01/08/2020 - Keeping up with the Digital World

All you need to know about the Watch OS 6

Watch OS 6

It was released in September 2019. It is the latest version of the operating system designed to run on the Apple watch. There are better features compared to its’ predecessor such as:

A new designed face
The apps were updated
The health features were updated
An App store is being introduced for the first time.

An app store provides the convenience of accessing the store from your wrist and will not have to go the extra length of downloading the app to your phone. You can browse through the app store on your phone at your convenience.

Siri is also on standby to help with your search and the scribble app is also available as well. Watch OS 6 new face comes with:

Modular, compact
Solar dial
California
Gradient
Numerals
Mono
Numerals duo

All of these come with a unique look although some of these are restricted to newer Apple watch models. It comes with a noise app which can:

Measure the noise level in an environment
Notify you of sounds that could damage your hearing
Notifications are sent anytime decibels reaches 90
Cycle tracking app for menstrual cycle
Activity app for trends tab that provides details of your activity
Number of calories
Exercise minutes
Walking time
Coach included to help reach your goals

There are various IOS apps that now feature in the Apple watch for the first time such as:

Audiobooks
Calculator
Voice memo

The calculator app comes with a built-in tool for:

Calculating tips
Splitting checks
Voice memo, which allows you to record voice-based reminders

There are other stuffs that can be added to the Apple watch faces such as:

Decibel level
Cellular strength
Rain probability

You can tap out an hour on the watch because of a the Taptic engine feature which allows you to set a chime to ring in a new hour. If you hold the watch face with two fingers it will tell you the time out loud.

At your command Siri will pull up web page results that displays info right into your wrist. Siri will also look up a song lyric in conjunction with Shazam without the assistance of an iPhone.

The message App gives you access to Animoji and Memoji stickers which you can send to people based on your own:

Memoji
Favourite Animoji characters

There are updated tools in the Watch OS 6 for developers that give access to third party apps:

Stream music
Radio
Podcast

The update to this watch also requires an iPhone that runs IOS 13 to work in conjunction with the watch. If you have the watch, but an older phone that is not compatible with IOS 13 you will not be able to install the software.

Activity Trends

You can detect improvement in your activities over the last 90 days and 365 days prior. If there are no improvements to your activity trends, the App offers helpful tips to keep you motivated. There are upward and downward arrows that reveals if your trend is improving or not.

Activity trends measure nine metrics such as:

Move
Exercise
Stand
Walking
Stairs
Cardio fitness level

Unlock Mac

To connect the Apple watch with a Mac there is an option for security checks prompt by pressing the side button of the watch as requested by Mac. The watch will also display Apple ID verification codes just in case you need to log in to your Apple account on a new device or browser.

New Watch Faces

Watch OS 6 comes with different new faces, although there are limitations for the Apple series 4 and not available in older models. There are new numerals duo and numerals mono faces, numeral duo features the time in a digital format. The numerals mono shows the hour in digital format, but also provides and analogue outlook.

The modular, compact face and the modular standard face are similar but as the name suggests the compact implies more compact. It offers a wider view of the watch face. You can choose a colour to the gradient watch face, which animates as the time goes by thereby changing the position of the gradient.

The sun is visualised in a 24-hour pattern through the Solar dial face, it fluctuates through the day and night. The California watch face offers standard dialogues dials plus a mix of standard numbers and roman numerals for detecting the time.

Apps

There are some pre-installed apps in the watch OS. Several the apps that were pre-installed can be deleted. You can remove apps such as:

Alarm
Timer
Stopwatch
Remote
Camera remote
Radio
Walkie Talkie
ECG
Breathe
Noise
Cycle tracking
And more

In Conclusion

You might want more functionality at your fingertips or just want to give your wrist with a flash of fashion, there are all new faces to meet your various needs, suits your moods an deserve your interests. You will see more immediately which will help you to achieve more. New features give you instant access to more apps where you want them. You could easily record a memo at a tap or listen to your audio book.

This cutting edge device provides the benefit of effortless high performance and comfort, thanks to an outstanding innovation. The secret behind this stunning device is the amazing design which provides much functionality with effortless power. The device offers an amazing feeling of comfort and control.

The Stunning Air Pods Pro Earphones Review

Air Pods Pro Earphones

This is an update from the Air Pods. The question is, what is the difference between the old and the new one? The Pro features:

A noise cancelling feature
An improved water resistance
A new design
A new in ear design
Silicone tips come in three sizes
IPX4 water and sweat resistance
H1 chip with “Hey Siri” support

The front of the Air Pod Pro is wider so that it will accommodate silicone tips for:

Comfort
Fit
Noise Cancellation

I think one of the things that makes it outstanding is the noise cancellation feature which uses two microphones, both outward and inward facing, plus an advanced software. The software helps to adapt to each ear, which was described by Apple as “Uniquely customised superior noise cancelling experience.”

You can toggle the built-in transparency mode; you can activate the noise cancelling feature, an option to listen to music and at the same time hearing for the ambient environment.

Air Pods Pro Earphones

The product is much comfort to the ear because inside the Pro comes with a new vent system aim at equalizing pressure. This helps to get rid of the discomfort that a lot of user experience because of the better fit and wearing a lovely experience.

The Pro is larger than the previous version because of the new silicone tips which requires a wider charging case. The Air Pods Pro case is longer horizontally compared to the Air Pod case, but will still fill nicely in your pocket.

The water resistance is IPX4 rating, this means it will survive splashes irrespective of the direction. This means it is protected from light rain and sweat, but this should not be taken overboard.

The quality of the sound is superb because of the inclusion of and adaptive EQ feature. The adaptive EQ readjusts the low and mid frequencies of the music to the shape of an individual’s ear for the person to enjoy a rich immersive listening experience.

Air Pods Pro Earphones Provides:

Five hours of listening on a single charge with noise cancellation disabled.
Four and a half hours when the noise cancellation is enabled
Three and a half hours of talk time.

The wireless charging case supports:

Qi based wireless charging
Charges over lighting using the USB-C to lighting cable
The charging case offers more than 24 hours of additional listening time.
Over 18 hours of additional talk time

Design

Flexible silicone tips that fit tightly into the ear
Silicone tips come in three sizes to ensure perfect fit
Tips were designed to fit the contour of each ear
A better seal for noise cancellation
Tips are in small, medium, and large sizes
Tips clicks into the right places in the Air Pod Pro for easy swap
Tips are tapered internally to fit inner ear to secure the Air Pod Pro
It measures at 21.8 wide and 30.9mm tall, wider than the Air Pod
It weighs more than the Air Pod

Apple described this invention as an “Innovative invent system” which stabilises pressure within the ear to reduce or get rid of the discomfort. The main purpose behind this design according to Apple is for the user to have this feeling of having nothing attached to their ears.

Sound Quality

Air Pod Pro delivers a superb quality sound compare to Air Pods due to the inbuilt speaker designed with the latest technology and adaptive EQ functionality. The Adaptive EQ tunes the low and mid frequencies of music that adapts to the shape of the individual’s ear, which Apple claims is a rich immersive listening experience.

There is a highly customised, high dynamic range amplifier that produces:

A pure and clear sound.
A customised, high excursion low distortion speaker driver which optimises audio quality and removes the background noise.
The driver produces a rich based sound down to 20Hz along with accurate mid and high frequency audio.

Ear Tip Fit Test

A series of test was run by Apple for the ear fit to achieve a perfect fit and a great audio experience. An experiment was carried out by placing the pod into the ear and used an advanced algorithm with microphones in each Air Pod to measure the sound level. This sound level in the Air Pod Pro was then compared to the sound coming out of the speaker driver.

The purpose of the algorithm is to detect if the ear tip is the right size and a good fit as well, or if a replacement is necessary to create a better seal. There are also replacement tips at an affordable price.

Battery

I have already mentioned about how long the Air Pod Pro will last above, furthermore the battery which is a 1.98Wh watch style button has a cell battery fitted in each Pro and they are not replaceable.

Noise Cancellation

This is the first Air Pod Pro to have the noise cancellation feature which leverages two microphones in conjunction with advanced software algorithms for sound adaptation. The first microphone was designed to detect external sound that helps the Pro to analyse the environmental noise.

The function of the second microphone is to fine-tune the noise cancellation of extra noise through detection. This feature adjusts sound signals 200 times per seconds.

Air Pods Pro Earphones In conclusion

You cannot go wrong with the Air Pods Pro because of its delivery of an effortless audio on the move, plus the amazing noise cancellation to an in-ear headphone with a perfect fit. Enjoy your favourite music from the amazing sound system and relief yourself of your worries.

The Updated Mac Book Pro 2020 Review

The Updated Mac Book Pro in May 2020

The 15-inch Book Pro 13 was replaced with a new 16-inch model in November 2019 and the 13-inch Mac Book Pro has just been updated in May 2020.

Features:

A 16-inch lager retina display.
The bezels are slimmer.
The keyboard has been updated with a scissor mechanism instead of a butterfly mechanism.
64GB and up to 8TB of storage.
AMD Radeon Pro 500M series graphic cards.
A scissor switch keyboard, plus and Intel’s 8^th and 10^th Generation chips.
Intel Iris plus graphics.
3072 x 1920 resolution display.
Higher pixel density of 226ppi.
Supports true tone functionality for white balance adjustments.
It also supports wide colour function.
It uses 6 or 8 Core 9^th Generation chips.
It was built with the most advanced thermal architecture ever on a MacBook model
Runs higher power for longer periods of time.
It comes with a new fan design with larger impeller, extended blades, and bigger vents.
The heat sink is 35percent larger for more heat disposition.
Sustain up to 12 watts more during intensive workloads compared to other models.
The keyboard offers up to 1mm of key travel and the keys are more responsive.

Design

The magic feature was updated to a physical escape key instead of the virtual key on the touch bar. It comes with a separate Touch ID button, an inverted “T” arrangement of the arrow keys and a touch bar.

A new speaker sound system.
It has the most advanced audio experience in a notebook.
Natural and clearer sound than ever.
The base is half an octave deeper.
An upgraded high-performance microphone with a 40 percent reduction in hiss.
A better signal to noise ratio.
It uses stereo speaker plus two microphones.
Equipped with built in graphics with either Radeon Pro 5300M graphics or Radeon 5500M graphics.
The AMD Radeon 5000M series graphics offer the first 7nm mobile discrete GPUs designed for Pro users.
The standard configuration compared to other configuration offers up to 2.1 times faster graphics performance.
The high need graphics options offer 80 percent faster performance.
Offers Four Thunderbolt 3/USB ports.
T2 chip which enhances the security.
Hand free Siri commands.
Eleven hours battery life with 100Wh, the largest ever.

The design is like the 15-inch Mac Book Pro except that the body is larger and the bezels are slimmer. One could say that there are not that many changes design wise compared to the other recent models.

It comes with the same general design with other and elements such as:

Thin Hinge.
Touch Bar.
Rear Apple logo.
Side speakers.
Silver and space grey colour options.

It measures at:

97 inches long
36 inches wide
9 mm thick
Weight is about 3 pounds

Display

A similar display for both 13- and 16-inches pro models with:

500 nits of brightness
P3 wide colour support
True tone functionality

True tone uses a multi-channel ambient light sensor which is included in the Mac Book model. True tone determines both the brightness and the colour temperature of the room. It will adjust both the white balance and the colour intensity of the display to match the room lighting. This will produce a more natural paper-like viewing experience that also reduces eyes’ strained.

Display features:

3072 by 1920 native resolution at 226 pixels per inch.
The display is 2560 by 1600 resolution at 227 pixels per inch.
The variable refresh rate can be set to the frame rate of a video being edited or viewed, the options are 447.95, 48, 50, 59, 94 and 60Hz

Keyboards

It offers the best typing experience, according to Apple. The scissor mechanism offers the magic keyboard 1mm of key travel and a stable key feel and an Apple – crafted rubber dome, which is designed to retain more potential energy for a better responsive key press.

Apple proclaims the Magic keyboard delivers a more productive, comfortable, easy typing experience. It is like other keyboards, but comes with a physical escape instead of a virtual key on the touch bar. The touch ID button is a separate button too.

Arrow keys were also designed with the inverted “T” for the arrow keys. This is a new thing compared to the new design. The Touch Bar is also a bit further away from the keys on the keyboard.

Processor

An Intel’s quad core 8^th Generation core i5 chips
Quad core 1.4 GHz core 8^th Generation Intel processor
Intel processor with turbo boost of up to 3.9GHz
An upgrade to 1.7GHz quad core i7 chip is optional

Trackpad

It has a large force touch trackpad that takes up almost all the bottom part of the device. It has no traditional buttons, but it is powered by a set of sensors that allows users to press anywhere on the trackpad for the same response.

While the trackpad is being used and engine powered by magnets provides users with tactile feedback, thereby replacing the feel of a physical button press. The force touch trackpad is compatible with a light press which is used as a regular click plus a deeper press of forced click as a separate gesture that does things such as a definition for a highlighted word.

Touch Bar

A small OLED retina multi touch display built into the keyboard where the function keys are, the touch bar is contextual and performs a huge range of functions. The range of functions depends on the apps that are in use and it is now available across the Apple Mac Book Pro models.

The touch bar can be described as a matte style display that blends with the rest of the keys on the keyboard. You interact with the touch bar through.

Taps
Swipes
Multi touch gestures

The touch ID fingerprint sensor works in the same way as the Touch ID home button on older iPhone models. Touch ID is used for password, unlocking the Mac when you place a finger on the sensor. It replaces password protected apps and can also be used to make Apple purchases in safari.

Speakers

The speakers were designed with force cancelling woofers with dual opposed speakers drives which cuts down on unwanted vibrations. This is the reason the speakers come out with a clearer and natural bass with an octave deeper.

In conclusion

The MacBook pro was elevated to a higher plane of performance and portability. It helps you to mould your ideas into a better shape as soon as possible with the high-performance processor and memory. The advanced graphics and incredibly fast storage and more help you achieve more in less time.

This cutting edge device provides the benefit of effortless high performance and comfort, thanks to an outstanding innovation. The secret behind this stunning device is the amazing design which provides much functionality with effortless power. The device offers an amazing feeling of comfort and control

The iPhone SE 2020 Review

The term SE first appeared in the iPhone world in 2018 but for whatever reason was discontinued and then revived in April 2020. The 4.7-inch model looks like an iPhone 8 on the outside. The internals can be compared to iPhone 11.

Features:

A13 Bionic chip
3GB RAM
Colours are black, red and white
Storages are 64, 128, and 256GB of storage.
The display is 4.7-inch retina HD, LCD with true tone
Wide Dolby vision
The rear camera comes with a single lens
Built with a glass
Wireless charging
IP67 water and dust resistance
Works with the latest WIFI protocol

It comes with a thick top and bottom bezel just like the iPhone 8, located at the top bezel is the 7- megapixel front facing camera and a microphone. The button bezel has the Touch ID home button for fingerprint based biometric authentication.

Quick actions and contextual menus are done through haptic touch, 3D has been eliminated from the iPhone lineup.

Front Camera

7 Megapixel front camera features a f/2.2 aperture with portrait mode.
It supports depth control despite the lack of a true depth camera system
It supports quick take, the first camera to come with this feature
A 1080p video can be recorded at 30 frames per seconds
Retina flash
Auto image stabilisation
Burst mode
Auto HDR
Wide colour capture

Rear camera

12 megapixels with an f/1.8 aperture
Optical image stabilisation
Supports portrait mode and lighting
No night mode feature
Smart HDR
Supports wider colour
LED true tone flash with slow sync capabilities
Records 4K video of up to 60 frames per seconds
Optical image stabilisation
Supports slow motion and time lapse videos
Microphone

The front camera supports portrait mode and uses image signal processor plus neural engine of the A13 Bionic.

The iPhone SE 2020 Review

The phone is equipped with modern chip technology, it has the same A13 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 11. Apple claims it is the fastest chip in a smartphone to date, the bionic posses a dedicated 8 core neural engine which performs 5 trillion operations per seconds.

Video Capabilities

Shoots 4K video at up to 60 frames per seconds
24 to 30 frames per seconds are also optional alongside 1080 and 720p shooting modes
Videos up to 30 frames per seconds has extended dynamic range available, plus optical image stabilisation
Quick takes video feature to run video mode by holding down the camera button in photo mode.

Battery

It will last up to 13 hours for watching videos
It will last up to 8 hours for streaming
40 hours for audio
Charges faster
Charges up to 50 percent in half and hour when using 18 power adapters or higher

Design

The design is somehow like iPhone 5 even though it is identical to the iPhone 8. I will conclude that it sits between the iPhone 5 and 8. They’re top bezel features:

Front facing camera
Speakers
Sensors

At the bottom of the phone is a touch ID home button covered with sapphire crystal. The phone is built with an all body glass like the iPhone 8, this gives the phone a rich depth of colour. An aluminium band holds the glass display and body together, which matches the colour for each phone.

The iPhone SE 2020 Review

Volume buttons and mute switches are on the left side of the phone. The right side features the sleep/wake button. Lighting ports and speakers’ holes can be found at the bottom part. There is no headphone jack therefore Bluetooth or lighting headphone is a requirement.

It measures:

4mm tall by 67.3mm wide
3mm thick and weighs 5.22 ounces

Display

Resolution of 1334 by 750 to 326 pixels per inch and a 1400:1 contrast ratio

It has multi touch capabilities, P3 wide colour which supports rich true to life colour and 625 nits for maximum brightness.

Touch ID

To make this affordable phone, it comes with an all glass design with Face, ID, also offers a home button with a touch ID fingerprint sensor. The touch ID home button is covered with a sapphire crystal which does two things.

It protects the ID sensor and has a steel ring that detects a user’s finger sensor.

Touch ID is used for:

It unlocks the phone,
Inputs the password with key chain
Confirm Apple store purchases
Opens protected passcode apps
Confirms Apple pay instructions

True Tone

The phone is compatible with true tone, a feature introduced to iPad and iPhone some years ago. The functionality of true tone is taking advantage of the ambient light sensor to detect the lighting in a room. It then adjusts the colour temperature and intensity to match the light to produce a more natural paper-like viewing experience that reduces eye strain.

Haptic Touch

One of the differences between the iPhone SE and the 8 model is, the 8 model comes with a 3D touch whilst the SE comes with a haptic touch found in the 11 models. The 3D and haptic has similar functionality, but it is not pressured sensitive and doesn’t support multiple functions for each press.

Haptic Touch is used for:

Accessing quick actions on the home screen
Links preview in safari
Flash activation on the lock screen
Access to extra features in control centre.

Haptic touch does not work with notifications on the lock screen or in the notification centre.

Water and Dust Resistance

The water resistance is rated at IP67 this means the phone will still be functional after being immersed in water for up to one metre (3.3) feet for up to 30 minutes. This is not a licence to drop your phone in the water because you want to experiment. Apple’s warranty does not really cover water damage.

The Phone will survive:

Rain splashes
Rain
Brief water exposure

Portrait Mode and Lighting

This phone supports portrait mode despite not having two cameras on each side
The image signal processor is used for portrait lighting and depth control
Neural engine is used for computational photography
This is the first phone to use a software solution to enable portrait mode.
Artful blurring is possible in the background of an image because of the portrait mode
Portrait lighting allows six studio quality lighting effects to be added to images.
The amount of blur capture in a portrait mode is decided by depth control to be tuned for the best possible blend and detail.

In Conclusion

The reviews about the phone from experts reveals that it is a very good phone, claiming that although the design is outdated with the thick bezels, the display is excellent, and the quality is solid. As proclaimed by Apple Privacy is your fundamental human right. This phone was designed to protect your privacy and give you control over your information.