Apple releases iOS 8.1 includes Apple Pay

Posted On: October 20, 2014
 

Apple’s iOS 8.1 update is now available to download. The update includes Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, along with new features and functionality. Here's the complete list of features added to iOS 8.1, according to Apple's release notes:
  • Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (U.S. only)
  • Photos includes new features, improvements and fixes
    • Adds iCloud Photo Library as a beta service
    • Adds Camera Roll album in Photos app and My Photo Stream album when iCloud Photo Library is not enabled.
    • Provides alerts when running low on space before capturing Time Lapse videos
  • Messages includes new features, improvements and fixes
    • Adds the ability for iPhone users to send and receive SMS and MMS text messages from their iPad and Mac
    • Resolves an issue where search would sometimes not display results
    • Fixes a bug that caused read messages to not be marked as read
    • Fixes issues with group messaging
  • Resolves issues with Wi-Fi performance that could occur when connected to some base stations
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent connections to Bluetooth hands-free devices
  • Fixes bugs that could cause screen rotation to stop working
  • Adds an option to select between 2G, 3G or LTE networks for cellular data
  • Fixes an issue in Safari where videos would sometimes not play
  • Adds AirDrop support for Passbook passes
  • Adds an option to enable Dictation in Settings for Keyboards, separate from Siri
  • Enables HealthKit apps to access data in the background
  • Accessibility improvements and fixes
    • Fixes an issue that prevented Guided Access from working properly
    • Fixes a bug where VoiceOver would not work with 3rd party keyboards
    • Improves stability and audio quality when using MFi Hearing Aids with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
    • Fixes an issue with VoiceOver where tone dialing would get stuck on a tone until dialing another number
    • Improves reliability when using handwriting. Bluetooth keyboards and Braille displays with VoiceOver
  • Fixes an issue that was preventing the use of OS X Caching Server for iOS updates
iOS 8.1 is compatible with the followin iOS Devices:
  • iPhone 4S
  • iPhone 5C, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S
  • iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
  • iPod touch 5th gen, 
  • iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4
  • iPad Air, iPad Air 2
  • iPad Mini, iPad Mini Retina, and iPad Mini Retina 2.
  • Older devices do not support the update.  
Let us know if you if you encounter any problems updating with the iOS 8.1.
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Apple now #2 online retailer behind Amazon

Posted On: May 6, 2014
Apple is now the number two online retailer in the world and that is according to data from e-commerce research firm Internet Retailer. Amazon remains at number one spot. Apple just recently surpassed Staples and Walmart to take over second place.

Here are some factors why Apple was able to reached the second spot. First, Staples saw flat online sales of $10.4 billion over the past year and that represents just a 1% increase over year 2012. Second, Apple jumped over 24% increase in online sales to $18.3 billion last year. Part of Apple’s sales increase for this year came from Internet Retailer’s inclusion of Apple’s online hardware sales for the first time, in addition to the digital sales from its App Store and iTunes.

Here's the sales results image courtesy of the Wall Street Journal:

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Microsoft schedules May 20 event unveiling Surface mini

Posted On: May 5, 2014

Microsoft sent out invites to the press for a Surface related event for May 20th. Microsoft is expected to unveil a smaller version of the Surface tablet by mentioning ‘small’ word in the invite.The event will kick-off at 11am EDT / 8AM PDT on May 20th.

The text of the invite says “Join us for a small gathering,” hinting at the announcement of the rumored Surface Mini. While the event could really refer to a small gathering of attendees to witness the unveiling of the latest tablet that Microsoft has to offer, it seems more likely to be a tease for the company's latest product.

There have been rumors of a smaller sized Surface tablet and is expected to be called the Surface Mini. The Surface mini is expected to feature an 8 inch display and an active digitizer with Office pre-installed. In addition to its Surface event, Microsoft is gearing up to release Windows Phone 8.1 later this month.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to host the event as he did for the unveil of native office apps on the iPad. Panos Panay should also be at the event and there is speculation that Stephen Elop may also be at the event since he is Executive Vice President of Devices and Studios.
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Apple donates $500,000 to San Francisco anti-poverty charity

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Apple and other tech companies are reaching into its pockets for local San Francisco anti-poverty charity SF Gives. According to a report that came from Fortune's website, Apple is one of many companies that has donated $500,000 and according to the Forbes story, SF Gives is attempting to raise $10 million in total with their self-imposed deadline on Wednesday, May 7.
The arrival of an initiative like SF Gives comes at a precarious time for Silicon Valley. Critics of the thriving tech industry have blamed companies for a meteoric rise in rents and increased evictions.
In recent months, protesters have blocked Google’s employee commuter buses, held a rally at the annual Crunchies tech awards gala, and stood outside the San Francisco home of Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose, distributing flyers and holding signs maligning Rose as a “parasite” and “leech.”
Raising $70 million towards HIV/AIDS programs in Africa was Apple’s previous charity moves through Product(RED) items such as iPod nano and shuffle devices, iPhone bumpers and more.

Apple helped raise funds for the Hurricane Sandy and Philippine Typhoon Relief efforts through iTunes donations. Donated $2.5 million to American Red Cross in the Hurricane Sandy relief. Apple also donated $8 million to the earthquake victims in China.

Read more in the full article: Here
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Do you usually access sensitive document attachments on your iDevices (iPhone,iPod, and iPad), stuff like invoices, contracts, bank statements and etc?

ZDNet quotes that security researcher named Andreas Kurtz claims that a security flaw has found in iOS 7, iOS 7.0.4, iOS 7.1 and even the latest iOS 7.1.1 wherein it does not encrypt message attachments.

This means your security and privacy could be compromised because your iOS Device is storing email attachments in unencrypted form which means it's making stored attachments easily readable by using a piece of software to browse those sensitive documents attached on your iPhone,iPod, and iPad.

Despite Apple's support document stating that “Data protection in iOS provides an additional layer of protection for your email messages attachments, and third-party applications.”

Kurtz confirmed the issue by restoring a GSM iPhone 4 to iOS version 7.1.1 and testing attachment security for an IMAP email account.
I shut down the device and accessed the file system using well-known techniques (DFU mode, custom ramdisk, SSH over usbmux). Finally, I mounted the iOS data partition and navigated to the actual email folder. Within this folder, I found all attachments accessible without any encryption/restriction.

Kurtz found that Apple’s data protection technology in iOS 7 does not extend to email attachments and also verified the existence of the nasty bug that can be found in iPad 2 and and iPhone 5s running iOS version 7.0.4.

According to the researcher Apple said that they are aware of the issue and is working on a fix. No dates  on when the fix for this issue will be release, but it shouldn’t be long because attachment encryption is crucial for businesses that use iOS devices.
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Steve Jobs has been ranked #1 in CNBC’s First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders, described as “a definitive list of people who have had the greatest influence, sparked the biggest changes and created the most disruption in business over the past quarter century.”

The list was being created as part of CNBC’s year-long 25th anniversary celebrations. CNBC’s First 25 was being broadcast last April 29, 2014, anchored by CNBC’s Tyler Mathisen.

Here’s an excerpt from CNBC’s paragraph on Jobs:

His creative genius revolutionized not just his industry and its products, but also everything from music and movies to smartphones. He provided a platform for others to create and distribute apps, bringing innovation and change to an even wider sphere. Apple’s co-founder tops our anniversary list of the 25 most transformative leaders, icons and rebels of the past-quarter century. More than any other member of our group of extraordinary entrepreneurs and executives—all outstanding leaders—his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture.

CNBC says that the final list of 25 was being compiled using poll data from a combination of editorial leaders, experts and TV viewers.

And here's a short clip that was being aired on CNBC last April 29, 2014.
  Just in case you want to know who are included, here's the complete list of CNBC’s First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders: 1. Steve Jobs 2. Bill Gates 3. Alan Greenspan & Ben Bernanke 4. Sergey Brin, Larry Page & Eric Schmidt 5. Jeff Bezos 6. Warren Buffett 7. Oprah Winfrey 8. Mark Zuckerberg 9. Jack Bogle 10. Larry Ellison 11. Rupert Murdoch 12. Jack Welch 13. NR Narayana Murthy 14. Howard Schultz 15. Bernard Arnault 16. Li Ka-shing 17. Carl Icahn 18. Meg Whitman 19. Amancio Ortega 20. Michael Bloomberg 21. Sandy Weill 22. Cher Wang 23. Aliko Dangote 24. Martha Stewart 25. Carlos Slim
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iTunes Match is now available in Japan

Posted On: May 1, 2014


Good news for those who live in Japan especially for those who have been waiting for Apple's music locker service, iTunes Match to arrive you're now finally able to take advantage of the service on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, because Apple continues its international expansion of iTunes services by launching iTunes Match in Japan.

For those who are unfamiliar with the service, iTunes Match allows users to ‘mirror’ their music libraries to the cloud. This will also enable users to access their songs from any compatible device(iPhone, iPad, or Mac), without having to spend hours uploading them…

The pricing is set at ¥3980 per year and the service will let you store and listen to up to 25,000 songs on Apple's iCloud servers across all your devices.

Source: MacRumors
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SMART Local and International Calls and Texts Rates

Posted On: April 27, 2014
To those who are current or new SMART subscribers that are not yet familiar with SMART charge rates, here is the list for their Local and International Calls and Texts rates for your reference.


Hope this information help you. Share it with your friends for them to know SMART's  Local and International Calls and Texts rates.
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SMART Bro's Unli Internet Promo: UnliSURF

Posted On: April 26, 2014
Here's the list of SMART Bro's UnliSURF Promo. Choose how many days you want to enjoy your UnliSURF and register with the corresponding promo code.

UnliSURF 50: 1 Day
Enjoy your time with 1 day unlimited internet surfing for as low as P50.00. Subscribe to this promo by texting: UnliSURF 50 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store.

UnliSURF 85: 2 Days
Before its P100.00, but now, you can now enjoy your unlimited internet surfing for 2 days for as low as P85.00. Register by texting: UnliSURF 85 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store.

UnliSURF 200: 5 Days
Unlimited internet surfing for 5 full days with SmartBro UnliSURF 200 for as low as P200.00. Register to this promo by texting: UNLISURF 200 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store

UnliSURF 250: 7 Days
Surf the internet all you can for the whole 7 days/1 week with UnliSURF250, for as low as P250.00! Subscribe by texting: UNLISURF 250 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store

UnliSURF 500: 15 Days
Browse the internet for 15 days for as low as P500.00 by this UnliSURF 500! Register by texting:
UNLISURF 500 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store

UnliSURF 995: 1 Month
Enjoy your internet for the whole 1 month for as low as P995.00, with Smart UnliSURF 995! Register to this promo by texting: UNLISURF 995 and send it to 2200
or by via Smart Online Store.

This promo is available to all SMART, SMART Bro subscribers nationwide.
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Jump In Sim Call and Text Promos

Posted On: April 7, 2014
Jump In SIM with LTE Open your life with the bigger and better Jump In Sim for only P15!
Here's the complete list of Jump In Sim Call and Text Promos. Text your friends in Any network anytime, anywhere and nonstop! Jump In Sim Call and Text Promos also includes 30 minutes of TRI-NET calls to 5 SMART/TNT/Sun numbers with free internet promo (up to 10 mb). Choose your promo and register with the corresponding promo codes.

Here are the exclusive & student friendly offers:

Jump All Text P15
Unlimited Text to all networks
Valid for 2 days
Text JUMPTXT15 to 5867

Jump All Out P15 
30 mins TRI-NET calls to 5 SMART/TNT/Sun numbers
Unlimited texts to all networks
10mb mobile surfing
Valid for 1 day
Text JUMP15 to 5867

Jump All Out P25
30 mins TRI-NET calls to 5 SMART/TNT/Sun numbers
Unlimited texts to all networks
10mb mobile surfing
Valid for 2 days
Text JUMP25 to 5867

Jump All Out P50
30 mins TRI-NET calls to 5 SMART/TNT/Sun numbers
Unlimited texts to all networks
10mb mobile surfing
Valid for 5 days
Text JUMP50 to 5867

Note: All promos provided in this post are all 100% working, some promos may be outdated, not working, or not available in all areas in the Philippines. Let me know if I missed something here so I can put an update on itThanks!
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