After much deliberation, we chose to call it: “The Neural Newsletter.” Okay, that doesn’t leap right of the page, but there’s a method to our madness. We’re also launching a weekly newsletter for Shift, our EV brand! In fact we’ve got a whole suite of newsletters you can sign up for on topics ranging from gadgets to this one where Boris, the wise old CEO of TNW, shares his knowledge by flipping the script on a diverse array of leadership and management subjects....

Before we get there though, let’s have a little natter about the Touch Bar itself. In case your memory needs jogging, the Touch Bar is an OLED screen that stretches across the top of some MacBook Pro models. If you’re interested, it looks like this: It replaces the traditional function keys you find on keyboards with a customizable array. These can also change between different programs, the idea being to give you unparalleled control over how you use the software....

But that might change soon. Apple is now allowing you to change the resolution and frame rate right from the camera UI with its latest iOS 13.2 developer beta update. Unfortunately, this option is available for only this year’s iPhones: the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Why this incredible “Pro” feature is available on other not so “Pro” iPhones? ? pic.twitter.com/SJjSEAD7rn — Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) October 10, 2019 Frankly, this was a much need update, but it’s a bummer that older iPhones can’t use it....

The tipster had previously predicted Apple’s launch of new iPods and iMacs last year, and the timing makes sense; Apple has a tendency to announce new products in March, including the past five years. Although Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s report on the new MacBooks indicated they weren’t set to launch until Q2 –which starts in April — it’s possible Apple may announce the products next week and make them available a couple of weeks later....

Leigh Wheaton, Jill Paul, and Trevor Paul — three iTunes users from Rhode Island and Michigan — have filed a federal lawsuit against the Cupertino-based tech giant alleging that the company unlawfully collects and sells their iTunes listening information to third parties without informed consent. Apple even took to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year to tout its privacy advantage with the ad slogan: “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone....

At least, that’s how I always feel whenever I get a new ebike to review. They arrive in a giant box, take up too much space in a small Brooklyn apartment, and are a pain to maneuver around narrow hallways. This is compounded by the fact many ebikes under $2,000 weigh over 60 pounds, at least if you want decent battery capacity and powerful motor. Mind you, I’m 6 feet tall, so it’s not that I need a smaller bike....

Luckily though, we don’t have to give up all hope for ‘mini’ models as Asus has FINALLY launched the Zenfone 8z (Zenfone 8 in global markets) in India. It launched in global markets around May last year. I can say given the country was going through a devastating second wave of COVID-19, the company missing the initial launch window makes sense. But it had many months after that to release the device....

Dublin-based firm AdaptiveMobile Security said the flaw — dubbed “Simjacker” — has been actively exploited for at least two years by a spyware vendor that works with governments to track individuals. The firm didn’t disclose the name of the company nor the individuals who may have been targeted in this way. Given the attack works across all platforms, the vulnerability demonstrates the increasing sophistication of threat actors to undermine network security by taking advantage of obscure tecnologies....

And these extra hours have taken me to a simple conclusion: you need a pair of open-back, planar magnetic headphones in you life. I believe in this so damn much that I managed to force the TNW team to let me make a video about it. And you can watch above. Right now. You can watch it, right now. But I also know that many of you lovely lot don’t dig watching moving pictures (SHAME ON YOU), so I’ve also written a full article about why your life is currently missing a pair of open-back, planar magnetic headphones....

The Australian state of Victoria is investing AUS$33.7 million (US$25.9 million) in ‘distracted driver’ technology which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect motorists that are using mobile phones at the wheel. The announcement follows a three-month trial which assessed almost 680,000 vehicles and found one in 42 drivers was detected illegally using a phone. The technology uses an AI-enabled camera system to capture high-resolution images of passing vehicles. It works in all traffic and weather conditions and during the day and at night....

If you’re looking to stay sharp or to help keep the mind of someone you know and love honed and focused, you might want to seriously consider plunging into some language learning. A new study found older adults who studied Spanish showed cognitive improvements even if they didn’t become fluent in the language. In fact, the results for those learners were the same as the results for those who took a series of targeted brain training activities to improve those skills....

If you really want to understand programming, there are few more proactive steps you can take in your journey from novice to expert than learning Java. Java has been around for over a quarter century, fueling more than 7.5 million developers as one of the core all-purpose coding languages for building websites, coding apps and more. While younger, flashier languages like Python may generate more buzz, Java is still in greater demand from those who really matter: employers and HR professionals....

Before we get into that mess, let’s deal with the first part: yep, developer’s rejoice, macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 is live for you. You can go and check it out here. Next, let’s take a trip into the past and remind ourselves all about Big Sur. Announced at WWDC in June, the new macOS operating system has a fresh look that appears to bring Apple’s desktop computing software more in line with the mobile versions of its software....

A scientist making six figures in San Francisco pushes the boundaries of AI so a trillion dollar company can stay on top. And at the bottom of it all lies legions of impoverished workers doing 80-percent of the work. Some of the workers are working their way out of poverty. Sadly some are not. The primary difference being whether they have job security and receive a living wage. One of the world’s largest sources of dataset-labeling employment — the primary job performed by these workers — is Samasource....

According to a Tencent News report, the cryptocurrency miner manufacturing giant filed its application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with Deutsche Bank as its sponsor. It’s not known how much Bitmain is looking to raise with its IPO, but previous reports suggested that it was seeking to raise approximately $300 million–$500 million with its US offering. The latest figure is a lot lower than the $3 billion it intended on raising when it filed an IPO application in September 2018 to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX); it eventually lapsed in March....

The majority of funds lost (approximately $23 million) belonged to customers, while the rest were owned by the exchange. Bitpoint has ceased operations and says the funds were stolen from a hot wallet that contained five cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ripple, and Bitcoin Cash. As of yet, the company says it is not aware of any funds taken from cold wallets. Japan’s Financial Services Agency ordered Bitpoint, and several other operators, to improve internal controls after Coincheck lost a staggering $516 million after it was attacked (possibly by Russian hackers) in January last year....

You’ve never seen a rotary phone like that. A developer has recreated this iconic analog experience for the digital age, so you can try it out straight from your browser — and it’s glorious…ly flawed. There are a few differences between a real rotary dial and this browser-based replica. For one, the real thing will only let you push a digit until it reaches the end — this one, though, lets you go until you stop (or reach 0)....

The headteacher keeps getting sent a Facebook post warning parents to “wake up” to the threat in the UK’s Coronavirus Act. “Is this true, can you take my child?” she is asked. The Facebook post those parents had seen began going viral mid-August. It’s one of several similar posts seen in the UK and Australia, and follows a pattern in many posts linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory. These often include a direct appeal to parents, challenging the reader to do their own research to “prove” the veracity of the claim, a call to defend individual rights against big government, elites, or some undefined “they....

Welcome back to Byte Me, our feminist newsletter that makes everyone mad <3 This month, Cara became a horse girl in Scotland, Anouk finally started watching The Sopranos, and Gigi got her IBS prescription refilled after weeks of procrastinating. We’re skipping illustration this month — but you can reply to this newsletter to tell us how much you love us instead? We need external validation, thanks x [Also read our previous issue: Byte Me #18: Sexist jokes, sausage parties, and ‘lazy man insults’]...

The company has been diversifying a product portfolio that could lay strong foundations for virtual worlds. The Japanese conglomerate now boasts a revived music business, a movie studio that produces Marvel blockbusters, an immense film library, and the PlayStation gaming platform. The group’s music, movie, and gaming operations drove a fiscal fourth-quarter surge of 67% over the previous year. Sony also plowed $1 billion into Fortnite publisher Epic Games last month....