A Few Notes on iOS 8

There are a lot of comprehensive reviews of iOS 8 hitting the wire in the next 24 hours. I’m going to keep this to six things.

1. Look Under the Hood

Last year iOS 7 felt like they turned everything upside down. This year, when iOS 8 boots up for the first time, you’ll wonder if the update actually took. Things look very similar to iOS 7. 

iOS 8 is different in the ways that us nerds love the most. Under the hood automation and other geeky power tools. In some respects, this reminds me of the Snow Leopard update to the Mac OS. I liked that too.

2. The New Keyboard

Mysterious shift key aside, the keyboard got some serious love. The predictive text is spooky good and it has really upped my typing speed. Likewise Siri dictation is better and now renders text as you speak. This is huge if you want to enter text by speaking. No longer do we have to dictate multiple sentences all the while wondering if Siri dictation will do its job or thumb it nose at us and return nil.

Also, iOS now can now add third party keyboards. Huzzah. I posted earlier about the TextExpander keyboard. I expect there will be a lot more.

3. “Read All”

Messages also got better. Now you can tap a “Read All” button to mark all as read and you can selectively disconnect from group chats. The next time your family chat takes a disturbing turn toward uncle Sal’s Lumbago, punch eject.

4. Apple Mail Improvements

Third party Mail apps have done some real clever things with swipes. Apple Mail doesn’t go as deep as some of these apps but they are following to a certain extent. In addition to setting a specific action for full right and left swipes, a partial swipe from right to left gives you additional options. 


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Another Apple Mail feature is the ability to pull a message down to the bottom of the screen, exposing the inbox and giving you the ability to look through email messages. No longer do you need to save a message as a draft while you go and get a phone number from a previous email. You can also now set a thread (as opposed to a person) as a VIP. Nice. 

5. Spotlight Shines


Spotlight is significantly more useful. You can still search apps, mail and contacts but it now also searches Wikipedia, news, Yelp, the web, and iTunes without any extra work. I’ve been running the iOS 8 beta about a month and find myself using Spotlight more than ever.

6. A Lot More Things…

The most exciting feature of iOS 8 is the extensibility it is offering third party developers. This is going to change the way we use our phones and, in my opinion, make iOS 8 the most significant update since iOS 2 (that added the App Store). When I make that statement, I’m not forgetting about iOS 7. I just think this is a bigger deal. In the days, weeks, and months following release of iOS 8, us users are in for some real treats from the iOS development community.

A Few Caveats

  • Backup before install. Gabe Weatherhead covers this nicely.

  • If the final version of iOS 8 asks you to upgrade to iCloud drive, don’t. That one needs some more cooking (and Yosemite).

The New ScanSnap iX100

I’ve been a buying ScanSnap scanners for several years now. I’ve recommended them to friends, family, and professional colleagues and everyone of them has come back to say how much they like their ScanSnaps.

There are two bits of technology involved with scanning: the hardware device and the software interface. The thing that makes ScanSnap stand out is the way it delivers on both fronts. Fujitsu continues to push the envelope with its hardware and at the same time, continues to iterate its software to give Mac and iOS users plenty of options for their scanned documents.

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This is most recently demonstrated with Fujitsu’s brand new ScanSnap iX100. The iX100 takes is an ultra-portable scanner, about the size of a three-hole punch. It is similar to the ScanSnap S1100 but adds several useful features.

The banner feature is wireless scanning. The iX100 will connect with your Mac. The device has its own processor that not only creates the PDF and JPEG files, but also creates the wireless bridge to your device. Pop it open, feed a page, push the blue button. No cables required. Wireless scanning with a portable scanner makes a lot of sense. 

The iX100 can also connect to iOS and Android devices using that same built-in processor. If you are not on a shared Wi-Fi network, you can connect directly to the ScanSnap with your devices Wi-Fi radio and you are good to go.

Another clever feature is automatic image stitching. If you pull two pages out of a magazine with an image stretched across the fold, the iX100 will automatically stitch them back together.

The iX100 comes with that great ScanSnap software as well. I’ve been carrying my test model around in my briefcase (it’s only 14 ounces) and it is holding up well. There is an integrated battery that requires an occasional recharge (via USB).

I’ve got two good uses for this scanner. The first is when I’m in trial or deposition and someone hands me a new document. That isn’t supposed to happen but often does. I need documents scanned as soon as possible so I can incorporate them into exhibits, presentations, and other digital bits. Having the iX100 I can now handle this anywhere.

When not carrying it around, I’ve been keeping it in a utility drawer in our kitchen. This way, I can take a quick scan to my Mac or iPad for things that come in the mail or the kid’s school packets. The iX100 has quickly found a place in my life. 

If you are looking for an ultra-portable, wireless scanning solution, check out the ScanSnap iX100, available now.

For an even more in-depth review, check out Brooks Duncan’s review at DocumentSnap. He’s got some excellent photos and videos to show off the iX100 in greater detail.

The Importance of an All Day Apple Watch Battery

One question that still looms over the Apple Watch is battery life. Apple has explained several times that you’ll need to charge it every night. However, the question that hasn’t been asked (or answered) is if I charge it overnight and strap it on at 7AM, will it still work at 9PM, or even 11pm? Is there some point during the day that my Apple Watch, starting with a full tank, runs out of gas?

This is a big deal. While poor battery life seems the way of things with most smart watches, the early adopters of those devices are a small group of nerds and understand the underlying physics. That isn’t the case with the Apple Watch. There will be a lot of people buying the watch that never think about batteries and processors, and shiny screens. They just want their $500 Apple Watch to work and if it craps out at dinner time, there will be an uproar.

I don’t think Apple can afford to get this wrong and I think they know it. I bet that this requirement for an all-day battery has been at the front of their mind throughout this product’s development. There has been a lot of criticism that the Apple Watch is too thick. However, longer battery life requires a bigger battery and Apple is entirely willing to take the heat on the watch being too thick to keep the all-day battery. It’s not just the watch’s thickness though. I think nearly every component of that watch, from the processor clock speed to multi-tasking to the number of your heartbeats it records, are all set to preserve battery life. Apple nailed the Apple Watch in so many ways. Now they just need to make sure it will stay alive on our wrists all day.

MPU 214: Back To School

Katie is going back to school and I’m sending my daughter off to college. As a result, we’ve been both thinking a lot about student workflows. In our most recent show we cover some excellent Mac and iPad based solutions and share several ideas from listeners.

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MPU 213: Principal Mike and Listener Feedback

MPU 213 is up and available for download. This month’s feedback show includes a short workflow interview with K-8 principal Mike Rogers from TechEdvance. Mike shares some really cool Drafts workflows for classroom evaluations that could be adapted to a lot of uses. We also had plenty of feedback on task management and other topics from the the last month. These live shows are a lot of fun and information dense. We’re getting lots of positive feedback about them. Check it out.

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Sad News at Macworld

Just this morning I was admiring the depth of coverage Macworld put up in relation to yesterday’s announcement. Some of the smartest tech writers in the business worked at Macworld. I say worked because today, the day after their outstanding work yesterday, most of my friends at Macworld were laid off. The magazine will cease publication. The website will continue. I’m sure this was a difficult decision for whoever had to make it. Today I’m just sad for some talented friends that find themselves out of work. 

Selling Your Old Phone

Speaking of that new iPhone, if you decide to sell your old one through Gazelle (which is what I do every year), use this link to make KatieFloyd™ and I look like rock stars. This year, I’m selling the iPhone 4S that drops out the bottom of the annual Sparks Phone shuffle.

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