Last week, I discussed iPhone apps that you can use to prove that you are vaccinated, such as the LA Wallet app in Louisiana. If you plan to come to New Orleans, make sure that you have one of those apps on your iPhone or some other proof of vaccination. As reported by Ben Myers of the Times-Picayune, starting this Monday, you will need to show proof of vaccination (or a very recent negative COVID-19 test) to stay inside at numerous establishments including restaurants, bars, the Superdome, gyms, music halls, casinos, pool halls, arcades, etc. This follows the recent news that Jazz Fest 2021, which had been rescheduled for October, is now canceled due to COVID. I hate that it has come to this, especially since things were looking better before the Delta variant, and the vaccination rates for folks who live in New Orleans is much better than many places. But vaccination rates in the rest of Louisiana are dismal, local hospitals are at their limits with "no plateau in sight," and New Orleans Mayor Cantrell reported yesterday that "most of the people hospitalized in New Orleans with COVID-19 are from outside the city." New Orleans has always been a fantastic city for tourists, and showing off the Crescent City to friends who are visiting has long been one of my favorite activities. But given the current state, I recommend that you wait until next year to do that. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to convince everyone to get vaccinated so that we can all have a better 2022. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- The TranscriptPad app was updated this week to add the ability to speak. The app has long had a function where you can press a button and have the transcript automatically scroll as you review it, a mode that I have used quite a bit. You can now have the app read the transcript out loud as it does so, with different voices for the questions and answers. I tried it out, and it works very well. I don't see myself using this feature often, but I can imagine a circumstance in which I decide to review the key portions of a transcript by having my iPad read to me from a deposition transcript as I am doing something else around my house. Click here for more information on this new feature.
- California attorney David Sparks of MacSparky reviews the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack. He explains why the device is worth using, even though it is more expensive than alternatives, because it works better.
- Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories describes the improvements coming to the built-in Maps app on the iPhone and iPad this Fall. There is a new interface, detailed 3D models of certain landmarks, augmented reality walking directions, weather alerts, tips for when to leave to account for traffic conditions, and more.
- This week, I wrote about Apple's upcoming new features to protect children by looking out for child sexual abuse material, features that have caused some to worry about privacy. Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch interviews Erik Neuenschwander, the head of privacy at Apple, to discuss this.
- Dan Guido is the CEO of a cybersecurity company in New York City. He uses an electric scooter, and to try to find it if it was ever stolen, he hid two AirTags inside of it. Sure enough, the scooter was stolen this week, but he was able to recover it with the aid of the police. He wrote a fascinating description of the entire experience in this series of tweets. This is great reading, and great advice, for anyone who owns AirTags or is considering owning them because he made numerous smart decisions at different points in the process.
- John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains some of the reasons that an Apple TV is a better device than the much cheaper alternatives that offer similar functions. I agree with all of this.
- If you are thinking of using an Apple TV to stream all of your TV channels instead of paying for cable or satellite TV, Jason Snell of Six Colors recommends Suppose. You tell the website where you live and what channels you want to have included, and the website recommends the best packages for you.
- Speaking of streaming video, you know how sometimes you are watching a show and the characters in a show find themselves watching a fake TV show or movie — for example, the show 30 Rock had a bit about a movie called The Rural Juror, and The Simpsons has featured an action movie called McBain? The website Nestflix.fun collects tons of these shows-within-a-show and demonstrates what it would look like if all of these fake shows were available on a streaming service. A lot of work went into this website, and I found it great fun to browse. Perhaps you will too.
- Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that you can now download a free Ted Lasso sticker pack for iMessage and the Clips app.
- Jason Cipriani of CNet compiled a useful list of iPhone tips.
- Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac notes that you can now save hundreds of dollars on the 2020 models of the iPad Pro by purchasing from Apple's Refurbished Store. These models are not quite as fast as the 2021 iPad Pro models, and the 2020 12.9" model doesn't feature the new mini-LED screen that I described in this review, but the 2020 models are still excellent devices, especially at these prices.
- Last month, I discussed the Pegasus software sold by NSO Group by governments that can be used to hack into an iPhone — software designed to be used against criminals, but some governments used them against others including reporters and human rights activists. Were you targeted by the Pegasus software? The odds of that happening are quite low, but if you want to find out, Jason Cipriani of CNet explains how you can run a test using the iMazing software on a Mac or PC — software that can also be used to create more sophisticated backups of an iPhone.
- And finally, to promote the new Spatial Audio feature in Apple Music, Apple teamed up with Billie Eilish to produce this short video. Put on your headphones while you watch this video, which uses multiple reflections in mirrors to simulate visually the surround sound that you are hearing:
