Innehållsförteckning för November 2019 från MacLife

The new iPhone 11 has arrived, and though it may not be the most scintillating version yet (more on that on p8, along with the new Apple Watch, and entry–level iPad), it does have one thing going for it: it’s now “only” $699, making the entry point into ownership more affordable than previously (at least, in the case of the XR). But worthy of note: this is no longer a “budget” iPhone as it may have come across before; it’s just the iPhone, unless you really need the extra capabilities of the new iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max that are, naturally, pricier. As expected, iOS 13 has neatly launched in tandem with the iPhone 11 on–sale date. Of course, if you’ve purchased the latest iPhone, you’ll already be met…

Apple has been trying to turn the iPad into a computer for serious work ever since the first iPad Pro. But it’s been hindered by decisions it took early on with iOS, like the lack of a “proper” file system and the inability to connect external storage. iPadOS doesn’t fix all that but it’s a big step in that direction, and is the biggest change to the software since we first saw the iPad in 2010. The most obvious difference is the new Home screen. Whereas in iOS 12 and earlier, it was just a bigger version of the iPhone Home screen, it now makes good use of the extra space. Whereas in iOS 12, the iPad displays the same four columns of icons in portrait mode as the iPhone,…

5G terminology can be confusing. Let us shed some light on the terms. SPECTRUM It’s likely you’ve heard of the spectrum in terms of visible light. Radio, and by extension 5G, is part of the exact same series of waves — the electromagnetic spectrum — just sitting at much lower frequencies. FREQUENCY BANDS Slices of the electromagnetic spectrum can be reserved, with permission from the appropriate authorities, for certain uses. 5G has been allocated three bands thus far; three more are under consideration. BANDWIDTH Essentially a measure of how much of a frequency band is available for data. The wider it is, the more data that can be carried at one time, hence the term “broadband”. LATENCY Bandwidth concerns the amount, where latency concerns the speed of travel. This is…

Free (IAPs) From Bloom Built, dayoneapp.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11 or later Day One 4 is an update to the popular journaling app for iOS. It differs from other note–taking and calendar apps in that it focuses on capturing thoughts and activity for posterity, rather than to help you work or complete tasks. The headline new feature in version 4 is video. Day One has long allowed you to add photos and audio clips to your journals, but now premium users ($2.92 per month) can add video clips too. Currently, support is limited to importing clips up to three minutes long at 1080p resolution. So if you have clips longer than that, you’ll need to trim them. That limitation feels reasonable in a journaling app.…

$11.99 From Ginger Labs Inc, gingerlabs.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11.0 or later Notability is one of the most fully featured note–taking apps you can buy on iOS. It enables you to create and edit notes that combine text, images, handwriting, illustrations, audio recordings, and imported files such as MP3s and common office files. It has a quick search feature that even searches handwritten text, and it works with a wide range of cloud services including Dropbox, WebDAV servers, OneDrive, and Google Drive. There are three key improvements in version 9: shapes, partial eraser, and better image control. Shapes enables you to draw circles, ellipses, triangles and other regular and irregular shapes that you can manipulate. If your drawing skills aren’t brilliant, lines within a shape…

$4.99 From Annapurna Interactive, thatjourneygame.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 12.2 or later Journey is a puzzle game with a firm focus on exploration. It strands you in a vast desert speckled with ancient ruins, all of them enticing you to explore their secrets. Doing so increases the charge of your magical scarf, which you can use to briefly levitate, and brings you closer to the monumental mountain looming in the distance. The game is entirely wordless, instead relying on visual and aural cues. Along the way you meet various helpers, be they real players or groups of cloth–like creatures that fly and chirp and hum, pointing the way forward and lifting you to inaccessible areas. Find another player and you can charge each other’s scarves and…

FIND OUT ALL ABOUT AIRPRINT Apple’s “About AirPrint” page tells you everything you need to know about printing photos and documents from your Mac or iOS devices, including a list of AirPrint–enabled printers. Go to bit.ly/ml160ask1. FIX A FUSION DRIVE THA’S BEEN SPLIT When a Fusion Drive appears as two drives, it’s no longer functioning as a Fusion Drive. Here’s how to get it back to a single volume: bit.ly/ml160ask2. CHECK OUT YOUR PURCHASE HISTORY If you’re wondering just how much you spend on new apps, songs, TV shows, books and more, each month, this article shows you how to find out on a Mac or iOS device: bit.ly/ml160ask3.…

REQUIRES macOS 10.14 or later (most tips work in earlier versions) YOU WILL LEARN How to simplify search on macOS IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes FORGOTTEN WHERE you saved that important file six months ago? Sometimes you may not even remember the name of a file. If you don’t use a filing or naming system, things can be tough. However, with the variety of tools built in to macOS, finding it doesn’t have to be stressful. Siri and Spotlight are simple and straightforward to use — if you know what exactly you’re looking for. Entering the file name, format, date (week, month or even the exact date) will bring up all the relevant results. However, the user interface can often be cluttered, and the results inaccurate. To find exactly what…

REQUIRES macOS 10.14 or later, Soulver 3 YOU WILL LEARN How to get to grips with Soulver 3’s best new features IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes TRADITIONAL CALCULATORS lack context. Spreadsheets add context – but also complexity. Soulver has always been halfway between these extremes. Because of its natural language smarts, you can type something like “3 nights at $149” and Soulver will extract the important bits, placing $447 in the totals column. Totals from answers can then be used as dynamic tokens in subsequent lines, creating living documents that can be updated as and when you need to. Soulver’s creator likens it to a playground for numbers – and that seems about right. The app’s a great option for playing with figures, with text alongside for reference and a…

REQUIRES iOS 11 or later, an iPhone, iPad with FaceTime. A recent iPhone or iPad with FaceID for Animoji and Memoji YOU WILL LEARN How to do more with FaceTime IT WILL TA KE 30 minutes FACETIME, APPLE’S VIDEO messaging tool for macOS and iOS, has been significantly beefed up in recent versions. You can now group call with up to 32 people, grab Live Photos of FaceTime calls, and use Animoji and Memoji during calls. If you haven’t used the Animoji and Memoji during a call, you really should try it. As well as being fun, the technology itself is something to behold. And if having an animated chicken’s head on your shoulders while you chat isn’t enough to make friends or family members collapse in fits of giggles,…

AT ITS ANNUAL Fall special event in September, Apple introduced iPhone 11 and also its first “Pro” smartphone line, iPhone 11 Pro, which comes in two sizes, including a “Max” version. The new–generation iPhones raise the bar in several ways, including faster Gigabit–class LTE, Wi–Fi 6, Ultra Wideband precision location technology, Dual SIM capability (with eSIM), and the Apple A13 Bionic chip, which Apple says is 20% faster than its predecessor. But most notable is the new dual–camera system in iPhone 11 and triple-camera system in iPhone 11 Pro. In iPhone 11, the 12–megapixel f/1.8 Wide camera has a sensor with Focus Pixels covering 100% of its area, promising up to three times faster autofocus in low light. This is joined by an additional 12MP Ultra Wide camera with f/2.4…

HEREAT MAC|LIFE we believe you should only buy the things that you really need, which is why our Reviews section is so important to us, and you. We don’t want you to waste time and money on inferior products, and while we aim to include only the best hardware and apps, occasionally we like to include products that look promising, even if they don’t always deliver. We only use carefully selected experts, with specialist knowledge in their respective field, so no matter which review you’re reading, you can be confident the person who’s tested it knows their stuff, allowing you to make an informed purchase. Each review is rated using a five–star system, with half stars, which is easy to understand because we give an explanation next to each one.…

$9.99/month; $99.99/year (one month promo code supplied for review) From Sudo Security Group, guardianapp.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11 or later Privacy and security is always a hot topic, but these days it seems everyone wants a piece of you. Guardian describes itself as “the first real firewall for iOS”. Its primary function is to root out those hidden trackers lurking on websites and in apps that spy on your activities, blocking them and alerting you to the fact. Guardian employs the use of a VPN to provide its filtering capabilities. Once switched on, your web traffic is encrypted and hidden from potential snooping on unsecured Wi-Fi networks. What’s more, it travels through Guardian’s local VPN server, which scans it for potential issues — not just…

Free From Forward Human Inc, withjour.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 12.0 or later Jour combines two hot trends in the App Store: guided self–improvement and note–taking. It’s a cross–between a scrapbook and a life coach, asking you to record how you feel and what makes you happy or sad, and then providing coaching to help you find ways to live a happier life. It’s divided into two sections: entries, where you note your thoughts and feelings; and journeys, where you’ll find the guided lessons. Entries makes good use of frequently used phrases like “right now I feel…” or “I’ve noticed recently…” to help you focus, and you can set alarms to remind you to update your journal every day. The journeys section offers guidance on better…

Free (IAPs) From Ulysses, ulysses.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 10 or later Ulysses has long been one of the most popular writing apps on both iOS and macOS thanks to its tools for organizing documents, Markdown support, and ability to publish directly to Wordpress blogs. Version 17 adds several new features. There’s a dedicated keyword manager that allows you to rename, merge and delete keywords, as well as mark keyboards as favorites and assign them to documents. The Editor now displays captions with image previews and automatically updates the numbering of ordered lists (something that its competitor Bear has done for a while). There’s a new full–screen mode on the iPad that allows you to display sidebars as overlays, making it easy to switch sheets and access attachments.…

We installed all the apps on the same iPad Pro running the latest version of iOS 13, and used them to edit a variety of JPEG and raw photos imported from iCloud Drive and Photos. For a reasonably level playing field, we added the in–app purchases to Darkroom and tested Lightroom both with and without an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Higher… ADOBE PHOTOSHOP FOR IPAD adobe.com $TBC Due later this year, the “full” version of Photoshop should be a worthy rival for Affinity Photo, but will require a CC subscription. …or lower? VSCO vsco.co Free This free photo editor has a simple but effective toolset, better presented than Snapseed’s. The paid subscription isn’t essential.…

LOOKING AT REPLACEMENTS for Apple’s Home app brings up a host of options (iHaus Smart Home missed the cut, but could also be worth a look) and Eve for HomeKit is the best of a good bunch. It’s quick, easy to configure, and gives a whole bunch of control. Its place at the top of the tree is well deserved, though this isn’t an explicit endorsement of Eve’s HomeKit products. Realistically, those we’ve tested trend towards being excellent, but there’s no requirement to own any of them to use the app. But this doesn’t entirely replace Apple’s Home, it’s basically a frontend. You’ll still need Apple’s own interface to add new devices to your network, and for all its good looks and extra functionality, we might still lean towards the…

REQUIRES Pixelmator Photo, iOS 11 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to get familiar with Pixelmator Photo’s suite of tools IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, WE have a range of problems to overcome in the quest for the perfect shot. Pixelmator Photo ($4.99, App Store) enables us to peruse pictures from our Photos Library (or from sources such as iCloud Drive) and then process their colors and tones to try to produce better–looking versions. The app boasts a wider range of tools than those found in the iOS Photos app, so we can take more control of our finished photos from the comfort and convenience of our iPad. We can even remove blemishes such as sensor spots (or even people) thanks to the intelligent Repair brush — we’ll…

LAST YEAR’S APPLE WATCH series 4 was widely hailed as a milestone, so what could Apple do to improve on it this year? Series 5 is an incremental rather than a radical update, but introduces three very appealing new features. First, for the first time, Apple Watch now has an always–on Retina display, which intelligently dims when lowered, and brightens when raised or tapped. Yet series 5 still boasts all–day 18–hour battery life thanks to a new ambient light sensor and some clever ultra–low–power tech “including the industry’s only low–temperature polysilicone and oxide display”. Second, series 5’s updated location features include a built–in compass, and a compass app that can display your heading, incline, elevation, and latitude and longitude. Third is international emergency calling, available in more than 150 countries,…

AUTUMN IS HERE, which for iPhone users means only one thing: a new version of iOS to get excited about. And for the first time we can say “iPhone” without adding “and iPad” as the iPad now has its own operating system, iPadOS. So iOS 13 is now only for iPhone and iPod touch users. Among a host of new features in iOS 13, a few stand out. There’s the long–awaited new Dark Mode, as well as new ways to edit photos, improvements to Siri Shortcuts, and the ability to use the keyboard by swiping over characters. iOS 13 OVERVIEW Siri > TIME TO TALK Apple said at WWDC that Siri would have a new voice that would be completely software–generated, but more realistic than the current audio clips. >…

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G $1299.99 From Samsung, samsung.com Features 6.7–inch QHD screen, triple–lens camera, 4,500mAh battery The original S10 launched in early 2019, and this 5G upgrade has a bigger screen, a better camera, two–way wireless charging, and all–day battery life. OnePlus 7 Pro 5G $840 From OnePlus, oneplus.com Features 6.67–inch QHD screen, pop–up selfie camera, 4,000mAh battery Exclusive to the Sprint network, the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is its most impressive handset to date, with an amazing QHD+ display, triple camera, pop–up selfie camera and more. LG V50 ThinQ $679 From LG, lg.com Features 6.4–inch QHD+ OLED screen, five cameras, 4,000mAh battery Available via 5G carriers Verizon or Sprint, the LG V50 ThinQ offers an edge–to–edge OLED QHD+ display and a ludicrous five camera setup (three at the rear…

$59.99 From Synium Software, syniumsoftware.com Needs macOS 10.13 or later, 64–bit processor Let’s cut to the chase. MacFamilyTree is by far the best family history app currently available for your Mac. It’s packed with all the features you’d expect, from powerful tools for recording your tree to seamless integration with FamilySearch for tracking down ancestors and records. Version 9.0 lifts this must–have genealogy app to new heights. The user interface has been refreshed and redesigned, with the main navigation sections and tools moved from the top of the program window to the left–hand side. After the initial jarring, it works — everything is pretty much where it was, so no re–learning required here. The submenus are also collapsible, making it easy to reclaim more workspace. Version 9.0 focuses most of…

$3.99 From Scott Ostler and Khoi Vinh, getbumpr.com Needs OS X 10.0 or later Apple doesn’t make it easy to open mail or web links in the application of your choice without copying and pasting those links manually. On a Mac you have to have a default browser and mail client that opens when links are clicked. But some sites don’t work well in Safari, and some work best in a specific browser like Firefox or Chrome. So you can find yourself hopping between browsers. Similarly with mail clients, you may frequently switch between your work and personal email. So how can you get around Apple’s restrictive “default app” problem? Bumpr runs in the background and appears in the right–click menu in your browser once you install a plug–in. This…

$4.99 From Dreaming In Binary, spendstack.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11 or later When it comes to making lists for trips to the grocery store, there’s no shortage of apps offering to help compile lists and check things off as you go. However, Spend Stack is different. It’s not designed to help you remember what to buy, but to help you keep track of how much you’re spending. Part list maker, part calculation tool, Spend Stack can add sales tax automatically — useful in the US, or anywhere else where sales tax is added at the till — or not, depending on how you configure it. But it doesn’t stop there. It can apply discounts, and display the cost per unit of items like pre–packaged food…

Free (Sub $1.99/month, $11.99/year) From Moleskine, us.moleskine.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11.2 or later Moleskine’s Timepage calendar app stands out from most of its contemporaries thanks to its stylish good looks. But aesthetics alone aren’t enough to make it one of our favorite apps — it has a great deal more to offer than that. V3 is described as its biggest ever update, and crams in enough new features and improvements — over 30 — to have a traditional Moleskine notebook bulging at the seams. Top of the list is the new floating “+” button. By tapping and holding on it, you can drag it over a day to add an event on that day much quicker than manually typing the date. When you drop it…

Free (Pro $8.99/month or $49.99/year) From Global Airport Flight & Airplane Status Tracker LLC, flightyapp.com Made for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch Needs iOS 12 or later Travel is one of the areas where mobile technology has revolutionized the way we do things. With an always-on internet connection, notifications and increasingly advanced apps, it’s now easier than ever to plan and manage your journeys. But not all apps are created equal. Managing complex and regularly-updating information about flights requires a careful approach if an app is to be usable by members of the public. Flighty aims to provide all the information you need in an easy-to-follow format, whether you’re an occasional or frequent flyer. The first nice touch is that you don’t have to sign up or log in. Simply…

Despite their common genre, these are all very different apps. Lightroom has solid raw editing, and using it with Adobe CC is the most practical way to work seriously with photos on an iPad. It’s also free of charge without a Creative Cloud subscription, but premium feature omissions and limited file browsing make it unwieldy. Even so, it’s worth a try. Darkroom, however, struggles to offer anything extra for ten bucks, although it’s nicely designed and a promising contender. Snapseed’s features are interesting, but a bit random, and it feels like a web app. If you want a complete pro image editor on your iPad, it has to be Affinity Photo: until Photoshop for iPad arrives, it’s in a class of its own. But just to give pics a polish,…

macOS RECOVERY The Recovery system contains tools to help you look up info online when macOS won’t start, and to repair or reinstall the system. Learn more at bit.ly/mlrecovery. SAFE MODE When you start your Mac in Safe mode, macOS performs extra checks and stops certain third–party software from running. See how to use it at bit.ly/mlsafemode. RESET SMC & NVRAM These features handle low–level functions and store key settings for your Mac, respectively. Resetting them can fix various issues described at bit.ly/mlresetsmc and bit.ly/mlresetnvram. HARDWARE ISSUES Your Mac includes tools that check for certain hardware issues without going to a Genius Bar. For Macs introduced in June 2013 or later, see bit.ly/mldiag, otherwise see bit.ly/mlahwt.…

1 Which 66–year–old American actor, born in Pittsburgh, narrated the 1998 advert for the original iMac? 2 What is this Apple device? 3 What type of bird features on the Mac Apple Mail icon? 4 In the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist shooting, what did the FBI ask Apple to do? 5 Bonus question: The FBI was later able to crack the same iPhone without the help of Apple. On what model of iPhone and version of iOS was this done? 6WHAT MIDDLE NAME DID JONY IVE AND STEVE JOBS SHARE? 7 WHERE DID STEVE JOBS GROW UP? 8 In 2009, what crucial feature — that Google Maps already had — did Apple Maps lack? 1 Jeff Goldblum 2 AirPort Express 3 Red–tailed Hawk 4 Create a version of iOS that…