citpeks

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citpeks
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  • EU backs down, won't force Apple to open iMessage to rivals

    citpekscitpeks
    bala1234 said:
    chasm said:
    Apple and Google adopting the (improved) future RCS standard will be great news for everyone, since it will improve security when Apple and Android devices “talk” as well as bringing media sharing up to par across platforms and apps. Hopefully WhatsApp and others will adopt it as well, as seems likely.

    I predict that Android users’ messages will still be an unattractive colour on iMessage, but at least for once they’ll be safe and we won’t have to worry about what info we’re sending those people. :smile: 

    I don't think encryption part of what Apple promised at least initially...

    Apple said that it would be implementing RCS based on the GSMA's standards, and working with it (not Google) to add encryption to the standard.

    Not using Google's extension, which, as it stands, is how it's being achieved.

    So, unless some deal gets hashed out, whereby the GSMA adopts Google's extension as part of the standard, or Google adopts whatever the GSMA and Apple cook up (no pun intended), it will be only be a partial "win" for all those clamoring for Apple to adopt RCS.

    It may bring the other features, but not encryption, and Apple has said that RCS bubbles will still not be blue, for those who care about that kind of idiocy.
    bala1234watto_cobra

  • Don't try to sneak an Apple Vision Pro into Germany, the import cops will nab you

    citpekscitpeks
    Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained a few weeks ago after arriving in Germany, to make sure he paid the taxes on fancy watch (he's a big Audemars Piguet fan).

    The German tax men don't mess around.

    But, oddly enough, one can hop straight onto public transit in a city like Munich without ever having to pass through a fare gate.  It relies almost entirely on the honor system.

    One would only be caught not paying the fare if they happen upon one of the random checks by police.
    watto_cobraAlex1N

  • Apple, Visa, Mastercard face lawsuit over high merchant fees

    citpekscitpeks
    eightzero said:
    Sorta not following here, since Apple Pay works fine with both Amex and Discover. 

    What I do see is a resurgence of merchants adding credit card fees, and they are excessive. 3% credit card fees are now common, and there is no way any but the smallest of merchants are charged that much. One of the more entertaining (?) instances of this is at the Ford delarship where I was changed a 3% credit card fee at the service department that was not disclosed until after the service work was completed. I asked if this fee would still apply to the "Ford Rewards" credit card, their own branded "FordPass Rewards" Visa card - and it does. So...if you get their "rewards" card, you give it right back to them at the PoS. Nice. 

    Are you sure that Ford dealer didn't disclose that before you committed to the service?

    Credit card surcharges weren't permitted until a class action settlement in 2013.  They have been since then, but are subject to conditions, one of which is upfront disclosure.

    This is what Visa says in their FAQ:
    Am I required to disclose the surcharge to my customers?

    Yes. U.S. merchants that surcharge must disclose the surcharge as a separate charge on the consumer's transaction receipt. In addition, disclosures indicating that a merchant outlet assesses a surcharge on credit card purchases must be posted at the point of entry and point of sale/transaction.

    But all these parties have given themselves lots of wiggle room, based on nuance ("Surcharge," "Cash discount," "Convenience fee" and so on…), including the government, where paying by card can involve an additional fee.  It also varies by state law.

    muthuk_vanalingamronnwatto_cobra

  • Senator's paranoia opens door for Apple to speak out on government censorship

    citpekscitpeks
    hexclock said:
    rob53 said:
    People simply don’t understand how much (spying) access governments have. Every country spies on every other country. Every country spies on its own citizens. We can try to stop it but never will. 
    Exactly. Didn’t we just learn that AT&T, in conjunction with law enforcement, and with funding from the White House, has been performing surveillance on millions of Americans for over a decade now? 
     

    Room 641A was revealed back in 2006.

    What can be gathered through push notifications is up for argument, but what isn't is the lengths governments will go to to spy on their own citizens.  Including free democracies like the U.S., Britain, and other members of the "Five Eyes."  It's not just reserved for dictatorial countries and other "evildoers."

    But, the author has probably been conditioned and desensitized to this kind of thing.  His government is considering forcing users to submit facial scans to watch porn, no?

    And would that be captured, pre- or post- "O-face?"  Maybe both for to improve the reliability of the data. :D

    beowulfschmidttimpetusdarkvader

  • iPhone 15 Pro review three months later: Worth every penny

    citpekscitpeks
    Anyone else notice what looks like excess glue squeezed out into the rightmost microphone portal in the second photo?
    darkvaderwilliamlondon