iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

It’s official. Apple has killed off iTunes, marking the end of its oldest and most iconic piece of software. Beginning with macOS 10.15 (Catalina), iTunes is no more, prompting many to ask: How do I back up my iPhone without iTunes? The answer is simple: You can back up your iPhone in Catalina or later by using Finder on your Mac and, of course, you can back up your iPhone to iCloud. This article covers both options.

Do you know how to connect to Wi-Fi, or change the network you're using, directly from your iPhone or iPad's Control Center? This method is much quicker than sorting through the Settings app to find available networks. Let's get started learning how to connect to a specific Wi-Fi network, or change the network you're connected to, via the Control Center.

BaseLynx Charging Modules: Scosche’s Customizable & Stylish Charging Solution

(Sponsored Post) By Erin Smith on Thu, 01/07/2021

The BaseLynx Modular Charging system by Scosche is a creative and fully customizable way to power your devices without having to use several separate chargers. Why end up with a tangle of cords and cables when you can select the exact number of chargers you want and connect them seamlessly into one attractive charging station? These modules can be arranged and rearranged as you see fit, and are certified safe for your devices.

If you're shopping and wonder whether the item you're considering could be more cheaply purchased via Amazon, a new app helps you do just that. Price Check by Amazon (free) lets you search for the product you have in mind in four different ways: you can say the name of the product, use the iPhone's camera to read the bar code, take a photo of the item, or enter the name of the product. The app uses the same voice recognition technology that powers the popular Dragon NaturallySpeaking. (iPhone 4 and 3GS only)

On November 26th you’ll be treated to a new distance running game in the form of Dino Rush, and I have to say that the game does a decent job of setting itself apart from similar games.  You play a little dinosaur that has a series of missions to complete, but it just so happens that you’re always hungry.  To keep your strength up you must consume all the fruit you can find, as well as avoid all the other nasty dinosaurs and things like quicksand and lava.  You’ll receive various power ups like a spiked helmet, fruit magnet and super-dinosaur suit that will help you in your quest (and are often imperative to your survival).

Over at inspirationfeed.com, Igor Ovsyannykov has collected 40 incredible iPhone wallpapers. Here are a few of them, all of them are 320x480 so you can right-click and download them. However, as Igor notes, they might not look as gorgeous on a 4th generation devices like Generation Touch or the iPhone 4 which have that 960x640 retina-display. To get the rest visit this link.  

Heart Rate - Free is a newly released app that actually measures your heart rate using the iPhone 4 camera. (The app only works with iPhone 4.) You simply put your finger over the camera lens, and the app measures the minute changes in skin color caused by the ebb and flow of blood in your finger. They say that the app isn't intended for medical use (standard disclaimer) but that it provides an accurate measure of your pulse. This is one more app for my forthcoming article on the innovative uses of the camera.

Several sources, most importantly the Wall Street Journal, have reported that today's Apple announcement will be that Apple will bring the Beatles catalog to iTunes. If so, it will be bring to an end the longest running Apple "rumor" of the Jobs' era, and may be somewhat of a disappointment to those hoping for something a bit more substantive.

Upon reflection an announcement like this might make more sense.

Board Games — All in One ($1.99) now has an English version. You get 10 classic games for your iPad: checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, backgammon, tic tac toe, peg solitaire, Ludo, and more. I like the idea of having all of these games in one app for the iPad. They're attractively designed, and can accommodate up to 6 players. These are pretty basic. You won't be able to play against your iPad, though, as in other chess apps, for example. And to have access to the instructions, you'll need an Internet connection, since it simply accesses the info on Wikipedia.

Update: Apple has cancelled the Airprint feature from iOS4.2...:(

 

The web is now abuzz with the impending release of this long overdue update to the Ipad. Having been long accustomed to features such as multitasking and folders on my iPhone 4, the limitations of iOS 3.2 has become painfully obvious and unbearable. As I reflect upon the past few weeks, the following 4.2 random thoughts must be constantly nagging every geek and will no doubt dominate thousands of pantry room discussions in the next few days (what else???):  

 

by Bryan Schmiedeler

When the iPhone was introduced in June 2007, AT&T’s 2-year contract required a data plan—there was no cell-only option. But the pricing of $30 a month for unlimited data was groundbreaking. The carrier killed the unlimited option exactly three years later. Existing agreements are honored as long as you don’t let them lapse, but all new users have to choose between a 200MB/month ($15/month) or 2GB/month data plan ($25/month). Going over your data limit is not cheap: $15 for an additional 200MB or $10 for 1GB, depending on your plan. 

I was looking for an app for my iPad so I could manage gifts, such as for Christmas. I used to have one for my iPod Touch which was free, but was only basic and only did a few things. I found an app called "mGifts List Manager" that I purchased last week that I wanted to share with you. There are probably others out there that may have more features but I thought this was perfect for me. There is a full feature listing in the itunes page that you can check out at your convenience. There was an update yesterday that made this a universal app. Below are only a few screenshots.

Recently I’ve begun a quest in finding a new job; however nowadays there are so many resources at our disposal that it can be quite daunting in sorting them all out.  One surprising resource is the iPhone app.  If you ever noticed in Apple’s App commercials there is an app for almost everything in their store or as they would say “There’s an app for that.”  Yet, despite the fact that like many iPhone users, I use apps for many things; I never thought of using an app to find a job until I was in need of one.  So far the best app in my experience has been Monster.com’s job search app for the iPhone. 

The integration between devices and cars is only going to grow, and the new app myChevrolet gives you a taste of amazing things to come. The app is free, but you have to spend a thousands of dollars on a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac. myChevrolet has location-based services, such as one for parking. It allows you to save your parking location to a GPS-enabled map and set a timer to track how much time you have on the parking meter. Or if you have a mechanical problem, the roadside assistance feature locates the nearest dealership.

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