iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear
Get Cleaned Up with This Portable & Cordless Car Vacuum
Sponsored By Truffle Make Lemonade on Tue, 10/01/2019
When you’re on the go, your mess comes with you. From stale crackers to the dirt on your shoes, your car’s upholstery can take a real beating. Fortunately, Make Lemonade has an ultra-portable and super affordable solution. Read on to learn about the cordless vacuum that will save you space, time, and money.
Protect Your Privacy with a Camera Cover for Your iPhone
By Todd Bernhard
I go to a lot of trade shows, not just technology ones like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas but also the NY Toy Fair, hoping to find smartphone-related gadgets that would be of interest to iPhone Life readers. That's how I discovered BLOCKERZ Camera Covers ($13.99) from Zorbitz. They are a wholesaler but you can find their products at Amazon, Urban Outfitters, and other retailers. They gave me a sample to try and it turns out, it's not just for iPhones.
Review: Control this Robotic Vacuum with Alexa or an iOS App
By Todd Bernhard
While others may have more name recognition, Ecovacs is a strong contender with nearly a dozen different models to meet the needs of specific customers. They sent me their most popular model, the DEEBOT 500 ($259.95), to try. For me, with primarily hardwood flooring, it works well. This particular model travels somewhat at random, stopping at walls and other obstacles and changing direction, but Ecovacs has more advanced models that can be programed via the app based on your floor layout.
How to Format Email in the iPhone Mail App (iOS 13)
By Cullen Thomas
Rich text email, including bold text and fonts, has come to the iPhone! As of iOS 13, you can format emails to your pleasure in the Mail app by simply composing an email, selecting the text you want to format, and then tapping the "Aa" option just above the keyboard. A menu of text formatting options will replace the keyboard, and you can format your email like a pro. Here’s how to format your text in the Mail app on an iPhone with iOS 13.
How to Declutter, Organize & Streamline Your iPhone
By Brianna Eason
Decluttering my physical surroundings changed my life. Getting rid of the things I didn’t need or that brought me down gave me space to breathe and feel more peaceful. I knew that this would become a lifestyle for me and that I could never go back. Once my physical possessions were under control, I realized that although I had taken the time to clear out my closet and my bookshelf, I had let myself hang on to digital possessions long past when they served a purpose. And just like with physical clutter, removing digital clutter reduced stress and gave me peace of mind. So even if you’ve used the KonMari method on your wardrobe and narrowed down your books and files, you’re not done if you haven’t decluttered your phone and computer. That’s where I come in.
Nex202 Wired Earbuds Review
By Todd Bernhard
There's a lot to like in the NEX202 Dual Drivers In-Ear Headphones (starting at $47.99) that RevoNext sent me to try. They have an elegant, twisted cable, which is a good point to remind readers that these are wired earbuds. The earpieces are built well with a metal housing and rugged-looking Torx (star) screws to keep the gadgetry in place. There are rubber cord protectors for ear comfort and to prevent fraying. They include different size ear tips and are sold in a couple of variety of matte finish colors, black or gray, and with or without microphone ($2 extra for the microphone.) And they sound great thanks to dual dynamic drivers.
Must-Have Tech Gear for Your Camping Adventures
By Conner Carey
Whether you’re camping in a tent, an RV, or a van, there are certain things almost anyone will find helpful while spending time in the great outdoors. As a child, my family and I camped in Northern California for a whitewater rafting trip. Funnily enough, I can’t tell you much about my life during that period of time. But I vividly remember that week—hiking up huge boulders, roasting corn in foil over a flame, putting on a wetsuit for the first time, filling a notebook with nature poetry, appreciating an eight-minute hot shower immensely. Camping is a beautiful rollercoaster. Here are my favorite tech-geek products to make your next camping adventure just as memorable.
How to Create a Collection in Apple Maps in iOS 13
By Tamlin Day
If you're planning a big trip or a busy weekend, you can use Apple Map's new iOS 13 Collection feature to create a list of the places you'd like to go. To create a Collection, swipe up from the bottom of the screen in Apple Maps and select New Collection to begin your list of locations. Let's dive in with how to create a Collection using Apple Maps.
Review: Choetech All-In-One Charger for Apple Watch, iPhone, AirPods & More
By Todd Bernhard
Just when you think there's no way to innovate when building a charging dock, along comes the Wireless Charging Station ($92.99) from Choetech. This thing has everything; an integrated Apple Watch charging port, a Lightning port, and a Qi wireless charging pad. If that weren't enough, there's a USB port on the back so you can add your own cable, for another Apple Lightning item or a USB-C or microUSB device. All of this could generate heat, so the charger has two cooling fans that expel heat from the bottom.
Where Are Apple's AR Glasses?
By Mike Riley
One of the unlikely rumored products that didn't make it into Apple's recent product reveal event was the tech giant's rumored augmented reality glasses. While there's little doubt that a select number of Apple engineers are working in some secret Apple Park security-sealed room on such a device, the likelihood of such a device seeing the light of day any time in the near future is slim.
Review: Can the AU Stream Earbuds Set Themselves Apart from the AirPods?
By Todd Bernhard
The folks at Ausounds just announced, and sent me, their new AU Stream ANC ($149.95). The design clearly emulates the Apple AirPods, but that's a good thing. Apple has had several generations of the AirPods by now, yet they still have some deficiencies. And that's where the AU-Stream ANC can shine. They sound, look, and feel great, but so does the Apple version. So here are some differentiators.
Hands on with the iPhone 11 Pro
By Donna Cleveland
In the 120th episode, David shares his experiences after four days of owning the iPhone 11 Pro. From Night Mode low-light photography to the Midnight Green glass finish, tune in to learn everything there is to know about Apple's newest flagship phone.
How to Silence Unrecognized Phone Numbers
By Tamlin Day
The iPhone's new Silence Unknown Callers feature is a great way to avoid annoying robo calls without having to keep your iPhone muted. Before iOS 13, iPhone users had to rely on third-party apps of varying effectiveness to block spam calls. The new feature is enabled by default, but if it's been disabled, you'll need to head to the Phone menu inside the Settings app to enable it. This is also where you will turn the feature off if you find you're missing important calls and don't want calls from unknown numbers to be silenced. Let's get started with how to silence unrecognized phone numbers on your iPhone.
Wireless Charger Review: FuseChicken Gravity Touch
By Todd Bernhard
I am a big fan of Qi-based wireless charging and I have a wide variety of chargers from a bunch of different companies spread throughout my home and office. But I think I may have found the best versions around. In fact, Apple doesn't have an offering of its own, as the AirPower failed to be delivered, so Fuse Chicken has stepped in. The company sent me a review unit of its Gravity Touch wireless charging base (starting at $39.95).
How to Flip a Photo (Mirror Image) in the Photos App in iOS 13
By Cullen Thomas
Sometimes the right side is the left side—you've taken a picture that needs to be flipped, or mirrored, in order to get the best effect. This effect is super easy in iOS 13; simply open the image in Photos, tap Edit, and use the mirror/flip icon. Images in mirrors are flipped around right to left, so this lets you take a selfie that looks like you do in the mirror, and can also be useful when you need to imbed an image in a collage or other media, since sometimes the direction the subject is facing makes all the difference. Read on for how to horizontally flip pictures or images in the Photos app on the iPhone.
How to Rotate Videos on the iPhone with iOS 13
By Tamlin Day
If you accidentally recorded a video in landscape mode or upside down on your iPhone, then fear not; with iOS 13, you can flip your videos from inside the Photos app. To flip a video with iOS 13, all you have to do is open the video in the Photos app, tap Edit, and tap the cropping icon to open the rotation options. Here's how to use the Photos app to flip a video on your iPhone with iOS 13.
iOS 13: Top Tips from Apple's New Software Update
By Leanne Hays
Apple’s latest software release, iOS 13, is full of practical, performance-improving features to make your iPhone more useful and convenient than ever before. Let’s go over tips and trick for getting the most out of the new iOS features, including Dark Mode, robocall blocking, new Maps and Reminders options, and much more.