O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: electronics

  • Rumor: Target could implement in-store Apple Pay support in near future

    After years of waiting, there are signs that Target may launch official support for Apple Pay at its stores in the near future.

    The technology is already working at the Metreon location in San Francisco, some posters on Twitter have claimed. Another noted that while they didn’t try Apple Pay, they were able to use a contactless card, which only works with NFC-enabled terminals.

    For years, Target has resisted both Apple Pay and NFC-based mobile payment options at its stores. While shoppers can use Apple Pay in the Target iOS app, its retail locations have only allowed a scannable barcode in the app.

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  • Trump administration looks to carry out electronics travel ban from six Muslim-majority countries

    The travel ban now applies to some devices coming into the U.S. from some flights.

    The Trump administration has banned devices larger than a smartphone in the passenger cabin of flights coming to the U.S. from several airports in Muslim-dominant countries. The ban restricts iPads and other tablets, Kindle ebook readers, notebooks, and other larger electronic devices to checked luggage over terrorism concerns.

    The policy was announced earlier this week and covers direct flights to the U.S. from Cairo, Istanbul, Kuwait City, Doha, Casablanca, Amman, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Specific airlines includes in the ban include Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways.

    At present, the airlines have until Friday to comply with the electronics ban.

    No specific terrorist threat has been cited by the Trump administration, although it’s been thought that militants may want to disguise bombs in electronic devices. Representatives from the administration have stated that the electronics ban isn’t related to the controversial travel ban being pushed forward regarding the six nations with Muslim-majority populations. These countries presently include Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

    It’s also been noted that a similar electronics ban being carried out in the U.K. was triggered from intelligence gathered during a U.S. raid in Yemen earlier this year.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and Reuters

  • iPhone 6 mock-ups show up in Hong Kong

    iPhone6-HongKong

    The iPhone rumors and speculation are hitting a fever pitch as demonstrated at the 2014 Hong Kong Electronics Fair. The expo is billed as Asia’s largest spring fair that highlights a variety of products from OEMs and aftermarket vendors. Several case and accessory makers are already advertising items for the yet unseen iPhone 6, and as shown in the image above, and not afraid to advertise the fact on banners and displays.

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  • Review: First impressions of Pebble 2.0 and the appstore

    pebble-ios-7I’ve had a few days to work with the updated 2.0 firmware on the Pebble smartwatch and the updated iOS app which now features the new appstore. As far as app and watch face management go, the new iOS app is a huge improvement, but the appstore component still needs a bit of work. If you want to see a video about setting up a Pebble with the new iOS app plus a look at the new Pebble Steel (still saving up for mine), head over to the Apple Core where Jason O’Grady does an unboxing walk-through with Pebble’s latest product.

    Hit the break for the rest of my look at the software side of the Pebble.

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  • Holiday gift round-up: Part 1

    Christmas-GiftIt’s that time of year again, when everyone is scrambling to fill their gift giving list for the holidays, and for those that have tech geeks in their family or other circles, it is getting more and more difficult to find that perfect gift. Thankfully it is also the time when every magazine and blog is posting their holiday gift guides, and the PowerPage is no exception. So here then are 10 or so items that aren’t crazy expensive, culled from other gift guides or my own product wish list, that offer a nice range of items and that I wouldn’t mind seeing under the tree (if I didn’t have it already).

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