iPhone Flashlight tip – rather neat this one

Apple, Tech News,

I love the control centre in iOS 7. It has some neat settings and apps that I personally find using on a regular basis. It is also great to swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone.

One of the features I use in the Flash Light. So handy too. But after a while the screen locks, so I would imagine if you wanted to turn your flash light off you are at present, unlocking the home screen, swiping up to reveal the control centre and tapping the flash light icon to turn it off.

Well, try this easier method. With the flash light on and the screen locked, just press the home button, then bottom right tap the camera icon and it turns off the flash light.

Rather neat tip.

Apple releases OS X Mavericks v10.9.1 – full release log

Apple, Tech News

The OS X Mavericks v10.9.1 Update is recommended for all OS X Mavericks users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.

This update includes:

-Improved support for Gmail in OS X Mail, and fixes for users with custom Gmail settings Improves the reliability of Smart Mailboxes and search in Mail
-Fixes an issue that prevented contact groups from working properly in Mail
-Resolves an issue that prevented VoiceOver from speaking sentences that contain emoji
-Fixes an issue that prevented iLife and iWork apps from updating on non-English systems
-Addresses an issue that may cause multiple prompts to unlock “Local items” keychain
-Addresses an issue that may cause Japanese keyboards to retain a previously used language
-Resolves issue that prevents a Contact group name from populating the address field
-Includes Safari 7.0.1
-Fixes an issue that could cause Safari to become unresponsive when filling out forms on fedex.com, stubhub.com, and other websites Improves Credit Card Autofill compatibility with websites
-Improves VoiceOver compatibility with facebook.com
-Updates Shared Links periodically when open in the Safari Sidebar

Some useful updates in this release.

Swiftkey 4.5 Beta receives welcome update – details

Android, Tech News, ,

Swiftkey is one of the leading keyboard replacements on android. It offers great word predictions and the option of swipe text input as well as themes and different layouts.

In its new beta it introduces probably one of the most useful options. Emoji icons support (available on all iPhones ) and an additional row for numbers. No need to switch from ABC to 123.

All I need to do is switch to an android phone to make use of these features 🙂

Nexus 5 receives hardware modifications

Uncategorized,

For all those earlier adopters of the Google Nexus 5, you might feel slightly disappointed that LG who manufacturers the phone has improved the hardware design. The hardware buttons have been changed for a more firmer fit and the loudspeaker grill is now larger to allow more sound to escape.

So are you happy with your Nexus 5 and or would you want to change your phone for the new slightly improved hardware?

Windscreen Wipers will soon be history due to technology – details

Tech News, ,

The Telegraph have reported that car manufacturer is working on a new technology that will use sound waves to create a force shield around the windscreen, thereby negating the need for windscreen wipers.

The force field will not only stop water, but insects, dirt and anything else sticking to the screen.

Let’s hope this doesn’t take more than 5 years to be standard on all cars.

Episode 4 of Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast

Tech News,

Episode 4 of Gav & Dave’s Tech podcast which, I co-host with David from UKMobileTech is now live.

To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.

Episode 4 – Show Notes

Welcome to Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. This is a podcast covering our views and thoughts on technology.

Episode 4 – Agenda

1) Feedback & Questions

2) News in brief – Apple and China Mobile. Google Play Movies and Google Play updated to allow SD card support.
Amazon Air Drones. Apple has 1 million apps. Nokia Mix Radio. Kit Kat now allows lower grade hardware to be supported.

3) Main Articles –

– Dave & Gav’s Budget Phone recommendations
– Windows Phone 7 Day Challenge
– Gav & Dave’s Top 5 Phones of 2013

Why did Microsoft offer Samsung $1bn ?

Tech News, Windows,

Microsoft is rumoured to have offered Samsung a $1bn deal to continue producing windows phones. But if this is true why would Microsoft offer this incentive?

Simply Samsung has decent manufacturing resources. Also by getting Samsung to manufacture for the Windows Phone platform, android users might be more willing to try and move to a different platform. Also, if Microsoft can draw Samsung away from android, that will weaken that operating system. Google might have to look more to LG and Asus.

So what would be the advantage for Samsung. A huge payout and more domination across another operating system and the ability to destroy its competitors.

Twice daily updated weather for Princetown, Dartmoor – details

Weather

Apart from tech news, the weather for Princetown, Dartmoor is available on my blog. Depending on whether device you are accessing it, you will either get the desktop view as below, or the mobile view. With the mobile view, you need to select menu and then choose the Dartmoor Weather option. Of course you can always catch up on reviews of over 20 plus devices as well.

20131214-081247.jpg

20131214-081252.jpg

If viewing from a desktop, you should also see snow falling across the screen.

Samsung merges it’s camera and wireless divisions – viewpoint

Android, Tech News

Samsung has announced that it has merged its wireless division with its camera division to help share idea, problems and resources. This makes total sense as phones steadily replace standalone cameras including DSLRs.

So let’s hope Sony follows suit. It makes great cameras, but it’s phones aren’t of the same level. For example the Z1 boasts a 20mp sensor, which when I reviewed did not produce consistent results.

2014-15 could produce some really exciting phones with terrific photo abilities.

Hurray – Freephone numbers will be free from mobiles – just one catch

Tech News,

Ofcom has confirmed calls to ‘Freephone’ numbers are to become free from mobile phones.

The telecoms regulator made the decision after finding consumers still have a poor awareness of the cost of calling numbers which are supposed to be free – typically those beginning with 0800, 0808 and 116.

While calls from a landline to these numbers are generally free, consumers who do not have access to a fixed line and rely on mobiles are deterred from using them, Ofcom said.

As well as ensuring that “Freephone will mean free”, Ofcom is capping premium rate charges for 09 numbers.

Confusion around 0845 numbers will also be addressed so that the cost of calling these numbers will be broken into access and service charges and become clearer.

Only one slight catch. The changes wont be implemented for another 18 months. Still, it’s about time too.