How to Stop Receiving Beta Updates for macOS Mojave

If you signed up to test an early beta version of macOS Mojave, it’s very likely that your system hasn’t been updated to the final official release. Before your Mac can be updated to the latest stable version of Apple’s new desktop operating system, you’ll need to manually opt out of the beta program. This article shows you how.

Note that after following the simple steps below, you’ll stop receiving future beta updates for Mojave and will only be invited to install stable updates that are shipped to the general public.
Launch the Mac App Store on your Mac ( -> App Store… from the menu bar).
Type “Mojave” in the App Store search field to locate the public release of macOS, otherwise it won’t show up for you.
Click View on the result for Mojave.

Click the Get button.
You’ll be switched to the Software Update pane in System Preferences. Click Download to download Mojave when prompted, and wait for the download to complete in the Update pane, but don’t start the installation procedure just yet.

Click Details… at the bottom left of the pane.

Click Restore Defaults.
Enter your admin password when prompted and click Unlock.Now that you’ve successfully opted out of the beta program, you’re free to start the installation procedure for MacOS Mojave 10.14 that you just downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
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Apple Earns Top Spot as World’s Most Valuable Brand for Sixth Consecutive Year

Apple remained the world’s most valuable brand this year, according to Interbrand’s Best Global Brands Report for 2018. With its position at the #1 spot again, Apple has topped Interbrand’s annual rankings for the sixth consecutive year.

Apple’s brand value grew by about 15 percent and increased to $214.5 billion, up from $184.1 billion in 2017. Apple beat out Google ($155.5 billion), Amazon ($100.7 billion), Microsoft ($92.7 billion), and Coca-Cola ($66.3 billion), rounding out the top five spots. Apple and Google have remained the #1 and #2 spots for several years, and this year Amazon rose from #5 to #3 on the rankings.

“A decade after the global financial crisis, the brands that are growing fastest are those that intuitively understand their customers and make brave iconic moves that delight and deliver in new ways,” said Charles Trevail, Global Chief Executive Officer of Interbrand.

Because of this, Amazon led the Top Growing Brands category with 56 percent growth, followed by Netflix (45 percent), Gucci (30 percent), Salseforce.com (23 percent), and Louis Vuitton (23 percent). Facebook held the #1 spot as the Top Growing Brand for five years in a row, until this year, as it declined six percent and disappeared from this category.

On the main list of 100 most valuable brands, other companies include Samsung (#6), Facebook (#9), Disney (#14), Philips (#42), Netflix (#66), PayPal (#73), Spotify (#92), and Nintendo (#99).

To determine a brand’s cumulative value, Interbrand considers the financial performance of branded products products and services, the role the brand plays in purchase decisions, the brand’s competitive strength, its ability to create loyalty, and sustainability for demand and profit into the future.

Tag: Interbrand
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BBC Radio DJ Charlie Sloth Leaving Company After 10 Years, Reportedly Headed to Apple Music

BBC Radio DJ Charlie Sloth has announced this week that he is leaving the company, and according to various sources speaking to Music Business Worldwide, Sloth is headed to Apple Music. On the BBC, Sloth’s last appearance on “The Rap Show” will be on November 3.

Image via BBC News
On an Instagram post announcing his departure, Sloth said that he “seeks a new challenge,” and he will be announcing what comes next soon.

After almost 10 years of dedicating my life to BBC radio 1xtra & Radio 1 and achieving everything I set out to I’ve decided the time has come to leave the BBC and seek a new challenge.

At Apple Music, the DJ is expected to host a new worldwide show on Beats 1, while also contributing to the creation of exclusive playlists, similar to existing Beats 1 hosts. Sloth’s “Fire in the Booth” franchise is coming with him to Apple Music, since he owns the brand and licenses it to the BBC.

Fire in the Booth on BBC Radio 1Xtra features music and interviews with numerous artists, including the Wu Tang Clan, Logic, and Drake. Sloth is known for promoting the hip-hop and rap genres, so his Beats 1 radio show is expected to continue to focus on this area of music.

Sloth’s departure from the BBC to Apple Music would also be similar to Apple’s hiring of Zane Lowe in 2015, who left a job at the BBC to help steer the launch of Beats 1 radio on Apple Music. If Sloth does come on to Apple Music, the number of former BBC employees who now work for Apple Music would reach at least four known names (Sloth, Lowe, former head of music at BBC Radio 1 George Ergatoudis, and BBC 1Xtra Editor Ryan Newman) and multiple producers behind the scenes.

Tag: Apple Music
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Adobe Unveils Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2019

Adobe today released updated versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, the company’s more affordable photo and video editing software aimed at casual home users who want to improve their images and videos with easy-to-use editing tools.

Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2019 feature a new Home Screen that offers up information on what’s new since the last version, inspirational ideas, suggestions for edits to try, tutorials, and auto-generated photo and video slideshows.

The new Auto Creations feature that provides the automatic photo and video slideshows on the updated Home Screen is powered by Adobe’s Sensei AI technology.

Photoshop Elements 2019 includes revamped photo collages with new templates, frames, and backgrounds, some of which are ideal for sharing on social media, and there are a series of new guided edits that are designed to walk Elements users through different creative tasks.

A multi-photo text option guides users through creating visual text with a photo inside of each letter for creating words or names for use with scrapbooking, card making, and more, while another new guided edit teaches users how to turn photos into memes for sharing on social media.

A third guided edit is available for turning just one part of a photo into a pencil sketch, and the final new guided edit helps users embellish photos with borders and text, also ideal for social media.

In Premiere Elements, there’s a redesigned Quick Edit mode that walks users through creating movies with instructions on trimming a video, combining clips, and adding photos, titles, music, and more.

There are two new guided edit options for adding glass pane effects to a video and creating dramatic scene transitions by fading colors from darkest to lightest.

Photoshop Elements now includes support for the HEIF photos captured with the iPhone, while Premiere Elements supports HEIF, HEVC, and VFR. Both Photoshop and Premiere Elements feature faster performance for common tasks.

Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2019 are available for purchase for $99 each from the Adobe website starting today. Bundles are available for $149.99, and existing users can upgrade for $79.99 for one product or $119 for the bundle.

Tag: Adobe
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Apple Denies Report Claiming Chinese Spies Planted Microchips in iCloud Servers

Bloomberg Businessweek today reports that around three years ago, the Chinese military began inserting microchips on Supermicro server motherboards while they were being manufactured in China, providing the Chinese government with a stealth doorway into any network that used the tampered hardware.

The report cites an official who said investigators found the attack eventually affected nearly 30 companies, including Apple and Amazon, along with a major bank and government contractors in the United States.

The microchip was placed on the motherboards in a way that allowed it to inject its own code or alter the order of the instructions the CPU was meant to follow, according to the report. One government official said China’s goal was “long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks.”

No consumer data is known to have been stolen, according to the report, but the extent of the attack appears to be unclear.

Apple was a longtime Supermicro customer, with plans to order more than 30,000 of its server motherboards in two years for its global network of data centers, which power services like the App Store and Siri.

Documents seen by Businessweek show that in 2014, Apple planned to order more than 6,000 Supermicro servers for installation in 17 locations, including Amsterdam, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose, Singapore, and Tokyo, plus 4,000 servers for its existing North Carolina and Oregon data centers. Those orders were supposed to double, to 20,000, by 2015.

The report claims Apple had around 7,000 of the motherboards in its data centers when its security team came across the microchips.

Apple reportedly discovered the suspicious chips on the motherboards around May 2015, after detecting odd network activity and firmware problems. Two senior Apple insiders were cited as saying the company reported the incident to the FBI, but kept details about what it had detected tightly held.

The insiders cited in the report said in the summer of 2015, a few weeks after Apple identified the malicious chips, the company started removing all Supermicro servers from its data centers. Every one of the 7,000 or so Supermicro servers was replaced in a matter of weeks, according to one of the insiders.

In a strongly-worded statement, Apple denied Bloomberg Businessweek’s report:

Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple. Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them. We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg’s story relating to Apple.

On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, “hardware manipulations” or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.

In response to Bloomberg’s latest version of the narrative, we present the following facts: Siri and Topsy never shared servers; Siri has never been deployed on servers sold to us by Super Micro; and Topsy data was limited to approximately 2,000 Super Micro servers, not 7,000. None of those servers has ever been found to hold malicious chips.

As a matter of practice, before servers are put into production at Apple they are inspected for security vulnerabilities and we update all firmware and software with the latest protections. We did not uncover any unusual vulnerabilities in the servers we purchased from Super Micro when we updated the firmware and software according to our standard procedures.

We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg’s reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously-reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a single Super Micro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple.

While there has been no claim that customer data was involved, we take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate.

Apple has always believed in being transparent about the ways we handle and protect data. If there were ever such an event as Bloomberg News has claimed, we would be forthcoming about it and we would work closely with law enforcement. Apple engineers conduct regular and rigorous security screenings to ensure that our systems are safe. We know that security is an endless race and that’s why we constantly fortify our systems against increasingly sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals who want to steal our data.

Supermicro said it remains unaware of any such investigation, while Amazon denied having any knowledge of a supply chain compromise. Chinese officials did not directly address the report, stating that “supply chain safety in cyberspace is an issue of common concern, and China is also a victim.”

However, in addition to the three Apple insiders, the report says four of six U.S. officials confirmed that Apple was a victim.

Apple did acknowledge a 2016 incident in which it discovered an infected driver on a single Supermicro server in one of its labs. Apple said that one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack.

Early last year, The Information reported that Apple cut ties with Supermicro in 2016 after unearthing a security vulnerability in at least one of its servers, which seems to be the incident that Apple is referring to in its statement. Apple has since moved on to other server suppliers, including ZT Systems and Inspur.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: China
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Disney has created an autonomous paint-spraying drone for some reason

The folks at Disney Research get to work on a lot of fun stuff. From a so-called Force Jacket for heightened virtual reality experiences to a human-sized acrobatic robot, the team experiments with a range of offbeat ideas that sometimes lead to further development.

Somewhat curiously, the latest idea to emerge from its workshop seems to have more to do with maintenance work than entertainment.

The PaintCopter, as its name suggests, is a paint-spraying drone, though admittedly a rather clever one as it can apply specific designs to 3D objects as well as flat surfaces. The idea is that by painting surfaces using an unmanned aerial vehicle, we’ll be able to do away with the need for scaffolding, saving time and improving safety in the process.

Instead of a battery, the quadcopter —  a modified DJI Matrice 100 — receives power via a cord attached to a source on the ground so it can stay in the air till the paint job is complete. Likewise, instead of loading the drone with heavy containers full of paint, the machine receives the liquid from a tube connected to a large container back on the ground. The paint is applied to the target area via a nozzle fixed to the front of the drone.

But it’s not just a case of sending the drone up and hitting the spray button. Disney Research’s technology means the drone can carry out its task autonomously. So, before the painting begins, the drone’s cameras map the target area as part of the preparation process. Using the collected data, the designer can then program how they want the paint to be applied, which could be a general “fill,” or something more detailed such as line drawings.

As you can see from the video, those line-drawing skills clearly need honing, but overall the technology appears to function pretty effectively.

It’s not clear if Disney has plans to one day use the technology to touch up some of its aging theme park attractions as and when required, or to market the system for commercial use. The design is nevertheless the latest example of the potential of drones to transform a number of industries.

Disney Research’s drone brings to mind Aerone’s huge multi-rotor flying machine used for cleaning wind turbines. Like Disney’s contraption, it has a hose for spraying liquid, and receives its power from a source on the ground.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 7 ambitious DARPA projects that could revolutionize the armed forces
• 7 amazing anti-drone technologies designed to swat UAVs out of the sky
• Explore the deep blue sea with these awesome underwater drones
• This quadcopter is a ‘flying battery’ that can stay in the sky for 2 hours
• Engineered sand could remove nasty toxins to produce drinkable water

Twitter’s new Data Saver feature does what it says on the tin

If you’re on Twitter and like to have full control over data usage on your smartphone, then a new Data Saver mode will be of interest.

Introduced as part of an iOS and Android update on Wednesday. You can access it by tapping on your profile picture, then Settings, and finally Data Usage. At the top of the page you’ll see the Data Saver option, which you enable by tapping.

Data Saver prevents videos from autoplaying and loads lower-quality images. Should you want to see a particular image in higher resolution, you simply tap on the picture, then on the three dots at the top right of the display, and finally on “load high quality.”

If you happen to be on a restricted or low-data plan, Data Saver is a surefire way to keep your Twitter data down and, if you’re a particularly heavy user of the social media app, perhaps give you some peace of mind toward the end of the month.

Data Saver makes the app a little more like Twitter Lite, the bare-bones version of Twitter built for developing markets where data caps and slow connections can be more of an issue for users. In fact, should data — and storage for that matter — be an issue for you, then the so-called “lite” versions of apps are the way to go, if you can get hold of them. Twitter Lite, for example, uses less than 1MB of storage, and minimizes data usage via a number of data saving features.

Twitter’s latest update also makes a few other changes, including a simpler way to manage who’s in your group messages, improvements to how people interact with polls using VoiceOver, and improved labels for certain types of ads.

Whether you’re a long-time Twitter user or just getting started, Digital Trends has some great ideas on how to get the most out of the microblogging app, how to save tweets using its bookmarking tool, suggestions for accounts to follow, and, if you really must, how to change your Twitter name. Alternatively, if it’s been invading your life and you want to take back control, here’s how to delete your Twitter account.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s Datally now adds ‘Emergency bank,’ ‘Bedtime mode’ features
• Worried about extra data charges? Here’s how to check your usage on an iPhone
• We tried Visible’s $40 unlimited data plan for two weeks to see how it fares
• Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Facebook team up on new data transfer project
• When we run out of room for data, scientists want to store it in DNA

Can I install an IR receiver on my Raspberry Pi 3 B+?

Best answer: Absolutely! A Raspberry Pi can make for a great media center computer, so attaching some sort of interface for a remote is a must. The good news is that there are several ways to get it done, and none of them are expensive. For most people, the best and easiest way is to use a FLIRC USB Universal Remote Control Receiver.

Amazon: FLIRC USB Universal Remote Control Receiver ($23)

Works with any remote on any computer

OK, so the FLIRC USB Receiver isn’t a “regular” IR receiver you would wire in, so why is it our best answer? Because it’s even better for almost everyone.

You’ll probably be wanting a way to use a remote control with your Raspberry Pi to use with media center software like KODI. That means the important part is that you can use a good, full-function remote to watch your movies and shows; not how the signal zaps from your hand to the enclosure the Raspberry Pi is in. And that’s where the FLIRC Receiver shines.

It’s compatible with almost every remote you can buy, including super-functional models like the Harmony 650 and it’s simple to set up. You plug it into a computer and run the setup software (and yes there is software you can run on the Linux-based OS you have on your Raspberry Pi as well as Windows and Mac) and walk through a few steps to tell the receiver what you’re doing with it and what remote you’re using. Then, it just works.

If you’re looking for a way to use a good remote with your raspberry Pi-based media center PC, the FLIRC USB Universal Remote Control Receiver is the best way to do it.

A DIY option

Maybe you need an actual IR diode for a different sort of project, like a controller for an RC car. Or you could just be one of those folks who love to do-it-yourself. We have you covered, too. The Geekworm IR Control Kit for Raspberry Pi includes a control board you connect to the GPIO pin header and a companion remote. The board has an IR receiver, IR transmitter, and two buttons that can be programmed through the GPIO on your Raspberry Pi.

It works as-is with LIRC if you want to use it as a media center remote, and you can also use it to receive commands via IR then pass IR commands to another device or send IR commands when the buttons are pressed manually or virtually through software. If you would rather tinker or need an IR receiver for a different project, this is what you want.

Our pick

FLIRC USB Universal Remote Control Receiver

$23 at Amazon

Works with everything

The FLIRC USB Universal Remote Control Receiver was designed to make it easy to use a full-featured remote with your media center PC, no matter what operating system you’re using. It works great with the Raspberry PI and everything is literally plug-and-play. It doesn’t get any easier.

A must have

Harmony 650 Universal Remote

$39 at Amazon

Still the best

The Harmony 650 Universal Remote isn’t the companies latest product but it’s still one of its best. And it works perfectly with the FLIR USB Remote Control Receiver.

DIY pick

Geekworm IR Control Kit for Raspberry Pi

$10 at Amazon

It does everything

Like most Raspberry Pi control boards, the Geekworm IR Control board can do a lot of different things. You can use it to control your media center, or get fancy and use a Raspberry Pi as the brain in youe next Battlebot. This was built for the D-I-Yer in you.

Which Android phones are compatible with the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro?

Best answer: Any Android phone running Android OS 4.4 (KitKat) or later, with 1.5GB of RAM is compatible with the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro.

Amazon: Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro ($145)

Many modern Android phones can connect to Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

If you have any of the big-name phones, like any of Google’s Pixels, every Samsung Galaxy S phone since the S3, LG’s latest, and so on, it’ll work with the Gear Fit2 Pro. All you need is a Bluetooth connection and the Gear app, which you can download from the Google Play Store (or the Galaxy Apps store on your Samsung device).

With that being said, features and models may vary by region and carrier.

If your phone doesn’t support the Gear Fit2 Pro because of RAM or OS requirements, you simply won’t be able to download the Gear app.

If, however, you have a newer phone, but it runs on Android Go, you won’t be able to use the Gear Fit2 Pro, as these phones often have less than 1GB of RAM.

Other options

At this point, you should almost definitely be running an Android OS later than KitKat, but if you aren’t or your phone has less than 1.5GB of RAM, then you may want to consider another tracker.

I recommend the Xiaomi Mi Band 3, which is inexpensive, waterproof to 50m, features a heart rate monitor, and costs less than $40. Plus, the app is relatively simple and should be able to run on just about any Android phone at this point.

Our pick

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

$145 at Amazon

Fitness tracking with smartwatch features.

The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is an excellent tool to help you toward all of your fitness and weight loss goals. It’s compatible with most modern phones and offers a great feature set that goes above and beyond a simple fitness tracker.

For older phones

Xiaomi Mi Band 3

$40 on Amazon

Run it on any phone.

If you have a phone that runs an OS released earlier than KitKat, or an Android phone with little RAM, the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is a good alternative. It’s inexpensive, gets the job done, and its app is simple.

Add a refurbished original Amazon Echo to your home for just $60 today

An oldie but a goodie.

If you don’t need the latest and greatest, and just want a great deal, you won’t want to miss this deal. Amazon has dropped the price on a certified refurbished Echo down to just $59.99 for today only, which is $20 cheaper than it’s been selling for.

Amazon has already released a newer version of this smart speaker, but if you’re just looking for a great value this is the way to go. It gives you access to all of Alexa’s great features, like the ability to answer questions, control smart home accessories, and more.

Amazon says the certified refurbished Echo has been tested and will look and work like new. You can pick one up in your choice of black or white, and at this price, you won’t want to miss out.

See at Amazon