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iOS 8 first look video: Installing a third-party keyboard on iPhone

iOS 8 marks the first time ever that Apple will allow iPhone and iPad owners to install third-party keyboards of their choosing. AppleInsider offers readers a first look at the process of installing, enabling and using alternative keyboards in iOS 8.

 

  Keyboard makers TouchPal provided an alpha copy of their forthcoming keyboard for iOS 8 on Friday, and the video above shows how users will go about enabling the keyboard once it’s installed on their device. First, a third-party application must be downloaded from the iOS App Store, which then adds a new keyboard option in the iOS Settings application, under “General,” then “Keyboard.”

Installed keyboards show up under their own section entitled “Third-Party Keyboards.” This also comes with a disclaimer that reads: “When using one of these keyboards, the keyboard can access all the data you type.”

Apple also offers a quick link to further details about third-party keyboards and privacy. However, as of the second beta of iOS 8, only placeholder text is in place, and no warnings are displayed when a keyboard is enabled.

After the keyboard has been turned on, users can open any app that uses a virtual keyboard. Once the keys are on the screen, simply press the “globe” button at the bottom to switch to an alternatively installed keyboards.

Users can also choose to delete the default iOS “QWERTY” English keyboard if they so choose. Doing so would make it possible to have the third-party keyboard of the user’s choosing the only one available when a virtual keyboard pops up.

The TouchPal keyboard tested by AppleInsider on Friday allows sliding input, which means users can guide their fingertip over the letters they wish to use and the keyboard will intelligently interpret what word they might mean. The keyboard also offers quick access to numbers — as can be seen in the video above, simply sliding a finger up from the top row of letters quickly inputs a corresponding number. Quick access to symbols sucha s “@”, “?” and “!” is also available in the bottom row.

In addition to TouchPal, Fleksy, SwiftKey and Swype have all announced they will be bringing their third-party keyboards to iOS 8. And Apple’s integrated keyboard will also be upgraded with QuickType, a new feature that suggests words to user and adapts to their language over time.

iOS 8 is currently in beta for developer testing. It is expected to launch on iPhone and iPad this fall. For more, see AppleInsider’s other iOS 8 videos, which can also be found below:  

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Unauthorized Third-Party Chargers May Damage iPhone 5 Charging Circuitry

Apple has warned consumers against using third-party power adapters with their iOS devices as they can cause safety issues such as burns and electrocutions, but as it turns out, third-party chargers that have not been approved by Apple may also be responsible for causing damage to one of the chips in the iPhone 5. 

According to UK repair company mendmyi and first reported by iMore, cheap third-party iPhone chargers and USB cables can possibly damage the U2 IC chip on the logic board of the iPhone 5, which might the device to fail to boot up or charge past 1% battery life after the battery drains. 

 

The U2 IC chip controls the charge to the battery, the sleep/wake button, some USB functions, and regulates the charging power to the power IC that actually charges the phone. When damaged, the chip can fail to work properly, which prevents an iPhone 5 from turning back on. While a fresh replacement battery will power the iPhone, once the battery is depleted, the issue resurfaces. 

Mendmyi says that it has seen multiple iPhone 5 devices with a damaged U2 IC chip and has narrowed the problem down to third-party chargers and USB cables, which do not properly regulate voltage.

The cause of this component becoming faulty is really quite simple — third party chargers and USB leads!

The original Apple chargers and USB leads regulate the voltage and current to a level that protects your valuable iPhone and prevents it from damage.

Charging your iPhone using a third party charger or USB lead that does not regulate this as much allows for larger variables in voltage and current, this then damages the U2 IC and can leave you with a seemingly dead iPhone 5.

It is not clear if the issue is limited to the iPhone 5 as some users have also reportedthird-party charger issues with the iPhone 5c, which may use the same component, but the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5 use different U2 IC components. Users with an iPhone 5 experiencing charging issues that have used a third-party cable may have damaged their devices, which will need to be repaired by Apple or another repair outlet. 

Apple has regularly recommended against using third-party chargers and cables. In mid-2013, the company even launched a third-party power adapter recycling program, following the electrocution of a Chinese woman allegedly caused by a counterfeit charger. Apple ran the recycling program from August to October of 2013, recycling counterfeit adapters and providing customers with a $10 credit towards an Apple-branded charger. 

As of iOS 7, Apple also warns customers when they are using unauthorized cables or accessories with their devices. The company’s Lightning connector, introduced with the iPhone 5, fourth generation iPad, and original iPad mini, utilizes several different chips to manage dynamic pin assignment and to recognize whether connectors came from authorized channels. 

 


Apple’s own chargers, as well as those that have been MFi certified, “undergo rigorous testing for safety and reliability,” according to the company, and are designed to be safe and work properly with iOS devices.

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New iOS 8 feature protects users from location-based WiFi tracking

More features likely to appear in iOS 8 when it ships are continuing to surface. Another interesting change in Apple’s popular mobile OS not mentioned on stage at last week’s WWDC keynote is the way iOS 8 will handle MAC addresses and user privacy over WiFi.

A MAC address is used by iPhones and other iOS devices for identification within a WIFI network, but iOS 8 will now be randomizing that address while the device is looking for a connection. This means that, unlike before, iOS 8 devices will be essentially anonymous until connected.

This sounds like a major win for user privacy, but there is an entire industry built on tracking devices that isn’t going to be too happy about this. Many major retail chains employ services that track MAC addresses in order to collate data on people coming in and out of their store. As we previously reported, major retail outlets like Nordstrom and JC Penney have both used systems of this nature as well as camera surveillance tracking in order to gather a complete record of the customer’s activity throughout a particular brick and mortar location.

As many as one in three smartphones in the US run iOS, which will potentially render the tracking data much less valuable for retailers. Whether this a play by Apple to push iBeacon technology to the forefront or simply to provide better privacy for its users is unclear, but location tracking companies will soon have to find some kind of work around to see through Apple’s MAC scrambling.

Source Techspot.com
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iOS 8 will be able to scan and enter credit card data using the iPhone’s camera

 

Apple unveiled its next versions of iOS and OSX this week at WWDC and more information regarding what will be coming when the new operating systems go public is starting to surface. In iOS 8 Apple is introducing a new feature that will allow a device’s camera to read credit card numbers rather than users having to key them in manually when making a purchase, according to 9to5Mac.

The new feature is integrated directly into Safari on iOS 8 where users will be prompted with a “Scan Credit Card” feature when presented with a credit card field on websites. Apple then uses character recognition technology to auto fill data fields from the snap shot. From the sounds of it, Apple will not require support from retail websites and others that require credit card number input. The feature, not unlike what Apple is currently doing with iTunes gift cards and Apple IDs, will also work for expiration date and CVV fields.

For some, this may not seem all that useful considering in many cases users simply enter their credit card data once and have Apple’s Passwords & AutoFill system take care of it from there. However, Apple is also introducing the camera scanning feature inside its AutoFill system to allow users to use the new tech to input data from there as well, according to the report.

Source Techspot.com