Jim Hamm found this intriguing article that briefly highlights the major new features of the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. It sounds mouth-watering to John Carter whom we are sure will get the new 6S Plus for the advanced photo and video features. Maybe he won’t be the only one. So the question is, do you get a smartphone like this to make phone calls, or is it mostly a handy pocket video/camera?
Need Help? Siri Can Call Emergency Services
Siri can call emergency services for you with iPhone, if need be. Jim Hamm comments, "Here's some info that's good to know, but hope you never need to use it."
Text Messages That Crash iPhones
This info is from Ars Technica, "There's yet another iOS bug that causes Apple devices to crash when they receive text messages containing a string of special characters. With further finessing, the same exploit may be able to attack Macs, since OS X is also unable to process the same combination of characters, which are technically known as glyphs."
Here's a screen shot of the text that causes iPhones to promptly crash.
Read this article for the warnings and the remedy they suggest: http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/05/beware-of-the-text-message-that-crashes-iphones/#p3
iPad Magic
A German magician, Simon Pierro, was in Las Vegas for the Oracle Corporation, see his post 4-3-15. http://www.simonpierro.com/oracle-ipad-magic-las-vegas He does tricks with iPhones and the Apple Watch as well. http://www.simonpierro.com/simon-pierro-ios-magic Thanks to Jim Hamm for mentioning this.
Astrophotography with a Smartphone?
John Carter has more to say about photography, "Someone has been quite successful in taking images of Jupiter using his iPhone, an 8” telescope, and a couple of apps on his computer. Get the full, brief, story here."
Apps That Are Vulnerable
Alert and aware! We spare ourselves a lot of trouble by keeping informed. The ArsTechnica article of April 20 declares about 1,500 iPhone and iPad apps contain a vulnerability that makes it easy for your encrypted passwords, bank account numbers and other sensitive information to be intercepted. The article of April 20 needs your attention. http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/04/1500-ios-apps-have-https-crippling-bug-is-one-of-them-on-your-device/
"Freak" Bug Update
John Carter passes along some VERY important info. "Both Microsoft and Apple have announced that they have released a patch for the FREAK bug. See full article here.
"In this article, it explains a lot more about the 'Freak' bug and what you can do to find out if your browser is safe to use and even if a website you want to visit is safe to use. The article is written for Mac users, but the method for determining if your browser is safe is essentially the same."
John continues, "For all users, check this site to determine if the website you want to visit is secure. The sad news is that your favorite website may fail. It could be only because the site does not have an updated security certificate, or it may be vulnerable to an attack by some issue other than FREAK, so you’re just going to have to take your chances if you insist on going there. For example, my personal website is vulnerable because the hosting service is vulnerable.
"I have tested the latest Safari browser and have determined that it is safe to use - and this was confirmed after the latest Apple security updates have been installed. I have also just updated Windows 8.1 and tested MSIE and found it to be safe.
"The Win 10 Beta with the latest updates is secure for MSIE, Firefox, and Chrome.
"However, Windows 7, even with the latest update, still has the vulnerable MSIE, and this also applies to both the latest Firefox and Chrome browsers on Win 7. Please continue to monitor your Windows 7 update for updates.
"It is still recommended that Firefox be the browser to use (instead of MSIE or Safari)."
John concludes with this, "In addition, Apple has just release iOS 8.2 for the iPhone and iPad, and this release fixes the FREAK bug for those devices. See full article here."
Do You NEED an Apple Watch?
Here's something from Jim Hamm to think about: "Although the upcoming Apple smart watch may not be in your future, you may enjoy reading this article discussing how Apple wants to convince people to wear a watch again, after the iPhone helped convince people they didn't really need to wear a watch at all if they have a smartphone. The article was written by a watch aficionado, who writes a blog about watches, and he makes some good points
on how Apple will convince people they need to wear a watch again.
Jim closes with, "As I said previously, it will be interesting to see how well Apple's new watch is received in the marketplace."
Is iOS 8.2 Killing Your Battery Life?
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Can an App Spot Your Cancer?
"Here's an unusual app for the iPhone. Will be interesting to see how this develops," Jim Hamm emails us. Thanks for finding all these nifty articles, Jim.
http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars-and-provocateurs/can-an-app-spot-your-cancer/38375 utm_source=B1&utm_medium=pp&utm_campaign=pp
Electronic Device Batteries
"What's the best way to increase the lifespan of the battery in your smartphone, tablet or computer? Here's an article with useful tips," remarks Jim Hamm.
"What's the best way to increase the daily battery life of your device so it doesn't run down during the day? Here's what Apple has to say about that.
"It seems it's best not to discharge the battery in your device down to zero as there is a finite number of times the battery can do that and still take a charge. Also, it seems it's OK to leave the device plugged in overnight (if you should want to) as long as you remove any cover so the heat can dissipate.
"Will apps running in the background on your device drain battery life? I've read articles claiming yes and no. This article states apps running in the background do not drain battery life, at least on an Apple device.
And here's Jim's latest experience. "What I have found, though, on my iPad, if I keep opening apps and websites eventually my iPad slows down and gets 'buggy'. By doing a reset and closing everything down, everything runs smoothly again when it reopens."
Super Bowl! Live Streams!
Today is Super Bowl Day!
"If, by chance, you're not near a TV for today's Super Bowl, not to worry," declares Jim Hamm. "You can watch the game on your computer, iPad or iPhone. Take a read here. I'll be watching the game on TV but I might dial-in my iPad a time or two just to see what the game would look like on a small screen.
"Watch the game on an iPhone? Not for me -- screen is way too small."
iOS 8 Tips
"Here’s a link to 32 tips for iOS 8 and the iPhone," begins Jim Hamm. Look here at http://www.techlook.net/2014/10/01/ios-8-tips
"Although these tips are specified for the iPhone, I'd guess many of the tips would work in an iPad running iOS 8." So, stay tuned for more handy ideas . . .
Internet Videos Show "How To"
Want to do more on Mac, your iPhone, your iPad? John Carter found a site for you that has 500+ video tutorials.
John says, "There are several places on the Internet where you can get video tutorials that clearly step through the processes one needs to know to accomplish what may seem at the outset to be only for gurus.
"For instance, you’ve probably heard about Pixelmator and how it can give you fine control over editing a photo at a fraction of the price of Adobe Photoshop CS. Or, now that Yosemite is out, just how much more can it do and how can you discover how to use those new features?
"From iOS to Mac, there is one place dedicated to helping Mac users learn all they can, and even introduce applications you’ve probably never heard of, and that’s ScreenCastsOnline.com."
Dropped Your Phone in Water?
iPhone 6 To Be Used by United Airlines
If you've subscribed to MacMost emails, www.macmost.com then you saw a link to this headline, hot off the press from MacRumors, "United Airlines to Equip Flight Attendants with iPhone 6 Plus." www.macrumors.com/2014/12/10/united-airlines-iphone-6-plus/ Interesting to read about the eager adopters of Apple technology.
Using Siri
"For those of us with iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, we've had access to Siri for a long time but we probably rarely use it," Art Gorski begins. He explains, "I've found that when I'm in the supermarket and I need 2 cups of something for a recipe but the item lists its size in grams, I can just ask Siri 'How many grams in 2 cups?' Cool."
"There's a gazillion useful things like this that Siri can do, but how do you figure out what they are without a lot of annoying trial and error? Did you know that you can use Siri to voice dictate an email or a text document?"
And Art sends this helpful link: "Here's a great website with tons of tutorials worth exploring: http://www.siriuserguide.com "
Maps.Me is FREE
Jim Hamm has another interesting bit of info here: "For travel there is an app for your iPhone or iPad that is free today: Maps.Me. In this app you can download maps of the various states ( or even around the world) which you can use when you're offline. Normally the cost is $5 for this app. You might take a look and download it from the App Store." https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maps.me-pro-offline-maps/id510623322?mt=8
How To Videos & Apple News
If you get email from MacMost you already saw this. The October 23 issue has links to video tutorials, a featured iPhone/iPad app, and the list of stores and apps that accept Apple Pay payments.
Flashlight App Alert
"If you've installed a flashlight app on your smartphone you might want to take a look at the following video," declares Jim Hamm. He continues, "And here are the Android apps SnoopWall.com checked. No apps listed for iOS as yet, but if you have a flashlight app installed on an iPhone you might check the size of the app, as mentioned in the video. The cyber crooks are getting ever more devious in their malware." A Cybersecurity Threat That Could Be Lurking On Your Phone