iPhone 6, First Review

I want to start this by saying, I was and still am, extremely happy with my iPhone 5S.  It was a bit thinner, and longer than the 4S that I had used for two years, had better battery life, better camera, and a slew of other features that made it much better experience than the 4S.  Since June, I've been looking forward to getting the 6, but given that I had been testing iOS 8 for months, wasn't all that excited, until it arrived.  I was a bit concerned that the size increase would make it uncomfortable to hold and use with one hand, but the concern quickly disappeared!

As you can see above, the 6 has quite a size advantage over the 5S.  Yet as you can see below, still fits easily into the palm of your hand, as is still completely usable with one hand.  

What thoroughly impressed me, was the sheer thinness of the iPhone 6 (below).  I'm not sure why I was surprised, as Apple has made nice advances with each prior iPhone.  With the 6, however the advances are far superior than any previous iPhone.  

Sure the internals all were upgraded, new processor, better camera, better wi-fi antenna, better battery etc, etc, etc.  The thinness and size are two of the things that make this iPhone the best yet.  To be fair, I have not tested or tried the 6 Plus, so I can't speak to it just yet.  

From the moment I started using the 6, I was impressed.  I loaded it from my last iPhone 5S backup, so my apps, and content were available almost instantly.  As the apps began to update for iOS 8, they began to support the larger screen size of the 6, which made them all that much better.  

With each iPhone release comes a new operating system.  When I began testing iOS 8 since early June, there didn't seem to be a great difference from iOS 7.  Once I started using the iPhone 6, the new features seem to come to life.  From the new Speak Screen setting, to the new Handoff feature, to the ability to enlarge your whole screen using the new Zoomed Feature (and those and just 3 of the hundreds of new features), everything just worked better on the new iPhone.

Speak Screen let's your iPhone talk and tell you exactly what's on your screen (whatever app you may be in).

Handoff let's you start something on one device and continue on any of your other devices using the same iCloud account.  

This is the standard display, below is the new Zoomed display option, which you can see makes everything bigger and easier to see.

There is  so much more to cover, but I wanted to get a quick review out for those of you wondering if you should upgrade or not.  If you are on the fence, let me be the one to push you over.  The iPhone 6 is not only well worth the upgrade, but it is simply the best iPhone to date!

I will have more to write in the coming weeks.  If you've upgraded, or newly purchased the iPhone 6, I'd love to hear from you regarding what you like, and even what you don't!

Until next time...best to you and your devices!

Apple Pay!

Along with two new iPhones, Apple has ambitiously made the way you pay for things so very easy by creating Apple Pay!

What it is...
With Apple Pay, you'll be able to pay for things in any physical or online retail store using a contact-less touch system. When you make a purchase the retailer does not see your name or card number and even better, Apple collects no purchase history.

A Token element...
I apologize if this gets to tech speak here, but here's how this works;  Apple Pay uses NFC (Near Field Communication), the Secure Element and Touch ID.  You enter your credit card details into the system which confirms your card with your bank, and creates a unique Device Account Number (aka a token), this is held in the Secure Element on your device.  Your transactions are authorized using the token and a one-time dynamic security code.

Devices that will be able to use Apple Pay include...
Apple Pay will be available on the  iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It will also works with iPhone 5, 5C and 5S devices but will require an Apple Watch.

Scan your credit card in with your devices camera...
Now I'm not certain just how secure this process is, but you can pre-load your credit card into your iPhone using your camera. Once approved the card appears in the Passbook app.

Apple Pay and Apple Watch...
Coming early next year, Apple Pay will work with your Apple Watch once you enter your passcode. Now this part is very cool, if you remove your watch payments are suspended until you put it on again and re-enter the watch code. Nice!

What happens if I loose my device?
If you loose your iPhone, the Find My iPhone app will suspend payments from your device once it is placed in Lost Mode. You will not need to replace your card, just create a new token on the device.

Very secure!
Because transactions are validated using dynamic codes it impairs or blocks hackers from scanning and stealing account details during a wireless transaction.  According to Morgan Reed, of the App Association, "Consumers can be confident their Apple Pay transactions will be private, safe, and secure." 

Info NOT stored in iCloud (or any other cloud for that matter!)
The essential credit card data is not held in the iCloud, making it extremely secure. Google Wallet's failure was due to the fact that it held this highly sensitive data in an insecure cloud.

Where Can Apple Pay be used?
At first, Apple Pay will be available in the US, where American Express, Visa and MasterCard  and most of the biggest banks support it at over 200,000 shops. Mastercard says such payment services will be widely available in 12-18 months.

What will this cost the consumer?
Apple will be taking a processing fee from banks.  The amounts are large, and Apple may gain close to $30-$50 million in added income on existing iTunes purchases, and the best part, it costs you nothing!

Other Benefits?
Apple Pay will be awesome when you are price comparing sites;  look at an item in a store and if you find it cheaper somewhere else, order it there!

Finally...
Both PayPal and Square have said they will support Apple Pay within their services.  Apple Pay is expected to launch in the US in October, and internationally in the very near future.

iMessage updates in iOS 8.

iMessage in iOS 8, a better way to message.

Apple’s Messages app has been solid, but it is well overdue for the update it's about to get, and it should make it more competitive with the other popular texting apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp.  There are many great new features coming in the new Messenger, you’ll be able to create voice and video snippets to post along with your text and photos. You'll also be able to share your location for a set period, for instance an hour, through the end of the day, or indefinitely. And, with a tap, you can view all the attachments in a conversation—all the photos and videos—without having to scroll through text to find them.   Today's blog is only covering the new voice recording feature.  

In the screen capture above, you'll notice the microphone just above the word "I'm" (That's the predictive keyboard at work, predicting what I'll type!).  Now take a look at the screen capture below.  

When you press the microphone icon, a 3 quarter circle appears with an X (left), an Arrow (Top) and a circle with a red square inside (middle).  The X cancels the recorded message.  The Arrow pushes the voice message into the body of the message (see below).  The red square stops the recording.

So, if you need to be discreet, and don't want to type out a message, the voice recording is a fantastic way to go.  

Look for my next iOS 8 update towards the end of the week, it will be covering the new iCloud drive!

Hey Siri! Handsfree Siri coming to iOS 8.

It only took a few years, but Apple is giving iPhone and iPad users a great new (old) tool in iOS 8,  handsfree Siri!  There is a catch, your device needs to be plugged in, in order for Handsfree to work.  First, turn it on.  Go into Settings > General > Siri:

Turn the Voice Activation switch to On (or green), and your ready to go!  This is awesome for those of us who haven't learned that we shouldn't hold our phones (or use them!) while driving.  As long as your iPhone is charging, simply say "Hey Siri" and Siri is ready for your request.  I've used it (not in Deerfield because you can't use handheld devices in Deerfield!) and it works famously.  I've had it call ("Hey Siri, Call Erika"), I've had it text ("Hey Siri, text Eli"), I've had it check the price of Apple stock ("Hey Siri, what's Apple stock at today").  Now this isn't only for driving.  Handsfree Siri works whenever and wherever your iPhone or iPad is plugged in, to a computer, outlet or other charging device.  I'm quite pleasantly surprised at how well it's working in the beta software (currently beta version 5).  

So if you have to use your iPhone while driving, at least you'll finally be able to do it all hands free!

If you are testing iOS 8, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you are not, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!  

More cool iOS 8 features to come soon!