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Apple Keynote Address 2013, Part 2: The iPhone 5C

September 10, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

[This is Part II of our recap on the Apple Keynote address, on the iPhone 5C. For Part I, on the iOS 7, click here]

Busy day here! We’ve been going over all of the new information released at Apple’s keynote address, and there’s so much to talk about. Perhaps the most interesting development discussed is Apple’s latest iPhone 5C, which is much more of a departure than the 5S (which we’ll discuss in the next post). The iPhone 5C represents a new kind of iPhone – smaller, more compact, and more affordable, and it is seen as perhaps more desirable for emerging markets like China or South America.

The first most noticeable difference in the iPhone 5C is the design. It’s made entirely of plastic, and is of one single piece. As Phil Schiller, senior vice president of Apple’s worldwide marketing said: T”he entire back and sides are made from a single part, its front one glass, multi-touch surface. As close as you look, you won’t see joints or seams.” The iPhone 5C comes in an array of colors: green, white, light blue, hot pink, and yellow, each one with color-matched wallpaper. As an added esthetic bonus, they come with a line of custom cases, soft to the touch, and with holes cut in them to show the original color.

iPhone 5C Matching Wallpaper — Color-matched wallpaper on the iPhone 5C.

iPhone 5C Specs

But let’s get to the specs. It has a 4-inch retina display, full sRGB (standard Red-Green-Blue color space), integrated touch, and widescreen video; the insides are basically the same as the iPhone 5, that is, powered by an A6 chip, albeit with a new construction. It has an 8-megapixel camera with a hybrid IR filter as did the 4s and the 5, plus a new Facetime camera, and Apple claims the battery life has been improved as well. As for its cell service, Schiller claims that it supports more LTE bands than any smartphone in the world.”

As an added point, Schiller went on to mention that it has been made without harmful, ecologically hazardous chemicals. So there’s that. And if you hadn’t guessed, the iPhone 5C is completely compatible with the new iOS 7 software that Apple just spent 20 minutes talking about.

Now, for the price: analysts expected this to be the most affordable (new) iPhone yet, and this is certainly the case. It goes for $99 for 16-gigabytes and $199 32-gigabytes with a two-year contract. However, the full price, that is, without a contract is $550, which is much higher than had been previously predicted. Will this affect their plans to corner the developing market? Time will tell. Speaking of time, they will be available for pre-order on Sept. 13, and available for purchase in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom; available in 100 more countries in December 2013.

That’s it for the iPhone 5C, for now. The 5C is certainly an interesting twist on the iPhone, and we at iFixYouri are curious as to how we are going to break this down, once we get our hands on one. When we do, be sure to check back in for the video.

Next up: the iPhone 5S. We’ll be getting to this shortly, so please check back for updates regularly!

[thanks to Greg and Darrell at Techcrunch for the live blogging]

Uncategorized

Apple Keynote Address 2013, Part I: iOS 7

September 10, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

Well, the day has finally arrived, as millions of geeked-out tech fans have been waiting anxiously for word about the newest Apple products at this year’s keynote address in Cupertino, California — specifically the iOS 7, and the newest members of the iPhone family: the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S. And it didn’t disappoint, from the amount of traffic and tweets and live blogs around the internet. Even Elvis Costello got in on the action, showing up for those in the audience with a rendition of Peace, Love, and Understanding. But we digress. Let’s get to the good stuff.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering who heads iOS and OSX, came up to introduce the latest updates for iOS 7, of which there are over 200. Aside from stressing the beauty and the ease of use of the new Apple operating system, he went on to describe some of the newer functionality and compatible apps that it has. Here’s the run-down:

New interface: color pallettes, parallax wallpapers, single-swipe control panel
More convenient pull-down search function
new camera app with filters (think Instagram)
AirDrop, the new peer-to-peer file sharing system. Can share photos or other files between two devices.
New default ringtones and text tones.
Improvements to Siri – male voice, new voice commands, such as searching Wikipedia or other web sites, to compete with Google’s voice search on Android.
New music app with built-in iTunes Radio support

The last software-related topic touched upon was iWork, presumably trying to break the stereotype that Apple devices aren’t conducive for getting work done or creating content, which is one of the continued knocks that Android manufacturers and users often pile onto Apple.

Here’s what Tim Cook, CEO of Apple had to say about it: “iWork has three amazing apps. The first is Keynote. Keynote allows you to create world class presentations on your iPad or iPhone. And Pages. It allows you to create and edit documents from anywhere. And Numbers. Numbers is the best spreadsheet design software anywhere. iPads aren’t great just for consuming content. They’re also great for creating content. We have content like iPhoto, which lets you take your photo editing to the next level. And iMovie, which lets you create movies straight from your iPad.”

He went on to announce that all 5 of these content-creating apps will be free, and will automatically download when setting up your iOS 7.

Lastly, Cook went over the compatibility of the iOS 7 with the other Apple devices (that are not the new iPhones). It’ll support the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad Mini, and 5th generation of the iPod Touch. Downloads of the iOS 7 will be available from the Apple store starting on September 18th.

If you think the iOS 7 updates are impressive, what until you see what they’ve done with the iPhone; or rather, iPhones. In the interest of space and focus, we are going to continue the discussion of the Apple keynote on the next blog post. Click here for Part 2 on the iPhone 5c.

[thanks to Greg and Darrell at Techcrunch for the live blogging]

laptops

MacBook LCD Screen Repair – Pros and Cons

September 6, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

MacBook LCD Screen Repair

To repair or not to repair? That is the question a lot of MacBook owners will ask themselves if their computer stops working. Today much of our technology seems disposable, and we tend to buy things like smartphones or laptops about every other year or so. But the appearance of disposability and the reality of the longevity of your equipment may differ – it all depends on the laptop or the particular problem. This is especially true for problems with your screen; MacBook LCD repair issues are easily taken care of, provided you’ve isolated the problem as such. If you only need for your MacBook LCD screen repair, you can figure it out by asking yourself a few questions:

Is it a problem with your hardware, or is it merely a software problem?
Is the information on the hard drive of your computer vital for your business/personal life? That is, are there irreplaceable data on your laptop?
Is there evidence of hardware deterioration?
Are you aware of any recent damage? (e.g. laptop water damage, broken laptop screen, keyboard damage, LCD screen display damage, etc.)

Often, it is more cost-effective to repair than to replace, especially if the data are irreplaceable and, to you, priceless. And sometimes some of the problems that may seem the most expensive are actually among the cheapest and easiest things to fix, such as LCD damage. Compare the prices of a MacBook LCD screen repair with the latest price of a MacBook, and you’ll get the idea; now add the cost of data retrieval, and you’re really talking a lot of unnecessary spending.

MacBook LCD screen repair is much simpler than most people think, and it certainly does not mean the death of your laptop. It’s an easy procedure that maintains the CPU (the “brain” of your computer) and the other essential parts. But how easy is easy?

MacBook LCD Screen Repair: DIY vs. Professional

Once you’ve determined that you’d rather replace your LCD screen than purchase a new MacBook, now comes the next question – should you send it to a professional, or do it yourself? One thing we can definitely recommend is that you at least let a professional look at it first – most reputable repair shops will give you a free diagnostic check (shameless plug – we also give free diagnostic checks via shipping).

Once you’ve made certain of the problem, the correct answer really depends on the type of person you are. If you have experience with computer hardware, this may be an option, but it is a lengthy process, and not terribly cheaper than, say, taking it to an iFixYouri. For example, if you order your parts from eTech Parts, a good supply store, a MacBook LCD display screen will run you between $129.99 and $259.99, depending on your type of MacBook, not to mention the added time it will take you to repair it. From there you can find instructional videos on YouTube on how to properly replace your screen.

If none of this appeals to you, you may just want to take it to a pro. We recommend ourselves! We’re highly experienced with MacBook LCD repair, and if you don’t live near one of our locations, you can ship us your MacBook for both a free diagnostic test and subsequent repair, all of which takes about 24-48 hours. Contact us for MacBook LCD screen repair here!

Accessories

50 Weird And Wacky iPhone Cases

September 4, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

There are many occasions when we have to find a gift to give, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, to say thank you, etc. It can be difficult to decide what to buy someone that they will get use out if and at the same time isn’t too expensive. An iPhone case is an ideal gift.

They come in a variety of different styles, and you can never have too many. People carry their iPhones everywhere, and to every type of event, therefore having a couple to choose from is a great idea, and protecting them from damage is also important.

This is a list of 50 of our favorites, some are strange, and some are practical, which one do you like the best?

Top 50 Unusual iPhone Cases

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Apps

Orlando By iPhone: The Best iPhone Apps for The Theme Parks

September 2, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

It’s become a standard catchphrase: “I’m going to Disney World!” Well, are you? Or Universal, or Sea World, or many of the other peripheral parks in the Orlando metro area? If that’s the case, you may want to load up on some useful iPhone apps for the Orlando theme parks. These apps will do everything from give you wait times, to reserving dinner, to finding nearby parking.

Below we’ve listed our favorite iPhone apps for Orlando. And hey, if you’re in the area, stop by iFixYouri Orlando if anything happens to your phone.

Walt Disney World iPhone Apps

These iPhone apps are exclusively for the Walt Disney World Resort.

My Disney Experience – Free

This is one of the official WDW and free iPhone apps made available by Disney, which allow you to explore the resort. From the app site:

An official App from Disney! Featuring Walt Disney World® maps, official Disney Parks-provided wait times, FASTPASS® return times, and the ability to view menus and book dining reservations, manage and share itineraries with family and friends, find details about nearby Disney Characters, attractions, entertainment, park hours and schedules, and more!

Disney Mobile Magic – Free

This is an official app for visiting the Walt Disney World parks. It uses the GPS in your iPhone to locate character appearances, attractions, restaurants and shows. It also checks wait and FASTPASS return times.

Disney World Wait Times – Free

This gives you information on all the ride wait times for all 4 Disney World parks. The times for each park displayed on the same screen, and you can both see recent times submitted for each ride, or submit them yourself for other users. Photos and descriptions are available.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort App – Free

Part of the vacation experience at Walt Disney World revolves around the hotels, which are some of the finest you’ll find anywhere, and not just on the Disney grounds. Two of these hotels, the Swan and the Dolphin, are run externally from Disney – however, they have some great iPhone apps you can use to browse the 17 different restaurants, bars, and lounges in the resort. Also available: a separate app solely for the restaurants, which have won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, the Four Diamond Award as designated by AAA, the Top 500 Restaurants in Florida by Florida Trend Magazine and Critic’s Choice for Best Restaurant Overall -Orlando Sentinel, as examples. Separate restaurant app also available, for making reservations and reading menus. Look for both iPhone apps if you are staying here.

Disney World Dining – $1.99 (VersaEdge Software LLC)

In order to decide which of the 160 restaurants you’re going to dine at at WDW, download the popular Disney World Dining app includes full menus, and can locate the restaurants closest to your location, in addition to one-touch dialing for the Disney dining reservations number.

Walt Disney World Park Hours $0.99 (Minneware)

Opening times for Disney World can vary from park to park, and based on time of year, or even special events. Thankfully, the Walt Disney World Park Hours app includes frequently updated information on opening and closing times, in addition to daily event schedules for shows and parades. This Disney World app covers the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and the water parks.

Walt Disney World Maps Box Set – $1.99 (UPinPoint LLC)

The bestselling Walt Disney World Maps app contains full-size maps for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and other Disney theme parks in Orlando, not to mention the resorts and smaller Disney attractions. Each map allows you to search for individual rides or attractions and prioritize your must-visit list. It also has GPS locators, to help you figure out where you are in the maze of a Disney park.

Universal Studios Orlando iPhone Apps

These iPhone apps are exclusively for the Universal Orlando parks.

Universal Guide – $1.99

This official Universal Studios iPhone app gives you access to in-depth attraction and facilities information for both Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It also lets you set up alerts to notify you when a ride’s wait time goes below a specific time making it easier for you to get the most out of your day at the parks.

Universal Orlando Wait Times – Free

Similar in function to the Disney Wait Times app, this gives you the ride wait times for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. All times for each park displayed on the same screen, and you can also see recent times submitted for each ride. There are photos and descriptions of rides, and you can even submit a ride wait time if you’re in the park, and see rides nearest to your GPS location with compass direction to them

Theme Park Nerd Guide – Universal Orlando – $1.99

From the site:

• View your location on a map.
• Display rides, attractions and facilities nearby.
• Get intelligent, sat-nav like directions to any ride, attraction or facility.
• Create an itinerary for your day with the inbuilt day planner.
• Sort your itinerary by category.
• Search through items.
• Filter items by category.
• View photos of rides, attractions and facilities.
• View detailed ride descriptions, histories and specifications.
• View the height restrictions for rides.
• See what facilities a ride has, such as on-ride photos or property storage.
• Use the location based features even if you don’t have a GPS capable device with ‘manual locations’ mode.
• Receive automatic wireless updates, bringing you the latest park info seamlessly.

Sea World iPhone Apps

Sea World Mobile App – Free

From the Site:

True GPS navigation with highlighted paths to your destination

Interactive park map with search. Find nearest restroom, places to eat, ATM, and more

Real-time updates on wait times for rides, plus height restrictions

Displays next show times for all shows

Basic park info, calendar with operating hours, weather, and driving directions

In-app camera lets you take photos without leaving the app (iPhone only)

Learn more about our animals, conservation status, and locations where you can connect with them

Car finder feature lets you find your car when you leave the park (iPhone only)

Miscellaneous Orlando Attractions and Features iPhone Apps

Official Guide to LEGOLAND Florida – Free (Merlin Entertainment)

For those of us who have been to the big parks a hundred times, here’s a cool theme park that may be off your radar. This app gives a general overview of the theme park’s attractions and events, along with a detailed, virtual map, lists of special offers, a car locator, games and in-park activities.

Height Requirements for Orlando Theme Park Rides – $0.99 (OBA Ventures)

Travelling with the little ones? Now you can get height requirements for rides at Orlando theme parks in advance. This app gives you requirements for rides at Disney, SeaWorld and Universal.

parkIN’ – Free

Parking in Orlando can be a nightmare. Fortunately for us, the City of Orlando has created an app that offers detailed information for downtown Orlando parking garages, including hours of operation, price and number of spots available. It also gives real-time traffic views, satellite and map views, and photos of the various garages.

Orlando Essential Guide – $2.99

For visitors who want to see more of Orlando than just the parks, this app delivers 264 detailed entries and shows you not only to the most popular must-see places but also hidden gems most visitors never know about. Complete with images, maps, and events calendar.

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Enjoy these great iPhone apps during your stay, and let us know in the comments what you think of them. And say hi to Mickey for us.

News

The Public’s Problem With Apple: iPhone 5, iPad Mini and iPad

August 28, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

Much like the Apple stock prices, the company has had a year of ups and downs. While Apple has made great strides in the creation of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, the spotlight shines on every stumble the company makes.

Apple’s Biggest Blunders

Now, it should be stated that a ground breaking company such as Apple that has introduced the world to so many devices we now wonder how we ever lived without, is allowed the occasional hurdle. The bottom line is that much of the criticism stems out of comparison to previous models and short of any unexpected accidents that may result in a device requiring professional repair, they are all quality products. That being said, here are some of the issues.

The Lost Maps of Apple

The disaster of Apple’s Maps app caused something that is rare from the company, a public apology by Tim Crook, CEO. Not only was this app bad, it was godawful, what with it giving users the wrong directions and the lack of public transportation information. Things just got worse when late night talk show hosts began to make the app the butt of their jokes.

This app is the biggest blunder for Apple this year for many reasons. Arguably the most vital app on iPhone as well as other devices, it is imperative that the app is right. Because Apple decided to make Google Maps unavailable it its app store, the company looks petty.

Apple has always been concerned about holding the experience of the user above all else. However, because Steve Jobs passed away a year before Maps came onto the scene does not fare well for those people who are newly in charge of the company.

The Not So New, New iPad

In the past, two things always held true with a new version of iPad: the marketing team at Apple built hype before the release date, and the product lived up to the hype.

With the creation of the original iPad came the creations of the touch-tablet. The second- generation brought forth a lighter and faster version. The third-generation improved on the graphics.

However, the marketing team dropped the ball with the announcement of the fourth-generation when it was introduced at the time the iPad Mini was being announced.

With the fourth-generation comes very little newness. While Apple touts that this iPad has retina display, the third-generation iPad was actually the first to have this feature. The only things new about this particular iPad is that it contains a faster chip and a Lightning connector.

Uncategorized

Getting the Most Out of Your iPhone 5

August 26, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

Using your iPhone 5 can be a time saver for work, communication, and leisure. But are you getting the most out of it? Does your iPhone stall, run out of battery too often, or other hassles that you wish you could fix? Do you have a sneaking suspicion that you’re not using Here are some helpful tips from us at ifixyouri.com to make sure you’re using your iPhone 5 to its greatest potential.

Manage Battery Life of iPhone 5

According to Apple, the iPhone 5 offers up to 8 hours of talk time on 3G, up to 8 hours of internet use on 3G, up to 8 hours on LTE and up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi, up to 10 hours of video playback, up to 40 hours of audio playback and to 225 hours of standby time.

If you’re not getting anywhere close to that, here are some ways to increase your battery life.

Set your Auto-Lock interval so that the iPhone 5 will turn off after a period of inactivity of your choosing. To set the auto-lock interval, launch: Settings app, tap on General and then Auto-Lock and set the auto-lock interval to either 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes.
Using Wi-Fi drains iPhone’s battery, but did you know that one of the most work-intensive processes that iPhone’s Wi-Fi chip has to do is the ‘Search for available network’ function? To disable this feature, launch the Settings app, tap on Wi-Fi, and press on the On/Off toggle for Ask to Join Networks to disable it.
Lower the default screen brightness to save energy. Launch the Settings app, scroll down and tap on Brightness & Wallpaper and set Auto-Brightness to On. Note: Apple enables it by default.
Turn off LTE if it is not available in your area – Start by going to settings, next head to general, and finally tap cellular. The second option is a toggle for “Enable LTE.” When you need to save some battery and can spare internet speed, switch this option off.
Turn off Location services for the following System System services: Diagnostics & Usage, Setting Time Zone, Location Based iAds (Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services -> System Services).
Turn off Weather and Stock widgets from Notification Center. (Settings -> Notifications -> Weather Widget/Stock Widget -> Notification Center).
Heat can degrade performance of your iPhone’s battery. So it is important to keep the iPhone out of the sun or a hot car (including the glove box).
If you’re on the plane or in an area where there is no cellular coverage then use Airplane mode to increase battery life (Settings > Airplane Mode).

Lock your iPhone 5’s screen orientation

This can be useful if you prefer to view your screen in either portrait (standard) or landscape (sideways). To lock your screen orientation, double tap the home button and swipe to the right. A gray circle opposite the rewind button will appear. Tap it once and a lock will come on the screen. Now when you turn your phone sideways the orientation will stay put.

Automatically download new apps directly on your iPhone 5

You can set your various Apple devices so that music and apps automatically download on all of the different devices.

Go to settings and navigate to the middle of the page. After that select the “Store” option.
Once inside under “Automatic Downloads” switch on the options for Music, Apps, or both.

Mail Tips

While in Apple’s Mail app you can just pull down from the top to check for new messages.

Return to Draft

If you want to get back to a draft quickly, touch and hold the Compose button to switch to your last saved draft.

Miscellaneous Cool Tricks

If you want to keep a PDF you’ve been reading on Safari or from an email and save it onto your iPhone, simply touch and hold the PDF icon or link, then select “Open in iBooks.”

Speed up your phone by selecting what Spotlight indexes.

Instead of letting Spotlight index everything on your phone, have it only search necessary items by starting at Settings, then select General, and finally choose Spotlight search.

View websites in full screen

While browsing a web site in Safari, turn your iPhone tolandscape and tap the full-screen icon (arrows coming together in the bottom right) and you can view a website without distraction.

Take a screenshot of your screen

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, then press the Home button. Your screen flashes and the picture appears in your Camera Roll.

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Try some of these tricks to get the most out of your iPhone 5. Happy exploring!

Apps

5 Great iPhone Apps for South Florida

August 23, 2013 Staff Leave a comment

Living in South Florida, as some of us here at iFixYouri.com do, is a pretty easy lifestyle when compared to the rest of the country. The beaches, the great year-round weather, and the convenience of shops and malls makes areas such as Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami international travel destinations. Furthermore, iPhone usage is high in the South Florida area, and it only makes sense for people to use apps that are useful in their daily lives. So, if you live in Florida, or are planning on visiting, here are some of the top iPhone apps for life in the Sunshine State.

New Times (Miami or Broward/Palm Beach) – New Times is a long-running publication that has articles and features on the hot spots and new events in the area.

App features include:

– Broward Palm Beach New Times’ award-winning events and concert calendar, searchable by date, artist, neighborhood, venue or genre.

– Access to Broward Palm Beach New Times’ daily blogs for up-to-the-minute news on Broward politics, music, food and arts.

– Last night’s concert and nightlife reviews. See what you missed–and find out what you don’t want to miss tonight.

– Hundreds of event and concert listings every day, with Editors’ Picks of the best things going on in Broward.

– Broward’ most comprehensive restaurant listings, searchable by cuisine type and neighborhood, with reviews by Broward Palm Beach New Times’ award-winning writers.

– Slideshows of Broward nightlife, concerts and events from Broward’s best party photographers.

– Access to Voice Daily Deals for savings and great deals in Broward.

Duffy's Sports Grill app — Duffy’s MVP Members can login via app.

Duffy’s MVP – Beloved South Florida burger joint and sports bar Duffy’s has a fantastic app for locating your nearest Duffy’s, the menu, and it even has a login for Duffy’s MVP members, which allows you to track your Duffy’s points in order to get free stuff. If you live in the Palm Beach, Broward, or Dade County area and you’re a burger lover, this one is a must-have.

Yachting Weather – Most people in Florida are avid boaters or fishers. This app allows you to receive precise sea weather predictions in a 3-day rythm – or with an update to “Yachting Weather PRO”- in a 5-day rythm.You receive the seaweather predictions according to your current GEO location which is either found by GPS, a single click on the map tool or by manual input. Whether you are on a sailing boat, a motor yacht or doing other water sport activities, with the numerous options you can configure “Yachting Weather” exactly on your needs. Available free or pro version.

Hurricane Tracker – Complete tracking maps, everything from the NHC, exhaustive invest (Tropical Wave) info, NOAA Weather Radio, forecaster Audio/Video updates, real time feed (as it’s happening) & detailed Push Alerts for: New storms, TS/Hurricane warnings & other changes. Storm history, checklists, over 65 images & animated maps and much more. Essential during hurricane season.

Ultimate College Football – Who in South Florida isn’t college football crazy? Between alumni of the Florida Gators, the Florida State Seminoles, the Miami Hurricanes, and recent upstarts like USF, UCF, and FAU, the conversation of your team during football season is not far off. Know your stats like a pro with this great app for stats, schedules, and much more.