[From the December 12th, 2019 Wiretapped newsletter.]
We’re in the weird, annual lull where tech companies aren’t really making any news, and that’s fine. The holidays are approaching and I’m sure we’re all too busy to even pay attention to the news. But it’s my job to inform you guys, and while there wasn’t a ton of news over the past 24 hours, there are a few stories worth mentioning.
TWITTER NOW LETS YOU SHARE LIVE PHOTOS ON IOS
Remember when the iPhone 6s came out and Apple made a big deal out of pressure-sensitive Live Photos? Literally, four years later, Twitter says it’s gonna finally support sharing them on their platform as GIFs. You don’t have to do any messy conversions on your end – Twitter will handle the entire process for you. Just share the Live Photo like you would any other image on the platform.
Obviously, the feature’s only rolling out to iOS users.
BMW WILL START ROLLING OUT ANDROID AUTO NEXT YEAR
It’s been a slow crawl for car manufacturers to roll out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to their vehicles. You’d think a high-end brand like BMW would have already rolled out both technologies, but you’d be wrong. The company just announced (via The Verge) that it plans to start rolling out Android Auto to its cars in July of 2020. It’ll be bundled in version 7.0 of the company’s software which will reach all 2019 and 2020 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and 8 Series vehicles. It’ll also be available on the latest X3, X5, and X7 models. The 2020 X6 SUV will ship with the tech on board.
I don’t know how many of you own BMWs and have been waiting for Android Auto, but at least you now know you don’t have too much longer to wait.
APPLE NOW SELLS BRYDGE KEYBOARDS FOR THE IPAD
If you’ve wanted to buy a keyboard for your iPad but don’t wanna spend the money on a Smart Keyboard with little travel, there are plenty of options available. One’s from a company called Brydge who sells keyboards that emulate a laptop experience with an aluminum body, much more satisfying key travel, and a wider range of viewing angles. And now, you can buy the keyboards directly from Apple. It’s only available for the 10.2-inch and 10.5-inch iPad and iPad Air at the moment, and they both cost $129.95. I’m not sure if Apple plans to add the 11-inch and 12.9-inch Pro models, but I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything.
I’ve got a few projects I’m working on and they’re gonna eat up my time tomorrow morning, so you may not hear from me until next week. If that’s the case, have a nice weekend. Oh, and try to get some Christmas shopping done. The big day is only 13 days away!
– Your pal, Max
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