Airtag: The clever little tracker that helps you keep tabs on where your stuff is.
An entirely new product line.
Yesterday Apple debuted its new object tracking devices called Airtag. Airtag has been a long rumoured product that utilises the FindMy network and a new ultrawideband Chip that has made its way into may of Apples newer devices. Tile may be a familiar product to many of you that works in a similar, albeit now more archaic way.
The premise is that you attach these white buttons that are aboute the size of a coin to your devices and things, either in a pocket such as a purse or a wallet, a rucksack, or attached via one of the many variations of holders and keyrings that Apple have also launched. These Airtags are then detected within the FindMy app which is present on every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Within the FindMy app you will be able to see the location of the Airtag and also have it make a sound and because apple is using ultrawideband technology instead of plain Bluetooth it can help you much more accurately track down your thing.
Here’s where they differ from products like Tile – Because Apple has access to the huge network of apple devices all over the world, the Airtag can relay its location via other peoples devices who walk near the Airtag – the location then making its way to your FindMy app. It does this completely privately using encryption and without anybody knowing. This means you are exponentially more likely to be able to track down those missing keys on a bench or at a bar.
Like your iPhone, you can also set the Airtag into lost mode – this means that if someone finds it and holds their phone near to the tag it can give them a telephone number of your choosing to hopefully reunite you with your item. The Airtag is priced at £29 for one or £99 for four and you can customise them with etched text and emoji for free.
"AirTag will provide customers with another way to leverage the power of the Apple ecosystem and enhance the versatility of iPhone.”
Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing.
A new world of accesories.
Much like Magsafe, Apple have done what they do best and created a whole new ecosystem of products that third parties can (and already have) make to enhance our quality of use. Belkin has already come straight out of the gate with their own budget offerings that apple are selling directly via their stores and online. If you search amazon for Airtag you will also find lots of low-cost keyrings and holders which mark a stark contrast to apples £35 options. In the coming weeks and months, we will see more and more accessories emerge for every possible use case of Airtag.
Hermès. Hermès. Hermès.
And of course, Apple’s long term collaborative design partner Hermès also has created their own range of luggage tags, keyrings and lanyards – but be prepared to be shocked by the prices (or perhaps not if you are already a Hermès fan). These cost up to £399!
An entertaining ad.
Apple also screened its ad for the Airtag which is quite a marvellous little piece of film work. Check it out below.
Deafen The Tech Giants With This Ingenious Bracelet
An article on FastCompany's excellent blog showed off a clever device that researchers at the University of Chicago jams microphones and stops the ever creepy listening ears at the large corps we all use every day.
We fill our homes with cool bits of kit but never really fully yunderstand what we have allowed these companies to listen to. How do you feel about the increasing number of "ears" in our lives? Could a bracelet like this be the answer for when we are not at home and surrounded by other peoples devices?
Express Transit Added to Apple Pay in London!
Earlier in the year Apple added 'Express Transit' as an option for Apple Pay users.
What this means is that you can allocate one of your payment cards to be used when you tap in at tube stations without having to use Touch ID or Face ID - making the whole process of moving through the city so much quicker. No more pileups at the turnstiles!
The other advantage is because the card gets loaded into a chip on your phone - it doesn't even matter if your phone is switched off or out of power - it will still allow you to go through the barrier and pay! - very cool. This works with Apple Watch too!
What devices will Apple Pay work on?
You can pay using Apple Pay on an iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, SE, X, XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max or Apple Watch.
How do I set my iPhone up for Apple Transit?
Before you can use the Apple's Express Transit mode you'll need to enable it.
On your iPhone head to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay - then tap on Express Travel Card and to set up the debit card you want to use.
Once set, that will always be the account that is charged when using London transport.
Beautiful Dynamic Desktops
So Apple introduced the idea of dynamic desktops in Mac OS Mojave last year but deigned to only provide us with two options. Since then its been quite difficult tracking down alternatives but today I stumbled across a project which is making that easier.
Its a collection of dynamic wallpapers that you can use with your Mac to experience the passing of time as you're busy working!
its free and also includes tips and guidance on how to make your own dynamic wallpapers from your own photos.
Dynamic Wallpapers only work with Mac OS Mojave and later.
Visit: https://dynamicwallpaper.club
Let us know in the comments how you get on!
What Three Words: Revolutionising postcodes
Postcodes have been around for quite a long time but were never meant for locating something specific. Many properties on a street can share a postcode and as we all know when waiting in for an Amazon delivery, they are not the ideal way to find the location of building. So, we need to combine a house number, sometimes a building name, a street name and a postcode to ensure that items arrive or someone turns up at the right spot.
What if, however, you'd like someone to be able to find their way to your desk? or your garden? or your car parking spot?
What3words is a brilliant concept that has already been adopted by several organisations including the emergency services. The concept is that with just 3 words you can geolocation a place down to a 3m x 3m square. That means you can direct someone or something to your back door or a particular spot in a cafe.
In the app (available here), you just search for an address and it gives you three words to find it. There are 57 trillion possible combinations but these 3 words work like a mnemonic and are a great deal easier to remember than a full postal address. 10 Downing Street, for example is:
input . caring . brain
This is explicitly for the front door of 10 Downing Street (or at least the 3x3m square that the door is in). This has all kinds of applications. It's brilliant for developing countries that do not have a postcode system or infrastructure. You'll literally be able to locate a tent in a field and have stuff delivered there.
If you broke down on a motorway you could direct the recovery service to your exact location. You're waiting in airport terminal to meet someone and you can give them the 3 words of where you are standing etc. etc. the list goes on.
It remains to be seen how widespread the system becomes but if it takes off it will certainly make locating places a whole lot easier.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Real Life Siri Impression!
A female rapper called HAZMATCAZ from Baltimore has created a video that has swept across the web due to her uncanny rendintion of a Siri response.
She has the same smooth deep voice that we all recognise from turn by turn driving instructions on our iPhones.
Have a watch yourself to see for yourself:
SHE should JUST take the name 'SIRI MC' GO Ahead get it now @HAZMATCAZZ use the AKA like the WU cats do ⚡️ “This rapper can make her voice sound exactly like Siri 😱”https://t.co/N7UQXPC8vF
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) December 23, 2018
All4 App on Apple TV (A Long time coming!)
Without much fanfare the Channel 4 Catch up TV app All 4 has finally come to the Apple TV just in time for Christmas. For those of us obsessed with The Great British Bake off (🙋🏽♂️) and other Channel 4 gems your time has finally come to quit streaming from your phone or watching on your Mac.
The App itself is incredibly basic and lacks some of the perks that we have come to appreciate in Apple TV apps such as global search using Siri or showing an interactive tile on the home page of the Apple TV but fingers crossed the app gets more sophisticated in the near future.
The BBC still rules the roost with one of the best video service apps. Channel 4's offerings are often hindered by ads that have a tendency to crash a program midway, Nonetheless, this has been a long time coming and we are finally able to get in as much flour and yeast based programming as our eyes can handle!
Head to the App Store on your Apple TV now to search for All4.
Apple’s Jony Ive designs a $250,000 Unibody Diamond Ring!
Sir Jony Ive, the Chief Design Officer at Apple and Marc Newson have come together to create a one of a kind ring hewn from a single lump of diamond for the Product (RED) charity initiative.
Heres a quote from the Sotheby's catalogue:
...with their mutual obsession with transformning raw material into objects of value, Ive & Newson's design is singular, clear and un-compromised by the traditional metal settings and bands that have previuously been required to create 'diamond rings'. Theirs will be created by removing material rather than adding-an ambition made possible by the extraordinary scale of the stone which will enable the ring to be completely made of this material.
Its certainly a feat of enginerring to be able to create a ring like this but we dont imagine we will see many, the size of diamond required to make this beast of bling precludes it from becoming a standard design. It looks like this may be a one off. The ring hasn't actually been finished yet and will be made to fit the winning bidders chosen ring size and will be constructed with 2-3000 facets - the highest amount ever seen in a cut diamond.
Visit Sotheby's for more information
Free Phone Charging Trial at TFL Overground Stations
On our way to a client visit today we spotted at Shoreditch High Street Overground station a new area dedicated to charging devices.
It appears that this is a trial that may be rolled out across London. Now that more and more people use their phones for contactless access to the TFL network it makes sense for there to be charging points for those times when you run out of juice just when you need it the most.
The devices, installed by chargebox (and looking suspiciously like an old Powermac G4 Cube) are capable of fast charging which means you can get 20% charge in ten minutes or so.
We also spotted that they have used our old friend Sugru (click here to find out more about Sugru) to re-enforce the cables from the rabid hordes of commuters who will no doubt manhandle them at their liesure.
So next time your dropping low in charge at Columbia Road Flower Market or munching on a Brick Lane Bagel you have a new friend in town.
Print Plugins for Apple Photos
Printing Photo Projects on a Mac
In the latest update to the Mac Photos App, Apple has enabled third parties the ability to write photo project plugins. Until now only editing plugins were available ie to retouch or add filters to your images.
Now there are a range of plugins available for printing your images and turning them into photo books.
Some of you may remember that there was the option of doing this in Aperture (rest in peace), however the selection available at the moment are very much consumer focused services and not the likes of Queensbury or Couture Books et al.
All you need to do is head to the App Store to find the appropriate app (links below) and it will install itself. When you launch the apps all that will show is a splash screen as the apps themselves are installed into the photos app as a project option in the sidebar on the left.
This is a little clumsy and I think the need to have an external app to do this is a bit confusing but nonetheless that’s how it’s done.
Available Now
1. Whitewall
Whitewall is a popular service for creating framed prints at lots of different sizes with lots of customisable options.
2. Mimeo
Mimeo has a similar offering to Apple’s own range of printable products but its always good to have a choice right?
Coming Soon...
3. Motif
Motif is actually a plugin that was created by the company that used to print all of apples print products and as such means that the products will be quite familiar to anyone who used to use Apples print services. At the moment they are Ireland and a few other European Countries only but I have been assured that they are making their way over to Europe very soon. These guys definitely look like the easiest option and feature slightly more sophisticated designs.