Do you know anyone with a pacemaker or defibrillator? An alarming study has demonstrated that iPhone 12’s MagSafe magnets can interfere with implanted medical devices. Adam Engst explains why the iPhone 12 isn’t the only threat and how to stay safe. Speaking of staying healthy, Adam also examines the free NOVID app, which could give you early warning of COVID-19 infections in your extended network of connections—get your friends to install it! For those who have been frustrated by poorly lit rooms, Josh Centers reviews the HomeKit-savvy Hue Lightstrips and shows how they can brighten up dark areas in your house quickly and easily. Finally, Jeff Porten wraps up the issue with news from CES, including flying cars, creepy robots, AI-based lie detection, and other tech from the future. Notable Mac app releases this week include PDFpen and PDFpenPro 12.2.2, SoundSource 5.2.1, Agenda 12, Bookends 13.5.1, and SpamSieve 2.9.42.
Since the iPhone 12 or any other consumer electronics device with strong magnets can interfere with implanted medical devices like pacemakers and defibrillators, Apple has issued more specific safety guidance.
Have a dark place in your home you’d like to light up, such as under the range in your kitchen? The HomeKit-compatible Hue Lightstrips are flexible (literally), easy to install, and bright. So, so bright.
We’re drowning in data about COVID-19—infection rates, hospitalizations, and fatalities. But none of that data can answer the question of what your personal risk of infection is. With the NOVID app—and sufficient uptake in your community—you can know just how close infections are to you.
Jeff Porten reviews some of the offerings at a perennial sideshow at CES to tell you about AI-based lie detection, another flying car you can’t have yet, and how the robot revolution may be starting with Japanese “pets.”
Watchlist
The PDF-manipulation apps receive a smattering of improvements. ($79.95/$129.95 new, free update, 88.8/136 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Updates the Audio Capture Engine to work around a macOS issue on M1-based Macs. ($39 new, free update, 23 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Date-focused note-taking app adds support for inserting tables into your notes. (Free with $24.99 premium purchase option, 64.6 MB, macOS 10.12+)
Reference management tool adds support for running on M1-based Macs. ($59.99 new, free update, 94.8 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Adds native support for M1-based Macs. ($30 new, free update, 19.5 MB, macOS 10.9+)
