iPad Air vs. iPad Air 2 Is it Upgrade-Worthy

As we have learned initially from Apple, as it was announced less than a month ago, the iPad Air 2 is claimed to be not just the best, but the thinnest tablet in the market today. Measuring just 6.1 mm, the iPad Air 2 also features other upgrades such as the CPU, the iSight camera, the Wi-Fi speed, and now the TouchID starting at $499. However, there is also the cheaper iPad Air for only $399. Both tablets will come with iOS 8.1, which means both will have the Apple Pay functionality for online purchases.

To give you a better picture when comparing the two tablet models, below is a chart that will give you a spec-by-spec face-off between the two. Check them out:

	iPad Air	iPad Air 2
Starting Price	$399	$499
CPU	A7 and M7 coprocessors	A8X with M8 motion coprocessor
Display	9.7 inches / 2048 x 1536 pixels	9.7 inches / 2048 x 1536 pixels
OS	iOS 8	iOS 8
Battery	11 hour 51 minutes of continuous Web browsing	Up to 10 hours of continuous Internet browsing
Connectivity	802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi or LTE	802.11ac Wi-Fi or LTE
Size	9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29 inches	9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches
Weight	1.05 pounds	0.96 pounds
Storage	16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB	16GB, 64GB, 128GB
Front/Rear Camera	1.2-MP (720p HD) / 5-MP	1.2-MP (720p HD) / 8-MP
Ports	Lightning, headphone	Lightning, headphone

Display

With Apple claiming that the iPad Air 2 as the least reflective tablet there is, the company was able to achieve the striking thinness of the Air 2 by laminating the layers of the display together, which effectively eliminates the air gap between the glass and touch components. Combining it with some anti-reflective coating, the new panel design should improve viewability.

As for other stuff about the display, pretty much it's just the same with the iPad Air's original display. Both tablets offer a 9.7-inch LED-backlit multitouch screen with IPS technology. Both also offer a resolution of 2048 x 1536, resulting to 264 pixels per inch.

Design

Honestly, it would be quite a challenge to distinguish the two tablets from one another at a glance because of them having very similar designs. However, try turning them on their side, however, and the problem is solved right away. Why? That's because the iPad Air 2 is about 18% thinner than the original iPad Air -- that's specifically 6.1 mm vs. 7.5 mm. So don't be surprised if the entire world claims the Air 2 as the thinnest tablet in the planet today.

Aside from the space gray and silver color in which the iPad Air is available in, you can also get the gold version of the iPad Air 2. Another difference of the Air 2 is the gold ring around the home button, famously known as the TouchID. This fingerprint scanner keeps a log of your prints on your iOS device, which enables you to sign in to Facebook or use Apple Pay with a swipe.

Specifications & Features

Its internal specs are possibly the biggest difference between the first and generation of iPad Air. Apple upgraded the Air 2's CPU to the A8X, the new version of the A8 found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus but is just for iPad. The iPad Air will still only run with the last-generation A7 and M7 chips.

Another upgrade is the iPad Air 2's rear camera. Instead of the 5-MP iSight on the Air, the Air 2 gets 8MP. It can also shoot in Burst mode for photos and slow-mo for video, which the Air doesn't have. Both offer a 1.2 MP FaceTime camera on the front with face detection and 720p HD video.

Obviously, the iPad Air 2 is an improvement over the iPad Air. Along with it is TouchID, a faster processor, faster Wi-Fi connection, and a new camera. You need to pay an extra $100 though, as the iPad Air 2 costs $499, compared to the original Air which costs just $399. For those who are budget-conscious but still want to have a full-sized, best-in-class tablet, the iPad Air is still a great choice.

Revamp Google Chrome's New Tab Page with These Useful Extensions

Some may find the New Tab page of Google Chrome very minimal with only just a search bar and a few quick links to the frequently accessed sites. This default appearance may be considered boring and uninspiring, and its lack of options to customize somehow makes it less lovable to some. The good news is that Google released some useful extensions, which can give your default New Tab page a complete makeover. Here they are:

1. Dream Afar

This extension is visually appealing that contains useful features like weather forecast and simple speed dial. After installing the Dream Afar extension, you'll be welcomes with a Google search bar along with the local time and weather reports. In addition, you can quickly access all your apps, history, and bookmarks via the links displayed on the upper-right corner of the browser.

Although the customization options are limited, you can still do so by going to the options panel, which appears on the menu icon. A great feature of Dream Afar is that you can either remove the enter search widget or you can choose from other search engines like Bing and Baidu. Simply select the radio button of your preference and that's it.

2. Lightning Speed Dial

Lightning Speed Dial is a rather simple dashboard with a beautiful wallpaper, search bar, and quick links to your favorite websites and Chrome apps. This new tab extension is perfect for someone who prefers a minimalist look and feel. Like with Dream Afar wherein the customization options are only few, you can easily design your own start page by enabling you to change its wallpapers (you can even add your own wallpapers from your PC), link categorization, and others.

You can easily access the extension's settings page by clicking on the Setting link at the bottom-right corner of the page. Although you may find very few options, it's good for users who prefer a lightweight and no-nonsense New Tab page for Chrome.

3. Spots

The Spots extension is highly-customizable with a dashboard rich in features for all your online activities like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Once you've installed this extension, you'll be greeted with colorful spots that correspond to links to your most viewed websites, along with an awesome wallpaper. One advantage of using this extension is that you can easily sync it between different computers by simply logging in to your Google or Facebook account.

As for its settings, you can access them anytime from the drop-down menu found on the upper-left corner. From here, you can configure anything from colors, backgrounds, presets, content discovery, notifications, tab behavior, icons, and many others. These options will let you fully customize your New Tab page to match your style and personality, as well as your online needs.

If you are a frequent Chrome user, using any of these extensions will greatly improve your productivity and browsing experience with the New Tab page. Give one of these new extensions a shot and find out which one of them will perfectly suit your style and needs. You'll definitely enjoy a better start page for your everyday browsing activities.

Access a Web Page on Your iPhone While Offline

I love browsing the Internet using my iPhone. I can browse online anytime and anywhere I want since I always have my phone with me.

The problem with this is that your phone isn't necessarily connected to the Internet at all times. Not unless you have unlimited cellular data, which can be really costly. Also, there will be times where you will be at a location where there is limited or no cellular service like when on a plane or car trips through areas with no cellular coverage.

Apple's Reading List allows you to select any web page you’d like and access its contents while offline. All you need to do is to bookmark the web page in the Safari browser on your iPhone. To do this, check out these simple steps:

NOTE: In order for offline reading to work, your iPhone needs to have iOS 6 and later installed.

Access a Web Page on Your iPhone While Offline

Before you begin, make sure you are connected to the Internet so you can add web pages to your Reading List for later reading.

1. Launch the Safari app and open the web page you want to add to the Reading List.

2. Once the website is loaded, tap the Sharing icon located in the middle of the navigation controls at the bottom of your screen.

3. Now, tap Add to Reading List to add the website to your Reading List. The web page will be downloaded and saved for you to access at a later time. You can continue to open new pages and add other web pages to the Reading List until you are done.

That's it! If you want to access your Reading List, simply launch the Safari app, and then tap the Bookmark icon located at the bottom of the screen next to the Share icon. From there, tap the tab with the pair of glasses icon to display all of the articles and web pages you have saved.

By: Supportrix - Providing full spectrum technical support

5 Cool Gmail Labs Features You Should Try

Gmail Labs is Gmail's playground of new features that you can use as long as you have an account. However, be aware that these experimental features may "change, break, or disappear at any time." So far, there were no reported incidents of any off these features causing major disasters on its users. But just in case you may encounter some problems while making use of the Labs features, simply visit this link so that you can turn them all off.

So first things first, you need to enable the Gmail Lab Features setting before you can get to experience some, if not most, of the great features it can give -- which we will be discussing a little further down below.

To start off, sign in to your Google or Gmail account, then go to the gear icon found at the upper-right hand corner of the page, and then select Settings. Click on the Labs tab among the menus on top. Now scroll down or search for the feature you would like to enable, then click the Save changes button button either at the very top or the very bottom of the list. So now you know where to find the Gmail Labs features and how to enable them, below are five top features that we recommend you should try:

1. Take Back a Message That You Have Accidentally Sent

By default, you have a 10-second window of opportunity to take back the action before the message will be actually sent. Now, you have an option to increase the window time to 30 seconds. In order for you to do this, you need to enable the Undo Send feature in Gmail Labs. From there, you can customize the message sending cancellation period to 30 seconds by going to the General tab in the settings, and then scrolling down to the Undo Send entry.

So how do you actually take back the message you sent? Right after you press the Send button, you will see an Undo link within a yellow box that will appear at the top of your inbox. Click it in time, and your message will not be sent. Gmail will reopen it as draft so you can get to fix your email. Gmail cannot (or at least does not) retrieve messages from a recipient's inbox once they're delivered but still unread, the way some email systems can do.

2. Find Out Your Unread Messages Count

With the official name of "Unread message icon," this feature appears overlaid on the Gmail logo on your browser's tab when enabled. Gmail makes it a habit to show you the number of unread messages in your inbox, as long as your Gmail page is loaded to the inbox view, and there is enough space on your tabs for the numbers to appear inside the parenthesis.

3. Preview Your Google Calendar Even While You're in the Mail View

Another awesome Gmail Labs feature removes the hassle of having to navigate to another tab to check your Google Calendar before replying to your email about your availability (for example, a meeting) -- this is the Google Calendar gadget.

The feature adds a mini calendar and scrollable list of appointments starting with the current day. Once you enable this feature, you will find your mini calendar on the left panel of your Gmail screen, where you have your folders, Gmail chat contacts, etc. If in case you're having problems seeing it, your left panel list may probably be too long. Simply click on the three dots found at the very bottom, and your Google Calendar gadget should appear.

4. Preview Messages

Now, Gmail Labs has also implemented the Preview Pane feature, just how it works in Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or your other email client. It's cleverly designed because you can easily toggle the preview mode on and off. Another good design on this feature is that it doesn't automatically preview a message if you haven't selected one yet, which could have caused that message to be marked as read.

5. Find Out Who's Using Google Chat on Android

If you enable this particular Gmail Labs feature, your chat friends who are signed in to Google via their Android mobile devices will be indicated with an Android robot icon, instead of the colored dot of Gmail or Google +. This way, you'll have a clearer idea why your friend, relative, or colleague is somehow ignoring your chat messages.

Which of these Gmail Labs features would you like to choose. Don't worry, there are more features you can choose from if you go visit the Labs tab of your Gmail or Google + account. You'll definitely want to enable a feature or two, which will certainly make your Gmail or Google + experience more enjoyable.

Create Disposable Emails in a Jiffy With MaskMe

Are you fed up with spam from websites that would ask you to register in order to view their content, and then later discover that they will give your info to other companies? If your answer is yes, then this might be the perfect time to use a disposable email. Courtesy of MaskMe, you now have a way to fight against these unwanted messages by creating a disposable email address in an instant. This service enables you to toggle forwarding abilities to your real email, while still protecting your info from being sold to unwanted companies.

MaskMe functions as a Chrome extension that will fill in a disposable email, or even your real one when you need it. Here's how to use the MaskMe service:

First, you need to install the MaskMe extension for Chrome. For the detailed instructions, follow the steps in this article.

MaskMe remembers which website you used a disposable email on, making it easy for you to log in. You will have to remember your password, unless if you're using MaskMe to manage your passwords as well. When the registration form loads on a website, click the email field and MaskMe will display a pop-up menu that allows you to select either a disposable email or your true email.

Below is how the MaskMe interface looks like:

Since MaskMe keeps a record of where you use disposable email addresses, it will be easy for you to toggle their forwarding capability via the extension. You can do this by clicking the extension icon on the toolbar, then select Masked Emails.

On the sample screenshot above, click the green Forwarding button next to the email you would like to toggle and it will be set as Blocked. You can also delete the email at any time by clicking on the small trash can icon located at the right side.

Neat iPhone 6 Rumored Features That's Perfect on the Business Side

The most anticipated next-gen iPhone from Apple, the iPhone 6, could possibly be the best business phone of the year. The smartphone, which is due to be released this coming fall, is expected to provide a faster processor and a bigger screen display than its predecessors. Not to mention it’s the only Apple handset to debut with iOS 8, which is the updated version of the company's mobile operating system that packs in new ways for your iPhone to interact with your desktop computer. And since Apple has not yet confirmed any rumors coming out on the Web, it's safe to say that the rumors of Apple's next flagship smartphone is a possibility and how it will play a significant role in the business side.

1. Bigger display

iPhone was introduced with a compact screen size of 3.5-inch (8.9 centimeters), and as of the moment, no iPhone has featured a screen display that goes beyond the 4 inches (10.2 cm) mark. The next iPhone is set to feature a much bigger display, and it's said to be coming out with a 4.7-inch (11.9 cm) screen, a significant increase in the screen size. It strikes a pretty good balance between productivity and portability, since bigger devices are not that portable because it's harder to use with one hand. This is considered to be an essential increase, though it would still be trailing behind 5-inch flagship phones with the likes of the Samsung S5 and the HTC M8 when it comes to screen size.

2. Faster processor

Apple's iPhone 5S still remains one of the fastest smartphones in the market since it was released last fall. Running on the company's A7 processor, it is the first 64-bit chip ever put in a smartphone. Reports claim that the upcoming iPhone 6 will come out with an even more powerful processor, the new 64-bit A8 CPU, making it the first iPhone running on a quad-core processor. However, a fast processor isn't everything in a business phone since most mid-range smartphones are fast enough to perform basic productivity tasks. But if you're goal is to achieve more production and perform multi-tasks smoothly, a phone with a faster processor will definitely win a businessman's heart.

3. Touch ID

With Apple's strictly monitored app store, the iOS is considered the safest of the major mobile platforms. iPhone 5's famous fingerprint scanner called Touch ID is still a nice security enhancement, and it's still rumored to be present in the iPhone 6. The Touch ID feature lets you quickly unlock your phone by placing one of your fingertips over the scanner, which is embedded in the iPhone's home button. The security benefit of it is that you can lock down your device without the need to type a password every time you turn on the screen. It's believed to be a reliable function in the iPhone 5S and is expected to return for the iPhone 6, along with some enhancements.

The biggest change with the Touch ID function is the ability to lock individual apps. Say for example with the Mint finance app, you can also use the fingerprint scanner to secure your data containing your spending and other financial information. Another rumor claims that Apple will cover the next Touch ID scanner with super-strong sapphire glass to ensure that the scanner's fingerprint-reading capabilities will be protected from scratches or damage.

4. iOS 8

One thing's for sure (so it's not really a rumor), iPhone 6 will be released with iOS 8, an upgrade of Apple's mobile operating system. The newest iOS version was announced this spring, and is scheduled to be released along with the newer models of the iPhone and iPad. Aside from the ehancements made on its interface, the new version also includes several upgrades that aim to increase productivity.

One of the enhancements in iOS 8 is the revamped notification system that lets you act on incoming messages and alerts in a jiffy. How does it work? Let's say you receive and email or text message, you no longer have to launch the messaging app in order to send a reply. Instead, you simply have to swipe down to display the keyboard, type in your message, and then hit Send. And you can do this without having to leave the app you're currently on. Sweet, right? Different actions are available depending upon the type of alert. The notifications drawer will also will also be supporting widgets for the first time, allowing you to check on stocks, view the weather, and see your reminders with a quick glance.

The Handoff must be the biggest addition to iOS 8, which enables you to connect the iPhone 6 to your desktop iMac or MacBook. The Handoff feature lets you switch between you mobile device and your desktop seamlessly. So if you're composing an email on your iPhone 6 but later on you decided to use a physical keyboard instead, simply click the Handoff icon on your desktop computer. Doing this will launch your Mail app and will import your in-progress email draft, so you can continue with your email composition on your desktop.

5. NFC Support

For years, Android phones have already been supporting the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and now there are also reports that Apple will also be getting on board with the iPhone 6. NFC enables smartphones to communicate wirelessly with other computers and mobile devices when the machines are in close range. Having this function on your phone gives you the ability to transfer files between devices with a quick tap, or even send a document to the printer from your iPhone 6. So how does it benefit small businesses? It lets users send and receive money via NFC, providing quick and easy transactions.