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The Portrait-Mode Edition Tuesday, October 25, 2016

iOS 10.1 Adds Portrait Mode For iPhone 7 Plus, Fixes Numerous Bugs, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

The major addition in this update is the addition of Portrait mode in the Camera app for iPhone 7 Plus users. Portrait mode focuses on faces while blurring backgrounds to create a depth effect in photos.

Here’s What You Can Do With The Crazy New Portrait Mode For The iPhone 7 Plus, by Yashad Kulkarni, Romain Dillet, TechCrunch

While the feature is still in beta even after the release of iOS 10.1, it already works quite well. Our own Yashad Kulkarni (Romain is writing this) has been playing with the feature for a few weeks now. Here are some of his shots.

iOS 10.1 Portrait Mode Review: Magic In Its Imperfections, by Serenity Caldwell, iMore

Because when it comes down to it, we take photographs to capture memories. To evoke feelings. We take pictures of our animals, our kids, and our friends to freeze-frame a moment in time. And what matters most about those images is that they properly capture that emotion — unless you're into photography for the art of the craft, chances are you're not going to care if you snap a perfect "bokeh" blur behind your pet.

Apple Updates macOS Sierra To 10.12.1 With Mail, Safari, Photos Fixes, by Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider

After a month-long beta period, Apple has released the update to macOS Sierra 10.12.1 with iPhone 7 Photos compatibility fixes, Safari security enhancements, and more.

Apple Releases watchOS 3.1 With Bug Fixes, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

watchOS 3.1 focuses mainly on performance improvements and bug fixes to address issues that have popped up since the release of watchOS 3.

tvOS 10.0.1 Software Update For Apple TV Is Now Available For Everyone, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

The new version is a minor release that includes bug fixes and security improvements. A future update is expected to bring single sign-on.

For Mobile, PowerPoint Still Can't Match Apple Keynote, by Galen Gruman, InfoWorld

This is what Microsoft should be figuring out for PowerPoint. After all, when you are on the road, you're dealing with uncertain, changing environments. Apple designed for that reality; Microsoft did not.

70-year-old Grandpa Codes iPhone App To Help 27-year-old Granddaughter, by Jonathan Winslow, The Orange County Register

An Orange senior and his granddaughter have grown closer than ever thanks to an unexpected partnership developing a new app – with grandpa handling all of the programming.

Luis Guerra, 70, and Alexandra Garcia, 27, have been working for more than a year on “KliqueShare,” an app meant to streamline renting and sharing items, especially in college communities. The app, available on the iOS App Store, lets you keep track of things you’ve shared, make requests for items you need and list items that you’re willing to rent out or sell.

How Snapchat’s Sponsored Lenses Became A Money-Printing Machine, by Roni Jacobson, Backchannel

Snapchat started out as the anti-Facebook. Its vanishing messages were a breath of fresh air in an increasingly claustrophobic internet where one’s online presence was forever preserved. But the Snapchat of today is a different company. In the brief year since sponsored lenses launched, the cult of the barfing rainbow has become nothing less than the new king of advertising.

The Original iPod: A Re-review, by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

The original iPod wasn't the first MP3 player, but it's the one that will end up marking the point in history when MP3 players became all the rage. Its unique controls, playlist functionality, easy syncing ability with iTunes, and of course the iTunes Music Store helped to put the iPod and its successors into millions of hands. Even today, 10 years after its first debut, the original iPod can still function as a real, usable music player, even if it does lack the fancy touchscreen and wireless syncing capabilities of its more modern counterparts.

Stuff

Apple Replaces Support Profiles With New Tool That Only Shows Devices Signed Into Your Apple ID, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The new "Get Support" tool only lists Apple products signed into any given Apple ID, whereas the old Support Profiles page allowed customers to add additional products, including those owned by others. The change is cumbersome for families in particular, as managing multiple devices is now more difficult.

Moleskine Releases Timepage For iPad, by Jake Underwood, MacStories

Timepage on the iPad includes everything that made the iPhone version a favorite and more. It's truly a companion to Timepage for iPhone, not a scaled up version.

MyScript Nebo: The Best Note-taking App For iPad Pro And Apple Pencil, by Steven Sande, Apple World Today

To create a proper diagram, just draw shapes and text as required, then tap the shape to convert it to a well-drawn image. I was flabbergasted at just how well this works; lines are straightened, the app attempts (very well) to align rectangles, arrow-like lines become perfect arrows, and so on. Need to remove some of the objects? Tap on one to highlight it and delete or edit it.

Civilization VI Now Available For Mac Via Steam, Mac App Store Version Coming Soon, BY Juli Clover, MacRumors

Notes

On iMessage’s Stickiness, by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Apple wins by creating devices and experiences that people want to use, not that they have to use.

The New York Times Is Buying The Wirecutter For More Than $30 Million, by Peter Kafka, Recode

The Times will pay more than $30 million, including retention bonuses and other payouts, for the startup, according to people familiar with the transaction.

Brian Lam, a former editor at Gawker Media’s Gizmodo, founded The Wirecutter in 2011, and has self-funded the company’s growth.

Bottom of the Page

When I bought my first iPod, podcasts was just beginning to be a thing. Ten plus years later, managing podcasts and episodes is still not as good as it can be.

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Thanks for reading.