Flickr App for iOS is now optimized for iPad.
Now, if only I still actively use Flickr.
iOS 8: Wi-Fi Calls or iPhone Cellular Calls
iOS 8 brings two features that are mutually exclusive: Wi-Fi Calls and iPhone Cellular Calls.
Wi-Fi calling will be turned off to allow other devices to make and receive calls through your iPhone.
Wi-Fi Calls is currently enabled on carriers that support the feature, such as T-Mobile USA.
iOS 8 also enables Cellular Calls handoff to OS X Yosemite and other iOS 8 devices.
Bull Pie: WSJ on iPhone Sapphire Screen
This seems to be the norm now, even with “reputable” publications.
- Report rumors, citing “people familiar with the matter” regardless how absurd it sounds.
- Blame “last minute changes” when rumors did not come true.
Daisuke Wakabayashi, reporting for the WSJ on August 14, 2014 (paywall alert!):
Apple is considering using sapphire screens in more expensive models of the two new, larger iPhones it plans to debut this fall, if it can get enough of the material, people familiar with the matter say. Some analysts expect Apple to charge more for the phones than previous new models, because of increased component costs.
John Gruber, responding to the WSJ article on August 15, 2014:
First, I don’t understand how a report on August 14 could plausibly imply that Apple still doesn’t know what material they’re going to use for the displays on the new iPhones they plan to introduce on September 9, and which (if the schedule is like last year) they probably plan to ship to customers on September 19. I would think that people who are truly “familiar with the matter” already know, today, whether the new iPhones are going to use sapphire displays.
Logic and common sense are on the side of Gruber.
Daisuke Wakabayashi, reporting for the WSJ on October 7, 2014 (paywall alert!):
In the end, Apple decided to scrap the sapphire screens for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and stick with Corning Inc. GLW -2.50% ’s heavy-duty Gorilla Glass.
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that Apple was considering using sapphire screens for some iPhones.
Based on the article, it sounds like the plan was scrapped in the last minute.
Daniel Eran Dilger, responding to WSJ article on October 7, 2014:
WSJ prints speculation, blames Apple when wrong
…….
Wakabayashi was so confident in the rumor that the Wall Street Journal headlined his story, “New iPhone, A Sapphire Screen and a Higher Cost,” although it also hedged the report with a minor subhead: “Apple considers using harder material in pricier models.”
The report appears to have been based almost entirely upon the speculation of Eric Virey, “a senior analyst at French research firm Yole Développement,” who had been promoting the idea that Apple had partnered in GT Advanced specifically with iPhone screens in mind.
Unsubstantiated rumors can cause harm, but sadly those who reported them often go unpunished.
Apple Seeds iOS 8.1 beta 2
Apple seeds iOS 8.1 beta 2 build 12B407 to developers on Tuesday, October 7, 2014; eight days after the first iOS 8.1 beta.
Chatters within Apple suggest that iOS 8.1 is slated for release along with OS X Yosemite.
Apple Seeds iOS 8.1 beta
Apple seeds iOS 8.1 beta build 12B401 to developers on Monday, September 29, 2014. Apple developers should have gotten used to the iOS beta cycle by now.
No Shazam, No!
Shazam is now integrated into Siri
I don’t remember buying U2’s “Songs of Innocence”, but I do remember using Shazam some years ago but I did not have it on my iPhone. So I downloaded it again. I launched Shazam and it asked me to login to Facebook because “Shazam i better with Facebook”.
No Shazam, No!
I don’t have Facebook account for many specific reasons. I do not want to give any information to F*c*book.
Consumer Reports: “iPhone 6 and 6 Plus not as bendy as believed”
All the phones we tested showed themselves to be pretty tough. The iPhone 6 Plus, the more robust of the new iPhones in our testing, started to deform when we reached 90 pounds of force, and came apart with 110 pounds of force. With those numbers, it slightly outperformed the HTC One (which is largely regarded as a sturdy, solid phone), as well as the smaller iPhone 6, yet underperformed some other smart phones.
iPhone 6 starts to deform at 70 pounds and the case separates at 100 pounds. Even after the deformation and case-separations, the iPhone 6 still functions.
Photo credit: Consumer Reports.
To no surprise Apple showed off its own testing facility, firing back at the assumptions that Apple did not properly test iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus design.
My view of this so called “bendgate” was blown out of proportion from the start, and that can be attributed to:
- Lack of understanding of Physics
Also lack of common sense. - Competition
Blackberry, HTC, LG and Samsung were quick to make fun of the situation. - Sensationalism
Many news media love the page hit. - Fanaticism and Antagonism
In the end, people still love their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.