The iPhone Summit and Questions about the 6 Plus

Burgers and iPhones Summit

Today my iPhone 6 Plus arrives. You’d think I’m the most excited person in the Sparks house about this but I’m not. My kids are even more eager. I’ve talked about this on the podcast but one of the privileges of paying for four phones in our household is that we always have an upgrade available. 

Every year I get the new phone and then my 1 year old phone goes down to my 17 year old and her 2 year old phone goes to my 12 year old. (The 12 year-old’s phone goes to Gazelle and my wife abstains from the entire process.) As a result, my kids are more eager for me to get the new phone than I am. A side effect of this process is that my 17 year old is very interested in which new phone that I pick, knowing it will be hers soon enough. (Last year she successfully lobbied me to buy a white one.)

Making this switch isn’t difficult. You could probably pull it off with switching the SIM cards yourself but over the years (when the iPhone was using different sized cards in different devices) we got in the habit of going out for burgers and a visit to the cellular store when it all happens. When doing this, make sure you have the cellular rep only handle one transfer at a time and confirm the right number is working on the right device before you leave. When I told my kids the phone would arrive today, they immediately put in their demand for the annual Burgers and iPhones Summit.

6 vs. 6 Plus

I spent some time a few days ago with the new iPhones and it was fun getting my first hands-on impressions of the new devices. I even took notes.

iPhone 6 Plus

Ginormous. Everyone knows its big. Using an iPad Air every day, I figured it wouldn’t feel that big. I was wrong. This is definitely a two-hander. You will not be flipping through apps while holding a drink in your other hand. I think there are two elements to consider with its size. First, you’ve got to carry it around. Will it fit in your pants? Second you’ve got to use it. It doesn’t fit in your hand like prior iPhones and will require new habits.

If you can handle those two things, you are going to have a pretty amazing screen to work with. Things like mind mapping and other more creative endeavors will be much easier with this phone. Also, I think it will be great when displaying maps in the car. The big question is whether or not the size can work for you.

iPhone 6

After spending 30 minutes with the 6 Plus, I picked up an iPhone 6. It immediately felt better in my hand. It is a marked improvement and much easier to manage one-handed. The screen is just as good, but there isn’t as much of it.

The whole process left me wondering which device is right for me. I’ve got the 6 Plus coming today. I’m going to use it for some time but also be mindful of the 14 day return policy. The jury is out for me.

Full Access Keyboards

There is, understandably, a lot of concern about that full access warning dialog in iOS 8 when you enable a new keyboard. The biggest fear is that apps will log your keystrokes in hopes of delivering better service but at the same time collecting every word you type. Add a database of all your keystrokes to a company searching to be acquired and suddenly things get really uncomfortable. Getting full disclosure from app developers of how much data they collect and what they do with it is going to be essential for me in determining which third party keyboards make the cut. 

I published a screencast last week of the TextExpander keyboard. Smile, its developer, has already explained how they use data and it is, thankfully, very responsible. No keystroke data is transmitted to any servers. They keep a small cache of keystrokes only long enough to determine if you’ve triggered a snippet and then they dump it. You can learn more from Smile’s blogpost on the subject. I hope other keyboard developers follow Smile’s example.

MPU 215: iOS 8

In the latest installment of the Mac Power Users, Katie and I cover our favorite features in the latest version of iOS. There is a lot to cover here and I think we did a pretty good job of it. As an aside, I’ve got several posts going up this week about iOS 8. I’m really digging it and it is already changing my game.

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https://www.macsparky.com/blog/mpu215

 

Sponsor: Middle Davids Candles




This week I’m pleased to welcome back Middle Davids Artisan Candles. Dan Catlin and his team at Middle Davids understand the use of rituals to help with productivity. We all like our good coffee (or tea!), our clicky keyboards, and our clean work surfaces, but what about scent?

I burn candles while I write and I always feel that the ritual of lighting the candle is a way to tell myself “it is on” and get to work. After I’ve worked a few hours, I blow out the candle and take a break. You’ll be surprised how well this works. My favorite this month is Carribean Teakwood.

Dan, the proprietor, is a candle geek and obsesses on candles like I do productivity apps. The candles are 100% botanical soy wax, not paraffin (which is a petrochemical) and the wicks are cotton woven (no metals).

MacSparky readers are already loving their Middle Davids Candles including graphic designer Cody Jones, who explained, “Making Light helps me to define a time to lock into my creative and productive zone. Lighting that candle is one of the best parts of my workday.”

Middle Davids has a subscription plan that gets you two candles a month with 40 hours of burn time. That’s two hours of focus a day. You also get a box of wooden matches, and a sample of the next month’s scent. Give it a try. You’ll surprise yourself. Use the code “MacSparky9” (or “macsparky9”) for 20% off.

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Productivityist Podcast



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Recently, I joined Mike Vardy on his https://productivityist.simplecast.fm/4. During the show we chatted about task management and habit tracking. Mike has that unique combination of smarts and humor that make this worth listening.

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