Slade Watkins

  • iOS 17.4 Really Only Contains Changes for EU DMA, Some Other Goodies Are Here, Though

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    There’s some new emoji, of course, but most of the new changes in iOS 17.4 Beta 3 — which was seeded to Public Beta testers today, and Developers on the Developer Beta track not long before that — are EU-specific.

    From MacRumors:

    The iOS 17.4 […] [beta] introduce a whole slew of changes for users in the European Union, allowing for alternative app stores and alternative payment methods.

    There are new options for choosing a default browser, NFC has been opened up to banks and other financial institutions, and browsers aren’t mandated to use WebKit.

    None of those features are coming to the US or any other territories besides EU member countries, though.

    However, Stolen Device Protection, new emoji, and transcripts in Apple Podcasts are included worldwide, so there’s that. My guess is most of the engineering efforts are on EU DMA compliance and iOS 18 now… Apple’s WWDC is imminent (June), and they usually have things ready to go by mid-to-late April/early May.

  • You Look Up International Shipping Laws *Once* on Google, You Get Ads for Customs on Twitter

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    https://twitter.com/SladeWatkins/status/1757842685061140705

    In “Twitter is really creepy” news, this happened. To be honest, I’m not sure how they get away with this. They’re not supposed to be allowed to pull from your web history or anything if you have the inferred identity and analytics permissions stuff turned off. My guess is that, like many things at Twitter, that feature is broken. Probably intentionally. And even if it wasn’t intentional, it’s not like they’d be willing to fix it: they don’t really have the manpower to do so.

    Sigh. I hate that website.

  • “Cobalt”, Video Downloader that Doesn’t Suck Eggs

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    Discovered this entirely by accident, Cobalt[.tools] is a video downloader for several services that isn’t a piece of shit (to put it nicely). No ads, no monetization, just a clean website that does what it says on the tin.

    Here’s what it supports, according to the developer:

    • bilibili
    • Instagram reels, posts & stories
    • OK.ru
    • Pinterest videos & stories
    • reddit videos & gifs
    • RuTube videos
    • SoundCloud
    • Streamable.com
    • Tiktok videos, photos & audio
    • Tumblr
    • Twitch Clips
    • Twitter Videos/Voice
    • Vimeo
    • Vine
    • VK video & clips
    • YouTube vids, shorts & music

  • Vision Pro Apps Surpass 1,000, says Greg “Joz” Joswiak

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    Joz from Apple said on Twitter tonight that “apps designed specifically for Vision Pro” have surpassed 1,000. The company previously said just a couple weeks ago that there were 600 when the product initially launched at the beginning of this month. [h/t to MacRumors]

  • Get Infinite Money in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom With This Glitch

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    Well, this one’s an interesting glitch. From GamingReinvented:

    • Complete the Great Sky Island without collecting any materials
    • Get the Hylian Shield (or alternatively, any shield with a price value)
    • Speak to a shopkeeper
    • Say you’ll sell them items
    • You’ll end up in the shield tab
    • So just sell them the shield! It won’t disappear from the inventory, so you can just repeat until you’re rich

    In other words, not collecting ANY materials and any shield that has a value in Rupees completely breaks the game and nets you infinite Rupees. Try it out! My money’s on Nintendo patching this relatively soon, though. (No pun intended.)

  • Everyone’s Convinced ‘The Simpsons’ “Predicted” Apple Vision Pro A Few Years Ago

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    I mean, it’s eerily similar, for sure. But like the many other “predictions” the show has made, including the Trump presidency, I am about 99.9% certain that this is just a coincidence. The other .1%, though…well, I’m not so sure. Perhaps Matt Groening and company are time travelers. We’ll never know.

  • Apple Says Installed Bases Has Surpassed 2.2 Billion Active Devices

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    Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said (emphasis mine):

    “We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments.”

    That’s impressive for Apple! Although for context, Android has over 3 billion active devices total across all device types and countries. Apple’s growing!

  • My Favorite Weather App, CARROT, is Available on Apple Vision Pro Now

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    A few years ago, I discovered a weather app so sassy that I just had to have it. That app was CARROT. I got my friends on it and everything. We have a Discord channel dedicated to just sharing some of the unhinged crap the sentient app bot spits out at us. It has even spawned some absolutely hilarious inside jokes for my friends and I, too! We love it!

    Well, the developer behind it has brought it to Apple Vision Pro, and it’s really nicely designed. It is worth checking out, even if you don’t have an Apple Vision Pro! It’s just that pretty!

    Also, download CARROT. You won’t regret it. Such a good weather app!

  • The Bulletin Returns Next Week!

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    Powered by the lovely folks at ConvertKit, The Bulletin makes its triumphant return as a production of Slade’s Corner. The Bulletin is my weekly newsletter where I talk about some of what I worked on the previous week, include links to said things (if they’re released), provide music recommendations AND throw in some interesting stuff I found around the internet, too!

    You can subscribe now at bulletin.sladewatkins.net. If you were subscribed before, however, you do NOT need to subscribe again!

  • Apple Vision Pro Durability Test – It Survives!

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    “The Apple Vision Pro headset is made of heavy materials like aluminum and glass…so how does this affect bumps and drops while wearing the device? Here’s an in-depth durability and drop test to see how it holds up!”

    It did quite well, all things considered! I’m very impressed that, despite being a first-gen with some obvious inherent quirks that come with that, it’s still fully functional after getting absolutely hulk smashed by Sam. Do be careful with your $3,500 USD purchase, though. As the almighty JerryRigEverything says, “Glass is glass and glass breaks.”