Saturday, February 28, 2015

Apple Watch May Be Sold At A Pop-Up Shop in London's Selfridges Department Store

The Apple Watch may be sold at a pop-up shop at Selfridges in London. Apple will hire employees for these pop-up stores. As far as I know, this is Apple's first dive into pop-up stores. Apple will have an event on March 9th, which will announce more details on the Apple Watch.

Wonder Room in Selfridges

Friday, February 27, 2015

iOS 8.2 May Come Out Next Week

According to BGR, iOS 8.2 may come out as soon as next week. This update is expected to have support for the Apple Watch. There have been five betas of iOS 8.2, so a public release is imminent.


Thursday, February 26, 2015

Apple Announces 'Spring Forward' Event On March 9th

Apple has announced their 'Spring Forward' event today. It will take place on March 9th, the day after Daylight Saving Time begins. This event is probably going to announce more details about the Apple Watch, which is expected to be released early April 2015. The announcement is available on Apple's website.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Modern Family Episode Shot Solely On iPhones and iPads

Tonight's episode of Modern Family, Connection Lost, was shot completely on iPhones and iPads. It was also edited on a MacBook. To find out how they made the episode, check out BuzzFeed's article. Essentially, the entire episode takes place on a MacBook screen with FaceTime calls and other activities running on the screen. Modern Family airs on ABC.

Image Credit: ABC

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Pebble Time Debuts On Kickstarter

Pebble, a smart watch maker, has just unveiled their newest watch, Pebble Time. This watch has a color e-paper display, the company's first endeavor into color. It also promises a battery life of up to 7 days. It's available for backing on Kickstarter. Backer pricing is $179 and retail will be $199.


Monday, February 23, 2015

OS X 10.10.3 and iOS 8.3 Will Introduce New Apple Emoji

In the next version of OS X and iOS 8, new emoji focusing around Apple's products will be added. The watch emoji will be an Apple Watch, the iPhone emoji resembles the iPhone 6, and the computer emoji resembles an iMac. Of course, since emoji is just code being replaced by an image, if you were to text any of these emojis to a non-Apple device, it wouldn't be an Apple product emoji.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Toyota Has No Plans To Support Apple CarPlay

Toyota, one of Apple CarPlay's partners, has announced that they have no plans to support Apple CarPlay. For those who don't know, Apple CarPlay is an Apple version of an "infotainment system" for a car. It can use Siri, iMessage, iTunes, and more. It should be noted that a few months back, Toyota had a leak that showed a Prius using CarPlay and that it would be available in 2015. This is a let down for many people, including myself. As I will be turning 16 this year, I was hoping my first car would be a Toyota Prius equipped with Apple CarPlay, and I'm not a fan of aftermarket systems. What really killed me was this quote from John Hanson.
 "We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions."
This is a bad move from Toyota because they, along with many other car brands, are famous for producing some of the most awful infotainment systems. It's like I said the other day with my whole puzzle metaphor. In this case, Toyota should stick to making cars and let Apple and Google provide the software that works well with their devices. Let's hope Toyota changes their mind.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Easily Turn Off Notifications for Specific Apps

In iOS 8, turning off notifications for specific apps is much easier. Before, you would have to turn off sounds, badges, and lock screen notifications, in addition to notification styles. If you want to turn off notifications for a certain app just go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] > and turn off Allow Notifications. I hope this helps!

Friday, February 20, 2015

Raise To Listen

If you receive an audio message on your iPhone, you can quickly listen to it by raising your iPhone to your ear. Be sure the feature is enabled in Settings > Messages > Raise to Listen. This will enable you do listen to audio messages without tapping your screen. I hope this helps!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Upp

Upp is a new hydrogen fuel charger for USB devices. Instead of recharging a single battery, you buy replacement refills. It only releases water vapor. It's currently available in the United Kingdom, but will come to the United States soon. It costs about $200 and $9 for each refill and can't be charged at home. You can learn more about it in the video below.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

My Thoughts On The Apple Car

Recently in the Apple world, rumors have started that Apple will make a car. Believe it or not, I'm not very hyped that they're making a car. The reason I say this is because I feel that companies should stick to what they're good at. Of course, I'd love to see Jony Ive's version of a perfect car, but at the same time, this is a whole new boundary. When Google started making all of their new products, they took off a bit slowly. When Sony started making the PlayStation, was it the best thing ever? The way I see it, companies are like pieces of a puzzle. Competitors have a separate puzzle set. When it comes to Google's puzzle set, they might have Nest somewhere in there, along with a bunch of other companies they own or endorse. They have a company that does good at the one thing they do for each section of the puzzle. One of those pieces might be home automation. Granted, Google does a lot of things, but they're Google. Anyways, those are my thoughts...

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Could Touch ID Come To Macs?

With iPads getting Touch ID, this leads us to wonder if Macs will get Touch ID. According to Apple.club.tw [Google Translate], they might. The idea is that MacBooks, Magic Mice, and Magic Trackpads would get Touch ID integrated. This rumor seems sketchy for several reasons. First, with a physical keyboard, Touch ID isn't as necessary for a Mac. Next, if the device used to unlock your Mac is connected via Bluetooth, there are certain uncertainties. They could be hacked (worst case scenario) or disconnected, causing features like Apple Pay, which requires Touch ID, unaccounted for. Anyways, that's my opinion. Feel free to leave your opinion in the comment section below.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Rearrange Order Of Apps That Appear In "Open In..." Prompts

Did you know that you can rearrange the order of apps that appear in the "Open In..." prompts in iOS? Of course you did! It's in the title of the post! Anyways, just download a file of some sort, tap "Open In...", and hold on the app that you want to rearrange. Drag it to where you want it. It's that simple!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Third-Party iPad Pro (Maxi) Case

A third-party iPad Pro case had a render released which may give us some idea of what the iPad Pro will look like. Of course, since they are third-party, the maker doesn't know anymore about the specs of the iPad Pro than we do.

Image Credit: Nowhereelse.fr

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Quickly Dismiss Notifications From Lock Screen in iOS 8

If you are tired of notifications blocking your wallpaper in the lock screen, you can dismiss them. Just swipe to the left on any notification and tap the "x" that appears. It's that simple. The notification will disappear. I hope this helps!

Friday, February 13, 2015

iWork for iCloud Available Without An Apple Device

If you don't own an Apple product, you can now use iCloud apps on iCloud.com in its beta form. This means you can use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote without an Apple product. Respectively, they are Apple's versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Anyways, if you want to get started, go to iCloud.com.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Phorm Brings A Physical Keyboard to iPad, Without The Bulk of a Keyboard

Tacitus Technology has unveiled Phorm, a case that has a screen protector that can add texture to the screen like the texture of a physical keyboard. It's pretty hard to explain, so you should check out the video below. It's only available for iPad mini. You can pre-order it here.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Quality 8GB SD Cards For As Low As $8

With more and more devices using SD cards, I figured it would be a good time to tell you about SD card shopping. Always check Amazon first. Here's why: Amazon always seems to have good deals, especially on flash memory. These cards on Amazon typically cost about half of their retail price and are Prime eligible. Also, we're in the year 2015. Don't buy any cards that are less than 8GB or less than class 10. This is because they are so cheap that they will have some kind of catch with the shipping. It's also because they won't have much use and will be slow when you do use them. Overall, you're getting more bang for your buck. Anyways, below I've embedded some of my favorite SD cards that I have bought in the past for good deals (Requires Flash). They can often circulate in price and sometimes have a Lightning Deal, so note that. Some of them also have Frustration-Free Packaging. I hope this helps!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

JetBlue Will Accept Apple Pay In-Flight

According to USA Today, JetBlue will be able to accept Apple Pay using iPad minis equipped with an NFC reader. This will allow passengers to pay for food and drinks with their phones. Next week, intercontinental flights from JFK to Los Angeles and San Fransisco will have this amenity. All JetBlue flights will hopefully have this by June, just in time for summer. Eventually, the flight attendant manual will also be available for the flight attendant to reference.

Monday, February 9, 2015

iOS 8.3 Beta Released to Developers

Right after iOS 8.2 was seeded to developers for the fifth time (and still hasn't been released to the public), iOS 8.3 has been released to developers. Notable features include wireless CarPlay, a new emoji keyboard, and two-step verification for Google accounts. In addition, iOS 8.4 is expected to be in the works currently, in addition to the imminent announcement of iOS 9 this June.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Apple Releases New iPad Air 2 Ad Ahead of Grammy Awards

As I type, the Grammy Awards are going on. Today, Apple released an ad about the iPad Air 2 focusing on its potential for music. It features Elliphant, a Swedish singer, Gaslamp Killer, a band, and Riton, a DJ. The video is embedded below.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Re-enable Motion Tracking for iOS Apps

Some of my friends have had this issue lately: Motion tracking on the iPhone. If your apps aren't properly tracking steps and other related data, try going to Settings > Privacy > Motion Tracking > and turn on (or turn off and turn back on) the switch for the corresponding app. I hope this helps. 

Friday, February 6, 2015

OS X 10.10.3 Supports Google 2-Step Verification

As mentioned yesterday, Mac OS X 10.10.3 beta was released for developers. You can now use 2-step verification in System Preferences for Google accounts. Previously, users would need an application-specific password. 2-step verification allows people to have a code sent to a device to prove their identity on any new devices accessing an account.

2-Step Verification Attempted in OS X 10.10.2
2-Step Verification in OS X 10.10.3 Beta
(Image Credit for both images: MacRumors)

Thursday, February 5, 2015

OS X Photos App Beta Now Available For Developers

In the first beta of Mac OS X 10.10.3, developers get a sneak peak of the Photos app that will replace iPhoto. The Photos app allows you to access the same photos you have on your iOS device, without the trouble of iPhoto's implementation of iCloud Photo Stream. If you're a developer, you can get the update through the Mac App Store's 'Update' section or through the Mac Dev Center.


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Apple Making New Beats Music Service for iOS, OS X, And Android?!

According to 9to5Mac, Apple will make a Beats music streaming service that will be integrated in iOS and OS X. Strangely enough, Apple will be making an app for Android as well. That's something I'd never thought I'd hear myself say. The service could cost $7.99 a month, cheaper than Beats Music and other competitors' price of $9.99.
"Based heavily upon cloud streaming, Apple’s new service is centered around the user’s music library. A new search feature will be able to locate any song in the iTunes/Beats catalog, and users will be able to stream music from the catalog as well as add songs to their personal libraries. Users will be able to select specific tracks to store on their iOS devices and/or computers, or keep all songs solely in the cloud. Apple will also deeply integrate Beats Music’s Playlists, Activities, and Mixes features into the new service, letting users access a vast array of pre-made, human-curated playlists to fit various activities."

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Self Driving Apple Car?

In Concord, California, a strange Dodge Caravan, supposedly leased to Apple, was spotted roaming around the area. It may be an attempt to improve Apple Maps by adding a "street view" mode. For all we know, it could be Apple's attempt at a self driving car. Check out the video embed below.

Monday, February 2, 2015

iOS 8.2 Beta Seeded to Developers

Recently, Apple has been seeding betas of iOS 8.2 to their developers. Today, they seeded the fifth beta of this version. I feel I haven't covered this topic, so I'll talk about it really quick. This version of iOS will probably support the Apple Watch. It also gives us a shot in the dark as to when the Apple Watch will be released, as this will be the version that will be necessary to pair an Apple Watch with an iPhone. The Apple Watch is supposed to be released in early 2015. If I were to guess when the Apple Watch would be released off the top of my head, I would say in the range of March and April. Apple has done April events in the past, so it would make sense in this range.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Sunday, February 1, 2015

How To Stream Superbowl XLIX To Your iPad

Thanks to NBC, you can stream the Superbowl to your iPad for free! Before I go on, it should be noted that this is only available in America. All you have to do is get the free NBC Sports Live Extra iPad app [Direct Link]. After downloading, just find the video stream called "NFL Superbowl XLIX" in the video carousel. Happy Superbowl!