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  • Apple Adds Magazines, Buys Texture

    Apple Adds Magazines, Buys Texture

    Just Today Apple has announced that it signed an agreement to acquire the digital magazine service Texture, which serves articles from more than 200 magazines digitally on iOS, Windows, Amazon, and Android devices for a flat monthly fee.

    Apple has acquired the entire company, including staff, and has assured users that the Android version of the app will still be supported. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

    What is Texture

    Texture is an app that gives you instant access to both new, and legacy issues of some of the most popular publications. Formerly known as Next Issue, it was one of the very first subscription apps avilable on the app store. Currently you can try Texture free for 7 days when downloading the app. Texture would be boring and unmentionable if it were not for its surprisingly great readability. The digital reading experience is always a headache waiting to happen, but not with Texture. It is smooth, even more please than an actually magazine.

    Navigation is easy, with the actual magazine taking up the largest portion of your display, and only an ellipsis in the bottom left corner to bring up the controls. Individual pages/images can be zoomed in on with an outward pinch, something you clearly can’t do in the print edition.

     

    Texture  CEO John Loughlin  Says “I’m thrilled that Next Issue Media and its award-winning Texture app are being acquired by Apple. The Texture team and its current owners, Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media, and KKR, could not be more pleased or excited with this development. We could not imagine a better home or future for the service.” IM sure there was a nice percentage buy in to apple that will make him an insanely rich man.

     

    While we don’t know much about the acquisition some of the details where revealed In a statement from apple ” We’re excited Texture will join Apple, along with an impressive catalog of magazines from many of the world’s leading publishers. We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users.”

     

    The Final Though

    Apple has shocked and bewildered us before with acquisitions, like beats. Whats a head for Texture? no idea. leave it to apple to blow our minds with a medium we all thought went the way of the Bloackbuster.

  • Ausu Z5 It Looks like iPhone Acts Like Cheap Android

    Ausu Z5 It Looks like iPhone Acts Like Cheap Android

    It was Taiwanese tech company Asus’ turn on Tuesday to unveil its latest flagship phone at Mobile World Congress. While better known for its various PCs and gaming products, Asus has been making smartphones for quite some time. Asus is taking on the iPhone X with a cheap android knock off. The Zenfone 5 is a slim, sleek, attractive device, but the first thought many people had was … this looks like the a cheap iPhone X..

     

    Available in three different models: The $500 “premium” Zenfone 5Z, the standard Zenfone 5, and the entry-level Zenfone 5 Q  , Asus’ new phones boast specs that read much like those of industry leaders, including dual rear cameras with a 2x zoom, powerful stereo speakers, face unlock, and a bunch of regular features with “AI” tacked in front, like “AI” charging, and an “AI” display with a 90-percent screen-to-body ratio. The Zenfone 5 even has a notch at the top of its screen similar to the new top product from Steve Job’s old company.

    CEO Says its not Fruit Company?

    Asus CEO Jerry Shen sees the Zenfone as a totally different proposition next to Apple’s luxury piece of kit.”Our price will be very affordable and attractive and for everyone to enjoy compared to the fruit company,” Shen said. The company didn’t say how much the Zenfone 5 will cost, but its top-end 5Z phone will be around $590.

    When Asked about the similar Apple notch at the top Shen Stated that Asus needed to include a light sensor and forward-facing camera on the front of the phone. But if it removed the top bezel, these would have to be squeezed in at the bottom of the screen. Shen explained that this would leave the front camera pointing squarely at his chin, demonstrating his selfie pose for us. “From the beauty decision, from the user experience decision, the team decided to use it this way and I agree,” said Shen about the notch. “We do not want to copy, and actually they told me we are thinner, we are nano.”

     

    Asus has made a major leap forward in design. The Zenfone 5 fits a 6.2-inch display within the same physical footprint as the 5.5-inch Zenfone 4. That’s thanks to a thin-bezel design that results in a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. In its effort to appear more advanced, Asus accompanies the screen with some spurious AI claims. The company has an automatic adjustment for color temperature — much like Apple’s True Tone on the iPhone X — and a sensor to keep the screen on while you’re looking at it, which it collectively calls AI Display. They use the word AI loosely at Asus.

    Quick Spec Look

    • Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
    • OSAndroid 8.0 (Oreo)
    • Memory 64 GB, 4/6 GB RAM
    • Camera Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 24 mm, 1.4 µm)
    • Size 6.2 inches IPS LCD

    The Final Thought

    They Can deny this all they want, this was made to look like the iPhone X, only that is no iPhone. Cheap, Androidy, and nothing special. Down to the lackluster Zenimojis… yeah they went there. They did miss one big feature of all the other androids and the iphones which is water proofing. Asus will release the Zenfone Lite in March, followed by the Zenfone 5 in April and then the Zenfone 5Z in June.

     

  • New Apple AirPods 2

    New Apple AirPods 2

    In another update release for March 2018 is that we will see an update to the Airpods. There are 3 main updates to the Airpods, lets take a look at each of them

    New Chip

    The AirPods 2 will get a chipset upgrade from the W1 to the W2. The updated wireless 2 chip is already in place on the new versions of the apple watch and in the AirPods will make the connection between phone and headphones can be a little more time-consuming than you’d like. This was the main complaint with AirPod users is the connection was too slow when trying to answer a phone call. This new chip should make a significant difference in that overall AirPod experience.

     

    Water Resistant

    This is a biggie, as big a deal as the Watch 2 being water resistant. I’m not looking to go snorkeling with these, that would be cool, but I do need sweat and water proofing. It will be nice not to have to disconnect my AirPods just because its raining. This was a need and big upgrade.

    Hey Siri

    There will be a wireless addition to Siri for connecting with out hitting the button. Just the HomePods the Hey Siri function in to the AirPods will now launch the digital assistant. I mean why not? It is everywhere else, this just seems logical and convenient. While this will be a welcomed function I don’t think this will be a big reason to trade up for the Airpods 2.

     

     

    Bonus

    We know there will be an upgrade to the battery case. The Airpods 2 will have a wireless charging battery case. This will be another bonus and probly the deciding factor for anyone looking to update their Airpods. Considering Apple is releasing its multi device Charging mat very soon, this will be other big feature boost to the 2.

     

    In Black?

    Nope. while there are rumors we will see a black colored Airpods 2 it is highly unlikely. Henry Ford use to place a purple light in the brake lights of the Model T just so he could see who was driving his cars on the road. Steve Jobs has a similar thought on the iPod earbuds, he wanted an identifiable white earphones so everyone would know it was an iPod. This has stuck through apples earphone to EarPod to AirPod lines and there is no indication that it is changing.

  • New iPads this March!

    New iPads this March!

    Good News Everybody, the highly top secret Apple company has leaked a little bit of news. IT looks like we will be seeing two new iPads in march. While the details are still fuzzy here is what we know and what we can gather.

    A  product filing from app was discovered this week that received approval from the Eurasian Economic Commission on two devices codenamed A1954 and A1893, The product description in the filing was labeled as ‘tablet computers’. The codes are in line with Apples current product ID’s. Apple is working on new iPads that it could announce in March. Those reports say that the design will be slimmer and have less bevel on the screen, similar to that of the iPhone X. Additionally, Apple could be planning to deliver the Face ID options we have in the iPhone X in the iPads.

    In the past we have seen a release event or announcement on the iPhones and recently AirPods two weeks after a similar EEC approvals. My guess is we will see the event March 6th, with it featuring two new iPads, but not the iPad Pros. Replacement for the current, consumer-level 9.7-inch iPad seems likely, and judging from the product numbers I would guess they are both the same device with one of them being a cellular model.

    Probably nothing earth shattering here but its always cool to get new toys from Apple, but maybe just maybe it will be. iPad X?

     

  • Apple TV in 4K

    Apple TV in 4K

     

     

    Apple TV 4K is a high quality smart video system that connects your TV to life. It makes all your favorite TV shows and movies even more amazing. Videos play in stunning detail with picture quality that’s more true to life. Enjoy content from iTunes and apps like Netflix, Hulu, and ESPN — or use the Siri Remote to find just what you want.

     

    The Great

    • Best streaming video available to compatible 4K
    • Greatest remote on the market
    • Fantastic Siri voice capability
    • Mirror mode from IOS devices
    • TvOS is smooth, intuitive and interactive.
    • Sleek interface looks great in 4K
    • Can control your Homekit devices

     

    The Not

    • Expensive compared to competition
    • No 4K YouTube
    • No Dolby Atmos
    • Non-4K owners no real advantage over the previous model
    • Occasional lag while switching apps

    The Conclusion

    If you have the dough and live in the apple eco-system I highly suggest in picking one up.. It is so choice.

     

     

     

    The Picture Quality

    In three words. Breathtaking, Amazing, Perfection. The 4K gives you a crisper picture using four times more pixels than standard HD and (HDR) delivers brighter, more realistic colors and greater detail. The colors are amazing and the crisp lines make it far better than regular HD. I use iTunes as my main source of purchasing video and Older movies I had purchased such as The Princess Bride, or the James Bond movies have started showing up as 4K content. Combined with the newly available tvOS settings to match content frame rate, and HDR settings, older movies are much improved especially when HDR is captured. The black levels and popping colors of older film movies, along with the loss of frame conversion judder can result in a nearly transformative viewing experience. On the downside, telling the TV to switch display mode does result in a frustrating couple seconds of black screen as playback begins.

    The Remote

    It’s small, intuitive, and so easily lost. The remote has rechargeable battery last forever, so much so that many don’t realize it’s rechargeable, they think it’s just gone bad after a year. The Apple TV 4K remote has also been subtly redesigned: there’s a white ridge around the menu button now, which makes the thing far easier to pick up correctly in the dark, and there’s a new three-axis gyroscope in it for better motion tracking. It’s still very sensitive and the touchpad is still frustrating. I manage to overshoot constantly.

     

    The Final Thought

    Apple has smashed the best streaming video quality available today, Dolby HDR, with the slickest, most intuitive, completely refined, and elegant feel. Add in Siri and Total iOS it’s destroys any streamer around. If you just bought an expensive 4K HDR TV, accept no substitutes. I mean the price of stepping up to an Apple TV seem like your only true option.

    While is quality is so superb there are some caveats. Apple TV doesn’t support Atmos and it doesn’t support YouTube in 4K HDR and it doesn’t have Disney or Marvel movies in 4K HDR and it makes some 1080p content look funky.

     

  • Apple mulls refunds for battery replacement on old iPhones

    Apple mulls refunds for battery replacement on old iPhones

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is mulling refunds to customers who paid full price for battery replacements on older iPhones.

    Apple now offers a $50 discount as part of its apology for secretly slowing down the devices. Apple isn’t providing details on a potential rebate yet. The possibility was mentioned in Apple’s five-page letter to Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who demanded more details about the iPhone slowdown.

    Thune released Apple’s Feb. 2 response on Tuesday. Thune says Apple will follow up with additional information at a future date.

    Apple has been replacing batteries on older iPhones for $29 since late December, down from the usual $79. The offer is good through this year. A new battery is supposed to prevent older iPhones from bogging down.

  • Apple HomePod Plays?

    Apple HomePod Plays?

    Apple HomePod is a Siri enabled smart speaker with  Apple-engineered audio technology and advanced software to deliver the highest-fidelity sound throughout the room, anywhere it’s placed. Apple has built the high-excursion woofer with a custom amplifier to play a wide range of deep, rich bass. HomePod is wrapped in a seamless mesh fabric designed for both aesthetic and acoustic performance. Available in white and space gray for $349.

    The Great

    • Siri is superior to Amazons Alexa and the Google Assistant’s conversation abilities.
    • Fantastic bass and tremendous sound quality through out all music genres.
    • Apple music play compatible
    • Compact, solid and attractive

    • Automatically balances its sound position to get the best out of  your music

    The Not

    • Apple-only audio services when using voice commands
    • Multi-room audio and stereo pairing, aren’t available yet
    • Siri and HomeKit are inferior to Amazons Alexa and the Google Assistant’s compatibility.

     

    Conclusion

    Sound is the best of the best, unmatched, elegant and inspiring. With the capabilities of adding multi-speakers  that will listen to each other and balance the sound through out an area you’ve got a revolutionary sound system. Voice controlled by Siri gives you all the functionality you will need, if you are in the Apple eco-system this is the speaker you must have.
     
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    Its Here!

    On February 9, Apple will launch the HomePod, its first smart speaker. I’ve been looking forward to the home pod since the introduction of Siri at the iPhone 4s’s launch. I thought to myself I could just shout out a song I want to hear and have it play and sound good. This the day I have anticipated and waited for has arrived. So let’s play.

     Setup

    Amazingly easy to unbox and get going with no set up, you know how I hate set- ups. With its High-excursion woofer and array of seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier matched with the 6 microphones, the HomePod balances and radiates sound beautifully. Its like giving your home an amphitheater like plethora of sound. I compared the sound side by side with a single Sonos One speaker and the edge undoubtably goes to the HomePod. Yep its nice.

    More than a Speaker

    It’s got Siri, yeah, we all know her. She knows us. She does he job as well as any digital assistant, Amazons Alexa and Google home speaks are equally as adequate. My advice to all tech purchasers these days is to pick an assistant and build your devices around her.  The boom of the AI assistant isn’t going to slow or plateau anytime soon, and you will want your devices to have the best possible relationship. The dysfunctional familes of this century will be fueled by the clashing of competing tech giants all attempting to control every aspect of your home. They all have their strength and weakness, lets take a look at the top 3 and compare.

    I’ve asked each of the digital assistants a variety of 15 questions on basic and  general knowledge. All 3 did an adequate-to-impressive job, generally giving viable, quick answers with pertinent information, though they all sometimes gave erroneous answers on Jordan’s’ height and the where abouts of the Hubble space craft, and it only gave Jon Hamm a 8 on a handsomeness scale of 10.

    Final Thought

    The reality is the HomePod is the best main street smart speaker you can buy, with adequate AI and Siri functionality, impeccably amazing sound  integrates as a perfect peripheral device for all apple products… Its exactly what you would expect, I mean really what did you expect. Its Nice, so ask yourself 3 questions, Do you have $349? Do you have an IOS or multiple IOS devices? Have you subscribed to apple music? If you answered yes to all three there is a link at the bottom of the page just for you.. Stay tuned next time I’m going to test the HomePods durability or destructibility.

  • Sonos Spreaker. Listen Up…

    Sonos Spreaker. Listen Up…

    The Good

    • Unparalleled sound quality. Simply the best in home audio
    • Sonos App is user friendly and easy to navigate
    • Sharp design, fits in any decor
    • Portable and works off Wifi.

    The Not so Good

    • Portable but has to be plugged into an outlet
    • limited capability, can only essentially play music
    • Music has to be played through Sonos App. Cannot use Youtube or other mediums.
    • Somewhat high price tag

    Image result for sonos

    The Conclusion

    The sound quality is amazing and the Sonos connects to the home WiFi hassle free. Using the Sonos App, your music selection platforms are plentiful. But they’re not total. I still find myself wanting to use Youtube sometimes through the app, and where just not There yet. But the ability to fill my entire home with beautiful, synchronized music, where I can walk from room to room without music interruption makes it all worth it. I could pay a professional $5,000-$10,000 for an audio system and I’m still not sure it would provide better sound quality than the Sonos.

    Related image

    Oh Sweet Sonos

    Lauched in 2013, Sonos hit the audio ground running. Not long after I found myself wanting to add more sound in our home and was looking for a portable unit, such a Bose mini Soundlink. I was then informed of the Sonos by a cousin and the rest is history. Right from the get go, sound of this little unit is incredible.The impressive is the clarity of the mids and highs in unparalleled. I find I’m hearing things in songs that I haven’t noticed in years. The hardware setup was very easy as well.

    Image result for sonos

    The Sonos App included clear illustrations showing which buttons to press on which devices to complete the pairing, and what the illuminated light sequences on those devices meant. Within a few minutes, everything was connected and working. I added my Spotify and Pandora accounts quickly, and within a few minutes I was streaming music to the Play 1. Sonos is also easily paired to Alexa, and the two work great together. For $199.00, I have got every penny out of the Sonos. Granted I wish it were as portable as my Bose Mini, but in this case, the sounds quality is a cost of portability.

    Related image

    Final Thoughts

    Sonos has some buggy software issues along with a lack of mobility, but the pure sound that emits from the little speaker is simply the best. If you want your home to be filled with bright tones and audio warmth that there is no need to shop any further. The Sonos is the speaker for you. Start with one for your kitchen and you’ll quickly have a Sonos in every room. Sonos has competition such as the Apple Home Pod hot on it’s heels, but as long as they keep making that sweet sound, I’m in for life!

  • My $7000 Mac Pro

    My $7000 Mac Pro

     

    The Great

    Design like a timeless piece of breathtaking art
    Lots of expansion ports
    Twin GPUs
    Incredible, unstoppable mind blowing performance
    Removable SSD

    The Not

    Few internal expansion possibilities
    No bundled keyboard mouse or monitor
    No optical drive

    The Conclusion

    This is just an amazing machine. Incredibly fast. And a great price too..The graphics on this computer are amazing. It’s so beautiful, This is not just Apple’s best professional machines but any professional computer and its worth every penny

     

     

    So I’m fully invested in the Apple Eco-system. From my phone X to the iPad Pro, 3 Apple TVs, iWatch, AirPods, Apple Music subscription and all my movies in iTunes, I’ve got it all. However, I’m not using any Mac computers, I’ve got a 2008 IMac hooked up but I never touch it. I’m looking at a new computers for my home office, why not a new Mac Pro? It’s pricy but I can use it for at least 7 years, my IMac is still up,and functional after 10. I don’t even keep cars that long. Ok I’m sold, now to configure.

    Option One

    6-Core or 8-core, this is an easy choice. It’s $1000 dollars more but the 8-core gives me an extra 2 cores processing power and the AMD FirePro D700 with 6GB instead of the 550 with only 3GB of VRAM. The RAM stays the same at 16gb but I got a feeling I can add more before the order is complete. I decided for my lifeblood main computer, go big or go home. $3999.

    Next, More Processing Power.. Yep

    So in the first phase of the configuration tool at Apple.com, I can upgrade from the 8 core to a 2.7 GHz 12-core with 30mb of L3 cache. For another $1200.. gulp, but it’s like I need it. I run alot of apps that are not highly multithreaded. I know Highly multithreaded applications will perform best on processors with a higher core count, even with a slightly lower clock speed. And the games, who knows what games I’ll be playing and what the power requirements will be in 2022. $5199

    Memory in Corner of My Mind

    Next up memory configuration, multitasking abilities of the next decade made in a decision today. The only thing I ever wished my iMac of 2008 had was more memory. I even attempted to upgrade it back in 2011 only to find it had only 2 RAM slots, wit a max capacity of 2gb each. Essential I could replace the 2 1GB DIMM for At total of only 4GB. Not again Apple! Not today, I’m going big. Give me the juice, add another $1200 to take me from 16 to 64. I’m getting a little excited about the future now. I know I’m getting up there in price, but the big stuff is over and accounted for. $6399

    The Rest

    I’m gonna add a 1TB PCle based SSD and a Magic Mouse 2. I think I have a Magic Mouse around the house somewhere but it’s just $79 for a nice new one. Total $7078… Add to Bag. And here come the add ons. Nope, just check me out.

     

    So is it Worth the Price? I Believe So

    2 weeks later and a pick up trip to the Apple Store and another 6 hours setup and data transfer time. I’m ready to experience this monstrosity of designer computing power. I spent the money, and have the beast I need. It’s beautiful and elegant. A 21rst century nouveau art price rather then a computer. Design wise there is no conversation the cylinder beats anything conceived in the computer cosmos. After laying eyes on this, I couldn’t bare looking at a giant suitcase of unnecessary glowing green and blue LEDs. It’s quiet, silenty humming. I don’t feel much heat being expelled. I’ve passed on a monitor for this, no no no this needs better. I went with dual, yes dual 46 in, Samsung 4K OLED. Because, it’s not a just a new device, it’s a computing revolution. I’m loading battlefront 2, while watching Wonder Woman in 4K on the other screen, grunting I am man!!! Total with TVs and battle front $8708. Worth it.

  • Apple to respond to US probes into slowdown of old iPhones

    Apple to respond to US probes into slowdown of old iPhones

    By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is cooperating with U.S. government inquiries into its secret slowdown of older iPhones, further complicating its efforts to move past an issue that irked customers whose devices bogged down.
    The company acknowledged the probes late Tuesday after both The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission were investigating how investors have been affected by Apple’s handling of the situation.

    A software update released in 2016 began to slow down older iPhones when their batteries weakened to prevent them from abruptly turning off. But Apple didn’t fully disclose what it was doing until December 2017.
    Apple has since apologized for not being more forthcoming and is replacing batteries on iPhone 6 models or later for $29, a $50 discount.
    The Cupertino, California, company is also working on another software update that will give consumers the option of turning off the slowdown feature, if they are willing to risk a sudden shutdown. That free update, due out this spring, also will include a feature measuring the battery’s strength.

    In its latest statement, Apple reiterated its belief that it was acting in the best interest of its customers by extending the lives of their iPhones. Many consumers, however, remain convinced that the company torpedoed the older iPhones to prod them to upgrade to the latest — and more expensive — models released in last fall.

    “We have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades,” Apple said. “Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love.”
    Despite its contrition, Apple is still grappling with the fallout from its slowdown of older iPhones.
    Authorities in France are in the midst of an investigation whether Apple violated laws protecting consumers in that country and lawyers in the U.S. are pursuing a variety of class-action lawsuits on behalf of millions of consumers.

    Meanwhile, the head of the commerce committee in the U.S. Senate had previously sent a letter to Apple demanding more information about the iPhone slowdown. Apple was supposed to respond by Jan. 23, but was granted an extension and is now expected to answer by the end of this week, said Frederick Hill, a spokesman for Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who confronted the company.
    Both the Justice Department and the SEC have declined to comment on their investigations, leaving it unclear what piqued their interest.
    Apple’s delayed disclosure of the iPhone slowdown doesn’t appear to have done significant harm to investors so far.
    Just a few weeks after Apple disclosed it had been slowing down older iPhones, the company’s stock surged to an all-time high, despite consumer outrage. The shares have retreated in the past week, but that downturn has been driven by concerns about lackluster demand for its high-priced iPhone X.