Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has posted a "How to get the most from HomePod” tutorial with instructions on how to take full advantage of the features of the company’s wireless speaker. There are tips on such functions as talking to Siri, controlling home accessories, Personal Requests, and more.</p>

<p>There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of Feb. 12-17.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus as my compadre, Steve, is down with a stomach bug. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.everquote.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">EverQuote, Inc.</a>, am insurance marketplace in the U.S., has released data on the impact of Apple's <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/10/4/how-to-manually-implement-do-not-disturb-mode-in-ios-11?rq=Do%20Not%20Disturb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do Not Disturb (DND) While Driving feature</a> in iOS 11 on the driving behavior of EverQuote's growing community of 500,000-plus <a target="_blank" href="https://www.everquote.com/everdrive/" rel="noopener noreferrer">EverDrive</a> users. EverDrive is a free app designed to facilitate safe driving. It shows you you trip summaries, details on maneuvers, and gives you “useful feedback to become a better driver.”</p>

<p>Mobile payment and digital wallet service, Apple Pay was first introduced to Sweden, Denmark and Finland in the fourth quarter of 2017. Now, in a move to make this new technology available to its 5,000+ Nordic merchants, Danish acquirer <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clearhaus.com%2F&esheet=51759471&newsitemid=20180216005214&lan=en-US&anchor=Clearhaus&index=2&md5=3d80a292cffdae57a6182116a535434a">Clearhaus</a> has added support for payments made with Apple Pay.</p>

<p>That’s gotta hurt. Apple employees keep “smacking” into the glass at the company’s Apple Park “spaceship headquarters,” reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-16/apple-s-new-spaceship-campus-has-one-flaw-and-it-hurts" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>.</p>

<p>iDevices has released the <a target="_blank" href="https://store.idevicesinc.com/idevices-instant-switch/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instant Switch</a>, a $34.95remote wireless wall switch that users can pair with their iDevices products via Bluetooth technology for smart home control. </p>

<p>St. Clair Software's <a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/2gm24v" rel="noopener noreferrer">Default Folder X</a> is on my list of must-have Mac utilities. The app lets you access the contents of your recent, favorite, and open folders right from Default Folder X's toolbar. </p>

<p>Apple continues to show its interest in health/fitness technology with the filing of a patent (number 20180042556) for a “vital signs monitoring system.” Such a system would seem to work with the company’s HealthKit and ResearchKit products.</p>

<p>The HomePod offers news briefs from a variety of news sources to help keep you up to date.</p>

<p>A friend of mine turned me onto a video on YouTube that insisted that you listen while wearing headphones and insisted that you keep your eyes shut throughout the presentation. I couldn't believe it; I was treated to surround sound using a pair of stereo headsets!</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/services/daas-for-apple.html?jumpid=in_r12012_us/en/shared/device_as_a_service_v2/introducing-daas-for-apple-learn-more" rel="noopener noreferrer">HP has expanded</a> its Device as a Service (DaaS) to now offer Apple devices such as: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It’s designed to provide a one-stop solution that combines Apple hardware and HP lifecycle services “to make your company more efficient, improve the employee experience, and free up IT resources.”</p>

<p>Apple has updated its Shazam app, the popular music recognition app that’s used by more than 100 million people each month to identify music, get song lyrics, and more. The company has added lyric syncing, better search results display, and a new track menu that provides access to the info the Shazam service offers.</p>

<p>Apple has renewed <em>Carpool Karaoke: The Series</em> for a second season, CBS CEO Les Moonves announced this afternoon, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/apple-renews-carpool-karaoke-second-season-1085314" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em></a>. It’s available to Apple Music subscribers.</p>

<p>According to the latest research from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, global smartphone revenues hit an all-time high of $120 billion during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017. Apple captured a record 51 percent global smartphone revenue share, accounting for more than the rest of the entire industry combined.</p>