iPhone Archives - Page 3 of 6 - TBNI.Blog

Apple Release Removal Tool for U2 : Songs of Innocence Freebie

September 16, 2014 by TomBoyNI

Along with the release of the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last Tuesday (09/09/2014) Apple finished their Keynote Speech with a performance from U2, probably one of the biggest groups in the world ever. Then they announced that the U2 Album would be given away, for free, to every Apple Account holder (for a few weeks anyway – A deal that has been reported as costing Apple up to $100,000,000 – one hundred million dollars).

I know that Apple have hundreds of millions of dollars and are about to make hundreds of millions more as the demand for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus rapidly gains steam and momentum, but come it’s a freebie!

Also I have to say I am not a U2 fan, at all, I can tolerate them, but this is an album I never would have purchased. But come on it is a freebie!

So I would like to firstly say, ‘Thanks Apple, not really my cup of tea, but it’s a nice gesture and I do appreciate the gesture.’

However the headlines that have dominated this gesture, this freebie, have been ones of anger, unhappiness, privacy invasion and even rage…

For me, personally I don’t care, I’d like to get free albums a lot more often from Artists and Companies, but if you are one of the ones who feel violated, enraged or even just that you want rid of it off your device Apple have now released a Removal tool which you can find here :

Apple U2 : Songs of Innocence Removal Tool.

There we go, problem solved and the New World Order can be restored!

£1000 for a iPhone – Are you all Crazy?!?

September 15, 2014 by TomBoyNI

That is the question that is getting fired about everywhere at the moment! Just look on your Twitter Feed or Facebook Page and you will see it cropping up everywhere, from friends, from tech companies, from idiots, from Apple Haters, but one thing will be common amongst them all, they will be Android Users. From some reason Android Users are Apple Haters.

Period.

However not all Apple Users are Android Haters. I can testify to this first hand, as an absolute Apple fan I am also the proud owner of a 2nd Generation Nexus 7 – and a great device it is.

So what is it with Android Users and their exclusive hatred of Apple? It is weird, but it is definitely misguided. It is the sheep comment that I love, ‘I am not a sheep! I don’t just mindlessly follow Apple and buy what they tell me! I am an individual and I use Android because it doesn’t lock me down and allows me to be an individual!’

Oh Really – Let’s put it in figures – Android has in 2014 an 80% market share. Apple hovering about 15%. It seems that really you are indeed a sheep and one of a much bigger flock.

As for being locked down, what have you customised? What have you programmed? What have you hacked, installed, or written that Apple wouldn’t have let you? Pirate movies? Pirate TV, anything else? Probably not. Oh but you have a nice Incredible Hulk theme on your Home Screen! Ah now I see your point. I know, I apologise the sarcasm is hanging out of this post, but it will stop soon for some facts and figures, honestly.

Let’s stop being juvenile about it, some like Apple, some like Android, and you know what, thats ok. But lets be realistic a high end of the market Android phone isn’t exactly cheap either. A brand new Galaxy S5 is sitting at £409 delivered from Amazon, an iPhone 5s 16Gb is only £459 delivered, so the Galaxy S5 is cheaper than an iPhone but it is only £50 of a difference, and it ridiculous to be comparing an iPhone with for example a Moto G at £80, although a great phone we need to compare like for like.

Now down to the nitty gritty – the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The cries of £1000 for a phone, are you mad ring across the planet! Well firstly :

– It is not £1000! The most expensive variant, the iPhone 6 Plus, 128 Gb will cost you £789, that is £211 less that £1000 or over 20% less, so it is a considerable enough difference to not be negligible.

So what do you get? You get an absolute bag full of tech compressed into a 5.5 inch screen and remember of course you can go smaller and take the iPhone 6 which will cost even less £££s, but lets stick with what you get, and the simplest way for me to put it is you get this…

Otterbox Preserver for iPhone 5s UnBoxing and Video Water Testing

April 30, 2014 by TomBoyNI

I am always on the search for the ultimate phone case, and with my work and hobbies of riding a motorcycle I require something tough, something that will stand up to the elements and most importantly something that will keep my phone in absolute pristine condition! Bulk doesn’t bother me and in recent times my favourite case has been the Otterbox Armor. I had it for my iPhone 5, and it took me from the fine shores of Northern Ireland to the finer shores of Florida. It took me through every theme park and thunderstorm Florida could offer and it never missed a beat. Admittedly it was a beast of a case, but I was fine with that. Nothing was beating it.

Since then and getting an iPhone 5s I have been looking for the same thing. I have tried many cases since then, most recently was the Tech 21 Special Ops Combat case. And to be fair to it, it is a crackin’ case! It felt strong, I trusted it, the only thing it lacked was water resistance and it blocked the fingerprint sensor. And let’s be honest it is the finger print sensor on a iPhone 5s that differentiates it from a 5. You have a 5s and you’ll want to be able to use your finger print sensor or at least show it off on occasion.

So now that Otterbox has bought LifeProof and the designs boffins have started working together the inevitable outcome is the Otterbox Preserver.

Anyone who had a Lifeproof Fre case will instantly recognise the Preserver, the similarities are everywhere from the look to the feel, although the preserver feels stiffer, more rigid and just a little bit tougher. These are all good things, that result in a sleek package. If you are used to the Armor case this one will feel truly insignificant.

Now I am not one to torture test my phone or a case, plenty of others do that. I buy a case to prevent my phone being tortured but it is good to know what you are playing with and the stats that the preserver boasts are as follows :

– Two-piece case with snap assembly for easy installation

– Internal foam cushions device and holds it in place inside the caseIncludes an adjustable lanyard for convenient carrying and tethering

– Waterproof: fully submergible up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) for 30 minutes (IP-X8)

– Drop proof: protects device from drops up to 6.6 ft. (2 m)

– Dust proof: blocks entry of dust and debris particles (IP-6X)

iPhone 5 / 5s Bear Grylls Action Case UnBoxing

January 12, 2014 by TomBoyNI

I have always been a fan of the rugged style cases for my phone. The offer great drop protection and keep the phones in immaculate condition when being used in everyday life.

Whilst out shopping I noticed a ‘Bear Grylls Action Case’ with a nice yellow reduced sticker in a local supermarket. Reduced is always good and also it was bright orange. Thats a good way to sell me something – make it available in funky colours. The case was also available in a range of Camouflage colour options (wood land, DPM, and urban – there may be even more, as well as grey and plain black).

The cases are identified by a large BG logo on the bottom third which to be fair I am not convinced on. The rest of the case definitely gets my vote on aesthetics, however the big logo is just a little too garish for me. (Even though it bright orange.) I mean c’mon does anyone actually want to walk about advertising Bear Grylls?

Griffin Protector Case Unboxing and Quick Thoughts

October 18, 2013 by TomBoyNI

This isn’t so much of a review as more of an initial quick thought post.

I purchased this case as a quick installing silicon case for my iPhone 5s, at this stage such cases specific to the iPhone 5s are pretty scarce, so this case is one that has been in production since the iPhone 5. There is no functionality for the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but other than that everything else is perfectly functional. All ports are accessible and the camera cut out works well, both with and without flash.

I won’t dwell on this case too much by simply stating the obvious, this is a silicon case, it has reinforced corners offering a good degree of drop and bump (or as it says on the packaging ‘jolt) protection.

It is face safe in that the edge of the case around the screen ensures the screen itself does not come in contact with a flat surface, should it be placed screen down on one.

I like silicon cases for the protection they offer, although like most such cases there are a few negatives.

– This case catches dust and dirt – a lot. Even in the unboxing images this is cleary evident, remember at this stage this case has been out of its packaging for mere seconds…

– With only one application there was evidence of stretching…

Spigen Tough Armor Case for Apple iPhone 5/5s Unboxing and Review

October 17, 2013 by TomBoyNI

With the addition of the Touch ID Finger Print sensor on the new iPhone 5s it has meant that case developers are still working on the technology for my usual style of tough cases such as the Griffin Survivor, or Otterbox Armor / Defender Series. Obviously anything for the iPhone 5 that covers the home button will not be compatible with the new iPhone 5s’ Touch ID Sensor.

And like anyone with a new toy I want to play with it, so at this point covering the Home button isn’t the option I want to use. A quick search on the net then pointed my in the direction of a manufacturer called Spigen. I haven’t owned a Spigen case, nor seen or used one before so on taking some online reviews at their word I ordered myself a Spigen Tough Armor case. It was pretty expensive at £20 from Amazon, however if the reviews are correct it should be a £20 well spent.

As usual with Amazon it arrived quickly and on taking it out of the box I was pretty impressed. The case feels solid, and well manufactured. It looks good, the white version complementing the white iPhone well. The subtle branding of the case looks smart. The explanation of the tech behind it is basically impact diversion. The case takes a knock and the design of the case then spreads the forces from the impact throughout the case, keeping the forces away from your phone. The result is it shouldn’t break. Thats the theory anyway and the inside of the case has nice lines running from corner to corner, maybe this is an illustration of the force distribution or something. I think it looks like flight plans plotted on a flattened out globe, but anyway that hardly matters.

One thing I really did like about this case is that it comes with a serial number that you type into the Spigen website and it checks the authenticity of the case. As you will see from previous posts I have been a victim of counterfeiters before and this is a really nice idea by Spigen. Something other premium branded and high cost case makers should consider implementing,

The phone fits well into the case. The buttons are responsive, power and volume buttons are covered. The remaining ports and silent rocker switch are left open. There is a cut out on the rear for the shiney Apple logo to peek through, ye know just in case some one might not be aware you are using an iPhone.

G-Form Extreme Case for iPhone 5/5s – Unboxing and Review

October 21, 2017October 17, 2013 by TomBoyNI

Having been using my G-Form Case for my iPad since April 2012 and with it still going strong, (although a little dirtier than when it started life) I had a G-Form case ordered and sitting on my desk about 10 days before I even had my iPhone 5s. I had made an enquiry with G-Form to make sure it would fit (which it does) and that order was placed.

I am a huge G-Form fan, the iPad case I use is this one :

https://tbni.blog/2012/04/27/april-2012-review-g-form-extreme-sleeve-for-ipad-and-others-up-to-10/

I have had my iPad safely homed in it for 18 months and it has been in some strange and wonderful places. The iPad is still absolutely immaculate, the case although the yellow shows up any marks is still 100%, the material is uncreased, unfolded with no scuffs or tears. It is generally in a back pack but I have 100% faith in the job it is doing in there, after all back packs are not generally one of the safest nor more stable places on earth!

It is for these reasons that I decided to entrust my brand spanking new release day iPhone 5s to G-Form.

The case feels tough and strong with the reassuring ‘squigginess’ of the G-Form material. The case has a certain ‘tackiness’ or ‘stickiness’ that means you can put the case on the dash of your car and most of the time it will sit there, however it wouldn’t be as sticky as, for example, a Griffin Survivor. It slips into your pocket and out again with ease, something the pure silicon cases don’t. And it isn’t a dust magnet, so unlike the silicon cases when you put it into your pocket it doesn’t come out as if it has just done an impression of a vacuum in your pocket.

The case is face-safe, in that it has a raised lip sitting above the bezel of the screen, meaning you can place it face down on a desk and the screen won’t touch the desk.

All ports are open and plugging in the official Apple sync charging cable causes no issues, however the official Apple 9 pin to 30 pin connector won’t fit in, you would need the cabled adapter if this was an accessory you relied on.

The camera ports caused me no issues when taking photos, with or without the flash.

The full screen is open so using the Touch-ID fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s isn’t an issue.

Fake OtterBox Defender for iPhone 5s Damages Phone.

October 16, 2013 by TomBoyNI

Following on from my last post I put together this very quick video illustrating the damage that the FAKE Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5s did to my phone.

Thankfully this damage was able to be cleaned off, thanks solely (in my opinion) to the protective shield I had installed. I can’t imagine cleaning this off the aluminium would have been in any way easy!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/SyBNsnVzsj8]

My advice on this one is simply, avoid any FAKE Otterbox Defender cases like the plague!

FAKE Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5s – Unboxing, Review and Warning!

October 9, 2013 by TomBoyNI

IMPORTANT UPDATE : After making contact with Otterbox this case has found to be fake! A refund was received from the seller who claims it was a genuine mistake. The original post has been corrected by removing any reference to this case being genuine and any Otterbox related conclusions then, I would like to stress Otterbox were extremely helpful as was the original seller, however at this point I will use this post and associated gallery as an illustration of what you can look for for!

For clarity here is a copy of the confirmation I received from OtterBox informing me the case was fake :

Apple iPhone 5s – Does it Blend?!? – Just Kidding – Just a Regular Unboxing!

October 9, 2013 by TomBoyNI

I have temporarily fallen behind in my posts mainly due to the fact that I was without a computer for the best part of two months there. Well today my new iMac arrived in its 27″ of glory, so that’s me back on track. I am going to throw up a few quick galleries and posts of stuff that I gathered up in my computerless times, but in order to make some progress I wont be dwelling on them.

The first such gallery is my iPhone 5s unboxing. This is a release day model, 64Gb white, silver iPhone 5s, which I purchased with, the new to the UK, AppleCare+

It was picked up on release day from the Apple Store in Belfast, and I only had to queue from 3.30am! (Stocks were that low however that I had to updrage to the 64Gb model as the 32Gb were all sold out, there were only about 50 people in front of me!)

My initial opinions on this phone are great. This is another excellent device released by Apple, with the freshness of iOS7 a new lease of life has been given to the phone.

The camera is brilliant, the slow-mo addition is one of my favourite new additions and the fingerprint scanner brings a wee bit of the future a little bit closer.

I will throw up a few more tips / tricks / thoughts if and when I have them, until such times here is my gallery…

Disclosure :