Great Apps for your iPhone and iPad...part 3.

With March in the rear view mirror, it's time to further breakdown the App of the week posts.  So here we go.  Another month gone by, and another handful of great apps for you to check out and start using.

The first March App of the week is one of my new favorites,  its called simply, Documents 5 (by Readdle).

One of the features that I love about Documents 5 is that it's one of the best apps at combining  your files from some of the top cloud services.  If you use Dropbox, Google Drive, Box.com, One drive, Sugar Sync, Office 365 or a few others, Documents 5 let you combine all the files you wish to from those services into one common app!  That is Awesome!

You'll notice on my Documents page here, I've got files from the Documents 5 app, as well as files from Google Drive (the Montages folder), and Box.com (the Presentations folder).

How great to be able to view all those files from disparate cloud services in one place.  Thank you Documents 5!  And not to leave iCloud out in the cold, Documents 5 also will Sync via iCloud across your iOS devices, very nice indeed.  If that wasn't enough for you, Documents 5 also acts as a full features Web browser, letting you create bookmarks, as well as download directly into the Documents 5 app.

So, if you haven't downloaded it yet, get a move on!  Documents 5 should be on everyones must have list.

The next App that I highlighted is the iTunes Festival App.  If you downloaded the app when I posted about it, back on March 9th, you could watch live, full concerts from the SXSW festival in Austin Texas featuring the likes of Coldplay, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Pitbull, just to name a few.  

As of this writing, you can see partial performances from some of the artists, while some artists full performances are still available.  Get the app while you can, those performances won't be available forever, and some of them were fantastic!

The next app to be highlighted in March is one of my all time favorites, Evernote.  Evernote is one of the apps I use regularly.  The ability to write notes on my iPhone or iPad, have those notes sync through Evernote's cloud service and be available on all my devices, is well, priceless!  

Evernote wants to be your "Remember Everything" App.  As stated on their website, Evernote and it's related apps make life more manageable by letting you easily collect and manage everything and anything that matters to you.  I use Evernote to take notes from my client appointments on my iPhone.  When I get back to my Mac, I open up Evernote and can add or change the note(s) I created during the day.  Those changes sync through Evernote's system and are available on all my devices!  

If you are not happy with the simple Notes App that comes with your devices(s), I urge you to try Evernote.  A great new feature, recently added is the ability to take pictures within Evernote of business cards.  Once the picture has been taken, Evernote creates a note, from which you can then save all the information captured from someones card, right into your contacts app!  That rocks!  Another nice feature of Evernote is the ability to create reminders about your notes, or a reminder to buy milk on your way home from work!  Best feature of Evernote is??  That it's free!  There are in-app purchase options, but the basic app, which has all the cool features I've mentioned, is FREE!  So, have you downloaded it yet??  

Next up in March was Camera+.  Camera+ is one of my favorite non-Apple apps.  Those of you looking to get more out of your iPhone or iPad camera, this is a great place to start.

Using Camera + is super easy, and can make a novice photographer look like a seasoned pro!  Some of it's awesome features include:  Touch Exposure and Focus - Simply tapping on the screen allows you to set the exposure separately from the focus (very cool!), allowing you to control how light or dark your picture comes out!  Nice...:).

Shooting Modes - There  are five different modes you can shoot with, Square, which let's you take pictures to better use on various Social sites.  Normal mode.  You can use the Stabilizer feature of the app to steady your iPhone and get the best possible picture.  Theres a Timer feature that will help you get the best selfies possible...Burst mode which will allow you to take pictures is rapid succession.

 Digital Zoom - The Apps zoom gives you up to 6X (notice the bar on the right side of the screen capture below, at 6X) the zoom with advanced digital processing that gives you awesome photos!

Front Flash - How about this cool feature?  Ever wish your iPhone had an available front flash?  Well with Camera + it now does!  Horizon Level - to assist you in taking the most level photo possible.  You'll notice on the screen capture above, the white bar in the middle, that's your Horizon Level.  Clarity - This awesome feature shown below and available through Lightbox, analyzes your photo, makes several intelligent digital adjustments that magically bring out the best in your photos!  That is awesome!

Effects - Camera + comes with some incredible effects to enhance your pictures.  Theres Scenes, which let's you add Flash, Backlit, Darken, Cloudy, to name just a few (have a look again at the above screen cap, it's also in Scene mode).  Then there's Crops, which let's you crop to Square mode, 3x2, 4x3, 4x6 etc etc etc.

The Lab where you can add Clarity, Rotate, Straighten, and Tint and Duotone to name a few.

Filters where can add awesome filters like Retro, Special, I Heart Analog and Hollywood.

Finally Frames, where you can add some killer frames to your already killer photographs...

The next feature I'm going to cover in Camera + is Lightbox  - Lightbox is a unique way to sort through your photos, delete the ones you don't want, and save your fav's to your iPhone's Photo App.  Camera + has some other great features.

You can share your photos to your favorite Social networks, it even syncs with iCloud so you can take pics all day with your iPhone, and edit on your iPad (there's an iPad app as well).

So these are some of the great features that come with Camera +.  There are also 2 in-app purchases available (both at the low, low price of .99 Cents as well).  Not only do I highly recommend Camera+, and I use it very often to take pics with my 5S...:).

Lastly for the month of March was the AiO (short for All in One) print app from HP.  The AiO app gives you document control from almost anywhere!

Regardless of your documents are in the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, etc.),   AiO gives you the power to save, share and print those files to an AirPrint or ePrint capable printer.  

Using intelligent mobile scanning technology, the app processes your images as either PDF or JPEG and allows you to instantly save or print.  

Now, if your wondering, why you need this app to print?  The same reason you'd use an app like Camera+, or Evernote.  Yes you can print to effortlessly and easily using your iPhone or iPad, but to enhance your printing capabilities, the AiO app is a must.  

Well I hope you've enjoyed learning about these great apps.  I recommend trying them all.  They truly add and enhance your iPhone and iPads capabilities.

Thanks again for reading, I truly appreciate it and hope my blogs have been useful!

Until next time, best to you and your devices!

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How to find your lost iPhone.

(This story is told through the eyes and words of an iPhone)

The memories are foggy as to how my owner lost me, but that's not really what's important here.  What is important is that she found me, thanks to a really knowledgeable and awesome dude (The MacMentor), and a really smart mom (who kept her Apple ID and Password safe).

So here's what I remember...I was having a blast with my owner, down at the beach.  She was living it up, tanning and having fun with her friends, it was a great day!  A few hours go by, the sun started to set, and the next thing I know, she's gone!  Left without me.  I was so sad!  I didn't know what to do, so I waited, and waited and waited.  Thankfully I had a full battery charge.  My only hope was that my owner (who asked to remain anonymous here) remembered her Apple ID, and password.

So here's what happened next (I know because she told me).  My owner was so nervous that her mom was going to go berserk, but thankfully she has a Mac Guy who could help her, his name is The MacMentor (aka, Geoff Horwitz).  She called The MacMentor and told him of her terrible situation and asked him what to do.  The MacMentor asked her if she knew her Apple ID.  She gave him the ID she thought she used, and The MacMentor went to his trusty Mac, opened up Safari and proceeded to go to http://icloud.com.

Once there, he entered the Apple ID and Password my owner gave him (hidden for obvious reasons).  Sadly, he got a message back from iCloud that the Apple ID and password had not been set up!  The MacMentor shook his head in disbelief.  If iCloud had not been set up, how on earth would I (the iPhone) be found?  The MacMentor was sure that my owner had set up her iCloud, so he had her call her mom.  What happened next was just plain awesome!  Thankfully mom had written down the Apple ID and password my owner used for iCloud.  So, mom opened up Safari, went to iCloud.com and signed in with my owners Apple ID and password.

When mom did that she came to the screen capture above.  Next, mom pressed the Find my iPhone button which took her to a map, similar to the one below, but for security reasons, the map below is simply being used as an example.

It's a little hard to see, but on the top right of the screen capture above, there's a window with me, the iPhone, and underneath three buttons.  Play Sound, Lost Mode and Erase iPhone.  Mom was able to locate the iPhone on the beach where my owner had forgotten me, but it was dark out, and it would be really hard to find me!  So, mom called The MacMentor, and he told her to press the Play Sound button (I tell you, that MacMentor dude is a genius!).  This story keeps getting better!  You see, thankfully my battery still had plenty of charge, and I was still on.  So when mom pressed the Play Sound button on iCloud I started making a loud sonar noise.  And low and behold, a few minutes later, even though it was dark, my owner and her friends heard me calling her and she came and got me!  Yeah!  I love stories with a happy ending, and thanks to the wonderful MacMentor, and a resourceful mom,  I didn't get washed up in the tide and lost at sea!

So the moral of the story is this.  If you own an iPhone, make sure you sign in to iCloud, and make sure you remember your Apple ID and password!  And it would help if you knew The MacMentor as well...:).

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to keep your iPhone and iPad safe, using iCloud!

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Cloud Storage options

Cloud Storage.  Your options have changed...Again...

Happy Sunday!  When I originally created this blog about a year ago, the cloud scene storage scene  was similar, yet very different.  Since then most, if not all the cloud service providers have upped the ante and now offer more free storage and better options.  CX.com, for some reason, has gotten rid of there free option.  Box.com and Google have greatly enhanced their cloud options, so with all the change occurring I thought it would be a good idea to update the blog, yet again with the most current information for all my readers.  So, here we go, again!

Well start this updated blog with the same five cloud options that I reviewed back in October of 2013.    Those sites are Dropbox, Google Drive, CX, Copy and Box.  Dropbox was one of the first players on the cloud scene, so I’ve been using it for a few years now.  I like the ease with which it integrates with Mac OSX (and Windows), though it does have it’s drawbacks.  CX and Copy are newer to the game.  Copy offers  more storage for free, and like Dropbox have a very good App for your iOS devices.   CX no longer has a free option, which right off the bat would lead me no longer recommend it.   Google Drive is one of the many tools to spawn out of Gmail.  One of the great features of Google Drive is that, if you have a Google account, you automatically get access to Google Drive for free!  The final option that I’m going to write about, Box, has also been around for a few years.  Box is geared toward the enterprise, though anyone can sign up.  Box now gives users 50GB of free storage, thats the most free storage offered.  Also, like the other four, has the ability to upgrade to more storage for a monthly fee.

Let’s dig a little further into the options, we’ll start with Dropbox.  Nothing has changed for Dropbox since the previous update in October.  They have been around longer than the four others here (since 2004), that doesn’t however make them the best option.  Dropbox has a very user friendly interface, and new users start with 2gb of free storage.  It entices you to share Dropbox with everyone you know by offering you 500mb of free storage for everyone who joins based on your introduction, giving you up to 18gb of free storage. Dropbox installs on your Mac (or PC) as well as your iPhone or iPad (or android device).  Once you’ve installed in on your Mac, you can easily transfer files using Finder (a very nice option), or you can log into Dropbox.com from your browser of choice and upload files through it’s friendly easy to use interface.  Dropbox’s features are more limited than some of the others here, but it’s very good at what it does, which is provide you with either additional storage, as well as a place to back up and share your important files.  If the 2gb you get for free (or if you can get your friends/family to join you and get up to 18gb free) isn’t enough, you can purchase additional storage, starting at 100gb  for $9.99 a month, 200gb for $19.99 all the way up to 500gb for $49.99 a month.  Dropbox’s iOS app has been updated to work nicely with iOS 7.  It let’s you download or upload files from your iPhone or iPad, a nice addition and a great way to have access to the files you need, wherever and whenever you need them.  Some other nice iOS features include the ability to share files (rather than having to email or message them to someone), create folders, send a file as a Facebook message, or post to Facebook as well as being able to share via Twitter.  All in all, a nice easy to use interface, potential for 18gb of free space, but from a storage perspective, Dropbox is far behind Drive, Box and Copy.

Next up, Google Drive.  Google is continually adding free storage, and they have really upped the ante with their latest offerings.  Google drive has actually been around since 2005, when it started as Google Docs.  What is now Google Drive, is a nice leap forward.  When I last updated the blog, Google Drive had upped their offering to 15gb of free storage, plus the ability to create documents using Google’s web suite of applications, something not offered by Dropbox, CX, or Copy.  Not too mention, there’s even an online store where you can add apps to your Google Drive, a very nice feature indeed, although let me point out this caveat, most apps require Google’s Chrome browser in order to work.  So if you don’t use Chrome, most of those apps are not suitable for your browser!  Similar to Dropbox, Drive has a nice, easy to use interface, as well as an iOS companion app that gives you access to all your files, wherever and whenever you need, also allowing you to upload photos or videos from your iOS device and share them.    If the 15gb of free storage is not enough, Google has recently changed their upgrade options, yet again, and the changes are better!   You can upgrade from 100GB for only $1.99 a month, all the way to  10TB for a measly $99.99 per month.  In between those options, you can get 1TB at $9.99/month.  Easily the best options of any of the cloud service providers.  Drive let’s you share documents with other Google users (and vice versa), and in my opinion has the best integration companion, Google Hangouts.   With an upgraded interface, tremendous storage options, Google drive is definitely a cloud storage option to consider.

Now onto CX.  CX has changed things up, and in my opinion, not for the better.  They have removed their free starter option (you do get to try the service for 30 days for free, but that really doest count!).  CX gives you 10GB of storage for $9.99/year.  Not a bad deal, but when your competitors are giving away storage, it's not a good deal by any stretch!   They have 256 bit encryption for those of you looking to keep your stuff as encrypted as possible, they have redundant backups in case anything happens to their systems, and added firewall protection to keep you data safe, all killer features!  Like Google Drive, CX has a group feature that let’s you collaborate with other people (team members, family, friends etc.), though it does not offer video conferencing as of this blog writing.  It also has a nice feature where you can highlight some files as favorites for offline viewing when necessary.  Like the other cloud offerings, Cx’s iOS app allows you the ability to upload photo’s directly from your iPhone or iPad.  CX seems to like the Dropbox idea where you share with friends, and if they sign up you get additional storage, only where Dropbox offers 500mb of storage per person, CX is offering 300mb with the ability to earn up to 6gb additional free storage, giving you a potential total of 16gb free storage.  Unlike Dropbox, CX’s integration with the Mac is not through Finder, rather it has an App you can download, run and pick which folder(s) you wish to sync (very easy to use).  CX has great plans if you wish to add storage.  I’m just going to cover the Personal Plans here, there are additional plans for businesses.  CX's upgrade options have remained the same.  A user can upgrade to 25GB for $4.99 a month.  If that isn’t enough for you, you can go to 100GB for $9.99 a month, and if you still need more, for $21.99 a month you’ll get 250GB of storage!  Seven months ago those options were very good.  Today, with the options you are getting from both Google Drive and Box.com, they don't look all that good.  Your options are not as numerous as with Google Drive, however if you are looking for a good online back-up of pictures or movies (or both), CX is a good way to go!  All in all I still like CX’s online interface, but wish the Mac access was via Finder instead of having to run an additional app to sync your files.  But sadly, I can no longer recommend CX as a viable cloud storage option.  Sorry guys!

Very little has changed for the next cloud storage option, Copy.com.   Copy was created by Networking security specialists, Barracuda Networks, so you can be sure your content will be as secure as possible!  Similar to Drive, Copy starts you off at 15GB of free storage.  Copy has both personal and business options, for the purpose of this blog, I'm only going to cover the personal options.  Beyond the 15GB free plan, Copy now has only one other plan, 250GB for either $9.99/month or $99/year.  They have gotten rid of their 500GB for $14.99/month or $149/year option, perhaps no one was using that much space?  The two options are good, not great .  Your options are more limited than what Google offers with Drive.  The best part of Copy is still its referral plans.  There literally is no option to how much free storage you can accrue!  I've read review of people earning up to 600gb of free storage by inviting their contacts!  That is absolutely amazing!  Copy works across platforms, including Linux.  Most cloud service providers are limited to Mac OSX and Windows.  Copy is even now available on the Windows mobile platform, for those that have Windows mobile phones.  Both Copy.com and the desktop client are very easy to use.  The desktop client integrates with Finder (for Mac), which I love as it makes syncing files and folders a very easy and intuitive task.  All in all (and certainly in my opinion), Copy is a viable cloud service options, that I would recommend.

The last storage option I’m going to cover here is Box.com.  Box started selling cloud storage into enterprises before it opened up to consumers.  Box perviously had been offering 10GB of free storage, which they recently bumped up to 50GB.  There is a slight catch.  You don't get the extra 40GB of storage until you install Box on your iOS device.  But that's the whole point of these cloud storage sights right?  Having your files in the cloud so you can have access to them on your devices.  Like Dropbox, Box has great integration into Mac OSX, where you can access your files through Finder.  Box’s big differentiator is still their ability to allow you to create a document using the Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel and Powerpoint) of tools.  If you do not have a copy of Microsoft Word (or Excel or Powerpoint), it opens a cloud version for you, and automatically saves your work to your Box storage, not your computer.  One thing I don't like about Box, is that it will not store your iWork files!  So if you are a Pages/Keynote/Numbers user, you'll have to export your files to PDF format in order to store them on Box.  To me that's a huge detractor.  In Boxes favor, is that it let's you create a document in Google Doc format!  Little by little we are getting away from the need to own copies of Microsoft Office (or any other office products for that matter).  Because of it’s tight Microsoft integration, Box, in my opinion, offers a great alternative for those users confined to Microsoft Office.  Box has, an easy to use online interface.  Box’s iOS app is very similar to the others, with the same features.  You can tap a file and make it a favorite, which will allow offline access.  You can also upload pictures and video from you iPhone or iPad.  If you are looking for additional storage, now a single user can upgrade to 100GB for only $5 a month.  Not as good as Google Drive's offering, but still fairly reasonable.   There are also many other options for businesses that I'm not going to cover here.

So quite a bit has changed.  Most of it for the better, in CX's case, not so much.  When you are trying to figure out which one is best,  there may not be a best, like me, you may end up using multiple cloud storage sites.   If you are looking for the most free storage, Box is now the way to go.  If you are looking for the most mature product, Box is again the way to go.  If you are looking for one with the most options, Google Drive should be your choice.  Since all but CX are free,  I recommend trying them all out and seeing which one suits you the best.   I hope the updated blog helps, if you like it or even if you don’t, leave a comment I love hearing from you…
Until next time, Best to you and your devices.

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Great Apps for your iPhone and iPad

Happy February!  Those of you that have "Liked" The MacMentor on Facebook have had the benefit of viewing my App and Device of the Week posts that I started this past January.  The goal of the weekly postings is to make you all more aware of the great tools available to you for your iPhones and iPads.

The first App of the week, is one that I recently started using.  It's called Scanner Pro.

If you were able to view my posting in early January, and you went to download ScannerPro, it was the AppStore's App of the Week, first week of January, and it was FREE!  If you missed it, it is still 50% off, but that ends Feb 4th, so hurry!  Scanner Pro is a great app that allows you to quickly and easily scan paper documents and save them into PDF format.

Once the device has been scanned, it can be easily uploaded to Evernote, Google Drive.  For those of you that use iCloud, the document can be uploaded there as well!  It can also be emailed.

It's a great tool for those of you looking for a quick efficient way to get your documents onto your iOS device, then either uploaded to your cloud drive(s) or emailed.

Week two of January brought us another great app, this one is however limited to those of you that own Mac's, as it works in conjunction between your iOS device and your Mac computer.  It's called Command-C.  Those of you familiar with Mac shortcuts, know exactly what Command-C does, it copies something into the Mac memory.   

Command-C is downloaded to both your Mac and iOS device, on your Mac, it sits on the Menu bar (see pic below).  When you capture something using Command-C, you can easily copy it to your iOS device!  Very, very cool!  

It's a super quick, and easy way to copy notes or other text between your devices.

Week 3 of January 2014 I decided to name Box (of Box.com), the App of the week.  Why you ask, good question!  Box.com is a great site for cloud storage.  When you sign up on-line, you get 10GB of free space.  What makes the Box app so awesome is that after you download it to your iPhone, iPad or both, your free space goes from a nice 10GB of free space to an incredible 50GB of free space.  That's right people 50GB!  That's something to smile about.  

Box has a super easy to use interface.  You can have your files listed separately, or in folders.  You can easily create new folders, or upload pictures and videos.  

You can download files for offline viewing, easily search your files, or access the other OneCloud apps (see the screen capture below).  

You can also easily e-mail or text a document.  

The easy to use interface, coupled with the incredible 50GB of free space could earn this app the App of the Month!

The last App of the week for January 2014 is an app geared for business/project users.  The app is BaseCamp.  

BaseCamp is an awesome tool for project teams.  If you've ever used Microsoft Project, you know how challenging it can be for the lay person.  BaseCamp is just the opposite, it's easy (not unlike your devices!).  BaseCamp lets you check on your project from virtually anywhere.  You can see the latest project updates, jump in on discussions and post your thoughts, view progress as team members complete to-do lists.  Everything in your project is available, helping you make important decisions where ever you may be!

So there they are, your January 2014 Apps of the week.  I'd love to hear from you, and get your choice for which App should be the App of the Month!  

My goal with the Apps of the week are to broaden your horizons as to what is available to you so you can be more productive with your iPhone and iPad.  I hope you enjoyed the weekly posts, as well as the more in-depth blog write up here.

Until next time (which will be very soon!)...best to you and your devices!

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A review of the new iPhone 5S and iOS 7 Touch ID.

In case you missed it, Apple has released a new iPhone, the 5S!  The new iPhone 5S doesn't have a new form factor, it can't beam you to other locations, and it can't drive your car (yet!).  The new features it added, though perhaps not mind blowing, or for that matter, even visible to the eye, have helped position the 5S to what I would call, a very "forward thinking" smartphone.  It's priced the same as the iPhone 5 that it has replaced, and sets itself apart from other smartphone(s) with its advanced new 64-bit processor architecture (all other smartphones have 32-bit processors) that powers a very cool, very impressive, Touch ID fingerprint sensor as well as easy-to-use new camera upgrades that we've come to expect with the new iPhone releases.  In this blog I'm going to highlight the Touch ID and its features.  I will cover new camera features in the next blog, soon to come.

The iPhone 5S provides four major enhancements to the iPhone 5 (which, by the way,  was not only the world's top selling iPhone, but the top selling smartphone as well): the new Touch ID for both  security and convenience; new camera features in both hardware and software; a brand new, advanced new multiple-processors architecture that combines the speedy new A7 as well as the new M7, which provides background-task efficiency; and new radio components that provide broader LTE carrier coverage and better compatibility. They may not seem like much, but believe me, these are significant updates. 

Touch ID

The most prominent to the eye, is the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The Home button is now circled by a slightly inward-sloping metal ring (used to sense your finger's presence without requiring press) in the same finish color as the sides of the device (in Silver, Gold or Space Grey). 
Rather than being slightly concave as with all previous iPhone Home buttons, the new sapphire Home button disc within the ring is flat. Since the ring's edge lies flush with the front surface of the device and the button within is slightly recessed, it has a similar feel to previous Home buttons. 
The "click" action of the button also feels the same. If you compare older Home buttons, on the 5S there's what appears to be a slight optical illusion that makes the new Home button look smaller, thanks to the color-accented metallic ring calling attention to the button's edge.

This results in a contrast of Touch ID being both readily apparent and invisible at the same time. The software implementation of Touch ID is also purposely invisible. 

The TouchID has no movie-style depiction of "scanning… authenticated!" with animations, buzzing or flashing lights for feedback. It just works, you touch the Home Button, your iPhone 5S unlocks.

What Touch ID does

iOS 7 currently uses two features for the Touch ID sensor: Passcode Unlock and iTunes & App Store purchasing. This gives Apple the ability to focus entirely on getting the initial experience right, rather than unleashing a multitude of half baked feature concepts, or erring in other ways that would be worse than never having implemented Touch ID at all.

In practice, being able to log in with a finger press is both a quick convenience and an intuitive simplification over having to manually type in a passcode, similar to having a proximity key that lets you get in and start your car without requiring a physical key. The Touch ID convenience hopefully makes it much more likely that you'll create and use a passcode, and set your phone to lock immediately. 

Apple says half of its users are not currently using a passcode, and it's likely that many of those who do, set a delay so they don't have to type it in the passcode every time they wake their device. With Touch ID, it's much more practical to have your phone locked all the time. Logging in with a finger touch is almost as fast as unlocking the phone without a passcode.

Touch ID certainly was not created to make your iPhone 5s impenetrable to spy agencies.  But the reality is that Touch ID is far more accurate, faster and more secure than a simple passcode, or any of the alternatives on the market: the  'swipe to unlock' gesture used by Android OS, or the Face Unlock experiment. The latter provides a great example of how being first to market in a category  is not better than being first to market with a great product (Touch ID).

Apple hasn't just beaten Samsung and others to market with workable fingerprint login as a feature, but it's made it known that Touch ID enhances security and can deliver a great product, rather than being an invasive spyware tool designed to collect information about users and what they do, as Samsung did when it gave away a "free" music app in Google Play to its Galaxy customers. Who could trust Samsung or Google with their fingerprints after that disaster?

Further enhancing the Passcode Unlock functionally of Touch ID is iOS 7's new Activation Lock  capability, a new feature that activates automatically when you configure a device with a free iCloud account and turn on "Find my iPhone." 

Activation Lock links the device's activation process with its firmware ID and your iCloud account, so if your device happens to get stolen, the jackass thief who took it can't simply wipe it for quick and easy resale.  Apple's answer involves something it has that the Android platform does not: a centralized activation process. 

The security provided by the Activation Lock is similar to carrying a credit card instead of cash. Thieves can still hold you up, but they can't be guaranteed any payoff. Activation Lock is a welcome deterrent to would be attackers.

Activation Lock available to those with an iPhone 4 and forward via the free iOS 7 update. Using Activation Lock doesn't require a passcode, and turning off iCloud's Find My Phone isn't possible without your iCloud account. 

Using Touch ID with iTunes & App Store

The other (optional, but highly recommended) use of Touch ID is to authenticate purchases in iTunes and the App Store. Apple currently requires you to sign into your account to make a purchase, and sign in again every 15 minutes. If you already have a secure Touch ID fingerprint configured, you can bypass signing in by turning on this new Touch ID feature. 

When you first activate iTunes purchasing, you are asked for your iTunes Apple ID password. Subsequently, you can use your fingerprint instead, Awesome!  Apple's priority for Touch ID is clear, to secure your devices.   However, the infrastructure behind Touch ID as a passcode clearly has broader applications, and the fact that Apple is launching it with iTunes suggests additional plans for Touch ID for perhaps to authenticate sales and also adding security to other transactions as well. 

Touch ID instantly makes it more convenient for Apple's iPhone 5s customers to make iTunes and App Store purchases. It doesn't require signing up for new accounts, and doesn't replace one easy swipe with another easy tap; it replaces a moderately annoying password prompt interruption with a finger touch, again, Awesome!  Once Apple has more experience with how its customers are using Touch ID, it can, and I sure will, move development forward.

I hope this review is helpful, I'd love your feedback!

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Samsung Galaxy Ace Style S765C

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style Android

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style - Coming Soon!

Tracfone has been busy lately, with five Android phones made available for use on their prepaid networks in the last year, and now a new option in the Samsung S765C coming in the near future.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace Style is a Android 4.3 powered, 4 inch touchscreen, front and rear facing camera phone that may just be the best phone available on Tracfone yet.

We will share all the details about this new phone, including features and specs, below and share our general thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style including how it compares to some of the other options from Tracfone.

Tracfone is a low cost prepaid service and cell phone provider in America and the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style is one of the latest phones to be made available. It isn't out yet, but we will keep you updated with any changes.

The LG Optimus Fuel is another phone coming now available for Tracfone, with Android 4.4. Follow the link to learn more about it, or visit our Cell Phone Reviews page to learn more about each of the Android phones available from Tracfone.

Time to take a look at the features and specs for the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style

What to Expect for the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style (S765C)

As we mentioned above, this Samsung phone comes with several features many Tracfone users will be excited to have including a 4 inch touchscreen, Android 4.3 and front and rear cameras.

Many users have expressed a desire for a phone with a screen larger than 3.8 inches, which is currently available through Tracfone's LG Optimus Dynamic II, and the Galaxy Ace Style appears to deliver just that with a 4 inch screen that gives a 480 x 800 resolution (233ppi).

The Samsung S765C will be for use on Verizon's CDMA 3G network, as are all of Tracfone's Android devices at this time. For more about CDMA, read our CDMA vs GSM guide.

Here is a list of expected features:

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style Features and Specs

We will begin with the features for this phone, and then go over the technical details below.

• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Verizon 3G
• WiFi
• GPS
• 5 MP Rear Camera with Autofocus
• Front Facing Camera (VGA)
• Triple Minutes for Life
• Many other features common for Tracfone like Voicemail, Caller ID, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style Technical Specs:

• Size: 4.77" x 2.46" x 0.41"
• Screen Size: 4" TFT Touchscreen (480x800)
• 1.2 Ghz Processor
• 512 MB RAM
• 4 GB Internal, up to 64 GB External Micro SD
• Weight: 4.1 OZ
• Battery: 12 Hours Talk, 11 Days Standby

The Samsung Galaxy Ace Style appears to come with the best camera (and a front camera) and largest screen of any Tracfone device to date. We will certainly share any news and updates, including changes to specs, here as we find them. Share your thoughts or news in the comments section below.

The phone also has Android 4.3 (some reporting possibly Android 4.4) which is a fairly recent version, and gives users access to thousands of apps via Google Play.

Overall we are very excited for when this phone comes out. It brings a number of features many people have been hoping to be able to get while sticking with Tracfone service. Look for our full review once the phone is available

While the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style isn't available for Tracfone yet, but has been spotted for Straight Talk, which would indicate it is coming to Tracfone very soon. Price is expected to be above $100, and more likely around $150. This is a little steep, but considering this phone has some of the best specs for a Tracfone yet, most people will be willing to pay.

If you are looking for other phone options to use with Tracfone, read our new guide to the Tracfone BYOP program, which includes a list of compatible phones. You can even us an iPhone 4 and 4S with Tracfone now.

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style User Guide and Tutorials:
Two resources that will provide you with more information on the Ace Style:

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style Interactive Tutorial (Tracfone)

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style User Guide (200+ page PDF)

Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave your thoughts or questions in the comments below. You might find our Summer Sales and Deals to be useful, or check out our popular Tracfone Promo Codes (but remember they don't work on Android phones).

Samsung Galaxy Ace Style Android

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Getting the most out of Photo Stream for your Apple devices

Today's blog will cover the  Photo Stream part of iCloud.  Photo Stream was introduced in October of 2011, along with iCloud, iOS 5 and a new version of iPhoto (for those people running OSX 10.7, at the time).  Photo Stream was not the first photo sharing software to hit the market (There’s Flickr, Shutterfly, SnapFish, Photobucket and Picasa to name a few), but it was Apple first foray into online pictures.  Apple’s take on photo sharing was initially, as you might expect, closed to non-Apple users.  Here’s how it worked.  You’d snap photos with your iOS device running iOS 5, and when you got into a Wi-Fi zone, those pictures would magically go into the cloud and become available on your other iCloud capable devices.  I’ll never forget the first time I tried it.  Same day the iPhone 4S came out (Oct 14, 2011, I think!), I was outside taking pictures of my kids playing football.  Now I had already updated my version of iPhoto for my iMac, and turned iCloud and Photo Stream on, so when I came into the house, and my iPhone attached to our WI-Fi network, the fifty or so pictures I took, started flowing to the Photo Stream.  I came over to my iMac and opened up iPhoto, clicked on the Photo Stream option, and sure enough, the pictures I had just snapped with my brand new iPhone began appearing on my iMac!  I didn’t have to plug my iPhone in, and copy those pictures into my computer, thanks to iCloud and Photo Stream I had a copy of those pictures without having to do anything!  Nice.  I love technology when it works.  So, how does it work?

Let’s start with your device(s).  Photo Stream works with iCloud, so in order to make use of it, your devices need to be iCloud capable.   Your iOS device(s) needs to be running at least iOS 5.1 (if you are not at iOS 6, seriously consider upgrading).  Your Mac needs to be running at least OSX 10.7.5, and you’ll need iPhoto 9.2.2 or Aperture 3.2.3 or later.   Photo Stream does work with PC’s, but I will not be covering that here.    Let’s not forget Apple TV, a wonderful way to share your photos, you’ll need at least the 2^nd generation Apple TV, running software updates 5.0 or later.  

The Photo Stream option on your iOS devices is located in the iCloud Setting.  To start using it, go into Settings, find and tap the iCloud setting, scroll down a bit and you’ll find the Photo Stream option, simply turn it on and start taking pictures with your device!  On your Mac, you’ll open up System Preferences, click the iCloud preference, and similar to your iOS device(s), you’ll turn Photo Stream on.  Now there is one additional step you’ll need to take on your Mac, you’ll go into iPhoto, or Aperture, and within either of those apps, you’ll turn Photo Stream on there as well.  

Now let’s talk about getting pictures in your Photo Stream, how many you can have there, how long they stay there, do pictures count against my iCloud storage etc.  Apple states that you can have up to 1000 pictures in your Photo Stream at any given time.  Apple also says you can have those pictures in your Photo Stream for 30 days.  The pictures in your Photo Stream DO NOT count against your iCloud storage, very important to remember for those who are backing up their devices to iCloud.

Deleting pictures from your Photo Stream on your iOS device is quite simple, and there are two ways to accomplish it.  You can delete a single picture by clicking on the picture, then tapping the garbage can (lower right corner of screen).  Or you can delete multiple pictures.  To do this, you tap the Edit button (top Right), then tap the pictures you wish to delete, then tap the Delete button (bottom right).  On your Mac, deleting a Photo Stream pictures is also very easy.  Either within iPhoto or Aperture, click on the Photo Stream option.  You can delete single pictures, or multiple pictures from Photo Stream, just as you would if you were in an Events/Photos/Faces or Places (iPhoto).  

Now let’s talk about sharing your photos from Photo Stream.  This is a new option that became available in the fall of 2012 with the release of iOS 6.   Shared Photo Streams  can also be created on your Mac, running OSX 10.8.2 or later with Aperture 3.4 or later or iPhoto 9.4 or later (you could and some people do, use both).   Shared Photo Stream(s) rock!  

To turn on Photo Sharing, tap on the Photo Stream option, and make sure the Photo Sharing toggle is set to on.  One great feature of the shared Photo Stream is that is can be shared with non Mac or non iOS devices, thank you Apple!  When you share a Photo Stream, it becomes a private website that you share by providing email addresses to those you wish to share it with.  Here’s how you do it.  On your iOS device, you’ll go into the Photo’s app, and choose Photo Stream, then you choose the pictures you wish to share by clicking the edit button (top right), tapping the photos, then choosing the share option, lower left of your screen.  When you click share, you have six options to share your pictures.  Via Message, another Photo Stream, Facebook, Print, Copy or Save to Camera roll.  We are going to click the Photo Stream option.  Next, click New Photo Stream, type the email addresses (or if you have them in your contacts, simply type the persons name and pick their email address).  Create a name for your Photo Stream, then you can choose whether or not you wish to make this Photo Stream public, or only viewable by those whose email you provided.  If the Photo Stream is NOT created as a public website, those people who were emailed your link, MUST  be using that email address as an Apple ID in order to view the Shared Photo Stream, this is very important.  If you make the Photo Stream public, it can be viewed by anyone, regardless of whether or not their email is an Apple ID or not.   To create a shared Photo Stream in iPhoto, from your library, choose the pictures you wish to share, click the Share option (lower right), choose Photo Stream, enter the names (or email addresses) of those you wish to share the Photo Stream with and the rest as they say, is history!  Those people who you’ve shared your Photo Stream with, who’s email address is an Apple ID, can view the pictures on their iOS device(s), as long as they are running iOS 6 or later, or on their Mac, in iPhoto 9.4 or later, or Aperture, 3.4 or later.  The shared Photo Streams can also be viewed on an Apple TV, running software 5.1 or later.  In case you were wondering, there is a limit to the number of photo’s you can share in a Photo Stream, that number is 1000.  Also, shared Photo Streams never expire, until you delete them…

So, you now know how to share your Photo Streams amongst your friend/family and me should you choose.  Have fun, and until next time, I hope you and your devices are running smoothly!

  

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Hey Siri! Handsfree Siri coming to iOS 8.

It only took a few years, but Apple is giving iPhone and iPad users a great new (old) tool in iOS 8,  handsfree Siri!  There is a catch, your device needs to be plugged in, in order for Handsfree to work.  First, turn it on.  Go into Settings > General > Siri:

Turn the Voice Activation switch to On (or green), and your ready to go!  This is awesome for those of us who haven't learned that we shouldn't hold our phones (or use them!) while driving.  As long as your iPhone is charging, simply say "Hey Siri" and Siri is ready for your request.  I've used it (not in Deerfield because you can't use handheld devices in Deerfield!) and it works famously.  I've had it call ("Hey Siri, Call Erika"), I've had it text ("Hey Siri, text Eli"), I've had it check the price of Apple stock ("Hey Siri, what's Apple stock at today").  Now this isn't only for driving.  Handsfree Siri works whenever and wherever your iPhone or iPad is plugged in, to a computer, outlet or other charging device.  I'm quite pleasantly surprised at how well it's working in the beta software (currently beta version 5).  

So if you have to use your iPhone while driving, at least you'll finally be able to do it all hands free!

If you are testing iOS 8, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you are not, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!  

More cool iOS 8 features to come soon!

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iMessage updates in iOS 8.

iMessage in iOS 8, a better way to message.

Apple’s Messages app has been solid, but it is well overdue for the update it's about to get, and it should make it more competitive with the other popular texting apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp.  There are many great new features coming in the new Messenger, you’ll be able to create voice and video snippets to post along with your text and photos. You'll also be able to share your location for a set period, for instance an hour, through the end of the day, or indefinitely. And, with a tap, you can view all the attachments in a conversation—all the photos and videos—without having to scroll through text to find them.   Today's blog is only covering the new voice recording feature.  

In the screen capture above, you'll notice the microphone just above the word "I'm" (That's the predictive keyboard at work, predicting what I'll type!).  Now take a look at the screen capture below.  

When you press the microphone icon, a 3 quarter circle appears with an X (left), an Arrow (Top) and a circle with a red square inside (middle).  The X cancels the recorded message.  The Arrow pushes the voice message into the body of the message (see below).  The red square stops the recording.

So, if you need to be discreet, and don't want to type out a message, the voice recording is a fantastic way to go.  

Look for my next iOS 8 update towards the end of the week, it will be covering the new iCloud drive!

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Why you should go with the new iPad Mini...

About a year ago, I wrote a blog on the pros and cons of the iPad Mini.  My biggest complaint at the time was the fact that the Mini's Specs were not on par with the full size iPad.  Well throw all that out the door!  I just went and played with the new Full size iPad Air, and it's nothing short of amazing, in fact if it had the fingerprint scanner that's on the iPhone 5S, I would call it simply "Amazing".  Why am I bringing up the iPad Air here, because, quite frankly, there's no need to go that route any longer...Apple has done an incredible job making the iPad Air smaller, but, now that the iPad Mini has the same specs, I can't see any reason to buy the iPad Air!  It's $100 more and doesn't offer anything but a slightly bigger screen!

The only difference in devices is this:  The iPad Air offers a 9.7 inch display, and the Mini offers a smaller 7.9 inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology (IPS stands for In Plane Switching, and it provides better viewing while on an angle).   They both have the incredible Retina display that provides 2048x1536 resolution, what you need to know here is that it's better than HD quality.  You also get brand new WiFi antennas, sadly that don't support the new AC standard, but you are getting multiple WiFi antennas to give you better and faster WiFi response.  Also included is the latest in Bluetooth, Bluetooth 4.0.  Last but most important, you are getting the new A7 Chip with 64-bit architecture and the new M7 motion coprocessor (both introduced earlier in the iPhone 5S), and this last bit is THE reason to purchase the Mini, period end of story!  Same all the way around, minus the smaller screen.

Some of you may argue that it's only $100 difference, why not go with the iPad Air?  Think of it in terms of storage.  You can get the new iPad Air, WiFi only, 16GB for $499 (plus tax).  Or, you can get the iPad Mini, 32GB for $499 (plus tax).  Storage is king on these devices, and if you can double your storage, and only give up some screen size, it's a no brainer.  The new Mini is, in my opinion, the way to go.  

Here's a quick look at the front and back...I've made my decision, I hope I've made your easier as well!

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