SanDisk unveils next-generation iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Storage for iPhone and iPad can be costly. Since you cannot realistically add more inside later, you must decide at purchase how much you will need. Then, each bump up will cost you about $100. This can make an iOS device purchase a very costly affair.

 
As an alternative, however, you can use flash drives on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, but there is a catch; you will need to buy a lightning to USB type A cable, or a flash drive with a lightning connector. While not usually an elegant solution, today, SanDisk unveils an intriguing such product -- the next-generation iXpand Flash Drive -- and it looks really cool.
 
"Designed to be the perfect storage companion for iPhone and iPad, the reinvented iXpand Flash Drive features a flexible Lightning connector and now a USB 3.0 connector so users can quickly and easily move photos and videos between their iPhone and iPad and Mac or PCs. The iXpand Flash Drive allows users to automatically back up their camera roll and contacts, and watch popular video formats straight from the drive. The new drive also includes encryption software that password-protects files, allowing people to share their content while keeping sensitive files secure across devices", says SanDisk.
 
The company further says, "the product features a redesigned app, the iXpand Drive app, which offers new features and an improved user experience. Giving users the option to save space instantly, the app now has a camera function so users can shoot and save photos or videos directly to the drive instead of on their iPhone or iPad. The app also allows users to automatically back up content from popular social networking sites, as well as play back music within the app".
 
What's really cool about the app, is that it will detect the drive being plugged in, and automatically launch. This makes using the iXpand Flash Drive seamless. There is no need to manually launch the app each time. Both the drive and app should work fine on any device that has both a lightning connector and is running iOS 8.2 or higher.
 
The design of the flash drive is quite genius -- the USB Type A connector will fold behind the device when not in use. This should limit the potential of breaking it, as can happen when something -- like the Apple Pencil -- sticks out straight.
 
If you want to buy it, it is available now, starting at $49.99 for 16GB. The highest capacity 128GB variant is $129. The  middling 32GB and 64GB models are $69 and $79, respectively.
 
Will you buy it? Tell me in the comments.
 
~ Brian Fagioli

Read More

Apple previews upcoming iOS 9.3 features for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

  

If you want a very secure and feature-rich Unix-like mobile operating system, Apple's iOS is incredible. In fact, many forward thinking folks, like myself, envision a day where it becomes a desktop OS too, potentially replacing OS X. While iPad Pro is a good first step, the iOS operating system still has a long way to go in that regard.

Today, Apple announces the features for the upcoming iOS 9.3 -- currently in beta. While hardly revolutionary, this evolutionary upgrade is packed full of some really cool new things. It may even be able to help you sleep better. No, really; iOS 9.3 could improve your overall health and well-being.

"This latest iOS release adds numerous innovations to the world's most advanced mobile operating system. There are improvements to a wide range of apps, along with great new additions to CarPlay. iOS 9.3 may even help you get a good night's sleep. And you'll find a preview of new features that will make using iPad in schools easier and better for students and admins", says Apple.

What is this hubbub about iOS helping you sleep better? It is nonsense, right? Actually, no. The company explains, "many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your iOS device's clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location. Then it automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum, making it easier on your eyes. In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings".

 

Apple's technology appears scientifically sound, and Harvard Medical School agrees,stating, "light at night is bad for your health, and exposure to blue light emitted by electronics and energy-efficient lightbulbs may be especially so."

  

It remains to be seen if Night Shift will truly result in a significant sleep improvement. More importantly, users will only embrace the feature if it doesn't negatively impact the overall device experience. In other words, if warmer colors at night make images appear less-than perfect, I can see it being an immediately-disabled feature.

 

While that is the most newsworthy new feature, it is hardly my most anticipated. No, that would be improvements to the News app. As someone who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest news stories, Apple's app has been a godsend. Not everyone loves it, but I appreciate the overall aesthetics -- the design keeps me hooked. iPhone users will be able to view stories in landscape, and videos can be viewed directly in the feed. Apple even promises faster updates -- the most important thing for news-junkies.

 

 

Another cool feature is the ability to lock notes. If you leverage the official Notes app like I do, you probably put a lot of private information in the app. Well, you can now password or fingerprint-protect specific notes. At first, I was perplexed by this -- my iPhone and iPad are protected at login. My colleague Mihaita, however, reminded me that some people share devices or unlock them and hand them to family members. After sharing his insight with me, I can understand the value. You can hand your unlocked device to your kids, for instance, without them accessing private notes. Me? I don't let anyone touch my iPhone or iPad!

 

 

iOS 9.3 also delivers improvement to CarPlay, but this is not something I will be using anytime soon. Unfortunately, I probably have many more years with my old Ford Focus -- a new car with a fancy car stereo is not in my future. With that said, if you are planning on getting a new car with CarPlay support, you can look forward to easier access to predictive playlists from Apple Music and nearby locations in Maps. Need to use the potty? Maps will find you a gas station. Sadly, it will not alert you to toilet cleanliness -- yet.

 

Of course, iOS 9.3 also aims to improve the user. Besides color-trickery for improved sleep, Apple wants to help improve your health in other ways -- including your brain, by way of education. The health dashboard will do a better job at aggregation and visualization, better bringing your health data into one place.

 

 

Apple will also introduce a new classroom app, which will improve the iPad experience in schools. In fact, this will allow multiple students to share one iPad -- a huge pain point and hindrance to iOS gaining more traction in the education market.

 

Are you excited for all of these upcoming features? Will Night Shift truly help you get better sleep? Tell me in the comments.

~ Brian Fagioli

Read More

Thieves can easily reset a stolen Apple Watch

Unlike an iPhone or iPad, the Apple Watch doesn't have any security mechanisms to prevent a thief from wiping the device and resetting it to factory condition.

Hold on to your Apple Watch, because if you lose it, you may never see it again.
  

  

With the introduction of iOS 7, Apple rolled out a new feature called Activation Lock to iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices that prevented a thief or malicious person (or a prankster) from wiping your device and resetting it back to factory condition.

This one feature has been very effective in reducing iPhone and iPad thefts since most people won't want to buy an iPhone or iPad that's locked and clearly belongs to someone else. It has also made recovering a lost iOS device much easier since it also prevents anyone from disabling the Find My iPhone feature without knowing the user's iCloud password.

However, it turns out that the Apple Watch has no such protection mechanism, making it easy for anyone to wipe it and return it to factory condition, and then pass it off to an unsuspecting third-party.

Here's a video showing just how quick and easy this is to pull off.

 
 
It took Apple six years to bring Activation Lock to the iPhone. Let's hope it doesn't take that long to make it available to Apple Watch owners, because without it, Apple's latest product could become a big target for the bad guys. 

~ Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Read More

Apple issues iOS 8.0.1 for bug fixes, knocks out cell service and Touch ID for some

Summary: Less than a week after the initial release of iOS 8, Apple issues the first update for the platform, fixing several bugs — but introducing a number of new issues.
  

(Image: CNET/CBS Interactive)

Less than a week following the release of iOS 8, Apple has released the first update to the platform.
 
However, for some it brings more problems than it solves.
 
Hundreds on Twitter say they are unable to get a cellular signal following the update, with their iPhones stuck in searching for service mode, or getting the "No signal" message.
 
Others are seeing problems with the Touch ID fingerprint reader after applying the 8.0.1 update.
 
We tested an iPhone 6 running T-Mobile in ZDNet's New York newsroom, and an iPhone 6 Plus running on the 3 network in the UK and can confirm the issue.
 
Several iPads that have been tested however seem to have survived the update unscathed. Also, we are getting unconfirmed reports that the problem is confined to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
 
For now, upgrading to iOS 8.0.1 is not advised, no matter what device you are running.
 
There's no mention as to whether the update brings with it better battery life or fixes some of the stability issues that some users have been experiencing. Also, there is no word as to whether this update includes any security fixes.
 
iOS 8.0.1 brings with it the following improvements and bug fixes, including updates to HealthKit, and addressing third-party keyboard issues.
 
The update is available either as an over-the-air (OTA) update or via iTunes.
 
The update is available for the iPhone 4s and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and later, and iPod touch (fifth-generation).
 
~ Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Read More