To help you prepare for your warm weather adventures with all of your devices in tow, I recently compiled and reviewed some of the best, rugged, Bluetooth speakers currently on the market. All of the speakers featured in that particular roundup were of outstanding quality and durability, but one thing they all had in common was the fact that they were all too large to comfortably tuck in your pant’s pocket or clip on your belt loop or backpack. Many adventurers these days would appreciate having a more portable Bluetooth speaker solution, and with that in mind, the following roundup features some of the best portable bluetooth speakers available.
Tip of the Day: Introduce Yourself & Others to Siri
By Sarah Kingsbury
If you haven't already, you should take a moment to introduce Siri to your family. Once you have done so, you can quickly ask Siri to message or call your wife or your brother without having to say their full name. If your spouse's full name is a multi-syllabic mouthful like my husband's, this can be pretty handy.
But first you're going to have to introduce yourself to Siri.
Unleash Your Inner App Developer Part 40: iBeacons Step By Step
By Kevin McNeish
Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, I will take you, the beginner app developer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure and you will experience how much fun turning your app ideas into reality can be! This is part 40 of the series. If you are just getting started, check out the beginning of the series here.
One of the hottest technologies to come out of iOS 7 is iBeacon. In case you haven't heard, iBeacon is Apple's trademark for what it calls "a new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presence." This new technology solves one of the biggest problems with Location Services on iOS devices—pinpointing the location of a device when it's indoors. Unlike GPS technology that determines a device's absolute location in terms of latitude and longitude, the iBeacon technology measures a device's relative distance to an iBeacon in an established location. Since iBeacons work without the need for a WiFi or cellular connection, it makes them ideal for indoor use.
Why I Switched From Google Docs to Apple iWork
By Mark Struczewski
I have been a fan of Google Drive for a while now. I mean, how can you go wrong with 100 GB of storage for $2 a month? I don't think you can.
And if you don't know, part of Google Drive is their software suite that includes Docs (documents like MS Word) and Sheets (spreadsheets like MS Excel) to name two. At first glance, I loved this set up. Everything was in the cloud for me, accessible wherever I had an Internet connection.
Houston, we have a problem
But then I purchased a Wi-Fi iPad Air. That's when I discovered that there is a huge flaw in Google Drive: no Internet, no access!
8 Smartphone Etiquette Rules Everyone Should Follow!
By Oskar Andermo
Picture yourself having dinner with a friend. It’s a great evening and you are really enjoying yourself. You are in the middle of explaining this amazing thing that happened to you the other day. Then your friend's iPhone rings, he picks it up, and starts chatting about something completely different with someone else. In the middle of your story!
Tip of the Day: How to Focus iPhone Photos without Tapping the Screen
By Sarah Kingsbury
Tapping your iPhone's screen to take pictures can be awkward and cause you to take shaky photos if you tap too enthusiastically. That's why it's so handy to take photos by pushing your iPhone's volume button. But what if you want to focus the photo before snapping the picture?
Sound Blaster ROAR SR20 Review
By Mike Riley
Creative, a company well known for their Sound Blaster PC audio cards, is making a bigger splash these days in the wireless speaker market. I favorably reviewed their Sound Blaster Axx 200 a few months ago, and Creative has also released a speaker with an emphasis on the discerning mobile audiophile. Read on to learn how the Sound Blaster ROAR SR20 compares in the very crowded market of Bluetooth stereo wireless speakers.
How to Create Text Shortcuts on iPhone
By Sarah Kingsbury
Do you find yourself using the same phrases over and over again? Or do you often mistype the same words in the same way? There are so many reasons you might find text shortcuts on iPhone to be extremely convenient. We're going over how to add text shortcuts on iPhone (called Text Replacements) and how to use them!
Macworld / iWorld 2014 Wrap-Up
By Kevin McNeish
I'm finally back at the helm after attending last week's Macworld / iWorld 2014 conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco! My company had a booth at Macworld again this year, selling books in my iOS App Development for Non-Programmers series, and it was the best conference for us to date! There was a lot of positive energy at the conference and we met lots of great people who are interested in getting into iOS app development.
Here are some of the highlights of Macworld / iWorld 2014.
DragonVale App Review
By Guest Blogger
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to own a dragon, the app game DragonVale can make that a virtual reality for you. This game lets you become the parent of a variety of dragons while you decorate your own colorful island and chat with friends who are just as dragon obsessed as you.