Apple has released a new USB-C Thunderbolt 3 cable that will allow you to connect your Mac to things like Apple's Pro Display XDR and external drives. The cable will definitely turn some heads because of its $129 price tag, because at first glance, it doesn't seem like anything worth writing home about. Dig into the specifications, however, and this starts to sound like one capable cable.
Remember several years ago, when streaming services like Netflix were really hitting their stride and internet TV services were starting to ramp up, how optimistic we all were about the internet being a force for change with the cable industry? "Surely once they see people flocking to these internet providers and canceling their cable subscriptions, the industry will change for the better," some of us thought back then. Remember those more encouraging days?
Apple has always discouraged the use of third-party accessories, especially those that have not been certified for its devices. Its argument has always been on the safety of devices, especially lightning cables that charge iPhones and carry data to and from the mobile device. Now it might have yet another reason to discourage such accessories as a hacker just proved how relatively easy it is to modify a Lightning cable to turn it into a tool for remotely hacking Macs.
As Disney announces its own streaming service separate from Netflix, the wave of network-owned streaming services begins. Soon we'll find that every big media provider has its own streaming service, and we'll have the opportunity to select what we want, when we want, for a fee. A fee that goes to each company, individually, every month.
In case you'd forgotten, Xfinity and Netflix are teaming up to bring the streaming service to Comcast's X1 set-top box. The partnership was announced way back in July, and at the time, neither company said when Netflix would be available on the X1. Today, Comcast announced that the nationwide roll out will begin next week.
Though still widely used, micro USB connectors aren’t exactly widely loved because of the hassles involved in connecting to them. While USB-C aims to fix that, not everyone is in the game yet, like Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Wouldn’t be nice to just have one connector for all of them? Not to mention a single USB cable as well? And wouldn’t it be great if that cable didn’t get so easily and dangerously snagged everywhere? Fortunately, the folks over at ASAP are making that wish a reality, with the extra strong magnetic ASAP x-connect cable that doesn’t really care what what your phone or tablet is or who made it.
We have talked about a guy called Benson Leung before, Leung is an engineer who worked on the Pixel C project for Google. This guy took the task upon himself to cruise listings for USB Type-C cables being sold online and to test if the cables comply with the specifications set out by the USB Implementers Forum. The problem with cables that don’t follow these specifications is that they can damage your device.
If you've been struggling to get online today, a widespread Comcast outage might be to blame, though the cable provider claims a restoration is underway. Subscribers across the US reported issues with their Comcast connection from early this morning, with complaints that both internet and premium cable channels weren't playing ball.
Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming the FCC would soon propose a change involving set top boxes, and such a proposal was indeed made public today. According to the FCC, “Ninety-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers are chained to their set-top boxes because cable and satellite operators have locked up the market.” If the commission gets its way, its proposal will save consumers money currently spent on leasing boxes from providers, and will open the doors for more consumer options.
Today the folks at PhotoFast have revealed a 1-meter USB/Lightning cable for iPhone that also acts as a flash drive. Storage is located on the cord itself (in one end or the other) at 128GB, locally. This cord and its companion app have the ability to be locked using USB lock, App Lock, and Lightning lock - with Touch ID support included.
Sling TV was arguably the brightest light in cable-cutters' eyes, at least when it launched earlier this year. The service is an Internet-only online live TV streaming service from Dish Network, and it -- despite some hiccups -- has largely enjoyed success. The service works by breaking content up into packages: there's one core package that costs $20/month, and additional packages priced at $5/month (with a couple exceptions) that aggregates similar channels. The service is everything cable isn't, and now its provoking has earned a reaction.
Today a rumor suggests that Netflix will be the first place Disney's Lucasfilm will bring a live action TV show. Originally rumored for release on cable television back in 2009, this television show is one of several that may just herald the end of the traditional cable TV era. If Disney does bring a collection of Star Wars live action episodic shows to the world via Netflix instead of cable television, it'll most certainly be another nail in the coffin of the traditional model. And we've got Kimmy Schmidt to thank.