iOgrapher iPhone and iPad camera platform

iOgrapher, made for iOS devices, is an adaptable camera platform which can be equipped with various aftermarket lenses, microphones as well as other equipment which can change Apple’s mobile product range in a portable movie making studio. Fitted with premium optics, and backed by state of the art sensors as well as bespoke image processing technology together with a vast app store, the iOS devices are the most flexible portable camera systems in the market.

More focus is given to iPhones, which is seen on car commercial shots on Apple’s handset since the devices are usually one generation ahead of flagship iPad model with regards to camera capabilities though the tablet range is making much headway. Irrespective if one is an iPhone or iPad user, iOgrapher is developed to serve both with its light as well as flexible platform, capable of accepting aftermarket lenses, microphones, lamps etc.

While other camera mounts would need a case or a magnetic attachment for the lenses, the iOgrapher is a simple moulded plastic case that has handles and threaded brass to receive 37mm lenses and presently works with iPhone 5/5s, iPad Air, iPad 2/3/4 as well as iPad mini/mini 2/mini 3.

Device Tested for Both Form Factors

The device has been tested for both form factors with iPhone 5 and iPad mini and both the models have a relatively flat low profile polycarbonate moulded case with handles and threaded brass inserts for tripod mounting. Each accept 37mm lenses though the smaller version of iPhone only tends to support two cold-shoe mounts when compared to the iPad mini 3.

The two handles are excellent to grip, providing stability to the video and work very well with favoured video recording app. Good results are seen using Hyperlapse, exporting at 1x. At the time of testing, a RODE shotgun microphone as well as a Manfrotto 24 LED lamp was mounted to the cold-shoe mounts and at the time of taking photographs, it was found that a wide angled and macro lenses provided the best result. While filming, the wide angle or fisheye, does provide excellent result and the microphone and the light tend to be very useful while performing the video shoot.

Light and Easy to Operate 

The iOgrapher is light and easy to operate with the provision of two cold shoes, though not pretty. While on the iPad mini mode, though three cold shoe mounts are present, one may only be capable of using two, based on the width of the accessory connected and the lamp with the microphone are both wide enough to avoid using all three mounts simultaneously.

It is essential to be aware of a few things, when faced with some difficulty with the threads for the first time on using a lens. The brass being soft one should go slow ensuring that the threads are lined up so as to avoid cross thread and then taking the lens off, ensure to blow away any brass dust after use. Moreover while using an external microphone check whether the RODE is connected through the headphone jack or a lightning connected microphone using the Airplane mode. A distorted noise may interrupt a recording with any incoming notification sound that may come up.

Apple in Talks with UK Banks to Launch Apple Pay

According to recent reports, The Telegraph, top banks all over UK are presently negotiating with Apple, for the launch of Apple Pay during the first half of 2015. Sources have disclosed that the major banks have called for privacy concerns over personal and financial information of users but have admitted that they are positive with regards to the impact the service has made in the United States.

The bank is not comfortable with the amount of personal and financial information of the customers, that Apple collects and some executive are apprehensive that Apple Pay and the data it delivers to Apple could serve as a cause for an invasion of the banking industry.

This information comes in after Apple had posted a job listing for Apple Pay Intern somewhere early this month which indicated that the company is striving to work hard in the expansion of its payment service across Africa, Europe, India and Middle East.

In September, Visa had also stated that it would be working with Apple to roll out Apple Pay across Europe in 2015 while e-commerce giant Alibaba has also been negotiating with Apple over a partnership which would bring about the service to China

Established Near Field Communication Technology

According to The Telegraph, Apple has hopes of launching Apple Pay in the first half of 2015 where negotiations are reported to be tricky, as at least one of Britain’s major banks has been reluctant to share too much information with Apple to launch its tap to pay service.

Apple Pay had already been launched off in the U.S., in October and had become the largest NFC based mobile payment service in the market where various competitors had already been established and in November, Apple Pay was accounted for 1% of all digital payment dollars. Apple Pay has seen adoption at various popular retailers and restaurants in the U.S. which include McDonalds, Macy’s Subway, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Nike to mention a few.

Presently Apple Pay depends on established near field communication technology and users have found that they can use the capability at some NFC terminals internationally though the tap to pay functions present in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus operates only if the device is set up properly with American credit cards.

Compatible with Global Systems

Presently Apple Pay is limited to the U.S. though the job listings in Europe and China indicate an international rollout is in progress and Apple has not disclosed any specific launch for international availability.The fact is that Apple Pay has already been compatible with global systems indicating that the international roll out of Apple’s mobile payment service is not affected by technology or point of sale systems.

On the contrary, Apple should forge agreement with credit card issuers and banks ensuring compatibility all across the globe. Sources have accepted that no major bank would want to miss out on Apple Pay though early indications from the United States show that it may be the service to ultimately convince the consumers to pay with their mobile phones.

Apple’s Patent – `Communicating Stylus’

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recently has granted Apple, a patent for `communicating stylus’, which would capture digital copies of handwritten notes as well as drawings from a variety of surfaces from paper to a whiteboard. Apple’s smart pen patent had first being filed for in January 2010 with credits to Aleksandar Pance as its inventor.

According to the patent, it would outline a smart writing feature which utilises accelerometers, wireless communication hardware and on-board storage for transferring handwritten notes and drawing from the stylus on to the digital device display.Several companies have developed these kinds of products the most relevant one being Livescribe’s smartpen and few boast on the complete complement of advanced technology by Apple’s design.

For instance, Livescribe 3 utilises an infrared camera which is located in its tip in order to capture handwriting and is then stored on-board or offloaded through Bluetooth wherein the process needs specialized paper, with a large chassis together with generous amount of power. The stylus could be configured to send movement data after the data has been collected at predefined intervals or continuously based on the users’ requirements, while another option is by sending out stylus data to various devices, as meeting notes.

Efficient Accelerometers/Motion Sensing Hardware

Apple’s stylus is featured on efficient accelerometers or other motion sensing hardware where the pen get activated only when it is picked up and its nib is pressed to the paper, withdrawn from a dock or manually turned on by the user. Thereafter the on-board sensors tend to track position changes with regards to an initial zero point enabling the device to transmit real-time data for translation as well as graphical representation on the screen of an iOS device.

It may be noted that Apple’s invention has the capabilities of being fitted with several accelerometers to measure movement in three dimension which produces accurate digital copy of stylus motion at any given angle irrespective of it being on a desk, wall or in the air. In other instances, it may not call for instant playback like taking notes, wherein in this case, the stylus could save movement data on-board or conduct burst transmission in order to save on energy. Apple had indicated that user could transmit data to a computing device which could remain in a bag or a pocket and could be a solution in saving digital backup of physical notes.

Embodiments with Alternative

Embodiments with alternative, comprises of several transmitter as well as receiver configurations for area triangulation, embedded magnetometers for collecting orientation data and several nib layouts to write with ink, graphite as well as other materials. Another thing to note is a capacitive version which could be used as a tradition iPad stylus.

As in the case of other Apple Patents with regards to styli, the idea of actually making one to the production level is slim taking into consideration the great efforts taken in multi-touch interface and to build a `communicating stylus, is made available if Apple intends to build such a device. Most of the hardware that is mentioned in the patent has been used in the prevailing generation iPhones as well as the iPads.

Apple’s iCloud Photo Library

With Apple’s announcement of discontinuing Aperture and iPhoto for Mac, the iCloud Photo Library stores which was first introduced during WWDC, for photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, will be available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch as well as Macs through iCloud.com. iCloudPhoto Library beta is made available with iOS 8.1, a new iCloud Photos app, available to all users within iCloud.com.

This will function with the Photos app which Apple is developing for Mac and is probably expected to come in early this coming year. Till iCloud Photo Library comes out of beta with proper OS X counterpart, next year, the prevailing photo experience on iOS as well as the Mac would be confusing and users have the liberty of turning on iCloud Photo Library – Beta, though they also have the option to keep Photo Stream which is likely to disappear at some point of time somewhere next year.

Should the user opt to leave iCloud Photo Library off, the old Photo Stream paradigm would stay in place which will save the last 30 days of photos to the cloud or atleast the last 1000 pictures, whichever would be more, that may not have been counted against iCloud storage and Photo Stream may have not saved videos.

Photo Stream – Compatibility on all Devices

The advantage of Photo Stream is its compatibility on all devices which includes Mac and any new photo that may have been taken on iPhone or iPad, would show up in the Photo Stream in iPhoto, Aperture or any other IOS devices that are associated with the account.

 Its limit is 1000 photo/30 day though if one remembers to open iPhoto and enable Photo Stream syncing;all the photos tend to get saved on the Mac and not just the previous 30 days. The present form of iCloud Photo Library would save all the photos as well as the videos to the cloud and is limited only by the current available iCloud storage.

Photos would tend to sync between the iOS device such as Photo Stream though will not show up in iPhoto or Aperture on the Mac and users could access their iCloud Photo library through the web and upload photos from the web interface. To enable iCloud Photo library, users could go to the Settings app on the iOS device and opt for iCloud and then tap on the Photos section beneath the iCloud Drive in the list.

Full Quality of Photo Saved to the Cloud/Device

Before enabling iCloud Photo Library, note that it is presently a beta product. Then move the top slider, enable iCloud Photo, which will update the photo library on the device thatwill take a few minutes. When the same in enabled, users could choose to have the full quality photo saved to the cloud as well as an optimized version kept on the device for preservation of space.

Should one continue to use Photo Stream on a Mac, enable `Upload to My Photo Stream’, on the menu and the Photo Stream can be viewed on the device though it will be available in iPhoto and Aperture on Mac. Once iCloud Photo Library is enabled, the Photos app on iOS device will tend to appear in a different manner.

Which is the right iPhone model for me?

With millions of proud owners around the world, the iPhone is one of the most widely used smartphones on the market. Over 20 versions of the phone have been released since its initial introduction, and the most current models available, the iPhone 6 and 6+, both bring a slightly different set of features to the table. Although the iPhone 6+ may be the absolute best device Apple has to offer, the iPhone 6 is an extremely capable device as well and may be the perfect solution for some users.

iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 claims 14 hours of talk time along with 10 hours of music, making a single daily charge all a user needs for a typical day’s adventures. It also has a camera designed to function better in low light with improved auto focus and facial detection, so users largely satisfied with what the iPhone 5 or a similar device has to offer but looking for a superior camera will find an ideal answer in the iPhone 6.

The most talked-about difference in the iPhone 6 is the improved screen, which upgrades from the old 4.0in display to a 4.7in display delivering 326 pixels per square inch. The iPhone 6 is both slimmer and lighter than the previous version and includes enhanced 4G LTE support, making it an outstanding choice for those who want to keep things as similar as possible while still having access to all the current generation iPhone features such as Hey Siri and Apple Pay.You can grab an iPhone at iiNet, check out their site & read about their plans.

iPhone 6+

The iPhone 6+ adds even more features to the already ample package provided by the iPhone 6, making it the undisputed choice among users looking for the best from the manufacturer. The 4.7 inch screen of the iPhone 6 is replaced with an enormous 5.5 inch display capable of 401 pixels per square inch for images and video unrivaled in sharpness. This makes the iPhone 6+ an easy choice for those who enjoy videos or games on their devices regularly.

The biggest question concerning whether the iPhone 6 is right for an individual user concerns the size of the device itself. The larger screen and higher capacity battery create an unusually large smartphone, making it somewhat difficult to handle for some and inconvenient to store in many pockets. The large size of the battery does bring the benefit of 24 hours’ talk time and over 12 hours of Internet browsing, the fact that the device is simply much larger than other phones may make it unsuitable for some users.

Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure that there is a current generation iPhone for virtually everyone, and have done just that with the iPhone 6 and 6+. Those looking for the latest in iOS convenience and utility in an approachable form factor will probably prefer the iPhone 6, but for the ultimate in mobile entertainment, the iPhone 6+ is tough to beat.

Apple’s First Automatic Security Update

Apple has gone ahead with its first automatic security update for OS X to handle newly identified bugs which researchers have warned would enable hackers to control devices remotely. According to Apple spokesman, Bill Evans, the company has developed the software fix to deal with critical security issues which could affect Unix-based system including OS X and the issue was with the NTP – network time protocol, which is used to synchronize computer system clocks.

The bug was revealed to the public in security bulletins late last week, by the Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute. Dozens of technology companies which includes Apple and whose products could be vulnerable were identified by Carnegie Mellon.

Apple had earlier, released security patches through its regular software update system which usually needs the user’s approval and introduced the technology to deliver the automatic security updates couple of years back though it had not been used till date.

Reuters was informed by a company spokesperson that it had made a decision in using the technology in order to protect the customers at the earliest, due to the severity of the vulnerabilities and the `update is seamless’ and `does not even require a restart’.

Attackers Executing Arbitrary Code Utilising NTPD Process

The update surfaced to address an issue which was focused by the U.S. Government on December 19 and earlier discovered by the Google Security Team where the vulnerability has the capabilities of enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code utilising the privileges of the NTPD process.

Apple had earlier faced vulnerabilities during the 2014 the most recent being on releasing an OS X bash update in September to fix the `Shellshock’ security flaw. Current day’s security update could be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Neel Mehta and Stephen Roettger, Google Security Team researchers had coordinated various vulnerabilities with CERT/CC with regards to the NTP – Network Time Protocol and as NTP is used widely in operational Industrial Control Systems deployments, NCCIC/ICS-CERT has been providing the details for US Critical Infrastructure asset owners as well as operators bringing about an awareness as well as to identify mitigations for the affected devices. Updated release on additional information, when available would be provided by ICS-CERT.

Mac Users to Install Security Patch

Products utilising NTP service earlier to NTP-4.2.8 could be affected and no specific vendor is specified since this is an open source protocol.

 Mac users should pay heed to the advice from Apple and install the security patch and users running OS X Yosemite – 10.10, OS X Mavericks – 10.9 and OS X Mountain Lion – 10.8 would find the available updates in the Software Update mechanism of OS X, which is accessible from the Apple menu as well as by opting for `Software Update’, which is only 1.4MB and also installs in a quick manner.

 If one has automatic updates enabled for system software and security updates, the NTP would probably be installed already, though checking manually could be done. According to Apple spokesmen, Bill Evans, comments that Apple though, does not know of any cases, where vulnerable Mac computers were targeted by hackers looking to exploit the bugs.

Apple’s New Position for ApplePay Site Reliability Engineer

The latest Apple mobile payment service was launched in October with a few official partners and has signed on around 500 new banks since the announcement of Apple Pay. It was reported that Apple has recently advertised a new position in Shanghai for an `ApplePay Site Reliability Engineer’ and the 40 hour per week role would need collaboration with the peers in the U.S as well as in Europe to what has been identified by Apple as a `follow-the-sun team’.

Since Apple Pay was debuted in the U.S, presently the NFC based contactless payment service remains only for America, though a series of new hires indicate that Apple would be planning a quick global expansion of the fledgling service. Besides the Shanghai based engineer position Apple Pay job listing of another kind for a London based intern was also reported where a core Apple Pay team for EMEIA operations had been set who are now looking out for support with more routine legal aspect of the project.

The advertisement revealed Apple’s plans to launch Apple Pay across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The advertisement reads `specifically to support execution of multiple NDAs and contract with third party partners’. It is said that the Shanghai post would be focusing on the `front line customer experience according to Apple as well as back end integration of systems with network and banking partners.

No Indication of Time Frame on Apple Pay Launch – Outside US

The position description states that `as a member of the Apple pay SRE team, one is expected to not just find the issues, but to write code and fix them. They will be in all phases and layers of the application and have a direct impact on the experience of millions of customers’.

The requirements needed for the post is a minimum of five years’ experience on engineering in Java or any other object oriented language as well as five years with relational databases and no-SQL. Besides this the candidate should have a degree of Bachelor of Science in computer science or an equivalent industry experience.

Though the company is gearing up for an international debut of its mobile payment system behind the scene, it has not indicated any time frame on when and where Apple Pay would be launched outside the U.S.

Apple Pay Compatible with Global Systems

Most of the focus is on China where Jack Ma, the Chief Executive of Alibaba is keen on pushing in for a partnership between Apple Pay and his company’s AliPay service. Since Apple is dependent on established near field communication technology, consumers have realised that they can use the capability internationally, at some NFC terminals though they may have found out that the tap-to-pay functions found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can function only if the device is set up with American credit cards.

However the fact remains that Apple Pay is compatible already with global systems highlighting the fact that the international roll-out service of mobile payments system of Apples’ is not hampered by technology or point of sale system and Apple should forge an agreement with the banks as well as credit card issuers making it compatible all across the globe.

TAG Heuer – Plans to Bring Branded Smartwatch in Market

TAG Heuer, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer has recently announced their plans to bring a branded smartwatch in the market with unnamed tech companies, which is a move to spur on in part with Apple Watch. It was reported how Tag Heuer had been pushing ahead to release its own smartwatch with the other Swiss watchmakers on the same track.

They had earlier dismissed the threat faced from smarwatches and have softened their stand since then. For instance, they had recently declined of planning to launch its own smartwatch though only a couple of months back, Claude Biver,LVMH’s Business Head, had informed a Swiss newspaper that the company had plans to launch a Tag Heuer smartwatch in the summer of 2015 though they could not afford to follow in the footsteps of Apple.

According to Reuters reports, during the press conference at the headquarters of TAG Heuer in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in Switzerland, Biver, had admitted that he had recently changed his mind on fielding a smartwatch after being dismissive of the `smart device’, sector. He had stated that they had started on the project four months back and had done several partnerships and would also consider acquisitions.

Smartwatch Represent a Challenge to Swiss Watch Industry 

When questioned as to whether the company had approached Google or Intel as their partners, Guy Semon, General Manager had refrained from commenting though the reports have been coming up that Intel would be supplying the microprocessor for Tag Heuer’s smartwatches. Semon’s comments clearly indicated his apprehension of losing to high tech and more user convenient smartwatches.

He further commented that `Smartwatch represent a challenge to the Swiss watch industry that is comparable to the appearance of quartz technology and that they cannot ignore this tsunami which is coming closer’. He gave no indication of any specific launch date for a Tag Heuer smartwatch though added that the company would be presenting one, only if they were `first, different and unique’.TAG did not disclose prototype design at the meeting though reports claim that the watch would be a hybrid digital/mechanical design which would be powered by an Intel processor.

Biometric Sensors to Measure Metrics of Heart Rate

Moreover, it was also reported that it had inclusion of biometric sensors to measure metrics like a user’s heart rate. Hewlett-Packard had used a similar design without the sensors in its Choronowing collaboration with designer Michael Bastion.

The present news is different from the news of September when Biver had slammed Apples’ recently unveiled Apple Watch stating that the product `had no sex appeal and that it was too feminine, looking too much like the smartwatches which are already on the market’ and later on, he reversed course.

Biver had commented saying that they want to launch a smartwatch at TAG Heuer but would not copy the Apple Watchor followthem. TAG seems to be the latest traditional watch maker to incline against a steadily growing smartwatch market which has been led by tech innovator.

Apple is ready to disrupt it with its Apple Watch probably early next year and some expectations on some high models which would be priced in the range of TAG Heuers’ present offers.

How to Manage Your iCloud Storage and Backups

iCloud Backup – Feature Designed in iOS

Apple is aware that device backups tend to be useful when the process is regular and automatic; hence the feature is designed in iOS and managed by iCloud. Prior to iCloud, the prevailing backup method in iOS device was connected to a computer and synced to iTunes and as the other cloud services and streaming music became more prevalent, the need of syncing iPhone or iPad with iTunes became obsolete.

 iCloud is a better option than syncing with iTunes since it occurs automatically when a device is charging or connected to a Wi-Fi network. The iCloud backup comprises of information regarding the content that has been purchased and not the purchased content and when it is restored from an iCloud backup, the purchased content gets automatically downloaded from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store or App Store.

However some forms of contents do not get downloaded automatically in all countries and purchases done previously may not be available if, they tend to be refunded or are not available in the store.

Warns Users when iCloud Storage Full

The iOS device tends to warn the users whenever their iCloud storage gets full though managing iCloud storage could be a little different. Guidance is provided in managing the device from getting backed up regularly; manage iCloud storage, setting apps together with how to make the most of the current space without the need of upgrading to an expensive plan. iCloud being a primarily cloud service, one can manage storage setting on an iOS device or Mac and these options may not be available on iCloud.com.

One can navigate to the Setting app on an iOS device by scrolling down and tapping on the iCloud section. Next is the iCloud account which is associated with the device, with options for Family sharing available storage and what services can be presently synced to the iCloud account. With the use of toggle switches, one can opt to stop syncing Contacts, Calendars, Reminders etc. if other service is in use such as Exchange. To handle the iCloud space or upgrading to new plan, one can tap on the Storage heading.

Option to Delete Old Backups

Total storage is referred to the total iCloud space one has currently subscribed and if the storage available is less than 10 GB one would have difficulty in backing up the services. Apple had recently reduced the price of high capacity iCloud storage plan and to upgrade one can tap on the Change Storage plan option.

The plans are billed now on monthly basis instead of annually as earlier and the 200GB plan is appropriate if keen on having enough space to backup most of the content on the device. For the option to use iCloud Drive for increased number of documents or large content of photos, one could choose 500GB or 1TB.

The option to downgrade at any point of time is also provided if not intending in using the total storage amount. If one has upgraded recently, the iPhone or iPad, multiple iPhone or iPad backups tend to appear in iCloud’s list of backups and viewing these setting would indicate which backup file correlates to the device by showing `this iPad’ or `this iPhone’.

The user has the option to delete old backups of earlier devices to accommodate space while keeping the latest iPhone or iPad backups safe.

Redesigned YouTube App for Apple TV

Google recently unveiled a redesigned YouTube app for AppleTV along with a variety of new features while Apple too added four more channels including one from the popular mixed martial art league UFC to its line-up.

It is prominently a brand new YouTube app bringing the client updated with some of the various other platforms which reflects the design of other set-top box clients where the access would be easy to subscriptions as well as search functions. The YouTube app utilises the OAuth to login for security purpose instead of naïve password entry.

 However, the YouTube update would also mean that users of Apple TV would start to see ads for the first time on the platform and some of the users would be disappointed with this addition and it is impossible to opt out of the update.

The channels rolled are, for Conde Nast’s `The Scene’, `Fusion’, Dailymotion and UFC for premium subscription fighting and martial arts content. The Scene – from TheScene.com gather video content from Conde’s magazine and third party sites such as The Verge while Dailymotion seems to be more like a free-for-all video upload site a la YouTube.

No Subscription Essential to View Apple TV

None of these channels however, need a subscription to view on Apple TV. UFC has a pay-per-view or an annual `Fight Pass’, for a yearly subscription of $99 for mixed martial arts fans. Fusion on the other hand provides video programming for young and diverse audience with `unique mix of news, pop culture as well as satire’ and the network is a joint venture between Univision and ABCwhich is a digital news network with their focus at the millennial audience.

Dailymotion brings about most of the content from the web properties which include content from gaming network IGN to the Apple TV. The four channels and the YouTube are rolling out presently and would be appearing automatically on an Apple TV.

Apple will be highlighting the changes for the first time with a `New’ banner in the interface. Apple TV had added the new channels last in October with the addition of FYI and Feeln, which is A Beats Music app that had been added in September.

Refreshed User Interface 

Besides a refreshed user interface, the latest YouTube app also have additional functionality long missing from Apple TV incarnation and users can now subscribe to channel directly from the set-top box such as the app’s search function which uses a find-as-you-type configuration for quick searches.

With the YouTube update, Apple has now added this new content from UFC, The Scene, Fusion and Dailymotion bringing about their personalized recommendation to the latest version enabling users to browse through new content depending on their viewing history.

UFC which has been rumoured to be headed to the set-top streamer for some time now will enable viewers to access plenty of content inclusive of Pay-per-views as well as video from UFC Fight Pass. Meanwhile, The Scene brings about curated short form video content from brands which include ABC News, Epicurious, Forbes and GQ.

Apples’ – Free One Hour Coding Workshops

Apple will be hosting for the second consecutive year, a free one hour coding workshops at its retail stores around the world, as part of the Hour of Code movement enabling accessible programming to children and newbies interested in building a career out of coding.

It is revealed that on Thursday 11, December, Apple will be participating in Code.org’s annual Hour of Code, conducting a free hour long coding workshops at its 446 physical locations all over the United States and though the one hour would not probably make everyone the next great app or game developer, it is aimed in helping individuals with little to zero knowledge with regards to coding enabling them to grasp the basics which could serve as a foundation for their future training, irrespective of participants opting to enrol in formal programming courses or through self-education.

This movement is the brainchild of the non-profit organisation – Code.org, as part of an initiative, encouraging girls as well as ethnic minorities to fuse some interest on the subject. According to Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, states, ` We are proud to be part of making computer science accessible to students of all ages across the world. Education is part of Apple’s DNA and we believe this is a great way to inspire kids to discover technology’.

Courage Youngsters in Coding Careers

The hour of coding is part of Code.org’s contribution to Computer Science Education Week with their focus in encouraging youngsters to develop in coding careers and as part of the week long activities, Apple has planned to host live events at its stores all over the world from December 8 – 12.

Theodore Gray, cofounder and chief creative officer of app maker, TouchPress, will be speaking in Apple’s North Michigan Avenue store, on how he got his start in computing and what inspired him to work on premium apps, like The Elements and Disney Animated while Mengting Gao and Fabian Lucas will be sharing their coding experiences with the video receipts app – The Kitchen Stories Recipe in Kurfurstendamm, Berlin.

Hideki Ogawa and Takako Horiuchi, down in Ginza, Tokyo would be talking about their start as makers on their success in Flask iOS app. Individuals interested could register through Apple’s site or visit their Apple local retail store for enquiries related to available slots.

Several Companies Holding Individual Hour of Code Programs

The workshop being a kid friendly form, children and teenagers considering taking up computer science as their career could get a head start on their careers if not already done. Several other technology companies, which include Google, Disney Interactive and Salesforce.com together with retailers like Best Buy and Target would be holding their own Hour of Code programs while Microsoft would also be involved in kid friendly Hour of Code workshops at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumberg, Illinois on Dec 8 at 4 pm and the Oakbrook Centre in Oak Brook, Illinois at 7 pm.Co-founder of Code.org, Hadi Partovi stated that the organisation is thrilled to be working with Apple for a second year hoping that the Hour of Code would continue to spark a creative fire which students could otherwise not discover.

Apple’s New iPad 2 Campaign

Apple has recently released a new iPad Air 2 campaign at the Sunday football showcasing various physical as well as software applications for the iPad Air 2. Featuring the title `Change’, the ad features a significant change in the marketing campaign of the company for its flagship tablet and is a departure from last year’s iPad Air which was focused on a single user.

Apple had previously promoted the iPad Air and iPad mini through its `Your Verse’, campaign and highlighted a single use case for the iPad in every ad of the campaign, in a particular field or discipline like mountaineering, sports training, marine biology, Bollywood choreography, music competition, travel writing and urban activism.

This new entry is not just the thinnest and lightest iPad created, but also the most powerful. From the studio to the classroom, the field to the garage, it helps individuals to identify new and improved ways to the various performances of their choice.

The original iPad when introduced four years ago set the standard for thinness and lightness and since then it has become even thinner and lighter which is due to its durable aluminium unibody. All Apple products are made from highly recyclable materials like aluminium and hence great efforts have been done to exclude harmful toxins from their components.

Colours Richer/Images Vivid & Sharper

The previous generation displays of iPads had used three separate components and iPad Air 2 has changed it all combining those three layers into only one which eliminates spaces between layers together with the internal reflectance due to those gaps.

The outcome is that the colours are richer, with great contrast while the images tend to get more vivid and sharper. The iPad Air 2 has a custom designed anti-reflective coating which reduces the glare by fifty six percent thus making it the least reflective tablet at present. Beside this, it is clearer and more readable in any kind of an environment such as office, classroom or even outdoors. Much attention is paid to the back of the iPad as it is done to the front with the anodized aluminium body of the iPad 2 which comes in three awesome metallic finishes which includes space gray, silver and gold.
Tagline `Change is in the Air’

Set to The Orwell’s - `Who Needs You’, this minute long ad which is similar to Apple’s `Dreams’ TV ad for iPhone 5s portrays a variety of instances across various settings wherein the iPad Air 2 is utilised in novel ways and the ad focuses on highlighting the device’s thinnest as well the lightness before summing with the tagline `Change is in the Air’.

Moreover the ad also promotes the webpage for the new campaign, apple.com/change and also features the iPad apps that are used in the ad which include Tayasui Sketches, AutoCAD 360, Post-it-Plus, iStopMotion for iPad, INSA’s GIF-ITI Viewer, OBD Fusion, Molecules by Theodore Gray and Animation Creator HD.

The TV ad of the new iPad Air 2 comes a couple of weeks after the release of the three TV ads for its Flagship smartphone, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus featuring the voices of Justin Timberlake and Jimmy  Fallon.

 

Mozilla’s New Version of Firefox for iOS

Mozilla is finally launching a version of Firefox and is trying browser foothold on iOS which is the operating system that powers Apple’s iPhones and iPads. According to Twitter accounts from many at the meeting, Vice President, Johnathan Nightingale of Firefox at Mozilla informed the Mozilla community members at the non-profit organizations’ Mozlandia event in Portland, about the idea.

 Lukas Blakk, Mozilla Release Manager stated that they need to be where their users were and hence they are going to get Firefox on iOS, probably relating an account of Nightingale’s speech in a tweet that TechCrunch spotted. Mozilla’s Manager of data science, Matthew Ruttley had added his comments in his tweet stating that `Firefox for iOS! Let’s do it’, while other community members of Mozilla chimed in with their accounts with regards to the news at the event quoting Nightingale as well as Mozilla President Li Gong.

This could be a move in changing the strategic direction for Mozilla one among many as the non-profit organization attempts of new system to retain its influence in the face of challenges comprising of the mounting popularity of Google’s Chrome browser with Firefox’s light presence in the smartphone as well as tablet market wherein users tend to spend more and more of their computing activities.

Mozilla’s Mission

Mozilla’s mission, a decade ago was to overtake the dominance of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and the top priority now is to bring an openness to the present to what the organisation envisages as the `jails’ of iOS and Android. Junior, a browser for iOS was showed by Mozilla in 2012 but the outcome of it did not bear much result and then in 2013, Mozilla decided that it would not build Firefox for iOS due to objections to the limits that Apple had placed on third party browsers.

The presence on smartphones as well as tablets is vital for Mozilla’s effort in remaining relevant in the present computing world and Firefox seems to be a significant presence on the Web and in charting standards which make the Web a viable competitor to Android, iOS, Windows and OS X though its share is dropping. As per figures from analytics firm StatCounter, Firefox has dropped to 11.6 percent of usage as a share of desktop and mobile browsing while on tablets and smartphones, its share of usage in November was around 0.5 percent.

Improvement for Third Party Browser Developers

Mozilla has diversified out to mobile with versions of Firefox for Google’s Android OS together with its own Firefox OS for lower end smartphones though Firefox for iOS is different which is due to the fact that Apple does not allow other browser engine on its mobile OS on the contrary third party browsers like Google’s Chrome together with Opera’s Coast, utilise Apple supplied engine.

As for Mozilla it is important since it undercuts the organization’s mission to use Firefox to encourage the use of open Web technologies rather than technologies locked to a single company’s computing platform. However, Apple has made improvement in conditions for third party browser developers wherein the browser engine supplies faster running of Web based JavaScript programs which mean that the third party browsers can be a better match to Safari’s own performance on iOS.