iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, I almost skipped past the Sandman Clocks booth. After all, how high tech can a clock be and what does a clock have to do with iPhones? A lot, as it turns out. The 4-Port USB Charging Clock ($29) from Sandman Clocks is first and foremost a clock. That is apparent from the bright and large red LED numerals that are easy to see, day and night. They take up almost the full size of the clock, which is great, especially if you keep it far away from your nightstand. But what really sets the Sandman Clock apart is that it has four USB ports, including a high powered port for charging tablets, which allows it to act as a multi-device charging station. I have my iPhone, iPad mini, Apple TV Siri remote, and Apple Watch on my nightstand. This could charge all of those and not take up any more wall outlets. The Sandman Clock would be ideal for hotels that want to accommodate their guests' many USB devices, without making them unplug a lamp as I've had to do too often.

Steve Jobs would be 61 today, and it’s been another fantastic year for Apple. Tim Cook as Steve Jobs’ successor has been the best of CEO transitions you could hope for. And amidst the privacy war between Apple and the FBI, I think Steve Jobs would be even more proud of how his company is handling itself not only in finances and innovation, but as a progressive company leading the charge for privacy rights. This last year we also saw the release of the semi-biopic Steve Jobs movie which looks at the man behind the work; however, the best way to understand someone who’s no longer with us is to hear what they had to say when they were.

By now, we’re all aware of the US court order for Apple to create a tool (which would essentially work as a Master Key) that allows the FBI to access information on the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5c. Apple has refused, and the company plans to make a formal appeal with top free speech lawyers in the next couple days. With the company’s refusal has come loads of support from other major tech companies, rights groups, and iPhone users while garnering criticism from Donald Trump. Meanwhile, cybersecurity legend John McAfee has said he and his team will hack the shooter’s iPhone for free, and it will only take them three weeks to do it.

Apple’s AI, Siri, is constantly improving. You can use Siri to do more now than ever, including including playing albums, asking about sport scores, and turning on and off certain settings such as Low Power Mode or Bluetooth. However, sometimes you ask Siri to do something and change your mind or need to ask another question. For instance, if you ask Siri to set a reminder but realize you don’t need the reminder, it’s easy to cancel the command. Here’s how to cancel Siri commands.

There are certainly days where none of us like Facebook. Perhaps you’re not a fan a Twitter either, but you still want to stay in touch with friends or discover and connect with amazing people around the world. Well, as it turns out, there are a lot of alternative social networks you can try instead. If you’re sick of Facebook and planning not to go back, here’s five other social network alternatives.

Touch ID has seen some major improvements since the release of the iPhone 6s. It’s more accurate and works much more often than it used to. But now, I find Touch ID unlocks my iPhone before I have a chance to check the notification that has popped up. Or, if I’m driving and I just want to change the song from the Lock screen, sometimes Touch ID works too quickly and I end up unlocking my iPhone and having to take the extra step of opening the Music app. Well, here’s our trick to get around that.

Yesterday, I reported on the Letter to Customers Apple CEO, Tim Cook released following a US Federal Judge’s order for the company to help the FBI break into the San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone. A fellow writer here at iPhone Life wrote an opinion piece detailing how Apple could do this for a single iPhone, but the issue extends beyond a single instance. Today multiple major Rights Groups have released statements in solidarity with Apple’s refusal. Ultimately this issue is important, because it creates a precedent for privacy moving forward.