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In January of 2017, while looking over old photos from my trips to Glacier National Park and Denali National park, I found myself comparing the size of the glaciers fifteen years ago to their current state. The glaciers were obviously shrinking. I already knew that they were, but to see the difference in my own photos made it more real. Comparing my photos to current photos online, you could see that they were noticeably smaller in just the last 15 years. In just a few days’ time our new President would be taking office. His proposed platform appeared to have little regard for even acknowledging our changing climate.  In was in this moment that I hatched the plan for my summer motorcycle tour. I would be taking an 18-day motorcycle ride from my home in SE Iowa to Alaska to see as many glaciers as I could and I would be packing the best iPhone gear and downloading the best iPhone apps for the trip.

As we collectively marvel at the growing capabilities of virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa, it may be time to start preparing ourselves for the impending merger of computer networks with human brains. It would also seem prudent to consider the cautionary words of one of the innovators at the fore of the AI-human interface revolution. Ironically, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, has compared current exploration in the field of AI-human nueral links to "summoning the demon." Musk goes on to clarify this sentiment, saying, "I have exposure to the very cutting-edge AI, and I think people should be really concerned about it. I keep sounding the alarm bell, but until people see robots going down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react, because it seems so ethereal.”

With each generation of iPhone, the camera gets better and better. However, that doesn’t do us much good if we don’t know how to take videos that look as good as the camera is. At iPhone Life, we know just about everything there is to know about how to use your iPhone; but when it comes to creating incredible videos, we wanted to work with someone who is an expert in the field. That’s why iPhone Life has partnered with award-winning videographer Cielo de la Paz (aka The Storyographist) to bring our Insiders her incredible course on how to make pro-level videos with your iPhone. This in-depth guide will walk you through everything you need in order to complete an incredible video, including low-budget equipment, the best apps for filming, types of shots and movements, and editing techniques. Easily one of the most exciting guides we’ve released for Insiders to date, this videography guide will show you how to create an incredible video with your iPhone. 

In the 63rd episode, the iPhone Life team focuses in on Apple Watch features that can help you get the most accurate Apple Watch fitness and exercise metrics. Other topics include the coolest new technology and smart-office ideas for the ultimate smart-office setup (spoiler: Donna and Sarah love standing and elliptical desks) and whether or not using Message Reactions in the iPhone messages app is the lazy way out.

Now that the new iOS 11 Beta has been available to the public for a bit, we've had a chance to test drive a lot of the new iOS features coming with the new iOS 11. Here are our ten favorite new iOS 11 features that we think you'll love when the shipping version of the next iOS update is released in the fall. We'll cover everything from Peer-to-Peer Apple Pay, iPad Drag and Drop, Live Photo editing, and more! If you can't wait that long for the newest iOS update, check out our article on how to update to iOS 11 beta.

With the iOS 11 public beta officially available, brave testers everywhere can now use the new features designed to bring the iPad a huge step closer to being a laptop replacement. The major changes we’re going to take a look at are the new dock, the Files app, drag & drop, new multitasking features, and a couple other stand-out features we’re excited about. This isn’t an opinion piece, so I’m not going to definitively tell you whether or not I think these features will make your iPad as functional as your MacBook. I think that’s far too individual of a decision; instead, I’ll lay out what each new iPad with iOS 11 beta feature can do and let you decide for yourself.

It’s here! Just last week we released our article on how to sign up for the iOS 11 public beta, and now it has arrived! MacOS beta testers will have to wait a little longer; it hasn’t been released yet. But if you’re ready to test out iOS 11, you can sign up for and download the beta iOS 11 right now on your iPhone or iPad. Be warned, of course, that all bets are off when you’re beta testing, which means making a backup of your device before you upgrade is more important than ever. But if you enjoy being an early adopter, Apple has opened the gates. iOS 11 beta is available now; here’s how to get it.

This year at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) Apple announced some significant changes to the way the iPhone will behave while its user is driving. The new Car Safety features in iOS 11 arrive in response to increased pressure from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, which has urged Apple and other cellphone manufacturers to develop safeguards to reduce death and injury attributed to distracted driving. Distracted driving has been an issue in at least some capacity for over 20 years without much response at the developer level. Distraction related accidents, whether involving gadgets or otherwise, killed nearly 3,500 people in 2015, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, with 391,000 lesser injuries.

At the recent WWDC 17 keynote, the HomePod smart speaker was one of the biggest announcements of the day. The seven-inch HomePod will come in Silver and Space Gray and will be available in the U.S., U.K., and Australia in December 2017. The Siri smart speaker has better audio quality than Amazon Echo and Google Home and is smarter than the Sonos smart speakers. It's also significantly more expensive than the Echo and Home speakers and there is reason to doubt it will be as smart as the Amazon and Google smart assistants. However, unlike the Echo and Home, the HomePod promises a great deal more privacy to its users. Wondering whether you want to invest in Apple's latest gadget? Here's what you need to know before you make a decision.

Apple Watch fans have much to look forward to in the fall release of watchOS 4. The Siri watch face has the potential to transform the Apple Watch into a truly useful digital assistant with its ability to show users what they need to know based on time of day and location. The Music app will finally support multiple playlists and some of those playlists will be automatically synced to the Apple Watch. But the most exciting updates are to the Apple Watch's fitness and health monitoring, from more workout tracking options and gym equipment connectivity, to smart coaching notifications and better Music and Workout app integration. I use my Apple Watch almost exclusively as a fitness tracker; here are the new watchOS 4 features I'm most excited about and the one upgrade I'd trade all of them for.

The new iPad Pro featuring iOS 11 is set to give MacBooks a run for their money. With enhanced file management, a 10.5-inch screen, full-sized on-screen keyboard, increased speed, and 10-hour battery life, the new iPad Pro appears ready to take on your MacBook’s workload. Continue reading to learn more about how the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro could finally replace your MacBook.

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