The rise of the iPhone

You can actually count with the fingers on your right hand how many tech companies in the world are as big as Apple. The company is a world leader in technology and innovation, and its products are known for its superior quality and craftsmanship. Over the past few decades, Apple has come out with iconic products that made their mark on history. In this century, no other Apple product is as well-known as the iPhone. 

Image source: gadgets.ndtv.com

The curious thing though is that when you look at the iPhone’s history, you’ll notice that it isn’t the first incarnation of the product that elevated its status – it was the 3G version. Prior to the 3G, phones were mostly used to make calls and text. The newer ones had the occasional low-res camera and probably a game or two. 

The iPhone 3G though introduced something that would change the smartphone landscape forever – apps. Now, phones weren’t simply limited to surfing the web. Smartphones could do things nobody thought phones could do. From 550 apps initially, over 15,000 popped up in the next months. All kinds of apps attracted people everywhere, catapulting the iPhone even higher above the most popular IT products in the market. 

Image source: Wikipedia.org

Hi, James P. DeVellis here. Since I’m the technophile in our family, I get all the tech questions. Read some of my responses on Twitter.

Practical reasons for passing on the iPhone X

There’s no denying the hype generated by the 10th-anniversary release of the iPhone. Apple and iPhone fans came in droves and even camped out during the worldwide release, and many units have since sold out in many places all over the globe. But is the whopping price of $999 really worth it? 

Image source: imore.com

The easy answer is an outright no. Aside from the unprecedented, almost snobbish pricing for a smartphone, it comes with an almost-obligatory AppleCare+ extended warranty that would require buyers to shell out another $200 for a two-year coverage. Not getting this warranty will lead up to $549 charges for major repairs on the iPhone X.

Secondly, it’s not as though its Android competitors are lagging behind. The iPhone X has lots of new features not seen on the iPhone before, yes, but the world of the Android has seen its own advances for some time now such as OLED screens, wireless charging, and “all-screen” bezels.

Arguing against any product of the industry giant that is Apple might seem futile as devoted iPhone enthusiasts will still get the phone, anyway. What would be awesome though is if the company manages to match or overtake the rapid growth of its Android competitors. If this happens, maybe more average consumers will understand better why there’s a need to pay such high amounts for a smartphone.

Image source: wordpress.com

Hi, James P. DeVellis here. Working for a huge tech company, I get all sorts of questions about gadgets, apps, troubleshooting, etc. For similar reads on innovative technologies and the like, drop by this webpage.

How Honda is pushing the boundaries of automobile technology

Automobile manufacturer Honda has developed the NeuV, a first of its kind. NeuV stands for New Electric Utility Vehicle, and for all intents and purposes the future of the automotive industry. Being internet-ready and able to drive itself are two of its many impressive features.

Image source: techcrunch.com

However, what sets the NeuV apart is the HANA, or Honda Automated Network Assistant, which is an AI that interacts with the driver of the car. HANA is part of the NeuV’s dashboard and serves as the second passenger of the car whose "brain" is located on the dashboard.

Science fiction has indeed become a reality through the NeuV and HANA. Although cars like KITT from the TV series “Knight Rider” or the Autobots from “Transformers” are still light years away (though Honda has developed the world’s first robot as well), the NeuV and HANA are indeed steps toward the right direction.

The possibilities now seem endless. With the right application and a bit more tweaking, HANA can be of more use to society than you might think. At present, it can monitor a driver’s heart rate and recognize faces. HANA can even start conversations with a driver if she senses the driver dozing off. Maybe future versions of HANA may help serve law enforcement and healthcare, and save lives in the process.

Image source: japanbullet.com

My name is James P. DeVellis, a certified technophile. Follow me on Twitter for more tech-related discussions.

Why you shouldn’t be worried about iPhone X’s faceID

Apple recently showcased its new flagship phone, the iPhone X, at the newly-constructed Steve Jobs Theater. The latest smartphone comes with complete with edge-to-edge OLED display and a new facial recognition system called the faceID. Apple has removed the touchID saying that faceID will be more secure. The company went as far as saying there’s 1 in a million chance of a passerby on the street gaining access to the iPhone X, compared to 1 in 50,000 with touchID. 

Image source: mshcdn.com

But even with the iPhone X’s high-end TrueDepth Camera System, some people aren’t convinced that faceID is secure enough to replace touchID, remarking that the feature is already available on many Android devices. To be fair though, the facial recognition in Android devices can be fooled with a picture and can’t be used in the dark, which were both overcame by the faceID. Apple even said that it tried to use a - mask used by Hollywood actors to try to fool faceID, and it didn’t work. 

So how secure is faceID? First, it won’t unlock unless you’re looking at it. Second, the TrueDepth Camera System has some advanced technology housed in the notch. Here are the three main technologies that make the TrueDepth Camera system: 

Dot Projector: More than 30,000 invisible dots are projected onto your face to build your unique facial map. 

Infrared Camera: An infrared camera reads the dot pattern, captures an infrared image, then sends the data to the Secure Enclave in the A11 Bionic chip to confirm a match. 

Flood Illuminator: Invisible infrared light helps identify your face even when it’s dark. 

Image source: kinja-img.com

Hi, my name’s James P. DeVellis. I’m a self-confessed IT guy, and that means receiving tons of tech-related questions from family and friends. Visit my blog to see some of them.

The best PC tune-up utilities of 2017

It’s 2017 and fast startup times and speedy operations should be a normal occurrence in almost all PCs. Well, at least on the brand-new ones. 

Image source: avg.com

We all want our PCs to run at peak capacity, regardless of whether it’s a budget laptop or a pro desktop. But inevitably, that out-of-the-box performance fades away. Every PC will eventually slow down; unless you’re properly maintaining it. That’s why there are many tune-up utilities available for PCs. 

So, what’s a tune-up utility? It’s a computer application that digs deep (with your permission, of course) into your computer and fixes trouble areas. It performs several functions from defragmenting your PC’s hard drive to repairing Windows Registry to freeing up disk space by deleting useless duplicate files and caches. 

Here are two of the best PC tune-up utilities of 2017: 

Lolo System Mechanic: At $49.99 the Lolo System mechanic may be one of the most expensive PC utilities out there, but it has all the tools you need to get your PC performing like new again. 

AVG Tune-up: AVG is one of the leading anti-virus companies in the world. So, it’s only fitting that it has one of the best PC Tune-up utilities available. What’s better is it now offers unlimited licenses. Preferable for those with many PCs to maintain. 

Image source : pcmag.com

My name is James P. DeVellis, a certified technophile. Subscribe to my blog for more tech-related discussions.

Our favorite era defining mobile phones

Countless mobile phones have come and gone, but a chosen few have stayed in our hearts and minds out of fondness and nostalgia. Probably because we’ve gone through the best and worst of times with these phones at our side, or maybe because we’ve been amazed by what they were capable of – for whatever the reason, these phones have been a huge part of history. Here are some of the most iconic mobile phones ever. 

Image source: huffingtonpost.com

Motorola RAZR V8 Motorola (arguably) owes its success to the RAZR V8. This pioneer of slim phones turned out to be a consumer-favorite. It was a cinch to take along, and as a testament to its iconic status, the company has made money off phones with its design for years. 

Nokia 3310 Who didn’t own a Nokia 3310 and think it was cool? The 3310 is one of those products that was impossible to hate. The only criticism about it was that some people considered its bulkiness tacky. But again, that’s part of its appeal – kind of like a bulldog. It not pretty to look at, but it get your heart. Also, it’s tough as Thor’s hammer. 

Apple iPhone 3G Though iPhones were never a bust, it was the 3G model that captured people’s attention on a global scale. It made iPhones user-friendly, and revolutionized smart phones by bringing in apps through the App Store. 

Image source: everyjoe.com

Hello! I’m James P. DeVellis. I love talking and writing about the latest technology. Subscribe to this Facebook to get more IT tips and advice.

How To Back Up Your Computer Files Before It’s Too Late

In today’s digital world, almost everything we do, we do in front of the screen. So, there’s no such thing too many backups.  If you can make a backup of your backup, do it.  Fortunately, operating systems today provide easy ways to make a backup.  Below are steps on how you can do a backup if you’re using a Mac or a Windows PC.  (Note that for both systems, you’ll need a dedicated external hard drive to perform the task.)

                                                             Image source:support.apple.com

For Macs:

1. Open Time Machine preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar. Or choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Time Machine.

2. Click Select Backup Disk, Select Disk, or Add or Remove Backup Disk.

3. Select a backup disk from the list, then click Use Disk.

4. For additional backup security and convenience, you can repeat these steps to add another backup disk. For example, you might use one backup disk while at home, and another backup disk while at work.

Time Machine will start to back up your whole machine and will do regular backups for the past hour, 24 hours and month.

Image source:windows.net

For  Windows:

1. Right-click the Start button and launch Control Panel.

2. Click File History.

3. While in File History, click the System Image Backup link in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

4. Connect an external USB hard drive with enough free space.

5. In the backup wizard, you'll be prompted to choose from one of the three options to save the backup. For this example, we are going select the hard drive you just connected. However, keep in mind that you can backup to DVD blanks and a network share, but these options will slow down the backup process.

6. Click Next.

7. Confirm and begin the process by clicking Start backup.

The backup could take anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the amount of data and your computer’s processing power.

Hi there! James P. DeVellis here.  I’m a technophile working for a big IT company.  Visit my Google+ page for more IT stuff.