Apple's new iOS 8 is great, and one of those great new features is Continuity. With Continuity, users of multiple Apple products can take a phone call on one device and switch to another on the fly. I typically leave my iPhone docked at the entrance to my house and then I work upstairs on my MacBook. When the phone rings, I have to make a mad dash to answer it. Now I can take the call on my iPad. And soon, with Mac OS X Yosemite, I can answer the phone call on my MacBook!
Todd Bernhard
Tip of the Day: Use Siri Hands Free with iOS 8
By Todd Bernhard
Siri can be quite useful, but if you really want a "Jarvis" kind of experience, like Tony Stark in Iron Man, you need to be able to interact with Siri without touching a button. Fortunately, iOS 8 makes this possible.
Tip of the Day: Take Slo Mo Movies on Your iPhone
By Todd Bernhard
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:
Do NOT upgrade to iOS 8 just because you can
By Todd Bernhard
Apple is great about making the latest operating system run on older equipment. But just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should! There are reports from iPhone 4S owners that suggest they might have been better off without upgrading.
Tip of the Day: Are Your Apps Ready for iOS 8?
By Todd Bernhard
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.
Tip of the Day: Deciding What Capacity iPhone 6 to Buy
By Todd Bernhard
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.
Tip of the Day: Get Ready for the Next iPhone by Pruning Your Photos, Videos, and Apps
By Todd Bernhard
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.
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.
Ringtones...for your Bicycle?
By Todd Bernhard
I've backed a few projects on Kickstarter, but they're usually boring things like stands and cables. The other day I saw the MYBELL and had to put my money down. The MYBELL is a bicycle horn for the smartphone age. Obviously it mounts to a bicycle handlebar, though I might try it out on my scooter. What makes the MYBELL unique is that you can customize the sound that it plays, just like a custom ringtone on your smartphone. In fact, it will accept MP3 files via the included (weatherized) USB port.