Category Archives: Apple

That “Syncing” Feeling – Notifications between the iPhone and Apple Watch – SOLVED

Apple, Tech News, Wearables

Sometimes, you need a Genius from an Apple Store or just a light bulb moment. Or both.

So let’s quickly recap and makes some sense of the above statement. The iPhone 6S Plus was available to hold in your hands on the 25th September. The first 2 – 3 weeks for mew were taken up with an unpleasant experiment of using iCloud Photos and iTunes Match and the need to spend evenings trying to fix the mess. In the end I am not using either of those options from Apple.

iCloud Photos is flawed. It wants to sync your entire library on each device. You can have a save space option or full resolution. What you can’t do it select which albums to sync, which for large photo libraries would make sense. Also, if you go out and snap 300 photos, even if you delete 270 and delete them in the iPhone’s recently deleted folder, it appears it still uploads 300 photos taking up time and unnecessary bandwidth. iTunes Match offered me a lower quality bit rate recording then my original song. So whilst not a massive drop in bitrate it was enough. In addition, iTunes Match first sync was causing issues that I have already documented in previous posts.

So I am using iCloud though for everything else including iCloud Photostream. I have resorted to backing up to Google Photos in high resolution too.

Now that left me with one nagging issue. Notifications on the iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch. The default behaviour works as follows. Place the Apple Watch on your wrist and no notifications will sound on your iPhone. Your Apple Watch can vibrate (tap) or make a ping. It only has one sound for notifications whereas on your iPhone different apps can make different sounds. This became annoying as it I was working at my desk, it was potentially easier to decide whether to react to a notification purely based on its sound. Even if you don’t agree that makes sense, it would have had been great to have a toggle in the settings somewhere to give you that option.

This option seemed non existent. Nobody knew the answer, not even Apple support, but then during another conversation there was a eureka moment. Whilst wearing the Apple Watch, if you want to stop notifications on the watch, but hear them on your iPhone, go into the Apple Watch iPhone app, go to DO NOT DISTURB, switch mirror iPhone to OFF. Then on your Apple Watch, in settings or using the Glance Screen settings, tap DO NOT DISTURB. Remember to reverse this if you want your watch to notify you again. Mirroring DO NOT DISTURB on your iPhone is a good thing especially as it means both devices at the preset time will switch to this option.

A solution is a solution even if its a bit long winded.

Camera Shootout – Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs Huawei G8 vs Motorola Moto X Style

Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech News,

Today I’m looking at three different phones each with unique selling points. All 3 phones have different rear cameras too. 

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus is 12mp and has OIS. The Huawei G8 is 13mp and also has OIS. The Motorola Moto X Style has a huge 20mp rear camera but no OIS. The shots were taken at sunset and within minutes of each other. 

They are all random shots and all in auto. I am going to collate each cameras photos together so you can appreciate the style of each phone. I have also added some commentary.  These were the first shots. No retakes.

iPhone 6S Plus 

Auto HDR works really well dealing with the sun. Fairly natural shots with HDR working well. No surprises really. 

  
  
Difficult lighting in the above shot but well exposed. 

  
Good colour reproduction above. 

  
Again just a good shot above. 

  
Notice how close the field of view is with the iPhone. Relevant for comparing to the other phones. 

Motorola Moto X Style

The photos below are from the Moto X Style. My thanks to Clove Technology for supplying the X Style for this comparison and also full review. 

I really like the quality of the photos from the X Style. Auto HDR works really well too. 

IMG_20151015_170629072_HDR

A good shot by the X Style with the sun although there is glare.

IMG_20151015_170614314_HDR

With the wider field of view the X Style captures more of the scene. Another good shot.

IMG_20151015_170554274

Again a reasonable shot, although not quite as good as that from the 6S Plus, but still good.

IMG_20151015_170605753

Again the wider field of view captures the whole supermarket into this shot. Good capture.

IMG_20151015_170559655

The bus had just driven passed as captured on the 6S Plus shot and then a cyclist whizzed passed. When I went to view the shot taken, the X Style said it had a better shot of the one I had taken. WTF. I had only captured one, but the camera had sneakily taken another as shown below. Very useful feature IMO.

IMG_20151015_170559655_TOP

Huawei G8

Unlike the other phones it doesn’t have auto HDR so you have to manually select this.  And the G8 takes artistic HDR shots as you will see below. Where there is an HDR version I have included it. The shot below has good colour reproduction.

-
–

Now a normal and HDR version. Notice the artistic effect.

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hdr

So do you like the HDR shot? I am not too impressed with the normal shot. There is too much shadow.

Again a normal and HDR version.

8
8

hdr

I actually like the artistic HDR version but I accept not everyone will prefer this style of shot.

One more from the Huawei G8.

W

Conclusion

From the 3 different cameras, whilst the Huawei G8 photos are ok, they are not at the level of the Motorola X Style or iPhone 6S Plus, but then there is a price differential between these phones. The Huawei G8 and Moto X Style cost £350 and the iPhone has a £250 plus premium on top. Of course there is more to a phone than just the camera, but what do you think about these photos?

DxOMark Mobile Camera Ratings – Something’s surely wrong with their testing?

Android, Apple, Tech News

Have a look at the DxOMark Mobile ratings for smartphones. (http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles) In first place is the Sony Xperia Z5, followed by the Samsung S6 Edge, Google Nexus 6P, LG G4, Samsung Note 4, Moto X Style, Sony Xperia Z3+, iPhone 6 Plus , iPhone 6 and then the iPhone 6S in 10th place.

I have around 50 individual albums for each separate smartphone I have personally used. See here https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/albums .

The only phones I have not used are the Z3+ and Nexus 6P. I have used the Z3 Compact though. All I can say is that DxOMark scorings in my opinion are a nonsense.

I would place the S6 Edge Plus/Note 5/LG G4 near the top followed by the iPhone 6S Plus. Depending if video or photo was more important to you could tweak the results marginally one way or another. I would then place the Sony phones below all of the above and all the older iPhones. The Moto X Style takes good photos overall too.

Now in my testing the Z5 doesn’t take poor shots, it is just not at the same standard unless you switch to manual modes and take full control of the shooting parameters. Well, if I use third party apps with the iPhone 6S Plus same thing happens too – incredible shots. But that is not real world usage.

So how would YOU rank the phones scored by DxOmark?

How’s the iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch going?

Apple, Reviews, Tech News, ,

Let’s start off with another change of heart. iCloud Photos and iTunes Match is binned forever. Neither works for me and are both pointless and a PITA.

I am never going to use iTunes Match. It provides a copy of my music at a lower bitrate than what I have encoded. It once again uses my broadband which is not as fast as using a cable.

Apart from the sync issues of iCloud Photos, I kept getting a phantom photo that was always waiting to upload. I thought I had solved this by finding the single photo that was the culprit, deleting it, but only for the problem to resurrect itself a few days later. Turning off iCloud Photos didn’t solve the phantom photo. Also, if you turn off iCloud Photos on your Mac you need to reboot your Mac for the changes to work.

So I to remove the phantom photo. I wiped my iPhone clean and started again as a fresh device. Another PITA. However, I now have a solid phone which gives me up to 2 days battery life.

Despite all of the above the iPhone is a joy now to use, except the Apple Watch is actually annoying me over how it is designed to notify you. Basically, whilst wearing the Apple Watch, with your iPhone screen off, you won’t hear any notifications of any kind except if you receive a telephone call. Now you can set the Apple Watch to make a ping or taptic vibration, but the ping is just the same sound and impossible to differentiate between the different app notification tones. There is no option as far as I can see to allow the iPhone to makes sounds even if watch is on your wrist. I have missed several taps on my wrist and consequently the notification. Apart from that the Apple Watch is good, not brilliant. Sometimes Siri is slow to respond and apps can take an eternity to load. The Apple Watch is despite its flaws a stunning piece of kit.

I am also in the process of testing the iPhone 6S Plus for low light and the results are astoundingly amazing, much better than any review I have read recently. I am hoping to have this test completed over the next week or so.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – Photography Special – Video and Photos – Part 1

Apple, Reviews, Tech News, ,

Today I will be looking at some photography options with the iPhone 6S Plus that I have achieved so far. I will also list the apps I use as well. Many of these apps are available on android too. All the photos shown are available to view full size if you click on the photo. Where possible, when I have mentioned any accessories I have made them active links to Amazon.

First up is the problem you get when shooting buildings and the walls aren’t straight. Now the best solution for this is something like Adobe Lightroom 6. See how the walls of the church are slightly warped.

Straightening the building using iOS -

Now using an app called SKRWT, you can fix this and make it look a lot better.

Straightening the building using iOS -

Now what about shooting in RAW format. The default camera app on the iPhone does not permit this. But I use Camera+ which has so many features both from shooting to editing, it really is a great app. It also has 3D Touch enabled. So below is a macro shot in RAW. Note the file size is up to 7 x larger than normal shots. If you view the full size version of the berries the amount of detail is huge.

Wow Red berry fruit #rawformat #unedited #iphone6splus #macro

Again using Camera+ macro mode you can get really close up. So the flower shot first, then the macro.

Pink Pink Macro Flowers #macro #unedited #iphone6splus

Pink Pink Macro Flowers #macro #unedited #iphone6splus

What about using something like an Olloclip lens attachment for macro. This is what you get. Notice the bokek.

Wild Thing #macro #unedited #setof4 #iphone6splus

The Olloclip 4 in 1 does wide, fisheye and 2 levels of macro. I also have the Olloclip Macro Pro kit. Whilst these lenses are fun, the quality is poor. They are best used for macro if anything at all. First you can’t use a case or screen protector, and the photos goes soft on the edges. But they are great fun. Below was a photo taken in fisheye mode and then straightened using SKRWT. More info , click here Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens

Exeter High Street - Fish Eye #olloclip #iphone6splus

The Olloclip softens the photos too much in wide mode on the edges. FYI the version for the iPhone 6/6 Plus according to Olloclip works with the new 6S and 6S Plus. Details on Amazon Olloclip 4-in-1 Lens

My recommendation is to use Camera+ for macros with a small tripod. For wide shots use the standard pano mode. You can get photos like this. For this shot below I only took half a panorama as it was not necessary to move across the whole screen. Sometimes 3 or 4 frames are just enough.

Believer Forest #panoramic #iphone6splus

However, sometimes the full panoramic is ideal and this is where the iPhone works really well.

Stunning Panorama over Dartmoor #iPhone6SPlus

In terms of apps, I use the default Photos app. The editing is non destructive. From within the Photos app editing I can access my following apps – afterlight, adobe photoshop express, camera+ and diptic. Also in the Photos app I can import a photo into VSCO Cam or use an app called ViewExif to view the exif details. So apart from the apps mentioned I also have installed Slow Shutter, Flickr, Playmemories, Photogene, Color Splash Pro, Snapseed, Nightcap Pro, Cameratamo, Phoster, Camera360 and Waterlogue.

I do use Live Photos and really like it. Sadly at the moment, I can’t share this with any of apps or services other than within the Apple eco system. I hope this changes soon. However, I do turn it off when I know the shot will make no difference with Live Photos enabled. But it does make moving through the camera roll a bit exciting.

iMovie is used to finish off videos and add photos if needed.Talking about video the video capture is absolutely stunning. 4K, 1080p and other modes like timelapse work so well. I have created a few videos. Ignore the iMovie editing on the timelapse video at the start, that was my fault cutting a frame too agressively at the very beginning. So first up a 4K recorded clip, in 1080p and then a timelapse.

First up time lapse mode. For the 360 degree movement I use Veho VCC-360
on my tripod. My phone is attached to the Veho using a ShoulderPod S1 Grip
.

Then 4K video with a sweep at the end of the view from the summit of Staple Tor. This had no post processing in iMovie.

The best accessory I have used with all my phones is the ShoulderPod S1 Grip as this is the most rock solid way to attach your phone to a tripod!

Anyway that is all for Part 1. If you have any tips or apps or any accessories you like using please leave a comment.

All the Reviews from the last 30 days – iPhone 6S Plus, LG G4, Honor 7, Huawei Watch and more incl accessories

Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

In the last 30 days I have written and published over 10 reviews. For ease I have included the reviews below along with the links.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus incl Apple Watch – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/07/apple-iphone-6s-plus-the-review/

Huawei G8 – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/06/huawei-g8-first-impressions-of-huaweis-mid-market-flagship/

Samsung Note 5 Dual Sim – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/22/samsung-note-5-dual-sim-first-impressions/

Honor 7 – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/05/honor-7-review/

Huawei Watch – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/21/huawei-watch-my-review/

Huawei Mate S – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/18/huawei-mate-s-my-review/

Acer Liquid Jade S – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/08/acer-liquid-jade-s-review/

Acer Iconia One 8 Tablet – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/28/acer-iconia-one-8-tablet-review/

Samsung S Health app (Google Play version) – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/23/samsung-s-health-app-works-in-all-android-devices-but-is-it-any-good/

Suaoki 40W 8A 5 Port Compact USB Charger – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/29/suaoki-compact-40w-8a-5-port-high-usb-charger-review/

Motorola Moto X Play – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/01/motorola-moto-x-play-review/

LG G4 – 4 month review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/24/lg-g4-4-month-review-the-ultimate-package/

LG G4 – main review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/04/lg-g4-the-review-all-26-parts/

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact – 23mp Camera Test – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/08/sony-xperia-z5-just-how-good-is-the-new-23mp-camera-see-for-yourself/

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – The Review

Apple, Reviews, Tech News, ,

I have written many posts covering my views on the new iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch, so for ease I have created this post whereby all further sections will now appear as well.

Panoramic Shot from the iPhone 6S Plus

Stunning Panorama over Dartmoor #iPhone6SPlus

Part 1 – Day 1 Experience plus Rose Gold plus Apple Watch – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/26/the-apple-iphone-6s-plus-day-1-experience-photos-and-views-on-rose-gold-and-apple-watch/

Part 2 – Camera First Looks – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/27/just-how-good-is-the-camera-on-the-apple-iphone-6s-plus-my-results/

Part 3 – Apple iPhone 6S Camera vs S6 and LG G4 – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/09/28/photos-from-the-iphone-6s-plus-more-opinions-on-the-camera-quality/

Part 4 – More photos with the iPhone 6S Plus and my views – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/01/more-photos-from-the-apple-iphone-6s-plus-and-views/

Part 5 – iTunes Match and iCloud Warnings – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/07/02/warning-icloud-music-library-and-apple-music-details-to-be-aware-of/

Part 6 – Apple iPhone 6S Plus – Time Lapse test – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/02/apple-iphone-6s-plus-my-time-lapse-test/

Part 7 – iCloud – it really doesnt work – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/02/apple-icloud-surely-it-just-works-editorial/

Part 8 – iOS 9 and iPhone Data Usage warning plus fix – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/03/warning-check-your-iphone-running-ios-9-for-data-usage-details-and-fix/

Part 9 – Shooting with Sun Glare on the iPhone 6S Plus – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/04/apple-iphone-6s-plus-shooting-with-sun-glare-tips/

Part 10 – 2 week review of the iPhone 6S and Apple Watch – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/10/06/apple-iphone-6s-plus-icloud-apple-watch-part-3-the-lows-highs-and-findings/

Part 11 – iPhone 6S Plus Photography special with details on apps

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – Photography Special – Video and Photos – Part 1

Part 12 – Apple iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch update

How’s the iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch going?

Part 13 – Camera Shootout – iPhone 6S Plus vs Moto X Play vs Huawei G8

Camera Shootout – Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs Huawei G8 vs Motorola Moto X Style

Part 14 – Syncing and Notifications – solved

That “Syncing” Feeling – Notifications between the iPhone and Apple Watch – SOLVED

Part 15 – Extreme Low Light – Photography Special Part 2

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – Extreme Low Light – Photography Special Part 2

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – iCloud, Apple Watch – Part 3 – The Lows, Highs and Findings

Apple, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

It will be nearly two weeks with the iPhone 6S Plus and Apple Watch. It has been 2 weeks of jubilation and frustration, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The Lows

iCloud Photos and iTunes Match. Apple senior support had to remote access my macbook to resolve the mess left by iTunes Match. iCloud Photos had a mind of its own, and has taken nearly 2 weeks to get in sync. In fact, I nearly decided to go back to Google Photos but gave it one more chance. Again it took Apple senior support to help resolve the issues initially with iCloud Photos.

The issues I had with the iCloud services drove my mad, to the point a few days in that I wondered if I had made a mistake switching my main phone from the LG G4 to the iPhone 6S Plus.

High mobile data usage. WiFi assist is a great feature, but again I think my upload speed at home meant it was uploading 4K video using my mobile internet and wifi. Consequently my first week with the phone used 2.5gb, which is normally what I use per month. By default, this setting is left on. It is worth noting this could happen. I also noticed at the Apple store Plymouth, the genius employees were deactivating this on 3 phones while I was there.

The Findings

Fortunately, when matters get crazy frustrating, I have patience and try to find what the rules/parameters software and hardware work to. My conversations with Apple senior support where also about trying to establish the rules and parameters of what does what under given circumstances.

If you are going to use iCloud for the very first time like myself, make sure you have fast internet for both upload and download speeds. My upload is slow and I do believe this contributed to the issues I had. Thinking back when I uploaded my music to Google Music it took 6 weeks. I also have to remember that I have used Google for years and years continuously so it has all my data already and knows what I do and when I need it. Apple, iCloud and Siri are on a learning curve, the data needs time to upload and sort itself out. Sometimes, it appears as if the cloud isn’t doing anything, and that may be the case as its having a coffee break. But it does start again and once my library was stored correctly future uploads are fine.

The Highs

I am pleased I gave iCloud Photos another go. It all works dandy now. Changes appear instantly across any Apple devices, and if I use my Chromebook and go to http://www.icloud.com I have access to my photos there as well. In fact, despite Apple refunding my iTunes Match subscription I am thinking about giving it a go again, but this time after my Apple Music trial has expired. When I switch iTunes Match on again, I will do this at a place with a fast upload speed to avoid any time out issues.

The phone itself is a wonderful piece of technology. iOS 9 is a bit of a learning curve for me as there are a lot of new ways of doing stuff and features but it is so good to use. 3D Touch, Apple Pay, the camera and all the apps are superb. The camera is not the best at one single aspect eg still shots goes to the LG G4, but as an overall package across all the different modes it is consistent and a decent shooter and always only takes a single shot to get that perfect shot. The Photos app allows for non destructive editing which syncs the edits across several devices. The features of the Photos app are excellent too. The iPhone is the only phone that has a burst mode that can take 999 shots in one go. In fact, I am not sure my DSLR could manage that many and then save them in such a short time either. So with 4K video, decent photos, you can use iMovie to create a slick movie in seconds. I miss not having iMovie on other non Apple phones.

Apple Pay really does just work. Raise your phone and near a terminal, your credit card image appears automatically, hold the Touch ID button and voila. All of one second. So far I have used it at MacDonalds, Costa Coffee and Marks and Spencers. I actually have used the phone once and the Apple Watch for the other 2 purchases.

And finally apps. A year ago if anyone had asked me I would have said android and iOS were equal when it came to apps. In fact android had some advantages due to its sharing options. With iOS 9, Touch ID and 3D Touch and gaming on iOS in my brief time with the 6S Plus, my view is swinging to iOS having an advantage. Apps feel and run smoother on the iPhone. In fact the whole user experience of the iPhone 6S Plus is a joy to use. Even Apple Maps has not failed me yet for car directions and even walking.

Link all of the above with the Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook and any other Apple eco system component and the benefits of continuity and handoff occur.

Now, in case you’re wondering if I am ditching android all together, this is not the case. I have several devices on test at the moment along with several reviews too. I also use a BlackBerry Curve daily, as this is a work issued phone.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus – Shooting with sun glare – tips

Apple, Tech News,

The Apple iPhone 6S Plus picks up sun glare fairly easily. Obviously, you can tilt the phone slightly to avoid the glare, but if you do shoot in to the sun slightly, not only will you get sun glare, but also sun spots.

The sun spots register as green spots and are rather annoying. Now post processing you could mask these if the spot is over some dark background. Just paint over it with the same matching background. Or, tilt the iPhone so the green sun spot is placed right into the sun itself, as per shot below. The end result is quite pleasing.

Sunrise over Great and Little Mis Tor, Dartmoor #iphone6splus

Warning – Check your iPhone running iOS 9 for Data Usage – details and fix

Apple, Tech News, , ,

I received a rather unpleasant shock this morning. In 8 days since owning the iPhone 6S Plus I have used 2.5gb of mobile data. So I checked my wife’s 6S and her phone had used 750mb of data.

Now in my case I am fortunate that I have an unlimited plan, but I use 2-3gb of data maximum per month, not per week. In the case of my wife, she has a 500mb data plan since she never uses anymore than 100mb per month.

So what caused this huge swing in mobile data usage. It turns out there is a setting which is on by default called WiFi Assist. It is located in the main settings app, mobile data and then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list, an untick the Wi-Fi assist toggle.

Hopefully you haven’t got stung for high data charges by now.

Update – Michael left an extra bit of advice is the comments. Thanks for that. “As well as turning off wifi-assist. Make sure that you go into iCloud settings and iCloud Drive, scroll down to the bottom and turn off “use mobile data” it’s something I read about on Twitter that really makes a difference, that some sites have missed to mention that seems to do the trick, (You really want to be backing up all those 12 mb pictures and video files only on wifi! )”