The iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus are here!

Just a few hours ago, Apple announced it’s new generation of iPhones; the 6S and the 6S Plus. The new phones have seem to have brought some very interesting features to the table.

3D Touch

The new iPhone were exactly what they were rumored to be. The new iPhone have “3D Touch” – a fancy name for force touch. 3D Touch on the new iPhones is a combination between the right click menu and the preview feature on the Mac.

For Example: You can force tap on an iMessage Conversation and a preview of the conversation will pop up. You can also interact more with the action by pressing harder on the screen.

Developers can also integrate 3D Touch into their own apps, One of the apps that has already been updated is Instagram. In Instagram you can 3D Touch on the thumbnail of an image and a preview of the image will pop-up!

Camera

Photos

The Camera on the new iPhones have a extremely improved! For the past year Apple has stuck with an 8 MP camera while other manufacturers have had 12-16 MP cameras. Apple has been backing off on adding more megapixels because if you put more pixels in the same senor size the color accuracy, low light performance tend to be quite poor. Apple has found a few ways with help with the problem. This year they have gone with a 12 MP camera and if the color accuracy and the low light performance are as good or better then the current phones then this will easily be the best camera on a smartphone.

The front selfie camera have also been upgrade with a 5 MP senor. This time you also have a “simulated” flash with will use the sensors on the phone to match the light temperature around you to flash the the screen itself for a “ok” lit selfie.

Live Photos

Live Photos is features that takes a sequence of photos with audio (not video, apparently) 1.5 second before and after the photos has been taken. So when you 3D Touch on the photo in the gallery I will play the sequence showing the moment that led upto the picture. You can set these “Live Photos” as your wallpaper or as a watch face on your Apple Watch.

Video

Since Apple decide to upgrade to a 12 MP camera. You will be able to take 4K Video at 30 fps on the phone. Since 4K videos take so much space, you will be able to choose what quality you record your video at in the settings.

Technology

Processor

The new iPhone have the Apple A9; Which is Apple’s own 3rd Generation 64-bit processor. The new A9 CPU is up to 80% faster then the A8’s CPU. The GPU on the A9 is up to 90% faster. Apple is claiming the CPU power to be “Desktop class” and the GPU to be “Console class”.

Data Connection

The Wifi and LTE performance has been improved just a little bit; The new phones support up to 23 LTE bands with a maximum of 300 Mbps through-put. Wifi hasn’t been changed a lot with speeds up to 866 Mbps. Of cource your’re not going to get these speeds just because you have the phone. These speeds are the maximum throughput for the phones.

Price

You will be able to buy the new phones at the same price as the current ones so; 16GB models for the 6S start at $199 w/ 2-year carrier contact and $299 for the 6S Plus w/ a 2-carrier contact.

If you don’t want to lock-in with a contact with your carrier then you can finnance the phones with Apple for $32.45 /month for iPhone 6S (24-month) and/or $37.45 for the iPhone 6S Plus (24-month).

Apple also has a new program this year called “iPhone Upgrade Program” which will give you a new phone every year! You can learn more about it here!

12.9″ inch iPad! The iPad Pro!

Just a few hours ago; Apple announced it’s new iPad; the iPad Pro!

Features

Size

As you may have already seen by now the new iPad Pro has a huge 12.9 Inch – 2732-by-2048 beautiful retina display! Because of the larger space you have a lot more room to add additional features. Like Four Speakers on every corners of the iPad for amazing sound. These speakers will automatically adjust the sound frequency and volume based on what you’re listening to and how you’re holding the iPad; for the best sound performance.

Accessories

For the first time Apple has first-party accessories for the new iPad Pro. The first one is the new Smart Keyboard and the second one is the new Apple Pencil.

This web comic “Surface Tension” made by Joel Watson, 3 years ago predicted how Apple would have their own Surface Tablet in “WWDC 2015” just 6-months off the actual release.

Smart Keyboard

The Smart Keyboard, which looks a lot like Microsoft’s smart cover for the Surface. The Smart Keyboard is basically just the regular smart case for the iPad with a keyboard. The keyboard connects to the iPad via magnetic pins on the side of the iPad Pro; This port will provide both power and data.

Apple Pencil

The Apple is just the regular stylus. It works with the digitizer on the iPad to detect pressure, tilt and of-course movement. The wired part about the Apple Pencil is that you have to charge it by plugging in the male lightning plug into the lightning port on the iPad Pro.

This is a weird way of charging the Pencil as it looks silly and is dangerous since there is high risk of it breaking. The Apple can run for 30 minutes with a 15 second charge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YY3MSaUqMg

Apple 2007 iPhone conference where Steve Jobs said how he hates a stylus.

Performance

The performance on the new iPad Pro is (according to Apple) faster then 80% (CPU) and 90% (CPU) of portable PCs launched in the last year. The iPad Pro runs off Apple’s own 3rd Generation 64-bit; A9X Processor. Apple has demoed the iPad Pro realtime rendering 3 4K streams at the same time.

Battery Life

Even with the improved performance and larger screen size; Apple claims the iPad pro can still get “full-day” or 10-hours of battery life.

Google changes it’s logo at a turning point for the company..!

Google, the very intelligent and the most popular search engine that you’re probably already used to by now is getting an identity change. Just a few weeks ago, Google made a decision to create a one large company to look over all of the smaller company that Google now has. Like, YouTube, Google Maps etc..

Now that the Google search engine and the other services like Gmail are their own company, the very iconic Google icon has change, just a bit and you probably won’t even notice it.

The new logo is flatter, and more sizable. The old logo has been with Google since it’s was still just a search engine and now that it’s much more with Operating system for Phones, Tablets, Computers, Watches and now even Cars along with different Google services like Gmail, Google Maps, Google News, Google Videos etc.. The new logo is more scalable so, it fitts-in more with different size screens and, different services.

The new logo is also animatable so, it’s fits in better with the new Material Design look.

There are also Google Voice search and Google now animation..

Animation // Google Blog

The “G” in logo like the favicon or the microphone logo itself is also four colors.

Expect the new logo to roll-out to different Google services soon along with it’s apps by updates!

You no longer have to upload square photos to Instagram!

Instagram just updated it’s Android and iOS apps to allow an option to upload full landscape and portrait photos… No longer do you have to use another app to fit landscape or portrait photos into a square fame to be upload to Instagram.

The new change is surprising considering Instagram is the one that started the whole square photos and videos things considering this “created” some very interested new companies like Twitter’s 6-second very popular video app, Vine!

The update just released add a new button to allow you to choose whether you want full photo upload or the standard square photo to be upload. This button doesn’t re-size to photos to a square frame but, it changes the canvas size so u don’t have to worry about blank write space above and below your photos.

The new change also applies to videos.

https://vimeo.com/137425960

Sprint is matching T-Mobile with free 3G data in Canada and Mexico!

Sprint is making it a just a bit cheaper for their customers to travel to North and South America with giving customers free 1GB of 3G data in Canada and Mexico along with a lot more Latin American countries. Users in these areas will be able to send and receive calls and texts for free.

Sprint has previously announced free unlimited 2G data to customers. It’s not clear if the new promotion overrides the old one but, what is clear the most customers with “qualifying” smartphone will be able to get free 1GB of 3G data and additional gig of data is $30 billed at per-megabyte.

Sprint is calling this the Open World plan, and it’s really hoping to make traveling a little less expensive for it’s users. This new promotion looks like a response to T-Mobile’s new roaming plan which allowed customers to use their LTE data plans at no additional cost in Mexico and Canada. They are also offering free calling and texting

It seems like the bottom 2 carriers, T-Mobile and Sprint are getting ready for AT&T’s move into Mexico with it buying two large Mexican carriers for it’s plan to create “first-ever North American mobile service area covering over 400 million consumers and businesses in Mexico and the United States,” which would mean AT&T dominating the network and customers in North America.

T-Mobile and Sprint can’t spend that kind-of money but, if they made traveling easier for their customers to hold on to some of it’s user base.

The new promotion is available in Mexico, Canada, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay.

Verizon introduces new plans, removing contacts!

Verzion announced that they it has a set of new phone plans along for new customers along with removing the traditional two-year contact options.

Now customers will have to pay for their phone in full price or pay for the phone in 24 month or less* payments and since they are removing contacts you can switch from verizon at any-tine as long as you pay off the remaining amount of the phone which you get to keep, Just like T-Mobile’s Un-Carrier and other carrier’s similar plans

The new plans apply to new individual and shared plans. The new plans are in 4 categories:

-Small: $30/month for 1GB of shareable data
–Medium: $45/month for 3GB of shareable data
–Large: $60/month for 6GB of shareable data
–X-Large: $80/month for 12GB of shareable data

All plans come with Unlimited Talk and Text. The Monthly access fees for a smartphone is $20, for Tables and Jetpack Wi-Fis it’s $10, and $5 for “connected device line” such as smartwatches. All of the charges are on-top of the data change and finance charge for the phone. Verizon hopes that the new plans will remove some of the confusion on which plan costs how much.

Here is an example of what a new verizon bill may look like**.

Verizon 3GB Plan with Unlimited Talk and Text: $45 /mo.
+ iPhone 6 16GB ($649) with 24 Month payments: $24.04 /mo.+ iPhone 6 access charge $20/mo.
= (without tax. not real prices) $92.04 /month

These prices might not save you money but, will remove a lot of confusion.

Many things in our lives come in familiar sizes. Morning coffee? A medium, please. New t-shirt? That’s a large – at least for now. From small to XL, everyone understands these common sizing options.

The new plans come into effect almost a year after T-Mobile and Other carriers launched similar plans. The new plans will go in-to effect August the 13th. If you think you might be able to save money with the old plan then get it now before it’s gone forever..

*Based on many factors. Ask a Verizon Rep. for more info.
** Real prices may be different. That is just an example

Google adds night mode for Google Maps!

An update to Google Maps just released added night mode which allows for better viewing in the dark..

The mode gets auto enabled by the current time on the your device.

The new modes are a much better for driving in the dark using Google Maps since it’s not going to be blinding you anymore!
You can get the new look by just updating your Google Maps app from your app store.

Apple already has 11 Million users!

It’s been just a month since Apple Music launched to public and and it has already gotten 11 Million trail users with 2 million of them with the $14.99 per month family plan, company executives told USA TODAY.

We’re thrilled with the numbers so far, says Eddy Cue

Apple Music costs $9.99 for individuals and $14.99 in a family plan for up-to 6 people! Apple Music has more than 30 Million on-demand and offline available songs along with human-created playlists and live radio ad-free! Everybody get a 3 month trail which automatically get’s renewed into a paid plan . This is if you don’t turn off the auto-renew option or cancel before the trail ends.
Apple would already have more members then Spotify if everyone moved over to the paid plan.

301+ views is no longer a thing!?

We all have a seen a video with the 301+ views on a YouTube video and that’s because when a video gets more than 300 views rapidly, YouTube has to verify those views to make sure that real people are actually watching the video and not just bots. This verification process can not just take hours but a few days to even weeks! Now that YouTube is a much bigger platform with hundreds of videos getting more than 300 views in just a few minutes. This is not just a problem for creators who can’t track views on their videos in “real-time” but, it’s also a little unprofessional to see a highly produced with “301+” views.

Yesterday YouTube posted a photo on Twitter with the caption “We’re saying goodbye to 301+ and hello to more up-to-date video views.” with a photo of their new view verification process that will continue to count views that it knows are from real people and will keep that views that it thinks are “suspicious” for review later instead of verifying them in-bulk after 300 views. This is also a much better process as before if your video passed the 300 views mark you could use bots later to jack up the views without even YouTube noticing (unless they manually checked them again..) as the verification for the views is not in place for views that you get after the “301+” has been updated!

We’re saying goodbye to 301+ and hello to more up-to-date video views. pic.twitter.com/33OQuOvxcs

— YouTube Creators (@YTCreators) August 5, 2015

Overall this is really smart move for YouTube to keep up with the overgrowing traffic for online on-demand content!

One Hour Amazon Prime delivery comes to Birmingham!

The Amazon Prime-One service which delivers packages in an hours has been enjoyed by Londoners for more than a month and now the service is coming to Birmingham and it’s surrounding areas including Lichfield, Cannock and Tamworth. The service will be expanding to other UK cities by the end of the year! There are over 20,000 items on Amazon that can be delivered with-in an hour for just £7 or a same day delivery with a 2-hour window of your choice. To enjoy the services you have to be a prime user, of course and the orders have to be placed with the Prime Now android or iOS app.

To get more customers to be a part of the new service Amazon is offering £20 off your first Prime Now order of £50 or above with the checkout code BIRMINGHAM!