Swipe Issue 19

SWIPE

iPhone NEWS • REVIEWS • TIPS

mag

NEWS

5

Apps

22

FEATURES

98

HOW-TO

144

iWatch Is this Apple’s Next Big Thing?

PLUS How to gift an app Our top tips for Safari

iPhone SWIPE

NEWS • REVIEWS • TIPS

mag

HELLO! Welcome to this sample of Swipe: the iPhone magazine. We’ve put together a taster of what each edition offers, with all the hottest iOS news, reviews of the latest apps and accessories, plus expert advice from the people that bring you Tips & Tricks – iPhone Secrets. We hope you enjoy this small slice of what Swipe has to offer, and don’t forget to check out the full free trial on the App Store. Happy reading!

THE SWIPE TEAM

NEWS THE LATEST GOINGS-ON IN THE WORLD OF iOS

APPS WEATHER APPS • FOCUSTWIST • PERFECT B&W

FEATURES PHOTOSHOP TIPS

HOW-TO GIFT AN APP

NEWS iPHONE SCREEN PRODUCTION

RELIABLE iPHONE

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES 2

PLUS FITBIT FLEX / IRON MAN 3 CASE PIXEL PRESS GAME MAKER / CABLE TIDY BIONIC HAND / GOOGLE GLASS IN OTHER NEWS

SHARP DECISION

NEW iPHONE SCREENS GO INTO PRODUCTION

A

pple has awarded Sharp the contract to develop liquid displays for the next generation of iPhones, according to a report in Japanese newspaper, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. The order, believed to run to 600 million units per month, will be completed at Sharp’s struggling Kameyama LCD plant. Much of the factory, located in Japan’s Mie >

Prefecture, has been silent following a downturn in Sharp’s own LCD business in 2012. Similar contracts have also been issued to LG and the Japan Display Group, which includes such names as Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba.

The screen dimensions indicate that the device – already being dubbed the 5S by the press – will be a similar size to the iPhone 5, with production expected to begin in June. We believe this suggests an August or September launch.

Pointing the finger

Other rumors include talk of a clever touchscreen itself. This would eliminate the need for passwords and lock >

codes, and could also be used for secure e-wallet applications.

Some industry experts believe that the inclusion of such a biometric scanner may actually delay the launch of the new iPhone. News agency Reuters recently published a report which screen coating that doesn’t interfere production to slip behind schedule.

>

Is ďŹ ngerprint scanning causing iPhone delays?

APPS WEATHER APPS FOR YOUR HOME SCREEN FORECAST / WEATHER PRO / PARTLY CLOUDY REVIEWED FISH OUT OF WATER / FOCUSTWIST TALISMAN PROLOGUE HD / PERFECT B&W THE NIGHTJAR

NEW APPS

HALL OF FAME

GET A BETTER HOME SCREEN #1

WEATHER APPS Replace Apple’s default apps with our pick of the best alternatives

>

T

he weather rarely strays far from people’s minds, which is understandable when you consider the impact it has on our lives. From just knowing whether you’re going to get drenched walking the dog to being able to prepare for a major storm, it pays to be informed about what’s in store.

Fair to middling

Apple gives you the Weather app with iOS, and while it’s certainly not a bad effort, it is pretty basic and uninspiring. Assuming location services are working, you’ll get the current conditions and temperature for where you currently reside, along with a forecast for the week ahead. Tap the screen and an hourly forecast over the next half

>

are limited to choosing between Celsius and Fahrenheit, along with adding more locations that you can switch between by using horizontal swipes.

To be fair to Apple, its no-nonsense approach is very usable, and so it’s a good starting point. However, there are far better options out there for your home screen, including apps that provide eerily accurate rainfall predictions, beautiful and tactile interfaces, and the kind of data that will make weather geeks giddy with glee. >

Discover the best replacement for the default weather app

>

FORECAST Dark Sky Company PRICE FREE

T

SIZE N/A

VERSION N/A

he people behind Forecast created Dark Sky, the US-centric hyperlocal rainfall prediction app that won plaudits in the iOS community. Forecast takes things further, going worldwide and broadening >

its scope beyond rainfall. However, the app retains its predecessor’s sense of style and no-nonsense approach to language.

The result is nothing short of sensational, making it by some margin the best weather app for iOS. The icons are clear and beautifully designed, and the forecasts are concise but friendly, providing plainEnglish overviews of how the weather will change over the coming hours and days. >

The seven-day outlook in Forecast is beautifully designed

>

FEATURES

PHOTOSHOP TOUCH TIPS PART II

iWATCH APPLE’S NEXT BIG THING?

iWatch

Is it time for Apple to reinvent the wristwatch?

>

T

he idea of a smartwatch isn’t new; arguably, Casio has been making intelligent G-Shock watches for years, and the likes of the Pebble and i’m Watch show the sort of features you’ll be getting with the next generation of wristworn computers (the term ‘watch’ hardly seems appropriate). be clear: Apple has not yet announced it will be making a watch. So far, the ‘iWatch’ is based Casio G-Shock connects on little more to iPhone over Bluetooth than rumor >

and supposition (albeit quite believable), with talk of a 100-person team lead by a senior director of engineering. And while it’s very possible Jony Ive’s crack design squad has prototypes sitting around the labs, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will go into production. It may simply be a useful test-bed for future iPhone technology, or it may never live up to internal expectations and remain on the back-burner until technology catches up with the company’s aspirations.

THE WHY

The iWatch certainly sounds feasible let’s attempt to answer the question ‘why should Apple make one?’. >

Money

Lest we forget, Apple is in the dirty business of making money and supporting its shareholders. But while its smartphone and tablet concerns are serving Apple well, it still needs to look for potential new markets. Indeed during Apple’s recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook stated that the company was looking at “new product categories.” And with well over 500 million iOS devices sold and more than 400 million active iTunes accounts, Apple has a vast user base to target.

Analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Sanford C. Bernstein suggests that if just three per cent of iPhone customers bought a $250 iWatch, Apple would be looking

>

at $2.3 billion a year in sales. Even at a lowly 20 per cent margin, that’s still a Apple gear, you’ll probably need to buy accessories and upgrade every two years.

Reputation

It’s been a while since the last ‘next big thing’, which was the original iPad, introduced by Steve Jobs nearly three years ago; everything since has been an evolution of an existing Apple product.

To reinstate its pioneering reputation, and also regain investor belief, the company needs to be delivering innovation. A successful iWatch launch might be just the thing to silence its critics for another couple of years until the next ‘next big thing’. >

HOW-TO GIVE A GIFT BE GENEROUS

TOP 5 SAFARI SECRETS

Q & A YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

GIVE A GIFT

BE GENEROUS

I

n the last issue we covered how to create an iTunes account that can only download free items. If you do want to allow your children to download some paid apps, but keep a limit on the cost, then sending a giftcard or gifting an app is a perfect way to do so. >

Send a gift card IT’S POSSIBLE TO send a gift card from your iTunes account to any other account, if you do want your child to have a small amount to spend. To do so, open the App Store and scroll down until you find the Send Gift option. >

Tap this and enter the email address of your child’s account. Ensure that the address is exactly correct and that the recipient is based in the same country, otherwise they won’t be able to redeem the gift.

>

SWIPE

iPhone NEWS • REVIEWS • TIPS

mag In our next issue...

Camera Apps

Replace the default Camera app with something a bit more substantial

Photoshop Touch

How to use the tools we’ve learned to turn an average photo into a great one

Battery cases on-test Keep your iPhone safe and fully charged with these pukka power-packs