iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard accessory. 

Apple has announced today that its new iPad Pro will be available for order on November 11th and will be shipping out later in the week. 

The iPad Pro will be available in over 40 countries including; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, France, US, UK,  Japan, China, and many more. 

�The early response to iPad Pro from app developers and our customers has been incredible, and we�re excited to get iPad Pro into the hands of customers around the world this week,� said Philip Schiller, Apple�s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. �iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad we�ve ever made, giving users the ability to be even more creative and more productive with the epic 12.9-inch Retina display, powerful 64-bit A9X chip and groundbreaking Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard. We can�t wait to see what they do with iPad Pro.�

The iPad Pro price begins at USD$799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model. Comes in Silver, Gold and Space-Gray. The Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories will be available for USD$99 and USD$169 for the latter. 

See more details at Apple.com 

A new feature added into iOS 9, finally, is upper and lowercase keyboards! Now on your iPhone or iPad, before you type, you can actually see what the letter will look like - and have a clear indication of if you have the shift-key on or not.

While showing upper and lowercase keys is a great feature, there are some of you out there that may not like all the flickering of the keys - or maybe you just prefer the letters to stay static - like a computers physical keyboard ...or a type writer.

If you don't like the changing of upper and lowercase keys in iOS 9, here's how to switch off the feature:

How To Turn Off Showing Lowercase Keys on iPhone & iPad in iOS 9: 

1. Open the 'Settings' app. 

2. Tap 'General'. 

3. Tap 'Accessibility'. 

4. Tap 'Keyboard'.

5. Switch off option 'Show Lowercase Keys'. 

Australians, free television networks are making watching your favorite shows easier and more convenient for you. We now have more content online than ever before and if you have an iPhone, iPad, or computer, it's never been easier to catch up on TV in your own time. 

All major Australian television networks have iOS apps available. The Seven Network has Plus7, Channel 9 has 9jumpin, Network Ten has Tenplay, there is also SBS On Demand, ABC iview and ABC KIDS iview. 

But how do all these apps really perform? Are they worthy of even being on your iOS device? Will you have a great experience? And can I steam the video to my Apple TV? These are the main questions that I'll be answering in these reviews. 

Reviewing these apps, I'll be looking to for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Also note, these reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

Plus7

Picture and sound quality: Picture was ok, clear, but far from a HD clear image. Sound was ok for watching on a iPhone or iPad. 

Noteworthy Feature: Plus7 has recently added new live streaming of their three main channels to the app. You can live stream Channel 7, 7two, and 7mate. 

Show catalog: 7Plus features heaps of there shows, including: A Touch of Frost, Beach Cops, Better Homes and Gardens, Blindspot, Castle, Grimm, Heroes Reborn, Home and Away, How to Get Away with Murder, The Blacklist, The Chase, and many more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'hour long' episode that I watched featured seven commercial breaks. Commercial breaks featured multiple ads.  

AirPlay support?: No. 

9Jumpin

Picture and sound quality: Quality improves based on your internet connection. Picture and sound was very good on mobile. 

Noteworthy Features: View shows previews, read up on the show and characters, and view Twitter feeds. *on selected shows.  

Show catalog: 9jumpin features many shows from there three main channels, including: 60 Minutes, Arrow, The Bachelor, The Big Bang Theory, Celebrity Apprentice, A Current Affair, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hot Seat, Survivor, and more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'half hour show' featured four commercial breaks. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. 

AirPlay support?: Yes. No button on the app, however you can switch on AirPlay to your Apple TV on through the iOS Control Panel. Streaming quality was very clear once it adjusted to your connections speed - this happens after every commercial break, as well. One problem however, if my iPhone's screen switched off, the video paused. Ad volume was also inconsistent. 

Tenplay

Picture and sound quality: Picture frequently was blurring and low quality on mobile. Sound was clear and fine for mobile. Picture quality on the Apple TV app varies. Maybe based on show, but sometimes was very low quality and hard to watch. Most shows were blurry and nowhere near even DVD quality.  

Noteworthy Features: With the MyTV feature, if you sign up, you can add favorite shows, create a watchlist's and episode playlists. Your can also set reminders. 

Show catalog: shows featured on Tenplay include: TBL Families, Homeland, Scream Queens, Have You Been Paying Attention, Limitless, Madam Secretary, Empire, Hawaii Five-O, Supernatural, Family Feud, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and more.   

Ads: Yes. Four commercial breaks on the 'half hour show'. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. Volume is inconsistent, with some ads being much louder than the TV show.   

AirPlay support?: Tenplay wins in Apple TV support, because they are the only app at the moment that actually is featured as an official app on the Apple TV itself. No need to stream from your iPhone or iPad, you can watch whatever is available right from the Apple TV. 

> Continue to Part 2 

Part two of my Australian TV network apps on iOS review. These reviews are looking for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Note: These reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

(Click to view Part 1)  

Part 2 of Aussie TV App For iOS: 

SBS On Demand

Notable Problems: Firstly, videos play with the iPhone's status bar overlaying. Great that I can see the time and my battery level - but this is annoying. Video sometimes failed to even begin - though it's funny - the advertisement played fine. And I say advertisement and not 'advertisements' because the same one played over and over. App is not even readjusted for larger iPhone screens and is still just enlarged to fit. 

Picture and sound quality: Just watchable. Video has poor frame rate and pixel banding issues. Could do with a much higher Bit Rate.  

Show catalog: Some on the shows available to watch are: American Ninja Warrior, South Park, Letters & Numbers, Ali G: Remixed, Australia with Simon Reeve, Awaken, Bref, Dateline, Fargo, Maison Close, If You Are The One, a lot of documentaries, and many more...  

Ads: Yes. Run through out the program. 

AirPlay support?: Sort of. I want to say "no". No button on the apps screen, however you can switch it on in the iOS Control Panel. When the iPhone screen sleeps, sometimes so did the playing video. Video also has a hard time resuming playback position after an ad plays and often stay in an endless crashed loop of not loading anything. Video would not even close when 'Done' was pressed. You no what - just don't even attempt to AirPlay video from this app.  

ABC iview

Picture and sound quality: Sound was good for iPhone or iPad. Picture quality adjusts with your internet connection, however the best I experienced looked just 'okay' on iPhone and could of been much better. The picture isn't high quality 'sharp' and there was definitely pixel banding in areas. The low picture quality is much more noticeable on iPad or when AirPlayed to a TV screen.    

Noteworthy Features: You can browse content by channel. Choose shows from ABC, or ABC 2, ABC 3, ABC Kids, News, Arts, and ABC Presents. 

Show catalog: A wide variety of shows are on the ABC networks, but to name a few: Doctor Who, Making Families Happy, Catalyst, Four Corners, Antiques Roadshow, The Beautiful Lie, The Next Step, Camp Lakebottom, Numb Chucks, Play School, and many more... 

Ads: In the couple of programs I watched, there was no advertisements. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

ABC KIDS iview 

A dedicated app just for kids, ABC KIDS iview app opened with volume that was not controlled by my iPhone's volume level. All sounds in this app (except playing video) do this. Really annoying. 


Based on the security of the Settings, I assume this app is intended for kids who cant read numbers yet. 

Picture and sound quality: Sound is fine, picture on the other hand is pretty low quality in my experience. It's 'okay' on iPhone and even streamed to a Apple TV, but it's not very sharp. 

Noteworthy Features: The app features a grid of shows to choose from. Tap a show to bring up available videos. Parents can also set a timer to lock the screen. 

Show catalog: Among the list are: Hey Duggee, 64 Zoo Lane, Bananas in Pajamas, Big Block SingSong, Bob the Builder, Dinosaur Train, dirtgirlworld, Emma!, Fireman Sam, and more...  

Ads: None that I saw. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

Thanks for reading, be sure to share if you liked these reviews! 

UPDATE (July 6th 2016): Unfortunately, OzTV is no longer available... 

Australian's, the TV guide and 'second-screen' iOS app, Beamly, (previously known as Zeebox) is shutting down after being purchased by beauty products company, Coty, Inc.

In my opinion, Beamly, started out as a great TV Guide, but overtime got to complex with adding too many social and news elements to the app. So, the good news is, if what you wanted was a simple television guide app for your iPhone or iPad, then I know of a great, award-winning app which I think would be a great replacement. 

OzTV - TV Guide for Australia by OzTv Apps Pty Ltd, is optimized for iPhone and iPad, and even includes support for the Apple Watch.

OzTV features; a  7 Day Free-To-Air Guide. Rich Show Information with images and descriptions. Reminders - you can set alerts to remind you before a show begins. Favorites - star TV shows as your favorites and keep track with their own TV guide list and highlights on the main guide. View upcoming episodes, quick access to info on Wikipedia/IMDB.

You can also search for shows, see what others are watching with a top show list, check-ins, popular and friends sections. Also OzTV features a great and easy to use interface. And more... For a full feature list, check out it's App Store page.



If I was to nitpick with the app - it doesn't update the schedule live, like some TV guides on actual televisions - so if a program is running late - it wont show the updated schedule time. There's no option to set only alerts for new episodes of TV Shows - so if you want a weekly alert of new episodes of a show playing, you'll need to manually set this. But those are small things - more wishful thinking.

OzTV - TV Guide for Australia is FREE to download for iOS devices from the App Store.


> View OzTV on the App Store. 

Make A Zombie 2 
by Skunk Brothers GmbH

Mix and match items to create your very own custom zombie! All up, around 150 different pieces that come with the app for free to choose from to create your zombie.

There is also a in-app store where you can buy additional items to create your zombie. The packs include: Meme Pack, Christmas Pack, Halloween Pack, Action Pack, and Pet Pack.

Make A Zombie 2 is FREE (features in-app purchases) to download, available for iOS (iPhone / iPad / iPod touch) devices from the Apple App Store.  

Halloween Spooky Sound Box Free 
By Cookie Balloon.

A free Halloween soundboard app in my opinion, features 50 awesome spooky sound fx's including; Monster Roar, Freddy, Raven, Chainsaw, Bell Toll, Screams, Ghosts, Werewolf, "Get Out!", Wolf Howl, Zombies, Clown Laugh, Owl, Heartbeat, Witch, and many more.  

Paid version of the Halloween Spooky Sound Box app features 96+ sounds.

Halloween Learning Games for Preschool and Kindergarten Kids by Abby Monkey� 
by 22learn, LLC. 

This halloween iOS app is filled with great education games for young preschool and kindergarten kids. Games included in this halloween app are: Pumpkin Maker, Tracing Letters, First Words, Memory Games, and Coloring Book.

The Impossible Test HALLOWEEN - Haunted Holiday Trivia Game 
by PixelCUBE Studios. 

The Impossible Test Halloween edition is a problem solving app featuring 30 unique Halloween questions that'll take hundreds of steps!

Sky Whale 
by Nickelodeon

In this game, control a Narwhal and keep it in the air by bouncing off items in the sky.

Features crazy collectable power-up items that flout in the sky or under the water to help your Narwhal. The game has recently received a Halloween themed makeover.

Sometimes you may need to factory reset your iPhone. Whether it's because you are selling your iPhone, giving it to someone else, a last-resort to troubleshooting a problem, or you just want a fresh start - resetting is easy to do. But remember to backup your iPhone first - or you will lose all your data! 


To Factory Reset an iPhone:

1. Open the 'Settings' app. 

2. Tap 'General'. 

3. Scroll right down and tap 'Reset'. 

4. Here you have the option to reset all sorts of settings and data. If you want to delete everything, tap 'Erase All Content and Settings'. 

When you miss a notification on Apple watch, a red dot will appear at the top of your watch face screen. Swipe down on your watch face to show all missed Notifications. There is also a few ways to clear the missed notifications on the Apple Watch. 1. Click and view the Notification. 
2. Swipe across the Notification to the left, then tap the Clear button. 
3. Or, to clear ALL Notifications, Force Touch the screen, then tap the 'Clear All' button. 

Image Credit: Boomerang from Instagram

Instagram has released a new app today called, 'Boomerang from Instagram', which almost to me seems to be the Instagram answer to Apple's new iPhone 6S feature, 'Live Photos'.

Taking selfies or filming others, Boomerang takes 10 rapid photos and stitches them together to form a short 4 second looping back and forth video. For best results, Boomerang suggests you film moving objects with this app.

Once you have taken your Boomerang video, you can share it to Facebook or Instagram directly from within the app. It'll also be saved to your Camera Roll.

Some tech specs for those wondering: the saved video file is a .MOV using the H.264 codec at the resolution of full HD, 1080 x 1920.

> Go to: Boomerang from Instagram on the App Store. 

Google Music App Icon

In today's age, music is now all about streaming rather than buying. But some people still like to 'own' music and maybe already have an extensive library. But even when you have a hard-driver full of music, you still probably want them: 1 - backed up somewhere safe and 2 - able to access from all your smart-devices, including your iPhone, iPad, and Computer. But storing what may be gigs of data on these devices is just not practical and then you also might run into syncing issues.

It'd be simpler to have a copy / backup of all your music stored in a cloud somewhere - where you can pull down the files when you want them - from whatever device you are currently using. Apple does have iTunes Match. This service will match your iTunes library with songs on Apple's music collection and upload the songs that it doesn't match. This is a yearly paid service. This, with Apple's new music streaming service is pretty sweet. But, for this blog post - we are looking for a free service and don't care about streaming new music - we want to create a online library of our own collection. So since we are looking for a free option, this also rules out cloud services like Dropbox and Copy. But there is one service that will actually do exactly want we want - and for free.

Google Music.

Google Music offers streaming of their catalog of music, like Apple Music or Spotify, etc... Google Music's price for their streaming, standard "All Access" plan, is US$9.99 per month. Google has a catalog of 30 million songs available, is available in 58 counties, and even has a 30-day-free-trial to test it out and see if it's right for you. Again, this option is also pretty sweet. You don't have to buy new music, although you can, you can just stream whatever you want from their catalog of music.

Now to the free part. Google Music also offers a free plan that maybe you didn't know about. This free plan gives users the ability to store and listen to - up to 50,000 song - of the users own music collection. That's right, you can store 50,000 songs in Google's cloud. That's, I think, more than enough for most people. Even if you have entire albums, that's still 2,777 albums with 18 tracks each.

After installing the Google Music app or Chrome extension, you'll set the folder (location) where your songs are kept and Google will scan through your music, much like iTunes Match, matching songs with Google's own catalog and uploading the songs it doesn't already have or can't identify. This part does take awhile, also depending on the size of your music library and internet speed. You can also then login on the web and edit any missing details on tracks or upload missing album art. Google's suggest features help make this a lot easier too.

The Google Music app is also pretty cool. You can play your music on shuffle, or sort by playlists, artists, albums, songs, genres, or just search. You are also not limited to just playing songs on shuffle on mobile or anything like that. You can play what you want, when you want. Playing music displays the album art work. You can quickly flip through songs by swiping across the screen. There's a lot of great features. You can also download your uploaded songs back to your computer. This can be a handy backup feature. However, a song can only ever be downloaded two times on a computer that is not running the Google Music app with your original collection. So this is not a music storage replacement app. You still need your original collection stored on a computer or hard-drive. But in the situation that you do say, lose it all, I suppose you can re-download the music from Google, provided it's still within the limit.

Google Music is very fair, I think, with its plans. US$9.99 for streaming anything in its music catalog and / or 50,000 songs uploaded from the users own collection for free. Check out more details about Google Music and plans on their website.

> Go to: Google Music

Apple released iOS 9.1 for iPhone and iPad and OS X 10.11.1 for Mac, yesterday. Included in the updates were over 150 new emoji characters! 

The new emoji's included: one of the most requested 'middle finger', a Slightly Smiling Face, Nerd Face, Face With Thermometer, Writing Hand, Robot Face, Unicorn Face, weather characters, Snowman, Popcorn, Champagne, Hot Dog, and many many more...  

All the new emoji's can be seen in the video above, by Emojipedia. 

Along with the new iOS 9.1 and OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 updates releases today, Apple also has released a software upgrade for the Apple Watch. 

The Apple Watch update includes fixes for software updates, battery performance, fixed issues for syncing iOS Calendar events to iPhone, issue that caused Digital Touch to send from email instead of phone number, and more... 

To update your Apple Watch, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then on the 'My Watch' tab, tap 'General', 'Software Update'.

Apple today has released new updates today: iOS 9.1 for iPhone's and iPad's and OS X 10.11.1 for Mac's.

The iOS 9.1 update includes 150 new emoji characters including the most requested 'middle finger' emoji and some other ones like; a champagne bottle, unicorn head, champagne, robot head, thinking emoji, popcorn, hotdog, and more...

You can install the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone or iPad. Remember to have a backup first!  

On the Mac side, OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 features improvements for: installer reliability, compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016, VoiceOver reliability, support for 150 new emoji's and more...

You can update your system from the Mac App Store. Remember to backup your system first!  

iPhone 6S. Image credit: Apple, Inc. 

New iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus users are divided, literally. Not about screen size, but about which company made the processor chip inside their iPhone. It turns out, Apple used two different manufacturers; Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), for the A9 chip inside the latest iPhone models.

But what's the difference? Apparently the Samsung chip is smaller and some have claimed that the battery last longer with the TSMC version. In one benchmark test, apparently the TSMC version lasted for almost 2 extra hours!

So now, if you are a iPhone 6S user, you are probably wondering which company's made chip is inside your iPhone. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing without downloading an app. An app that can tell you your chips model number is the free app Battery Memory System Status Monitor.

Once you've downloaded the app, tap the 'System' tab and look for the devices model number, which should be right at the top. If your model is N71MAP or N66MAP, congrats, your iPhone has the TSMC A9 chip. If your model is N71AP or N66AP, then you have the Samsung made A9 chipset.

But don't worry, if you have the Samsung chip, Apple has commented and said that the 'tests' don't represent real-world usage, and that there may only be a small 2-3% difference.

Crossy Road - Endless Arcade Hopper by HIPSTER WHALE, today was updated to include new Halloween themed characters!

There are 5 new 'spooky' characters included; Pumpkin, Skeleton, Witch, Mummy, and Scaredy Cat.

The new characters can be purchased with real money via a in-app purchase, or by winning them in the prize machine.

The Crossy Road Halloween update is now available in the app store.

Click here to view more Halloween themed app reviews.