How to Use Siri to Convert Currency and Measurements
By Jim Karpen
Even if you're pretty good at doing math in your head, there are so many different measures that you may often find yourself needing to do conversions. For example, when I'm watching tennis on TV and the announcer says the serve was 220 kilometers per hour, I'm fairly clueless. So I just ask Siri to convert to the more familiar mph. (And that would be 137 mph—definitely a fast serve.) Siri can convert currencies and also measures such as distance, weight, volume, cooking measures, temperature, and speed. Plus, since the introduction of iOS 9, there are two ways to get Siri to do conversions: ask Siri or use Spotlight Search—which is basically sending Siri a text message.
Kickstarter: Personalize Your Apple Watch Band with iPops
By Todd Bernhard
Apple has released a plethora of Apple Watch bands to let users give their Apple Watch a personal touch, but a low-cost option dubbed iPops goes even further. You insert an iPop into one of the holes in your Apple Watch band and have your own Pandora-style bracelet that tells a story. iPops are like emojis that you wear.
How to Upgrade or Downgrade Your iCloud Storage
By Conner Carey
iCloud is a great way to store files, photos, and backups, but the 5 GB of free iCloud storage each user gets is often not enough. If you use iCloud Drive to store and transfer a lot of files between devices, you might want to buy more iCloud storage. We'll show you how to change iCloud storage plans or cancel an iCloud subscription in iPhone Settings.
Instagram is one of the few popular social networks that still shows content in chronological order. Soon, however, it’ll be adding algorithms for personalized social feeds. Similar to Facebook, Instagram will order the photos and videos based on “your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post,” the company shared in a recent blog post.
How to Peek at an Artist in Apple Music
By Conner Carey
Since getting the iPhone 6s, I’ve slowly but surely become accustomed to Peek & Popping various links in different apps. But the problem with 3D Touch being a relatively new feature is that you’re not always sure when you can and can't use it. Luckily, Apple and developers are consistently adding Quick Actions and Peek & Pop features to existing apps. One such app you can utilize the Peek function in is Music. Here’s how.
True to my geek nature, I am more excited about Apple’s March event than a child on Christmas morning. And we’re less than a week away. Next Monday, March 21 Apple will (finally) hold its Spring event and introduce its first product line-up of 2016. Rumors have consistently predicted a 4-inch iPhone SE, smaller iPad Pro (or Air 3, who knows), additional Apple Watch bands, and one more thing. But Apple also loves to add a little spice to its announcements, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for a closing performance by Adele.
11 Best iPhone Tricks You Didn't Know Existed
By Jim Karpen
Apple’s iOS has tons of features, so many that no one could ever use them all. And many aren’t obvious. We’ve rounded up 11 useful and novel features that are either buried deep or hidden in iOS. Some of these also work on an iPad.
Review: The Little Prince - Bubble Pop Journey
By Krisoy Desouza
Every now and again you need a simple but challenging game to play while on your commute to work or if you're just having a relaxing Sunday. The Little Prince - Bubble Pop Journey (free) game for iOS is a puzzler that involves matching three bubbles of the same color to eliminate them. The app is based on the film, The Little Prince, which is an adaptation of the book by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. In the film the mother imposes strict rules on her daughter, so she can pass the entrance exam to get enroll in a prestigious school.
Former Senior Counterterrorism Official: the NSA Could Hack Shooter’s iPhone without Apple
By Conner Carey
Richard Clarke, who led counterterrorism efforts for nine years during the Clinton and Bush administration says “Encryption and privacy are larger issues than fighting terrorism,” citing the example of the Obama administration which has said no to torture methods. NPR’s David Green then asks why he would compare the FBI’s request that Apple create an iOS backdoor to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone with an extreme method such as torture, “that seems like a jump.” To which Clarke replied, “No, the point I’m trying to make is there are limits.”