Getting photos off of our iOS devices is the kind of thing that can be a deadly serious subject for many of us. If you've got kids, being able to ensure that your photos are safe and secure in the event of a lost or stolen phone can be the most important thing in the world at times. Apple's Photo Stream and iCloud backups go some way towards filling the hole for some people, but there are other ways of getting images and videos off of iPhones and iPads. Those options now include Microsoft's SkyDrive.
Taking part in an impromptu FaceTime call is becoming an increasingly popular event during musical events. First we had Beyoncé taking an iPhone out of a fan’s hand and talking to her friend through FaceTime during one of her performances. Now we have the news that Nine Inch Nails’ frontman Trent Reznor invoked a FaceTime call with one of his friends during a show in Las Vegas. Although FaceTime itself is an extremely emotive way to communicate, the feeling was further heightened by the fact that the friend in question is currently suffering from terminal colon cancer.
We've already spoken about our high hopes for what Apple's iBeacon may turn into and we've made no bones about the fact that it may be the best kept secret of iOS 7, considering it got little to no press when the mobile operating system launched a couple of months ago. It seems that some people were paying attention though, and hot on the heels of Major League Baseball's decision to trial iBeacon at ball parks, department store Macy's is also putting Apple's location aware technology through its paces at some of its own stores.
Mobile gaming is slowly but surely moving away from dedicated gaming devices and towards multipurpose ones like tablets and smartphones, which is born out by the fact that the top apps across stores like the App Store and Google Play tend to be of the gaming variety. There's only one problem with playing what some would call 'proper' games on a small, touch-based device though and that's the fact that there's not tactile feel or more simply, no buttons. Depending on the kind of game being played, that may or may not be an issue.
Apple has finally updated its Find My Friends app for iOS, bringing with it a brand new and refreshed look for iOS 7. More details and download link can be found right here.
If there's one thing people like to do, it's compare sales metrics for smartphones. Potentially one of the best ways to ascertain just how well a device is selling when compared with its peers, average selling prices show just how willing buyers are to pay substantial amounts of money in order to get their fingers on the latest and greatest technology from their manufacturer of choice.
It's amazing how quickly companies like Apple, Samsung and others magically find stock of their hardware just in time for consumers to get their hands on to send as gifts to family and loved ones. The iPhone 5s has been suffering from a serious lack of availability in the time that has followed since its launch, a problem that seems to be fixed just in time for the holiday shopping season.
It's almost a given that every Apple product launch will feature some kind of focus on the environmental status of the hardware as well as the recyclability of the components used to manufacture the device. This dedication to cleaner living is also outlined by the existence of the company's "Reuse and Recycle" program that lets users trade-in old devices. Starting today, Apple will make some changes to their recycling program by relaxing restrictions around devices that have been shown to have suffered from some water damage, according to Apple Retail employees.
As regular readers may know I installed each and every iOS 7 beta on my iPhone. As if that wasn't stressful enough, I also posted my thoughts on each new beta here at Redmond Pie and while the iOS 7 betas have obviously come to a close, that doesn't mean that our beta adventure is over. Earlier today Apple made iOS 7.1 beta 1 available to testers. As a tester of various beta releases of apps, that includes me.
History has shown us that Best Buy is never shy when it comes to providing their customers with a bargain, and it seems that they are at it again with an offer aimed directly at students. The deal, offered in conjunction with the American Sprint network, will see students offered a full year's worth of free service when they purchase a qualifying smartphone from the Best Buy range.
