Tag: iphone

SURVIVAL: Some apps you should have on your phone.

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://theprepared.com/everyday-carry/reviews/mobile-apps/

Best survival apps for your phone
 UPDATED 4 WEEKS AGOBY GIDEON PARKER

*** begin quote ***

Your phone / mobile device is one of the few things you’re almost guaranteed to have nearby in an emergency. This list covers third-party apps worth downloading and lesser-known features built into Android and iOS phones.

*** and ***

  • Citizen (iOS, Android, free) is a crowdsourced incident alert system. If you or others see something such as a fire, police interaction, or terrorist attack, spread the word or even livestream video to notify other app users.

*** and ***

  • Signal (iOS, Android, free) is an all-in-one app for text, voice, and video. SMS text messages (ie. normal/classic texting) are terribly insecure, and most other apps like Telegram and WhatsApp aren’t much better. Signal is the trusted, encrypted king endorsed by security experts like Bruce Schneier and Edward Snowden.

*** end quote ***

And, of course, I recommend what3words to give you a very precise location description.

—30—

TECHNOLOGY: Apple frustrates the “right to repair”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.reviewgeek.com/102499/apple-prevents-iphone-13-screen-repairs-in-what-ifixit-calls-an-unprecedented-lockdown/\

Apple’s Attempt to Prevent iPhone 13 Repairs Hurts Customers and Professionals
ANDREW HEINZMAN NOV 5, 2021, 3:26 PM EDT 

*** begin quote ***

When our friends at iFixit did their first iPhone 13 teardown, they called the device “a new low” for repairability. Apple took unprecedented steps to prevent “unauthorized” iPhone 13 repairs—particularly screen replacements, which (by design) break the phone’s Face ID functionality.

Screen replacements are by far the most common phone repair procedure. They’re also fairly cheap and easy to perform, so as you can imagine, they’re the bread and butter of small repair shops. But unless Apple gives you permission to perform an iPhone 13 screen or battery swap, you will end up with broken features or a non-working phone.

And I’m not exaggerating when I say that you need Apple’s “permission” to repair the iPhone 13. Its components are serialized—meaning that parts like the display and Face ID camera can identify each other using unique serial numbers. To make one of these serialized components work with a donor part, an authorized Apple technician needs to sync each part with Apple’s cloud network and request approval from the corporation.

*** end quote ***

It seems apparent that Apple wants to control its “customers” like sheep to be shorn.

As much as I am a little L libertarian, we are stuck with the current system until “We, The Sheeple” stand up and say “NO!”.

‘I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!’ I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: [screaming at the top of his lungs] “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” — the character Howard Beale played by Peter Finch in the movie Network (1976)

So, I hope the anti-monopoly folks take notice of this.

—30—

TECHNOLOGY: iPhones slow down after a year

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/12/20/16803190/iphone-slowdown-is-needed-but-also-a-problem

iPhones start slowing down after a year of use, and that’s way too soon
By Jacob Kastrenakes  Dec 20, 2017, 5:15pm EST

*** begin quote ***

But the big conspiracy has been that Apple intentionally slows down your phone every time a new one comes out, a subtle way of encouraging you to buy it. And now we know that it’s true on some level, even if you take Apple’s word and see this as about preservation and not a sales tactic, since the software update that comes out alongside every phone seems to be what introduces the throttling. Here’s how Apple puts it in its statement describing what’s going on: “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.”

*** end quote ***

And, this — planned obsolesence — why I am leaving the Apple family for Android and Chromebook.

# – # – # – # – # 

SOFTWARE: iMessage on the MAC OS X doesn’t report completely

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Found a confusing “use case” with iMessage on the MAC OS X:

Sent two texts this morning, one worked and one failed repeatedly.

Figured out why it was failing, duh.

I text from the mac because I like the full keyboard. I text X and Y every morning and night. (“I’m alive … still!”)

This morning X’s went through to her iPhone as usual, but Y’s didn’t.

Then I realized iMessage uses the iPhone to text Y with SMS. And my iPhone was out of power. And, the MAC version of iMessage just reports: “not sent”.

Which technically is true, but it should say something like “no response from your Iphone, dummy”. Argh!

Strike one for a poor design. Or is that “a feature”?

Argh!

# – # – # – # – # 

SORTWARE: IOS8 HEALTH is lame

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

The IOS8 upgrade carries a “HEALTH” app to the first screen.

(Even if I didn’t want it. At least “TIPS” went on the last page.)

It’s OBVIOUSLY a placeholder.

The select an emergency contact feature doesn’t work. 

And it does NOT have a provenance, versioning, or linkage to other “health” data sources.

Not Apple’s best work.

# – # – # – # – #   

SOFTWARE: FINDFRIENDS interesting application

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Interesting use for it. 

My friend Pete’s in the hospital in Jacksonville FL.

I know where is phone is!

Laff.

I assume he still has it with him.

So, without bothering anyone, I know he’s still there.

Now if it could just tell me the altitude, I’d know if he’s still in ICU or moved to a regular room.

Laff!

Stalking to a new level.

# – # – # – # – #