How-To

The iPhone 5s gave us Slo Mo video capture, where images are recorded at 120 FPS (Frames Per Second) and then played back at 30 FPS. But now the iPhone 6 offers Super Slo Mo, which captures 240 FPS. This will allow for some incredible action videos. I played with this new feature at my daughter's softball game and was able to analyze her swing and running essentially in real time. This could be a great boon to coaches and athletes, not to mention a lot of fun! Here's how to use it:

Eager to upgrade to iOS 8, I connected my iPad to my computer and booted up iTunes. The iTunes software automatically backed up my iPad to my computer, as it usually does whenever I connect my iPad. Then I clicked on the update button and confirmed that I wanted to update to iOS 8. The update downloaded just fine, but then when it was installing I got a message on my computer that there was an unknown error. I looked at the screen of my iPad and nothing was happening in the progress bar. Basically it seemed frozen. I had to press the power button and home button simultaneously to force the iPad to shut down. Then when I restarted it, I got a message that I needed to restore to the original factory settings. Which I did by selecting that option in iTunes. Then once the iPad was restored to its original state, iTunes asked me if I wanted to set it up as a new iPad or to restore from the backup. I chose the latter, and when it was done, things were back to normal — and my iPad Air was running iOS 8.

Today is the day iOS 8 will be available for download, so make sure you read our rundown of all the cool new features. If you've decided to update the software on your iPhone or other device, consider waiting until the initial rush of downloads has passed; this will allow you to avoid longer download times or installation fails. When you're ready to update, make sure you check out these tips on downloading and installing iOS 8:

As an App Developer, every new release of iOS means a scramble to make sure my apps are compatible, and usually they are. But once in a while, Apple changes things just enough that old apps need to be tweaked to work with the new operating system. Making a living on the App Store, while difficult, is possible, but you have to keep your apps updated and add new features as Apple adds capabilities. The sad fact is, not every developer does that. Indeed some developers will be probably have apps in the App Store that simply won’t work on iOS 8, and never will. The developers may have shut their doors, and there may be no plans to fix incompatibilities.

How much memory should you get in your next iPhone? Apple kept their usual price points ($199, $299, and $399 for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and $299, $399, and $499 for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus) but instead of the 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB configurations, they dropped the 32 GB tier and added a whopping 128 GB tier, as predicted. This mirrored their move with recent price drops for the iPod touch and finally brings their memory pricing in line with the industry. And the 128 GB capacity is a very welcome addition, especially since iOS devices do not have expandable microSD card storage of most Android phones.

It’s always a good idea to keep your iPhone backed up. Frequent backups make it easy to switch to a new device, like the upcoming iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and are crucial when dealing with loss, theft, and damage. Apple iOS devices can be backed up to iTunes on your computer by connecting via a cable, or via WiFi if you’ve enabled that in iTunes.

Apple requires you to have the latest version of Safari or Apple TV in order to watch their live streams. So if you're planning to watch Apple's live stream of their September 9 announcement, make sure you update well ahead of time. Otherwise you may end up crying and tearing your hair out because you're missing the first 15 minutes of the announcement while you wait for Safari or Apple TV to finish updating.

Keep in mind that the new iPhone will likely be in short supply, as the iPhone 5s was (especially the gold model.) If you're not willing to wait, you may not get your first choice, and that might mean a step down in storage from your current iPhone. For example, assuming Apple ships a 16 GB iPhone 6 (instead of making 32 GB the minimum) and you currently have a 32 GB iPhone 5, you probably have more than 12 GB of content. Remember, the iPhone uses some of the storage so a 16 GB iPhone really only has about 12 GB of space. I have a 64 GB iPhone 5s and I'm using over 29 GB. That tells me, without some creative pruning, I can't downgrade to a 32 GB model let alone a 16 GB version.

In the wake of the recent hacking and distribution of celebrities' nude photos, you may be wondering how safe your own private photos are. Granted, it's unlikely the unauthorized publication of your photos on the Internet would get same attention as the publication of Jennifer Lawrence's, but it has been know to happen even to the average unknown. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your photos private:

Have you ever tried to listen to music or watch a movie with a pair of headphones that only work on one side? It's pretty miserable, isn't it? (Every parent who has ever made the mistake of sharing his headphones with his kids is nodding sadly right now.) Obviously it's time for you to order a new, higher quality pair of headphones and hide them from your destructive offspring. In the meantime, you can enjoy the full audio experience by switching your iPhone or iPad's audio settings to mono.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in thinking we know everything there is to know about social media that we forget it’s always evolving. If you’re like me, chances are you often don’t read about the new features added to your updated app or even bother to ask your friends about the tips they’ve discovered themselves. Here are a few tips and tricks that you may not already know about!

I just learned of (and backed) a Kickstarter campaign to learn Swift and iOS 8 programming. It's being run by a friend and colleague of mine, named Paul Solt. He's an award-winning app developer and a great instructor. I've had the opportunity to attend live training from him, and he's offered video training before, also via Kickstarter, with great success.

Pages