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the Minnesota Apple Computer Users' Group, Inc.

iPhone Buyer beware: Check the Activation Lock status

by Jeff Berg

Buyers of used equipment are often concerned about purchasing hot goods. Moral questions aside, when it comes to iPhones you want to be certain that the device isn’t Activation Locked—this prevents it from being used until it’s unlocked with the rightful owner’s Apple ID credentials. Apple now provides an iCloud portal where you can you enter a device’s serial number or IMEI to check its lock status.

I entered my iPhone’s Serial Number here…

…and confirmed that my phone is locked.

You’ll have to use a desktop browser, Mobile Safari won’t work. At this time the tool is targeted at desktop browsers. If you want to access the site using Mobile Safari (iOS 8) you’ll need to jump through extra hoops:

Go to icloud.com and use the Request Desktop Site feature:

To access this, give a gentle pull down on the menubar to see two new choices: Add to Favorites and Request Desktop Site. Tap the latter and the page will reformat, usually presenting itself in desktop glory.

ᔥ Macworld | Get to know iOS 8: Five convenient new tricks in Safari

Once you’re viewing the desktop version, type icloud.com/activationlock into the URL bar.

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5 tips for using Safari in iOS 8

by Tim Drenk

Among the new features in iOS 8, here are a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of Safari.

  • Credit card scanning from within Safari. When you’re buying something in Safari, iOS 8 will let you hold your credit card in front of the iPhone’s camera. It will then lift the numbers and paste them into the correct field, making checkouts easy.
  • Request desktop version of a website. Some mobile websites can have several features missing from the desktop version or work slightly different. While some websites give you the option to switch to the desktop version, there are many that don’t. The Safari in iOS 8 lets you see the the desktop version. On the address bar, select the URL and scroll downwards to see the Request Desktop Site option.
  • Private searching with DuckDuckGo — DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn’t keep track of every search you make like Google and Bing does, can now be set as your default search engine. You can change it in Settings>Safari.
  • Selectively delete history. You can delete Frequently Visited websites (accessible by tapping the address bar) with a tap & hold, then Delete.
  • Subscribe to a site’s RSS feed. Touch the bookmarks icon and then select the @ column. On the bottom you will find a button labeled Subscriptions. Touch that and then select “Add Current Site” to include it in the list of feeds. The shared links section is another nice addition—it offers other articles and discussion related to what you’re reading.
  • Bonus tip for iPads: the new tab view. Safari on iPad has a new tab view which can be accessed by tapping the top-right button or pinching in on any page. It displays a thumbnail of each page that is open.
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Resolving iPhone 6 iOS 8.0.1 Problems

by Tim Drenk

If you updated to iOS 8.0.1 on Wednesday and you are having problems with cellular service and Touch ID, Apple has posted a support article detailing how to downgrade to iOS 8.0. It’s a fairly easy process using iTunes.

Of course, the upside of losing cellular service on your phone is the battery lasts a long time.

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Just a reminder, don’t microwave your iPhone

by Tim Drenk

I’ve seen this before and other similar spoofs, but apparently there are those who are gullible to believe it.

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Don’t put metal, including a smartphone, in the microwave. Bad things happen.

…just in case any of y’all are as gullible as me, DO NOT MICROWAVE YOUR IPHONE pic.twitter.com/TV1JKtT7hQ — lorena terroba (@lore1306) September 18, 2014

Who else need a new iphone and microwave? pic.twitter.com/qRP9Xt2pQp — Ralph (@ralph23jays) September 19, 2014

I tried using the new IOS 8 feature WAVE where you can charge your phone with a microwave, does not work @Apple pic.twitter.com/IWsWnVboUl — nick (@Fallenbot) September 18, 2014

DO NOT TRY THE WAVE THING FOR IOS8!!! pic.twitter.com/g0N2ENJnrv — Bryan Kim (@bryankim23) September 18, 2014

USE WAVE THEY SAID. IT’LL CHARGE YOUR IPHONE IN THE MICROWAVE THEY SAID. pic.twitter.com/DJspCShhJq — jadaa (@iPunchhBabiies) September 18, 2014

 

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The Evolution of the iPhone and iOS

by Tim Drenk

Here are two images showing the changes the iPhone and the iOS have had over the years.

Gadgetlove.com made a GIF of all the iPhones morphing into each other, showing how the iPhone has changed of the generations. One of the things that strikes me is even as the style of corners change and they have gotten taller, the iPhone has kept getting thinner.

7dayshop.com made an image showing how the iOS has changed, changes in app icons, the layout of the home screen, and the features from iPhone OS (iOS 1) to the current iOS 8. Some of the changes are subtle, the phone icon has always been green, and some are dramatic, such as adding 3rd party apps in iOS 2.

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