Want to know how to maximise the battery life on your iPhone

iPhone and iPad Apps for the Blind And Visually Impaired; Want to know how to maximise the battery life on your iphone:

Sometime ago we did an article on 11 ways to conserve your battery with iOS 7 . Those who were running iOS 7 I hope red that existing article and followed some of those steps. This article expands on things that you can do with iOS 8. If you are new to IOS or did not read the article here are the key things we covered.  Background App Refresh  Location-Tracking Apps  Parallax  Automatic Updating  Turn Off AirDrop  Stop searching for Wi-Fi  Turn Down the Brightness  Spotlight   Disable location services (for apps that don't need it)   Go on a push notification diet   Don't push; fetch

 If you like Steph I step instructions on each one of the steps please go to 11 Ways to Stop iOS 7 From Killing Your iPhone Battery

Want to know how to maximise the battery life on your iPhone or iPad? In this guide we'll share some advice to help keep your phone alive for as long as humanly possible.

It's written with iOS 8 in mind, which adds new features to assess your battery usage. And some new fancy features that will guzzle your battery fast if left unchecked.





First things first, you want to see what is killing your battery in the first place. iOS 8 lets you assess your battery drain on an app-by-app basis so you can easily detect energy hogs.

Simply go into the Settings app, choose 'General', tap 'Usage', and go into 'Battery Usage'. From here you can see the time since last full charge and battery usage in the last day and week.

If one app is taking up a lot of battery you may want to turn off that app's background refresh or notifications, or stop using it altogether.





Background App Refresh, which was added in iOS 7, is a way for apps to get new data when not in use, so they're up to date as soon as you load them.

It's a cool feature, but it can be a major battery drain. Either turn off individual apps that you don't need to update continually, or shut off the feature entirely. You can find it in 'General', 'Background App Refresh' in the Settings app.

Think about the way you use each app. It takes a couple seconds to grab your latest tweets when you load up a Twitter client - do you need to continuously update your timeline when you're not using it?





Location Services are another battery hog. Open Settings, go to 'Privacy', and find 'Location Services'.

Keep it on for apps where you want it to know your location. If you like to share your location when you Tweet, keep it on for Twitter. But if you never use IMDB's cinema show times feature, revoke its access to your location, here.





Push notifications can also hurt your battery life. And like background app refresh and location services, you've probably got some turned on that you don't need.

To tweak these settings open the Settings app and choose 'Notifications'. Now you'll see a list of every installed app that can send notifications. Go into apps that you don't care about and uncheck 'Allow Notifications'.





You have more options when dealing with the default Mail app. Find 'Mail, Contacts, Calendars' in Settings and tap on 'Fetch New Data'.

Push email will send emails from the mail server to your iOS device as soon as they arrive, which can hurt your battery. You may wish it to turn this setting off and use a fetch schedule.

This only looks for emails every 15 or 30 minutes, or every hour, or only when you go into the Mail app and refresh your inbox. Use whichever suits you best.





A couple tips from ex-Apple Genius Bar staffer Scotty Loveless, who has got a huge and exhaustive guide to battery drain if you want even more information.

First, stop manually closing all your apps. For starters, it's unnecessary: iOS is automatically juggling memory, putting apps in suspended animation, and killing unused memory hogs all by itself.

But more importantly for this article, constantly having to load and unload apps from your phone's random access memory is bad for battery. "All of that loading and unloading puts more stress on your device than just leaving it alone', says Loveless.






Another tip from Loveless: using your iPhone when you're in an area with crappy service can also kill the battery as the phone puts strain on its antenna to try to keep receiving phone calls and text messages.

If you're in the middle of nowhere (or inside a building that cuts off phone signal) and you don't need to use the phone right now, turn on airplane mode.

Plus, you can actually turn wi-fi back on after you enter airplane mode to continue using the web.





Changing your screen brightness can have a massive impact on your phone's battery life. Keeping it at the highest setting is a sure fire way to drain your battery (and destroy your corneas).

Set it to about 60 percent. You'll soon get used to it, and you can squeeze many minutes of battery out of your device.

When your iPhone or iPad battery is running low and you do not have a charger nearby, you could switch the device’s full-color screen to grayscale mode to extend its battery life. This feature is also great for those who are completely blind and do not need the color screen. 

Go to the Settings app on your phone. Inside the app, scroll down, and choose the General setting. Among the numerous options available under the General option, we are only looking for theAccessibility option. This is the hub for many settings which improve the usability of the device. inally, turn on the Grayscale option which can be found under the Vision section. As soon as you activate the feature, your device’s screen will turn to grayscale mode. 

The results may not be obvious in the Settings screen since the background is white already. However, when you go back to the home screen, you will notice that all the icons are displayed in black and white.

Please note that the feature affects the screen only. If you take a screenshot, the results will be in full-color.

The History of Apple iPhones: Apple finally announces smartwatch, but it's not an iWatch! It is called "Apple Watch".

Apple finally announces smartwatch, but it's not an iWatch! It is called "Apple Watch".

ACCESSIBILITY IMPLICATIONS OF APPLE WATCH EVENT

Apple unveiled its first smartwatch on Tuesday. The move was hotly anticipated, as Apple enters a competitive and rapidly expanding market. 

People have  been speculating about it for over a year, but Apple has finally unveiled its first foray into wearable technology. The Apple Watch (yep, not the iWatch), is an Apple-made smartwatch that was shown off during Apple's 9 September iPhone 6 event, with a new dial called the crown, close integration with iCloud and Siri and a flexible sapphire display. The new watches will be available starting in early 2015,"Apple introduced the world to several category-defining revolutionary product that can enrich people's lives.  products, the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad," 

 Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch, and a brand new ApplePay tap-to-pay system to replace credit cards. Separately and together there are enormous accessibility implications for these announcements.

 Here’s what I’ve put together sofar …

Firstly, I’m not going to list everything that was announced – for that you can watch the recording of the lifestream or read The 15 Most Important Announcements From The Apple Watch iPhone 6 Event. I’m just going to talk about the things that are relevant to accessibility in some way.

Lastly we have the Apple Watch, not due for release until early 2015, and a device that has left us with more accessibility questions than accessibility answers at the moment.

On the bonus side of the equation is “tactic” feedback via gentle vibrations on your wrist. This could be a really enormous bonus for many users, and the webpage also describes a “subtle audio” alternative for those who don’t want or can’t use vibrations.

Control via a “digital crown” – the button an analogue watch uses for setting or winding it – as well as a button on the side and touch-screen controls are both a plus and a minus in accessibility terms. Having a physical control mechanism makes things easier to use for some users but makes them completely inaccessible for others – users who can only use a stylus or mouthstick to access their iPhones and iPads won’t be able to manipulate a digital crown.

The Apple Watch will let you use Siri simply by lifting your wrist, or alternatively trigger Siri by pressing and holding the digital crown. None of the videos showed Siri responding verbally but since an Apple Watch can only be used in combination with an iPhone, verbal responses through the iPhone should be possible I would think.

Just having the Watch on your wrist is an accessibility bonus too – as I was writing this my phone rang and I dropped it as I struggled to get it out of my pocket fast enough to answer it. Being able to accept a call by touching my wrist would remove the urgency, and Apple says that the iOS 8 Handoff feature means I can still transfer that call to the iPhone as soon as I wrangle it out of my pocket if talking to my wrist isn’t my style.

Pulse monitoring is a big accessibility plus for me personally, too, since I have a disorder that frequently messes up my pulse rate and requires lots of pulse checking. I would think there are medical possibilities here too.

The watch bands look to be fairly good for physical accessibility in terms of taking the watches on and off – there are several options but mostly of them use magnets for closure so they are a lot less fiddly than a traditional buckle-up watch clasp.

The Apple Watch has a variety of different bands, all of them are fairly easy to do up compared to a traditional buckle-up watch.

On the big negative side, the Apple Watch is water resistant but it isn’t waterproof. For users who have memory or cognition problems that would prevent them realising they need to take it off, or users who have physical impairments meaning they can’t remove the watch and put it back on independently, this could be a big deal – especially since dunking a watch could set you back more than $350!

Everything else is still fairly unknown – will the watch be accessible to blind users? Will there be assistive touch alternatives for those who can’t manipulate the physical buttons? Will there be guided access alternatives? Low vision access options? My experience with Apple tells me that these things will all probably come over time, but they might not be there from day one, which is a big deal for disabled users who are as enthusiastic as anybody about Apple products and want to experience new technology. I sincerely hope that Apple informs us about these things as soon as possible, and has good answers!

We know how it will charge (but not how long it will stay charged)

One of the features Apple touted on Tuesday is the watch's inductive charging system. 

Users will be able to charge an Apple Watch by connecting a cord magnetically to the back of the watch body.

But notably absent was any mention of how often you'll have to juice up your watch. Battery life has been a big issue among the smart watches on the market. According to the Verge, the charges among the smart watches on the market have ranged from a few hours to a week long. However, the longer-lasting ones have been more rudimentary than the Apple Watch: black-and-white displays that aren't touch screens, for example.

A glance at the newest competitors shows what the Apple Watch will be up against when it comes out in early 2015. Sony's latest offering, the SmartWatch 3, can last two days on one charge, according to the Guardian. Meanwhile, Motorola's Moto 360, was lambasted upon its release for its disappointingly short battery life. Gizmodo found that it lasts "24 hours plus."

 Users will learn a new language of watch vibrations

Consider it the Apple Watch's own system of Morse Code. The watch will do turn-by-turn directions, but instead of making you listen to Siri's voice or stare at your watch screen to know where to go, it will simply tell you by feel. One type of vibration will let you know it's time to turn left. Another will tell you it's time to turn right.

The iPhones that the Apple watch will work with is

IPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, plus, iPhone 6

To learn more in detail about the Apple watch please go to the link below.

http://www.apple.com/watch/     

Apple finally announces smartwatch, but it's not an iWatch! It is called "Apple Watch".

ACCESSIBILITY IMPLICATIONS OF APPLE WATCH EVENT

Apple unveiled its first smartwatch on Tuesday. The move was hotly anticipated, as Apple enters a competitive and rapidly expanding market. 

People have  been speculating about it for over a year, but Apple has finally unveiled its first foray into wearable technology. The Apple Watch (yep, not the iWatch), is an Apple-made smartwatch that was shown off during Apple's 9 September iPhone 6 event, with a new dial called the crown, close integration with iCloud and Siri and a flexible sapphire display. The new watches will be available starting in early 2015, "Apple introduced the world to several category-defining revolutionary product that can enrich people's lives.  products, the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad," 

 Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch, and a brand new ApplePay tap-to-pay system to replace credit cards. Separately and together there are enormous accessibility implications for these announcements.

 Here’s what I’ve put together sofar …

Firstly, I’m not going to list everything that was announced – for that you can watch the recording of the lifestream or read The 15 Most Important Announcements From The Apple Watch iPhone 6 Event. I’m just going to talk about the things that are relevant to accessibility in some way.

Lastly we have the Apple Watch, not due for release until early 2015, and a device that has left us with more accessibility questions than accessibility answers at the moment.

On the bonus side of the equation is “tactic” feedback via gentle vibrations on your wrist. This could be a really enormous bonus for many users, and the webpage also describes a “subtle audio” alternative for those who don’t want or can’t use vibrations.

Control via a “digital crown” – the button an analogue watch uses for setting or winding it – as well as a button on the side and touch-screen controls are both a plus and a minus in accessibility terms. Having a physical control mechanism makes things easier to use for some users but makes them completely inaccessible for others – users who can only use a stylus or mouthstick to access their iPhones and iPads won’t be able to manipulate a digital crown.

The Apple Watch will let you use Siri simply by lifting your wrist, or alternatively trigger Siri by pressing and holding the digital crown. None of the videos showed Siri responding verbally but since an Apple Watch can only be used in combination with an iPhone, verbal responses through the iPhone should be possible I would think.

Just having the Watch on your wrist is an accessibility bonus too – as I was writing this my phone rang and I dropped it as I struggled to get it out of my pocket fast enough to answer it. Being able to accept a call by touching my wrist would remove the urgency, and Apple says that the iOS 8 Handoff feature means I can still transfer that call to the iPhone as soon as I wrangle it out of my pocket if talking to my wrist isn’t my style.

Pulse monitoring is a big accessibility plus for me personally, too, since I have a disorder that frequently messes up my pulse rate and requires lots of pulse checking. I would think there are medical possibilities here too.

The watch bands look to be fairly good for physical accessibility in terms of taking the watches on and off – there are several options but mostly of them use magnets for closure so they are a lot less fiddly than a traditional buckle-up watch clasp.

The Apple Watch has a variety of different bands, all of them are fairly easy to do up compared to a traditional buckle-up watch.

On the big negative side, the Apple Watch is water resistant but it isn’t waterproof. For users who have memory or cognition problems that would prevent them realising they need to take it off, or users who have physical impairments meaning they can’t remove the watch and put it back on independently, this could be a big deal – especially since dunking a watch could set you back more than $350!

Everything else is still fairly unknown – will the watch be accessible to blind users? Will there be assistive touch alternatives for those who can’t manipulate the physical buttons? Will there be guided access alternatives? Low vision access options? My experience with Apple tells me that these things will all probably come over time, but they might not be there from day one, which is a big deal for disabled users who are as enthusiastic as anybody about Apple products and want to experience new technology. I sincerely hope that Apple informs us about these things as soon as possible, and has good answers!

We know how it will charge (but not how long it will stay charged)

One of the features Apple touted on Tuesday is the watch's inductive charging system. 

Users will be able to charge an Apple Watch by connecting a cord magnetically to the back of the watch body.

But notably absent was any mention of how often you'll have to juice up your watch. Battery life has been a big issue among the smart watches on the market. According to the Verge, the charges among the smart watches on the market have ranged from a few hours to a week long. However, the longer-lasting ones have been more rudimentary than the Apple Watch: black-and-white displays that aren't touch screens, for example.

A glance at the newest competitors shows what the Apple Watch will be up against when it comes out in early 2015. Sony's latest offering, the SmartWatch 3, can last two days on one charge, according to the Guardian. Meanwhile, Motorola's Moto 360, was lambasted upon its release for its disappointingly short battery life. Gizmodo found that it lasts "24 hours plus."

 Users will learn a new language of watch vibrations

Consider it the Apple Watch's own system of Morse Code. The watch will do turn-by-turn directions, but instead of making you listen to Siri's voice or stare at your watch screen to know where to go, it will simply tell you by feel. One type of vibration will let you know it's time to turn left. Another will tell you it's time to turn right.

The iPhones that the Apple watch will work with is

IPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, plus, iPhone 6

To learn more in detail about the Apple watch please go to the link below.

http://www.apple.com/watch/     

It's like Christmas Eve for Apple fans:

It's like Christmas Eve for Apple fans: Tomorrow, the company is expected to unleash its biggest product launch of the year. What will we see at the big event? Apple hasn’t been shy about stoking the fires for its Tuesday event in Cupertino, which will likely see the introduction of the iWatch and the iPhone 6. In many ways, it’s a new chapter for Apple.

Despite the hype that always accompanies the staging of an Apple event, only a handful of them over the past decade have truly mattered. It seems pretty clear that next Tuesday’s event is going to fall into that category, based on the way Apple has handled the run-up to it and the fact that we’re about to enter a new era for the storied company.

You can count those ground-breaking events from the last ten years on one hand: the 2005 iPod nano event, the 2007 Macworld that introduced the iPhone, the 2008 event that revealed how the App Store would work, and the 2010 iPad event. Sure, there were other notable moments during that period (and plenty before then) but those were the events that truly made people realize how Apple was defining the current generation of personal computing.

Something to talk about

It looks as if the new product category that Apple watchers have been clamoring for since Tim Cook became CEO in 2011 is here, in the form of what we’ll call the iWatch. We don’t know what it looks like or exactly how it will work, but we know that it will pair with the iPhone and we know that it will serve as a landmark product for those who have wondered if Apple could sustain its amazing run of innovation as we approach the third anniversary of Jobs’ death.

iWatch, 

At the event. Most of the chatter on the web reveals that the iWatch won’t be only about health and fitness, but also about good looks, aesthetics and luxury. In fact, Apple is believed to invited top fashion editors and bloggers in unprecedented numbers to its launch gala. 

Apple's first wearable gadget could beam messages, Facebook updates, simplified apps and Siri to our wrists, eliminating the all-too-common need to take out our devices to constantly check notifications.

It's going to become especially convenient to pocket the all-but-confirmed 4.7-inch and even bigger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 in your jeans, and always stow the next 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 in a bag later this year. At the same time, iWatch leaks have pointed to Nike FuelBand SE-inspired fitness tracking and biometric sensors. Apple could possibly take more cues from the sneaker maker instead of its smartwatches rivals.

iPhone 

Though Apple is planning to unveil two iPhones tomorrow, in 4.7 and 5.5-inch varieties, there's been surprisingly little information on what the two devices might be called. According to a new report from Mac Otakara [Google Translate], Apple will refer to the smaller 4.7-inch iPhone as the "iPhone 6," while the larger 5.5-inch version will be called the "iPhone 6 Plus." 

It is unknown what source Mac Otakara derived its information from, but the site has provided accurate predictions in the past. MacRumors has also heard the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus monikers from a second source, but it remains unclear if that is indeed Apple's naming plan. 
Tuesday’s event will be one of those crossroads events: one that we’ll remember either as a day Apple articulated a new vision for computing that we’ve been waiting for someone to advance — or as a sign it has overreached.

Here is a great articles to read.

The post-Steve Jobs era of Apple will officially begin on Tuesday. Here’s why.

Apple iWatch launch tomorrow: Everything we know so far.

Apple's Larger Phones May Be Called iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus