Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Reviews are in on the iPhone xs and iPhone xs Max

The first reviews of Apple's
newest iPhones, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are in.
Most reviewers say if you own one of the older models, then this year's iPhone is a big upgrade and worth the money. But if you already own the iPhone X, then there isn't enough improvement to justify an upgrade unless you want a bigger screen.
Meanwhile, many reviewers suggest waiting for the cheaper, $749 iPhone XR before making your decision on the XS. It offers many of the same features as the XS but has a lower-quality screen and other features to keep the cost lower. Plus, the XR will come in more color options.


Here's what the iPhone XS reviewers had to say on Tuesday:


CNBC's Todd Haselton suggests if you want to save money, wait for the XR.
If you want to save some money, you should wait for Apple's more affordable model — the iPhone XR — which starts at $749 and launches in October.
If price is a concern to you, then you really should wait to see what the iPhone XR is like. I only had a chance to spend a few minutes with it after Apple's keynote, but it has the same processor and seems to still have a really good camera, just without things like the hardware zoom lens. It starts at $749, comes in five colors and has a 6.1-inch screen that's larger than the iPhone XS. It's an LCD display, like the iPhone 8 and earlier, which is still fine but just not as good at showing colors and dynamic range as an OLED screen.

CNET's Scott Stein says Apple improved the quality of the camera and photos.
If you compare camera specs for the 2017 iPhone X and the new iPhone XS, you'd think almost nothing's changed: Same dual cameras, same aperture settings, same megapixel ratings, same 2x optical zoom. But Apple's done plenty of work under the hood. The XS has a totally new image sensor that really does improve the quality of photos.
The better sensor and the new image processor on the A12 Bionic chip combine to enable what Apple calls "Smart HDR." In practice, that means my photos look better in low light and extreme contrast situations, making for better pictures whether shot on a nighttime street, in a dark bar or in bright sunlight.
The larger sensor allows more light in, according to Apple, and I can tell. Focus is faster, too. These elements do a lot to transform the picture quality this year, and serious photographers will be interested.
New York Times' Brian X. Chen used to hate giant phones, but not anymore.
It's humbling to come to you now with another confession: The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max may be making me a convert to bigger smartphones.
Last week, I began testing both new iPhone models. I had predicted that the larger display on the XS Max would be unwieldy in my pocket and make the phone cumbersome to hold with one hand while typing and reaching for buttons inside apps.
After running the 6.5-inch XS Max alongside the 5.8-inch XS through different situations and conditions for a week, I was surprised by my reaction. Far from being disappointed by the supersized devices, I was delighted.
The trade-offs of the new jumbo model felt minor. By eliminating the bezels, which are the screen's borders, Apple did a terrific job of increasing screen size without adding bulk or compromising the usability of the XS Max. I still think the smaller XS is a better fit for most people, but many would enjoy the XS Max.
Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern says the battery lasts longer.
The XS Max's battery life also makes it tempting. It generally lasted one to two hours longer during the day than my X. (As a heavy smartphone user — yes, I'm working on it — I typically charge my X midafternoon to carry me till bedtime.) In my video streaming tests, the XS Max streamed Netflix for nearly 13 hours; the XS lasted 10.5 hours and the older X went just 9.5 hours.
But the XR might outlast them all. According to claims on Apple's website, the XR will last 1.5 hours longer than the 8 Plus model — and it's rated to have longer battery life than the XS Max when it comes to internet and video usage.
I would also like to note that all these iPhones come with the same dinky 5W charger that's come with iPhones for the last 10 years. Use a faster charger, or else you'll wait hours for your fancy iPhone to juice up.
BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski's daughter isn't impressed with the new iPhone.
My daughter has an iPhone 7. The other day I handed her the Xs Max. She was puzzled in a "Why was this handed to me?" sort of way. I raised an eyebrow. "Oh," she said. "This is the new iPhone. … It's bigger." Then, without a second thought, she handed it back to me, returning to whatever she was doing on her 7. Disappointedly, I said, "You're not interested in the new iPhones? Not at all?"
"Not really," she replied. "My phone works fine."
Then my daughter suggested that, perhaps, the reason I care about new iPhones and she doesn't is because once upon a time, way back a long time ago when the smartphone universe consisted of nothing more elaborate than … flip phones, I had to use one. Meanwhile, she has known only the iPhone — and other phones that look and behave like it.
I thought this a reasonable point. And it gave me pause because I realized my daughter [...] never seen the Fisher-Price phone horror of a pre-iPhone smartphone UI. Apple hasn't made anything transformatively better for her. The world has always been thus.
Nilay Patel of The Verge says Face ID is faster.
Face ID on the XS is ever so slightly faster than the X — just an extra beat quicker. It's noticeable side by side, but it's not so much faster that you won't find yourself pointedly staring at the phone to unlock it from time to time. iOS 12 lets you add a "secondary appearance," which allows you to set up a second person if you want, which is nice.
Other than the minor speed increase and secondary appearance support, Face ID is still Face ID: it doesn't work in landscape or upside down or anything like that. If you wear glasses like me, you'll still have to enter your passcode every morning when you wake up because you're holding the phone too close to your face for it to work. And sunglasses that block IR light will still prevent it from working — Apple says it's working with sunglass makers to ship new kinds of sunglasses that support Face ID.
Wired's Lauren Goode says the iPhone's most important new feature is the new mobile chip.
By far the most important update in the iPhone XS and XS Max is Apple's new mobile chip. Last year's A11 Bionic chip was a 10-nanometer chip with a six-core CPU, a three-core GPU, and a neural engine designed for machine learning tasks that could perform up to 600 billion operations per second. This year's A12 Bionic is a 7-nanometer chip with a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU, and an even faster neural engine. It not only has more cores, but it can process up to 5 trillion operations per second.
In short, the new chip is the thing that's supposed to make your phone feel faster, your photos look better, and your AR and AI apps more useful.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Apple Rolls out the RED edition of the iphone 8 and 8 Plus

Buy (RED)
Give life.

For 11 years, our partnership with (RED) has supported HIV/AIDS programs that provide counseling, testing, and medicine that prevents the transmission of HIV from a mother to her unborn child. So far, we’ve raised over $160 million through the sale of our (RED) products. Every purchase brings us a step closer to an AIDS‑free generation.

About iOS 11.3 Update

iOS 11.3


iOS 11.3 introduces new features including ARKit 1.5 with support for more immersive augmented reality experiences, iPhone Battery Health (Beta), new Animoji for iPhone X users, and more. This update also includes stability improvements and bug fixes.
Augmented Reality
  • ARKit 1.5 allows developers to place digital objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors in addition to horizontal surfaces
  • Adds support for detecting and incorporating images like movie posters or artwork into AR experiences
  • Supports a higher resolution real world camera view when using AR experiences

iPhone Battery Health (Beta)
  • Displays information on iPhone maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability
  • Indicates if the performance management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns is on and includes the option to disable it
  • Recommends if a battery needs to be replaced

iPad charge management
  • Maintains battery health when iPad is connected to power for prolonged periods of time, such as when it is used in kiosks, point of sale systems, or stored in charging carts

Animoji
  • Introduces four new Animoji on iPhone X: lion, bear, dragon and skull

Privacy
  • When an Apple feature asks to use your personal information, an icon now appears along with a link to detailed information explaining how your data will be used and protected

Business Chat (Beta) - US only
  • Communicate with companies to easily ask questions, schedule appointments, and make purchases inside the built-in Messages app on iPhone and iPad

Health Records (Beta) - US only
  • Access health records and view lab results, immunizations, and more in a consolidated timeline in the Health app

Apple Music
  • Features a new music video experience, including an updated Music Videos section with exclusive video playlists
  • Find friends that have similar tastes using updated suggestions in Apple Music that reveal genres people enjoy and mutual friends that follow them

News
  • Top Stories now always appear first in For You
  • Watch Top Videos curated by News editors

App Store
  • Adds ability to sort customer reviews on product pages by Most Helpful, Most Favorable, Most Critical, or Most Recent
  • Improves Updates tab information with app version and file size

Safari
  • Helps protect privacy by only AutoFilling usernames and passwords after selecting them in a web form field
  • Includes warnings in the Smart Search Field when interacting with password or credit card forms on non-encrypted web pages
  • AutoFill for usernames and passwords is now available in web views within apps
  • Articles shared to Mail from Safari are now formatted using Reader mode by default when Reader is available
  • Folders in Favorites now show icons for the bookmarks contained within

Keyboards
  • Adds two new Shuangpin keyboard layouts
  • Adds support for connected hardware keyboards using the Turkish F keyboard layout
  • Improves Chinese and Japanese keyboards for better reachability on on 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices
  • Enables switching back to the keyboard after dictation with just one tap
  • Addresses an issue where auto-correct could incorrectly capitalize some words
  • Fixes an issue on iPad Pro that prevented the iPad Smart Keyboard from working after connecting to a captive Wi-Fi access point
  • Fixes an issue that could cause the Thai keyboard to incorrectly switch to the numeric layout when in landscape mode

Accessibility
  • App Store adds accessibility support for bold and large text for display customization
  • Smart Invert adds support for images on the web and in Mail messages
  • Improves RTT experience and adds RTT support for T-Mobile
  • Improves app switching on iPad for VoiceOver and Switch Control users
  • Addresses an issue where VoiceOver incorrectly described Bluetooth status and badge icons
  • Fixes an issue where end call button might not be presented in the Phone app when using VoiceOver
  • Fixes an issue where in-app app rating was not accessible with VoiceOver
  • Resolves an issue when using Live Listen that could distort audio playback

Other improvements and fixes
  • Introduces support for the AML standard which provides more accurate location data to emergency responders when SOS is triggered (in supported countries)
  • Adds support for software authentication as a new way for developers to create and enable HomeKit compatible accessories
  • Podcasts now plays episodes with a single tap, and you can tap Details to learn more about each episode
  • Improves search performance for users with long notes in Contacts
  • Improves performance of Handoff and Universal Clipboard when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent incoming calls from waking the display
  • Addresses an issue that could delay or prevent playback of Visual Voicemail
  • Resolves an issue that prevented opening a web link in Messages
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent users from returning to Mail after previewing a message attachment
  • Fixes an issue that could cause Mail notifications to reappear on the Lock screen after they had been cleared
  • Resolves an issue that could cause time and notifications to disappear from the Lock Screen
  • Resolves an issue that prevented parents from using Face ID to approve Ask to Buy requests
  • Fixes an issue in Weather where current weather conditions may not have been updated
  • Fixes an issue where contacts may not sync with a car’s phone book when connected over Bluetooth
  • Addresses an issue that could prevent audio apps from playing in cars when the app was in the background

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Everything you need to know

At long last, the iPhone 7 is here. At the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Apple continued its traditional naming structure with the introduction of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. We’ve been playing around with the upcoming iOS 10 operating system in beta for the better part of two months, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will ship with the new OS (read more about iOS 10 here), but we were excited to learn more about the actual phones.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new iPhones, and trust us, there’s a lot of interesting changes.


Waterproof design and durability

The iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus aren’t part of Apple’s major update cycle — you’ll have to wait for next year’s model for that, and of course rumors are already abound — but they do have some awesome new abilities.
Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are (finally!) water- and dust-resistant (IP67), meaning you’re free to get them wet without worry. That means you’ll be able to take either of them underwater for about 30 minutes, up to 1 meter deep.

Apple iPhone 7 review

Curved wraparound screen? Nope. Wireless charging? Not yet. Are you bothered that the new iPhone looks the same as last year's iPhone? If you are, I understand the feeling. The iPhone 7 doesn't feel like the "whole new thing." Does that bother you? Maybe. But is it better? Yeah, it is. Except for one small 3.5-millimeter thing.
The iPhone 7, as you may have heard (you've certainly heard), has no headphone jack and it looks almost identical to the 2014 iPhone 6 and 2015 iPhone 6S. But there are still compelling reasons to consider an iPhone 7, even if you own last year's model.
  • The iPhone 7 is now fully water-resistant (it can take a shallow dunking).
  • The camera takes notably better photos, especially in low light, and adds the optical image stabilization feature previously restricted to the 5.5-inch Plus model.
  • The battery lasts longer -- probably a couple of hours or more a day, under normal usage. (We'll update this review after we test the battery in our lab.)
  • Continue reading..........

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Apple’s New Marketing Plan: Screw the Police

What does it say about the state of Americans’ relationship with their own government that its largest tech company can use the ability to conceal private information from authorities as a selling point?
Apple isn’t really focusing on marketing its latest mobile operating system that way (they’re more about bragging about how they don't sell info about your personal habits to advertisers), but they aren't shy about pointing out their resistance to rolling over and accepting government data demands. Observant tech journalists have noticed something big in their latest privacy notes. Apple has changed its encryption so that the company itself cannot access the data on its users’ phones and iPads without the passcode. Thus, if police or the feds come to Apple with warrants to grab potentially useful private data off a device, they couldn’t comply even if they wanted to. Ars Technica explains:
If law enforcement came to Apple with a seized device and a valid warrant, it was able to access a substantial portion of the data already on an iPad or iPhone. But under the latest version of iOS, even that will be impossible.
"On devices running iOS 8, your personal data such as photos, messages (including attachments), email, contacts, call history, iTunes content, notes, and reminders is placed under the protection of your passcode," the company wrote on its website Wednesday evening. "Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."
To be clear, though, this is not perfect protection. The Washington Post notes
that this won’t protect data stored elsewhere, like on cloud services. So as certain naked celebrities have recently learned, if there’s stuff on your phones or iPads you don’t want other people getting their hands on, maybe don’t send it up to the cloud.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Millions of Android Phones Could Be Affected by the Heartbleed Bug. Check to See if Yours Is One of Them


Millions of Android Phones Could Be Affected by the Heartbleed Bug. Check to See if Yours Is One of Them
Disturbing news: The now-infamous Heartbleed security flaw might reach further than your favorite websites. It could affect your mobile device, too.
According to an announcement by Google, smartphones and tablets running a specific version of Android were affected by the widespread web security bug, which could potentially spill your sensitive login information (like passwords).
The company assured Android owners in a blog post April 9 that most versions are not affected by the flaw. However, as Bloomberg notes, Google added that a version called 4.1.1 Jelly Bean is a “limited exception.”
That version of Android was released in 2012 and is likely to be running on older Android smartphones. According to the most recent statistics released by Google, about 34 percent of Android devices use a version of the 4.1 Jelly Bean software. Though the company said that fewer than 10 percent of devices in use are vulnerable, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that millions of devices still run 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. 
So how can you check to see if your device is affected? You’ll need to go to the Settings menu of your phone and find your way to the About Phone section. There you’ll be able to learn what version of Android you’re running and see if any updates are available.
There’s also a free Android app available that will tell you if your device is vulnerable to the bug.
Whether there is an immediate update to patch this bug is still unclear. Google’s blog post says that “patching information for Android 4.1.1 is being distributed to Android partners.” A Verizon spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company was aware of the “security vulnerability referred to as ‘Heartbleed,’ ” and that the company was “working with our device manufacturers to test and deploy patches to any affected device on our network running Android 4.1.1.”
We’ve reached out to Google for comment. In the meantime, fingers crossed that you’re not affected.