Articles by "technology"
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

at 3:33 PM 0
Ihave had my AirPods for about a month now and during this time I have had a chance to evaluate their features. Firstly, lets recap the AirPod saga. The AirPods were announced in September of 2016 with an October ship date. However, they were not released on time and were delayed until December of 2016 with a 6 week ship date. I have since received them and I have been using them every day for a month.

I couldn't have been more excited when I received my AirPods in the mail! New technology is awesome and makes for great experiences when it is done right. The AirPods are a great example of that. To connect them to my iPhone I simply opened the case next to my phone and they were magically paired. This simple and unique pairing is done with the help of the W1 chip that Apple has made specifically for their wireless headphones. I have also found during my use that it is easiest to control the AirPods with my Apple Watch. I am able to adjust the audio and change songs via the watch. This is when an ecosystem of products can really shine and you can see what Apple was trying accomplish with the AirPods and the simplicity of all its features.

It is hard to imagine a day where I don't use my AirPods. I start my day with the AirPods in my ears while walking to the bus stop. I don't need to worry about them moving or falling out of my ear while I walk because they fit very well in my ears. They don't shake or even seem loose. I ride the bus into the city for work and I prefer to have headphones during that ride. I keep my AirPods in and on during the entire bus ride and for the first bit of my work day. They sound quality is good for their size and they are very convenient. They also work with all of my Apple devices so there isn't any issue with moving from device to device. When I'm at work and I want to switch to listening to something on my iPad, I just select the AirPods on the iPad. Then once I'm home and I want to use the AirPods with my Mac, I just select them from the drop down menu. Overall the AirPods have been a very seamless product and have created an enjoyable experience for me as a user.
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at 11:36 PM
So it happened as it normally does every year, Apple held thier iPhone event and this year they had a few small surprises that added up to make for a pretty good overall conference.
To open the event Tim Cook was doing some Car Karaoke and to be honest it was just an ad for the show, seeing how it will be avaible to subscribers of Apple Music. Once Tim Cook hit the stage he went over numbers and so on.

Tim then had a few surprises up his sleeve for the start of the event and the first of which was that live collaboration is coming to iWork apps across the devices. For myself, this was a really pleasant surprise. The next surprise that Apple had for us, was that Mario is coming to iOS and the iPhone. The game is called Mario Run and there was no price information revealed though the game looks really fun. You can currently sign up to get notified about the games release on the App Store.

After those small surprises Apple rolled in to the hardware and they started with the Apple Watch. They called the new Apple Watch Series Two and it saw a few updates. The Watch is now water proof up to 50 meters. They also put in a larger battery, GPS, and of course a faster processor. The new Watch looks to be a nice update and something that can move Apple in to a fitness tracking category. Another note is that the new processor will also be in the Series One Apple Watch. They will have both watches available to purchase with the Series One being at $269 and the Series Two at $369.

Apple, next revealed the iPhone 7. The new iPhone that is now available for preorder. The new iPhone has has a few new feature and they make for a pretty decent upgrade. The most obvious change is that they have two new colors, black and jet black. The jet black look polished adn really high end while black is matte and very nice looking as well. The new phones are also water and dust resistant. They also udated the speakers so that when the phone is in landscape it will play audio through both speakers in stereo. While we are on audio, yes, Apple removed the headphone jack. They are giving people Lightning headphone and an adapter for 3.5mm headphones.
They also revealed new wireless headphones called Airpods. The new Airpods have a W1 chip that Apple had specifically designed for improving Bluetooth and wireless technologies.

Overall the event was solid and even though Apple didn’t do anything too revolutionary, they made enough changes to make the iPhone 7 a worth wild upgrade as well as the Apple Watch. Now lets just hope we get to see some MacBook upgrades soon… Well here’s hoping.
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at 12:12 AM 0
Apple recently pushed updates across many of its platforms and there are some really quality changes and fixes.

To start with the updates Apple updated iOS to 9.3 and it has many nice new features. The first and probably most discussed feature is Night Shift. The feature will adjust the hue or tone of the display at night to help with your eyes in the dark. There is research that has suggested that the harsh blue light can give you issues when you are going to try to sleep after looking at a bright blue screen like your phone. The Night Shift feature can be controlled manually or you can have it turn on at sunset and sunrise.


There are also many bug fixes in iOS 9.3 that just add to the speed and stability of the overall experience and operating system.

The next update to contain surprisingly nice features in the update is TV OS 9.2. The OS is still technically young but it has been gaining missing features rather fast. Apple is making sure that features that were in the previous Apple Tv are in the 4th generation.

The update adds the ability to pair bluetooth keyboards, dictate searches and requests, and probably the most requested feature, make folders. As before the update also added bug fixes and improves the stability of the OS.


The Watch also received and update to Watch OS 2.2 and it really just focused and improve the Maps app on the watch. The app now supports recent places just as like with iOS maps. 

All of the updates are available now if you check for them in System Settings on their appropriate device and in the Watch app on iOS for the Watch.

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at 6:55 PM 0

The icons for Android have changed before but the plans Google seems to have now are to begin to unify the icons across the Google platform. The web icons differ from the Android version and have since the OS came in to existence but Google is trying to fix that. The icons will help with recognizing the apps across the ecosystem Google has built but it also brings in some consistency. This is something that Google has been trying to do once Larry Page became the CEO of Google and the process has been slow but still steady.

Source:
Engadget
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at 8:00 AM 0

While exploring photojojo.com, I found the Eye-Fi  mobi SD card. This SD card allows you to automatically send your pictures to a mobile device wirelessly. I found this super convenient with my Nikon D3100 and it is super easy to set up. Just put the card in your camera, download the app(Android or iOS), and enter the code that is on the case. After you are set up start taking pictures and they will automatically start to download to your device. From there you can share your pictures on any service you prefer. The Eye-Fi comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32 GB or a 16GB Pro card. You can purchase them at www.eye.fi, photojojo.com, and bestbuy.com. I strongly suggest picking one up, it's another great thing to add to the camera bag.


Mobi 8GB, 16GB and 32GB
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at 10:47 PM 0

I have been really following the development of the Ubuntu Touch mobile OS and I have been really wanting to use for myself, with the help of Multiboot, I have been able to use Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 5. What follows are my impressions of the OS after 3 days of use as my daily driver.

First, and importantly, I would like to point out that I am using the OS on a device not officially support by Ubuntu and this article will not discuss how to install Ubuntu Touch on the Nexus 5. Now that, that is out of the way, on to the 3 days of Ubuntu Touch.

The first thing that I need to say about the Ubuntu Touch OS is that it is beautiful! The operating system looks absolutely gorgeous at every point, from the fonts to the organization of the apps and icons. Canonical is making an operating system that is eye catching and shows off not only the user's content but also all the great work of their designers. The design goals and guidelines that Ubuntu has set are a real testament when you get to see them executed in the OS. Ubuntu Touch feels new and it is very intuitive.

With all that said, now on to the actual user experience that I have been having while I test the Ubuntu Touch OS on the Nexus 5. As I stated earlier, the Nexus 5 is not a device officially supported by Canonical, so there are some issues I may
experience that other users may not. As I use the OS, I find that it is really easy to use and learn. I have already begun to swipe from the specific edges to get to where I need to go without having to hesitate and think about it first. I really like how that the idea of gestures and swiping to navigate just come natural to me. I find that I also really like to use the quick replies in the Message/Incoming area of the OS.Having the ability to get quick access to important system features is excellent and another thing that I have already gotten used to in Ubuntu Touch.

I do have issues that keep coming up like not being able to lock the orientation or how difficult it can be to dismiss the keyboard but to be honest, it is really hard to criticize the OS on these issues since it is not a complete build. Ubuntu Touch is updating everyday it seems like and each update has bug fixes. I will continue to use the OS and test it but I will not really criticize or rant about missing features until Ubuntu Touch is complete and ready for a truly final release.
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at 1:26 PM 0

There has been a small storm brewing and more and more attention going to Canonical and Ubuntu for their touch OS. They have an interesting approach and goals, as they are aiming for convergence across the phone, tablet, and desktop. I have installed Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 7(2013) and we will see if they are working on the next big thing or the next big failure.

Overview
Canonical's take on the mobile OS market is being executed really well. They are building a product that will make waves in the market. There are some many great ideas and concepts in the Ubuntu Touch OS, that it is hard to find one and say it is the best. There seems to be a race to convergence right now, as we see with Microsoft's one OS on all your devices, but Canonical, with it's Ubuntu Touch, has an excellent strategy to make this happen.

Look and Feel
Ubuntu Touch looks beautiful! The plan that Canonical has as far as the UI is concerned is amazing. The UI has a, content is king, approach. All the apps, music, videos, and more are right there, available to you. The UI is continuing to progress and improve with each update. Canonical is making Ubuntu touch as pretty and polished as it can be, and this really shows. The software, for testing software, ran
really well. For the most part the UI is responsive, fast, and fluid. Still make no mistake, there are some issues since it is not a completed project yet. The app switching is fast and convenient, with a simple swipe from the right side you go to your last app or a swipe from the left and you are back to the home screen. The process of learning the gestures and swipes was so natural that I didn't even really think about once I saw what each gesture did.

Core Apps
The Ubuntu team is also working on, what they call, Core Apps. These are the apps that will bundled with the Ubuntu Touch OS. As of now the core apps that are available for testing right now are, Browser, Contacts, Friends, Messaging, Dialer, Calendar, Terminal, Reminders, Shorts, Music, Stocks, Gallery, Notes, Calculator, File Manager, Camera, and Clock. These are not finished and fully polished but they are making quick progress to get to that point. The majority of the apps have little glitches and bugs right now but you get to see what Canonical's plans and visions are for the OS, and they have great ideas. The apps get updated frequently and Ubuntu has hack-a-thons to find and resolve as many bugs as possible in the apps. The Core Apps show great potential and I look forward to see what Canonical has planned for the future of the apps.
Final Thoughts
The Ubuntu Touch OS is a clean and sleek user experience with a beautiful user interface. Though it is not finished and polished you can see the vision that Canonical has for the OS and it is very encouraging. The Ubuntu Touch OS does an excellent job of bring what you need and use regularly right to the forefront. We will be watching this mobile operating system closely... with much excitement.

Update
The Ubuntu Touch OS has updated it's UI and is really focusing on Scopes. I have some pictures below for you to see what Canonical is working on. They have been making really good progress on the mobile OS.




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at 8:00 AM 0

This is a touchy subject for many people for several reasons, but we still dare to try to compare the two options. When you think about comparing Microsoft Office with Google Docs, it seems that Office is the clear cut winner due to its strong past and current status with users but Google is slowly working on Docs and making a strong competitor to the beloved Office.

 The two companies as of late have really been competing heavily against one another. You have seen this in Microsoft's Scrgooled ads and Google not allowing a YouTube app on Windows phone. The competition goes all the way to even both of the companies productivity suits. When you you look at the current state of the computer industry you can begin to see why Microsoft is nervous about Google Apps. Google has taken an approach very similar to what Microsoft did back in it's hay day but they have just a small enough twist that it is allowing them to gain on Microsoft and Office. More and more people are doing everything online, whether it is shopping, banking, working, or so. This is what is allowing for Google Apps to make an impact on Microsoft's market share in the productivity space. Google sells Chromebooks and Android phones but they don't make a lot of money from that, where they make their money is their services. This is why you see inexpensive Chromebooks. You also see that Google will give schools(K-12) access and use of Google Apps for free. The service has come to the point where it can challenge Microsoft and force innovation from both companies. Microsoft themselves are aware that things need to and are changing. They have started to move the premier product, Microsoft Office, to the web in an effort to combat the progress of Google. Though Office is on the web there are few people that know and use the service but that shows how Microsoft is trying to make a play for the people who use the Internet to do everything.

Microsoft has been sticking to their old sales platform and as of now it can still hold up because they still have a strong hold of the enterprise user. This is slowly starting to change as well though, the city of Boston moved to Google Apps just recently. You will begin to see more and more companies switching to Google because the business model of Google is very enticing for businesses since the price is reasonable and Google offers back up solutions and much more. Microsoft really needs to try something new and possibly change their entire business model. Google is continuing to push Microsoft to change and change and causes competition and competition is good. 
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at 1:12 PM 0
chrome, os, google, update, dev, music, icon
The Dev channel of Chrome OS received an update today and it brings a lot of promising new features. The list of changes include a new music player icon, return of the minimize button, white window frames, updated Text-to-Speech, and even a small sound plays when you adjust the volume. You can look forward to these changes to slowly make their way to the stable channel.
text, speech, chrome, os, google, updatewindow, frame, white, border, google, chrome, update

Source:
Francois Beaufort Google+
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at 10:57 PM 0
Today Google has pushed out an update for the Google Play Games app. The update is a welcome one, that now brings the ability to send game invites right in the app as well has manage all other player interactions. There are a few minor UI tweaks, all of which just bring the app to par with the recent Google Play app updates.

Source:
Engadget
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