iPad

Apple fans rejoice over iPad Mini display and new iPad Air

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Apple’s latest announcement event revealed many new developments, but none more prominent than the changes to the iPad and iPad Mini. Just in time for the holiday shopping season, the tech giant has come out with a revamped, renamed full-size tablet as well as an upgraded miniature version.

The latest-generation iPad, now called the iPad Air, is thinner and lighter than ever. At a mere 7.5 mm thick it’s 20% more svelte than the previous model. For those who recall how compact the first iPad seemed, just a few years ago, the iPad Air makes it seem like a cinder block in comparison.

Other features that make it the iPad Air awesome on the outside include its brilliant 9.7-inch retina display and choice of colors – consumers can choose whether they want a silver and white model or a space grey and black one.

But it’s not just pretty to look at. The iPad Air is also, of course, faster and more powerful than the last iPad. Taking a cue from the stunning iPhone 5s, it features the incredible A7 chip and M7 co-processor with 64-bit architecture. Whether you commonly use your iPad to watch Netflix, play the new CSR Classics or edit iWork documents, this makes it the ultimate, portable media centre, gaming console and on-the-go work machine.

Other updates for the latest iPad include a 5 MP iSight camera, which can shoot 1080P quality video, and MIMO technology, which includes multiple antennae in the iPad Air for improved Wi-Fi reception.

At $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi-only model, $629 for a 16GB Wi-Fi and cellular edition or $799 for the brand new 128GB one, the new iPad Air isn’t cheap. However, the updates increase its computing power and make it a realistic alternative to a laptop for ultra-portable computing.

Apple has overhauled the handy little iPad Mini, too. Though not as powerful as the iPad Air, or even the new iPhone 5s, it has been upgraded to feature a 64-bit A5 processor. Consequently, it’s four times faster than its predecessor. It also has eight times the graphics capabilities.

Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display — Apple iPad Mini now with Retina Display

With a 7.9-inch retina display, 5 MP, 1080P iSight camera and 10 hours of battery life, the iPad Mini is no slouch. In fact, it may become the common option for the average consumer who’s after a tablet to play games and check Facebook on but doesn’t require something as powerful and expensive as the iPad Air.

At $329 for a 16GB Wi-Fi-only model or $529 for one that also includes cellular, the iPad Mini is easier on the wallet than the iPad Air. With its upgraded technology and lower price point, it’s likely to become a hot seller this holiday season. Whether you have a technology fanatic in the family, or even just someone who’d appreciate an e-reader that can do more than just store and display books, the iPad Mini is a popular choice.

While the iPad updates that did come out of Apple’s latest event were certainly buzz-worthy, there were a few rumored announcements that never got made. Among them was the noticeable lack of a gold iPad to coordinate with the gold iPhone 5s. More importantly, however, there was no upgrade to fingerprint-sensing Touch ID on the iPads just like the new iPhone 5s. Furthermore, many tech experts expected Apple to come out with smart covers that contain keyboards, similar to the Surface tablet, but those were skipped over as well.

Perhaps Touch ID and other updates that were missed this time will be included in the next iteration of the iPad. Regardless, the iPad Air and new iPad Mini are sure to have people lining up outside Apple stores worldwide very soon.

iPhone

How to increase iOS 7 battery life

Image 10/23/2013 Macmint 2 Comments

iOS 7. Many iPhone users love it, and a few can’t stand it. The initial hype has now passed and the overwhelming, system clogging downloads of the new iOS are largely done. iOS 7 comes with many changes. A new interface, apps designed especially for it, and even handy features like a flashlight. However, many of us are discovering something else that iOS 7 came equipped with – a distinct ability to suck the life out of our iPhone batteries.

If you’ve noticed your battery power dropping at an alarming rate, there are a few tweaks you can make within your iPhone settings that will help you improve the life of your battery. Quick and simple to set up, they will make a marked improvement in your ability to text, tweet, upload photos and play Angry Birds to your heart’s content, without carrying your phone charger everywhere you go.

1. Turn off AirDrop

Unless you really need it, which many iPhone users don’t, shutting down AirDrop is a great way to conserve power. Stop your iPhone from constantly searching for others nearby and you’ll notice your battery life improve.

2. Turn off Wi-Fi searching

Do you really need to constantly be searching for wireless networks everywhere you go? This may be useful on vacation, when you want to check your Facebook and email without paying the exorbitant cost associated with data roaming. Otherwise, all it is is a drain on your power.

3. Disable apps from refreshing in the background

Like AirDrop and Wi-Fi searching, this is another sneaky feature that runs on your iPhone and uses up the battery. Tweaking your notification settings for your specific needs will help you stay on top of the latest information through your apps of choice without wasting battery life. There are few instances where having your apps constantly refreshing in the background will actually be essential.

4. Turn off unneeded notification settings

As mentioned in number 3, they can be set up the way you prefer. Once you’ve shut off your iPhone’s background app refresh, take a look at your notifications centre and shut off anything that you don’t really use. Like the default Stocks app.

5. Turn off Siri’s “raise to speak” feature

Fans of the virtual assistant should note that this doesn’t mean shutting Siri off completely. Rather, you’re just disabling the feature that activates Siri each time you raise your phone to your face. If you need Siri, she’s there for you. Not prompting her every time you raise your phone to your mouth can help your battery last quite a bit longer.

6. Swap to Airplane Mode

If you know you’re in a location with terrible reception or where you won’t otherwise be able to take calls, this is an ideal way to save battery power. You can even turn Wi-Fi on while you’re in Airplane Mode, which means you can preserve the life of your battery without missing important emails or tweets.

7. Turn down the brightness setting

By dimming your screen even slightly, you can use less power and enjoy extended battery life throughout the day. There are few situations that genuinely require brightness to be up full blast. If you’re not in one of them, dim the lights a little and your battery won’t run out so fast.

Running out of battery power throughout the day or being a slave to your charger is annoying, but by spending a few minutes configuring the settings in your iPhone, your battery life is sure to improve significantly. It is possible to enjoy all the amazing features of iOS 7 without draining your battery. It just takes a little initial effort.

Mac

The new MacBook Pro 2013 will have significant upgrades over previous models

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There are rumors swirling about the release of a hot new Apple product, and for the moment it’s not an iPhone. The MacBook Pro 2013 is due out soon, and it’s generating a significant amount of buzz. If you’ll be in the market for a new computer soon, here are a few compelling reasons to wait for the new MacBook Pro to be released:

Improved battery life

The major draw for purchasing a laptop computer is the ability to pack it up and take it with you. Mobility and flexibility in our careers is becoming increasingly desirable, and it’s no fun having a MacBook if you’re constantly searching for an outlet to plug it in. The new MacBook Pro will come equipped with the remarkable Intel Haswell processor, increasing battery life by up to five hours depending on which model of Mac you buy. Real-world testing has shown that a new MacBook Air can be used all day without needing a recharge. It’s highly likely the new MacBook Pro will be the same, and that alone may make it worthwhile to hold off a few more weeks and buy one.

Faster storage

It’s rumored that, in line with recently releases of other Apple computers, the new MacBook Pro will have improved storage speeds thanks to new PCIe technology. With either that or a revolutionary new Fusion drive, the next MacBook Pro could be an appealing option for anyone who does a considerable amount of uploading and works with large amounts of data. Some Apple insiders are even hinting that the new MacBook Pro may come with the option of a 1TB hard drive.

Quicker Wi-Fi

If the latest MacBook Air is any indication, the new MacBook Pro will feature 802.11-ac technology. It’s currently available on the Apple 802.11-ac Time Capsule, and provides increased speed, improved range and an overall better wireless Internet experience. Just like having improved battery life, this is a fantastic feature for those who are quite mobile with the laptops. As you transition from the office to a coffee shop to home, better Wi-Fi will make your experience more positive.

Thunderbolt 2.0

The initial instance of Thunderbolt was impressive enough, with those who do a lot of uploading or other work with peripheral devices marveling at the speed and functionality offered via a Thunderbolt port. Whether you’re craving the ability to upload RAW format photos at a high rate of speed or need to daisy chain multiple devices, Thunderbolt is up for the challenge. It’s a distinct possibility that the new MacBook Pro will feature Thunderbolt 2.0, the latest iteration of this powerful technology, thus supporting 4K video as well as supporting DisplayPort 1.2. For anyone who relies on a graphics-intensive computing experience, whether it’s for professional use or heavy game play, the upgrade to Thunderbolt 2.0 is just another reason why the new MacBook Pro is worth waiting for.

There is little doubt that the current MacBook Pro (Late, 2013), and especially the Pro Retina, provides exceptional computing experiences that extend beyond the needs of most computer users. We can easily pack in a briefcase a light, easily portable computer with technology that is equal to or better than many desktop models. However, for those who require the latest technology, storage capacity and capability, stories indicate that the new MacBook Pro is up to the challenge and worth having a little patience for.

Apps

The Tile App: The first lost and found for the iPhone

Video 10/12/2013 Macmint Leave a comment

Misplacing things – especially important items like keys and mobile phones – is one of life’s little annoyances. It happens to the best of us, but now thanks to Tile, losing your stuff can virtually be a thing of the past.

The Tile App takes “smartphones” to an incredibly clever new level. Purchase small, slender tiles and attach, stick or drop them into virtually anything you own that is likely to get lost; an iPad, laptop, musical instrument, wallet, car keys, knapsack, you name it! If you misplace the item, the app will help you locate it.

Using GPS technology, the Tile App can show you the last location where your misplaced possession was seen. This is fantastically handy if you believe your item was stolen, or life behind somewhere like in the office or on the bus. Even better, if what you’re searching for has just been misplaced around the house, you can trigger the app to play a sound through the tile, which has a built in speaker. If you can hear it, chances are you can find it! Furthermore, the tiles will tell you through the app if you’re getting “warmer” when trying to find what you’ve mislaid, advising within a range of 50 to 100 feet whether or not you’re getting closer.

The Tile App for iPhone — Tile: The world’s largest lost and found

The Tile App tiles work with the iPhone 4s and 5, the 5th generation iPod Touch, iPad Mini and 3rd and 4th generation iPads. Tiles never need to be charged or have their batteries replaced; rather, they’ll last a year. When it’s time to replace them, the company will contact users with a reminder and send them an envelope to facilitate recycling used tiles.

Up to 10 tiles can be used per account, giving lots of opportunities to stick them to anything you think you might lose. Access to tile location data can be shared with trusted people, like family, friends or coworkers. In addition, the Tile App community acts like a giant lost and found, giving users the ability to receive help with locating a possession, if desired.

Made possibly by crowdfunding, the Tile App’s Selfstarter campaign was one of the largest ever to be funded, raising approximately 2.6 million dollars in start-up capital. With a promise they will start shipping in winter 2013/2014, tiles are already available to pre-order, for anyone who can’t wait to plan for a little support in keeping track of their belongings.

The Tile App Lost and Found — Find lost luggage with Tile

For consumers who are just curious to try a tile out and see whether it’s a good option for them, one tile sells for $24.95 USD. Three tiles plus an additional bonus on one tile is just $74.85, making it the most popular seller with this startup. Additional packages include six tiles plus two bonus tiles for $149.70 and nine tiles plus three bonus tiles for $224.55. Whether you’re someone who’s always misplacing keys and could use a helping hand in keeping track of them, or you want to attach the tiles to many of your prized and portable possessions, The Tile App is an excellent solution that makes terrific use of the iPhone’s capabilities.

Apps

Geekbench by Primate Labs helps test the speed of your Mac

Image 10/08/2013 Macmint Leave a comment

For anyone curious about whether their Mac is performing as well as it should, an excellent place to turn is to Primate Labs and their popular Geekbench app. Geekbench is an extremely user-friendly application that benchmark tests your Mac’s processing abilities. Its scoring system is clearly laid out and differentiates between single-core and multi-core performance.

One particularly great aspect that sets Geekbench apart from other benchmark programs is its ability to test your computer with workloads that mimic real-life usage, not just lab standards. As a result, Geekbench doesn’t just tell you where your computer performance is at and where it should be. It determines your computer’s ability to handle the tasks and run the applications you actually use it for.

The latest iteration of Primate Labs’ application, Geekbench 3, runs several different stress tests as well as processor benchmark testing on your Mac. Stress tests determine the stability of your computer against small bugs, allowing you to weed them out and make any necessary repairs before they become big issues.

Geekbench is suitable for both 32-bit and 64-bit computers. It is also multi-core aware. Consequently, it’s helpful for all Mac owners, whether you’re looking to tweak your older dual-core iMac and get some more use out of it or keep your new quad-core Mac in peak condition. It can even handle computers as vast as 32-core servers, testing each core individually. With such a range in ability, it’ll even be prepared for the release of the revolutionary new Mac Pro.

Intuitive testing abilities aside, Geekbench is particularly useful for its ability to check a range of devices. Not just for your MacBook, it can be used to benchmark test smartphones, too. Furthermore, it’s accessible across different platforms. So if you like to mix up devices for whatever reason, your Geekbench account can handle your Apple devices one moment and your Android gadgets the next. It differentiates between mobile and desktop hardware and operating systems, making a subscription a worthwhile investment.

For those who aren’t satisfied just knowing their computer is up to snuff, Geekbench also loads all your testing results into a personalized results browser. Once you create an account, all your test results will be available within its dashboard for ease of reference. And for anyone eager to “geek out” and earn bragging rights over just how quick their system is, test results can be shared amongst users.

Benchmark testing is about far more than just boasting about computer speed, and it’s not just for extreme enthusiasts keen to tweak and modify every aspect of their computing experience. It’s a valuable idea for all computer users and can help determine if your system is experiencing any problems you may not immediately detect. By catching little hiccups before they become major issues you can potentially prevent issues before they happen and have the most efficient computing experience possible.

Benchmark testing, much like backing up your data and running anti-virus software, is another smart step in protecting your investment. Programs like Geekbench make it a little easier and less intimidating to do so.