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The Apple Watch 4 is making me Drool

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The new Apple Watch 4 is making me drool. I work on Apple platforms, but I also work on a Android phone and use Google for all my productivity needs. I wont change my Google preference, but I may convert to the Apple Watch 4. Here’s why – the watch just looks cool. And it holds an incredible amount of technology in its small form.

The Apple Watch 4 comes running watchOS 5 software out of the box and those with Apple Watch 3’s will be able to upgrade to it later in September, so you’ll soon have the latest version of the software no matter what watch you opt for.

The Apple Watch 4 has a faster processor than the Watch 3 called the S4 which the company claims will be twice as fast as the last generation. Whether you’ll notice that performance bump in real-life usage is unclear, but if you want the fastest Apple Watch, you’ll need the newer version.

The speaker on the newer watch is also 50% louder than the Apple Watch 3, which the company says is better for the new Walkie-Talkie feature as well as phone calls from your wrist.

Overall the Apple Watch 4 was the best announcement this year. The Verge said,

“This year’s Apple Watch is incredibly good. If you use it just for notifications and step counting, it’s probably overkill, but it’s able to handle more advanced features better than any other smartwatch I’ve tested. Mapping, music, workouts, calls, texting, podcasts… most of the stuff I could imagine wanting from a smartwatch works better than ever before.”

Apple Watch Health

The optical heart sensor has been part of Apple Watch from the beginning, allowing you to quickly check your heart rate. Thanks to a new electrical heart sensor (made up of an electrode in the Digital Crown and electrodes on the back crystal), you can use the ECG app to generate an ECG, or electrocardiogram, at any time to share with your doctor.

Electrodes built into the Digital Crown and the back crystal work together with the ECG app to read your heart’s electrical signals. Simply touch the Digital Crown to generate an ECG waveform in just 30 seconds. The ECG app can indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation — a serious form of irregular heart rhythm — or sinus rhythm, which means your heart is beating in a normal pattern

 

Buy Apple Watch

The Apple Watch 4 is available in four variants: 40mm and 44mm sizes, and with or without LTE. In terms of the Apple Watch 4 release date, you can buy it now – it came out on  September 21 – so you can now get this onto your wrist. H

  • The GPS-only version starts at $399 / £399 / AU$599 for the smallest version, and  $429 / £429 / AU$649 for the larger one 44mm one.
  • The cellular option starts at $499 / £499 / AU$749 for the 40mm and $529 / £529 / AU$799 for the larger watch.

This version from Hermes is very cool, and very expensive.

The Nike sport edition is a cool look as well.

 

And the standard versions are still exquisite looking.

 

Here are the some exciting and useful things you can do with the Apple Watch 4

  1. Answer Calls
  2. Use the Apple Watch as a Walkie Talkie
  3. Listen to Podcasts on the Apple Watch
  4. Use the Apple Watch as a Flashlight
  5. Use the Apple Watch in Water
  6. Monitor Your Heart Rate
  7. Track Your Fitness
  8. Send Apple Watch Emoji
  9. Share Your Heartbeat
  10. Pay with Apple Pay
  11. Get Directions On Your Apple Watch
  12. Send Drawings from the Apple Watch
  13. Use Siri on the Apple Watch
  14. Look at Photos on Your Apple Watch
  15. Connect to Your Car
  16. Send Facebook Messages
  17. Listen to Music on Your Apple Watch
  18. Share Your Location
  19. Check Your Email
  20. Control Your Apple TV & Music

Apple Watch in Motion

The Touch Bar Whisperer – Apples Quiet Giant

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In 2016, Apple updated their MacBook Pro lie of laptops and with it came the infamous “touch bar” which replaced the function keys at the top of the keyboard. The MacBook Pro’s were updated in 2017, and with it came even more Apps that worked with the touch bar. The usual suspects like iMovie, Final Cut, Garage Band all have great short cuts and thoughtful multi touch functions.

touch bar

But what seemed cool at first, quickly became a gimmick to the critics after it was launched. I have to admit that I thought the same thing, even thought I had not used it. The critics stated after using the touch bar for a few months that “it was not useful” and “it’s not worth the extra money.” Like all new Apple ideas, they are usually ahead of their time. It takes a bit for us to catch up. So now I’m here to tell you I think they’re all wrong. 

I think the Touch Bar is not only cool, but useful, and sometimes quicker than using a mouse.

Now that I have used the MacBook Pro with touch bar for a bit, I now only find it useful but it adds fun back into the Mac. Its more than just a computer. Im engaging with the laptop in new ways. Rather than talk about it lets look at some of the touch bar layouts with shortcuts.

Basic functionality with Touch Bar.

You can expand from the bar above to these choices. And you can customize the touch bar as well. Which itself is very cool, by doing a drag and drop method.touch bar


Apple explains how to use and customize the touch bar here.

Your Favorite Emojis

emoji

Keynote

iMovie

iTunes

GarageBand

 

Here are two great movies to show you how to best use the Touch Bar.

 

Here is what Marques thinks. Because he is the coolest.

I recommend you check out the Touch Bar MacBook Pro, whether you use intensive graphics programs or just do general computing. It livens up the Mac and adds utility. If cost is a deal breaker, I totally understand. It is more expensive, however, with that increase you get bumped up to an I7 processor. Check out Best Buy or B&H Video for the best prices. They have a good return policy so you can drive them for a week or so. Enjoy!

WWDC18 – Notes to Self

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No Mac hardware 🙁

 

 

Everything below will be out in the fall.

Final thoughts from Tim Cook

 

3:07 EST – Lot of Mac talk here

 

2:52 EST – New NEWS and Stocks to the Mac

Dark Mode Developer – oooohhhhh

 

New Dark Mode

 

Mojave – The dessert OS

Never mind its the OS – uggghhh

Here we go!!!!!  Mac

 

The new cable box –

AppleTV App 

You can put your college ID on your phone through these schools

3rd Party Apps available on Watch

New app called Walkie-Talkie seems pretty interesting – direct voice to another person with watch

2:04 – Apple Watch New watchOS 5

 

2:01 – FaceTime up to 32 people. Get your game face on.



 

1:53 – MeMoji’s Animate yourself

 

1:49 EST – For the Phone addicts you can see your usage – ScreenTime

 

1:33 EST – Siri Update

You can add your own phrases.

Update to Apple Photos looks a lot like Google Photos

1:25 – Legos in AR

 

1:22 – New Measure App in 3D

1:18 EST – New AR format

Performance on all devices with IOS12

1:14 EST – IOS 12 is coming

1:05

 

 

12:49 EST Almost ready to start. The Apple site is changing. APPs!

 

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference

See you here at 1pm PST

wwdc apple 2018WWDC18 – The annual Apple Software announcements are today 1pm PST. The normal June announcements and updates to the software for iPhones, iPads and the Watch are all expected. The wild card announcements are with hardware such as, the Apple TV and the MacBook laptops.

I will be making mental notes that may make it to this blog, as the news come in today.
See you here at 1pm PST

 

Cool Apple Geeks

cool apple geeks

WWDC student scholarship winners get meet-and-greet with Tim Cook, and free AirPods

Students were welcomed at an orientation yesterday at the Steve Jobs Theater, whose speakers included Tim Cook and Lisa Jackson.
Winners had a photo op afterwards with Cook, and the opportunity to demo their apps to him. Apple’s CEO tweeted a link to a short video of students explaining their current or favorite app. See full story here on 9-5

————–

watchOS 5:

tvOS 12:

IOS 12:

macOS “Monterey” 10.14

New iPad Pros

New MacBook Pros

New iPhone SE 2

Could Apple Really Fix Healthcare for Physicians and Patients

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Apple has been playing in the healthcare arena for the past few years, and they’re is still working hard to make the Watch an integral part of the wearable technology mix. But now Apple has taken on a whole new aspect by helping the physician help their patients. By using their technology, software and hardware, Apple may soon be the key to successful health outcomes for patients by storing medical records. By making the accessible to both patients and physicians in a secure environment is a long overdue promise. I hope they can do it.

So what is Apple’s plan?

Apple announced a new health effort as part of iOS 11.3. The new Health Records section in the Health app lets you gather and view all your medical records as well as the participating hospitals – see below. So that means that those hospitals and clinics will be able to push this data to your phone directly. You’ll receive a notification alerting you that you just received a new medical record. Data is encrypted on your phone and protected by your passcode.

Health Records is going to be a new menu in the Health Data section of the Health app. You’ll be able to add any file to this menu as long as it’s a CDA file (Clinical Document Architecture). Some hospitals already email you those files or make them available on their website. But Apple wants to automate this process.
 
The new Health Records section is available to the patients of the following medical institutions as part of the iOS 11.3 beta. In the coming months, more medical facilities will connect to Health Records offering their patients access to this feature. Further information for health institutions is available here.
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine – Baltimore, Maryland
  • Cedars-Sinai – Los Angeles, California
  • Penn Medicine – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Geisinger Health System – Danville, Pennsylvania
  • UC San Diego Health – San Diego, California
  • UNC Health Care – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Rush University Medical Center – Chicago, Illinois
  • Dignity Health – Arizona, California and Nevada
  • Ochsner Health System – Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
  • MedStar Health –  Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
  • OhioHealth – Columbus, Ohio
  • Cerner Healthe Clinic – Kansas City, Missouri

Why will Apple make the difference?

Apple does four things very well. They know how to automate operations, simplify tasks, create an intuitive interface, and provide trust. The apps on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch are capable of helping medical professionals deliver personalized care.

“Our powerful hardware is built to keep up with the demands of healthcare organizations to make work faster and more efficient. And intuitive apps provide easy access to critical health information, so healthcare teams have all the resources they need to make the best decisions for their patients.”

An intuitive, familiar interface.

Apple’s advantage is to build on a platform people are already familiar with. “Apple devices and iOS apps allow patients to learn more about their conditions or treatment, doctors to view lab results and radiology images, and nurses to send and receive secure communication or to help ensure patient safety when administering medications.”

apple heatlhcareApple can continue patient care at home.

At home, iOS apps enable patients to stay connected to their care teams between office visits. Healthcare organizations can use off-the-shelf apps or use CareKit to create apps that empower patients to manage their health. iPhone, Apple Watch, the Health app, and HealthKit-enabled apps and medical devices make it easy for patients to record their health data and share it with their care teams.

Clinical trials and medical research.

Medical researchers can take their studies into the real world by building apps with ResearchKit. The open source framework streamlines the process, making it easier for researchers to enroll participants, capture informed consent, and gather medical information more frequently, rather than only during periodic visits.

Safe and secure data.

We build every aspect of our iOS devices with security in mind. Touch ID allows doctors to use their fingerprints as passwords to access patient charts instantly. Regular software updates protect iOS from emerging security concerns. And we build in safeguards to ensure that both third-party and in-house apps can access data only in ways that are authorized by the user. This gives patients ultimate control over what is shared with their care teams or other apps.

Did Apple sell you an iPhone X or iPhone 10?

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If you’re unaware of the Apple iPhone X pronunciation debate, then tell me if you pronounce the new iPhone X with the alphabet “X” or as the number “10”? No worries because everyone has been confused since the announcement. Some people argue that you say the letter “X,” while others believe the “X” is meant as the roman numeral for 10. For diehard fans it doesn’t matter. They still waited in line for days to get the phone.

Apple has settled the debate once and for all. The company said iPhone X is meant to be pronounced “iPhone 10.” The X marks the company’s 10th anniversary since the first iPhone hit the shelves in 2007.

Here are some hands on shots of the iPhone X from the Apple store today.

apple iphone x

iphone x

iphone x

iphone x wireless charger

“The iPhone X is loaded with high-end hardware and new features”

The iPhone X is loaded with high-end hardware and new features, including multiple cameras, wireless charging and a beautiful display. However, Apple got rid of the home button on the iPhone X and launched a new feature called “Face ID” that unlocks the phone when the user looks at it. But I think everyone is pretty happy.

 

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

iphone xThe sharpest display ever on an iPhone

The iPhone X features a colorful OLED display with more than 2 million pixels. That means sharper text for reading, more impressive video playback and more. Better yet, it has a screen that runs from edge to edge so you get a bigger viewing area without having to carry a larger phone.

 

Facial recognition

You can register your face with the iPhone X so that it automatically unlocks when you look at it. We’ve seen this before in phones such as the Galaxy S8, but Apple says its face unlock uses 3-D imagery that’s even more secure. It says the new tech can’t be fooled by even a professionally made mask of your face, and is more secure than fingerprint locks.

Animoji

This ties in to facial recognition but is fun enough that it deserves its own spot on the list. Apple developed new “Animoji” that allow you to create short clips of your own emotions and send them off as emojis to friends and family. Maybe you’ll make a silly face with the pig emoji, for example: Apple’s facial recognition tech will help the emoji resemble the exact expressions you’re making.

Cameras galore

Wide-Angle Camera

An ƒ/1.8 six-element lens, optical image stabilization (OIS), and a larger, faster 12MP sensor make the most popular camera in the world even better.

Telephoto Camera

Using a state-of-the-art seven-magnet solution, iPhone X includes a second OIS system in the powerful ƒ/2.4 telephoto camera. Together the two cameras enable optical zoom to bring you closer to your subject. And deliver amazing shots with Portrait mode.

The iPhone X has a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a second telephoto lens for zooming. Apple says it offers huge improvements over the cameras we saw in the iPhone 7 Plus, which was the first to offer a telephoto lens. Also expect to see less shaky videos, improved pictures in low light, and more. Also, a new front-facing “TrueDepth” camera is capable of taking those fancy portrait shots that debuted on the iPhone 7 Plus, which create a blurred background bokeh effect that looks much more professional.

4 Reasons Fans Waited in Line for the iPhone X

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Why would fans wait 24 hrs in line for a iPhone X? Is it that good? It’s the hype of all hypes. Since the announcements from Apple, fans have been counting the days.

In san Francisco, Tim Cook, faithful throngs gleefully greet Apple’s iPhone X in Bay Area stores.

iphone x

“We got in line at 4 AM to wait for an iPhone X “

apple fan

“Andrew Chen was the fourth person in line, and he had been there since 2:00 p.m. the day before.”

At Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, the line coiled up and down several times along 58th Street and extended across Madison and over toward Park Avenue. Apple was only letting in 10 customers at a time, so people were likely due for an even longer wait. Luckily, the weather in New York City was unseasonably warm and sunny.

So why did they wait? Here are the 4 things that distinguish the iPhone X from the others.

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

iphone xThe sharpest display ever on an iPhone

The iPhone X features a colorful OLED display with more than 2 million pixels. That means sharper text for reading, more impressive video playback and more. Better yet, it has a screen that runs from edge to edge so you get a bigger viewing area without having to carry a larger phone.

 

Facial recognition

You can register your face with the iPhone X so that it automatically unlocks when you look at it. We’ve seen this before in phones such as the Galaxy S8, but Apple says its face unlock uses 3-D imagery that’s even more secure. It says the new tech can’t be fooled by even a professionally made mask of your face, and is more secure than fingerprint locks.

Animoji

This ties in to facial recognition but is fun enough that it deserves its own spot on the list. Apple developed new “Animoji” that allow you to create short clips of your own emotions and send them off as emojis to friends and family. Maybe you’ll make a silly face with the pig emoji, for example: Apple’s facial recognition tech will help the emoji resemble the exact expressions you’re making.

Cameras galore

Wide-Angle Camera

An ƒ/1.8 six-element lens, optical image stabilization (OIS), and a larger, faster 12MP sensor make the most popular camera in the world even better.

Telephoto Camera

Using a state-of-the-art seven-magnet solution, iPhone X includes a second OIS system in the powerful ƒ/2.4 telephoto camera. Together the two cameras enable optical zoom to bring you closer to your subject. And deliver amazing shots with Portrait mode.

The iPhone X has a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a second telephoto lens for zooming. Apple says it offers huge improvements over the cameras we saw in the iPhone 7 Plus, which was the first to offer a telephoto lens. Also expect to see less shaky videos, improved pictures in low light, and more. Also, a new front-facing “TrueDepth” camera is capable of taking those fancy portrait shots that debuted on the iPhone 7 Plus, which create a blurred background bokeh effect that looks much more professional.

Get your Apple iPhone X fix here.

When it comes to phones I’m an Android guy but it doesnt mean I don’t envy the Apple folks. I work in IOS and Android – I like both, but the hype for Apple has a warmer feel when launching. The phone looks great and does some awesome things.

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