"Today I'm going to test what you all ask yourself."

Really, Marvin from Germany? Do we all ask ourselves if our brand spankin' new, shiny, expensive electronics will bend? Personally, I think #BendGate has gotten a little out of hand. Check out the video below:

It likely bends because of new features. According to Apple, it's 6 mm thin and weighs less than a pound, due to the new fully-aluminum frame. It's also likely that Apple's use of more sustainable design, like recycled aluminum, creates a less substantial product.

However, this doesn't mean that people should be trying to bend their new devices. Rather, they should protect them. We all love our Apple products, or else we wouldn't be on this site! I love my iPad Air, and will likely trade it in or wait until next year for the newer model. I will not, however, be damaging my devices. If you want to protect yours, check out these iPhone Life-curated iPad cases.

At least Marvin did one thing right — he disabled YouTube comments.

As new iOS apps flood the App Store every day — recently topping 1,200,000 — 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 Free App Report, AppsGoneFree, AppieDay, AppShopper and more.

Hurry! Get 'em while they’re hot!

1.Ebola (Free)

It's the topic of the moment and now there's an app for it! Learn more about the virus and some simple precautions to help protect you and your family and stop it from spreading to friends and the community. Users can also quickly see the virus transmission diagrams that help those working out in the field to visualize an outbreak's reach.

2.Fotoffiti(Free)

Free for a limited time only! Turn your photos into Bansky style graffiti to share with your friends. Pick a photo, choose a paint color, and shake your phone to spray. Fun, right? Graffiti in seconds with no risk of getting arrested!

3.Contacts XL + Facebook Sync(Free)

Today only, so hurry up and grab it! This app helps you manage your contacts and create groups. You can send a group text or email and call your favorites by a simple tap on their picture. Receive birthday and anniversary notifications, remove duplicate contacts from your address book, and so much more! 

It's rare that a desktop peripheral can also be a great travel companion, but in the case of the VisionTek Charge & Sync USB 3.0 Seven Port Hub ($54.99), a desktop add-on to the port-challenged MacBook Air 11 (and any other USB compatible computer), travel is in its nature. 

Ideal for trips

This is a pretty small hub compared to my other one, which is a Tardis (of course, it is bigger on the inside so that makes everything else look extra diminutive). At only 0.90" x 4.30" x 1.80"  (and 0.29 lbs) this USB hub fits into most travel situations easily. The only drawback is a proprietary charger, but that may well prove its most useful feature. This hub differentiates itself by combining the power for port replication with the power of, well, just power. Even when the hub is disconnected from my MacBook Air, it contains three fully powered ports that will charge two iPhones or iPods or an iPad. The VisionTek hub fully integrates USB charging with dedicated ports (run from an international power adapter that just requires a receptacle adapter for international use).

Solid Specs

The brushed aluminum enclosure fits the Mac aesthetic well, though it will also look great next to an Ultrabook. The device includes four USB 3.0 ports with 5 GB (600 MB) SuperSpeed data transfer connectivity and 900mA bus power for digital cameras, external hard drives, flash drives, and printers. For fast connection status verification, amber colored LED’s indicate when each USB 3 port is in use. In addition to the four powered USB ports, the device includes two 1A ports for charging phones and iPods, and a 2A port for charging iPads. These ports, as well as the USB connection ports, are driven by a UL Listed international auto switching 3 amp/36 watt power supply.

The only downside is the power supply, but if you think of this USB hub as the only hub/charger you need on your trip, then the power supply doesn’t end up being a burden. I would, however, really like to see a device like this with an internal power supply accompanied by a lightweight cord, but perhaps that isn’t practical with USB hubs, as I’ve never seen one configured that way. It would make a hub a bit heavier, but would make travel easier. Just a thought, designers. 

A Final Plug

My MacBook Air 11 only comes with two USB 3.0 ports. One is permanently dedicated to a 64GB tiny USB memory stick on which iTunes resides. The other is usually connected to this VisionTek Hub so the MacBook can perform beyond its port constraints. When I travel, I use this hub as, well, my hub, replacing various travel chargers, leaving me with one hub of power to rule all my connection and charging needs (but I also bring a backup multi device charger, just in case!)

Apple has worked hard to make sure you can do everything from your iPhone and iPad without having to connect it to your desktop computer. Over-the-air system updates and backups via WiFi were a culminating step in this direction. In addition, you can also now manage your Apple ID account from your iPhone or iPad.

To manage your Apple ID account information, such as changing your password, security questions, or contact information, go to Settings > iCloud. (This is also where you can turn on the new Family Sharing feature.)

The top section of the iCloud settings shows your name and Apple User ID. Tap on that, and you'll be asked to log in. Doing so brings up a screen where you can manage your account.

Tapping on Contact Information lets you add another email address, edit your street address, and select whether you want to receive news and announcements from Apple. The Password & Security selection lets you change your password, security questions, and rescue email address (which is used if you forget your password or security questions.) The Payment option shows which credit card is associated with your account.

To change your credit card information, you need to go to Settings > iTunes & App Store Settings and tap on your Apple ID at the top. A popup screen will ask if you want to View Apple ID.

Tap on that, and you'll be asked to log in. You can then tap on Payment Information to manage your credit card info as well as your alerts and subscriptions.

Top image credit: Denys Prykhodov / Shutterstock.com

iPhone Life rating:

Recently, Apple expanded their beta programs for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, making it easier for non-developers to gain access (legitimately) to pre-release software. Now they're making it easier for developers to do the same with their apps. I've used Testflight before as a way to share unreleased and beta versions of apps with colleagues and customers, but you were limited to 100 devices and the process could be a pain.

Apple recently purchased Testflight and now they've integrated the service into their iTunesconnect management portal. Today Apple announced that developers can share beta versions with up to 1,000 users. This is great for developers, but also for end users who might want to contribute feedback to the next version of their favorite app.

An interested customer could reach out to a developer and offer assistance. I've had customers offer to translate my apps to their native language and it's been a win-win. The App Economy makes it realistic and even welcome for end users to get in touch with the programmers who write their favorite apps. In fact, I encourage it. There's nothing more frustrating than a customer who has a problem but doesn't reach out to me for a fix. When they post anonymously on the App Store review site, there's no way to contact them to help. So "hug" a developer today, or at least contact them by email and offer input!

Messages can take up a surprising amount of your iPhone's storage capacity and the reason is all those cute pictures of dogs and kids that you've been texting back and forth with your friends. Fortunately, it's easy to delete attachments from Messages without deleting the converation.

In Messages, open the conversation by tapping on it. Then tap on Details. Scroll down to Attachments and press and hold on one of the attachments. Then tap More.

Next, tap each attachment you want to delete. Once you've selected all the items you don't want, tap the trash icon to delete them.

The recent blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy broke the mold for superhero movies. The characters, while part of Marvel's stable, were not traditional heroes like Thor, Iron Man, or Captain America, and the lead actor hadn't carried a film before. Even two of the lead actors, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, were just voices for a wisecracking raccoon and a tree with a limited vocabulary ("I am Groot!")

The film's success was hardly guaranteed. So the marketers had to get creative. Months before the film aired, my daughter and I attended a special screening featuring 17 minutes of the film in IMAX. We were hooked. We had never heard of the characters and now we have the action figures, posters, etc.!

Now, new fans need to catch up on the backstory and get ready for the inevitable sequel! Fortunately, there's an app for that and it's called The Official Guardians of the Galaxy Essential Interactive eMagazine. It needs an iPad, because it's full of larger screen content. Learn about the main characters, both the good guys and the villains. That's important, because with these guys, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

You also have access to special content like concept art, director commentar,y and more. You can learn about the various weapons used in the film and the mysterious Milano spaceship. One bit of trivia the app doesn't mention is that the ship is named after 80s starlet Alyssa Milano. What else would you expect from a kid who was abducted by aliens in the 1980s?

The app helped me get more out of the movie, even long after I saw it, and will help me prepare for Stan Lee's Comikaze tradeshow which I'll be attending around Halloween. I hope someone asks me some Guardians of the Galaxy trivia!

Backup batteries are big. At least most of them. The team at Go Design Group thought the world needed a smaller battery so they kicked out an idea into the world, the idea of a backup battery that would fit in a wallet. 

The resulting product almost fits that specification, depending on your wallet and your comfort with sitting on technology. After the bending iPhone 6 buzz, placing anything into a back pocket can be considered questionable (for some of us, it was questionable all along).

The 1500 mAh TravelCard ($39)battery provides about half a full phone charge, usually enough to get through those end-of-day battery iPhone battery blues. The TravelCard only powers iPhones.

I had a TravelCard with me at ComicCon and it kept my phone going for most of the day and into the night, though it got a little too warm for my tastes. I talked to the company and they sent me a second one, and that one charges without the excessive heat.

TravelCard charges from a microUSB cable that connects to a USB port or other charging solution, but that is the only cable you will need. Once charged, the battery includes its own lightening cable for discharging into the phone (there is a microUSB model if you are charging one of those other phones). I would have liked to see the charging cable built in as well so the little battery would be nearly self-sufficient.

Despite it not really fitting my personal wallet situation, I’m sure some people may have room for the device in their pants, but I find it a better fit for a small pocket on one of my many shoulder bags or backpacks. 

I like the TravelCard for what it is. Given that I travel light, but not that light, I usually have room for a bigger backup battery. But I will say, when I’m outfitted in just a suit and a phone, the TravelCard proves a nice, elegant solution that keeps the sometimes battery-draining iPhone plugging along.

Now, if keeping a battery hidden in the most intimate recesses of wallet or purse isn’t your goal, and all you're looking for is power when you need it, then the Lenmar Mutant ($199.99) may be more your style. The Mutant is to the TravelCard what a Cadillac Escalade is to a Smart car. Think four devices, multiple days of charge. Two iPhones and two tablets simultaneously. Now, as I’ve hinted, the Mutant, at 5.77 x 4.67 x 0.86 and 1.1 pounds isn’t going to fit in your pocket (unless you have a ScottEvest, and then it will fit in your pocket, though it will challenge the load balancing features of the jacket). The massive 20,800 mAh makes up for the bulk. Don’t get me wrong, the Lenmar Mutant is far from ugly. It sports a good design vibe wrapped around that massive battery. 

The Mutant does a great job. It does such a great job that I have never exhausted it in practice.

The only downside is the time it takes the charge the Mutant, but in regular use, one overnight charge may meet the needs of an entire trip, so that isn’t really a big deal. It does require its own charger to push power into the cavernous power maw — the folks at Lenmar know this is a battery for real travelers so international adapters are included. This is a battery made for adventure.

To provide yet another view of what portable batteries can be, we have the Tylt Energi 2K ($39.99) 2200mAh battery. This little power house includes a standard US plugs right on its back so that it doesn’t require an adapter to charge. Just plug it in and go. It even acts as a travel charger when it’s charging. That’s a great feature for airports. Charge your phone while topping off a battery and then you get to keep watching or listening without power concerns while in the air.

Bottom Line

Backup batteries have proliferated in recent months almost as much as iPhone cases. They have evolved to fit every niche, as these three representatives attest.

So how to you pick the right backup battery? Ask these simple questions:

1. How long might I need before I can get to a charger? This will help you determine capacity—the iPhone 5s has a 1560mAh battery so a similar size is roughly an extra charge. The more capacity, the more charge cycles on the phone without recharging the external battery.
2. How much weight am I willing to carry?
3. Does the charger support my device(s)? For iPads make sure the battery include a 2.1amp port as well as the 1.0 or 1.1 amp port for the iPhone.

The answer to the first question might need a little math as you add up the total mAh of the various devices you want to charge. For instance, an iPad Air battery is 8820mAh, which would would add to the iPhone 5s 1560 to give you a rough approximation of a battery that could fully charge both. The Lenmar Mutant is 20,800 mAh. That will charge an iPad Air about 2.3 times, and keep a single iPhone chugging on for over 10 days. Mix and match devices and your charging mileage will vary, to mix metaphors.

The number one tip suggestion we get at iPhone Life is to write up your emergency contact and health information, take a picture of it, and set that image as your lock screen. However, you can easily do this via the Health app instead.

Open the Health app and tap Medical ID in the bottom right. Next tap Edit in the upper right corner. You will be taken to a screen where you can enter important emergency medical information like any medical conditions you might have, medications you are taking, allergies, and emergency contact information. 

If you toggle Show When Locked on, anyone who is checking your phone while aiding you in an emergency will be able to access this potentially life-saving information when accessing the Emergency dial pad.

Do you know what #GamerGate is? It's a term that's recieved a great deal of publicity lately. If you are a someone who plays a lot of video games and keeps up with current events then you are likely quite familiar with GamerGate. Whatever your gaming platform of choice happens to be, whether it's a console, a tablet, or a smartphone, if you are more than a casual gamer then the issues that are swirling around the hashtag #GamerGate have to do with you. GamerGate is about the sometimes controversial content of video games, the people that play them, and the press that covers them, and from a broader perspective, GamerGate is about lingering stereotypes and prejudices that play out in video game land.

In a nutshell, what has popularly come to be known as GamerGate began to rear its head as a result of a lovers' spat that took place in August 2014, and has since taken on a life of its own. Simply put, a jilted ex-boyfriend of a female game developer started bashing her online. He said some pretty explicit things, one of which was that she was intimate with a gaming journalist to garner support and positive press for her game. This in turn brought up the question of whether or not the ex-boyfriend targeting the developer's private life online constituted unjust harassment or an even greater crime perhaps. As things have a way of doing on the World Wide Web, this story grew legs of its own and picked up steam and before long you had people taking sides on issues that transcended a lovers' spat.

On one side are those claiming the hashtag #GamerGate represents them as social underdogs whose games are unjustly under attack and who say that games should always allow for free speech and artistic license. On the other hand are those media critics (and not just gaming journalists I might add) who claim that video games blatantly misrepresent women (and minorities too) and often portray females in a submissive and hyper-sexualized manner. As a gaming journalist myself I can appreciate the fine line we tread when when delivering unbiased reporting on games that can be at times rather ethically and morally bereft. Case in point HERE and HERE. Not to mention, some of these games are as much social commentary as they are popular entertainment. Hey, war is brutal and violent, and the 90s in Compton were rough. Who is to say that controversial, adult-themed games like Modern Combat or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; games that depict graphic violence or prejudicial stereotypes, have no place in modern video game culture.

The character Roux from Modern Combat 5

If you step back and look at the issues of #GamerGate, it begins to have the feel (to this writer at least) of a witch hunt and a diversionary tactic. Those rallying around the #GamerGate tag have demonstrated that they are not afraid to become increasingly vocal and aggressive and potentially violent in defense of their video games, with several prominent female journalists within the gaming community having had their lives threatened. Yes, over video games. Here's a hint #GamerGaters: if you want to make a point that you feel is a valid one, and sound at all rational while doing so, then threatening to execute articulate women who disagree with you might not be the best way to do so. Just a thought.

The Walking Dead's Lee and Clementine

The GamerGate proponents lose some credibility when they anonymously lash out at people who may have legitimate points. The fact of the matter is that overwhelmingly, characters in video games are male, usually Caucasian males. When you do find female characters they are often in need of saving, have minimal roles or are only added as eye candy. And if women are misrepresented, it's fair to say that minorities are hardly represented at all, with few notable exceptions. On iOS, popular games like Gameloft's Order and Chaos, the critically-acclaimed Infinity Blade series, and The Walking Dead are rare exceptions to this trend, as they feature strong female leads, and Walking Dead in particular features characters from a wide range of diverse ethnicities.

Infinity Blade's heroine, Isa

The question is, how do we as modern video game consumers, have a conversation about these perceived injustices without it becoming vitriolic? Why are we seeing such rage and even threats of assassinations from some members of the "gamer" community? Sorry gamers, but you're not building a strong defense. In fact, GamerGate has made many core gamers of both genders feel distanced and ostracized from a gaming community that is increasingly presenting as bigoted and agressive. I know I for one have played video games of all types ever since I was a young child, and I'm happy that the time has come again to have these important conversations.

At what point does free speech become oppressive hate speech? At what point does the right to play the games we want get bogged down in games that consistently reinforce inaccurate stereotypes, extreme violence and misogynistic viewpoints? And most importantly perhaps is the obvious question; with constant exposure to such games and subliminal reinforcement of such stereotypes is there greater risk of those stereotypes, prejudices, and violent behavior becoming unconsciously ingrained within us, making us feel like they are acceptable?

The good news that was buried in the iPad Air 2 (and iPad mini 3) announcement was that the cellular models would ship with a carrier-independent SIM card. This meant that users could decide which carrier to activate without being locked in. Unfortunately, the reality isn't quite as straightforward. As we wrote earlier, Verizon still requires their own SIM. But now we're learning that AT&T will "lock" the Apple SIM to AT&T's network the first time you activate it.

This doesn't mean the iPad Air 2 is locked into AT&T, but it does mean you should get an AT&T-specific SIM from AT&T and keep the generic Apple SIM for future compatibility.  T-Mobile's CEO is loving the controversy because his "uncarrier" can handle the new Apple SIM as intended. Carriers sometimes charge up to $10 for the spare SIM, so look to Apple to address this issue. In the meantime, be careful before you sign up with AT&T.

In a remarkable display of tone-deafness, a pair of pharmacies are not only choosing not to accept Apple Pay, but they are disabling their existing NFC (Near Field Communication) registers specifically to stop Apple Pay from working. CVS and Rite-Aid already had NFC terminals that accepted Google Wallet, and could also accept Apple Pay, but they have turned them off.

As Apple Pay gains publicity, interest and traction, CVS and Rite-Aid would rather support their alternative app-based payment mechanism, CurrentC. Understandably, they have invested a lot in their own technology, and it gives them greater control over their customer database, but it is a step back in technology and convenience. CurrentC, which is still in beta, requires the user to start an app, have Internet access (which Apple Pay does not require), use only a debit card or gift card, and then generate a QR code that the cashier has to scan. This is somewhat similar to Starbucks, but Starbucks does plan to allow users to use Apple Pay to load money into their app, and they offer free Wi-Fi in their locations. Plus Starbucks didn't have NFC terminals so they aren't taking any functionality away, and it's likely they will add NFC over time. Starbucks' app is quite popular, whereas CurrentC is also in invitation only mode, so they don't have much of an existing user base to worry about.

A lot of buzz on social media suggests CVS customers who appreciate NFC payments, may vote with their pocketbook (or Passbook in Apple's case and Wallet in Google's case) and switch to Walgreens, who does accept Apple Pay. Android users have had NFC for years and Apple fans have had to wait, just like in those Samsung commercials. It's a shame that now we have parity, some retailers want to take away that capability rather than put the customer first.

It's that time of year again. Right after a new iPhone comes out there is the inevitable deluge of great cases to protect your new investment. This happens with every iPhone release, but perhaps never more markedly than with the introduction of the completely new form factors of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. If ever an iPhone needed a case it is these large and larger models, with their increased real estate, slick, rounded edges, and extra weight. Rather than clump a bunch of individual cases together I'll be focusing on one great case each  week over the course of the coming months. This week's featured case is the stylish Access Italian leather case by Nodus, which is currently available at a special discounted pre-order price for a limited time.

The Access case for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus by Nodus is an elegant affair, understated and regal. Even though it is a bargain purchase at under $63.50, it has the look of a case that you might see being used by a celebrity or business executive. Then again, with its classic, old-west look of leather and precision stitching, I could also see this case being an equally good fit for anyone with some good ol' Southwestern country flair. 

While the Nodus Access case isn't necessarily the go-to case for anyone in need of heavy-duty protection from impact and elements, it is an excellent choice for those looking for a slim, chic case to shield your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, whether it happens to be in your pocket, purse, or backpack, or just tossed on the countertop or your car's dashboard. 

The Access case has a couple of features that help it stand out from the crowd. The first being the case's ability to serve as a stand when you are using your iPhone 6 Plus in landscape orientation. This is especially handy when using the bigger iPhones for watching video content or when typing. If you have the smaller iPhone 6, the Nodus Access is available in either portfolio or flip-up styles so you have your choice of standing the iPhone upright in portrait orientation, or horizontally in landscape mode. The other neat feature of the Nodus case is how it holds your phone securely in place. Rather than relying on some kind of adhesive or elastic strap like some other cases of this ilk, the Access case instead employs a special micro-suction rubber which effectively adheres the case to your iPhone. This approach means that there is never any gunky residue on your pristine new iPhone, and unlike a sticky adhesive, the micro-suction strip will not loose its ability to create an incredibly reliable bond.

With its luxury leather exterior and plush microfiber interior lining, the Access case gets high marks as an elegant solution for protecting your new iPhone in rustically sophisticated style. For a limited time you can still take advantage of Nodus' special pre-order discount through October 31. Even though the Access for both iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is currently available for a great savings at $63.50, normal retail price for the iPhone 6 Access case is $96.51 and $112.60 for the iPhone 6 Plus version. According to Nodus, their Access cases are expected to ship to customers within three weeks of ordering and even though the case is manufactured in Britain, the company offers free shipping worldwide.

iPhone Life rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Using Find My iPhone can significantly increase the odds that your lost iPhone will be returned to you. But it won't work if the battery is dead. With iOS 8, you now have the ability to have your missing iPhone send its location to Apple just before the battery dies. This is probably most useful when looking for a lost iPhone. A stolen phone is more likely to be moved after the battery dies.

Go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone and toggle Send Last Location on (turn Find My iPhone on too if it's not already enabled). This will cause your iPhone to send location data to Apple whenever the battery gets critically low. This will not work if Airplane mode is on since a cellular or Wi-Fi connection is required to send the data.

To find your missing dead iPhone, log in to iCloud on a computer and open Find My iPhone, or open the Find My iPhone app on an iDevice. Click on the missing iPhone and you will be shown the location where the phone was when the battery died. If you are using the app, you can click on the car icon for driving directions—although if you are the one who lost the phone, you presumably already know how to get back to the place where you left it.

Top image credit: Jason Winter / Shutterstock.com

Protocols are a powerful, advanced tool that help make your apps easier to design and extend. They define standard behavior in classes that are not necessarily related. Protocols used together with delegates allow you to create classes with a well-balanced load of responsibilities.

Protocols are a powerful feature used throughout the Cocoa Touch Framework, so it's important to get a solid grasp of the subject. They are a great tool in helping create apps that are easy to extend. Protocols are equivalent to interfaces in languages such as Java and C#.

Outside the software world, a protocol is defined as:

The established code of behavior in any group, organization, or situation.

This definition isn't far off the mark when it comes to Swift's protocols. They define standard behavior that can be adopted by classes, structures, and enumerations.

There are two main ways you can add common behavior to classes in Swift—class inheritance and protocols. 

The left side of Figure 1 depicts using class inheritance to define standard behavior. Subclasses inherit the behavior defined in the superclass. The right side of Figure 1 depicts using a protocol to define standard behavior. Classes that adopt the protocol are guaranteed to implement the behavior defined in the protocol. This is a great option for adding common behavior to classes not in the same inheritance chain, or for enumerations and structures, which can't be subclassed.

Figure 1 - Adding common behavior with class inheritance and protocols.

One of the most common uses of protocols in the Cocoa Touch Framework is related to user-interface controls. One example of this is the picker view control.

Picker views can contain single or multiple components as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - A picker view can have multiple components.

The UIPickerView control works together with a data source and a delegate object to fill its rows and respond to user selection. In fact, the UIPickerView class has both a dataSource and a delegate property containing a reference to these objects (Figure 3). As a bonus, when you learn how data source and delegate objects work with picker view, you are also learning how they work with other controls such as table views and collection views.

Figure 3 - A UIPickerView has a data source and delegate.

The data source object tells the picker view how many components, or columns are in the picker and how many rows are in each component.

The delegate provides help constructing each row in the picker view and responds to the user selecting an item. In object-oriented programming, a delegate is an object that performs a task for another object—which is definitely true in this case.

The beauty of the design in Figure 3 is that any object can act as the data source or the delegate. You just store the objects you want to use in the picker view's dataSource and delegate properties, and at designated times, the picker view calls specified methods on the data source and delegate object. You can even have the same object act as both the data source and the delegate. (This is actually a common practice, as you shall see in a bit.) 

What methods does the picker view call on each of these objects? How can you guarantee the objects specified in the dataSource and delegate properties have the methods that the picker view needs? The answer is protocols.

The UIPickerViewDataSource protocol declares methods required by an object that wants to act as a data source for the picker view. In turn, the UIPickerViewDelegate protocol declares methods required by an object that wants to act as a delegate for the picker view. Let's take a closer look at each of these protocols.

UIPickerViewDataSource Protocol

The UIPickerViewDataSource protocol declares these methods:

Both methods in this protocol are required, so any object that wants to act as a data source for a picker view must implement these two methods.

UIPickerViewDelegate Protocol

The UIPickerViewDelegate protocol declares these methods:

None of the methods in the UIPickerViewDelegate protocol are marked "required," but your picker view won't work well without implementing the most commonly used methods:

• pickerView:titleForRow:forComponent:
• pickerView:didSelectRow:inComponent:

pickerView:titleForRow:forComponent: returns a title for the specified row and component. The second method, pickerView:didSelectRow:inComponent:, provides a place where you can put code to respond to a user selecting an item in the picker view.

Adopting Protocols

A class adopts a protocol to indicate that it implements all the required methods and often some of the optional methods, too. Rather than a separate object acting as the data source and delegate, Figure 4 shows a common iOS convention whereby a view controller adopts both protocols for the picker view.

Figure 4 - A view controller often implements UI control protocols.

A class can declare that it adopts specific protocols. In the following code, the ViewController class adopts the UIPickerViewDataSource and UIPickerViewDelegate protocols:

The protocols adopted by a class are listed after the superclass declaration and separated by commas.

Protocols Step by Step

So you more fully grasp the use of protocols, let's write code from scratch that fills a picker view and responds to the selection of an item in the picker view. To follow along, download the sample code project from this link.

1. Open the ProtocolDemo sample code project.

2. In the Project Navigator, drill into the ProtocolDemo node and select the Main.storyboard file. You should see the scene displayed in Figure 5.

Figure 5 - The picker view on a storyboard scene.

Currently, no code in the ViewController class is associated with the picker view, although there are properties you can use to reference the picker view and label. There is also a fifaWinners array containing the last four FIFA World Cup winners, which you will use to fill the picker view.

Now you need to create a data source and delegate for the picker view. Remember, it's common for the associated view controller to act as the data source and delegate. This means it needs to adopt both the UIPickerViewDataSource and UIPickerViewDelegate protocols.

3. Select the ViewController.swift code file in the Project Navigator and change the class declaration to:

When you add the protocols, you will immediately see a compiler error, Type 'ViewController' does not conform to protocol 'UIPickerViewDataSource'. This is exactly right. You have declared that the ViewController class implements the picker view protocols, but without adding the methods yet.

Let's get rid of this error by implementing the methods of the UIPickerViewDataSource protocol.

4. At the top of the ViewController.swift file, directly below the declaration of the fifaWinners array, add the following methods:

As soon as you add this code, the error disappears, even though you haven't implemented both protocols. This is because you are not required to implement the UIPickerViewDelegate methods (although you will).

The numberOfComponentsInPickerView:pickerView: method returns 1, because you only want one column, or component, in the picker view.

The pickerView:numberOfRowsInComponent: method returns the count of items in the fifaWinners array. Since only one component is in the picker view, the component parameter is ignored.

5. Now let's implement the UIPickerViewDelegate protocol. In the ViewController.swift file, directly below the methods you just added, add these two new methods:

The pickerView:titleForRow:forComponent: method returns the item from the fifaWinners array using the currently selected picker view row as an index.

The pickerView:didSelectRow:inComponent: method automatically executes when a user selects an item from the picker view. It gets the text of the currently selected picker view row from the fifaWinners array and stores it into the text property of the label at the top of the view.

Now you have implemented the methods for both protocols, press the Run button to run the app in the Simulator. Oddly enough, the picker view is empty (Figure 6)!

Figure 6 - The picker view is empty!

I intentionally had you "forget" to set these properties, because this is something you will often forget to do in your day-to-day app development. Now you can see what a picker view looks like at run time when its dataSource and delegate properties are not set!

6. First, let's look at the dataSource and delegate properties. Go back to Xcode and click the Stop button. Select the Main.storyboard file in the Project Navigator to display the storyboard in the design surface.

7. Select the picker view by clicking on it.

You can view the dataSource and delegate properties in Xcode's Connections Inspector, located in the Utilities panel on the right side of the Xcode window. If Xcode's Utilities panel is not visible, click the far-right button in the View button group at the top of the Xcode window (the Utilities panel is visible if this button is depressed as shown in Figure 7).

Figure 7 - Show the Utilities panel.

In the Utilities panel, view the Connections Inspector by selecting the button on the far right (Figure 8).

Figure 8 - Show the Connections Inspector.

The picker view's dataSource and delegate properties are at the top of the Inspector. Notice the circles to the right of the properties. These are called connection wells. When they are empty, the properties are not connected to anything. Let's connect the picker view's dataSource and delegate properties to the view controller.

8. In the storyboard file, hold the control key down, and click the picker view. Still holding the control key, drag up to the View Controller icon in the scene dock (Figure 9).

Figure 9 - Control+Drag to the view controller icon.

9. When you see the View Controller popup appear, let go of the mouse button and control key and you will see the Outlets popup (Figure 10).

Figure 10 - Select the dataSource outlet.

10. Select the dataSource outlet by clicking on it. You will see the small View Controller icon flash, indicating the connection has been made.

11. Next, Control+Drag again between the picker view and the View Controller icon. Notice the small white dot to the left of the dataSource outlet, indicating that it has already been selected. This time, select the delegate outlet (Figure 11).

Figure 11 - Select the delegate outlet.

Now look at the Connections Inspector and you can see both the dataSource and delegate outlets are connected to the View Controller, and the connection wells are no longer empty (Figure 12).

Figure 12 - The dataSource and delegate outlets are connected to the view controller.

12. Let's see how these new connections work at run time. Click Xcode's Run button. When the app appears in the Simulator, you can see the picker view contains a list of FIFA teams (Figure 13).

Figure 13 - The FIFA teams displayed at run time

13. Select an item from the list. When you do, the pickerView:didSelectRow:inComponent: method is automatically called and the selected item is displayed in the label's text property (Figure 14).

Figure 14 - The selected team appears in the label.

The pattern of using protocols in conjunction with the picker view is a common approach you will many times with different user-interface controls in iOS. 

Declaring Your Own Protocols

Now that you understand the basics of how to use protocols that have been declared in the Cocoa Touch Framework, in Part 2 of this post you will learn to declare your own custom protocols and see real-world situations where they can be used in your iOS apps!

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal at their WSJD Live event and discussed the Apple Watch and Apple Pay, with a brief mention of Apple TV. He approved of HBO's plans to unbundle HBO GO from a cable subscription, allowing new customers to get HBO without requiring cable, similar to Netflix.

Indeed Netflix has said their goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become Netflix. As more cable content becomes decoupled from cable, the pieces are falling in to place for a future Apple TV to act as an integrated set top box that sources content from multiple streams and presents it in a modern manner. As Cook noted, we are stuck in a 1970's experience when it comes to watching TV. He wouldn't elaborate if voice, à la Siri, or physical movement, à la Kinect would be part of the new interface. After all, Apple acquired Prime Sense, the people behind Kinect. Personally, I'd love to have an Apple Watch that I could talk to and have it turn on my home theater, find the content I want, change lighting, etc., just by saying "Play Citizen Kane."

As with any change, especially such a dramatic one, there will be obstacles. Apple Pay is a great example. Clearly, Near Field Communication is the payment mechanism of the future. It's easy, more secure, and thanks to Apple, it is taking off. Many vendors have embraced it. Panera Bread emailed me to let me know I could use it. Wegmans touts it. But CVS, Rite-Aid, and others are standing in the way. This is similar to how the cable TV providers and the music providers behaved, until iTunes proved itself. Even years after iTunes changed the way consumers purchase music, allowing us to choose individual songs instead of buying an entire album, it took The Beatles and other groups years to get on board. Change is hard. There are bumps along the way, like double billing with Apple Pay. But it's the future and it's consumer-driven. Consumers want to subscribe to individual cable channels and be in control of their experience and it may take Apple to do it. They did it with music, and they're doing it with Apple Pay. Apple TV is next.

I have crammed for many a test using flashcards, and can attest to the timeless effectiveness of using them as a study aid. I have attempted to learn Spanish since high school, which has so far proved largely ineffective. Flashcard Languages ($1.99) cuts out the fancy app embellishments and focuses on the key words and phrases you need to make real progress in expanding your vocabulary.

Flashcard Languages is the kind of simple app one could easily build—if one wanted to take the time to slog through an array of thousands of translations (and accurately translate like seven languages). I like that the app is simple: no social network sharing, posting of progress, or goofy mind games. You open the app, select your language (the app comes with a choice of one language pack, others can be purchased for $0.99 through in-app purchases), and can start drilling yourself right away. The app could benefit from a couple of additional features, however.

The app helpfully provides button categories for the linguistic building blocks you need to focus or brush up on. You can drill down into nouns, verbs, prepositions and pronouns, and adjectives and adverbs, or tackle whole expressions. The app has a stats page that helps you view how many new words you have reviewed each day. You can drop words from the queue, and schedule alerts to remind you it's study time and set goals for the number of words to review per day. You can review random words or saved words from your queue.

A couple things I noticed that might need a bit of improvement: There is no integration with iOS, meaning no way to share the expression through email or set a reminder to review a particular expression again. The app also oddly does not have a word search.

Flashcard Languages also lacks a speaking voice that lets you hear the word or phrase spoken aloud with proper pronunciation. This keeps the app lightweight and focuses your concentration on the terms. It is a tool to reinforce your memory, but not a replacement for a true learning course. Languages the app supports include Swedish, Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Italian.

It would be cool to pass a word or expression to Siri (have Siri open the app and provide the translated card, for example), or maybe link/check the context and use of words online. Siri cannot provide translation services unfortunately at this time (there was a hack that used to work on older jailbroken iOS versions called Lingual). Siri can however search the web for a translation of the words and expressions spoken, which is a handy way to learn proper usage by using an online dictionary. Simply fire up Siri and ask her to translate the terms to the selected language. Siri will reply that it does not support translation but can look for suitable translation-related web sites with the terms entered (some sites even provide an audio snippet of the pronunciation).

The Verdict

Flashcard Languages is a lightweight and easy to use app to review and broaden your ability in a new language. It is a helpful study aid for anyone looking to brush up on their linguistic skills or cross-language vocabulary in a random, rapid-fire study manner. You can grab it at the links above.

You don't have to leave a group message just because you want your iPhone to stop buzzing with new message notifications. Instead you can turn on Do Not Disturb for that message thread and read all the messages about planning your brother-in-law's birthday party later.

In the group message thread tap Details in the upper right corner. Next toggle Do Not Disturb on.

You will still receive and be able to read messages, but you won't receive a message notification every time someone replies to the thread. You can actually do this for any conversation in Messages, but group message notifications tend to be the most relentless.

Top image credit: Matusciac Alexandru / Shutterstock.com

Recently, I wrote about how some retailers like CVS and Rite-Aid are blocking Apple Pay, even though they already had the equipment in place to accept it. They are favoring their own digital payment system, CurrentC, developed by a consortium of retailers. Even though CurrentC is in beta and uses inferior technology (QR Codes vs NFC) and requires linking to your bank account or a gift card (causing customers to forgo credit card protection and benefits like points), these retailers are sticking to their guns. And CurrentC is getting hammered in App Store reviews.  And it's already been hacked, leaving many users worried.

Now we've learned that this may not be just a whim on the part of retailers. The consortium's legal contracts are forcing the hand of these stores and the companies face big fines if they accept any alternative payment mechanism. The CEO of the organization behind CurrentC denies claims that retailers will be fined if they accept Apple Pay, but it is suspicious.  I understand that they want the financial benefits from processing the payments and avoiding the credit card companies' cut, but they probably are just as motivated by the access to customer data. However, this is almost monopolistic behavior that seems like a desperate attempt to hang on to control. If the CurrentC system was out of beta, and worked with credit cards, it might stand a chance; but the Apple juggernaut that has already changed how we buy music and software is not likely to wait it out.

If Apple doesn't pursue legal channels, I know they will put their marketing muscle behind Apple Pay. Watch for Apple Keynotes and commercials featuring retailers like Walgreens who do indeed accept Apple Pay. Look for marketing materials such as those used by Starbucks, where visitors to the store or app get free music and apps. I don't think Apple will pull iTunes gift cards off the shelves of any retailers, as that would hurt Apple, but it's an option.

Whatever happens in the short term, it's just a matter of time before Apple (and probably Google) dominate the electronic retail payment scene. It would be wise for retailers to find a way to get the customer data they want while integrating with Apple Pay, and Google Wallet for that matter.