No print reader on the Apple iPhone 8 may also help Samsung with the S9

Maybe use blood samples?

It’s looking less and less likely that Apple’s next halo-level iPhone, the iPhone 8 or Edition or iPhone 10, will have a print reader under the full-coverage front OLED display screen – or anywhere at all. According to BGR, the reason might be that Apple has yet to perfect the tech needed to make it work reliably, at least for now, and perhaps for another reason as well.

Apple isn’t making the OLED screens for new iPhone, Samsung is, and that creates a problem of sorts. As you can imagine, Apple and Samsung are fierce competitors with each other, but, they are also joined at the hip when it comes to display technologies, since Samsung is making the OLED screens for Apple’s iPhones. It’s like having a rich uncle you hate but still have to be nice to during the holidays. It’s complicated.

Anyway, according to reliable Apple tech prognosticator Ming-Chi Kuo, no sub-screen print reader on the new iPhone means Samsung doesn’t have to produce that tech, and as such, won’t have to maybe copy it and add it to their next halo phone, the Galaxy S9, in order to stay even with Apple. Anyway, rumor suggests Apple is going all-in on face-reading tech since it is supposedly more secure, but that also sorta lets Samsung off the hook to “keep up” as well.

So, will the Apple iPhone 8 have a print reader… anywhere? Looks more and more like it won’t, which will be a major change for the iPhone. But, that’s what technical problems can result in sometimes.

Doesn’t work if your glasses are already on your head

If you lose your keys… and maybe your phone, your dog, and the occasional child as often as we do, you probably use those little Tile tags in order to help find your stuff… and the occasional family member. So here’s some good news.

Tile has revamped their lineup of loss prevention tidbits to include the Tile Pro, a new tracker that double the range of the original bits while also being more water resistant – and louder. They also will be available in some new styles and colors, including white and gold, in case you lose the keys to the White House. Or that fancy handbag.

Range now extends to 200 feet with the Tile Pro, and of course, if it’s farther away than that, you can use the Tile app network to locate Fluffy using the app on someone else’s phone. And last of all, Tile is launching support for Amazon;s Echo and Alexa AI friend, as well as Google Home. So now when you say “where the hell did I put those keys?” they can help you look as well.

Faster, better, older

As interest in electric cars is pumped up by the success of Tesla and new models like the Chevy Bolt, for some of us, nothing will ever replace those classic cars we obsessed over as youngsters, like a Porsche 911 Targa. Problem is, their smog-spewing gas engines are now relics of a dark and distant past, and even the most basic EVs can usually smoke them off the line. Solution? Conversion, of course, and no one does it quite like the British outfit Electric Classic Cars.

That’s right, just bring a bag of bitcoins big enough to buy a Tesla Model X with all the goodies and you too can be driving a sweet Porsche 911-E. Yes, “E,” as in electric. And it’s no garage project, either, with more power than the original boxer engine and a 200 mile range – if you can manage to keep your foot out of it. The 911-E features two modes – Eco and Sport – and still uses the original 5-speed gearbox, although shifting is sort of optional for most part.

Check out the full video at the link and, oh yes, they also created this gorgeous full-on electric VW Beetle as well. Cost? Well, 911, Beetle or Model S, it’s gonna be close…

We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.

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