life
   AR enhancements
   Sort app reviews
   Username/password autofill in apps
   Fixed auto-correction capitalization bug
5. Apple introduces new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support
6. 2006 MacBook rant
7. Jon’s Rant: Doesn’t anyone use desktop software to manage their finances anymore?!? Unhappy with Mint, trying MoneyDance

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

1. Bloomberg: New low cost iPad to be announced next week?
   I’m hoping for a iPad mini that supports the Apple Pencil and has a smart connector for keyboards.
2. Todd: Six years ago, I wrote: (Information Week/BYTE) Lytro: The Next Big Thing In Photography. I didn’t say how long it would take to be the next big thing though. Since then, they exited the camera market and attempted to market their IP. Techcrunch reported that Google may be buying Lytro. So, the answer to how long it will take is apparently 6 plus years.
3. Jon: Ebooks come in different flavors: what is the platform of choice? Kindle on everything, but iBooks has some cool interactivity
4. Todd: Audiobook reading using Audible and Google Books
5. Todd: Comic book reading using ComiXology and Google Books
6. Magazine reading using Zinio or Texture Texture – which Apple bought recently

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

This week I’m joined by returning guest panelist Sven Johanssen. We discussed:

1. Amazon Echo – Brief Mode
2. Google Lens coming to iOS inside of Google Photos
3. Apple & Google’s reputations dropped
   Amazon #1. Apple dropped from 5 o 29. Google dropped from 8 to 28.
4. Nokia back in the phone business
5. Why does Sven use the Microsoft Edge browser
6. Duo Lingo – learn Klingon
7. Chromebook – Office 365 license

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

1. Daylight Savings: California & Florida considering permanent shift to DST
2. Google Daydream VR. Thank you to Ricky Li.
3. Google Maps gets Super Mario for a week. Ref: Google
4. Amazon Alexa’s creepy, spontaneous laugh is weirding people out
5. Engadget Amazon Echo understands followup commands without repeating the trigger word
6. Google’s Python Class

   this is a free class for people with a little bit of programming experience who want to learn Python. The class includes written materials, lecture videos, and lots of code exercises to practice Python coding. These materials are used within Google to introduce Python to people who have just a little programming experience.

7. The UPSide Project lead by Eric Raymond. Open Source UPS design.
8. Jon started playing < a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plague-inc/id525818839?mt=8">Plague, Inc., which is an interesting mobile game. 99 cents with in-app purchases.
9. Jon’s also exploring apps for… knitters! Ravelry.com’s Profile for Jon

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.