Tuesday, September 17, 2013

September 2013 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Are You Ready for iOS 7?
Pre-Release House Cleaning

The new operating system for Apple mobile devices called iOS 7 is scheduled for release on September 18th. It will be available for iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and higher, and also the 5th generation iPod Touch. To see about all the new features you can visit: http://www.apple.com/ios/
What should you do before the update? Back up your device. Do not install iOS 7 unless your device is backed up. Also, plug your mobile device into power while performing the update. Follow these steps and you'll go a long way to a happy upgrade.

iOS Only Gets 0.7% of Malware Attacks
Good News, but Think Safety 

We have to be extremely careful on the Internet to protect ourselves from all the ne'er-do-wells out there. But iOS users can breathe a little sigh of relief that only 0.7% of malware attacks currently target Apple mobile devices. This compares to a whopping 79% of hits against Android powered phones and tablets. You can read the full article from The Independent at:

It's good news, but it's still important to be cautious. Here are three ways to keep your device safe from the bad guys:
  1. Back up your phone frequently. If attacked by malware, you can restore your settings from the backup.
  2. Make sure that your iTunes/iCloud passwords are easy to remember, but hard for someone to guess. Throw in a few numbers, capital letters, or characters and ensure the password is at least eight characters long. Keep it somewhere secure so you can refer to it (and trust us, you will absolutely need to refer to it).
  3. Do not "Jailbreak" or "Hack" your device. Apple equipment comes with safeguards built-in, and "Hacking" your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch leaves it open to malware.

The iPhone 5s is the Real Deal
'S' Stands for Stupendous!

Apple again has introduced a phone that raises the bar--not with screen size, or umpteen gigapixel camera, or even a built-in micro subwoofer. They have innovated the old fashioned way, by first tinkering under the hood and making the already awesome iPhone 5 even better.

And under that hood is the first 64-bit processor in a phone. It is even being called "Desktop Class." When it is released on September 20th, the iPhone 5s will reign as the only 64-bit phone on the planet. The new phone coupled with iOS 7, which has been built as a 64-bit operating system, will make the iPhone 5s the most powerful phone on the market today. What does that mean to you? Speed. Apple claims the 5s is 40 times faster than the original iPhone, so apps, games, and camera functions will be faster. 

The other big deal is that the increase in processing power does not come at the cost of battery life. Apple claims an increase in battery performance, even despite the requirements of a more powerful chip. As we all know, your mileage may vary. We'll have to wait and see real world results.

The camera is the same 8 megapixels, but those pixels are larger. More light equates to better pictures, and the larger pixels capture more light. There are also two LED flashes, with the second being amber in color. Apple refers to the feature as True Tone Flash. It allows the iPhone 5s to match the color temperature of the room, much like expensive professional photographic equipment.

That new 64-bit processor enables the iPhone 5s to offer another first that Apple calls Touch ID. Your fingerprint on the Home button unlocks the phone. It also is your ID for purchasing apps, music/movies from the iTunes store, and books from the iBooks store. Your finger becomes your password! It will make life easier, but it's still important to always know your iCloud/iTunes password.

For more on the iPhone 5s visit: http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/