Tag: iOS 7

iOS 7 Is Here, iTunes Radio Makes Its Debut & Legacy Apps For Apple Devices

Linda Reimer

iOS 7 Is Here: Apple released iOS 7 just after 1 p.m. EST today. I’ve downloaded iOS 7 to my iPod and iPad and it does look very different from iOS 6. I like the new look! Some of the functionality has changed too including the fact that you now access the Spotlight Search by swiping down from the middle of your home screen instead of either double tapping the home button or swiping from left to right across the home screen. And if you do double tap the home button, instead of bringing up the Spotlight Search, you’ll now be able to quickly jump between apps you have open – to close those apps simply swipe upward over an open app or window. And you can access the new Control Panel by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and thus you’ll be able to quickly access the contrast and sound controls among other options. And you can now select a voice for Siri – you know Apple’s virtual assistant? You can pick a male of female voice if you have an Apple device that supports Siri.

Did I mention iOS 7 is different? It is! Feel free to drop into the library and ask members of the library’s tech team questions about iOS 7;  because honestly, once you install it on your Apple device you feel  like you just bought a new iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad!

Here’s a link to a ZDNET article on the subject, titled Apple Releases iOS 7 for Existing iPhone, iPad Upgrades, which offers a bit of basic information about the iOS 7 release:

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-releases-ios-7-for-existing-iphone-ipad-upgrades-7000020806/

iTunes Radio Makes Its Debut: And iTunes Radio is also making its debut today. Once you’ve updated your Apple device to iOS 7 simply go into the music app, which is now is red with white musical quarter eighth notes on it, and once you open that app there is an option for Radio at the bottom of the page – and a huge display will pop up saying “Welcome to iTunes Radio” and offering you the options to “Learn More” or “Start Listening.”

Here’s a link to a Mashable article on iTunes Radio titled Apple Updates iTunes to Includes iTunes Radio:

http://mashable.com/2013/09/18/apple-update-itunes-radio/

Legacy Apps For Apple Devices: Now this is cool because it too is new and very useful if you own and older Apple device! It used to be if Apple updated its iOS and your iPhone or iPad was just old enough that it couldn’t be updated to the new OS then there were apps that you couldn’t install on your iPad or iPhone because they had been upgraded to work with the new OS. So basically you were out of luck minus a work around. Now Apple has introduced a new feature that will allow you to automatically download a version of an app that will work with your device. For example, say you’ve got an iPhone 3 and you couldn’t previously have installed an iOS 7 app on your iPhone. Now if you use that same iPhone 3 and go to the app store you’ll be prompted to download a lower version of the app you’re interested in which will be compatible with your device. Now that too is cool! It is one of those cool Apple days…

Here’s a link to the Mashable article on just this subject titled Apple App Store Introduced Legacy App Download Option: 

http://mashable.com/2013/09/17/ios-legacy-apps/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Price, Emily. (2013, September 18). Apple Updates iTunes to Include iTunes Radio. Mashable. Online. Accessed September 18, 2013, http://mashable.com/2013/09/18/apple-update-itunes-radio/

Ulanoff, Lance. (2013, September 18). Apple App Store Introduces Legacy App Download Option. Mashable. Online. Accessed September 18, 2013, http://mashable.com/2013/09/17/ios-legacy-apps/

Whittaker, Zach. (2013, September 18). Apple releases iOS 7 for existing iPhone, iPad upgrades. ZDNET. Online. Accessed September 18, 2013, http://www.zdnet.com/apple-releases-ios-7-for-existing-iphone-ipad-upgrades-7000020806/

Getting Ready For iOS 7, Gadgets That Track How Well You Sleep & Netflix Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights To Season 2 Of Under the Dome

Linda Reimer

Getting Ready For iOS 7: Apple’s new mobile software upgrade will be unrolled next Wednesday, September 18th. And I’ve come across a number of interesting articles on the subject including one from OS X Daily that offers some helpful hints as to what Apple smartphone, tablet and iPod touch 5 owners can do to prepare their devices for the upgrade. Most of the suggestions are common sense items like checking to see if your device can receive the upgrade, deleting apps you don’t use anymore and backing up your photos and videos to a computer.

Here’s a link to the article, titled Prepare for iOS 7 Before Upgrading, which offers more tips:

http://osxdaily.com/2013/09/13/prepare-for-ios-7-before-upgrading/

And here’s a link to a second article on iOS 7 that offers you a glimpse of how iOS 7 differs from iOS 6; and although the different look of iOS 7 isn’t quite as big a shock as the change between Windows 7 and Windows 8 – it does have different look! The OS will also prompt users to do some common things a bit differently. The article is titled What We Already Know About iOS 7:

http://www.macworld.com/article/2048407/what-we-already-know-about-ios-7.html

Gadgets That Help You See How Well You Sleep: There are a number of new tech gadgets and apps that can assist you in tracking how well you sleep and even how you’re feeling at various times of the day. These gadgets include wearable gadgets like the Fitbit One that you attach to your clothes and which tracks how many steps you take during the day, how many calories you burn and how well you sleep,  the Jawbone Up which you wear on your wrist and which like the Fitbit One keeps track of how much physical activity you get each day and how well you sleep and the Nike FuelBand which doesn’t track how well you sleep but does track how many steps you take and how many calories you burn (and it may be the most popular health gadget on this list!) . Another tech sleep/wellness category is, believe it or not, apps. There are apps that will, in conjunction with your smartphone or tablet, track how well you sleep like the Sleepbot app which tracks your sleep cycle and doubles as an alarm clock and there are also tech devices that will work with your smartphone or tablet to track how well you sleep like the RenewSleep Clock which is compatible with Apple smartphones, tablets and iPods that have the old larger dock connector.  

Here’s a link to a Neon Punch article that offers a bit more info on tech sleep gadgets:

http://www.neonpunch.com/top-five-products-to-track-your-sleep/

And a second link to an interesting blog article also on sleep gadgets titled “Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex, Misfit Shine, Bowflex Boost: Which sports band to choose?”

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/123074-nike-fuelband-jawbone-up-fitbit-flex-misfit-shine-bowflex-boost-which-sports-band-to-choose

Netflix Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights To Season 2 Of Under the Dome: As another sign of the fact that streaming television shows is gaining in popularity consider the fact that Netflix has secured the exclusive rights to stream the episodes in the 2014 season 2 of the popular sci-fi series Under The Dome. The series is based upon the Stephen King book of the same name and this new deal will offer Amazon Prime subscribers access to each episode for free less than a week after it airs on CBS. And just as an FYI Amazon Prime is a subscription service Netflix offers that costs $79 a year and allows subscribers unlimited access to Amazon’s Prime Video Library and its e-book lending library where readers can access one free e-book a month. Additionally, Prime Members get free second day shipping on any items they buy directly from Amazon.

Here’s the link to a paidContent article that offers a bit more information on the new CBS/Amazon Under The Dome Deal:

http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/12/cbs-amazon-renew-deal-to-stream-under-the-dome-exclusively-on-prime-instant-video/

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

References

7 top changes in Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system: From location-based app store selection to a male Siri. (2013, September 10). CBC. Online. Accessed September 14, 2013,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/7-top-changes-in-apple-s-new-ios-7-operating-system-1.1700967

Buying Guide: Top Five Products to Track Your Sleep, (2013, September 13). Accessed September 14, 2013, http://www.neonpunch.com/top-five-products-to-track-your-sleep/

Caldwell, Serenity. (2013, September 9). What we already know about iOS 7. PC World. Accessed September 9, 2013

http://www.macworld.com/article/2048407/what-we-already-know-about-ios-7.html

Chappell, Bill. (2012, February 13). Apps For Apnea? New Gadgets Promise To Improve Sleep. All Tech Considered. Online. Accessed September 14, 2013, http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/02/13/146711356/apps-for-apnea-new-gadgets-promise-to-improve-sleep

O’Boyle, Britta. (2013, August 22). Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex, Misfit Shine, Bowflex Boost: Which sports band to choose?. Pocket-Lint. Online. Accessed September 14, 2013,  http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/123074-nike-fuelband-jawbone-up-fitbit-flex-misfit-shine-bowflex-boost-which-sports-band-to-choose

Owen, Laura Hazard. (2013, September 12). CBS, Amazon renew deal to stream Under the Dome exclusively on Prime Instant Video. paidContent. Online. Accessed September 14, 2013,

http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/12/cbs-amazon-renew-deal-to-stream-under-the-dome-exclusively-on-prime-instant-video/

Prepare for iOS 7 the Right Way: What To Do Before Upgrading an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to iOS 7. osXDaily. Online. Accessed September 14, 2013, http://osxdaily.com/2013/09/13/prepare-for-ios-7-before-upgrading/

 

New iPhones, iOS 7 & iWorks Apps Available For Free To New Apple Device Owners

Linda Reimer

New iPhones: Apple introduced two new iPhones yesterday. The iPhone 5 S which is the updated successor to the now discontinued iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5 C.

The iPhone 5 S has a few new features including a cool finger print scanning feature that will allow you to lock and unlock your phone and even buy apps simply by pressing your finger to home button on the front of the iPhone – this new feature is called Touch ID. The iPhone 5 S will be available in three colors gold, silver and space gray.  The iPhone 5 S will costs $199 with a 2 year cellular contract.

The iPhone 5 S goes on sale on September 20th.

The iPhone 5 C is essentially the iPhone 5 in a new case. And the new cases are made out of polycarbonate which is a tough, durable plastic. And the iPhone 5 C is available in five pastel colors, blue, pink, green, red and white. The iPhone 5 C is available for $99 with a 2 year cellular contract.

The iPhone 5 has now been discontinued and is no longer being sold. However, you can still buy the iPhone 4 S which is now free with a 2 year cellular contract.

The iPhone 5 C goes on sale on September 13th.

Here’s a link to a Wall Street Journal article on the new iPhones titled “Apple Unveils iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S: Company Continues to Fight Rivals in Smartphone Market; the 5C, in Five Colors, Is Priced at $99” which also features a link to a short video review of the new iPhones from the WSJ’s master tech guru Walt Mossberg:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324549004579067053406352672.html

iOS 7: iOS 7 is Apple’s soon to be introduced new mobile operating system software and it will be free for Apple device owners to install on their iPhones, iPads and 5th generation iPod Touches. The new mobile operating software will install on the iPhone 4, iPhone 4 S and all iPhone 5 models. Additionally, iPad 2, 3 & 4 owners will be able to install and use the software and 5th generation iPod Touch owners.

iOS 7 will bring many new features to mobile Apple devices and these include a new look for the software, new voices and features for Siri the voice activated personal assistant, iTunes Radio (similar to Pandora or Spotify), the ability to multitask and automatic updating of apps.

iOS 7 will be released on September 18th.

Here’s a link to a CNET article that offers more information on all the iOS 7 features:

http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/

And a link to the Apple site which offers some information on iOS 7 features too!

http://www.apple.com/ios/

iWorks Apps Available For Free To New Apple Device Owners: iWorks is Apple’s answer to the Microsoft Office Suite. The basic Microsoft Office Suite features Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Apple’s versions of these same styles of software are called “Pages” (Word), “Keynote” (PowerPoint) and “Numbers” (Excel). And right now these three software apps can be purchased individual from the Apple app store for $9.95 each. However, if you buy a new iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch in the future Apple is including these apps for free! And that is great because Microsoft still charges about $100 for the basic standalone Microsoft Office package.

Here’s a link to an L. A. Times article on the new iWork apps that will come with each new iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch sold:

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-iwork-apps-free-20130910,0,182789.story

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Apple Unveils iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S: Company Continues to Fight Rivals in Smartphone Market; the 5C, in Five Colors, Is Priced at $99. Wall Street Journal. Online. Accessed September 11, 2013, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324549004579067053406352672.html

iOS. Apple. Online. Accessed September 11, 2013, http://www.apple.com/ios/

iPhone. Apple. Online. Accessed September 11, 2013, http://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/

iPhone 5C. Apple. Online. Accessed September 11, 2013, http://www.apple.com/iphone-5c/

 Rodriguez, Salvador. (2013, September 10). Apple to make iWork apps free with purchase of new devices. L. A. Times. Accessed September 11, 2013, http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-iwork-apps-free-20130910,0,182789.story

Why We Live Longer Today Then People Did 100 Years Or More Ago, Campbell Soup K-Cups For Keurig & Apple’s Upcoming iOS7 Upgrade For Mobile Devices

Linda Reimer

Why We Live Longer Today Then People Did 100 Years Or More Ago: Slate offers an interesting article on why people live longer today than they did in the past. We forget that life expectancy 100 years or more ago was about 40 and now it is just about twice that – and the article which is amusingly titled “Why Are You Not Dead Yet?” casts a light on just the reasons why people are surviving things that used to kill people in ages past – things like being cursed of a condition or disease by modern medicine or surviving an accident that would have killed someone a century ago. The article is a bit morbid in the subject it focuses on but is fascinating none-the-less!

Here’s the link:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science_of_longevity/2013/09/life_expectancy_history_public_health_and_medical_advances_that_lead_to.html

Campbell Soup K-Cups For Keurig: For those persons who own a Keurig Coffeemaker this next item will come as no surprise! Campbell’s Soup has just announced it is launching a new series of soup K-Cups for Keurig Coffee Makers! We have a Keurig Coffee Maker at the library and I own one myself and it is a top notch machine for brewing coffee but it also allows you to quickly access hot water for tea or instant soup sans any coffee after taste – I use the Keurig I have at home more for brewing green tea with tea bags than for brewing coffee. And now the Campbell Soup company has announced it will shortly beign selling soup K-Cups for Keurig Coffee Makers! Ahh, just what we’ll need on those chilly fall and winter lunch breaks – a steaming cup of easy to make soup to go along with our sandwiches and cups of coffee!

Here’s the link to the abc News article on the new soup K-Cups:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/campbell-offer-cup-soups-coffee-brewers-20156566

Apple’s Upcoming iOS7 Upgrade For Mobile Devices: This fall Apple will be coming out with a software upgrade for its mobile devices (think iPhones, iPads & iPods). And this new software, which is rumored to be quite different that previous iOS versions will probably be unveiled at Apple’s press event on September 10th. So it is timely that the USA Today has offered an article and video showing off some of the new looks and aspects of the new software – iOS 7:

Here’s the link the combo video/article:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/09/04/ios7-released-later-this-month/2761477/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Choi, Candice. (2013, September 4). Campbell K-Cups to Make Keurig Into Soup Machine. abc NEWS. Online. Accessed September 5, 2013, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/campbell-offer-cup-soups-coffee-brewers-20156566

Graham, Jefferson. (2013, September 5). Own an Apple device? Get ready for iOS 7. USA Today. Online. Accessed September 5, 2013, http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2013/09/04/ios7-released-later-this-month/2761477/

Helmuth, Laura. (2013, September 5). Why Are you Not Dead Yet? Life expectancy doubled in the past 150 years. Here’s why. Slate. Online. Accessed September 5, 2013, http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science_of_longevity/2013/09/life_expectancy_history_public_health_and_medical_advances_that_lead_to.html

DOJ Rules Against Apple in Anti-Trust Suit, Improved Google Maps App & iOS 7 Upgrade Changes

Linda Reimer

DOJ Rules Against Apple in Anti-Trust Suit: The U.S. Department of Justice has ruled against Apple in the DOJ v. Apple anti-trust suit that alleged that Apple colluded with several major U.S. publishers in 2010 to force the number 1 seller of e-books in the U.S., Amazon, to accept what is called an Agency Model of pricing e-books. The term Agency Model basically means that publishers set the price of all their e-books instead of the e-book sellers and thus all e-book sellers that wish to sell e-books by publishers using the Agency Model must charge consumers whatever price the publishers set for their e-books to be allowed to sell them.

The DOJ has stated during the case that the Agency Model was adopted by Apple and five of the largest publishers in the U.S.* (all of the so-called Big Six publishers sans Random House) in response to Amazon undercutting other e-book sellers and in fact frequently selling e-books for a loss in order to sell more of its exceptionally popular Kindle e-readers. And indeed just after the Agency Model was implemented prices of most new e-books listed on Amazon went up a couple of dollars each, generally from $9.99 to $12.99, seeming just about overnight and just at the same time Apple was unveiling its first generation iPad which of course allowed iPad purchasers to buy e-books through Apple’s iBooks Store via the Agency Model pricing.

Apple spokesmen still insist they did nothing wrong in negotiation with publishers and agreeing to use the Agency Model to sell e-books via the iBooks Store and have said they will appeal the verdict which probably will translate into the case going before the Supreme Court.

So I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of this case!

Here’s a link to a Reuters article on the subject, titled Judge rules Apple conspired to raise prices on e-books, which offers more information on the subject:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-apple-ebooks-idUSBRE9690GE20130710

And another article on the same subject from the New York Times titled “Judge Rules Against Apple in E-Books Trial”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/technology/judge-rules-against-apple-in-e-books-trial.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Improved Google Maps App: New York Times Tech guru David Pogue offers an article today on the new and improved Google Maps app for Android and iOS (Apple) devices. The new apps offer a speedier performance and better information on places – in fact Pogue glowingly notes of the improved apps that “Half the time, you don’t even need navigation instructions; you just use Google Maps as the world’s smartest Yellow Pages, to find a nearby restaurant, movie theater, drugstore or whatever;” and I think Pogue’s recommendation just about sums it up! If you’ve got an app device Google Maps is an indispensable tool!

Here’s a link to the Pogue column on the New York Times site:

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/an-improved-google-maps-app-for-apple-and-android-devices/?ref=technology

iOS 7 Upgrade Changes: Every so often I say something about versions of iOS or Android and someone says to me – “What does that mean?”—and basically what the terms iOS and Android refer to is the stuff that makes the smartphones or tablets produced by Apple and a variety of Android tablet and smartphone makers, including Google, run. So an iOS upgrade means that Apple has, or as in this case is going to, improve the running system (aka mobile operating system) of its iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch models. And Apple usually unveils some neat extra bells and whistles functions – some extra icing on the cake if you will – with their upgrades so this fall when Apple upgrades its mobile iOS software to iOS 7 you should find some new features and a new look for your mobile Apple devices. The new Apple iOS is supposed to appear to have a flat type of more modern look than previous iOS versions and today word came that Apple is also changing the default text font for their mobile devices to Helvetica Neue from Helvetica Light so that too will make iPhones and iPads displays look just a bit different this fall!

Here’s a link to a CNET article on the subject titled “iOS 7 swaps skinny font for thicker one in typographic U-turn;”

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/ios-7-swaps-skinny-font-for-thicker-one-in-typographic-u-turn-50011685/

And a second link to a Mashable video on the subject that offers a broader scope of information titled “Apple Releases iOS 7 Beta 3 and Other News You Need to Know:”

http://mashable.com/2013/07/09/apple-ios7-brief/

 

Have a great day!

Linda R.

*All the publishers settled the DOJ charges out of court before the anti-trust trial began.

References

Chen, Brian., & Bosman, Julie. (2013, July 10). Judge Rules Against Apple in E-Books Trial. New York Times. Online. Accessed July 10, 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/technology/judge-rules-against-apple-in-e-books-trial.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Pogue, David. (2013, July 10). A Better Google Maps App for Apple and Android Devices. New York Times. Online. Accessed July 10, 2013.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/an-improved-google-maps-app-for-apple-and-android-devices/?ref=technology

Raymond, Nate., & Stempel, Jonathan. (2013, July 10). Judge rules Apple conspired to raise prices on e-books. Reuters. Online. Accessed July 10, 2013. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-apple-ebooks-idUSBRE9690GE20130710

Schroeder, Stan. (2013, July 9). Apple Releases iOS 7 Beta 3 and Other News You Need to Know. Mashable. Online. Accessed July 10, 2013. http://mashable.com/2013/07/09/apple-ios7-brief/