One of the great new features in iOS 8 is the ability to send an audio message. Sometimes it's simply a lot more convenient to make a quick recording than it is to type a message. Why not simply call the person? Because convention requires that we then engage in conversation. An audio message is more efficient. And the party you're sending it to can listen at his or her convenience rather than having to answer the phone.

Sending an audio message via Apple Messages couldn't be simpler. In Messages tap and hold the small microphone at right just above the onscreen keyboard. It will immediately begin recording. When you're done speaking, raise your finger and it will stop.

Once you've recorded it, a radial menu pops up with three options. You can listen to your recording by tapping the Play icon at center. If you decide not to send it, you can tap the X. If you want to go ahead and send it, then swipe up on the arrow.

Once your recording is sent, you'll get a message on screen saying it was delivered. There's also a blue "Keep" button that you can tap if you want to save the recording you just sent. Otherwise, it will automatically be deleted in a couple minutes.

Similarly, when the recipient receives the audio message, a blue "Keep" button also appears. Once he or she has listened to it, the audio message will be deleted in a couple minutes unless the recipient taps Keep.

One of the useful features of email is being able to see exactly when an email was sent. However, unlike Mail, the default view in Messages doesn't show the time when messages in a thread were sent. Messages are time-stamped just as emails are—you simply need to know how to view the time stamp.

The screen shot below shows the default view with no time stamp for the replies in the thread.

In order to see when all the messages in a thread were sent, simply tap and drag a bubble to the left, and the time stamps will be revealed.

iPhone Life rating:

If you like and use the SoundHound music app (free), which can guess melodies like a musical savant, then you might want to add TouchTunes (free). SoundHound recently announced a team up with TouchTunes: an in-venue entertainment and music platform that provides service at over 60,000 locations. With SoundHound and TouchTunes together, you can now get your online music choices queued up when visiting any TouchTunes supported location!

TouchTunes is the modern analog or follow-up to the "jukebox". In the really bad old days before the interwebs, we actually fed quarters into beastly music-producing things that looked like escape pods from a '50s sci-fi movie. The really old ones at our local bowling alley, for example, actually had an automated record player inside that played 45 rpm records (er, made of vinyl, if you can dig it—we used to say that too)!

The TouchTunes experience is the new socially interactive jukebox, meaning it integrates with social media sites like Facebook, is online and interactive through an app you can use on your smartphone (iOS and Android versions supported). TouchTunes provides kiosk devices that consumers can use to select and play music as well (shown above).

The coolness comes in when other player apps and services (like SoundHound) leverage the TouchTunes API (which the SoundHound app now supports). You select artists, and of course you can get SoundHound to find a song for you by either humming it or letting it listen to what is playing in the background, which can then be fed into the TouchTunes queue at your local bar or restaurant (providing they have a TouchTunes capable device on premises).

Though the TouchTunes app is free to download, there is a requirement to pay to play songs. In my tests, I spent nearly an hour at the location in question, and still never heard the track I selected, so I surmise it was because the only other registered TT user there was a premium user (the app has an option to show all other registered users that are active). Premium users can pay extra to have songs play next.

I tested out SoundHound and TouchTunes at the local Glory Days. This national chain of sports bar/restaurants have a great atmosphere to take the family, stay up-to-date on scores and enjoy the TouchTunes digital jukebox experience (if you can get your selection to play of course). The SoundHound app makes it super easy to find artists and can also be tied to other online services such as Rdio. It admittedly did not guess my humming of songs very well—I got really bizarre responses when trying this, which certainly could not have been due to my amazing singing ability (uh, yeah, that must be it). Both apps were very responsive, but I was somewhat disappointed to not hear my selections with only one other registered user to compete with at Glory Days. Of course this was an anecdotal one-time trial.

The Verdict
SoundHound is a superb music app and service, and has our full stamp of approval. It is like having a personal assistant assigned to do nothing except find and play music for you. The TouchTunes integration is a novel idea to engage music lovers and a cool touch (no pun intended), but I am a bit concerned about the availability of getting your selections played (which could be hit or miss). The idea is great, but the implementation may need a bit of fine-tuning to ensure that all user selections are being played in a timely manner. I would warn that mileage could vary based on how many users are actively queuing songs, or bumping up their songs in the queue, etc. Since this is the first version featuring TouchTunes, I'm sure these two music service trailblazers will be able to work out any kinks quickly! Progress is a good thing—we no longer have to worry about pumping in the quarters to hear our favorite song!

I just read a touching and uplifting story about an autistic boy befriending Siri. I am a huge Siri fan and have written about her more than once in this blog, but I have a new found admiration for the programmers who developed Siri.

Judith Newman of the New York Times tells how her autistic son talks for hours with Siri about his favorite topics. He learns facts and tidbits from someone who is willing to answer every one of his questions without tiring or getting annoyed. He has even learned to use better manners from her.

Even though I use Siri everyday for many things, I often think of her somewhat as a novelty—but no longer. I realize that her usefulness goes way beyond what I ever imagined. Thank you to Jim Dalrymple of the Loop for the link to Judith's article at the NYT.

In an earlier tip I covered the new swipe options in Mail that let you quickly mark an email as read/unread, as well as delete, flag, or archive an email. Plus, tapping the More option gives you access to all the other email actions. iOS 8 also includes the ability to customize these gestures, though the options are somewhat limited. And you can even turn them off, if you so choose.

To customize gestures in Mail, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar > Swipe Options. The default is Flag for a left swipe and Mark as Read for a swipe right. To change the swipe left gesture, tap on > to see the other options.

Note that Mark as Read isn't available as an option because it's already implemented for a right swipe. Similarly, tap > to see the other options for a right swipe. These include the option of archiving an email.

If you set both left and right swipe to None, you'll still have the option of view the More option with a partial left swipe and deleting with a full swipe left.

Apple didn't release a smart home device this year, but instead unleashed HomeKit, an SDK to help third parties do what they do best... make home automation equipment that, now, can be based on Apple's standards. Several vendors have stepped up to the plate, which is good because it's hard to find one vendor that has everything a smart home owner would need.

For starters, I already had a set of smart home devices from Iris by Lowes. I have a smart thermostat, motion sensors, video camera, and more. However, I have not been impressed with the Iris web interface nor mobile app. They are cluttered and inconsistent, and it takes too many steps to accomplish each task. But it is a thorough set of hardware offerings. Unlike Nest which has just two products, a thermostat and a smoke alarm, Lowes' Iris offers numerous smart accessories and the list is growing. Another detractor is that to maximize the use of Iris, Lowes tries to upsell users to a $10/month package. I tried it for a few months but didn't see the value so I canceled it.

But the home automation model from Ivee does so much more. Ivee works with the major smart home technology providers, like Lowes' Iris, Nest, Philips, and more, with support for iControl coming soon. Ivee offers the missing link that all smart home providers need, a single source of integration, complete with voice control. Just say commands like "Hello, Ivee. Raise temperature to 70." or "Turn on lights in bedroom."

It's not magic, but it's close! In fact, it's more like Star Trek, where commands can be spoken and a ubiquitous computer performs as requested. You have to adapt a bit to Ivee's vocabulary, but that's not unreasonable. Ivee has a list of typical commands on its website and I've repeated a few here. Ivee can do a lot more than manage your smart home. It can respond to questions about the stock market and the weather near you or anywhere you ask it about. Features like those make Ivee a great bedside companion.

Apple promised iOS 8.1 would be out this week and it is. The update uses only 126 MB but adds features like Apple Pay for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as iCloud Photo Library and integrated SMS messaging for iPad and Mac computers. Those are the new features, but of course there are bug fixes and reliability enhancements.

Apple Pay is only as good as the retailers who accept it, but that's a club that's growing daily. While Starbucks doesn't accept payment, yet, via Apple Pay, you can use their app to reload your account using Apple Pay, and then pay with the traditional optical scan at the cashier. Other vendors who do accept Apple Pay include McDonalds, Wegmans, Subway and other retailers who already have the required Near Field Communication hardware in place. In fact, Apple claims over 220,000 outlets accept the payment system with more on the way.

In previous posts I have touched on inheritance in Swift. In this post, I'm going to be diving deeper and giving you a fuller picture of how inheritance works in Swift, and how you can use it to create apps that are easy to extend when you need to add new functionality. Along the way, you will also learn about the important concept of polymorphism and learn how to use Xcode's new playgrounds!

Inheritance allows you to create new classes based on other classes. For example, Figure 1 shows a ScientificCalculator class subclassed from a Calculator class. In this relationship, Calculator is the superclass and ScientificCalculator is the subclass. 

Figure 1 - ScientificCalculator is a subclass of Calculator.

Specifying a superclass is optional, but you can specify a superclass in the class declaration:

A class with no superclass is known as a base class.

The beauty of inheritance is that you don't have to create every class from scratch. You can create a subclass from an existing class, inherit all its properties and methods and extend it to suit your needs.

In this example, the ScientificCalculator inherits all the functionality of its Calculator superclass, including add, subtract, multiply, divide, and clear methods. You don't have to rewrite these methods for the ScientificCalculator class. They are simply inherited. The, you can add methods to the ScientificCalculator class—such as log, sin, cos, and tan—that extend its functionality and specialize it.

Overriding Methods

At times, you may need to override a method or property inherited from a superclass. To override an inherited member, declare a new implementation of that member in a class file and mark it with the override keyword.

Overriding an inherited member allows you to:

• Extend the member by doing something additional in the subclass 

• Override the superclass member by doing something completely different in the subclass.

To access a superclass member such as a property or method, use the super. prefix followed by the member name you are overriding.

Let's check out an example of inheritance. In order to follow along, download the sample project from this link.

1. Open the AdvancedSwiftDemo project you just downloaded.

2. In the Project Navigator, drill down into the AdvancedSwiftDemo node to see the Calculator and ScientificCalculator classes.

3. Select the Calculator.swift code file in the Project Navigator and take note of the clear method in the Calculator superclass:

4. Select the ScientificCalculator.swift file to see that it is a subclass of the Calculator class: 

5. Notice there is also a clear method that is inherited from the Calculator class:

This method overrides the clear method in the Calculator superclass. Remember you override an inherited method by adding a method with the same signature in the subclass and marking it with the override keyword, as shown above.

In the first line of code is a call to super.clear, which calls the clear method in the Calculator superclass. This is very common. When overriding a method, you often make a call to the superclass method in addition to the custom code that you have added. This allows you to extend the existing functionality of the method because you are still running the method in the superclass, and you are doing something extra in the subclass.

When the method is executed in the subclass:

• First, a call is made to the Calculator superclass clear method that clears the total property.

• Execution moves to the ScientificCalculator subclass clear method and the memory property is cleared.

To see this at run time:

1. Expand the AdvancedSwiftDemoTests node in the Project Navigator and then select the AdvancedSwiftDemoTests.swift code file.

2. Add the following test method before the closing curly brace of the class:

Although not a true unit test, this code creates an instance of the ScientificCalculator class and then calls the object's clear method so we can see how this works at run time.

3. Next, set a breakpoint on the first line of code in the new test method by clicking in the gutter to the left (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Set a breakpoint.

4. Press Command+B to build the project.

5. In the Navigator toolbar on the left side of the Xcode window, click the fifth button from the left to select the Test Navigator and then click the run button to the right of the testScientificCalculatorClear test method (Figure 3). Note: If you don't see the this test, just click the run button to the right of the AdvancedSwiftDemo tests folder.

Figure 3 - Run the testScientificCalculatorClear test.

6. This causes you to hit the breakpoint in the test method (Figure 4). As you can see, the code that creates an instance of the ScientificCalculator class is waiting to be executed.

Figure 4 - The breakpoint is hit.

7. In the Debug toolbar at the bottom of the Xcode window, click the Step into button to execute this line of code. This begins the process of creating the object and takes you to the initialization of the ScientificCalculator'smemory property (Figure 5).

Figure 5 - Initializing the memory property

8. Press the Step into button again. This takes you to the initialization of the Calculator class's total property (Figure 6).

Figure 6 - Initializing the total property

9. Click the Step out button and you will be returned to the first line of the test method. Press the Step over button and the initialized ScientificCalculator object that is returned by calling ScientificCalculator() is stored in the calc variable (Figure 7).

Figure 7 - The ScientificCalculator object is created.

10. With a fully initialized ScientificCalculator object, you're ready to run its clear method. Click the Step into button and you will be taken to the first line of code in the ScientificCalculator object's clear method (Figure 8).

Figure 8 - Running the ScientificCalculator object's clear method.

9. The code that calls the superclass clear method is waiting to be executed. Click the Step into button and execution is taken to the Calculator's clear method, which is getting ready to store 0.0 in its total property (Figure 9).

Figure 9 - Running the Calculator's clear method

11. Click the Step out button and you will be taken back to the ScientificCalculator object's clear method, which is waiting to execute the line of code that stores 0.0 in the memory property (Figure 10).

Figure 10 - Getting ready to clear the memory property.

12. Click Step out and then Step over, and execution will move to the end of the test method (Figure 11).

Figure 11 - Back in the test method

13. Click the Continue button in the Debug toolbar to finish running the test.

A few additional notes on overriding—when you override a method, you can choose to add custom code before the call to super, or after the call to super (or both). For example:

Also, if you eliminate the call to the superclass method, you completely override the code in the superclass, because that code never executes. it's more common to extend a method by including the call to super.

Overriding Properties

Although it's more common to override methods, there may be times you want to override properties of a superclass to add new functionality to the subclass. Let's look at step-by-step instructions to see how it's done.

1. Start by creating a new Playground. Select File > New > Playground... from Xcode's menu.

2. In the Create Playground dialog, change the name to InheritancePlayground. Make sure the Platform is set to iOS, and then click Next. 

3. In the Save dialog, select a folder to save the playground and then click Create

4. Delete the "Hello playground" sample code at the top of the playground.

5. Add the following code to the playground that declares a PatientEntity class with three properties:

This PatientEntity class contains a social security number, which is sensitive information. Add the following code to the playground below the class declaration:

This code creates an instance of the PatientEntity class and then accesses its SSN property. This displays the information show in Figure 12 in the Results sidebar.

Figure 12 - The PatientEntity social security number

In most cases, people viewing this patient's information shouldn't be able to see their full social security number. So let's create a more secure subclass.

6. Add the following code to the playground below the code you just added:

PatientSecureEntity is a subclass of PatientEntity and overrides the inherited SSN property. Some important things to note about this code:

• To override a property, you must use the override keyword and then you must specify both the name and type of the property. This helps the compiler verify that you are overriding the correct property.

• In the PatientEntity superclass, the SSN property is a stored property. In Swift, you can override any property, whether it's stored or computed.

• The code in the get method fires whenever the SSN property is accessed. This code returns a series of asterisks and dashes followed by the last four digits of the social security number.

• In the get method, you can access the property's value using the syntax super.propertyName.

• If the superclass declares a property as read-write, you must provide both the get and set methods in the subclass. However, if the superclass declares a read-only property, you can make it read-write in the subclass.

• If you declare a set method in a subclass, you must also declare a get method. If you don't want to do anything in the get method, just return super.propertyName.

• The code in the set method gets fired when a value is stored in the property. As the sample code shows, you can access the value being saved to the property using the newValue argument.

7. Now add the following code below the PatientSecureEntity to test the property overload:

This code creates an instance of PatientSecureEntity and then accesses its SSN property. This display the information in Figure 15 in the Results side bar.

Figure 13 - The PatientSecureEntity SSN

Although the first line in the Results side bar shows the internal state of the SSN property, anyone referencing the SSN property in code will see only the last four digits as shown in the second line.

8. You can effectively create a read-only property by not adding any code to the set method. Since this is the secure version of the entity, you may not want to allow change to the patient's social security number Let's make sure it can't be changed. Comment out the code in the set method as shown here:

9. Now let's see what happens if we try to assign a value to the PatientSecureEntity object's SSN property. Add the following code below the code you added in the previous step:

Check out the Results side bar and you will see the value of the SSN property has not changed!

Preventing Overriding

At times, you may want to prevent someone from overriding a member of a class or an entire class. Do this by using the final modifier.

For example, if you don't want anyone overriding the SSN property of the PatientSecureEntity class, you can mark it with the final modifier like this:

You can prevent the entire class from being overridden by marking it as final:

And here is a method marked as final:

Polymorphism

Polymorphism is one of object-oriented programming's core principles, and you really need to understand it well to write the most effective code.

So far, whenever you have declare a variable of a particular type, you have always stored an object of that exact same type into the variable. For example, the following code declares a variable of type UITextField, and then creates an instance of UITextField and stores it in the textField variable:

No surprises here. However, in Swift, when you declare a variable of a particular type, it can also hold a reference to any subclass of that type. For example, take the class hierarchy shown in Figure 14, which shows UITextField, UIButton, and UISlider, just a few of the subclasses of the UIControl class.

Figure 15 - When you declare a variable of a particular type, it can hold a reference to any subclass of that type.

The word "polymorphism" means "many forms", and in this example you can see the UIControl class can take many different forms—a text field, a button, or a switch.

Given this hierarchy, you can declare a variable of type UIControl and then store a reference to the UITextField, UIButton or UISwitch object in this variable:

Polymorphism allows you to write more generic code that works with families of objects, rather than writing code for a specific class. In this example, regardless of which class you instantiate, you can access all the properties and methods declared in the UIControl class that are inherited by all the subclasses.

For example the UIControl class has an enabled property, so you can write the following line of code:

The UIControl class also has an isFirstResponder method, so you can call the following method on the control object:

Conclusion

Over time, as you write more iOS apps, you will find plenty of uses for inheritance and polymorphism in building generalized code and class libraries that can be reused in many different apps. You will also need to make many changes to your app during its lifetime, so it's important to use these tools to make your apps flexible and extensible!

Often when you're searching the web for some particular bit of information, your search pulls up a long page of text. But you then have no idea where on that page to find the information you're looking for. The next step is to search within the page. The way to do that on iOS devices is simple, but not obvious.

To search within a page, type the search term into Safari's search bar. Let's say I wanted to search for the word "camera" in this blog post to see what the author says about the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 cameras. However, instead of showing search results within the page, it immediately shows Google Search suggestions for the web in general, as this screen shot shows.

In order to search within the page, simply scroll down to the bottom of the Google Search suggestions, where you'll see it says "On This Page." 

Tap where it says "Find 'camera,'" and it will find all the occurrences of the word "camera" on the page. Notice that it shows the first instance by highlighting it in yellow. And also notice that at the lower left, it tells you that it found four matches for the term. You can view the other matches simply by tapping the left and right arrows.

I use the find-within-a-page feature all the time on both my desktop computer and on my iPad.

Street art, or graffitti, has seen a remarkable rise in popularity over the past decade here as well as abroad. There are websites, social media feeds, and more dedicated to recognizing all these pieces of art no matter the size or the location. And now, a graphic artist hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, by the name of Brenden Fitzgerald looks to make the experience of finding street art and sharing its appeal that much easier. He's launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the development of the Taggd' Mobile app. The app is set up for the user to take a picture of a piece of street art, geotag it and share it with others. You can also get more information in detail on the artist who did the piece through the app. Recently Brenden took the time to speak to iPhone Life about the app's possibilities and his journey in creating the funding campaign for Taggd' Mobile.

iPhone Life: Brenden, what compelled you initially to come up with the idea of Taggd' Mobile?

Brenden: Actually, in Asheville there's a lot of controversy happening around graffiti and street art in the last year. I've always been into graphic design, designing apps specifically. Designing apps has kind of been a passion of mine for the past several years. It's been in the news a lot, and Asheville itself is really an organic arts community. It has really strong roots in personal art expression. It's an amazing community hands down. So it's been an interesting dialog between the arts community and the business community as to where street art fits into that equation. Just out of the pure politics of the situation, I wanted to jump in and create something that I thought would be cool to represent the true form of street art that I've always appreciated. There are some incredible street artists who have every reason to be celebrated and showcased as such, so I wanted to create some type of mobile application that would do that.

iPhone Life: What input have you gotten from artists there and those you may have been in contact with on a global scale in creation and development of Tagg'd Mobile?

Brenden: Well I think the coolest part of the journey is that I've reached out to some pretty prolific street artists. And the initial part of it when I got into the design of it was, "take a look at it, let me know what you think functionality-wise as well as design." The people that I spoke with were candid and people that I continue to reach out to now, one of which is Señor X who's from Spain and who lives in London now, I believe. He's the one that did the print for Wardler Rewards System, giving me feedback throughout the process. For the artists, the main thing is attribution. It's an interesting conversation because street art is something that you put into the public, but they don't want people to steal all their stuff at the same time either. So having it as an open community where people take pictures, we want them to understand who has the rights to those things. As far as the feedback I've received from other artists, one who is Stinkfish, from South America, he's been absolutely incredible. I've always approached the project coming from the side of graphic design. So I've been trying to create something that has usability, a sleekness where it showcases the functionality and the art and the app kinda gets out of the way. That's kind of been a goal of mine. And so I also reach out to ask, "did I accomplish that part of it?" I've gotten feedback that says "you nailed it man, that's really slick design that we can get behind, you're doing your thing."

iPhone Life: I checked out your campaign on Kickstarter and noted that it contained a unique preview using Prototyping on Paper. What specifically made you choose to utilize that instead of just regular screen captures or video?

Brenden: I think the video also alludes to the fact that as a graphic designer I can only take the project so far. So the POP, Prototyping On Paper, pretty much lets someone use the app without the app being developed in code. Giving someone the opportunity to hop in there, press buttons to see how they'd interact gives someone a better experience than a video, screenshots, and stuff like that. I really wanted to show people that there's some guts to this thing, to give them the feel for it. 

iPhone Life: Do you see galleries and museums down the line along with others who are fans of these street artists as well?

Brenden: I think so. I think that there could be a broader conversation as to where techonology fits into galleries and places like that, and art in general. One of the curators for Kickstarter is Art Basel, and they're one of the largest curators of modern art in Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and other cities. I actually reached out to them to see if they were interested in curating the project, and they felt it was a very compelling project and had interest. The caveat to that is that they only support non-profits, as far as Kickstarter goes. But it was interesting because that was the first kind of engagement I've had with that part of the community and it seemed like they dug it.

iPhone Life: Given that Apple has now released the iPhone 6, does that add any more plans for you as to how you'll develop the app?

Brenden: I would say in terms of functionality and design-wise, yeah. There's going to be an opportunity to enlarge the design, with whichever developer I end up working with. Obviously we'll optimize it for the different types of screens, the different resolutions and sizes. Obviously an app like that will look cooler and give clarity to the craft in comparative screen size to the iPhone 5. 

iPhone Life: Ultimately, what's the first experience you would want with someone using Tagg'd Mobile? How do you envision a user's first time?

Brenden: I think that there's two cool stories as to how you can have a personal experience with Tagg'd. One of them is for someone who appreciates art, but doesn't live in that world, I think that's an opportunity to show people this app and having people use it. I would envision say, me flying into New York, and I didn't know about Tagg'd, and one of my buddies has the app and it gives a message saying "Hey, you're by some cool street art," or some sort of message letting you know that. Or he can go "Hey check this out," holds up the app to capture all the incredible  art around us, gets directions to it and we walk over there. I think that would be an unique experience for someone that didn't know that that app existed, or let alone that even that art existed. And it's just so close in proximity that you don't know, especially with it outside the way that it is. People are kind of shut off to that world to a certain extent. And an app like this gives it the opportunity to put it front and center.

iPhone Life: What's been the feedback that you've gotten thus far to the campaign?

Brenden: Pretty good. I've been really excited about how many people that I don't know have donated and throughout the world. This is my first Kickstarter campaign so its kind of been a journey. Trying to get momentum, trying to get friends that will donate that you know will donate but you gotta nudge them. (laughs) It's been super awesome but it's been hard work. But the feedback that I've gotten in and out of the street art community and the design community has been outstanding and positive. I couldn't ask for people to be more supportive of how it's been going thus far. Right now it's just rubber meets the road time, get as much press as possible, get in front of the people 'cause every time it's put in front of someone, they either donate, they share it or they give positive reviews. So that's pretty outstanding feedback.

If you haven't already entered the iPhone Life Photography Contest, you'd better get cracking! Friday, October 24, is the last day to submit your best iPhone photograph(s) at iphonelife.com/enterphoto. You must take and edit all photos with an iOS device, using only iOS apps. And don't forget to your favorite photos. You can vote everyday until November 3!

Our editors will choose the top three entries, and our readers will choose the fourth and final winner by voting for their favorite images on Facebook. Winners will receive an olloclip quick-connect lens set ($70 value) and an olloclip Quick-Flip Case ($50 value). The top nine photos will also be featured in an upcoming issue of iPhone Life magazine

Top photo submitted by Rachel L. Bottom photo submitted by Aniruddha B.

This is really two mini reviews in one. A while back the folks at Parrot wanted me to check out their A.R. Drone remote controlled aerial vehicle. So I spent a couple of months doing some product testing. In the process I utilized the quadricopter's two onboard cameras along with Parrot's FreeFlight (Free) drone control app to shoot some video, which I wanted to include with my reviews. Then the dilemma arose of where the heck to find the time in my busy schedule to both write a review and edit about 25 minutes of aerial video down to a short snippet that I thought people might be interested in watching. Enter the remarkable video editing app, Replay, which I learned about during Apple's live presentation of the iPad Air 2.

Replay: The Smart Video Editor

You may remember seeing Replay(free) demoed at Apple's recent iPad Air 2 event. At the show, the developers of the app took the stage to demonstrate how ridiculously easy it is to compose a professional looking video with just a few taps. Replay's algorithms patch a video together in mere seconds, one that looks like it was made by a talented video editing company instead of by someone waiting in line at the market.

As soon as I saw this app being demoed I immediately went and downloaded it. I knew I'd found the prefect app to help me edit my drone footage. I started with the free version of Replay, but 12 hours and 4 quick videos later, I decided that the $9.99 investment for the fully unlocked version of Replay was well worth it.

If you can't see the above video, click HERE.

I can't take any credit for how cool this video is. Other than piloting the Drone and quickly tapping on some video footage to use, Replay did all the hard work of editing.

Parrot A.R. Drone 2.0: A Work in Progress

When I was working with Parrot's A.R. Drone($299.95), preparing for this very review I must've easily shot 20-30 minutes of airborne footage. The Parrot drone makes recording video from your iDevice a simple affair, since the A.R. Drone is controlled via your iDevice. With one touch, users can begin recording from either of the drone's two video cameras. A convenient feature that goes along with using ones iDevice for a remote controller, is that it's easy to see what you're recording, since it's displayed live on your iDevice's touchscreen. As you'll see in the following four-minute video, the drone's forward facing camera captures video in crisp HD, while the camera located on the underside of the drone records a lessor quality video. I'd like to think that with the future version of the A.R. Drone, that Parrot will improve the quality of the downward facing camera. I see amazing potential for captivating top-down footage if the bottom camera were able to record at a higher quality.

Initially I had great expectations for the Parrot A.R. Drone, if you've followed my articles here at iPhone Life, you know I am a fan of Parrot accessories, but the fact of the matter is the A.R. Drone gave me its fair share of problems. Granted, it was a review unit on loan for a short time, but in that short time the drone had its fair share of issues, especially for a "rugged" craft. These included a malfunctioning propeller motor, a stripped gear, a cracked foam frame, a hull panel that melted from flying in the hot Arizona sun and a crippling ultrasonic sensor malfunction. The good news at least; all of the A.R. Drone's parts are replaceable and to their credit, the folks at Parrot could not have been more helpful when it came to supplying replacement parts and working with me to get the drone up and running again.

I am sure this product will only continue to evolve and improve. Moving forward, I would like to see Parrot upgrade the A.R. Drone's overall design to make it better able to withstand the kind of rigorous and demanding circumstances it was constructed to encounter. I am aware that in the world of drones, the A.R. Drone is a relatively inexpensive hobbyist's toy, so I wouldn't expect it to be of the same caliber as some of the pricier drone alternatives which can cost well over a thousand dollars. The A.R. Drone is actually considered by many aficionados to be one of the best drones you can get for under $300. I hope Parrot improves upon the build quality and integrity, as well as upping the resolution of its downward-facing camera when they release their next iteration of the A.R. Drone. It's a toy that I feel has great potential, in spite of my rocky experience testing it.

Conclusions

I hope you enjoyed the short video, courtesy of Replay and Parrot. I have to give the Replay video editing app very high marks and I highly recommend checking out the free version. As for the A.R. Drone, if you can get a deal on it from the likes of eBay or Amazon, then perhaps I'd say go for it, but my experience was so fraught with difficulties and technical malfunctions that I'd have to say hold off on buying this drone until the next, updated version becomes available.

For the next few months we are running a special Award Winner Edition of our iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway featuring prizes from companies that won iPhone Life awards at the recent Super Mobility Week powered by CTIA 2014 trade show! This weeks prizes are worth $265.00 so you definitely don't want to miss out on a chance to win!

Thanks to everyone who entered the October 20 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away three amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the November 3rd giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winner is... (drum roll please):

Bettye Short.

Didn't Win This Week? No worries! Visit iphonelife.com/giveaways for the chance to win in the next giveaway round. If you see your name but didn't receive an email, please check your spam folder.

This week's featured items are:

1. Scosche boomBOTTLE H2O: Retail Price $99.99

Experience remarkable audio with the boomBOTTLE H2O- The boomBOTTLE H2O packs remarkable wireless audio into a rugged IP67 waterproof frame—perfect for the poolside, beach, snow, or any other environment.

2. Otterbox Alpha Glass: Retail Price $29.95

Ultra thin glass screen protectors for iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c for hardcore, anti-shatter protection you can't see. Premium display clarity worthy of protecting your iPhone's touchscreen.

3. Toast Real Wood Cover: Retail Price $34.00

The original cover that started it all. (And by "all", we mean Toast.) This elegantly crafted real wood cover for the iPhone includes a back cover, sleek side wraps, and button covers. As you expect from any Toast product, this cover is beautifully engineered with precise details, cut by lasers, and finished by hand. Simple peel and stick application. Max it out with a matching wood front cover for extra protection and woodiness.

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 November 3!

I like Apple's Maps app, but a number of times it's taken me to a location that simply didn't exist: an Indian restaurant, a zoo, a hotel in a small town, a Chinese restaurant. I diligently follow Siri's directions and when she says I've arrived, the establishment in question is nowhere to be seen. And in several of these cases probably never existed. If you've had similar problems and prefer maps from third parties such as Google, you can now conveniently access these maps from within Apple's Maps app.

To access third-party maps, request directions as you ordinarily would. In the example below I asked Siri for directions to the local Walmart. As you can see, when Maps responds to the request with an overview, a route selection-menu appears at the top and offers three selections: Drive, Walk, and Apps.

If you tap Apps, a menu will appear listing installed apps for mapping as well as apps in the App Store.

Select the app of your choice, and your route will then be shown in that app, in this case Google Maps.

Note that Google Maps defaults to the Bus view, so you may want to change the view.

I just heard from MacTech folks that they're making special pricing available to our readers! The below link will get iPhone Life readers an EXTRA $100 off the registration price when they register. In other words, the pre-registration pricing ($1299) will end this weekend. The below link locks in the rate at $1199 during that time. Then it goes up by $200. http://www.mactech.com/conference/sponsored-discount?rid=iPhoneLife

Pertinent information:

and some new information about activities at: http://www.mactech.com/conference/activities

It’s going to be a ridiculous amount of fun as the MacTech team feeds people 13 times in three days, and have things going on from morning to night.  And yes, they have some tricks up our sleeves that are not yet announced. :)

With the pre-registration pricing ending this weekend, this is your chance to get a lot of training and entertainment at the best price.

Just outside of Redmond, WA, center of the Microsoft universe, lies a little city we like to call Seattle. Seattle is the home to OmniGroup, a company dedicated to writing some of the best, and more enduring, Macintosh software around, along with complementary iOS apps to facilitate the increasingly mobile lifestyles of their customers.

OmniGroup focuses on productivity, and for many organizations, using their suite of products can provide a comprehensive complement to standards like word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs.

OmniFocus ($29.99 iPad, $19.99 iPhone)

I still employ OmniFocus as my primary task management tool, and I do this for three reasons:

• It runs on the Macintosh and in iOS
• It synchronizes via OmniGroup’s free WebDav “cloud” service
• It understands context

The last one, context, may requite a bit of expansion. Context is a place one finds oneself. So rather than looking at the world through the lens of project categories (like: write a post for iPhone Life) I can view the world through contexts (like: what’s next up for me to do when I’m sitting at my desk). This is a powerful feature that helps people look at the world, and what they do in it, from a different perspective. The feature, as well as the basic task management capabilities, are implemented cleanly, reflects Apple’s latest design standards. 

It is possible to manage your life from just one platform or the other, but the iPad and the iPhone, combined with travel, create a context. Who wants to go back to their desktop to check off a task accomplished when out of the office, when they can easily check off the task on a mobile device. You can even designate location-based contexts that remind you to do something when you are in the vicinity (context: Near Seahawks Team Store — Buy stuff on this list).

OmniOutliner ($29.99 on iPad)

If you own Microsoft Word, you already own an adequate outliner. Or so you think, but only if you actually buy into your 10th grade English teacher’s linear view of story telling. Outliners can do a lot more than organize topics for a term paper. They can help you organize and manage information. If you have the right outliner.

If I didn’t lose you, then you probably get it, and are looking for a product like OmniOutliner which lets you outline, then add columns of information to a headline. Think of all those lists you make in Excel. Microsoft didn’t write Excel to manage lists. Those lists all work even better in OmniOutliner with check marks, formatting, styles, sorting, and row linking. Columns can calculate sums and basic statistics, as well as include user interface elements like pop-up lists and check marks. Check marks are great when an item needs a number of elements to be completed before it is actually completed (think set table as a task with columns for various types of silverware. Once you put down the shrimp fork, you can make a final check of that implement and then check off the entire task).

OmniOutline is my go-to app when developing a list of things I repeat but vary, like a strategic planning project. All of these steps are there, but I can modify them to meet the engagement. I can also export parts o the outline to OmniPlan, and then apply dates to create a schedule. The only think better would be a section of my outline synchronized with OmniPlan so that I can have one source of information, with a section set apart for tasks. Opening the synchronized document reveals just the tasks in OmniPlan, offering a schedule without all of the other notes. Export and import is easy enough, but this kind of feature would be cool. Next time, perhaps, Omni-devs?

OmniPlan ($49.99)

Project planning is hard. OmniPlan helps by making the tools very accessible, and if you live in Omni-land, consistent with your experiences across the product lines. People who don’t create projects for a living don’t realize, as they are asked from time-to-time to create them, that the process is iterative. Tasks get left out and sequences get rearranged all of the time. OmniPlan, with its outline-like front end, makes that easy.

Unlike some programs that just draw project diagrams, OmniPlan supports dependencies of all types, so that adjustments made along the way are recalculated throughout the project. The display on the iPad offers clear visuals the reflect what needs to be done next while the Mac version includes sophisticated filtering to simplify projects into more manageable chunks.  

OmniPlan also tracks changes automatically so that when teams are working on the same plan, updates applied can be quickly retrieved  and renegotiated if necessary. The OmniGroup free Omni Sync Server makes this even easier by treating the plan as data rather than a file, eliminating read/write conflicts inherent with shared files.

OmniGraffle ($49.99)

Frankly, OmniGraffle doesn’t have the best name. It has a great reputation among Mac enthusiasts with a need for precise diagramming, but if you don’t already know that, unlike other Omni products, Graffle sounds more like a Doctor Seuss character than a productivity app.

If the princesses in Frozen where engineers, they might sing: “Do you want to design a snowman?” And they would probably reach for OmniGraffle to do that.

OmniGraffle is not the easiest environment to master, and I am far from being an expert. But I do use it for network diagrams, vision maps and several others kinds of drawings then end up in documentation or as grist for the brainstorming mill. 

The number of features make this a major competitor to tools like Microsoft’s Visio (PC only) and Adobe’s Illustrator. If you take the time to explore OmniGraffle you will probably find a way to translate just about anything in your head to something on your iOS device or Mac.

Being in the Omni

OmniGroup has a very old-school view of the Macintosh, one likely shared by many of its users and those who developed OS X. Although the apps work very well for business users, there is no mistaking their programmer heritage. As a developer, OmniGroup needed tools to help OmniGroup stay on task, draw user interface prototypes, organize thinking and plan new releases. So years ago they created the tools they needed, and then generalized them to the market. They now enjoy a fervent following of business users who appreciate their simple to use, yet powerful apps that can easily become basic components of any Apple productivity-oriented computing environment.

OmniGroup product files can be stored in OmniPresence and edited on any device, and those that have moved to data models, like OmniFocus and OmniPlan, can be synchronized.

Unlike Apple’s own products, the OmniGroup take advantage of platform unique features like AppleScript to integrate their products with each other, and with other tools like Evernote and Twitter.

OmniGroup does Apple cross-platform compatibility and integration better than almost any company. Their iPad apps work seamlessly with their iPhone and iPad versions. At the heart of their technology is a belief that mobile clients empower people by letting them work with complex ideas remotely. The desktop is always available with its important attributes like a big screen and more detailed features, but in the heat of the moment, OmniGroup doesn’t care if your executing on an iPad or a MacBook Air, both will capture your data, check off your achievements and tell you what you need to do next.

In a market that increasingly thinks “mobile first” it is refreshing to see a software company that still understands the need for full clients that can do the heavy lifting of creation and management. 

As Apple has evolved their user interface, OmniGroup has converged on an iOS 8/Yosemite treatments for most of their apps, but user interface consistency between apps and between devices continues to evolve. The latest iteration of OmniFocus demonstrate where the other apps may be heading in the future.

What’s New with Omni Apps on the iPad

With the advent iOS 8 on the iPad/iPhone and Yosemite on the Mac, OmniGroup has completely updated the user interface on their signature apps, OmniFocus and OmniGraffle.

OmniFocus 2 for iPad

Omni Group has added a number of new features to OmniFocus 2.0, in addition to the revamped user interface. A few of these, like duration and perspectives make the app even more useful, while compiling for 64-bit compatibility make it fast and responsive. Other new features include:

Customizable sidebar: Show just want you want, in the order you want it.

Today Extension: See OmniFocus items due today in Notification Center.

Sharing Extension: The new Sharing Extension makes it easy to add new items from other apps.

Interactive Notifications: Alerts for nearby and due items let you mark complete (or snooze) without even opening the app.

Improved Search: See results from the current view or your entire OmniFocus database.

Background Sync:  OmniFocus syncs in the background so changes you make on other devices are always up-to-date.

OmniGraffle 2 for iPad

Like OmniFocus, OmniGraffle 2 offers users a more OS 8-like experience, but the heart of OmniGraffle 2 is deep in the features, which include:

Several Professional features such as Visio support, shape combinations, tables, and more are now available as an In-App Purchase (available for free to customers who upgrade from v1).

• Pro features (see upgrades below,) include:
  • Combining two or more objects on the canvas to create a custom shape. 
  • Import and export support for Visio file formats.
• Other features include: 
  • Search Stenciltown for user-submitted stencils.
  • A new Style system makes it easier to set and apply Favorite visual styles as well as picking from available styles that exist on the canvas.
  • Import and export support for OmniOutliner files.
  • New fill, stroke, and shadow styles.
  • AirDrop support between iOS 8 and Mac OS X 10.10 apps.
  • Freehand sketch directly onto a canvas 
  • Manipulate vertex points on shapes with the Freehand Tool, and convert them to Bézier points.
  • Use built-in stencils or draw customizable shapes
  • Touch and drag to connect shapes together
  • Touch “lay out now” to automatically arrange a diagram
  • Smart guides to help align, rotate, and size objects
  • Create multiple page (“canvas”) documents
  • Share items between canvases with shared layers
  • Wrap text to fit within a shape
  • View what styles make up a shape
  • Select a whole class of objects at once to make changes
  • Choose colors from built-in themes
  • Create custom colors with support for HSB, RGB, and grayscale
  • Create linear and radial fills, blending up to three colors with customizable centers and angles
  • Set stroke/line thickness, color, and customize line styles
  • Create transparent shape shadows which fall on objects or layers that are behind it
  • Define shadow blur/sharpness, transparency, color, and position
  • Pinch to zoom in and out
  • Combine any two shapes into a table
  • Share native OmniGraffle documents via email, or email as a scalable PDF
  • Save documents as a graphic in the Photos library

Managing Upgrades

Apple doesn’t make it easy for developers to make money on upgrades. Upgrading an app for free is easy, but launching a new version as a separate app and giving a break to loyal customers is more challenging. OmniGroup has come up with a unique approach: they sell the “2” versions of their apps at a relatively low price low so that new and existing users can justify the upgrade. All users who want “pro” features can upgrade with in in-app purchase. Existing users, however, with a previously installed version (keep old versions installed until you process an upgrade), can upgrade to the pro version for free by either pointing to it on the Mac, or leaving it installed on the iPad/iPhone after installing the new version. This is not automatic. Users who want to claim the upgrade need to go through the regular upgrade process in the app, but if they meet the requirements (the 1.0 version is installed), they will see a zero cost for the upgrade.

Now I can check this review off of my OmniFocus list of iPhone Life project activities that I need to do while in my office at my computer (a context).

I like the features of Safari in iOS 8. In a previous tip I showed how to request the desktop version of a site by tapping in the address bar and then dragging down on the Favorites window that pops up. I also just learned of a quick way to add the current page to Favorites, to your reading list, or to shared links.

To quickly add a page to Favorites, tap and hold the Bookmark button at top left on your iPad or bottom right on your iPhone.

Doing so pops up a menu with three options: Add Bookmark, Add to Reading List, and Add to Shared Links.

Tap Add Bookmark, and a new window pops up to let you specify the location Favorites. Tap Save at the top right, and the page is added to your Favorites.

The Biweekly Giveaway – Award Winner Edition features prizes from companies that won iPhone Life awards at the recent Super Mobility Week powered by CTIA 2014 trade show! Be sure to enter the giveaway at iPhoneLife.com/giveaways to win prizes, which we'll announce November 3! We are raffling off tons of great accessories for FREE.

Here's how it works: Every other Friday we announce the prizes we're giving away through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter the giveaway, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways and tell your friends to enter too! On the following Monday morning, we will randomly select the winners. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code to redeem the app for free. If you win an accessory, send us your address and we will mail it to you.

This week's featured items are:

1. Otterbox Alpha Glass: Retail Price $29.95

Ultra thin glass screen protectors for iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c for hardcore, anti-shatter protection you can't see. Premium display clarity worthy of protecting your iPhone's touchscreen.

2. Toast Real Wood Cover: Retail Price $34

The original cover that started it all. (And by "all" we mean Toast.) This elegantly crafted real wood cover for the iPhone includes a back cover, sleek side wraps, and button covers. As you expect from any Toast product, this cover is beautifully engineered with precise details, cut by lasers, and finished by hand. Simple peel and stick application. Max it out with a matching wood front cover for extra protection and woodiness.

3. Scosche boomBOTTLE H2O: Retail Price $99.99

Experience remarkable audio with the boomBOTTLE H2O. The boomBOTTLE H2O packs remarkable wireless audio into a rugged IP67 waterproof frame—perfect for the poolside, beach, snow, or any other environment.

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 November 3!

The good news is Apple Pay makes it easier and safer to pay than ever before. That's a also the bad news. Now that Apple makes it so easy to pay for things, you'll be tempted to pick up the tab more often! So how does it work? First, you'll need iOS 8.1 and new hardware, such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or in early 2015, an Apple Watch. You can also pay using Apple Pay within apps on the iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3, but not in stores as those devices do not have the necessary NFC (Near Field Communication) hardware.

Apple Pay leverages the Passbook app that's been part of iOS since iOS 6. Odds are you already have a credit card associated with that, but if not, run the Passbook app and touch the plus sign in the top right. Touch "Add a credit or debit card" and either use the card associated with your iTunes account or enter a different card. Currently, American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are supported. I have "Larger Text" set up in Settings > Accessibility, and I discovered a bug with Passbook that makes it impossible for you to enter your security code with larger text, so I had to change to a smaller font. Apple makes it easy to enter a new card, using the camera. Just let the iPhone scan your card's digits. It's a bit gimmicky, but in some ways, so is Apple Pay and "gimmicky" is the Trojan Horse that could get you to change your purchasing patterns.

Once you have a credit card associated with your Passbook account, you can go shopping! Apple maintains a list of retailers that accept Apple Pay and it's growing all the time. Some memorable vendors include McDonalds, Subway, Disney Stores, Foot Locker, Chevron, Toys R Us, Nike, Petco, Wegmans, and of course, Apple stores. Since I'm in Rochester, birthplace of Wegmans, I was pleased to see their support of Apple Pay. If you aren't familiar with Wegmans, you're missing out, but you can get a taste here.

Here's where the magic happens. Now that your credit card is safely ensconced in your wallet, or better yet, your safe at home, there's no need to present it to a waiter or cashier. How many times have you let a waiter take your credit card to a back room to be processed? Where's the privacy or security in that scenario? Instead, with Apple Pay, your credit card data is not transmitted and the device essentially authorizes a one-time credit card strictly for the purposes of that single transaction.  

When you're ready to pay, bring your iPhone to the NFC reader near the cash register. The devices should automatically recognize each other and the Passbook app will start up. You do not have to touch the iPhone to the NFC reader, and it should work with most cases. For added security, Touch ID is part of the transaction. While the fingerprint sensor is not foolproof, it's good enough to prevent a stranger from grabbing your phone and surreptitiously making Apple Pay payments until you can run Find my iPhone and enable Lost Mode to disable Apple Pay. You will be asked to use your fingerprint to authorize the payment and that's it! Recent receipts are available on the device, although Apple promises not to store your transactions on their server, for added privacy.

I tried Apple Pay at a local Panera Bread and was relieved to see how simple it was. In fact, it was almost a non-event. I brought the phone near the cashier's reader, touched my Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and the cashier said "Would you like your receipt?" When paying becomes so simple, it can be dangerous. And that's the point. Not that it's dangerous to your bank account, but Apple Pay is ultimately dangerous to retailers who don't accept it and traditional payment systems, the way iTunes was dangerous to record stores and record labels who held out during the digital music revolution. Ironically, Apple Pay may help Google and Android device makers, who have had NFC for years, as it will usher in an age where such readers are standard, as they should work with both providers.