Future iPhones, iPads and Macs may serve as smoke detectors to provide security for homes and offices. Apple has filed for a patent (number 9,123,221) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for “wireless device networks with smoke detection capabilities.”
According to the patent filing, and iOS or OS X device may use a built-in smoke detector may use the smoke detector to monitor for the presence of smoke. If it detects smoke, the iPhone, iPad or Mac could issue an alert or take other “suitable action.”
Short and sweet news blast from the AWT News Update:
- Android Wear smartwatches are now compatible with iPhones… at least ONE, that is
- OS X El Capitan beta version 8 ships to developers (and public beta version 6 goes to the rest of the beta testers)
- Apple Camp will now become a year-round educational fun spot for kids
- The University of Oklahoma becomes the first university to go campus-wide with Apple Pay
The text version of this podcast can be found below.
Saturday, August 29, 2015, around 5 PM MT
OK.
I’m sitting at a bar in the middle of the Winter Park resort in Colorado and I’ve had a bit to drink. But I think I’ve found the killer Apple Watch app (at least when you’re drunk): Shazam.
Now you have to understand that my musical tastes run to the odd extremes of 60-80’s rock and classical, mixed in with a little classic jazz. But when I hear music that I like I tend to reach for the iPhone and try to figure out what’s playing. Or I should say I DID reach for the iPhone – now I’m using Shazam on the Apple Watch.
It works beautifully, perhaps because the Watch is designed to listen to what YOU are saying or hearing, and that’s what Shazam wants to do — listen to what the music you’re hearing. But I am serious — the Watch Shazam app does a much better job of “hearing” music than either my iPad or my iPhone 6 Plus, and within seconds I know not only what group is playing, but I can follow along with the lyrics, as lame as they may be.
The other good thing about Shazam for the Watch? It’s very easy to just act like you’re checking the time or reading a message, when you’re actually trying to find out that it’s Habits by Tove Lo that’s playing… when you’re not supposed to like that kind of music when you’re pushing 58 years old.
If you’re already a Shazam fan, this is THE reason to buy an Apple Watch.
