CultCast #253 - Eatercising

This week: tips, tricks, and techniques to take beautiful iPhone photos and build a following on Instagram. Plus: the crazy exploding Samsung Galaxy Note saga ends in a strange twist; rumors point to Macs with radically new e-ink keyboards;  and an honest look at Siri vs. the AI competition.   This episode supported by   CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.   And check out Cult of Mac’s new, free fitness eBook! This ebook is your practical how-to guide, covering step by step everything you need to know about getting fit with Apple’s devices.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   Intro - Freedom of choice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pJWMs5claM   Earin wireless earbuds https://www.earin.com   Apple may be working on keyboard with e-ink display keys http://www.cultofmac.com/449008/apple-e-ink-keyboard-demo/ Buster

• A Redditor namede Foxconninsider recently posted about a new Smart Keyboard claimed to be a working e-ink keyboard prototype potentially coming to both iMac and MacBook devices sometime in 2018.  
• The Guardian is now corroborating the keyboard with a claim that Apple CEO, Tim Cook has met with Sonder founder Serra-Martins in while in China.

  Samsung mercifully puts Galaxy Note 7 out of its misery http://www.cultofmac.com/448826/samsung-mercifully-puts-galaxy-note-7-misery/

• Samsung has permanently stopped production of its once-acclaimed new smartphone flagship. Owners will be able to return their phones for a refund or to swap it out for another Samsung device.
• The handset was allegedly rushed to market due to Samsung’s confidence that the iPhone 7 would turn out to be a box office dud.

  LOL: Galaxy Note 7 return kit includes fire-proof box and gloves http://www.cultofmac.com/448863/lol-galaxy-note-7-return-kit-includes-fire-proof-box-gloves/

• If you bought your Note online from Samsung,returning it could be tricky. In the United Kingdom, the Post Office won’t even accept packages that contain the device.
• Fortunately, Samsung has a solution. Its special Note 7 return kit was designed with explosions in mind, and it includes thermally-insulated packaging with a ceramic fiber paper lining, and gloves that ensure you won’t suffer burns while handling the device.

  Mossberg: Why does Siri seem so dumb? http://www.recode.net/2016/10/12/13251618/mossberg-apple-siri-digital-assistant-dumbS

• When was the last time Siri delighted you with a satisfying and surprising answer or action?
• Siri started as an iOS app in 2009, then was purchased by Apple and introduced again in the iPhone 4S
• It seems to me that Apple has wasted its lead with Siri. And now Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and others are on the march
• If you try and treat Siri like a truly intelligent assistant, aware of the wider world, it often fails
• (Weather on Crete, Presidential Nominees) Google Now, on the same Apple devices, using the same voice input, answered every one of these questions clearly and correctly
• Siri is too limited and unreliable to be an effective weapon for Apple in the coming AI wars. It seems stagnant