Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Lyft’s “friendly” image has been tarnished lately, with safety issues plaguing ride-hailing app users.

To tackle the problems on the road for passengers, Lyft announced three new safety features Tuesday, including a 911 button for riders (and drivers) in the app. Calls for these types of tools have been growing louder in recent months as more incidents pile up and Lyft’s outdated safety system is revealed.

The emergency service button now comes up in both the rider and driver apps starting Tuesday with information about current location and vehicle info to tell emergency dispatchers information in a necessary situation.  Read more…

More about Uber, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, Safety, and Tech

The next version of the Apple Watch is here and … it’s pretty much the same as last year’s Series 4.

As expected, it’s a relatively boring year for the Apple Watch save for one major change: an always-on display. While Android smartwatches have had displays that dim but don’t sleep, one of the defining features of the Apple Watch has been that its display sleeps when not in use. 

That is no longer the case. With the Series 5, Apple is introducing new watch faces that still display the time and some other data at all times. If you’re used to having your watch face go completely black when not in use, the change might take some getting used to, but I’m already a big fan of the change. It’s always seemed silly to me to have a watch that required you to physically lift your wrist in order to see the time. Read more…

More about Tech, Apple, Apple Watch, Apple Event, and Apple Watch Series 5

There are spiritual politics in iPhone colors. 

Apple debuted the iPhone 11 on Tuesday, which comes in the standard black and white, as well as a ruby red, cool yellow, fresh green, and delicious purple.

Sure, we can think of these vibrant strips of plastic as an Apple marketing tool, meant to convince us all to drop the fattest of stacks upon something “new.”

Or, we can hold this cynical perspective to be true, while also recognizing that our phones are our most intimate physical companions, microchips of our souls. And that, like the colors we choose for the objects that adorn us, they can both reflect who we are, and determine what we bring into our lives. Read more…

More about Apple Event, Aura, Tech, and Iphone

Along with the iPhone 11, 10.2-inch iPad, and Apple Watch Series 5, Apple unveiled its most advanced iPhones to date: the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Because I know you’re dying to know: The camera bump on the rear with protruding triple lenses is real and it’s big. You’ll probably get over it quickly.

The more important question is whether the iPhone 11 Pro offers compelling enough features to earn its pro name. Is it worth spending at least $999 instead of $699 for the iPhone 11?

It’s impossible for me to answer that from my short hands-on time with the iPhone 11 Pro and Max, but I can tell you this: There’s a ton to unpack. Read more…

More about Mobile, Apple, Apple Event, Iphone 11 Pro, and Iphone 11 Pro Max

People are convinced that Millie Bobby Brown didn’t wash her face correctly in a recent video because she appears to leave on her eyeliner. 

Brown celebrated the launch of her vegan skincare line, Florence by Mills, by filming her night routine and posting the video of herself using her new products. As BuzzFeed reports, the original Instagram video was taken down, but a recording snagged by a fan is still immortalized on YouTube. 

She starts off by spritzing her face with some refreshing mist before gently scrubbing it. Then, she holds up a bottle of her face wash. 

“I’m really excited to use it, because I do still feel some of the makeup on,” she said in the video.  Read more…

More about Reddit, Kylie Jenner, Skincare, Influencers, and Millie Bobby Brown

Apple iPhone launch events are starting to feel a lot like Groundhog Day. I always start them in the market for a new iPhone, and always end them by deciding to stick with my trusty iPhone 6S for a little longer. 

As the 2019 unveiling began, I was sure I was going to be a sucker for the iPhone 11 in purple, a color I find to be insanely great. But I’d also hoped the rumors of a USB-C iPhone were true, so that I could finally ditch lightning cables altogether (my iPad Pro and MacBook both use USB-C). I hadn’t expected 5G, but I had hoped the screen would lose that crazy iPhone X notch. Hell, I would have been into the hotly-tipped reverse wireless charging feature, even though I don’t have any gadgets to reverse wirelessly charge. I’d find something! Read more…

More about Apple, Apple Event, Iphone 11, Iphone 11 Pro, and Tech

Apple just made its best iPhone even more appealing.

If the iPhone XR has been Apple’s most popular iPhone, it feels almost inevitable that the new iPhone 11 will claim the same title. Not only is it fifty bucks cheaper than the iPhone XR, it has better battery life and significant camera upgrades. 

The phone goes on sale September 20, and there’s a lot to look forward to.

Fresh look, new colors

From the front, the iPhone 11 looks pretty much identical to the iPhone XR. It has an aluminum frame and 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina Display, just like its predecessor. There’s still a notch, which will help power faster FaceID unlocks.  Read more…

More about Tech, Iphone, Apple Event, Iphone 11, and Tech

The new iPhone 11 is here! With it comes the agonizing process of staring at your old, raggedy (possibly no more than a year old) iPhone and wondering if you should lay out the dough and upgrade your Apple device.

But before you rush to buy the iPhone 11, premium iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, let’s take a look at which phone can get you the best bang for your buck.

At $699, the new iPhone 11 looks like a great deal right at launch. It’s $50 bucks cheaper than iPhone XR’s $749 release price — which was billed as last year’s “affordable” option when compared to the iPhone XS. 

If you’re looking to save even more, Apple announced it’s keeping the iPhone XR around too, at a low price of $599. Apple usually drops the previous year’s phone models by $100 each. However, this year it cut the iPhone XR by $150. (And there’s no pricier iPhone X.) Read more…

More about Apple, Iphone, Smartphones, Apple Event, and Iphone 11

Apple says it’s about hardware, software and services, and gave us some of each one: two new iPhones, an iPad, a watch, and a glimpse into what you’ll be able to get from their video and game streaming services. Catch up here. Read more…

More about Tech, Apple, Mashable Video, Tim Cook, and Iphone 11

In less than 24 hours, Apple will officially announce what we’re expecting to be the “iPhone 11” and “iPhone 11 Pro”. They’ll be the most advanced iPhones ever (because of course they’ll be). 

With new cameras (two on the iPhone 11 and three on the 11 Pro), they’ll likely push photography and video recording to new heights.

Nothing wrong with better cameras, but if you’re hoping for Apple to wow with iPhones that are, perhaps, more revolutionary instead of iterative, you’ll probably have to wait until 2020.

If all the rumors and leaks ending up being correct — they’re almost always right these days — the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro will be somewhat modest updates. Read more…

More about Mobile, Apple, Iphone, Smartphones, and Tech