Tag Archives: iphone
Gadgets

iOS 6 beta

By on Tuesday, June 12, 2012

So iOS 6 was announced at WWDC and I grabbed the beta soon as it became available. It generally looks just like iOS 5 in keeping with Apple’s incremental improvement approach. There were changes here and there but the biggest ones I noticed were:

  1. Maps – out goes Google and in comes TomTom, their new maps data provider. New features are turn-by-turn navigation and 3D view. Level of detail is less than Google Maps at this time though.
  2. Passbook – one place for all your electronic/digital passes, tickets, discount cards, coupons, etc.
  3. Siri – gets new functionality such as launching apps.
  4. Call Handling – Do not disturb mode (with exceptions to selected number or repeated calls, how cool is that?), send SMS to reject call (Nokias had this since like forever), callback reminder.
  5. Parental Control – better restrictions on apps and content, Guided Access mode (stay within one app). Just be sure your toddler doesn’t slam your iDevice on the floor in frustration.
  6. Privacy – better privacy control
  7. Mail – Mailbox management (VIP and flagging), add attachments from the new message screen, new pull down to refresh animation.
  8. Clock – Alarm sound can be a song. You can wake up to the sound of Manic Monday and Friday I’m In Love :P
  9. Safari – offline reading, syncing
  10. Share Button – graphical, colorful, and prettier. Way better than the previous text list.
  11. Built-In Apps – built-in apps such as iTunes and Music have sleeker, easier-to-use interfaces. Unfortunately, Find My Friends isn’t one of them. Not that anybody uses it.
  12. New Wallpapers – 3 new wallpapers including the official iOS 6 ripples background.
  13. Facebook Integration – Similar to the Twitter integration introduced in iOS 5. Couldn’t care less about this :P
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Gadgets

Mophie Juice Pack Pro

By on Friday, June 8, 2012

I love rugged cases and, because of the iPhone 4S’ dismal battery performance, I’ve been looking around for a battery case. So I was just thinking that ruggedized cases are bulky, battery cases are bulky, why not bring the two together? And then someone comes out with something exactly that: the Mophie Juice Pack Pro. I’m just wondering what’s up with the scrimping on the plastic bits up the front.

Here’s something else that’s bulky: an inductive charger. Can I give all you case makers a month for that? :P

 

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Gadgets

Energizer XP1000

By on Monday, April 23, 2012

My usage pattern (heavy mobile browsing, moderate SMS, and some calls) coupled with Smart’s poor 3G network coverage results in dismal battery performance of my iPhone 4S. Despite my best efforts, standby is at only 20 hours with usage of around 4 hours and that already includes my sleeping time. Fully charged in the morning, I get up to12-14 hours of standby before I need to recharge. Usually, I’m back home by then. But that means I have a problem when I’m away for more than half the day.

My solution is the Energizer XP1000. It is a small (about the size of 1/3 a deck of cards) and light emergency charger and backup battery. It has a “universal” charging cable that allows you to charge the XP1000 via a USB port and charge different devices by attaching different tips  or connectors for different standards/devices. The package includes tips for mini-USB, micro-USB, iPhone/iPod, and Nokia.

The XP1000 specifications claims it stores a charge for a year, can be recharged up to 500 times, and is rated at 1000mAh. It charges my iPhone 4S from almost empty to just over 50% in around 2 hours. Not bad. That should give me an extra 6-7 hours of standby and a corresponding amount of usage. My only quibble is that the universal charging cable makes carrying the XP1000 around in your pocket a bit less convenient. But it’s not a problem if you have a gadget bag.

Rating: 4/5

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General

PSMonitor Free is Out!

By on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

PSMonitor Free  is now available at the Apple App Store. It was initially rejected because it was too limited. They’re very particular in that way. But after adding some functionality and resubmitting, it was finally approved. Yay!

PSMonitor lets you monitor the Philippine stock market activity real-time and on the go (requires a WiFi or data connection).

  • Real-time updates from the stock exchange
  • Simple and intuitive interface
  • All Stocks tab for viewing actively traded stocks by symbol
  • Active Stocks tab for viewing actively traded stocks by value
  • Gainers tab for viewing gainer stocks by gain
  • Losers tab for viewing loser stocks by loss
  • Flick up and down the list of stocks
  • View stock symbols, prices, and price changes at a glance
  • View details such as symbol, name, last price, previous close, change for the day, %change, trade volume, and trade value.

By purchasing PSMonitor you get all of the above  plus:

  • View 30-day candlestick chart (coming in v1.3)
  • Refresh button for refreshing data on demand
  • My Stocks tab for storing your portfolio or watch list of stocks
  • Add stocks along with quantity and buy price to My Stocks
  • Edit stock quantity and buy price
  • Delete stock from My Stocks
  • View your stocks’ position value, and profit/loss for the day at a glance
  • View additional details such as your position, position value, profit/loss for the day, profit/loss to date, and buy price.

Also available for Android. Full Version available for iOS only at this time.

 

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