News

Find Your Friends and Family with Google Maps Locations Sharing

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In the world we live in today, it’s natural to be wary about your location being widely known via technology. Sometimes, however, it can be important. Google+ users have been using the Locations function in order to keep track of friends and family. It gives them the peace of mind in knowing where their children are, or maybe just as a way to see what their friends are up to before texting them. But right now, that feature is migrating to Google Maps, and it hasn’t been a smooth transition.

 

Normally, it’s easy to access Locations from the Google+ app. For the last few weeks, users are just seeing a message telling them to move to Google Maps when they head to the Locations tab in Google+. Simple enough, right? Not so: the feature isn’t active yet in Google Maps. If they tap the “switch to Maps” button, it’s just a redirect to a Google help page offering the helpful tip of updating Google Maps because the new feature isn’t live in their current version. Fair enough, so go to update the app and…get a redirect to the Play Store, with no update to be found.

 

It seems like this is just a disconnect between departments. The feature works fine in Maps, and won’t be too difficult for those familiar with the Google+ version. It just looks like the Google+ pulling the plug too soon without checking with the Maps team to make sure it’s ready on their end. A rare slip-up from the normally-close-knit Google ecosystem, but it’s just adding to the annoyance over Google shuffling around their already-over-complicated native app market.

 

Using the new feature in Maps is easy. Just pop open the navigation drawer within the app—”Share location” is currently marked with a little “NEW” badge. You can leave location sharing on indefinitely, or set it for a certain period of time (like an hour). The sharing goes out to certain people that you’re connected with, or you can send a link out via text message.

 

When you share your location with people, you’ll appear in a little bar at the top of the map, and they’re a tap away from knowing where you are. The bottom of the map shows location information (like restaurant info) and a toggle that lets them share their location back with you. Once you’re connected, shared locations will appear with a little profile pic in the main map interface, but they can be toggled off.

 

Of course, you’ll need GPS enabled to use this new feature. If your smartphone is having trouble connecting to GPS, bring it to iFixYouri for a checkup. We have 15 locations nationwide (and more coming soon!) as well as a convenient mail-in service for all sorts of devices. If your current smartphone is too old for the update, iFixYouri also sells refurbished devices in stores, so you can upgrade today and save some cash!

News

Apple Watch Gets Siri and Theater Mode in 3.2 Update

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If you own an Apple Watch, be sure to download the new update. WatchOS 3.2 was released today and will bring bring two key Apple features to the smartwatch line: Theater Mode and SiriKit. This is the first major update since Apple released the watchOS 3 update in September 2016, and while 3.2 isn’t as big as that, it’s interesting to see how the company continues to innovate in the smartwatch world.

 

SiriKit has been in high demand to be brought over to the Apple Watch. Simply put, SiriKit is a feature allows you to convince Siri to interface with non-Apple applications and settings. This enables voice commands to activate third-party applications. In practice, this lets Siri do more for you on the Watch, like calling an Uber or sending a message. So far this is just limited to apps with designers who built a Siri-activated feature, but that covers the majority of third-party apps that people use today. Finally, you can literally just talk into your wrist and a car will come to pick you up!

 

Most people have been hyped up about Theater Mode. Enabling it allows you to mute sounds and disable the raise-to-wake feature of the watch, meaning that the screen won’t light up when it senses your wrist turning over. Think of it as the final evolution of the current Silent Mode, eliminating all the lights and sounds the watch would make when triggered by movements or alerts so it won’t bother you and anyone around in situations that demand silence and darkness…like, say a theater. You’ll still receive haptic feedback, the little buzzes and taps for incoming notifications, and view notifications by manually waking the watch’s display. Theater Mode can be activated by swiping up from the bottom of the Apple Watch’s display and tapping the drama-masks button. Once you turn Theater Mode off, your Apple Watch will go back to your usual settings.

 

Downloading watchOS 3.2 is a snap. Just go to the Apple Watch app on your connected iPhone, navigate to the General tab, and then to Software Update. Your Apple Watch must have at least 50 percent battery, be placed on its charger and within range of your iPhone for the download. Be patient! The result is two major steps forward for your smartwatch, and you won’t regret it. 3.2 is available for all Apple Watch models, but you must have an iPhone running iOS 10 or later to download the updated software. If you have any issues with your Apple Watch or any other smartwatch or Apple device, iFixYouri is here to help! Just bring it in to your nearest iFixYouri or use our nationwide mail-in service!

News

Android O Developer Preview: What’s New and What’s Cool

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Google announced the Android O developer preview this week, and it’s looking to be a huge update with a lot of interesting changes. Here’s a list of iFixYouri’s favorite new features so far. Mind you, these are just capabilities for app developers to tool around with; no guarantees that everyone will use these in their applications.

 

Android O places more automatic background limits on implicit broadcasts, background services, and location updates, something Nougat worked towards. The end result: apps will have a minimal impact on user’s battery life and the device performance.

 

Sony jumped in to help with audio, bringing that company’s legendary sound quality to Android. The new AAudio API should be great for apps that require high-performance audio, and the ConnectionService API will get an update. The latter will allow calls from third-party apps (WhatsApp, for example) to work with Bluetooth devices like home stereos and cars.

 

Google wants to make apps more “glanceable,” so they’re making notifications be better grouped. Developers will be able to customize the background color of these notifications, as well, but, Google advises that color changes should only be for “ongoing tasks which are critical for a user to see at a glance.” There’s also be app-defined categories for notifications. For example, the Facebook app could group notifications under various sections, like events or friend requests. Creating these notification channels will give you control over which alerts you receive, along with the ability to quickly turn off specific categories. Users can also “snooze” notifications so they’ll reappear later.

 

The status bar icons at the top of the quick settings panel will get some tweaks. When the panel is fully opened, and there are notifications not visible, their app icons will be listed in a little bar at the bottom of the display. A little odd to visualize, but it should be helpful when managing several notification groups at once.

 

No longer exclusive to Android TV, Picture-in-Picture is now available on Android phones and tablets. Building on multi-window mode in Nougat, there’s a new app overlay window and multi-display support for launching an activity on a remote display. We predict you’ll need a lot of RAM for this, but newer hardware should handle it.

 

Android O now allows developers to create adaptive icons with different shapes that the system will automatically display based on a mask selected by the device. It’ll be interesting to see what each developer has their icons do, and under what circumstances they do move.

 

Similar to how Android supports third-party keyboards, users can now choose a default password manager app.

 

Accessibility service can respond to directional swipes (up, down, left, and right) from a device’s fingerprint sensor. This is neat; you can assign, say, the flashlight to turn on, or the phone to go into silent mode.

 

The Ambient Display has been redesigned. It’s no longer just a black-and-white version of the regular lockscreen. Namely, only icons, and not full notifications, are displayed underneath the clock in this mode. When the Ambient Display is active, just double-tap to wake. Double tapping the icons will takes users directly to the notification shade.

 

Now we play the waiting game on the most important feature: the name. Android Oreo? Orange Cake? Oatmeal Cookie? We’re getting hungry just thinking about it.

News

Apple’s New, Upgraded iPad Barely New, Barely Upgraded

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We got so excited about the new red iPhone 7 this week, we almost forgot about the other product announcements from Apple. In a quiet press release (no “one more thing”!) the tech giant debuted…the iPad. Perhaps intended as a replacement for the iPad Air 2, the (new) iPad is officially the fifth-generation iPad, marking the Air and Pro lines as offshoots from the official main line. If this is the case, it’s odd that the end result is essentially a cross between the Air 2, the original Air, and the 9.7” Pro while not really being any of those.

 

As part of their announcement, Apple announced that they would not be updating any of the current iPad lines besides the two-year-old Air 2. The 9.7-inch iPad will include an Apple A9 chip, which is an improvement over the A8X in the two-year-old Air 2 but not as powerful as the Pro’s A9X. It’s a little thicker and a little heavier than the Pro and Air 2 (which have the exact same dimensions), being a little more than a millimeter thicker and ever so slightly heavier. The screen takes a major downgrade even from the comparatively ancient iPad Air 2. The LCD which is no longer laminated to the front glass like in the Pro, Air 2, and Mini 4. Our repair technicians are jumping for joy (much easier to repair and replace) but that tiny gap between the LCD and glass will hurt brightness and contrast. There’s also no anti-glare coating.

 

The cameras are borrowed from the Air 2: you get an 8MP flashless rear shooter and a 1.2 FaceTime camera on the front, whereas the Pro has 15MP and 5MP respectively. We mentioned the processing cheap being a bit of a downgrade from the Pro but you get the same 2GB of RAM; presumably, Apple doesn’t want consumers to miss out on the multitasking features introduced in iOS 9 or suffer any slowdown. Of course, you get TouchID and a headphone jack, but that’s about it. You won’t have a lot of the desirable features of the Pro, such as the gorgeous True Tone display and DCI-P3 color gamut support, or support for productivity accessories like the Apple Pencil or Smart Keyboard. So why would anyone buy such a Frankenstein’s monster of a device, about as confused with its identity as we are with its function? The price. In a surprise move, this 5th-generation iPad will be…a budget iPad.

 

As per usual, the new iPad will be available in Wi-Fi-only and cellular, and in two different memory sizes. 32GB models cost $329 for Wi-Fi and $459 for cellular, and 128GB models are $429 and $559 respectively. Rose gold is missing from the lineup (boo!) but the usual space grey, silver, and gold colors will be offered. The 9.7” and 12.9” iPad Pros are still being sold for the same prices and capacities as before.

 

Us here at iFixYouri are a little confused as to what exactly Apple’s plan is here. We get that they want to bring the iPad line back into focus and are seemingly debuting this as their next tablet flagship, but what of the iPad Pro? Was that not the flagship, Tim Cook’s darling? Offering a cheaper gateway into the line is smart but not really part of Apple’s credo. The iFixYouri technicians are happy, though: non-laminated screens means faster (and potentially cheaper!) repairs for our customers.

Employees

Employee Spotlight – Brian

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This week in employee spotlight is iFixYouri’s favorite bouncer-turned-repair tech Brian! You can find Brian repairing devices and providing excellent customer service at a number of our Palm Beach County locations. Brian comes to us here in sunny South Florida by way of Baldwin, New York, and brought with him his love for the Yankees, Islanders, and Giants. Transferring from Hofstra University to Florida Atlantic University, Brian says, “I’m smarter than I look,” and proves it as he studies forensic accounting. We know a secret, however: that wasn’t his first dream. “I play the trumpet,” according to Brian, “I was originally a music major before an accounting major.” Realizing that the end result of that path was a career in teaching (not his calling), he followed his other loves of accounting and law, and sees himself as a senior manager at an accounting firm in the future. When he’s not repairing your devices or doing homework, Brian enjoys bowling (once rolled a 299) and “picking stuff up and putting it down” (aka “working out”). We hope you enjoyed this week’s peek into the life of Brian!

News

(PRODUCT) RED + iPhone = Drool-Worthy 7 and 7+

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We’ve talked before about color-customizing your tech, making your day-to-day smart devices help you stick out from the crowd. Now you can do it without breaking the bank, thanks to Apple and (RED). For the past 10 years, Apple’s partnership with (RED) has raised over a hundred million dollars to highlight the AIDS fundraising campaign, primarily through the sale of products and apps designed around a red color scheme. On World AIDS Day back in November, Apple turned its App Store and several top apps bright red in support. This year, they’re doing something special: iPhone 7 and 7+ in a bright, aluminum red. In the past, Apple has offered special red cases for the iPhone previously, but this is the first time the phone itself will be offered in a red finish. It’s been a long time coming, too: most people associate the partnership with red-colored devices, starting with the iPod Nano and continuing down the MP3-player line, including the Shuffle and, most recently, Touch.

 

“Apple is the world’s largest corporate donor to the Global Fund, contributing more than $130 million as part of its partnership with (RED),” said Deborah Dugan, (RED)’s CEO. “Combining the global reach of the world’s most loved smartphone with our efforts to provide access to life-saving ARV medication in sub-Saharan Africa, customers now have a remarkable opportunity to make a difference and contribute to the Global Fund through the purchase of this new beautiful (PRODUCT)RED iPhone.”

 

It’s nice to see Apple getting a bit more colorful for a change. The company is usually loath to offer alternate color options. Everyone was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) to see a rose-gold iPhone 6S, and the last color change to its iPhone lineup was warmly received even if it was just a different black finish (talking about, of course, the gorgeous glossy jet black for the iPhone 7). The new red finish is striking, softened by the matte aluminum finish, and although it’s “only” for a good cause, it is nice to see a relaxing of the strict black-or-white binary most consumers within the Apple ecosystem have been forced to choose from.

 

“Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod Nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s lineup of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The introduction of this special edition iPhone in a gorgeous red finish is our biggest (PRODUCT)RED offering to date in celebration of our partnership with (RED), and we can’t wait to get it into customers’ hands.”

 

The (PRODUCT) RED finish will be available for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (including replacements through AppleCare) starting Friday, March 24th in 128GB and 256GB models, at the usual price starting at $749. The face of the phone will be white, so iFixYouri will be able to replace the screen at the regular price of non-red devices.

News

Humble Pi: Raspberry Pi Takes Third-Biggest Slice of Computer Market

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While we specialize in consumer-level technology at iFixYouri, we’re also a bunch of tinkerers. Several of our staff count “soldering” as both a skill and hobby and we actively encourage people to learn exactly how things work. As such, iFixYouri firmly endorses DIY computing, and the Raspberry Pi is a great place to start learning. As it turns out, we’re not the only ones who think so. MagPi, the official Raspberry Pi magazine, recently announced that over 12.5 million of the units have been sold since the original Pi was launched in 2012. This makes the affordable little Linux boards the third highest-selling general-purpose computer behind Apple and Microsoft Windows PCs. The former third-place spot? The humble Commodore 64, a computer discontinued in 1994.

 

The sales breakdown, made soon after Pi Day (3/14, after the mathematical constant pi), is presented as (what else) a pie chart.

 

The largest slices of the delicious, Unix-flavored pie represent recent models of the Pi, indicating that sales have been gaining steam with the newer, cheaper models. The founder and CEO of the Raspberry Pi Trust, Eben Upton, revealed that the Zero W sold about 100,000 in its first four days.

 

Third place might not sound too impressive but consider that the bronze model had been held by a computer that stopped being produced back when Bill Clinton was president. In the intervening two-decades-plus, no other computer had sold anything close to the numbers required to bump against the two monoliths that are Apple and Microsoft.

 

12.5 million is especially impressive seeing that it was originally supposed to be between 10,000 and 20,000 boards for schools. Designed from the get-go as a basic, affordable computer intended for use in classrooms, the first Raspberry Pi, which retailed for around $30, differed little from current models. Unlike what you currently think of as a “computer,” the Raspberry Pi arrives without a tower, CD drive, keyboard, mouse, or even a power switch. All you get is bare chipboard and a power cable, with connectors on the board for display, input, and data transfer. Other than that, you’re on your own. Using free open-source software and thousands of hours of YouTube tutorials, one can learn exactly how computers work, no matter their age or prior expertise. It’s a neat little thing that iFixYouri employees love using to design gizmos; you can power robots, create home-assistance programs, anything you want with enough patience. Newer models are even cheaper and more feature-packed. The recently released Zero W model has wi-fi capability, Bluetooth, and 1Ghz of RAM for just ten dollars.

 

For the small British manufacturer, outselling the Commodore 64 is bittersweet and a huge occasion, and it cements the Raspberry Pi in the annals of computer history. “We did it together,” said Upton, “and it’s kind of wonderful.”

 

If you’d like to jump on the bandwagon and learn the computing arts, we recommend buying a Raspberry Pi and start learning. There’s a large, warm and welcoming community of techies who love teaching new acolytes about the craft, including all of us at iFixYouri. If you live near one of our 15 locations, keep an eye out: we’ll be offering classes soon, taught by senior iFixYouri technicians, and covering a wide range of computing and technology topics. A class utilizing Raspberry Pi and other micro-computers will definitely be on the curriculum. And, of course, if you break something as part of your learning process, iFixYouri is here to fix it.

News

Smarthome Adoption Rates Nowhere near Expectations, Study Shows

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We’re not surprised, but it turns out that most people would rather live in “dumbhomes.” According to a late-2016 survey by Gartner of nearly 10,000 consumers in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, only about 10 percent of households currently have connected home solutions, or “smarthome” features. In fact, 3/4 of those asked indicated they are happy manually adjusting temperature and lighting, versus those who expressed interest in having smart devices anticipate their needs in the home. A majority even indicated a preference for independent devices, like traditional knobs and dials, whose operations can’t be controlled via an app.

 

Trying to get consumers to put a lot of money towards outfitting their homes with fancy connected gadgetry is tough. Most people have no problem with raising their own blinds, turning on the heat manually, or starting their coffee maker. To make matters worse, managing all of your connected gadgets from your phone can be an even bigger time-sink, since you have to spend time setting up and managing various profiles and device controls. This flies in the face of the supposed convenience that home automation is supposed to bring.

 

So what’s happening to the idyllic, AI-controlled future we’re supposed to be living in? Performance issues with the tech itself (Amazon’s S3 server crash recently, for example). Also, people just aren’t nerdy enough on average. Yes, the people who tend to get most excited about remote-controlling their homes are…well…nerds.

 

“Although households in the developed world are beginning to embrace connected home solutions, providers must push beyond early adopter use,” says Amanda Sabia, principal research analyst at Gartner, commenting on the research in a statement. “If they are to successfully widen the appeal of the connected home, providers will need to identify what will really motivates current users to inspire additional purchases.” And what motivates users? Security. Home security alarm systems have nearly double the adoption rates of newer “convenience” systems, such as home monitoring, home automation, or energy management. People don’t want smarthomes, it seems. They want safe homes.

 

These established home security alarm services are a little different, since they involve a monthly fee. However, adding a monthly fee to the other categories doesn’t seem to work. Subscriptions for home automation/energy management are a tougher sell since more than half of current households are already using these services for free. Can you imagine paying a monthly charge for using Alexa?

 

Apple’s approach with HomeKit/Home App is unique seemingly effective. Gartner says that respondents are starting to see the value of having just one app integrating their smarthome devices. They also like brand certification for connected home devices and services. The latter is important if you don’t want your IoT gas oven to be hackable or your connected security camera to spy on you.

 

At iFixYouri, we understand that not everyone interested in IoT is comfortable installing smart-home devices themselves. Our phone lines are always open for anyone with a question regarding the purchase and installation of wifi-enabled light sockets, climate control systems, or security cameras. And, of course, our technicians are more than happy to repair any device you might have, IoT or not. Whether you stop in at your nearest iFixYouri location or mail your devices to our state-of-the-art repair facility, we’re here to make sure your transition to a smart-home is as smooth and painless as possible.

Smartphone, Tablet and Computer Repairs and News