Google Makes 2014 New Year's Google Doodle

As we all know, Google makes Google Doodles that go on their homepage, usually depicting something that captures the theme of that day. Today, you'll find a Google Doodle depicting some of the top searches of 2014. These include the 2014 World Cup, the Philae Philae robotic lander, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the Mars Orbiter Mission, and Flappy Bird.

Just for fun, here's last year's Google Doodle...

Choose To Share Data With App Developers

In iOS 8, you can choose whether you want to share crash data with app developers. To check or change your settings on the matter, go to Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Usage > and apply your settings to the "Share With App Developers" switch. Will you be the reason your favorite app doesn't crash?

Chevron Will Have Apple Pay At Gas Pumps By Early 2015

Chevron has had Apple Pay implemented since its release, but customers would have to go to the in-store cash register. In a tweet, Chevron said that they are working on "solutions to integrate with Apple Pay at the pump by early 2015." We can only hope this comes soon...

@SingAsana We are working alongside Apple to develop solutions to integrate with Apple Pay at the pump by early 2015.
— Chevron (@Chevron) December 29, 2014

Customize The Contacts Shortcut

In iOS 8, Apple introduced a contacts shortcut that shows up in the app switcher. It shows recent and favorite contacts by default. However, maybe you just want favorites or no contacts at all... The fix is simple! Just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Show In App Switcher (Scroll down to Contacts) > and select what you want to be shown. It should be noted that iPads and iPod Touches don't have a "favorites" option, so you either have recent contacts or nothing. I personally have favorites show up, but feel free to customize it to your desire! I hope this helps!

100,000 Pageviews!

Today, Tech Talk 4 Geeks has reached a huge milestone! We have reached 100,000 pageviews! This is really amazing! I remember 2 short years ago, I thought that 100 page views was crazy. I thank each and every one of you for your support over the years. I hope I can make Tech Talk 4 Geeks a more enjoyable experience in the near future. Thank you!

The Lucky Bag is Back For Japanese Apple Stores

Every year in Japan, Apple does a promotion for lucky bags. A lucky bag, or a Fukubukuro, is a bag filled with random, assorted products or goodies. On January 2nd, Japanese Apple Stores will sell lucky bags for about $345, usually filled with iPods, headphones, or other products. Buyers can't tell what's in the bag before purchasing. This is restricted to Japanese Apple Stores unfortunately.

Merry Christmas! (2014)

Merry Christmas! I hope your day was as fun-filled as mine. I hope to get some work done on at least one review done in the coming weeks. Anyways, have a great rest of the year! 

Track Santa on Google

With Google doing another Santa Tracker activity, along with some other cool apps, you can track Santa as he delivers toys around the planet. Just go to Google's homepage and find the link or follow this link. There are some cool apps in The Village as well. One of my favorites is the Code Lab. If you know what Scratch or Code Academy is, then you'll love it. Also, here's a message from Santa that he sent to you guys. Anyways, have a very merry Christmas!

iOS 8 in Black and White

With iOS 8, you can make the screen display in black and white. I don't know why you'd want this, but it's kinda cool. Just go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Grayscale > and turn it on. Now you can see iOS in black and white. Switch it again to get color back. Also, you can go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut > and tap "Grayscale." Now, you can triple-click the home button to instantly get black and white awesomeness at anytime. Triple-click again to restore color. I hope this helps!

Critical Security Update For All OS X Users

According to Apple, users running OS X Yosemite, OS X Mavericks, and OS X Mountain Lion, should install Apple's critical security update "as soon as possible." Essentially, this patches multiple vulnerabilities with the Network Time Protocol, which is used a lot these days. This was even acknowledged by the U.S. government. I recommend installing this as soon as possible. To do so, open the Mac App Store on your Mac and click "Updates." Find the update and click install. The update looks like the picture below and should be easy to find.

Delete iCloud Tabs

In iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, you can now delete iCloud tabs from any device connected to your iCloud. Just go to iCloud tabs, and delete them by clicking on the "x" on a Mac, or swipe to the left on an iCloud tab on an iOS device. It's that simple! I hope this helps!

Click the "x" on an iCloud tab for OS X

Quickly Find Attachments In Messages

Did you know that you can quickly access all of the attachments that you've sent in a conversation? Just go to a conversation and tap "Details" in the top-right corner. Scroll down to find all of the attachments in the chat. I hope this helps!

Remove iOS 8 Spotlight Suggestions

Let's be honest... Spotlight Suggestions in iOS 8 never really help us. I mean, it shows websites and App Store suggestions. If I need those, I'll go to their respective apps. So, how can I get rid of these annoying suggestions? Simple! Just go to Settings > General > Spotlight Search > and turn off Spotlight Suggestions. Now you can search without random suggestions and advertisements.

Hanukkah Easter Egg in Google Search

As you may know, it's currently Hanukkah. If you search 'Hanukkah' (or a similar spelling) in Google, you'll be greeted with a Hanukkah themed Google page. There is a dreidel and a menorah. It's a nice little Easter Egg that not everyone will see. Be sure to check it out while it's there. I'm not sure how long it will it stay up, so enjoy it while it's still Hanukkah (December 16th - December 23rd for this year).

Apple Posts The Story Behind Holiday Ad 'The Song'

Today, Apple posted a behind the scenes look of this year's holiday ad, 'The Song'. It talks about he voice-o-graph and how Dana Williams, the granddaughter in the film, used musical talent and GarageBand to create her song. Check out the embeds below.

iPhone 6 Is The Most Searched Consumer Electronic On Google

Every year, Google will post a year in review page with a statistic on what were the most Googled searches in that year. This year, the search term "iPhone 6" outnumbered all the other consumer electronics. The runner-up is "Samsung Galaxy S5". What's interesting about this is that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been available for about five more months than the iPhone 6. Last year, "iPhone 5s" took third place. Be sure to check out Google's year in review page, as it's very comprehensive and interesting.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Apple Employees Receive Apple-Branded Incase Backpacks As Holiday Gift

Every year, Apple employees receive some gift from Apple for their hard work. This year, employees received an Incase backpack with Apple's logo on it. On eBay, employees are selling the backpacks for about $99, as opposed to the $59 retail price without the custom branding. 

In addition to the backpack, a poem was delivered to the employees.

This is our gift to you. 
But it can never compare to what you've given. 
What does it take to give a gift? It takes thoughtfulness. Compassion. And sometimes, sacrifice of your time, your talent, and your heart, 
These are the gifts you give: kindness, knowledge, humor, and patience. You give them when you cover for a teammate, so they can go on a much-deserved break. When you send an email recognizing a job well done. Or when you grab an extra coffee for a friend before you clock in. 
You give these gifts whether it's the beginning of the season, or the end of a very long day. You do it over, and over, and over again. 
Amazing products are designed in Cupertino. Amazing moments are made by you. These moments are your gift this holiday season -- to your customers, to your team, and to the world. 
Thank you.

Apple Releases New 'The Song' Ad For The Holidays

As is tradition for them, Apple has released a heartwarming holiday advertisement. This year, it's called "The Song". It depicts a girl finding a present her grandmother sent to what seems to be her grandfather. The present included a note to the grandfather noting how they couldn't be together for the holidays and a record with the grandmother singing "Love Is Here To Stay". The girl secretly learns the song on multiple instruments and learns the lyrics. She then combines her song with that of her grandmother's. She leaves the audio file on an iPad mini with a note that says, "A Duet, Press Play". The grandmother listens to the song and looks at the pictures that were left with the iPad mini and the note. The memories bring the grandmother to tears of joy as the granddaughter watches from above.

Although last year's holiday advertisement, called "Misunderstood", has been taken down by Apple, you can watch a re-uploaded version in the embed below. Credit to Matthew Miller.

Quickly Reply to Text Messages With iOS 8

Let's say you're watching a video and don't want to switch between apps to reply to a friend who's texting you. There's something for that in iOS 8. If you don't want to have to open the Messages app to reply to a message, just use this trick. When you receive a banner notification from a text message (shown below on left image), just pull down on it to get a reply sheet. From there, you can send a message without leaving the app. I hope this helps!

QuickTime Player Has Hidden Credits

The other day, I decided to randomly look at the "About QuickTime" window for no reason and stared at it for about 10 seconds. If you wait about that long, you will find the low resolution logos of companies who helped make QuickTime possible. It's a neat little Easter Egg. I think it's funny that Apple tried to hide it like that. Maybe it was because of the low resolution on the logos or that Apple plain-out didn't want to mention their existence. I mean, people barely look at the "About [Application]" section anyways. Why would they stare at it for 10 seconds anyways? Here's a GIF I made to stare at.

Workflow for iOS

This app is a great app that brings powerful workflows to mobile phones. With more than 100 different actions, anything is possible. You can take several photos and compile them into a GIF. You can compile text and do stuff with it. You can make turn-based games with it. It's a great way to get creative. There is also a gallery for workflows. You should buy it soon, as it has an introductory price of $2.99 [Direct Link].

iOS 8 Is Now Installed On 63% Of Active iOS Devices

Two months after its release, Apple has reported that iOS 8 is installed on 63% of devices. This slow install rate is possibly due to major bugs disabling HealthKit, cellular data, and Touch ID on some devices, but these have been since fixed. In addition, users who are reluctant to upgrade due to storage limitations should consider upgrading through iTunes. Be sure to read my tips on upgrading an iOS device before proceeding.

Easter Egg in Yahoo! Fantasy Football Notification

Today, my iPhone sent me a notification from Yahoo! Fantasy Football. It said the following: "A winner is you! You beat [Opponent Username and Score] to improve to [Win/Loss Count]." Any ordinary football fan wouldn't see much there. However, we the geeks see something different. The phrase "A winner is you!" is actually a reference to a very old video game translation error in the game, Pro Wrestling (1986), for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Back in the day, video game translators' first language was usually Japanese, which usually led to many translation errors. Be sure to look some up as they can be really funny. Anyways, it's nice that a programmer in northern California remembers this small error.

Bose Products May Return To Apple Stores Next Week

After Apple acquiring Beats (a competitor of Bose) and Bose accusing Beats of stealing Bose's ideas, you'd think Bose in an Apple Store is a big no-no on Apple's behalf. Well, for some reason, Apple will sell Bose products in Apple Stores again, according to iGen.fr. After all Apple and Bose have been through, you'd think they would be a bit hesitant about this decision. I mean, Bose teamed up with the NFL to put a ban on players from wearing Beats on camera. We will see if this prediction is valid in the coming weeks...

Apple Releases 'Change' Ad for iPad Air 2

Apple released a new ad today depicting the iPad Air 2 working wonders for artists, Post-It Note users, motorcyclists, and more. In addition to the ad, Apple posted a new page for the ad called "Change". The video is embedded below.

Hide Photos in iOS 8

If for some reason you need to hide a photo from your Photos app in iOS, you can do so in iOS 8. Simply open the Photos app, hold on the thumbnail of a photo, and tap "Hide". They will be hidden from your photos and can only been seen in an album called "Hidden". At the moment, you can't put a passcode on this album and photo backup services, like Google+, will still back up these photos, so be warned. Also, hiding photos won't hide the photos from an album it is already in.

Recently Deleted Photos

Have you ever deleted a photo and really needed it back? Well, now you can get it back with iOS 8! Just go to the Photos app, tap on Albums, pick "Recently Deleted", and recover (or permanently delete) any photos you have deleted. It should be noted that if you don't recover your photos within 30 days of their deletion, they are gone forever (a long time). I hope this helps!

Hour of Code 2014

Apple is once again joining Code.org's "Hour of Code" campaign by hosting one-hour, free coding sessions at Apple Stores. Mark your calendars! It's on December 11. There will be other events during Computer Science Education week, which takes place from December 8-14. I hope anybody reading this considers attending. Some stores will even have famous app developers there. Happy Hour of Code!

NinType

NinType is a new keyboard for iOS 8 that can enable you to type at fast speeds. It takes practice, but it's fast. In some cases, you can type faster than someone touch typing on a computer! It combines swiping with shortcuts to let people type over 100 words per minute! NinType is available from the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad for $4.99 [Direct Link].

Wells Fargo Releases an Apple Pay Advertisment

Wells Fargo is one of Apple Pay's partners in bringing secure, fast, and convenient payment methods to iPhone users. They have released a new ad. It depicts a man going to numerous stores ("a wild goose chase") using Apple Pay, noting how quick the process of paying is. He returns home to interrupt the making of a birthday party in his honor. The video is embedded below.

iBooks App Changes Color Scheme Based on Light Sensor

Did you know, the iBooks app for iOS will change its color scheme based on the lighting around your device? You can test this by placing your hand over your iOS device's light sensor, near the front camera. The color scheme should turn darker. It's a nice little detail that can make reading fun on iOS, day or night.

Calendar Events Have Different Icons Between OS X Yosemite and Mavericks

I think this is a neat little fact. In Finder, if you have events created before you installed OS X Yosemite, they have their old icons. If you have them after, they're simplified icons. This is probably something missed by the installer when it was parsing icons. Check it out.

iPad Air Plus Blueprints

The iPad Pro, now dubbed the iPad Air Plus, now has potential blueprints. It should be noted that it has a new A9 processor. It is also expected to launch between April and June of 2015. The blueprints are below. Check them out!

Apple Releases Voice Text Ad

Not long after releasing two iPhone 6 ads, Apple has released yet another ad. It advertises iOS 8's ability to send voice texts. It notes how it's useful for sarcasm, singing, and avoiding spelling errors. Check it out!

Black Friday Deals 2014

Happy Thanksgiving! I've found some good ways to compile Black Friday deals! First, I believe MacRumors did a great job on their compilation so be sure to check it out here. Also, the official Black Friday app is a great way to find shopping deals [Direct Link]. Check out your favorite software sites (VMWare, Steam, etc.) as they will probably have some offers available. Finally, be sure to check out Amazon's Lightning Deals and Deal of the Day as there are often great deals for popular products on any given day of the year. Check back frequently! Happy Black Friday! 

New 'Iconic' Coffee Table Book Gets A Backlight

Iconic, a book that has beautiful images of Apple products over the years, has been updated. Upgraded books now feature a slick backlight. You can check them out on Amazon ($99 with backlight).

Apple Announces Apps For (RED)

Have your apps been turning red lately? If they have, then that app is supporting World AIDS Day 2014. From now until December 7, if you make a purchase (or in-app purchase) of a (RED) app, the proceed will go to the World AIDS Day fund.

“Apple is a proud supporter of (RED) because we believe the gift of life is the most important gift anyone can give,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “For eight years, our customers have been helping fight AIDS in Africa by funding life-saving treatments which are having a profoundly positive impact. This year we are launching our biggest fundraising push yet with the participation of Apple’s retail and online stores, and some of the brightest minds in the App Store are lending their talents to the effort as well.”

Image Credit: MacRumors

Apple Releases New iPhone 6 Ads: 'Gamers' and 'Reservations'

Apple released two new advertisements for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. "Gamers" advertise the game, Vainglory, and the A8 chip. "Reservations" shows off continuity between iOS and Mac. They're pretty funny, so I suggest you watch them in the embeds below.

How to Rename an iMessage Group Chat in iOS 8

In iOS 8, you can rename iMessage group chats. It's simple, but a little hidden. Just go to (or create) an iMessage group chat (not SMS nor MMS) and tap "Details" in the top right corner. Now, swipe down (scroll up). You should be able to change the name (or topic of the group chat). I hope this helps!

You Can Now Post Photos On iCloud.com To Your Photo Stream

In a previous post, I noted how developers could upload photos to their photo streams. Two weeks later, that same feature is available to the public. Like the beta version, you can only upload JPG files. Hopefully, this feature will be updated to support more file types. But for now, we at least have the ability. It's not like people use the feature much (That wasn't sarcasm.)

Image Credit: MacRumors

Things is Now Free (App of the Week)

Things is a great task manager that helps you get stuff done and manage your time. It also blends simplicity with functionality. It can use the reminders app as a reference. This lets you use Siri to enter reminders into Things. These are just a few features of Things. For the real experience, get Things [Direct Link] from the Apple App Store for free this week (Regularly $9.99).

Beats Music Will Be Included In iOS Next Year

According to the Financial Times, Apple will bundle Beats Music in iOS next year. This is a particularly strange move for Apple as they have iTunes Radio. Will Beats Music turn into iTunes Radio or will it be a standalone product? I would guess that it would evolve into iTunes Radio as Apple's streaming service hasn't performed well and adapting a popular music service would be a very good move by Apple. Well, those are my thoughts. Here's what the Financial Times had to say about it.

"Apple will bundle the subscription music service it acquired from Beats into its iOS operating system early next year, instantly making it available on hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads – and ramping up pressure on Spotify, the market leader in music streaming. The inclusion of the paid-for Beats service in an iOS software update could happen as early as March, according to people familiar with the situation."

Sync Solver: Sneaking Fitbit Data Into Apple Health Since 2014

If you're like me, you were about to add an UP by Jawbone onto your Christmas wish list and put a Fitbit on eBay. But wait! There's another way to get your Fitbit data into Apple Health and it only costs 99¢! It's called Sync Solver and I suggest you get it before Apple removes it from their App Store for some reason. In short, Sync Solver gathers all your data from your Fitbit account and pushes it to Apple Health. In addition, the logic it uses is as sound as it can get. It's kind of hard to explain, but because the app syncs at midnight, the steps (and other data) are gathers all at once, once a day. This is opposed to gathering data every time it is updated, which causes an undesirable user experience. Basically, it allows you to get a quick overview of your data in an easy to view way. This makes Sync Solver worth every cent. Sync Solver is available from the Apple App Store for $0.99 [Direct Link].

Developers Can Now Develop Apple Watch Apps

Today, Apple developers can now access WatchKit, a set of API tools for developing for the Apple Watch. It is part of the Xcode 6.2 beta seed. You can download this from Apple's developer site. Apple has also released resources, such as the human interface guidelines, for getting started with WatchKit. So if you're an Apple developer, head on over to the developer site and get coding!

iOS 8.1.1 is Now Available for the Public

Today, Apple released iOS 8.1.1 to all iOS users. It addresses several bugs and improves performance for the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s.

"This release includes bug fixes, increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222" 

This is a minor update, so nothing big is here, but it doesn't hurt to update for those who have been skeptical about iOS 8 in the past. This should be a very stable release as it mostly addresses bug changes. Even so, I suggest you follow my instructions to updating an iOS device. 

Easter Egg in Calculator App in OS X Yosemite

Yosemite brought many different changes to the design of OS X. One of those changes were the icons. The calculator icon now looks like the app in iOS 7. There's also an Easter Egg in this icon. Can you see it? It's pi (the number)! 3.141593 is what is displayed. You may notice that it is rounded. Unrounded, it's 3.141592. You'll find this in your Applications folder or your Launchpad. Check it out!

Apple Store Gift Cards Based on iPhone Colors

I know this is pretty insignificant, but I find this kind of cool. In addition to Apple having a completely independent gift card display at my local grocery store, the Apple Store gift cards are based on the colors of the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and the iPads. The custom priced gift card is based on the iPhone 5c's white color. The $25 gift card is based on the iPhone's silver color. The $50 gift card is based on the iPhone's space gray color. The $100 gift card is based on the iPhone's gold color. It's an interesting Easter Egg. Check out the pictures below.

The Silver, Space Gray, and Gold iPhones Respectively

The Display for the Gift Cards

iPhone 5s/6 Gold Gift Card

iPhone 5c White Gift Card

iPhone 5s/6 Silver Gift Card

iPhone 5s/6 Space Gray Gift Card

Apple Pay Doubled Smartphone Transactions at Walgreens

Thanks to Apple Pay, smartphone transactions have doubled at Walgreens. This is just one milestone after a long line of success. Whole Foods processed 150,000 Apple Pay transactions. Half of all smartphone transactions at McDonald's were Apple Pay transactions. Recently, Staples started accepting Apple Pay. Apple Pay has had quite a streak so far since its release.

Staples Now Accepts Apple Pay

About a year ago, it seemed like Staples never had anything Apple related. Now they sell Apple accessories in store and Apple products online. They take it a step further today with Apple Pay. That's right! You can now buy your office supplies, back-to-school products, electronics, and more with your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Just tap your iPhone to the NFC terminal and put your finger on your iPhone's Touch ID sensor. It's that simple. Be sure that your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus has iOS 8.1 as well.

Beats' First New Pair of Headphones After Apple Acquisition Announced

Beats had just introduced an new version of their Solo2 headphones. This is the first new product of Beats since Apple bought Beats earlier this year. Not that big of a deal. They're just wireless now. No Apple logo on it, nor any acknowledgement of Apple with it. They are available in blue, white, black, and red. They cost $299.95 and the older wired version costs $199.95.

Masque Attack

If you often download apps outside of the Apple App Store, like GBA4iOS, you might want to hold off on it for a while. A new vulnerability, called Masque Attack, can install an app directly over an app already installed on your iOS device, making it hard to notice. Say this writes over a banking app. The app can potentially read your banking information or credentials. iOS 7 users can check if they've been affected by going to Settings > Generals > Profiles and check if there is a malicious profile installed. Remember, you're only affected if you download apps outside of the Apple App Store on an iOS device. Check out the video below to learn more.

Data Calc

If you're an Android user, then today is your lucky day! I made a new Android app that can help you choose a cellular data plan and can help you save cellular data on YouTube videos. From the main app, you can input variables and get an instant estimate as to how much data you would use a month. However, from the YouTube app (not the website), you can tap the action button next to any YouTube video (the three little dots), tap "Share", and select "Data Calc" from the prompt. After that, you'll get an instant estimate as to how much data that video would use over cellular data. Data Calc is available from the Google Play Store for free [Direct Link].

Apple Makes Tool To Deregister iMessage

In an interesting move by Apple, they have created a web tool that allows non-iPhone users that have switched from an iPhone to deregister iMessage. Without this, people that send messages from an iPhone to someone who switched from an iPhone won't be able to carry on a conversation. This is because the messages from the iPhone are going to the non-iPhone user's iMessage conversations.

How Apple Pay Works At NFC Terminals Not Optimized for Apple Pay

Although Apple Pay only has a small number of partners, there are many more locations to pay with NFC terminals. However, these non-optimized NFC terminals don't have the same security features as Apple Pay. You may still have to provide a signature. Other than that, you're only problem is a lack of knowledge from the cashier as they probably didn't have any special training for Apple Pay.

Fitbit Are Officially No Longer Sold in Apple Stores

After Fitbit has said that they won't be adding HealthKit functionality, Apple made plans to stop selling Fitbit products in their retail and online stores. They will still sell the UP by Jawbone and other HealthKit-enabled products. It hasn't been determined whether Apple will still sell HealthKit-enabled products after the release of the Apple Watch. Either way, if you want to use the Health app in iOS 8, do your research and know that Fitbit products aren't compatible.

Fitbit Surge