Dennis Sellers

<p>Rocket Internet Venture and the largest online retailer for Latin America, Linio, observing that the price for the same tech items varied significantly from country to country, even in neighboring states, conducted the 2017 Tech Price Index in order to better understand this worldwide phenomenon. </p>

<p>Apple’s “iPhone 8” will feature “the highest level of dust and water resistance,” reports the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20170112000659" rel="noopener noreferrer">Korea Herald</a>, quoting unnamed “multiple sources.” The upcoming smartphone will purportedly sport an IP68 rating, the highest level of weather protection that can handle submersion for 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of water. </p>

<p>The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reopened the never-ending Apple lawsuit accusing Samsung of copying the iPhone's design, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.law360.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Law360</a>. This comes just over a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Samsung may not have to pay all its profits from the smartphones found to infringe Apple’s design patents.</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/12/apple-boosts-tvos-app-size-limit-to-4gb" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider,</a> Apple has changed its App Store policy, increasing the size limit of tvOS app bundles from 200MB to 4GB.</p>

<p>I use iCloud Calendar. Some time ago, I added my LinkedIn account to macOS Sierra. Then I noticed that Calendar showed not only the birthdays from my contacts (which I want to happen), but also all the birthdays from my 600+ LinkedIn connections. Sorry, LinkedIn pals, but I don’t want this.</p>

<p>Apple is never going to support Blu-ray playback on the Mac (the company wants you to buy/rent movies on iTunes), which is bad for those of us who are Blu-ray fans. </p>

<p><em>Consumer Reports</em> <a href="http://www.consumerreports.org/apple/consumer-reports-now-recommends-macbook-pros/">has released an updated report</a> on the 2016 MacBook Pro, and is now recommending the laptop following retesting. In the new test, conducted running a beta version of macOS that fixes the Safari-related bug that caused erratic battery life in the original test, all three MacBook Pro models "performed well." </p>

<p>The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that iPhone app purchasers may sue Apple over allegations that the company monopolized the market for iPhone apps by not allowing users to purchase them outside the Apple App Store, leading to higher prices, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-court-idUSKBN14W2VH" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>. </p>

<p>Twelve South has released the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/relaxedleather-for-iphone" rel="noopener noreferrer">RelaxedLeather</a>, its first shell case for iPhone 7. This leather case boasts hand burnishing along the edges and corners, while delivering protection for your Apple smartphone.</p>

<p>Matrox has announced availability of the next generation of Matrox’s H.264 AV-over-IP portfolio, the <a href="http://newsletter.newsletters.matrox.com/emailmarketer/link.php?M=6225544&N=2880&L=2571&F=H">Matrox Maevex 6100 quad encoder card</a>. Delivering quad 4K input capture, the Maevex 6100 also offers multiple encodes, variable bitrates, and a broad choice of protocols, allowing simultaneous streaming and recording of four or more channels. Contact Matrox for pricing.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonnettech.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sonnet Technologies</a> has launched its first Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion systems, the Echo Express SEL — Thunderbolt 3 Edition and the Echo Express SE I — Thunderbolt 3 Edition.</p>

<p>Lisa Jackson — Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives — has been named to a new advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Transportation to unify and regulate the introduction of automated vehicles to U.S. highways, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/12/apple-svp-lisa-jackson-named-as-member-of-new-us-dot-automated-vehicle-committee" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>.</p>

<p>Synology has launched the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.synology.com/products/RT2600ac" rel="noopener noreferrer">RT2600ac</a>, a high-speed, security-focused router designed for multiple users. In addition, VPN Plus has been released so users of the Synology router can implement an on-premises VPN solution.</p>

<p>Future AirPods might track your heart rate and more, then transmit the data to an Apple Watch or iPhone. Apple has been granted a patent (number 20170010858) for a “sports monitoring system for headphones, earbuds, and/or headsets.” </p>

<p>Apple plans to build a significant new business in original television shows and movies, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-sets-its-sights-on-hollywood-with-plans-for-original-content-1484217007" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Wall Street Journal reports</em></a>, in a move that could make it a bigger player in Hollywood and offset slowing sales of iPhones and iPads.</p>