The 2015 Beard Blog Holiday Tech Gift Guide

Back in my day, toys were the rage of the holiday season. Everyone wanted the coolest, most popular toy, and stores had trouble keeping up supplies. From ‘Tickle Me Elmo’ to ‘Zhu Zhu Pets’ we’ve see our fair share of off-the-wall gifts of the year. Nowadays, the climate has shifted to technology. Kids and adults alike want the latest craze in technology whether it be wearables, tablets, or video games, nothing is out of bounds.

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iPad Pro mini review

It’s huge, bigger than you expect. Just like when I switched to the iPhone 6 Plus, the size becomes normal after a few hours of use. I have yet to get the Keyboard or Pencil yet due to supply constraints. Other than that, it’s fast and the benchmarks tell me it’s faster than my two year old MacBook Pro. I have yet to see this but time will tell. The future for the iPad Pro looks bright, I’m just waiting to see the light. 

The Beard Blog Apple TV (2015) Review

For the last 3+ years, there as only been one Apple streaming device. The Apple TV (3rd Generation) has been around since 2012. It was a small upgrade over the 2nd generation device which debuted the previous year. Since 2012, there has been a plethora of new devices to compete against the widely-popular Apple TV. Amazon, Roku, Google, and almost every TV manufacturer have introduced a way to consume content over the internet. Most of them have been hit or miss, but by 2015 Amazon and Roku have cornered the market. This left a hole for consumers of the Apple ecosystem since the 3rd generation Apple TV was limited to Apple provided apps only. 

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How to properly use your iPhone

One of this biggest annoyances I have are when people spread false “tech tips” and unsuspecting users actually follow them, religiously. Somewhere, someone thought it would be a good idea to tell everyone to quit all the running apps on their iPhone and/or iPad. This comes in many varieties like quitting all apps once in a while and the most ridiculous, quitting an app immediately after using it. I’m going to tell you why it’s not only a bad idea to quit your running apps, but you could actually be damaging your device.

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The Beard Blog iPhone 6s Review!

Such a Success

This year the new iPhone has been dubbed the iPhone 6s, much to my dismay (6s sounds like success and it’s annoying, not clever), and packs more than the usual punches. This review won’t be like some reviews where all new features are explained, I would like to share my candid opinion. If you wish to read A LOT of words about the new phones, check out Rene Ritchie’s review over at iMore.com.

I’ve had my iPhone 6s Plus since launch day and this year I’ve switched up the color. For the last two years I have opted with the stunning gold finish, but this year I’m going back to black! Even with my short time thus far, I have already come to like this year’s iPhone more than any in the past. It may look the same from a far, but if you get too close, this phone will change the way you think of smartphones.

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Shooting Photos on the new Apple iPhone 6s

Brad Magin swapped out his usual DSLR camera for the new Apple iPhone 6s plus on 9/19/2015 and shot some really amazing photographs in various lighting.

The upcoming iPhone 6s is the biggest camera bump Apple has included in a new iPhone. These photos give you a glimpse of what is possible in this next generation device.

Check out this link for the gallery:

http://www.si.com/mlb/photos/2015/09/21/iphone-6s-plus-sneak-preview-photos-si/1

Logitech Type+ Keyboard for iPad Air 2 Review

I’ve always touted an iPad or any other tablet as a second device to your computer. If you need a computer for certain things (e.g. word processing, graphics, A/V, etc.) a tablet cannot replace this and you will be unhappy with just an iPad at home. The tablet market is for when you don’t feel like being on your smartphone, but also don’t want to be on a full-fledged computer. Adding a physical keyboard to a tablet a la Microsoft Surface begins to blur the lines between tablet and laptop. To preface this so-called review I want to state that I received no compensation for this nor did Logitech provide me anything for free. I purchased this keyboard with my own, hard-earned, money. Logitech Type+ for iPad Air 2

My current iPad is called the iPad Air 2 and it is my 5th iPad that I’ve owned to date. Starting with the original iPad shortly after it’s release I followed it up with an iPad 4 with lightning connector. I’ve also had the original iPad Air as well as the original iPad Mini. Being my 5th iPad, I’ve never used an external keyboard with it. In the early days they were really thick and became more of a hinderance than a helpful accessory.

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What is the next iPhone?

Success Is The 6s

It’s almost September and besides cool breezes, pumpkin-flavored everything, hockey & football, us Apple fanboys are gearing up for another iPhone announcement. This is what we in the business refer to as an ‘S’ year. Ever since 2009 when Apple debuted the upgraded iPhone 3GS, there has been a S year after a major redesign. The meaning of ‘S’ in the past varies year to year like Speed, Siri, and Security, but I have a feeling this year may be a little different. Ever since the launch of the iPhone 4S, I have speculated that eventually there will have to be an iPhone 6s which sounds a lot like ‘iPhone Success’. Not saying the iPhone is not a success, but it’s a very phonetic dumb-sounding name. I hope this is the year that they break out of their cycle and do something different. It could be called it the iPhone 7, or use a different letter like the iPhone 6L where L means LARGER. Regardless, for the sake of identification, I will be referring to the new iPhone as the iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s+.

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Which is better Apple Music or Spotify?

“HIStory”

My musical taste has always been under scrutiny by anyone who rides in the car with me. On any given day, my music library could play the likes of Nelly, followed by 2Pac, Michael Jackson, then John Mayer, and sprinkle in some country too. I call it eclectic, but others just call me confused. All that considered, I enjoy music very much and consider it vital to my existence, especially in the car. I used to be the guy who would be browsing through hundreds of CDs at the stoplight trying to find the right album. My history of music follows all the major trends as I was never afraid to adopt the latest craze. In high school it was all CDs and Napster.

The classic medium

It wasn’t until college that I got my first iPod, but I didn’t really jump in completely at first. I had an older car with an aftermarket stereo, so I was limited to options at the time. My favorite thing was the MP3 CD where you could load up a regular CD with 100-200 songs opposed to the traditional 15 or so songs.

“A Junkie’s Lament”

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My Apple Watch Review: 3 Months of Joy

From Fitbit to Apple Watch

As an avid Apple enthusiast, I’m always excited about their new products. I’ve been following the Apple Watch or ‘iWatch’ news since it was first reported on MacRumors years ago. Previously I’ve never worn a smartwatch, but I have been collecting traditional watches for some time. Just about every day I could have been spotted wearing a watch on my left hand, so you could say I was ready for the next generation of watches. I later grew tired of waiting for an Apple iWatch to emerge so I ventured in the wearables market by purchasing a Fitbit Flex. This was great, it could track my steps and only needed charged about once a week. As this point I’m wearing a traditional watch on my left wrist, and a Fibit fitness tracker on my right wrist. This is where Apple captured my interest, by combining both a watch and fitness tracker into one device, both my wrists no longer needed to be decorated with straps.

Expense over Excitement

When the Apple Watch was announced in the fall of 2014, I was immediately immersed in the hype, and by spring of 2015 I was over eager to meet my new wrist companion. The publicity since fall kind of dissipated so I didn’t know that many people taking the plunge on this first generation device. On pre-order day I settled on ordering two Apple Watches, one for me of course, and one for my wife to share the experience with me… and send my heartbeat to. For me it was the Apple Watch (Stainless Steel Case) with black sport band and the Apple Watch Sport with white sport band for my wife. After adding AppleCare+ this was a large purchase and immediately I started having buyer’s remorse. Would I actually use this thing? Will it be another great Apple product? Apple Watch

My wife’s Apple Watch Sport band arrived first, and to my surprise, my Apple Watch had yet to be shipped. This was a tiny dilemma because it was a surprise gift for her and I wanted to have both at the same time. I ruined the surprise and asked if I can wear it until mine was delivered, of course agreed as it was already adorning my wrist. Ten days later my Apple Watch arrived in glorious fashion, while I was out of town. This put my time with the Apple Watch Sport at about two weeks. I enjoyed the sport, but fell in love with the look and design of the stainless steel Apple Watch. I’m pretty rough on watches so I knew I would not only need AppleCare+, but a scratch-proof sapphire screen sold me.

Since then I’ve been wearing my Apple Watch everyday, and I have the activity history to prove it.

Three months later I’m as happy as ever, especially when people ask me if I still like it as much as the day I got it. My only answer can be, “why yes, it is essential to me everyday.”

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