If you are thinking Apple Watch this season, let me just warn you of a few things you need to know:

First, you need an iPhone 5 or newer. Most folks know that. Without a current iPhone, the Watch is basically useless.

Second, there are three different watches available: the first Watch, which was for sale in 2015, and two new models that just came out in the Fall. Those are called Series 1 and Series 2. Apple Watch Series 1 is NOT the model they came out with last year. It's new this year and came out with Series 2. It's faster than last year's model.

If you see a watch for $200 or less, it is most likely last year's and NOT Series 1.

Series 1 is just like series 2 except it lacks the GPS and is not waterproof (it is water resistant - safe to wash your hands or walk in the rain). Apple list price for the base Series 1 in 38mm is $269, $299 for 42mm. Series 2 starts at $100 more.

Don't get ripped off.

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There has been plenty of talk about Apple's new Macbooks. While much of that has focused on the new touch bar and applauded it, some has been negative.

The naysayers complain about the price and the Thunderbolt ports, of course.That's to be expected, but some also have used this opportunity to rehash the combined approach taken by Microsoft. They are saying that Apple still doesn't get it, that the screen should be touch, and the touch bar is a half baked concession to that reality.

I don't know. It's possible that Apple may be right with this touch bar and extra large force-touch trackpad. The touch bar has been most noted by reviewers, but that trackpad could be an important tool also. Read Apple's description:

"The Force Touch trackpad may look like other trackpads on the surface, but underneath it’s unlike anything that’s existed before. Force sensors detect how much pressure you’re applying, and the new Taptic Engine provides a click sensation when you press anywhere on the surface. Now the click that once was a single, mechanical function is just the start of what you can do with Force Touch. The sensory capabilities of the Force Touch trackpad allow you to tell your MacBook what you want it to do based on subtle differences in the amount of pressure you apply. This makes it possible to perform a variety of different actions in different apps, all on the same surface. And it can respond with haptic feedback you can actually feel, making your MacBook more usable and personal than ever before."

With proper software, it seems to me that trackpad can do everything you'd do by touching the screen and more (haptic feedback). Combine that with the menu exposure of the touch bar and you might be able to do *more* than you can with an iPad. Is there any conceptual reason why that wouldn't be true? I can't think of any.

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I've read a number of articles recently that chastise Apple for boring announcements at WWDC 2016. Those pundits failed to see the big picture that those "boring" little announcements paint.

Let's just take some little things. One is ubiquitous cut and paste: copy on your Mac, paste on your iPhone. Big yawn, right? Next is a quiet mention of a new filesystem that shares free space with other filesystems on a volume. More yawns..

And then there's the bit in the next MacOS that will silently move seldom accessed files to the cloud. Are you asleep yet? How about unlocking your Mac with your phone or watch and using Apple Pay for web sites? You are snoring now, of course.

But what you missed is the blurring of devices. The functionality is melding together. The "Apple ecosystem" becomes stronger and more compelling. Given what was said above, how hard is it to imagine a meta filesystem that crosses and supplies ALL your devices, with some of it in the cloud, some of it on your Mac, some on your iPad and you don't really care where it is because you just have seamless access to all of it? How hard is it to imagine a day when you think of everything - Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch and Apple TV - much the same way you think of your mouse or your keyboard; that is, as just parts of the meta computer that you use? THAT is what WWDC 2016 said to me and Apple can implement that reality.

I'm not saying that Google, Microsoft, Samsung et al. can't do this. But Apple is far better positioned to make it happen.

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A few days ago I left home without my cell phone. I've done that before, but it's usually when I'd only be gone a short time, so I've just sucked it up and gone without. This time, however, I'd be gone all day and then some. I was too far away to turn back when I realized my mistake, so I did what any normal person would do: I bought a new phone.

OK, maybe that's not entirely normal. But in fairness, I have been intending to replace my iPhone 5S within the year, and I really couldn't go all day and into the night without a phone, so I bought a brand new iPhone SE. That's all great and it definitely is a better phone and I'm glad I did it. But what to do with the 5S?

I could trade it in. It would be worth about $100, which did briefly tempt me, but then I remembered the Manything app and decided that turning that phone into a security camera was a better idea. Manything can trigger recording on detected motion and send video to its own servers, so I deleted all the other apps on the phone and configured Manything to do that.

But wait, there's more! Manything also works with IFTTT, and I already have a few lights connected there, so why not also turn on one of them when Manythingdetects motion? That took all of 30 seconds to set up.

There is a delay here - it takes more than a few seconds for the light to turn on, but for the intended purpose (and the cost), that's acceptable.

Manything
Wemo Switch and IFTTT

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Update: WatchOS3 has a quick 911 system that also notifies your emergency contacts.

My wife has some iliotibial band problems along with a bit of scoliosis and inflamed joints. Usually exercise and some pain medicine allow her to function, but she had three somewhat serious falls this past summer and has had more difficulty getting about. When I'm out, I worry that she might fall again and be unable to get up.

We considered medical alert systems, but they all carry a monthly cost and are probably over kill for our need. I happened to stumble upon an IOS app that detects falls and that immediately made me think of using an Apple Watch instead of a medical alert device. The IOS app actually wouldn't detect a fall - it is meant for falls from a ladder and such - but she could simply tell the watch to call me or the police or a neighbor. That's actually more flexible than a medical alert device and there's no monthly fee except for phone service that we already have.

It's also quite possible that a future IOS app could detect a minor fall followed by being motionless or agitated and could send an automatic alert to some designated group. That would be perfect.

I spoke to the people who make the fall detection app and they had this to say:

As you know, the Apple Watch is a great wearable but does have some limitations currently. Fall Safety, for example, can use the Apple Watch as a remote, but Apple hasn’t provided us a way to run the app in the background yet, so we rely on the iPhone for fall detection. I think you will find the same issue for heart rate monitoring since 3rd party (non Apple made) apps aren’t capable of running in the background on the Apple Watch in the current version of the watch hardware and software.

So, right now there is room for improvement (unless Apple made the app itself), but I think the ability to call out without having the phone in hand is good enough for us right now.

So, we'll be visiting a store soon for a try-on..

Fall Safety App

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I have been trying to learn Spanish for several years now. I have learned a bit, but I am nowhere near being able to converse with anyone. Now, thanks to a $6.99 iPhone app, I actually can carry on a conversation in Spanish and many other languages. It's absolutely amazing!

It can alsio help me learn. I can speak Spanish to it and see if it translates accurately to English. Right now, I get some jumbled results due to my lousy Spanish pronounciation, but that will get better with practise. I love it!

Learning Spanish with a little help from Perl

iTranslate Voice

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Thanks to the nice folks at Ezoic, you can now read this site on your IOS device. Yes, of course it is free.

Why on earth would you do that when it works just fine in a browser? One reason might be that it's easier to read, especially on smaller screens.

I think the ads are far less intrusive in the app, though navigation isn'y as easy (I'm going to fix that). If you want to give it a try, here's where to find it:

https://appsto.re/us/W8xA_.i

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Our local computer club provides free help to people in the community. Recently they sent out an email saying this:

I have now helped 6 people with a virus that has been infecting iPads. The message appears on the iPad screen stating that your software has crashed and you need to call Microsoft to repair it. The number to call is 1-855-720-2636. People who have called the number were told that they would have to pay $130.00 to get rid of it.The message stays on the screen and you can't get rid of it. This has affected iPhones as well. If you have this problem call me and I'll help you get rid of it For FREE.

I groaned when I saw that and immediately shot back that this is not a virus but simply a Javascript browser hijack and that it is easily fixed by closing Safari and doing Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.

To my surprise, I later got this from the author of the warning:

I know it's not a virus, you know it's not a virus but it has been my experience that most people do not understand what Java Script Hijack means therefore I keep it very simple for them.

Sigh.

Keeping it "simple" causes very wrong impressions of what this is and what it can do. It also can cause stupid rumors to spread: "Oh, don't buy an iPad - they have viruses!".

Nor is it iPad related. Javascript hijacks like that happen on ALL platforms: Windows, Android, Apple computers - it's the browser, not the operating system!

I also don't think we should be deciding what people can or cannot understand. I agree that some of the people who seek help from that club are not capable of following even simple instructions or are too lazy to want to. But that's not the case for all and it's also true that assuming incompetence creates incompetence.

I've always taken the tack of explaining things like this fully (or at least providing a link to somewhere that explains) and then politely offering to provide direct assistance if needed. I think that's the best way to do it.

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