#yourlifeintech week 9

From binarybound.com, here is #yourlifeintech week 9

To like or not to like has always been the burning question on Facebook and now they’ve made it a little easier to answer by adding some love, haha, wow, sad and angry “reactions”. My reaction to this week in tech is probably “wow” and “sad”. And, despite the Mobile World Congress in Spain was going on with lots of great announcements from the Samsung S7, Oral-B Genius, Garmin Vivoactive HR and Meizu PRO 5, an Ubuntu powered smartphone, it was heavily over shadowed by the ongoing standoff between Apple and the FBI.

Then there was Time, Inc. considering to buy Yahoo! core business and Google plans to speed up the the mobile web with their new AMP project.

Oh, and Spotify moves itself onto Google’s cloud.

Here is a quick glance-summary of a few top headlines from Week 9 (Feb22-Feb28), 2016.

1 Mobile World Congress in Spain
Companies including Garmin, LG, Oral-B, Samsung, Zuckerberg, Google, Lenovo, HP and other big brands in tech made some big announcements this past week in Spain for smartphones and wearables.
Source: Pocket-Lint

2 Amazon raises minimum order for free shipping to $49
If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, shopping at the online retailer just got a little more expensive, unless you order $25 of books, then, it’s still free.
Source: Mashable

3 Sony making phones again in the US announcing the Xperia X at Mobile World Congress in Spain.
Source: CNet

4 Western Digital buys San Disk despite China investor backing out and a top shareholder in London urging Western Digital to abandon the planned buyout by arguing that the deal was too expensive, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Source: Arstechnica/WSJ

5 Siri is coming to Mac OS X 10.12 According to a new report from 9to5Mac, Siri is slated to debut as one of the flagship features on OS X 10.12 later this year. Hardly a feature Apple has ignored, the report notes that Apple has been testing Siri on the Mac for three years in order to get the functionality and implementation just right.
Source: Yahoo/9to5Mac

6 Russia wants to fly spy planes with new high res cameras over U.S. to test their new advanced digital cameras. So, How does Washington respond at a time when Moscow and Washington are at odds over Syria and Ukraine and senior U.S. defense officials have identified Russia as the No. 1 existential threat to America?
Source: Washington Post

7 Japan considers treating bitcoin like real money and consumers will be able to swap out virtual coins for physical legal tender. However, once it becomes more regulated by country, wouldn’t that defeat the initial goals of an independent currency?
Source: engadget

8 Boston Dynamics upgrades Atlas with a smaller body, lighter frame and is also now battery powered. Watch the video to better understand why once the robots take over the world they’re mean to humans.
Source: engadget

9 Google Fiber comes to SF; AT&T sues Louisville to stop Google Fiber from using poles. The AMP project must be Google’s “plan B” in making the Internet faster because Google Fiber seems to be running into quite a few roadblocks on the Information Super Highway.
Source: Fortune

10 The battle for Net Neutrality turns 1 and many of us don’t even know what that means. Well, imagine if Comcast decides to limit your Internet connection speed to sites that aren’t owned by them or potentially even blocking them. The Net Neutrality fight is about keeping the Internet equal for everybody regards who services they purchase. Companies like Time Warner, Comcast and AT&T don’t want the Net to be like this.
Source: CNet

The Apple Stand-off: Justice Vs. Privacy
More tech CEOs, like Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai have stepped up to support Apple, but Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has sort-of, maybe not, offered his support, as Apple and the FBI get ready to testify at a Congressional encryption hearing on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

1 In an interview with Bloomberg TV this morning, Bill Gates said he was “blindsided” by and “disappointed” with reports that he sides with the FBI.
Source: FastCompany

2 Why The FBI Chose To Try The Apple Encryption Case In The Media. Cases like this are usually tried under seal as a national security matter, but the FBI sought a very public showdown.
Source: FastCompany

3 FBI Has Asked Apple To Unlock As Many As 17 iPhones In Last 4 Months. Newly unsealed court documents show that the FBI’s request of Apple in the San Bernardino case is probably not a one-off.
Source: FastCompany

4 NYPD wants access to ALL iPhones (with a warrant). The New York City Police Department says they’d like Apple to unlock every iPhone currently subject to a court-ordered search.
Source: Slashgear

5 Apple and FBI to testify at Congressional encryption hearing. FBI director James Comey and Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell are set to testify.

Our favorite reviews for week 8

1 Eve Energy with Siri
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/02/22/control-and-monitor-any-device-plugged-into-the-eve-energy-using-siri/

2 RAVPower 20100mAh External Battery Review: Large and in Charge
http://geardiary.com/2016/02/27/ravpower-20100mah-external-battery-review-large-and-in-charge/

3 Razer Blade Stealth Review: a true MacBook alternative at last
http://www.slashgear.com/razer-blade-stealth-review-a-true-macbook-alternative-at-last-26429207/

4 The SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive Is Ready for the Revolution!
http://geardiary.com/2016/02/21/the-sandisk-ultra-usb-type-c-flash-drive-is-ready-for-the-revolution/

Upcoming reviews &articles @binarybound

1 Making fitness wearables and food tracking work for you
2 Skinomi® TechSkin screen protector for Apple Watch
3 Kenu Stance for iPhone