| 2012.09.24 |
First and foremost, I heartily applaud Apple for their latest version of their
mobile operating system. They've done well to once again incorporate — solidly —
feature updates that really, really make sense for the platform.
Siri is becoming a mature and dependable tool (now on the iPad, too! — a big reason why
I bought an iPad 3), and upgrades like replying to calls with SMS, setting callback
reminders, Do Not Disturb, photo streams and a "One-Touch" option for app purchases are
completely sensible.
For parents, check out the Guided Access capabilities. You can hand your kid your iPad
to play "Frogger" without worry any longer by limiting the device to only using that
app and even restricting touch input on certain areas of the screen. (I can't wait to
try this out!!)
Apple has also taken integration with social media much further. People can tweet or
post to Facebook directly from the Notification Center (that's the gray screen you can
access with a downward swipe), or even have Siri do it for them.
All of these new features taken together force us to ask, "How did we ever get
along without these things?" — Together with social media of all kinds, Apple
is really pushing the convergence of our "digital lives" with our "mobile lives."
I mean, I had a list of several reminders to do this past weekend, and I was able
to do nearly all of them using Siri: finding out when my next appointments are, keeping
track of football games — all conveniences, but amazing, amazing things!
It's easy to look at this amazing convergence and evaluate it both positively and
negatively. All these new features and apps paint a picture of sunshine and rainbows —
but your skies will darken quickly if you lose your device. Consider taking advantage
of alternate means of authentication, and have a good idea of how interconected you
are with your social networks, and how interconnected your social networks are to each
other. For example, nearly all of the newer social networks accept Facebook and Twitter
credentials, so someone having your Twitter account credentials could really hit you
where you live: Instagram, Foursquare, Localmind, Twitpic, Pinterest and so on. Many
of these services have secondary means of authentication that will ask for additional
credentials if you're using them from a strange computer — consider investigating
those features. While you're at it, get familiar with iPhone features like Lost Mode
and the Find My iPhone app.
|