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iOS devices

Spring 2024 iPad Pro

Apple’s new iPad Air and iPad Pro are extremely compelling, if you’re a content creator who can be fully productive with iPadOS applications. iPad software becomes more desktop-like (in terms of power) year after year. If I were an artist, I’d be drooling over the Pencil Pro. Despite the pricing complaints from naysayers, the $999…

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iOS devices

Horizontal vs. vertical photos and video

There is a strong tendency for smartphone users to take vertical photos and video. This is understandable. It’s more comfortable to hold the phone vertically for taking and viewing the shot. It’s the default orientation, but artistically, it’s often the wrong choice. Back in the olden days before cellular phones, people used a portable device…

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iOS devices

Wireless iPhone charging

Judging by the offices and homes that I visit, wireless charging is used by a small fraction of iPhone owners. Qi charging pads have plummeted in price, so there’s no reason not to start using one if you have an iPhone 8 or newer. AT&T is currently offering a basic, but functional 10W charging pad…

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iCloud iOS devices macOS Security

Messages in iCloud considerations

  In the latest versions of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, you now have the option of storing your iMessages in iCloud. There are two benefits. First, your messages are synced across your devices. When you delete a conversation on one device, the conversation is deleted on all your devices. Second, your older messages…

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iOS devices Product reviews

iPhone X first impressions

  After picking up the iPhone X for the first time, I said “wow” out loud. It’s really that impressive. The near-borderless OLED screen is gorgeous and the build materials are first-class. It’s the first time I’ve used an iPhone and was blown away at the speed. The A11 Bionic chip is a screamer. Although…

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iOS devices

iPod nano and shuffle discontinued

  Apple discontinued the iPod nano and iPod shuffle today. This leaves the Apple Watch as the tiny music player in Apple’s product lineup. The Watch may be a suitable replacement, but there’s one aspect of the shuffle that made it the ideal exercise companion. It has big physical buttons. The buttons make it easy…

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iOS devices

iPhone swollen battery

  The Samsung Note 7 has been making headlines due to its exploding batteries. In fact, today Samsung officially stopped production of the model. While Apple hasn’t experienced such a spectacular PR nightmare, its batteries haven’t been immune to failure. Case in point: My iPhone 5S battery recently began to swell. I knew something was wrong when…

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iOS devices

T-Mobile SIM card in a 3rd Gen Verizon iPad

  T-Mobile is now providing 200 MB per month of free data for tablet owners. Compare this act of generosity to Verizon’s game of deactivating their pre-paid SIM cards to steer you into a post-paid plan. T-Mobile recently had an offer for free SIM cards for pre-paid service, so I took them up on it.…

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iOS devices Mac hardware Networking

802.11ac

Apparently we can expect 802.11ac wi-fi products coming from Apple soon. Hints of the protocol were found in the latest beta of Mountain Lion. While not unexpected, it would be great news to see 802.11ac this year. For low-end hardware, the protocol starts at 433 Mb/sec. Since this is Apple, we’ll probably be getting higher-end…

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iOS devices

T-Mobile announces iPhone 5 availability

On April 12, T-Mobile will carry the iPhone 5. This is a big deal because the phone will be offered contract-free. Under the Simple Choice plan, the service will cost $50 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 3G data, plus 500 MB of 4G (high-speed) data. 2GB of 4G data can be added for…