iPhone SE may look identical to 2013’s iPhone 5s,
but its body has one big improvement. Like Apple’s latest iPhones, the
new 4-inch model is made out of Series 7000 aluminum that should make it
more durable. Does it work? Find out in the gruesome hammer and knife
test below.
Serial smartphone destroyer TechRax wasted no time in subjecting
Apple’s latest iPhone to a series of painful torture tests right after
unboxing it. In the hammer and knife test below, he attempts to find out
how well the Rose Gold model copes with impact and scratches.
TechRax starts by stabbing the device with a knife,
leaving gauges in its aluminum unibody and smashing its sapphire crystal
camera lens. The iPhone SE obviously doesn’t do too well in this test,
but it does surprise us in the hammer test.
It takes dozens of blows and a fair amount of force to shatter the
iPhone SE’s Gorilla Glass display. Being smaller, it’s obviously not as
fragile as larger smartphones, which means you’re less likely to breat
it when you drop it on the ground. It’s clear it’s not too difficult to
damage its pretty Rose Gold finish, though, so we still recommend a
case.
Apple’s bid to increase its success in India by selling used iPhones
hasn’t been well-received by local companies, who are concerned that
the move will increase the amount of electronic waste and jeopardize
their future. Industry executives are now fighting Apple’s plan.
Apple wants permission from the Indian government to import and sell
used phones in the country. If it is granted that permission, it will be
the first company that has been allowed to do business this way in
India. But local mobile companies are hoping Apple won’t get its wish.
“A growing number of industry executives are fighting the
move, warning government officials in private that it’ll open the
floodgates to electronic waste, jeopardize local players, and make a
farce of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India program to
encourage local manufacturing,” reports Bloomberg.
Sudhir Hasija, chairman of Karbonn Mobiles, which sells around 1.7
million phones a month in India, says “Make in India could turn into
Dump in India.”
Apple has become increasingly interested in selling the iPhone in India,
the world’s second-largest mobile population, as growth slows in the
U.S. and China. In fact, India has become a top priority as the
Cupertino company looks to open its first retail stores there.
But locals are fighting to make things harder for Apple and prevent a
potential threat to Indian companies. The Mobile and Communications
Council, the main representative body for India’s electronics industry,
is now opposing Apple’s application to sell used devices.
“Why even consider allowing import of used phones when import of
other used goods such as cars are precluded by 300 percent duty levies?”
asked chariman Ravinder Zutshi.
Apple has already had its application rejected once
— back in 2015. But it is now under review again after the company
resubmitted it with more details on its plans. As things stand, the
application has gone to inter-ministerial discussion.
“That adds a layer of bureaucracy to a process that’s far from certain,” adds Bloomberg. “The
government could go either way, though it’s encountering far greater
local opposition than the first time around. The company declined to
comment.”
One of the biggest concerns is that Apple’s plan will result in a
deluge of used electronics imports, which would go against the prime
minister’s localization drive. It could also have an environmental
impact. “When destroyed, phones product toxic materials that India isn’t
equipped to deal with.”
Apple already sells new iPhones in India through
third-party retail partners, and although they’ve been doing okay, the
company’s high price tags mean that it’s difficult to make a real
footprint. Apple currently holds less than 2 percent of Indian
smartphone market share.
Selling used devices could allow Apple to better compete with more
affordable smartphones. Four-fifths of those sold in India cost less
then $150 each, but despite that, Apple CEO Tim Cook still sees India as
an “incredibly exciting” prospect.
[Bloomberg]
Like it happens with every new iPhone release, the iPhone SE
has also been subjected to a waterproof test. Yes, Apple does not
mention anywhere that the iPhone SE is a waterproof or a water-resistant
phone, but that did not stop YouTuber Zach Straley from conducting a
waterproof test.
For comparison, Zach also conducted the same test on the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6s
alongside the iPhone SE just to show how much waterproof Apple’s latest
4-inch iPhone is compared to its predecessor and Apple’s flagship
4.7-inch iPhone.
All the three phones were submerged in three different boxes filled
with water and their timer was switched on to time the whole process.
The iPhone 5s was the first iPhone to actually exhibit water damage
around the 5 mins mark, but the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE continued to
work fine even after being submerged in water for more than 15 mins.
Interestingly, the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE continued to work fine
even after being submerged in water for an hour. The speaker on the
iPhone SE did sound a bit muffled, but that was likely due to some water
being present inside it, which should eventually automatically drain.
Now, the video above does not prove in anyway that the iPhone SE or
the iPhone 6s are waterproof or water-resistant, so don’t go about
dunking your new 4-inch iPhone in water. It should, however, give you
some peace of mind to know that next time you accidentally spill some
liquid on your iPhone SE, the phone should emerge unscathed from the
accident.
And it’s just as good on the Baby Pro as it is on the bigger iPad
Pro. And thanks to the Baby Pro’s smaller form factor, you’ll be able to
sketch comfortably even when there’s not enough space around.
12. USB 2.0 Transfer Speeds
At the event, Apple made a big deal about the Lightening to USB Camera Adaptor
that lets users both charge the iPad and use a USB accessory at the
same time. It’s a great accessory for photographers who want to use the
iPad to edit photos and videos.
The only problem is that the new, 9.7 inch iPad will transfer files
at USB 2.0 speeds while the faster 3.0 speeds are reserved only for the
bigger 12.9 inch iPad.
But first, Do You Need An iPad Pro?
This article is quickly turning into a comparison between the Baby
Pro and it’s big brother. So before going any further, let’s take a step
back and decide, do you even need an iPad Pro? And if you do, what role
will it fulfill?
First, if you’re looking at the iPad Pro as a replacement for your
Mac, you’re mostly going to be disappointed. Not because it’s impossible
to get work done on the iPad (far from it), but because iOS just
doesn’t allow for the same flexibility as OS X. There’s no file system.
So you’ll have to fake one by using Dropbox or iCloud Drive. This also
makes transferring files between apps harder and computers. And
depending on what your work is, you just can’t get some dedicated Mac
and Windows apps on the iPad.
I for example, can’t get Sketch or Adobe’s upcoming XD app
on the iPad Pro. While I’d love to switch to the iPad Pro as my primary
computer (the Pencil for designing is really tempting), I just can’t,
because the software isn’t there.
But that doesn’t rule out everyone. If you’re lucky enough that your
work life depends on generic, barebone apps, you can certainly pull off
the iPad Pro lifestyle. If all you’re going to be doing is answering
email, doing research, writing, managing Excel spreadsheets or even some
light video editing and some niche professional drawing/illustration
work, the iPad Pro might be for you.
And its simplicities, in both the software and the hardware will free
your mind and help you focus on more important things – like working.
So Which iPad Pro Is For You?
Now that you’ve read the above features and you know the differences
between the 12.9 inch iPad Pro and the 9.7 inch version, you might be
wondering, should you go with the smaller one? And looking at the
features alone, it’s not an easy choice. So let’s look at it from the
use case perspective.
If you’re going to be using the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement –
your primary computer – I think you should go for the bigger iPad Pro.
The extra screen real estate is great for multi-tasking, the extra
performance will come in really handy as well.
If you’re going to use the iPad Pro more as a tablet, then you should
opt for the smaller iPad Pro compared to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it is
not only more portable, it is significantly lighter (437 grams vs 713
grams 12.9-inch iPad Pro) which will make it a lot easier to hold for a
long time.
Instead, if you’re not sure if the iPad Pro is going to be your only
companion, and you just want to test the waters. Maybe try and shift
some of the work to the iPad, bit by bit, the Baby Pro is the best way
to do it. Pick the base model, the Pencil and Smart Keyboard if you can,
and give it a shot.
Twitch is a well known live streaming video platform that allows
anyone to set up their own channel and start streaming a game they are
playing. If you use the Twitch iOS app regularly to watch live streams,
you might have encountered some aspects of the app that annoy you. Twitch++ is a newly released jailbreak tweak
that enhances the Twitch app by bringing a range of new features and
getting rid of some limitations. With this tweak, you have the freedom
to play and pause a live stream whenever you want, watch multiple video
streams at once, get rid of all video ads as well as view the chat
window even when in landscape mode.
To get started, you’ll first have to download the tweak from Cydia. It can be found in the following repo: http://beta.unlimapps.com/. After you’ve added the new source, search for Twitch++ package and install it on your iPhone.
Once done, you can launch the Twitch app and start enjoying the new
features that the tweak provides. It also provides a settings pane which
can be accessed from within the Twitch app. Open the sidebar and tap on
the settings gear icon located in the top left corner. This opens the
tweak’s preferences pane where you can enable or disable the features
that it provides.
When watching a live stream, you’ll notice that there’s a new pause
button in the bottom left corner of the video that allows you to
play/pause the live stream whenever you want. You can also view live
streams in landscape mode while having a view of the chat window.
To watch multiple live streams at once, you’ll first have to open a
live stream. You can then tap on the button shown in the screenshot
below.
This causes the video to be detached into a separate floating window
which can be moved around freely. You can then switch to a different
live stream and detach that one as well using the same method.
Twitch++ is a solid tweak for adding new features to the official
Twitch app that you’ll find useful. If you’re interested to give it a
try, it is available as a free package on UnlimApps repo. Make sure to
let us know what you think about it in the comments section.
Leading into the weekend, some iCloud users are experiencing some downtime in services attached to Apple’s cloud platform.
Some users have begun voicing their dissatisfaction with the downtime on Twitter
and other areas, but, as it stands right now, Apple has not yet updated
its system status page to reflect any type of outage in any of its
services. For those affected, it seems to branch out into iMessage, as
well as those that use iCloud email as well.
It’s worth noting that the developer behind Fantastical, the popular
calendar app, Flexibits, tweeted out not too long ago that they’re aware
of the outage, warning users that they might see a “status code 400” as
a result.
Are you experiencing any kind of downtime?
[via 9to5Mac; Apple]
HitLeap is a Traffic Exchange, also known as an autohits service
We help you increase your website hits, rankings (alexa, google) and more.
Our affiliate program gives cash and traffic commissions of up to 50%.
How does it work?
After signing up, you will submit all the websites you want to send traffic to.
Then you will earn free traffic by viewing other people's websites.
Alternatively, you could buy a traffic package from us.
It's simply the best traffic exchange on the market at the time of this
writing. Excellent referral system. Lots of hits. Stable
auto-surfing. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
Speaking to Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith at SXSW,
President Obama said that smartphones cannot be allowed to be “black
boxes” that are not accessible by the government. He said that tech
companies should work with the government to solve such issues, instead
of leaving the matter for Congress to solve.
Obama further said that one cannot take an “absolutist
view” on this issue, and that having strong encryption on your phone “no
matter what” does not “strike the kind of balance we have lived with
for 200,300 years.” After all, there are many places where American
citizens have created a balance by trading their privacy for better
security, like by allowing law agencies to use of warrants to search
homes etc.
“The question we now have to ask is, if technologically
it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system, where the
encryption is so strong there’s no key, there’s no door at all, then how
do we apprehend the child pornographer? How do we solve or disrupt a
terrorist plot?” Obama said. “If in fact you can’t crack that at all,
government can’t get in, then everybody’s walking around with a Swiss
bank account in their pocket.”
President Obama also said that leaving this matter with Congress and
other lawmakers will not be the right thing to do, as the end result
would be “sloppy and rushed and it will go through Congress in ways that
have not been thought through.”
The president further adds that a compromise between Apple and the
government is definitely possible, and the two just need to figure out a
way to make sure that the encryption and the key to unlock it remains
as strong as possible, with access to the latter being given to a very
few number of people.
Apple has received a lot of flak from government agencies for not
following the court order and its fight against the FBI. The Department
of Justice even accused Apple of being “false” and “corrosive” in its motion.
[Via Bloomberg]
Houston has been ravaged by floods recently, and they are truly
historic in nature. Six people have died and thousands more have been
left without power. The rain totals are breaking records in the area,
leaving the city reeling.
In the middle of his report on the weather, KTRKHouston’s
reporter Steve Campion witnessed two cars drive straight into the flood
waters. At the sight of the second car, Campion felt compelled to
intervene and rescue the man driving. All of this during a LIVE BROADCAST!Have a look at this rescue and see Campion's reaction, which is priceless.
Wendy Cobb will probably never forget the 40 seconds you're about to see.
She was driving along a highway in Shelby, North Carolina, when she
noticed that two cars in front of her were holding up traffic illegally.
Carefully, she took out her iPhone and started filming it, probably
with the hopes of reporting it later. That's when a piece of wood came
careening through her car's windshield, nearly taking her life...
The two-by-four came dangerously close to Cobb in the car, but luckily none of the shattered glass really affected her.
