Apple's HomePod could be the big iOS move to the home

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Little is known about Apple's upcoming HomePod speaker. It is expected to offer amazing sound for its size, it has accelerometers and advanced acoustic technologies to determine location, bounce off sound and calibrate for optimal sound. This could make it a truly-smart speaker in terms of audio playback.

HomePod has been easily dismissed as a late-to-the-game, me-too smart speaker. Apple's feeble attempt to eke out some profit from the insanely popular smart speaker segment led in the US by Amazon Echo and growing globally thanks to Google Home and the various sizes and variants they offer.

Click to read more ...

Toyota and Lexus recalling 645,000 vehicles for air bags that may fail to deploy

Toyota is recalling 645,000 vechilces worldwide for a serious electrical problem that stops airbags from deploying in the event of an accident. This covers Toyota Prius and Lexus RX and NX SUVs. Also covered are some Toyota Alphard, Vellfire, Sienta, Noah, Voxy, Esquire, Probox, Succeed, Corolla, Highlander, Levin and Hilux models. All were produced from May of 2015 to March of 2016.

Toyota says says an open electrical circuit could occur over time. That would set off an air bag warning light and could stop the side and front air bags from deploying. Toyota will notify owners by letter in starting in late March.

Source: CTV News

Office 365 and OneDrive for iOS now support drag and drop functionality

iOS on the iPad is getting a productivity boost thanks to Microsoft who has enabled support for drag and drop functionality in the iPad and the Files app in iOS 11. This approximates functionality on PCs and Macs and makes it easier for users to interact with files and data.

We can now use drag and drop on iPad to drag content into documents, presentations, and spreadsheets from other Office apps or OneDrive. Drag and drop files to and from OneDrive and other sources—such as SharePoint or iMessage.

OneDrive for iOS now natively supports the Files app in iOS 11. Upload, access, edit, and save content to OneDrive or SharePoint from any iOS app. A big one is the ability to co-author in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for iOS and Mac.

Apple reportedly delaying iOS visual enhancements to focus on performance and stability

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

A report today says that Apple is foregoing a visual update to iOS to focus on performance and stability enhancements on stability and security. Apple's iOS hasn't had a major visual overhaul since 2013 with iOS 7.

A report from Axios states that Apple's engineers will focus on improving performance, battery life as well as security will receive attention over visual redesign and a new look. This includes delaying some interface features, new photo-taking features, photo editing and sharing features. The iPhones 8 and X are already superior cameras, delaying new features this year won't make an impact.

I think this is a great move. iOS 11 has been generally a good update when used with new devices but seems to show its cracks when running on older iPhones or iPads. This is a case where the plumbing and electrical systems require repair before Apple can consider adding a new facade and splash of fresh paint. 

Click to read more ...