I called it. Yesterday, in my article discussing T-Mobile's new pricing options, I wrote "T-Mobile is shaking things up, as usual, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the other carriers revise and revamp their offerings in response." Sure enough, Sprint has answered the call and not only met T-Mobile's pricing, it undercut the "uncarrier" in an almost desperate bid to be your next carrier.
By Jim Karpen
One of the new features of the iPhone 6s is Live Photos. Turned on by default, this feature captures images for 1.5 seconds before and after the actual still photo that you take. When you tap on your still photo, you see what appears to be a three-second video of that moment. As you can see in the embedded video below, a still photo of rippling waves can show the actual rippling when you touch the display. Apple emphasized, however, that this is not a video, and that it doesn't greatly increase the file size. Any Live Photos you take can be viewed across iOS devices. And they appear as simple jpeg images when viewed on other devices.
If you’ve followed my Game Centered column, you’re likely already familiar with SteelSeries. The company makes some of the best gaming peripherals available for Apple devices and is a brand that I’ve included in my articles numerous times before, with good reason. Whether you are a casual Crossy Road player looking for an affordable but excellent pair of headphones, or a Vainglory gamer on the pro-circuit looking for a high-end pair of headphones, SteelSeries has you covered. The company also specializes in designing game controllers for the iPhone and the iPad, and now it's unveiled its latest controller, the Nimbus, designed specifically to deliver a console-type gaming experience on the new Apple TV. On the day of the Nimbus’ announcement, we interviewed the SteelSeries CEO Ehtisham Rabanni about the controller and his thoughts on the future of gaming.
I will probably upgrade to the iPhone 6s, but not for the reasons you might think. Yes, Apple claims "The only thing that’s changed is everything" and that's true. Almost every element of the iPhone 6 has been enhanced. The metal is stronger. The screen has 3D Touch. The camera is a big improvement. The processor is faster, as are the graphics and networking. If your job was to repair iPhones, there are almost no components from the older iPhone 6 that could be reused in the iPhone 6s. It is entirely new. Everything has indeed changed. Apple has a valid point and it is also trying to head off the inevitable "nothing's changed" criticism that comes with any "s" model.
By Todd Bernhard
It got barely a mention during Apple's action-packed announcement on September 9, but Apple now offers an iPhone Lightning Dock, in four different colors. And if you want one, it's one of the few items announced that is actually available to order and shipping within 1–3 business days. The dock is sold in silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold to match the latest lineup of iPhone 6s colors. The dock itself is compatible with more than the iPhone 6s, specifically the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus, 5s, 5c, 5, and iPod touch 5th and 6th generation. But it still may not be the Lightning dock for you.
By Sarah Kingsbury
We are excited to announce launch of the iPhone Life Podcast! Tune in to hear our editors share with you the latest Apple news, best apps, iPhone tricks, and the coolest accessories.
In the first episode of the iPhone Life Podcast, Sarah, Donna, and David discuss the latest iPhone 6s and Apple TV rumors leading up to the Apple annoucement. We answer all of your burning questions including: "What is Force Touch?", "Do we need a 12 MP Camera?", "Will Apple release a streaming service?", and much more.
By Sarah Kingsbury
As anyone who has used to Siri to make calls, search the web, or send messages knows, Siri doesn't always understand what you say. This can be followed by increasing frustration levels if Siri fails over and over to understand your voice corrections. But when Siri gets it wrong, you don't have to repeat yourself. Instead, you can edit your query via typing.
If there was a single theme in today's Apple event, it was the company's extraordinary commitment to be constantly envisioning great products, and then continually refining them. No other company seems to have such a dedicated focus, nor the resources to bring it off.
By Sarah Kingsbury
Tomorrow, during Apple’s “Spring Forward” event, Tim Cook is expected to officially launch the Apple Watch, five months after first announcing the device last September. This will be the first time Apple has released a new product category since Cook became CEO.
By Sarah Kingsbury
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.
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.
By Nate Adcock
As a former weather guy, one part of the Apple announcement today really sparked my interest. The new iPad Air 2 will include a barometer. This both excites and makes me wonder just how well this feature will be harnessed. It is likely this is the same sensor introduced in the iPhone 6, though I admit that I haven't been able to test apps leveraging the feature yet.
If you are like me, you may be wondering which iPhone size is best for you and your hand size. Everyone is different and what's comfortable for one person isn't necessarily so for the next person. To help you decide which iPhone will work best for you we've included a link to a printout that lets you see for yourself.
By Becca Ludlum
The Apple Watch was announced earlier today and it, along with the Health app, will change the way we are able to interact with our iPhones. The Apple Watch does double duty as an all day fitness tracker (Activity app) and a sports watch (Workout app). The wide variety of data it collects makes it easy for the Apple Watch to track different types of activity.
These are the key components of fitness portion of the Apple Watch:
While the new iDevices stole the show at today's Apple event, it's safe to say that what comes under the hood with these new smartphones and tablets is equally as impressive as their meticulously designed exteriors. Case in point; with the introduction of iOS 8, Apple's new programming interface, called Metal, is now available to experience in all of its grandeur. In particular, iOS gamers are in for a treat with all of the improved graphics and snappy responsiveness that Metal delivers. Game developers have had their hands on Metal for awhile now, which means that right out of the gate we can enjoy the unparalleled console-caliber capabilities that Metal allows.
