Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2015

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference - WWDC 2015 would be starting on June 8 and the company would be showing some new exciting products at that time. Some of the highlights expected from rumours circulating are from Mac, iPad and iPhone hardware to new updated versions of iOS and Mac OS X. WWDC is one of the highlights of Apple’s annual calendar and is a huge annual get-together for the company’s software partners. It is one of those occasions where Apple unveils a range of updated products, usually new versions of iOS and OS X, besides new hardware which includes new Macs and probably new iPads.

Apple had issued an invitation on April 14 with the announcement of hosting WWDC 2015 representing the 26th year of the annual conference from 8 to 12 June at San Francisco’s Moscone West.The location is not a surprise since Apple has been always been conducting WWDCs there for a long time.

Rumours with regards to this event had been circulating after WWDC 2014 closed its door with a suggestion that WWDC 2015 would be held on those dates. Apple had sent out invitation to WWDC which had a shape in the middle that was identical to an Apple TV. Inside the shape was inscribed `the epicentre of change’.

AppleTV – Central Hub Connected to HomeKit

This fits well with the rumours about the Apple TV which indicate that the Apple TV would be a central hub of everything connected to HomeKit, an Apple’s API which would be controlling the entire gadget all in the house. It is to be seen why Apple would need the Apple TV in controlling the devices in the home. But this equation has been missed out last June since Apple’s introduction of its HomeKit solution at the WWDC 2014 and the same has not really been launched to the public.

There are more interesting things coming up with regards to the Apple TV if one cares about the rumours circulating. It is said that Apple TV App Store would not only open up the Apple TV to iOS apps but also games and it is to be seen how games developers could translate their iOS games for TV screen where the control mechanism is the biggest issue.

However, this will be a popular addition to Apple’s box without any doubt. Apple it is said would be planning a subscription service, offering streaming TV shows from various sources. One of the issue of the Apple TV presently is that if one wants to watch a specific show, they would have to locate which of the Apple TV channel would be showing it. Apple would be resolving this, providing one place to search for the content and one place to stream it from.

Featuring 100 + Technical Session/1,000 Apple Engineers….

An announcement in Apple’s email informed that `at WWDC, Apple’s renowned developer community would be coming together to learn about the future of iOS and OS X, helping them continue to create the most innovative apps in the world. WWDC would be featuring more than 100 technical sessions over 1,000 Apple engineers, hand-on labs to help developers integrate new technologies and fine-tune their apps and the Apple Design Awards which showcase the best new apps in the last year’.

Philip Schiller, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing has commented saying `we’ve got incredible new technology for iOS and OS X to share with developers at WWDC and around the world. We can’t wait to see the next generation of apps they create’.Individuals could check out ways to get hold of the tickets for the forthcoming event. Developers can apply for tickets for the WWDC event and millions worldwide would be able to watch the sessions streamed live.

Students/Participating Member – STEM – Avail WWDC Scholarships

Students as well as members of participating STEM organizations across the world could avail the WWDC Scholarships. Those interested in attending WWDC 2015 may also face disappointment. As in 2012, all the 5,000 WWDC tickets were sold out within two hours of its release which came as a surprise to the developers who had no indication regarding it, from the company.

This resulted in disappointment for those who were looking forward to it especially since Apple had decided that 5.30am PDT was an ideal time to release them. Several developers had been there only to find out that the ticket had been sold out. Applying for tickets can be done via the WWDC website.

 Apple state that it will let the applicants know if they have been randomly nominated by April 20 at 5 pm PDT. To register one’s interest, the need to sign in with the developer account with submission of information is essential. If one is a current member of the iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program or Mac Developer Program, they are eligible to apply for the same. If selected randomly, the default credit/debit card connected with one’s Apple ID would get automatically charged $1599 on April 20th.

Apple Watch: Everything You Need to Know

Details on Apple Watch Before Sale – April 24

At its recent `Spring Forward event’Apple had put the watch on display once again and provided some details on the Apple Watch before going on sale on April 24. The Apple Watch has three editions which vary in material and luxury such as the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition.

While Apple Watch is of stainless steel with a shiny chrome or a space black finish, its touchscreen is shielded with sapphire crystal which could be scratch resistant than the Gorilla Glass that Apple had used in iPhones. The prices range from $549 and $1,099 subject to purchase of the 38mm or 42mm case and the band.

The Apple Watch Sport comes with an anodized aluminum case, much lighter than stainless steel, in a silver or space gray and the face is of Ion-X glass, designed to be hard and rugged than the sapphire and is the lightest of the three editions. This makes it an apt exercise choice and is also the cheapest at $349 for 38mm version while 42mm model is priced at $399.

The Apple Watch Edition on the other hand is a luxury with an 18-karat gold casing in rose or yellow, is heavy and has a fancy leather box which doubles as a charging cradle. It also costs as an entry level car varying between $10,000 to $17,000 based on size and the choice of the band.

Each Edition in Two Sizes

Each edition has come in two sizes which was not envisaged with any Android Wear watches and these are available in heights of 38 and 42 mm around 1.5 and 1.65 inches resp. Apple has declared six bands which will be easy to mix and match with any band with any watch if the band and the watch tend to be of the same size.

The Sports Band comes as the default on the Apple Watch Sport and for working out, the sweat resistant elastomer sports band has a black, white, blue, pink and lime green shade with different colours having different weight where black is the lightest. Apple Watch and Watch Edition owners are provided with three leather straps together with two metal straps to choose from and the leather loop is styled to be soft and comfortable having adjustable hidden magnetic closure where one can just wrap the same around the wrist and the straps stay stuck together and remain closed. It comes in stone, light brown and bright blue.

Pre-Orders to Begin on April 10

The Leather Modern strap is available in pink, brown and midnight blue having two piece magnetic closures with refined texture while the Classic Buckle strap comes in a black leather strap which closes with a stainless steel buckle like the traditional watches seen. The Link Bracelet band is fashioned of stainless steel which closes with a butterfly clasp.

Apple had built-in release button on some of the links in order to remove links easily to customize the fit rather than having to take it to a jeweller or the repair shop. This comes with regular stainless steel tone or in space black. The Milanese Loop band comes with myriad tiny, interlocking loops which resembles chain mail though it seems to be much modern and the stainless steel mesh is magnetic enabling to adjust it to more size than the Link Bracelet.

Apple Watch would be shipped on April 24, though pre- orders tend to start on April 10 and on the same day Apple Stores also intend having Watches on hand for trial to get an idea on which combination of case and band to choose from. Users could also check out on the guide in picking the best choice on Apple Watch.

iPhone Essential to Pair with Apple Watch

The requirement of an iPhone to pair with the Apple Watch is essentialthough it does not need to be a new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and an iPhone 5, 5s or 5c could serve the purpose.The Watch according to Apple has a couple of different sensors which include a gyroscope as well as an accelerometer together with a custom sensor which utilises visible light and infrared LEDs with photodiodes on the back of the device in order to define the heart rate. Moreover, it can also talk to the iPhone’s GPS as well as Wi-Fi in figuring out location and other details. The accelerometer enables the watch to count the steps and generalize the distance on its own or on the GPS in the paired iPhone for tracing the accurate route and this data is useful for two of the apps, Activity and Workout, included by Apple on the watch. Apple Watch’s big invention is the dial which sticks out at the side known as the Digital Crown which acts more like the iPod’s clickwheel wherein one can turn the crown to scroll a list or zoom in and out of a map. On pressing, the Crown returns back to the watch’s home screen similar to the Home button on the iPhone.

Asus Laptop for Professional Users

AsusTek Computer also known as Asus is one of the renowned producer as well as best seller of motherboards, tablet PCs, desktops, laptops, servers and mobile phones. Besides these, it also develops components for several other tech companies such as Apple, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard. The name is derived from the last four letters of Pegasus and in Greek mythology representing inspiration of art and learning, is the winged horse.

Asus symbolizes creative spirit, strength, purity represented by this agile and real mythical being which rises to new height of quality as well as innovation with each product it launches in the market. Asus Laptops are considered to be the most reliable laptops with value for money and users could rely on the hardware of Asus laptop for durability as well as performance which could be very beneficial for professional users.

Their laptops also offer a combination of the updated technology which could be used for business as well as home users. They offer a choice of budget laptops to suit the budget of any individual and most of their laptops are competitively priced with stylish design together with additional functions which are also long lasting and users could determine the longevity of an Asus laptop depending on the level and the price range.

Streamlined/Sleek Look Laptops

Asus provides a more streamlined together with sleek look in its line of heavy as well as large laptops which are appropriate for professional users. Business laptops such as ASUS PU500 are excellent for people who tend to work at office or those who constantly access their work documents while on the go. It provides great productivity in work, since it offers value together with quality process in daily computing.

An Asus laptop also specializes in gaming laptops too which provides remarkable specs together with perfect ergonomics, with assurance of having all the tools for a good competition and an ASUS G750 is an apt choice which give the best gaming experience. The ASUS Zenbook Prime, an upgrade from the brand’s first Ultrabook, is UX31A comes with a 3rd-gen Intel Core processor together with a rich and bright 1080p IPS display together with wide viewing angles. With the combination of a fast Core i5 processor, SonicMaster-powered speakers as well as a Windows 8 operating system, the ASUS S56CA-DH51is remarkable to multimedia user.

Focus on Enterprise/Governmental/Organizational Users

With regards to a touch screen feature one could consider ASUS Q200 as a reliable choice. The ASUS Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71is also another addition to the Ultrabook collection of Asus together with the UX32VD feature having Nvidia graphics which could be very useful for gamers. Similar to other Ultrabook, this laptop that have the Windows 8 OS comprises of a lightweight construction as well as a remarkable 1980x1080 display.

Asus makes good laptops which are budget friendly and extra reliable customized for SMBs delivering uncompromising durability, together with security as well as business focused user experience, thereby simplifying work and boosting reliability. These laptops have been designed with their focus on enterprise, governmental and organizational users in need of complete managed IT environment offering great endurance for enhanced productivity together with business class security as well as manageability.

Here's What You Can Do On the Apple Watch without Your iphone

Apple Watch – An iPhone Accessory

The Apple Watch is an iPhone accessory, though there are a few things which the apple Watch can do without the iPhone in case one tends to leave the phone either at home or in the car and go mobile with the iPhone 5 to iPhone 6 Plus. A few features have been discovered in the Apple Watch though there are only a limited number of things the Apple Watch can do without an iPhone. The storage capacity of Apple Watch is 6.2GB of which 2GB could be used to store music.

User can sync music with Apple Watch through the iPhone and Apple Watch app and no Mac or iTunes is needed, though the music should be on your phone in the music app or in iTunes in the Cloud.

 When the music is synced, the user can listen with a pair of Bluetooth headphone and in the Apple Watch Music app, one need to Force Press to select `Source’ as Apple Watch and once done, the music plays like it plays on an iPod. Apple has two built-in fitness apps known as Workout and Activity where both tend to work away without the aid of the iPhone.

Third Party Fitness App – Not Useful Away from iPhone 

One could measure the heart, activity tracks steps, active exercise and the time spent standing and workout enables timed exercise sessions which measures pace heart rate, distance as well as the calories burnt during the various activities and the only thing which cannot be done from the iPhone is tracking walk or run with GPS in which the iPhone is needed.

Third party fitness app cannot be used away from the iPhone and all third party app that are not developed by Apple need iPhone connection to operate. Once a credit card for Apple Pay to work on Apple Watch is set, it tends to keep working even when the iPhone is not connected and on a double click of the flat side button, you can tap to pay at any Apple Pay ready store.

If the watch is taken off the wrist one would need to enter a passcode to use it once again. Since Apple Pay does not utilise the actual credit card number, one can cancel it from the iPhone and deactivate the Apple Watch’s Apple pay function even when the watch is not active online.

Apple Watch - Small Photo Album App

The Apple Watch has a small photo album app which can store up to 500 photos from the phone library or iCloud and it is hard to see the images on small screen though it’s a good replacement for the wallet photo. Call scan also be made away from the phone and one can see recent caller and read sent texts. The user could also listen to voice mails.

 Apple Watch syncs visual voice mail, most of which could be played back on the watch even with Airplane mode turned on and also receive new messages without connecting the phone again and can browse missed connection. It is presumed that someday Apple Watch would use its Wi-Fi antenna in order to get data on its own or pair with other the other devices such as the Apple TV and Macs.

Photo iPad Scanning Dock : Gadget Review

Technology is ever evolving in itself and most of the time it leads to invention new remarkable products. Scanning had always been the tedious task in the past where an individual had to use large bulky scanner to scan either photos or documents of importance.

Brookstone had developed a new iconic product which simplifies the scanning process wherein users can simply dock their tablet on its influential iConvert iPad compatible Scanner and convert the hard copies into soft copies with ease and grace. This scanner simply increases the advantages which can be gained from the iPad.

Features and Specification Of The Iconic Scanner Dock

This product seems to be carved to fulfill the needs of millions of iPad users. This is CIS sheet-fed type of scanner which can scan the papers and photos up to the size of 8.5”W X 14”L. It is highly compatible with its 30 pin connector and extremely lightweight at just 1.5 lb which makes it easier to carry around.

Scanner is apt at providing highly detailed and impressive quality pictures. Images scanned by this scanner offer the commanding of 300dpi which helps in capturing clear and crisp images in JPEG format. Most of the people are fond of recapturing the precious moments of life with scanner.

This scanner possesses a front feeder which can be adjusted from 2inches to 8 inches as per the size of the photos or documents. Scanner dock is firm and holds a strong grip on the iPad to keep it upright. To begin the scanning one is just required to plug into AC with the iPad USB power adapter.

Scanning Process Appears To Be Highly User Friendly

Some of the latest innovative gadgets increase the learning curve wherein users have to give some time in order to understand how it works. But Photo iPad Scanning Dock doesn’t trouble the user with the learning curve rather it lay down ways of the scanning process by providing step-by-step approach.

The instruction starts to appear in simple language once the tablet has been placed in the dock. The scanning process is relatively quite fast and it takes just 12 seconds to convert a photo into a high definition JPEG image.

More Reasons To Opt For This Scanner

Once the iPad is placed on the scanner, it starts charging the device which an added advantage. This means you can kill two birds at the same time-charge your iPad and scan the photos and documents as well. The scanning process is controlled via a free app and it requires iOS 4.3.5 Operating or later.

In order to use other apple devices like iPad4, iPad Mini and iPhones operating should be iOS 6 or later. Manufactures also provide a wide range of accessories to take care of the scanner in a professional manner.

Apart from the standard instruction booklet, a lens cleaner, roll cleaner, protective sleeve and calibration is provided. On top of all this one year limited warranty is given. It is an apt choice for those who wish to treasure their photos within a short while onto their iPads.