If you're the type of person who likes the fact that marketers and retailers can easily track your every move and know your location at any given time of the day when your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, then you probably won't be happy with this new, but little publicized, feature in Apple's new iOS 8.

The feature, known as Media Access Control address (MAC) randomization, prevents marketers, retailers, and other companies from being able to make out your phone's identity. It was first identified in iOS 8 by Swiss programmer Frederic Jacobs.

In the updated operating system, while your iPhone is scanning for Wi-Fi networks, the software assigns a random, locally administered MAC address, which changes often. Since a MAC address is typically a constant, unique identifier attached to your phone’s wireless network interface, it is generally used by retailers to track foot traffic in their stores and send you offers based on your shopping habits and movements.

By generating random MAC addresses, Apple is throwing a monkey wrench into marketers' attempts to track how long you've been in a store, where in the store you've been shopping, and other types of location data that can be traced back to your iPhone.

Even though marketers will still be able to detect your device, they won't know whether or not that same device is returning to that particular location.

This feature, however, may not be an attempt by Apple to strengthen consumer privacy. The company offers iBeacon, which use Bluetooth (which also randomizes MAC addresses), as an alternative method for tracking in-store shoppers' iOS devices. With iBeacon, there are more privacy controls for the user, so it’s much easier to opt-out of participating in marketer plans.

“A few of the new features in iOS 8 make it much easier to shop on and with your iPhone, and since Apple already has a mobile user base that’s shown its willingness to spend, that’s very big news,” noted Darrell Etherington in TechCrunch.

One of these features, he points out, is with iOS 8, the iPhone’s camera can snap pictures of credit cards and automatically populate credit card information fields in the Safari browser. This means you would no longer have to copy out your credit card number, cardholder name, and expiration date every time you want to complete a transaction online. Thanks to optical character recognition, with a single click you can fill in a web form.

Top image credit: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

This weeks featured items are:

1. Colorant Link Pro iPhone 5/5s Case: Retail Price $69.99

Military-grade drop protection, sound wave redirection to the front of the case, and a lanyard/necklace strap are just a few of the features of the Colorant Link Pro Case.

2. Stereo App for iPhone & Mac + Forager App for iPhone & Mac: Retail Price $3.98

Stereo: The graphical iPod.

Forager: The Internet browser for the curious.

3. Xtorm Mobile Solar Panel: Retail Price $121.22

Powerful 11-Watt solar panel, equipped with high efficiency Sunpower solarcells to charge by sunlight. You can connect this solar panel directly to your mobile devices, like a smartphone or tablet. It’s even possible to charge two mobile devices at the same time, such as a smartphone and a tablet, two smartphones or a smartphone and an Xtorm product. Because of the useful design the SolarBooster is easy to attach to your backpack, tent, or bike, etc. If you don’t use the solar panel, you can fold it easily and tuck it away in your bag.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is June 16th!

This Thursday, fans of "The Greatest Game" will jump for joy as the 2014 World Cup begins play in Brazil. And you can be sure that technology will play a major part in bringing all of the action and commentary to viewers who can't get to their televisions or local bars easily. Smartphones will factor in heavily and the governing body of FIFA has already announced that for every game, the "Man of the Match" will be decided by Twitter users. Facebook will also have a number of features solely dedicated to the World Cup. For iPhone and iPad users, there's already numerous apps to keep track of all the matches and associated media. Here's four of the best on tap.

FIFA Official App (Free)

This is the official app by the ruling international body of soccer, and as such it really delivers. The app not only brings you information on all 32 teams from players to coaches, it also has the Global Stadium feature which gives you live play-by-play action from all of the matches taking place. You can also cast your vote for Man of The Match via the app, and get detailed background on the host country of Brazil and all of the cities where matches will take place.
 

ESPN FC Soccer & World Cup (Free)

The worldwide sports provider offers up a nifty app, upgraded just in time for the World Cup. This app doesn't give you play-by-play but it does offer live video recaps of key moments. It comes in handy since ESPN is the official global home of the World Cup broadcasts. In addition, you have a dedicated team of analysts and reporters just for the app itself. ESPN FC Soccer also gives you news from other football leagues such as the Premier League and MLS.

Forza Football (Free)

This app, formerly known as Live Score Addicts, takes a unique approach to letting users catch game action. It gives you the option to set up push notifications for any match you want. You also get the opportunity to link up with fans all over the globe in different ways from predicting a match to voting on how much faith you have in a manager of a team.
 

FIFA 14 (Free)

More of a game app, FIFA 14 by EA Sports has taken great pains to include upgrades in anticipation for the World Cup. It gives you the chance to play using any of the 32 teams in the Cup complete with their official national kits. You even get to use the Adidas Brazuca ball that will be used in Cup matches. FIFA 14 also lets you play in prime matches following the Cup's own live format. The app does take up a lot more space than the others mentioned (1.35 GB in total) but it gives you smooth play and accurate likenesses of your favorite footballers.

Say "Bonjour" to the next iPhone, perhaps, thanks to French website NowhereElse.fr. The site has published photos of the alleged metal case for the next iPhone, with room for a 4.7-inch screen. Additional changes include moving the lock button from the top to the side. Apple has, to date, shied away from larger iPhone sizes because of concerns about usability in one hand. This change might be to address that concern.

The sides of the rumored iPhone 6 appear to be rounded, similar to the current iPod nano. This gives the appearance of the phone being even thinner, and it should be comfortable to hold. The back is all metal, with a few spacers for separation. Presumably, Apple has learned a lot from "AntennaGate" and this design should ensure that the metal doesn't block Wi-Fi and cellular reception.

My French is a little rusty, but they seem to be claiming a 12-megapixel camera will be built-in. While Apple has made many advancements in flash, focus, and slow-motion recording, the megapixel ratings have lagged behind Microsoft and Android devices. 12-megapixels will be welcome, but it wall also eat up memory quicker. Perhaps now is the time for Apple to make a 32GB version the minimum? Then again, overseas at least, Apple recently released an 8GB version of the current iPhone in order to lower costs.

Now that iOS 8 has been introduced and is in the hands of developers, let’s take a look at how many of our wishes have been fulfilled. Since it’s still in development, we don’t yet know all the features. But so far it appears that we got some of the most-requested features, but no joy on some of the others.

What brought joy

Health app— As expected, we got the health-based app everyone was expecting. But Apple didn’t spend much time on it. Still, it’s clear that the new app and HealthKit platform are a major new direction for Apple.

Touch ID for third-party apps— Yippee, this one came true. You’ll now be able to use Touch ID to log into accounts, such as banking, if developers add that feature to their apps.

Interactive notifications— This, too, brought joy to iOS users. You’ll now be able to respond to notifications such as text messages from the lock screen or from within other apps without having to open up the relevant app, such as Messages.

Third-party keyboards— This oft-requested feature will now be part of iOS 8, so you’ll be able to use alternative keyboards such as Swype and Swift.

What we didn’t get

New version of Maps app— Most were expecting a new version of the Maps app that would include public transit directions. The keynote came and went with no mention of this. Rumor has it that it’s not yet ready due to internal politics at Apple. Possibly it will be ready by fall when iOS 8 arrives for users, or we may not see it until a later iteration.

Siri offline, Clear all notifications, Kill all apps— It may be that some of these are still coming, but so far there’s no indication that these hoped-for features will arrive with iOS 8. Some users were hoping that iOS 8 would come with the option similar to the Macintosh that lets you download an 800MB file that lets Siri work offline for things such as dictation and setting an alarm. Others were hoping for an easy way to clear all notifications at once and kill all apps with a single tap. No luck.

Default apps, Guest mode— If you prefer third-party apps instead of Apple’s for mail or browsing the Internet, it would be nice if your preferred apps could be set as the default. Doesn’t look like it’ll be possible with iOS 8. Some were also hoping for a guest mode that can be quickly invoked so that if someone borrows your iPhone, he or she doesn’t have access to all your personal information. Maybe in the future, but not in iOS 8.

iPad hits and misses— The iPad gets a lot of respect in iOS 8, primarily a number of new features in Safari, such as a new tab view similar to that on the iPhone and a new sidebar that slides out to show your bookmarks, reading list, and shared links. But we apparently still won’t be getting an iPad version of Apple’s Weather and Stock apps.

So that’s the score. I’m not complaining, though, because Apple is giving us much more in iOS 8 than anyone expected. Most users seem pretty happy with what’s coming.

Apple’s so-called iWatch is still just a rumor, but at least one analyst thinks such a device would be a best-seller when released, with 21 million units expected to sell in the first year alone.

If the company does launch the iWatch later this year, UBS analyst Steve Milunovich thinks Apple will sell it for $300 and that the product could add one to two points of earnings per share growth. In other words, it could be a runaway hit, like the iPad.

"We are more confident that Apple will be introducing the iWatch before the holiday season following WWDC's introduction of HealthKit, recent healthcare hirings, the acquisition of LuxVue Technology, and positive comments from Eddy Cue at the Re/Code Conference," Milunovich wrote in a note to investors, according to AppleInsider, which obtained a copy.

The web site noted that Milunovich estimates the iWatch would add $6.5 billion in revenue to Apple's projected fiscal year 2015 results and about $11 billion in revenue to the company's fiscal year 2016 results.

In contrast, the original iPhone only sold 5.4 million units in its first year. The iPad got off to a better start, selling 19.5 million units in its first year, and 47.6 million in the second year.

"We expect iWatch sales to roughly track iPad unit sales — similar penetration rates would mean higher sales," Milunovich said in his investor’s note. He did, however, caution that since the iWatch is a wearable product, it’s appeal may not be as wide as the iPad’s is.

Apple apparently is confident that there is a sizeable market for a wearable device and reportedly is planning to manufacture 3–5 million units per month. While the iWatch’s design is currently being finalized, the general consensus is that and it will likely have a curved LED display, much like the concept by Todd Hamilton that accompanies this post. The device, which is expected to be launched in October, may have a focus on health and will be able to track such things as calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood glucose, and blood oxygen levels.

As I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for some kind of last minute, major iOS game announcements from the giant video game convention that is E3, I've had a lot of time to reflect on what this biggest of video game showcases means to dedicated and enthusiastic iOS gamers. E3 has yet to become the primary forum for iOS games to make their grand debuts, though I anticipate this changing as more hardcore games make their way to iOS. But will iOS games ever carry enough hype to steal the show at major gaming events like the annual Game Developers Conference or E3?

E3 is the annual gaming convention where the biggest developers unveil their latest and greatest games, consoles, and accessories. Unfortunately, for dedicated hardcore iOS gamers, E3 can be a little frustrating, with the relative lack of attention given to iOS games. This is partly due to the sheer number of iOS games that are being released on a continual basis, and the fact that many iOS developers realize they can, (and in fact have to) promote their apps outside of the scope of E3 and still find great success. However I can't help but feel like there is a general sentiment among both the public and the major game developers that iOS gamers are neither as dedicated nor as lucrative a market as the console game audience. I consider it an undeserved snub, and I'm confident this will change as more serious gamers begin expecting more from their iOS games as we become a more established community of “hardcore” gamers. Keep in mind, it’s only been seven years since iOS gaming became a reality, versus the almost 40 years of the console model of gaming that began with the Atari 2600 in 1977.

I believe that we as iOS gamers look forward to the day that developers will truly be able to deliver console-caliber games with greater consistency. Developers take note, we'll take a larger file size, and pay a larger price, if it means we get a better gaming experience. At an event focused solely on the world of video games, iOS games have made a surprisingly small showing compared with the number of new games announced for various consoles. In fact, some of the biggest iOS news at E3 so far, from iOS game accessory maker Steel Series concerning their latest MFi gaming peripherals, has nothing to do with any specific game.

Don't get me wrong, E3 is chock full of treats, if you are a console-oriented gamer, but for those of us who have embraced the new iOS gaming UI, um, not so much. I'm sure some of the lack of attention given to iOS games has to do with the fact that E3 is dominated (and largely funded) by the major console manufacturers, such as XBOX, Nintendo, and Playstation, and those companies recognize the increasing threat that iOS gaming represents to their entire business model. Additionally, as noted by The Next Web's Jason Ong: "Apple has expertise in hardware, control of the mobile/desktop operating system stack, and a content angle with the iTunes Store and now Beats. The Apple TV has also lent it a foothold in the living room. However, Apple is weak in gaming and the cloud, and has yet to tip its hand with regard to VR. Gaming on iOS and Android has opened up access to millions of new casual players and it has come a long way, but the ecosystem struggles from control and pricing issues." While this is true, there have been some interesting and notable iOS games that are the topic of conversation amongst iOS game fans at E3 this year, though Ong's assessment certainly helps explain the sad lack of attention garnered by iOS games at E3.

XBOX's E3 presentation.

As for the console games that have been trotted out so far during  E3, The Verge's David Pierce summed things up rather succinctly when he said “Some [games] are violent, others eerily quiet, others just downright goofy. But they're mostly violent. Like really violent.” I'd have to agree; out of all the various genres, violent games have been the best represented at this year's E3. Which is a little disheartening actually, as it lends a certain credence to the argument that play violence in our media contributes in some measure to the pervasive "random" acts of extreme violence that have become almost daily real world occurrences. Nonetheless, not all the games announced during E3 had violent themes. With retro-inspired arcade games and family friendly competitive action games there was at least something for every console gamer to appreciate at this year's E3.

For a full round-up of some of the best iOS games that were announced during this year’s E3 2014, be sure to check out my upcoming Game Centered, E3 special edition here at iPhone Life.

Apple's WWDC 2014 brought a new version of iOS 8 but no new hardware. However, developers are talking about resizeable iPhone screens in the simulator. But that could refer to a "split-screen" feature, as seen on some Microsoft Windows 8 and Android devices. This feature would make it easier to copy and paste from one app to another, or just to view multiple apps simultaneously. Still, all signs point to larger screens (4.7-inch and even 5.5-inch) in the works, if only to keep up with the Android "phablet" trend.

While the smart money is on larger iPhone screens, I'd prefer to see a range of iPhones, as small as the current iPod nano to something shy of the iPad mini. As a developer, it would be an interesting challenge to write apps for something as small as an iPod nano, and the more device choices, the better, to increase the potential market for iOS apps. Developers have to have access to each new device, for testing purposes, so I'm sure I'll end up with a larger iPhone 6, but I'd rather have something smaller. A pocketable iPhone that's about the size of a thick credit card would be terrific. I probably wouldn't surf the web or run word processing apps, but it would be great for contacts, phone calls, quick searches, and calculations. Apple's Siri could make text messaging and data entry practical on a small device.

Perhaps that's where an iWatch comes in. It would be a small, always "handy" (pun intended) accessory to a larger iPhone, stashed away in a briefcase or purse. This could be a brilliant marketing move, as it encourages customers to buy a larger phone (at a higher price) and then spend more money on a companion that makes it more accessible! Of course, it would only be compatible with iOS devices, further encouraging (locking in?) the customer to stay within the iOS community.

Are you one of those people who takes so many photos with your iPhone camera that you're starting to feel like your iPhone is really a camera with a phone, rather than a phone with a camera? Why not enjoy your favorite photos by setting them as the background images on your Home and Lock Screens? Or if you are one of those people who actually forgets that their phone even has a camera, why not play around with some of Apple's stock background images?

Go to Settings>Wallpapers & Brightness>Choose a New Wallpaper.

Tap on Dynamic or Stills to choose from one of Apple's stock backgrounds (keep in mind that Dynamic wallpapers use more battery power.)

Tap on an album under Photos to choose an image from your Photo app. Time and date covering the photo subject's eyes? No problem. Just pinch in or out and drag to move and scale the picture.

Once you have chosen your image tap Set and then set the image as the background image for your Lock Screen, Home Screen, or both.

Top image credit: antb / Shutterstock.com

While we've had a lot of iPhone 6 rumors, not much has been said about forthcoming iPads. Likely that's because the new models coming this year will have the same design, but with some feature upgrades. According to a report on 9To5Mac, production of components for the next iPad Air is set to begin this month. The new model is expected to have an 8-megapixel, up from 5 megapixels, and could possibly sport a 1.5-megapixel front camera, compared to the current 1.2 megapixels. It's also expected to come with the new A8 processor, which is said to greatly enhance performance and efficiency, thereby extending battery life. Which is remarkable, given that the current A7 is already miles ahead of other smartphones and tablets.

Also, most people anticipate that the forthcoming iPads will have Touch ID, which is a popular feature of the iPhone 5s. This seems even more likely now that Touch ID is available to third-party apps.

The report says that these same features will likely be on the next iPad mini. Earlier there were rumors that Apple wouldn't come out with a new version of the mini until next year. But 9To5Mac says we'll see it this year.

9To5Mac says Apple is also working on a new larger iPad Pro but that it's not clear when we'll see the device. It will reportedly include split-screen multitasking. Interestingly, there had been rumors that iOS 8 would allow split-screen multitasking on the iPad, but nothing was mentioned in Apple's keynote at WWDC. However, not only have developers found code for this split-screen capability in iOS 8, one developer has even figured out a way to invoke it. 

The video below shows the split-screen feature in the iOS 8 simulator. 

In this post, I'm going to demonstrate some of the powerful new features of enumerations in Swift.

Declaring Swift Enumerations

Just about every programming language has the concept of enumerations. An enumeration allows you to group a set of related constants together. It contains a complete list of all the possible values for a given type. 

In Swift, you declare a simple enumeration as follows:

This enumeration contains a complete list of all the functions available on a very simple calculator. Each case keyword declares a separate  member of the enumeration.

You can also declare an enumeration using a single case and list the members of the enumeration separated by commas as shown here:

Unlike enumerations in Objective-C, the members of a Swift enumeration are not automatically assigned an integer value. Each member is a full-fledged value of the enumeration.

You reference the values of an enumeration by specifying the enumeration type, followed by a period, and then the enumeration member as shown here (I specified the type of the currentOperation variable to reinforce that it is the type of the enumeration—CalculatorOperation):

This is different than Objective-C where you only reference the member name (i.e. UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckMark). I prefer the new Swift syntax since it clearly demonstrates that the members are part of the same enumeration. In fact, when you type the name of the enumeration and type a period, Code Completion pops up a list of members to choose from.

Once the type of a variable is declared to be of a particular enumeration, you can use a shortened dot syntax for accessing members. This is particularly useful in switch statements as shown here:

Enumeration Raw Values

At times, you may want to associate a value with each member of an enumeration. For example, in Objective-C it's common to create associated string values for enumeration members by creating a wrapper class for the enumeration. This is a bit of a kludge, but it works.

Fortunately, in Swift, this functionality is built into enumerations in the form of raw values. For example, the following enumeration declares an associated string value for each member of the enumeration:

When declaring raw values for an enumeration, you add a colon after the enumeration name followed by the type of the associated raw values (they must all be of the same type.) Then you specify the raw value for each member in the enumeration.

Here are some rules governing raw values:

• All raw values must be of the same type

• Raw values can be strings, characters, or any integer or floating point number type

• Within an enumeration, each raw value must be unique

• Integer raw values auto-increment if no value is specified for some of the enumeration members.

You can access the raw value of an enumeration member by calling its toRaw() method. For example:

This method accepts a parameter of type DeviceFamily and accesses the raw String value by calling the toRaw() method on the DeviceFamily member. So, for example, if DeviceFamily.AppleTV is passed tothis method, the call to the toRaw() method will store the string "Apple TV" in the familyName variable.

Conversely, you can use an enumeration's fromRaw() method to retrieve the enumeration member for a particular raw value as shown here:

The question mark after DeviceFamily is Swift's way of indicating that the value of the DeviceFamily variable may be null. This is so because the fromRaw() method may not find a matching enumeration member. 

Enumeration Associated Values

In Swift, enumerations also have an advanced feature that allows you to store associated values with enumeration members. This is similar in concept, but different from raw values.

For example, the following code declares a UniqueIdentifier enumeration that has UUID and AutoIncrement members:

The UUID member can have an associated String value and the AutoIncrement member can have an associated Int value. This enumeration might be used in a situation where you are creating a bridge between two different apps—one app that stores unique identifiers as UUID values and one that stores unique identifiers as integers.

Note that the UniqueIdentifier enumeration declaration doesn't set the value of each member as you do when you specify raw values. Rather, it simply declares the type of the value associated with each member.

You can declare a variable to be of type UniqueIdentifier and then store either an Int or UUID value in the variable. For example:

You can use a switch statement to get the value of a UniqueIdentifier variable as shown here:

In a switch statement, you can extract each associated value as a variable using the var prefix or as a constant using the let prefix as shown above.

Conclusion

It's great to see these powerful, more modern features in Swift. Ultimately, these tools help bulletproof your code and make writing your iOS apps even easier.

Skype for iPhone 5.0 (free) was released Wednesday, and according to the Skype website, it has a new look and much faster speed. New features include the ability to send messages to people who are offline. The redesign gives in an appearance smilar to that on Windows Phone and Android devices. The app has been rewritten from the ground up. Here's how Skype describes this new version:

• Faster: You’ll notice the effort we’ve put into this overhaul as soon as you launch Skype 5.0 for iPhone. The new version is over five times faster than the old version.
• Smoother: As you swipe from conversations through to your favorites and then back to your contacts lists, you’ll notice how smooth scrolling and transitioning from screen to screen is — with delightful little pops and animations punctuating them. All without degrading the performance and battery improvements we worked so hard to achieve.
• More Integrated: Now, iPhone users can start group chats from the hub. And when you send messages or photos, it doesn’t matter if the recipient is offline. Everyone will see your message as soon as they are available again.
• Smarter: We know our users are using Skype on multiple devices, and we want to make sure your Skype notifications keep pace with your conversations, no matter where they happen. Now, as you read your messages on your PC, tablet, Xbox and so on, those conversations will be marked as read (or unread if new messages come in) on your iPhone too.

Version 5.0 isn't yet available for the iPad, but the Skype website says it's coming soon.

Charming. Eclectic. Fanciful. And oh yes, very technology-enabled. Such is Hyatt’s Andaz boutique hotel in Amsterdam. As visitors enter the hotel they are met by giant bells sporting ornate chandeliers cascading from the bell's great white lips like crystal clappers. Proceed further and see a simple desk with a laptop, but the laptop remains fixed. Rather than standing in a queue at a desk, a greeter meets you at the door with an iPad, already querying you about your stay and readying your keys, which eventually accept their RFID programming from a nondescript circle in the middle of the round table that sits precisely centered beneath the cavernous bells.

Look up and a fanciful swirl of lights, sweeping strings and rails, glowing globes and individuals bulbs, all extending from the top of the bells to the inner roof of the hotel.

To the right of the reception kiosks sit a row of odd red high-backed chairs that embrace their occupants like velvet tubes. And between these crimson seats a large television display projects a haunting Venus on the half shell, seemingly an image within an image, a ghost of some symbiotic body enjoining. To your back, an excentric bar beckons.

This projected image is but one of many spread throughout the hotel, including many in hallways, playing tantalizing, disturbing, evocative art. These displays of modern art, borrowed and installed by the Stedelijk Museum, are served from a central server room via an in-house video streaming and distribution center, a facility uncommon to most hotels.

These art installations are the most overtly technological innovations at the Andaz, but they are only the most visible. Rooms and elevators require an RFID card for operation and access. The iPad that greets visitors can manage the entirety of the check-in process. And unlike many high-end hotels that charge for Wi-Fi, the Andaz experience includes not only free Wi-Fi, but very fast, unrestricted Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is accessed via a last name and room number for up to five devices. Staff informed me that they have very good Internet access at the hotel so they see no reason to constrain the bandwidth. Video streaming, Skype video calls, and web browsing were all excellent.

If Wi-Fi isn’t enough, the hotel is littered with statues of pantaloon-sporting crowned men with hands formed around their face as though screaming. They stand on platforms, their feet firm planted in finely sculpted representations of Dutch wooden shoes. These are the Kings of Dreams, and their hands are formed to cradle the forlorn heads of travels so that king can whisper forgotten dreams into their heads. An ancient form of wireless communications. I did not find this somewhat spooky (there was a statue right outside of the elevator on my floor) approach to wireless as useful as the Wi-Fi. I kept thinking of Doctor Who's weeping angels. Keep calm and don't blink.

In the room the desk includes a couple of recessed power receptacles. These recessed European power receptacles can be an issue if you purchased a “universal” plug converter that doesn’t come with individual pieces that can reach the contacts. Luckily I brought individual Europe adapters to which I plugged in my power strip. The power strip accommodated other power supplies and adapters.

On the lower shelf sat a cube that played music and connected to iOS devices via the old 30-pin connector. Just above it was television stuck to the wall with only millimeters to of space behind it. No HDMI connections to this TV. Both of these in-room devices presented an interesting topic with Andaz staff. With rapid changes in technology, hotels are at a disadvantage. They can’t keep up. When Apple changes a connector, everything with the old connector becomes obsolete. Sure, people can bring adapters as I did, but for instance, the hotel's music cube is automated, and folds down its connector. Turn it off with the adaptor in place and you end up with either an impaired music player or a damaged connector. The television is a bigger issue. People who fiddle with contacts can create serious issues with expensive flat screen TVs. The hotel, however is in a research phase that may lead to a more universal solution: wireless. The Andaz chain is working with partners to explore how to stream content to devices via protocols like AirPlay. Should they achieve this it would be great for Apple owners, but it doesn’t do much for Android users. What’s needed is a universal streaming technology as well as universal connectors. Europe is already pushing micro-USB as a standard, but of course, that won’t work in the Apple ecosystem. Until this is all sorted, connecting devices in a hotel room will remain a hit or miss proposition.

iPhone 5 atop an Apple 30-pin to Lightning adapter and clothed in a BookBook from Twelve South

It will be interesting to see how hotels eventually work with all the various technology interests, from consumers to tech giants to government legislatures, to find a way to make integrating with a travel lodging as easy as a home entertainment center, regardless of the tech in play.

The Andaz is a very unusual hotel. The chain was designed that way. Not every hotel offers the cool, edgy vibe of the Andaz properties, but they can aspire to the thoughtful application of technology, a reasonable pricing structure for Wi-Fi (free), and an inviting presence regardless of tier or number of stars.

Apple vets everything sold on iTunes very carefully and is pretty clear that all iTunes purchases are final. But what happens if you purchase an app that just didn't work or has problems downloading or some other significant issue? Then your purchase may not be as final as Apple's terms and conditions make it sound.

Not too long ago I was looking for an app to solve a particular hassle I frequently encounter when conducting business on my iPhone. I researched online and read many reviews in the App Store before choosing an app that was highly recommended in several places online and had a large number of non-spammy four- and five-star reviews that seemed like they were written by legitimate users. None of the bad reviews set off any red flags. All in all, this seemed like a solid app and I decided $9.99 was small change for the amount of hassle this app promised to save me.

Except the app didn't work.

At all.

Fortunately I was able to get a refund through iTunes. If you've had a similar experience, here's how you can get a refund too:

Get a Refund Through iTunes

Sign in to iTunes.

Go to Account>Purchases>See All.

Purchases are grouped by date. Find the batch that contains the app you want a refund for and click on the gray arrow to the left. 

Click the Report a Problem button.

Click Report a Problem next to the app you want a refund for.

This will take you to the Apple Website; sign in and choose from the list the issue that best fits your problem with the app and then provide a description of the problem in the field below.

Click Next.

The next screen will tell you if you are eligible for a refund for this App.

Click Request Refund and then Done.

Get a Refund Through Apple.com

On Apple's website, go to Support>iTunes>Account and Billing>Billing>Report a Problem.

Sign in.

Click on the Report a Problem button next to the item you want a refund for.

Select the problem that best applies and provide the details of the problem in the Description field.

Click Submit.

If you are eligible for a refund, Click Request Refund and then Done.

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The dust hasn't even settled on Apple's mega-acquisition of Beats by Dre and Beats Music. The subscription service has been regarded as a better interface than iTunes Radio, Apple's internally developed answer to Pandora and Spotify. Now, Amazon wants to get into the act.  Not satisfied selling music, books and movies, they now offer a streaming service called Prime Music. The service has over one million songs, including popular Grammy winners, so this is not a rehash of your father's old playlist.

The best part is, Amazon Prime customers get this for free. Amazon raised eyebrows a month or so ago when they jacked up the price of Prime from $80/year to $100 (half price for students, by the way), but now at least they are adding value with no extra cost. It might have been an easier pill to swallow if the price increase occurred at the same time as the Prime Music announcement, but that ship has sailed. Prime was already a good deal for frequent purchasers at Amazon, as Prime users get free two-day shipping on most products. Additionally, Amazon Prime Videos are a great resource and competitor to Netflix, HBO GO, and RedBox.

By comparison, Apple's iTunes Radio is free, but ad supported. iTunes Match customers (such as myself) get ad-free iTunes Radio, making the iTunes Match service more valuable. Ironically, Steve Jobs was against music subscription services for a long time. He had debates with Jimmy Iovine, one of Apple's most recent hires thanks to the Beats acquisition. Jobs felt that consumers watched movies once or twice but listened to the same music repeatedly. Therefore, movie and TV show rentals made sense, but music was to be purchased. I understand this because, like Jobs, I grew up in the era of the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and the Rolling Stones. These were classic artists whose songs would live on. I cherished my collection of vinyl records, as I was a disc jockey at my high school and fraternity.  

Today, however, music is electronic, invisible, and more disposable. Artists come and go, with little staying power.  Maybe I'm a fuddy duddy, but will people listen to Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, or Miley Cyrus in thirty years? Not likely. It makes sense to rent today's music and listen via the many radio services. Now, with Amazon's Prime Music, it makes even more financial sense.

As new iOS apps flood the App Store every day — recently topping 1,000,000 — we know it’s tough to tell which ones are worth their salt. But thanks to our Weekly Scoop, you can have the best for free! Here you’ll find a weekly roundup of the coolest apps free or at a discount for a limited-time only. Each week features the best and brightest from websites like FreeAppReport, AppsGoneFree, AppieDay, AppShopper and more.

Hurry! Get 'em while they’re hot!

1. Mind Spa Nature (Free from $0.99)

Do you have a hard time going to sleep? Is your mind racing all the time? Or, are you looking to take a quick power nap and need to fall asleep quickly and easily? With this nature sounds app you can block distractions and focus on the soothing sounds of the great outdoors. Goodnight!

2. SimplrFeeds(Free from $0.99)

SimplrFeeds is a Twitter and LinkedIn client designed to help increase your productivity. It makes important status updates more prominent so that when you're browsing your feed, you don't miss anything big. You can follow hashtags more easily, too!

3. My Recipes Manager (Free from $2.99)

With this neat app you can manage all your favorite recipes, add categories and even create menus. You can edit your recipes, add more, create shopping lists and share recipes via email Facebook or Twitter. This app is a great idea and it gets some good reviews. Bye bye yucky old recipe box with heaven knows what spilled all over it!

An interesting article on 9To5Mac outlines how many of the new features in iOS 8 are well suited to the small display of an iWatch or other wearable device that Apple is expected to announce in October. The article says that the small app-associated widgets that developers will be able to create for the new Notification Center are just the sort of applets that would work well on an iWatch. The app could push the same content to both the Notification Center widget and to the wearable. In addition, the quick interactive notifications in iOS 8, without your having to go to the respective app, is just the sort of feature you'd expect in an iWatch. When a text message arrives, you'd like to be able to respond right from your wrist. And features such as QuickType and audio and voice messaging will make quick responses easy.

Also, the new search feature of Spotlight, which pops up relevant and local information as you type in a search term, would be useful on a small screen. The device is intelligently using context to give you what you need rather than going out to the web to search. Of course, the new HealthKit platform and Health app seem clearly intended for Apple's wearable device. Why would they devote so many resources to making this platform if they weren't also intending to sell you a device that would feed information into it? 

And now that 9To5Mac mentions it, Apple's new Handoff technology is exactly what they need in order for the iPhone in your pocket to hand off calls and text messages to your iWatch or other wearable. This sort of intelligent sensing of proximity is necessary for a wearable.

The new iCloud Photo Library is also suited to an iWatch, which will likely have limited memory. The cloud becomes the receptacle for all your files, and your device is a window into the cloud. It's more efficient, and just what's needed for wearable devices. There was a time when all our data lived on our personal computer, but increasingly it all lives in the cloud, and we interact with it via our devices.

The 9To5Mac article has even more detail, so take a look. Meanwhile, AppleInsider is reporting that a market analyst is projecting that 10 percent of iPhone owners will purchase an iWatch when it launches. That would mean sales of at least 33.5 million units.

And speaking of wearables, The Daily Show offers up this funny video about discrimination against people who wear Google Glass: 

I just bought a mophie charge case that turned my slim, light iPhone into a river rock that pulls my pants down and barely fits in my back pocket (I have loose pants)! No slap at mophie, as I love their chargers (the space pack case is insanely cool)! You could say I'm looking for something a bit less bulky that doesn't heat my phone up hot enough to fry an egg (I exaggerate). 

That's why I love Kickstarts like Augment— a hungry upstart offering a 1200mAh re-charge strategy that isn't likely to remove one's pants. A sturdy case that interlocks and detaches from a svelte battery which can be carried around with your loose change. Why can't someone invent inductive, kinetic iPhone charging powered by our body movements like this Seiko watch? Well, until then, Augment has you covered with up to at least a 60 percent boost to the stock iPhone charge at a size small enough to fit in your coin pocket! Get the gory details at links above. For a modest sum, you can get in on the Kickstarter pricing, even for the coming iPhone 6!

The video game convention that is E3 has come and gone, and despite a relatively scant showing of iOS games, at least compared to the deluge of console titles, there were still some great and noteworthy iOS games announced at this year's game conference. We've rounded up some of the best iOS titles unveiled during this years huge show, so read on after the break to find out what's in store for iOS gamers in the months to come.

For the purposes of this article, I'll keep the descriptions of these new games relatively short, seeing as I'll be covering so many different ones, and the games I've featured here are in no particular order. I've linked to the App Store when possible, and to more detailed descriptions of the game when no App Store link exists as of yet. Let the games begin...

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Originally released for the Playstation Portable in 2008, Capcom's port of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS was released in the Japan App Store in May and is expected to be available in the United States shortly. An adventure and battle game featuring RPG and multi-player elements, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite stays true to the original game with good graphics and an interface tweaked for optimal performance on a touchscreen.

The Witcher

This forthcoming iOS adventure game based on the popular board/card game and novels of the same name brings strong narrative and character building elements to this interactive and complex RPG. A release date for The Witcher has not been announced.

Godfire: Rise of Prometheus

Now here's a game I've been looking forward to for some time now. Scheduled to be released on June 19, Godfire is a visually stunning hack'n'slash built upon the Unreal Engine, so you know that means exceptional graphics are on hand in this bloody, story-driven RPG.

Modern Combat 5: Blackout

Another game I've been hearing about for a good while now,Modern Combat 5 theoretically has to be nearing release. It's been a long while since Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour came out and Gameloft has been teasing us with trailers of this FPS for a while now. Promising console-quality graphics and gameplay, Blackout looks ready to show off why console games should be worried about iOS.

Hitman: Sniper

This brutal, free-to-play shooter has over 150 missions to keep you busy. While ultimately it's all about killing, Hitman: Sniper also involves a lot of strategy, and enough variety to its storyline to keep fans of this series coming back for more stealthy action.

MECH

Another freemium title, this 3D multiplayer shooter from Chillingo has you suiting up for combat with a robotic humanoid tank. Slated for release later this year, MECH promises the awesome graphic punch that we've come to expect from games developed using the Unreal Engine. But its freemium model as a multiplayer makes me wonder just how level the playing field will actually be when this title finally becomes available.

SEGA Sonic Jump Fever

This frenetic and fast-paced vertical jumper takes the Sonic franchise to new levels with a classic, arcade-style action game. Featuring an emphasis on high scores and friendly competition, Sonic Jump Fever is expected to be available later this summer.

Final Fantasy VII G-Bike

Developers Square Enix bring what was a mini game in Final Fantasy VII to iOS with this motorcycle endless runner/racer. Riding you G-Bike you'll compete on numerous courses in a variety of play modes in this freemium game. Final Fantasy VII G-Bike doesn't have an official release date yet.

VVVVVV ($2.99)

This notoriously challenging, retro-style arcade platformer already has quite a reputation of being ever so frustratingly enjoyable. Its graphics harken back to the early 80s, but the gameplay is totally modern and perfectly customized for our iOS touchscreens. VVVVVV is available now in the App Store.