1. technology and computing
2. consumer electronics
3. telephones
4. mobile phones

LMUG
London Mac User Group
SoundByte
Number 236
October
2014
The meeting on Monday 13th
October will be at
Tiger Tiger
29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4SP.
(The Old Explorer is being refurbished)
iOS 8 helps to increase the functionality of your iPad
T
O
he iPad has grown to become the most popular
tablet since its launch in 2010. With iOS 8 now
here - we go through 15 key tips to help you get
the most out of your mobile companion.
1 – Get the most out of the default keyboard
Apple has revamped the default keyboard
- which is now known as QuickType. This aims to recommend contextually appropriate words to help you
complete sentences faster. It does this by learning your
vocabulary, so the more you use it, the better it will
become.
If you want to type with two hands you can
split the keyboard by placing two fingers in the middle
and pulling them apart. This makes it much easier to
input content with your thumbs. You can rejoin the keyboard by pushing it together with your fingers.
Download a third party keyboard
If QuickType isn’t up your street, it’s also possible to
download third party keyboards.
Swype is our favourite and is also proving to be the most popular in the App Store. The app
allows you to type out words without lifting your finger
off the screen and you can also add slang words to the
dictionary.
Answer calls with your iPad
With iOS 8 it’s possible to make and
receive phone calls from the iPad when it is sharing the
same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.
To do this you must sign into FaceTime
using the same Apple ID on both devices and make
sure Wi-Fi calling is off.
n Monsday 13th October
2014
7pm—Newsbyte Paul Foster
7.15—Software Snapshot Spree
Paul Foster & PietroFalcone
7.30—Q&A and announcements
8pm—iOS 8 and new iPhones Steve Naybour
Raffle prize—tba
This meeting will be held at Tiger Tiger in the
Haymarket because our usual place is having a
re-fit
Apple Pro Tips
Read more: http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/23193/ipadtop-15-productivity-tips-tricks#ixzz3FeJeaq5d
1
www.lmug.org.uk
1Password 5 Touches New Heights
in iOS 8
F
or years, 1Password has been a constant
part of my workflow and security profile. The
password creation and management software, first released for Mac OS X and later for
iOS, makes quick work of creating a strong password for every site and retrieving it on request.
The new 1Password 5 for iOS 8 unlocks the
utility’s full capability and makes iOS 8 itself much
better. It’s also now free, with an in-app purchase
for a small set of Pro features. (1Password is also
available for Windows and Android.)
As 1Password aged, it matured. In version 4, its improved browser integration in Mac
OS X and interface overhaul on both platforms
reduced the effort required to access passwords
and other confidential data while also improving
how categories of disparate things were organized and could be filed into folders or tagged
with metadata. With 1Password 4 for OS X, I
finally started filling in all my forms and credit
card numbers from the program.
But 1Password integration in iOS suffered before iOS 8’s release because of Apple’s
strict limitations on inter-application communication. While 1Password could (and still can) sync
via Dropbox and iCloud to keep passwords and
other data up to date between various installations on mobile and desktop systems, there was
an awful lot of copying and pasting required, and
that isn’t one of iOS’s strengths. An improved
in-app browser in 1Password 4 was a big step
up for accessing Web resources, but it carried a
lot of compromises: cookies couldn’t be shared
between Safari and 1Password’s browser, and so
forth.
iOS 8 has given AgileBits the tools
they needed to pull a lot of threads together.
But because of Apple’s requirements and how
AgileBits adapted some of 1Password’s current
settings and thinking to iOS, how to make use
of all the new options can be confusing. Here’s
some step-by-step advice.
What’s New -- You can read AgileBits’
announcement, but the brief story is that
1Password 5 for iOS sports three key additions
and two improvements, one of which has yet to
be enabled. The additions are:
Because of Apple’s new support for
extensions in iOS 8, 1Password can be used
directly within Safari.
You can unlock 1Password using Touch
ID on the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus.
Apps that use 1Password’s framework
can incorporate the extension in various ways,
such as allowing login by unlocking 1Password,
including via Touch ID. No round-trip is required.
Instead it all happens within the other app.
The two improvements relate to syncing.
AgileBits rewrote its iCloud sync to use Apple’s
overhauled CloudKit, and the company says it’s
fantastic compared to the previous set of tools,
although it requires iCloud Drive, which in turn
requires the upcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
AgileBits also made Wi-Fi sync automatic — you
don’t have to invoke it — but this change will
come into effect only once 1Password 5 for the
Mac sees the light of day.
The other major change is that
1Password for iOS is now free. The Pro upgrade
to add some organizational features is a one-time
in-app purchase of $9.99. Existing 1Password 4 for
iOS owners get these features unlocked without
paying for them.
The freemium split is interesting, because
I imagine most users won’t particularly care about
support for less common items (bank accounts,
reward programs, software licenses, and so on),
multiple password vaults, custom fields, and folder/
tag organization, but they will want to sync with
desktop versions of 1Password on the Mac or in
Windows, both of which remain paid products. The
freemium model is a great way to get new people
using 1Password for iOS, and then either paying
the in-app fee or buying desktop software licenses.
Turn On and Use Touch ID -- All versions of 1Password rely on a master password,
which unlocks your vault. The iOS version also has
an option that lets you compromise between having to enter the full master password repeatedly
— often a pain for a good password on the iOS
keyboard — and leaving 1Password unlocked for
extended periods of time. You can set a short PIN
that you can use between times you’re required
to enter the full master password. The PIN unlocks
the master password, and that unlocks the vault.
Thus, you could have 1Password ask for the master
password every 24 hours, but set it to require the
PIN after a specified delay (like 2 minutes of idle
time) or after switching away from and then back
to 1Password.
TidBits
by Glenn Fleishman: [email protected], @glennf
2
David Sparks on choosing iPhone
6 or 6 Plus
Picking between the 6 and 6 plus
Until a few months ago, as an iPhone user getting the
new iPhone has been pretty easy. There’s only been one.
veryone I know has had trouble choosing
This year Apple, for the first time, released two different
between the iPhone 6 and the larger 6 Plus. iPhones in the same cycle. (I’m not forgetting the 5C.
I eventually chose the 6 Plus and am very
That just doesn’t count.) Now there’s choice. Specifically,
happy with it. David Sparks of MacSparky had a
a big one and a bigger one.
For some reason, this choice of iPhone really
similar dilemma but made the opposite choice.
threw me for a loop. I was pretty torn about the that
He exchanged his 5.5in initial choice phone for
the smaller 4.7in device which suits him better as beautiful big 6 Plus screen and increased battery life versus the problems that come with carrying a phone bigger
he explains here.
than a Pop Tart. I purchased the 6 Plus with the idea that I
I have now settled in to life with the
may end up turning it back in for the smaller one. Indeed,
6 Plus and am enjoying it immensely. My iPad
that is exactly what happened. I used the 6 Plus for a litmini, while still being used occasionally around
tle over a week before exchanging it for the 6, which I’ve
the house, has not been out with me for the day also now had for a week.
I’ve been living out this first world problem all
since the 6 Plus arrived. Add the convenience of over the Internet so I thought it was at least worth writthe Snugg case/stand and my modified Logitech
keyboard and I have a winning lightweight combi- ing the epilogue.
6 PLUS PRAISE
nation.
I liked the big screen 6 Plus quite a lot. That
Problems remain. Not all iPhone apps extra screen real estate came in handy. I spend quite a lot
have yet been optimised for the larger screen.
of time reading PDF documents. Using the 6 Plus I was
Many do not work in landscape mode, which is
able, for the first time, to read PDFs on my phone. That
is pretty handy considering my phone is always with me.
now my default viewing option. Others, such as
1Password have been optimised but, disappoint- The 6 Plus optimized applications have not rolled out
yet but I suspect they are coming and in the next year,
ingly, have no support for landscape. This is persmart developers are going to jump in with both feet.
haps the biggest trade-off when going with the
apps (which are my particular weakness)
larger phone. It works so well in landscape mode Productivity
stand to improve the most with this extra screen space.
for browsing, reading and writing that is is a con- The battery life was also a marked improvestant frustration to find often-used apps such as ment. I spent the day at Disneyland with my family shortly
1Password lying on their side.
after getting the 6 Plus. The Sparks family makes regular
There is only one aspect of the 6 Plus trips to Disneyland and we usually carry an external
battery in our bag because Disneyland is hell on phone
that I truly dislike. The 16:9 screen format is not
my favourite and I would prefer the more usable batteries. While there, I took pictures, fiddled with Twitter,
and did the other things I usually do on a phone at
proportions of the iPad mini and iPad Air. The 6
When we returned to the car, I looked at my
Plus looks too long and too narrow. Paradoxically, Disneyland.
battery to see that I still had half a charge. That has never
however, the length of the screen when viewed
happened to me with any prior iPhone. Not once. There
in landscape offers greater possibilities for
is a lot to like about the big phone.
landscape mode. The extra width lends itself to
6 PLUS PROBLEMS
I did have problems though. The phone fit eassidebar-style displays. For good examples of this
ily in the pockets of my various pants, jeans, and shorts.
implementation look no further than Apple's
I never felt it was at risk of falling out. I’ve always carried
Notes and Contacts.
We have a long way to go before the my iPhone in my front left pocket. That’s my iPhone
pocket. Keys and other bits and bobs don’t go there. The
iPhone 6 Plus can be regarded as a true substi6 Plus in my front left pocket always made its presence
tute for an iPad mini. But I believe developers will known. Taking a walk with it in my dress slacks, it would
rise to the occasion and we will see many more audibly smack against the front of my thigh. Sitting down
6-Plus implementations of popular apps. In the
at a restaurant, I could feel the pressure of the pocket
meantime, these reservations are more than off- and leg against the phone. I never experienced these
set by the greater convenience of having just one issues with prior iPhones.
Another problem I never overcame in a week
device to carry around.
of usage is the delicate nature of the big phone. It is large
and thin with lots of curvy bits. Handing it to my wife to
All the articles on this page come from Michael
take a picture felt more like transferring nitroglycerine
Evans www.macfilos.com. These and many others
than sharing a phone. It just felt like I needed to be very
are well worth reading.
careful every time I handled the beautiful beast. Some
E
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continued on page 4
SoundByte is the newsletter of the London Mac User Group.
It is produced solely by, and for, LMUG members.
LMUG Committee 2013/14
Chairman Steve Naybour([email protected])
Treasurer Georgina Chui ([email protected])
Secretary Tina Jacobs ([email protected])
Assistant Secretary Chris Mahon
Editor Maurice Baker ([email protected])
Webmaster
Membership Officer Pietro Falcone ([email protected])
Technical Officer Andy Leigh ([email protected])
Communications Officer Martin Kelly ([email protected])
Committee Members Gareth Mills & Eoin O’Cléirigh
Ideas & Suggestions [email protected]. Website: http://www.lmug.org.uk
Enquiries:
If you need to contact LMUG by post, email [email protected] with a reason and a postal address will be
emailed by return Phone: 07919 968075
continued from page 3
people on Twitter suggested I put on a case but that
just makes the phone bigger.
I understood the 6 Plus is a two-handed
phone but it doesn’t really sink in until you face it
directly. At one point I was expecting an important
text. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I knew that
was it. It took me too long to get out of my pocket
and the message was gone by the time I could see the
screen. I was holding a briefcase in my other hand and
tried, very carefully, to unlock
the phone one-handed. I
couldn’t without balancing
it on just a few fingers and
risking dropping it. I think
I could have handled the
“big in pocket” problem. The
“can’t get at my message one
handed” problem, however,
was my own personal deal
killer for the 6 Plus.
A LITTLE
PERSPECTIVE
The Apple Store
is pretty nice about these
things and they swapped
me to the smaller phone
without trouble. I held off on
this post because I wanted
some context for the smaller
phone too. In general, I also really dig the 6. I can check
messages one handed. It is easier to handle and not as
large in my pocket.
Having spent time with both phones, I’m
still not entirely clear which phone I liked better but
the 6 feels right for me, at least for now. If the Apple
Watch delivers and I can get that important message
on my wrist, I may find a little bigger phone makes more
sense in the future. (In other words, I get to deal with this
all over again next year about this time.) One point in
all of this that I find interesting is the unusual amount of
angst I’ve had over this decision. I’ve never had a problem
picking iPad or Mac screen sizes. The new phones, however, really threw me for a loop. I think there is something
to all this talk
about the personal nature
of these small
electronics.
NO
GUIDANCE
HERE
If you are
reading this
post for guidance as to
which phone
you should
buy, I can’t
help you.
Nobody can.
They are both
great phones.
There is no
magic formula
that will tell
you which is right for you. One is more portable and the
other has a bigger screen and more battery life. Pick your
poison.
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