Apple confirms September 9 launch event in San Francisco

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Media invitations went out this morning from Apple for an invitation-only event to be held on September 9th at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. The invitation has the Apple Logo as well as the Siri waveform graphics that appear on the Apple Watch with a "Hey Siri, give us a hint" text below. Siri is iOS's digital personal assistant which is native to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch lines. Just out of curiosity, I queried Siri and asked her to give me a hint, I got the response below.

Traditionally an iOS and iPhone event, September events are held in the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts in San Francisco, although last year's event was equally focused on the Apple Watch and was held at the Flint Centre in Cupertino. For this year, Apple is expected to update the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus lines and possibly add a lower cost model. Aside from the de rigueur OS and processor upgrades, we expect to see improved cameras, possible Force Touch functionality as well as the introduction of new colours. Seeing as Siri features in the invitation, we might get new and improved Siri functionality as well. Stay tuned for more development on this story.

The Apple Beat: One Year Later - Grading the iPhone 6

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The one-year old iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus still look and feel like best in class devices (never mind that new ones are a month away). The iPhone 6 Plus is a particularly strong device and personally one I keep returning to, specially for work.

In the ongoing chess match that is the smartphone industry, Apple’s move towards larger iPhones last year, seemed like a come from behind move. The industry, which originally ridiculed the larger phablet sizes, seemed to have fallen head over heels with larger devices led by Samsung’s Note line, which was by far the device to beat in the premium large smartphone line.

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Repair program for some blurry Apple iPhone 6 Plus cameras announced

Apple has initiated a repair program for certain iPhone 6 Plus units that have faulty iSight cameras resulting in blurry video and image capture. Apple acknowledged the issue with a "small percentage" of units and will replace the affected component free of charge.

Officially called the "iSight Camera Replacement Program for iPhone 6 Plus," Apple's repair service is available to any iPhone 6 Plus owner whose device is producing blurry photos and carries the problematic part. Affected users can check their serial number at Apple's website. As with most repair and replacement procedures, customers are expected to backup their files and system online through iCloud or on a computer. Affected units will be eligible for repair for up to 3 years after the iPhone's original purchase date.

Source: AppleInsider

Google Docs and Sheets now support iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Google has updated its Docs and Sheets apps for the iOS to add support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Aside from that, Google Docs gets some new features, too. Users can view and edit tablets in Google Docs as well. Accessibility support has been improved including an enhanced ability to use Braille displays for reading and editing and VoiceOver support when using Bluetooth keyboards.

Source: iMore | Download: Google Docs (Free) + Google Sheets (Free)