Smartphones are bad for you. We need to go back to the good old rotary phones! Earlier this year, Justine Haupt revealed a custom cellphone she built that eschewed unwanted battery-killing distractions like a touchscreen. In its place was an old-school rotary dial for placing calls, and while it looked antiquated, there were apparently enough people as fed up with the state of modern smartphones that Haupt has created a new version that she will actually build and sell. Haupt’s original rotary cellphone was created with an open source design that allowed anyone to build their own, with firmware, build notes, and even the 3D models for printing the custom housing made available for download on their website. To make the build easier, Haupt created a starter kit offering the 3D printed housing for $50 (straight out of the 3D printer) as well as the cellphone’s mainboard for $90. But there were still lots of additional components that needed to be sourced to complete the build, including the dial that Haupt salvaged from a slim Western Trimline telephone. Realizing the appeal of a distraction-free cellphone that excels at actually making calls (just look at the size of that antenna) extends well beyond hardware hackers and tinkerers, Haupt is currently developing a “mark 2" version of the design that will be available as a ready-built device for those who don’t know the first thing about soldering. In addition to an upgrade from 3G to 4G which ensures the right networks will be active for at least another 10 years, the new version will include a larger electronic paper display, newly manufactured rotary dial parts instead of old salvaged hardware, and an SD card slot allowing a contact list to be added by just uploading a text file full of names and numbers. Haupt is also teasing, “another VERY cool feature but won’t announce it until I’m sure I can do it” for their new rotary cellphone which remains a complete mystery for the time being. But a listing for the device on the website for Haupt’s new robotics company called Sky’s Edge claims it could be available as early as September. You can’t pre-order it yet, and it’s safe to assume the pandemic will probably result in some minor delays, but if you’re interested you can subscribe to updates on the project’s development, and notifications for when it’s finally available.

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No more Made in China Apple product in the future? Apple has moved some AirPods Pro manufacturing from China to Vietnam Some Apple AirPods Pro cases now say the headphones are assembled in Vietnam, according to a Twitter user, multiple reports on the MacRumors forums, and one Verge staffer who recently purchased a pair, indicating the company may be reducing its reliance on Chinese manufacturing (via MacRumors). Typically, AirPods Pro units contain a message on the back of the case that says the device was assembled in China. Apple famously assembles a large majority of its products in China. But the company has shown interest in, and even made sizable foreign investments toward, diversifying its manufacturing. That’s partly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the ongoing trade war between the US and China that imposed tariffs on some Apple products and components and put pressure on CEO Tim Cook’s lobbying efforts with the Trump administration. As far back as 2017, Apple began assembling some iPhone models in India, too. In February, for example, Apple issued a rare investor note saying that the worldwide iPhone supply would be “temporarily constrained” as its manufacturing partners in China ramped back up amid the outbreak. Nikkei reported last July that Apple was considering moving some of its manufacturing to Vietnam due to the trade war as well. It’s unclear what percentage of AirPods Pro are manufactured in Vietnam or if Apple plans to make more products in the country. However, The Information reported on Tuesday that it plans to use factories in Vietnam to manufacture a pair of as-of-yet-unannounced over-ear headphones, though Apple is apparently going to manufacture some of the headphones in China as well. theverge.com/2020/5/21/21266574/apple-airpods-pro-vietnam-china-chinese-manufacturing

It’s unclear how many AirPods Pro will be made in Vietnam.

Finally, someone to beat tiktok..? Also from China tho TikTok has a new competitor: Zynn, a nearly button-for-button clone of TikTok that differentiates itself with one key twist — it pays users to sign up, watch videos, and convince others to follow suit. The app launched at the beginning of May, and it’s now the number one free app in Apple’s App Store and in the top 10 on Google’s Play Store theverge.com/2020/5/29/21274994/zynn-tiktok-clone-pay-watch-videos-kuaishou-bytedance-rival

That’s one way to get users...

WWDC in 18 mins This year is huge for iOS and macOS! widgets on homescreen for iOS, officially transitioning to Apple's own silicon for Macs youtube.com/watch?v=_Q8AKghK44M&t=0s FULL ver: youtube.com/watch?v=GEZhD3J89ZE

Apple WWDC 2020 keynote in 18 minutes
WWDC 2020 Special Event Keynote — Apple

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