Apple

What’s the Future of Outside Companies and Apple’s HealthKit?

Late last year, Apple gave Fitbit the boot from Apple retail stores. There was a lot of speculation as to why Fitbit was kicked out, but most people assumed it was due to Fitbit pulling out of Apple’s Healthkit initiative. Competitors (and Healthkit partners) like Jawbone, Mio and Nike remained in the stores. Until this week, when everyone was booted!


10 Reasons I Found the Apple Watch Event a Snooze-Fest

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Greg’s take on Why I’m Considering Getting an Apple Watch, more than I enjoyed yet another over-long, under-delivering Apple ‘event’. Part I can understand, as I was listening to the audio stream through my car for a half-hour, but I found this the biggest Apple snoozer I can recall. Let me give you 10 reasons why!


It’s Not Just You, the Apple App Store Really Is Down

I woke up this morning to Twitter in a frenzy courtesy of Apple’s Servers! Apparently iTunes Connect is refusing logins, the iBooks store is not responding, and I cannot download Temple run Oz! Help!! If you did like myself and ran to Apple’s forums looking for App Store answers, you were in a room full of people also searching.  


Apple Stores Drive Mall Sales Higher by as Much as 10%!

It isn’t hard to find bad news about malls – in our (small) local mall, the Deb, Pac Sun, Gap, Radio Shack and a few small stores are all closing. Even the bigger anchor stores such as Macy’s, Sears and JC Penny are seeing pressure from online sales that lower traffic, also hurting smaller stores. Only exception? Apple stores.


Evernote for Apple Watch Is Confirmed for Launch in April

Soon after Tim Cook left the stage, popular and Apple Essentials favorite Evernote announced that they are currently developing an app for the Apple Watch. The company has said “An app on a watch doesn’t replace an app on the phone, it complements it. That’s how Apple Watch is designed, and it’s exactly what Evernote for Apple Watch is all about”.


Why I’m Considering Getting an Apple Watch

Ever since Apple’s big announcements, people have been asking me “Greg, are you going to buy the Apple Watch?” My wallet, and my conscious have two completely different answers. I have an issue, which I consider “Apple-itis”. Whenever Apple sells me on a new product, they sell me … until I realize I haven’t exactly hit the powerball yet.


Notebooks is the Best Cross-Platform App for iPhone, iPad & Mac

The stock iOS Notes app, although great for those who need to jot down a simple grocery list, isn’t enough for some of us. We need a bit more in the note-taking department. I’ve searched for the best cross-platform app that allows me to type on my iPad, iPhone and Macbook and found it. Notebooks is that app.



Omate Racer X VMK Will Be the First Smartwatch made in Africa

In January, Omate announced their $99 Racer smartwatch with much fanfare. Earlier today, Omate Announced what looks to be a first in a blooming Smartwatch community, with their limited edition Omate Racer X VMK. It has been announced that the new smartwatch will be heading to Africa in locations in Congo, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon to begin in June of this year for assembly. Thanks to the Congolese mobile startup company VMK who hopes to become a major player in the mobile industry in Africa, the Omate brand intends to be both cost effective, while giving you all of the…



Making Use of my Notifications with Velox 2 Cydia Tweak

Velox 2 is an upcoming tweak from a friend of mine by the name of Phillip Tennen (@phillipten on Twitter) that allows you to interact with your apps on the Springboard in an amazing new way. Written from the ground, a follow-up to the tweak Velox by ApexTweaks for iOS6, Velox 2 takes us on a new journey in its ways to view notifications on our Springboard. With gestures like swipe up or down, double and triple, as well as hold onto icon, you can invoke a folder that contains the notifications for each app. Think of your Notification Center…


In an Emergency, Use Siri to Call Poison Control!

Siri (or Cortana, or Ok Google) often get dismissed as gimmicks, or something you use for driving or otherwise using your phone hands free. My wife Sarah, however, can attest to a situation where Siri was an absolute hero for our family — Sarah used Siri to call Poison Control during an emergency!


Greg’s Gear- Devices I Use Daily

Here at GearDiary, a lot of us writers test out new products all the time. But with all of the awesome items we see & review, I figured I’d throw out a few of my favorite daily drivers that I use the most.




Standzout Debuts Bandstand, An Apple Watch Accessory

The Apple Watch isn’t here yet, but Standzout is ready for early adopters with their new Bandstand. It’s an Apple Watch cradle that will let you charge the watch and two USB devices at once. There are no details yet on price or availability, but the mockup looks darn cool! Keep your eyes peeled to Standzout’s website for availability news!  


Finally – Apple Introduces Online iMessage Deregistration Tool

It  took a little over 3 years, but Apple has introduced an iMessage deregistration tool allowing iPhone users who’ve moved away from iOS the ability to deregister their number from being connected to iMessage within Apple’s servers.  If you’ve gone from iPhone to Android (or any other platform), you might’ve encountered problems continuing to receive text messages from iPhone friends.


Why It Matters That Tim Cook Came Out As Gay

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has written a heartfelt and beautiful letter in Bloomberg Businessweek coming out as a gay man. If you haven’t read it yet, please stop what you are doing, and read it immediately. It’s been a bit of an open secret for some time, but seeing him put it in writing is quite empowering and courageous.


NFC, Apple Pay, CurrentC, and Smartphone Competition

Apple Pay rolled out last week, and it’s already hitting some roadblocks as some retailers are blocking or not supporting it. This isn’t because they hate iPhones, it’s because they have a competing product — CurrentC — waiting. A few years ago, companies wouldn’t have dreamed of blocking a new Apple product, but competition has made it easier to say no.


T-Mobile 5 GB for 5 Months for $10 on New iPad Air 2 with Apple SIM

The web is buzzing about the latest crop of iPad tablets (Air 2, Mini 3). The loudest chatter is about the SIM card included with the cellular models. For the first time Apple have included an Apple SIM which might be used interchangeably between  AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint (of course one carrier had other ideas).  Of greater interest T-Mobile appears to be offering one heck of a data deal. According to forum regulars on SlickDeals when you choose T-Mobile as the data provider for a new iPad Air 2 AND use the Apple SIM you will be presented with a 5GB of data for…


10 Worst Things from the October Apple iPad Launch

This week Apple held its second product announcement meeting in as many months, this time focusing on the iPad and Mac and Mac OS X. While the September meeting featured the major announcements of large-screen iPhones and the Apple Watch, the October announcements were more subdued – but let’s focus on the disappointing Apple iPad announcements.