Apple released iOS 8.1.1 this week. It includes some bug fixes, but I was surprised to see that it also takes up less space. Rene Ritchie of iMore reports that it typically gives iPad owners about a half of gigabyte of additional storage space after the update is installed. If you have been on the fence about upgrading to iOS 8 because you wanted to wait to see if there were any initial bugs to be fixed, I think it is definitely safe to go ahead and upgrade now. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Transporter, a current sponsor of iPhone J.D., recently came out with the Transporter Genesis, a device companies can use to create their own private cloud with with up to 24 TB of data. It’s just like the Transporter that you put on your desk, but it has a lot more capacity and is made for your entire office. California attorney David Sparks of MacSparky briefly discussed the Genesis this week.
- I’ve been using my iPad Air 2 for about a month now, and it is a fabulous device. It is easier to hold than any other full-size iPad, it has a great screen, it is incredibly responsive, and I’ve been using the Touch ID a lot more than I thought I would. If you have an older iPad and you are still trying to decide on whether to get an iPad Air 2, this week Jason Snell of Six Colors wrote a very good review of the iPad Air 2.
- John Brownlee of Cult of Mac relates a short but very interesting story by former Apple employee Amit Chaudhary that shows how Steve Jobs demanded the best when working on the original iPod.
- If you want to see ApplePay on an iPhone 6 in action, Apple Vice President Eddy Cue shows off how it works in a video on this page of Los Angeles station KTLA.
- Michael Hsu of The Wall Street Journal discusses options for comfortably watching a video on your iPad in bed. Another option is the tablift, which I reviewed two months ago.
- iLounge released its Best of the Year Awards for 2014, with top picks in 25 categories such as speakers, cases, keyboards, games, etc.
- If you are looking for an external battery to charge an iPad and iPhone, Liam McCabe of The Wirecutter says that the best battery to get is the Limefuel Blast L60X, which is $29.99 on Amazon. McCabe only looked at batteries that weigh less than 5 ounces, which McCabe thought was the most you can put in a pants pocket without being too uncomfortable. If you don’t mind a longer device that weighs more (8.35 oz.) I recommend the Lumsing Harmonica Style Power Bank which has much more battery capacity (10,400 mAh versus 6,000 mAh).
- And finally, another way to avoid having a battery that weighs to much in your pants is to instead let the battery hold up your pants. The XOO Belt is a belt that includes a flexible, rechargeable battery so that you can use your belt to charge your iPhone. It is part of an IndiGogo campaign, and as of early this morning, they were at $34,510 of their $50,000 goal with 28 days to go. It seems strange to me that the video for this product talks about how good it looks but doesn’t really show what it looks like when someone wears it. Seems a tad bulky to me. I guess this is one belt that you definitely need to take off when you go through TSA.