Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Amazon Dash Button

Amazon has done many things to make packages getting to your door look as much like the Jetsons as possible, but I think this one tops the rest (not counting the whole drone thing). It's called the Amazon Prime Dash Button. Most people thought it was an early April Fools' joke, but it wasn't. In fact, most people thought it was dumb, and you might too, but I find it pretty cool. Here's a scenario. I play tennis, and I like to drink Smartwater brand water. I bring one to practice everyday and finding it at the grocery store is a pain for some odd reason. All I have to do is press the button on my Amazon Dash Button that I stuck inside of my pantry when I run low and that's it. If you're still confused, watch the video below. It's available for Prime members only and by invitation only. You must request one by going to the official site.

Monday, March 30, 2015

iPhone Wars: Revenge of the C

If you bothered to keep reading after you read that derpy title, then congratulations! You're about to be 10% more informed tonight because you read this post. Anyways, remember the iPhone 5c? It's kind of like a smart car. It's colorful, a bit quirky, and made of plastic. We now have reason to believe that there will be an iPhone 6c coming out this September. So if you're a fan of Apple products made out of cheap materials, then you'll have the perfect iPhone to match that little Apple Watch Sport of yours. This also means that the regular iPhone 6 will be replaced by the iPhone 6c. We don't have any word on the fate of the iPhone 6 Plus and whether there will be an iPhone 6s Plus or an iPhone 6c Plus. "iPhone 6s Plus." Almost sounds like the name of every Samsung phone ever.

Image Credit: Nowhereelse.fr

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Multiple Desktops Automatically Rearrange

If you use multiple desktops in OS X frequently, they can automatically rearrange in order based on which one you use more frequently. This is enabled by default, but you can change its settings in System Preferences > Mission Control > Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use. I hope this helps!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Super Mario 64 HD

After Nintendo announcing that they'll bring their games to mobile, Erik Roystan, computer science student, has created a Unity program that emulates a level from Super Mario 64. It looks as good as a regular Nintendo game. This just proves how fans make better games than Nintendo for free. That aside, I recommend you try it out.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Apple Watch Shops Opening on April 10

Apple Watch shops will be opening in London, Paris, and Tokyo. Only the Apple Watch will be sold at these locations and support will not be available. These stores will open on April 10.


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Apple Watch Apps Start To Appear In App Store

There have been several updates to apps that contain support for the Apple Watch. These updates come before the Apple Watch is available for pre-order. So, if you had an Apple Watch, this app would be loaded on your iPhone and on your Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is available for pre-order on April 10 and is available for purchase April 24.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

How Apple Watch Appointments Will Work

Beginning April 10, Apple will schedule appointments in retail stores for people interested in trying on Apple Watch. They will be in 15-minute lengths. However, for the Apple Watch Edition, the gold Apple Watch, they will be 30-minutes. Be sure to schedule your appointment. Clearly, by the image below, the training for the Apple employees has been done.

Image Credit: 9to5Mac

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Scenery

If you're an app developer, great images surrounding your app are essential for a successful marketing campaign. With Scenery for Mac, you can make great mockups for your app. Just add an image and see it on a wide variety of device frames, with a wide variety of backgrounds. Scenery for Mac is available for free (with in-app purchases) from its website.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Hidden iOS 8.3 Feature: Siri Does Speakerphone

iOS 8.3 is currently only available to iOS developers, but there are some cool additions coming with the update. One of the is a new functionality to Siri. If you were to say "call [name] on speakerphone," Siri will put your call on speakerphone, provided that you're using iOS 8.3. This would be helpful for Bluetooth devices too.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Sunday, March 22, 2015

'Good Morning America' Gives Us A Peak At Apple Watch's Fitness Testing Lab

ABC News shows us some more exclusive footage of the development of the Apple Watch. Now we see the top secret testing lab specifically for the fitness aspect of the Apple Watch. Check out the details in the video below.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Apple May Announce A New Apple TV At WWDC

After reducing the price of their current-generation Apple TV, Apple may debut a new Apple TV this WWDC. It may have an App Store, Siri, increased storage, and an A8 chip. This comes from BuzzFeed News. Siri on Apple TV would integrate with Apple's home automation service, HomeKit. The App Store would utilize a new API for making apps for TV (TVKit, perhaps?). We'll have to wait for WWDC to come around this June.


Friday, March 20, 2015

Apple Put A Lot Of Work Into The Fitness Aspects Of Apple Watch

According to an ABC interview, Apple collected over 18,000 hours of health and fitness data from their employees. This is from over 10,000 workout sessions that Apple employees did from the past two years. In addition, it has been speculated that Apple disguised their Apple Watch as an Android Wear device so the device was kept a secret in public.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Apple Pulling 'Anti-Virus' Apps From iOS App Store

It should be well-known that iOS devices can't get viruses unless they were jailbroken or something. Intego had their anti-virus software, VirusBarrier, pulled from the App Store (along with other people's anti-virus apps) as a result of it misleading people into thinking iOS devices can get viruses. However, Intego's app isn't really anti-virus software for iOS, but an anti-virus scanner. Basically, they see iOS devices as just a "spreader." iOS devices won't be affected, but files sent from the device can affect other devices. It essentially tries to prevent the spread of viruses. When you're careful and use common logic, you should not have any problems with viruses, but Intego does have a point. It's not anti-virus software, as misleading as it is.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Mark Your Calendars: Apple Stores Are Getting Revamped For Apple Watch On April 10

On April 10, you can pre-order your Apple Watch. But also, you'll be able try-on Apple Watch and find the right one for you ahead of its release on April 24. Your local Apple Store will be revamped for the new watch. After trying one on, you'll be able to reserve that style of Apple Watch for its release day.


Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Nintendo To Bring Games To Smart Devices

In a shocking announcement by Nintendo, they have partnered with Japanese mobile game maker DeNA to make Nintendo games available on mobile devices. This comes from the Wall Street Journal.
“The company seems to have totally changed its mind-set, after having resisted against mobile game development, publicly complained about the low quality of content in mobile and played down its role in the game world overall,” said Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based game consultant. “This is about the most drastic, bold shift in strategy Nintendo could have undertaken.”

Monday, March 16, 2015

Screenshots of the Apple Watch App

So if you upgraded to iOS 8.2 on your iPhone, you've probably noticed the Apple Watch app. It can be quite annoying as it mocks you for not having an Apple Watch by not letting you delete it and shows videos advertising the product. Thanks to Hamza Sood, you can see what the app is actually going to look like with an Apple Watch connected. It won't solve your problem, but it will make you want an Apple Watch even more though.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Flipp

If you like finding great deals from your Sunday circulars, you'll love Flipp. Just pick your favorite weekly ads, tap on deals you'd like to clip, and get reminders of when they'll expire or when you're near a store. It's a great app. You can download Flipp from the Apple App Store [Direct Link] and the Google Play Store [Direct Link].


Saturday, March 14, 2015

Fitness App Available on iOS 8.2 After An Apple Watch Is Connected

The Fitness app, a companion app for the Apple Watch, will be available once you connect one. This comes from Hamza Sood, who has done cool work on debugging iOS updates in the past. The tweet is embedded below. Check out Hamza's profile for more cool tidbits.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Why The New MacBook Is Actually Cool...

With the announcement of a new MacBook with only a single USB Type C port came a lot of mixed reviews. I'll admit that when I first saw it, I thought it was Apple's version of a Chromebook Pixel (Ironically, a new Chromebook Pixel with two USB Type C ports was announced immediately after Apple's event.). But the MacBook does make an important point. This is 2015. We are in the wireless era. If you need to connect to a display, use AirPlay. If you need to sync files to an iOS device, use AirDrop. iOS devices can sync to computers wirelessly. The MacBook truly defines the wireless era. While it isn't for a someone using it professionally or for development, it is good for a casual user.


Thursday, March 12, 2015

iOS 8.2

Today, you can download iOS 8.2 to your iOS device. It has ResearchKit support, along with other minor enhancements. The main feature is Apple Watch support. It has a new, dedicated Apple Watch app installed with the update. The app has three tabs: one that lets you pair your iPhone to the Apple Watch that you don't have, one that shows you videos making you wish you had the Apple Watch that isn't out yet, and another that for the Apple Watch App Store that isn't available yet. It should be noted that the Apple Watch app is only available on iPhone.





Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Apple Pay Update At 'Spring Forward' Event

One of the smaller announcements at Apple's "Spring Forward" event last Monday was a quick update on Apple Pay. They noted how Apple Pay is accepted at many more places. Soon, you'll be able to buy a frosty Coca-Cola from a Coca-Cola vending machine with Apple Pay. Say goodbye to the days of flattening your dollar bills to oblivion. Apple Pay is available at 40,000 Coca-Cola machines currently. By the end of the year, we hope to see 100,000 this year.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

GameStop to Accept Apple Pay

GameStop will accept Apple Pay in the near future in its retail stores. Considering their scanner system wouldn't even read my PowerUp Rewards Card from the screen of my phone prior, this is a big step up. Now I can waste my money on amiibo even faster! Apple Pay support will be rolling out this month.


Monday, March 9, 2015

'Spring Forward' Event: The Scoop

Here's a quick summary of today's events.

Apple Watch

Apple has shown off much more information about the Apple Watch. Mostly, apps were shown off, which really peaks my interest. In addition, we have a release date. It's April 24. Pre-orders start on April 10.

MacBook

A new MacBook was announced. It truly defines the wireless era. It only has a USB-C port, but you'll find that it's very versatile. It's a power port and data port. The battery is also innovative as it's a layered battery that takes up every bit of space.

Apple TV

The Apple TV is now only $69, instead of $99. This isn't a sale. It's a new price. In addition, you'll be able to watch great HBO shows, like Game of Thrones, on Apple TV with HBO Now.

I haven't had a chance to watch the entire presentation, but I'll finish it as soon as possible. I'll also discuss some of the specifics throughout the week. 

Sunday, March 8, 2015

'Spring Forward' Event Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the Apple Watch event entitled "Spring Forward." We're expected to see more specific details about the Apple Watch. In addition, we could see any number of other things at the event tomorrow, specifically for the Macs. There may be an announcement of a 12" MacBook Air. All will be revealed tomorrow... To watch the event, go to Apple's website tomorrow. The event should begin around 10 AM PDT.


Saturday, March 7, 2015

Google Now Reminds You To Change Your Clocks

As much of a stalker it is, Google Now can be very helpful for many different events that you might forget, like birthdays that your friends never told you about. As you know, Daylight Savings Time is almost upon us once more. Google Now lets you know with a reminder. Be sure to set your clocks forward by one hour tonight.


Friday, March 6, 2015

Apple Watch Will Only Take Two Hours To Charge

Like a Fitbit, the Apple Watch will charge very quickly in about two hours, according to TechCrunch. In addition, notifications will only be displayed while it is being worn. This sensor that detects when the Apple Watch is also being implemented in Apple Pay. Apple Watch will not request for a passcode when it is being worn and a passcode has been entered since last put on.


Thursday, March 5, 2015

iOS 8.2 To Be Released To The Public Next Week With 'Spring Forward' Announcement

With the Apple event next week, we have reason to believe that iOS 8.2 will be released next week. This makes sense as Apple has done this in the past. This event is expected to focus on the Apple Watch and possibly a 12" MacBook Air. The event will be on March 9th, this coming Monday. iOS 8.2 is a relatively simple update despite it being a semi-major update. It adds stability to the Health app and other apps.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

GDC 2015: Steam Machines

After over a year of silence from Valve, we finally have some insight as to what Steam Machines are, what they look like, how they'll work, what they'll cost, and when we can get our hands on them. For those unaware, PC gaming has become a preferred platform for many gamers. Allowing the gamer to choose their platform, hardware, and brand, PC gaming has proved to be the power of the customized console, the fun of gaming, without the price tags of console games. Steam, a Valve division, has been a large player in PC gaming. With people wanting to enhance their gaming experience, Valve has no choice but to make their own affordable platform. That led us to the Steam Machine. This was announced in 2013. It was supposed to be released in 2014, but we had little to no word from Valve. Now, at the Game Developers Conference, Valve has given us what we've been waiting for.

I'll just give you the straight facts. They are made by multiple companies (like an Android) and range from $50-$5000. They'll be released in November of this year. Personally, I'm excited for the Alienware Alpha version (No hate comments please.). I'm also excited for these machines along with the Steam Controller. Anyways, that's the main gist. Anyways, we have something to look forward to in November!

Image Credit: PC World

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Explore Apple Watch Apps

WatchAware, a new site created by AppAdvice, has a new section that shows off Apple Watch Apps. The site shows off Glances, notifications, and the app itself. It also shows off the potential of the Apple Watch. Be sure to check it out.


Monday, March 2, 2015

Photos App for Mac Available To Public Beta Testers

If you were in the OS X public beta program, you can now get the Photos app for OS X. This means you can see a streamlined view of your photos like you do on an iOS device. Unfortunately, this leaves out certain power editing tools that were in Aperture, which is being discontinued. Beta test members can download this update through the Mac App Store.


Sunday, March 1, 2015

Apple Releases 'Shot on iPhone 6' Gallery

Available on Apple's website, you can now view amazing pictures selected by Apple that were shot on iPhone 6. I feel that it should be noted that most of these photos were taken with the built-in Camera app alone. That means there were few third-party apps used to edit the photos. Be sure to check it out!