One week with Apple’s CarPlay

Pretend your awful stock car system doesn’t exist with Apple’s casted interface.

Banish your car's stock infotainment system to the background with CarPlay. (credit: Ron Amadeo)

If you buy a car today, it will probably come with some kind of touchscreen computer onboard. These are basically embedded tablet computers that run some kind of operating system, but rather than coming from Apple, Google, or Microsoft, the software comes from car manufacturers and their suppliers. Car companies don't have a ton of experience when it comes to software, so the integrated computers generally aren't designed very well. They also never have the app ecosystem we've come to expect from smartphones and tablets, so it's no surprise that many people still prefer using their smartphones over the in-car option.

Traditional software companies are getting a foothold in cars, though. We already reviewed Android Auto, and recently we got to spend some time with Apple's CarPlay. CarPlay seeks to combine the benefits of the in-car system—namely the big, bright touchscreen—with the design, apps, and functionality of iOS. Plug an iPhone into a supported vehicle and the stock infotainment system will go away while the iPhone beams an iOS-style interface to the car screen. From our time with CarPlay, this system appears built from the ground up for computing on the go, with an easy-to-use, safety-focused UI, a heavy emphasis on voice commands, and a sliver of the huge iOS app ecosystem.

To run CarPlay in your vehicle, you'll need a compatible car (Apple has a list here) or an aftermarket radio. Phone-wise, you'll need an iPhone 5/5c or newer. CarPlay updates come up fairly frequently, but this is CarPlay as it exists in iOS 9.2.

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3D-Drucker Big Rep One v.3: Wie eine Fahrstuhltür das Wachstum eines Startups hemmt

Nicht nur der 3D-Drucker selbst ist riesig, auch das Unternehmen Big Rep ist enorm gewachsen. Was als Kunstprojekt angefangen hat, entwickelt sich zum Verkaufserfolg. (Big Rep, 3D-Drucker)

Nicht nur der 3D-Drucker selbst ist riesig, auch das Unternehmen Big Rep ist enorm gewachsen. Was als Kunstprojekt angefangen hat, entwickelt sich zum Verkaufserfolg. (Big Rep, 3D-Drucker)

10 GBit/s: Verizon will das erste 5G-Netzwerk der USA aufbauen

Verizon Communications will alle anderen Netzbetreiber in den USA beim Ausbau von 5G übertreffen. Der 4G-Nachfolgestandard kommt offiziell bis zum Jahr 2020 und soll 10 GBit/s bringen. Um führend zu sein, dürfte Verizon Vor-Standard-Technik einsetzen. (5G, NTT Docomo)

Verizon Communications will alle anderen Netzbetreiber in den USA beim Ausbau von 5G übertreffen. Der 4G-Nachfolgestandard kommt offiziell bis zum Jahr 2020 und soll 10 GBit/s bringen. Um führend zu sein, dürfte Verizon Vor-Standard-Technik einsetzen. (5G, NTT Docomo)

Blade Stealth: Razers erstes Ultrabook ist ab März 2016 verfügbar

Ein 12,5-Zoll-Ultrabook gab es von Razer bisher nicht: Ab März ist das Blade Stealth erhältlich, passend dazu gibt es eine Core genannte Grafikbox. Die erscheint allerdings ein paar Wochen später. (Razer Blade, USB 3.0)

Ein 12,5-Zoll-Ultrabook gab es von Razer bisher nicht: Ab März ist das Blade Stealth erhältlich, passend dazu gibt es eine Core genannte Grafikbox. Die erscheint allerdings ein paar Wochen später. (Razer Blade, USB 3.0)

Spectrevision: Elijah Wood macht Horror-VR mit Ubisoft

Film- und Spielebranche bringen sich in Stellung: Vor dem erwarteten Siegeszug von Virtual Reality schließt die Produktionsgesellschaft von Elijah Wood eine Kooperation mit Ubisoft, um gemeinsam Inhalte zu entwickeln – unter anderem im Horrorgenre. (VR, Digitalkino)

Film- und Spielebranche bringen sich in Stellung: Vor dem erwarteten Siegeszug von Virtual Reality schließt die Produktionsgesellschaft von Elijah Wood eine Kooperation mit Ubisoft, um gemeinsam Inhalte zu entwickeln - unter anderem im Horrorgenre. (VR, Digitalkino)

Security: Auch Kreditkarten mit Chip und PIN können kopiert werden

Bislang war bekannt, dass Kreditkarten mit Magnetstreifen mit trivialen Mitteln kopierbar sind. Aktuelle Recherchen zeigen, dass auch Karten mit dem besser gesicherten Chip-und-PIN-Verfahren kopiert werden können – weil einige Banken schlampen. (Security, Applikationen)

Bislang war bekannt, dass Kreditkarten mit Magnetstreifen mit trivialen Mitteln kopierbar sind. Aktuelle Recherchen zeigen, dass auch Karten mit dem besser gesicherten Chip-und-PIN-Verfahren kopiert werden können - weil einige Banken schlampen. (Security, Applikationen)

Sir Tim Berners-Lee: Erfinder des Web fordert Ende der Anonymität

Internetmobber sollen unter bestimmten Umständen den Schutz der Anonymität verlieren, fordert Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Vorschläge aus den USA, etwa für Terroristen den Zugang zum Netz zu sperren, hält er allerdings für naiv. (Tim Berners-Lee, Datenschutz)

Internetmobber sollen unter bestimmten Umständen den Schutz der Anonymität verlieren, fordert Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Vorschläge aus den USA, etwa für Terroristen den Zugang zum Netz zu sperren, hält er allerdings für naiv. (Tim Berners-Lee, Datenschutz)

Mali-DP650: Neuer Displaychip ermöglicht Smartphones mit 4K-Streaming

ARMs kürzlich vorgestellter Display-Controller für Smartphones unterstützt die 2,5K-Auflösungen auf dem Gerät und streamt parallel 4K-Ultra-HD-Inhalte an einen Fernseher. Gedacht ist der neue Mali-DP650 für Mittelklasse-Smartphones des Jahres 2016. (ARM, Ultra HD)

ARMs kürzlich vorgestellter Display-Controller für Smartphones unterstützt die 2,5K-Auflösungen auf dem Gerät und streamt parallel 4K-Ultra-HD-Inhalte an einen Fernseher. Gedacht ist der neue Mali-DP650 für Mittelklasse-Smartphones des Jahres 2016. (ARM, Ultra HD)

Breko-Vorschlag: Nokia sieht Annex Q nicht als Alternative zu Vectoring

Der Breko hat in dieser Woche gefordert, Vplus ohne Vectoring zu betreiben, um die Möglichkeit zur Entbündelung zu erhalten. Doch das funktioniert leider gar nicht, sagen Vplus-Experten. (Vectoring, DSL)

Der Breko hat in dieser Woche gefordert, Vplus ohne Vectoring zu betreiben, um die Möglichkeit zur Entbündelung zu erhalten. Doch das funktioniert leider gar nicht, sagen Vplus-Experten. (Vectoring, DSL)

Pirate Sites Decrease in Numbers, Increase in Strength

The main lawyer and public face of Pirate Bay nemesis Rights Alliance says that the file-sharing landscape in Sweden has shifted. Henrik Pontén says that while down significantly in numbers, the remaining pirates sites have become more professional, explicitly commercial, while earning “a lot of money”.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

pontenOver the past several years few individuals operating in the anti-piracy space have received more press than Henrik Pontén. Loved by rights-holders and hated by many pirates in equal measures, Pontén has been a thorn in the side of dozens of file-sharing sites.

The chief lawyer of Rights Alliance, which counts major Hollywood studios among its members, Pontén has definitely made a unique mark on file-sharing history.

Deeply involved in the prosecution of The Pirate Bay, Pontén made many enemies. In 2009 a bizarre (presumed ‘pirate’) retaliation made headlines when his name was officially changed with Swedish authorities without his knowledge. To his disappointment, Pirate Pontén was born.

“The pirate movement have previously tried threats and when that doesn’t work, they do this,” Pontén said at the time.

In a new interview with IDG more than six years on, the anti-piracy chief acknowledges that his work has not always proven popular with the masses.

“A friend once said that if you want to upset anyone you should write about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, wolf hunting or us,” Pontén says of Rights Alliance (formerly Antipiratbyrån).

Popularity has rarely appeared to been one of Pontén’s aims but somehow he has retained his dry humor. In contacts with TF over the years he’s always been polite and has often responded to our requests for comment with the tongue-in-cheek sign off “Sharing is Caring.”

But underneath the dry exterior is a man dedicated to his cause, one who has outlived many of the sites he’s targeted over the years. Not all have crumbled in his wake (not least The Pirate Bay), but the numbers are on the wane, he says.

“The trend is that the number of illegal services is decreasing. Two years ago, we looked at some 20 Swedish players, now it’s down to a few. They are distinctly uninterested in ceasing their operations because they earn good money from them,” Pontén says.

According to the anti-piracy veteran Rights Alliance contacts pirate sites before reporting them to the police. That gives them the chance to close down their operations before things get heavy, including raids, trials, potential prison sentences and millions in damages.

Pontén says that around half accept the offer to close. A few more stop after lawsuits are filed. Others, clearly, are much more persistent.

In the IDG interview Pontén is confronted with the fact that there have been a lot of court cases in Sweden against sites either run as hobby projects or generating marginal revenues. He counters by saying there is often a lag of several years between the filing of complaints and a prosecution.

Today, however, he suggests there are no more small fry in his home country.

“Of the services that remain in Sweden today, all are explicitly commercial and earn a lot of money,” he says.

“It’s a bit like the Internet in general. There are a few major players who are taking more and more space. The small sites disappear after a while,” Pontén notes.

Pontén is currently involved in a case against the operator of SwePiracy, a site that was first raided in 2012. The 24-year-old is accused of ignoring Rights Alliance warnings to close down and now faces claims for almost $3 million in damages from companies including Disney.

Also on the horizon lies the prosecution of SweFilmer, a site that was raided by police last summer. The site’s admin later revealed he’d been detained by police for four days.

Pontén says that those who believe that pirate sites are run by those who simply want to make content available for free will be surprised when they discover the commercial nature of that particular site.

“It will become clear,” he concludes.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.