The Three Keyboard Comparison in iOS 7

Just for a quick comparison, here are the three keyboards close-up. Last time I just compared two of them, so here's all three.

Two new channels for Apple TV

Sometime between early this morning and this afternoon, Apple has added two new channels to their TV device. "Watch Disney Junior" and "MLS"

I'm not much into sports, so MLS will join MLB, EPSN, NBA, & NHL as things I hide using the Restrictions setting (formally known as the Parental Control setting).

Disney Junior marks the 3rd channel by Disney to get not the TV. The first two were Disney Channel and Disney XD. Which begs the question, why isn't ABC on the TV? ABC, for those that do t know, is owned by Disney. 

Apple fixed the update bug in Apple TV

A bug that caused some Apple TV units to be "bricked" via an update resulted in apple pulling the update. It's back now, which means Apple apparently fixed the problem. If you haven't updated prior to the pull, now is your chance.

One good thing about the music app in iOS 7

One thing that really annoyed me about iOS 6 was the removal of Cover Flow in the music app. It was the way I always browsed through my music on previous versions. Now in iOS 7 it's sort of back. Unfortunally it's still not available on the iPad (it never was), but at least on iPhone and iPod touch when you turn your device sideways you can see the lovely album covers!

Here's what Bold Text looks like in iOS 7

In the Accessibility section of the Settings in iOS 7, you can turn on Bold Text. Since you have to restart your device each time, it can be a little time consuming to compare "before" and "after" to figure out which you prefer. Luckily I did it for you! Below are the screenshots.

With "Bold Text" turned off (default)

With "Bold Text" turned on

The fragmented keyboard in iOS 7

Apps that haven't been updated to use the new design language in iOS 7 will continue to use the older keyboard from iOS 6 and below. Hopefully more developers will fix their apps soon, because this just causes design fragmentation and this non-uniform keyboard across apps looks bad.

This is Safari vs. Atomic Web Browser in iOS 7

Americans Keep It Classy

Americans keep it classy... as far as aesthetics are concerned. About a week ago, I had the unfortunate mishap of ordering from B68 Solutions Limited on Amazon. The reason I say unfortunate is because B68 tried to get away with shipping me the international version of a movie on Blu-ray Disc.

The problem with DVDs and Blu-ray Discs from Europe, is that the placement of the rating is ugly. There is no aesthetic vision when it comes to the placement. Just look how it stands out on my bookshelf:

Notice the gaudy rating symbols on the spine. And it just gets worse from here. Now let's look at the disc itself, as well as the plastic case:

Horrible placement. Garbage all over the case and on the disc. I've ordered a replacement directly from Amazon and will be returning this eyesore. Since the replacement hasn't arrived yet, I don't have a North American copy to show you, so I choose another movie instead just for comparison purposes.

And where is the rating you my ask? It's neatly on the back, out of obstruction so you can admire the beauty of minimalism. Back cover, bottom right is the U.S. rating, and bottom left is the Canadian rating. Not all over the front, back, and disc like it is in Europe!

UPDATE (Sept. 16):
My replacement from Amazon arrived so I can show you a true comparison between the North American and International version of the movie. As you can see in one of the photos below, besides the gaudy ratings, the case is also slightly thicker. This causes the backlash of running out of space on the shelf.

Today Apple announced the new iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S

The iPhone 5 has been replaced today with the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S. The iPhone 4S remains as a free option at many carriers after rebate. Pre-orders start on September 13th, with sales starting the following week in the U.S. and other countries.

As many as guessed from the leaked photos on the Internet, the "C" in "5C" is for color. The phone will be offered in green, blue, yellow, pink, and white. With cases being sold in the same colors, plus black. The cases will cost $29 and the iPhone 5C will cost $99 and $199 for the 16GB and 32GB versions respectively.

The iPhone 5S will come in silver, gray, and gold. It looks just like the previous iPhone 5 did, but has better battery life and the new A7 chip in the iPhone 5S makes this the worlds first 64-bit phone. There is also a fingerprint scanner built into the Home button. The iPhone 5S also includes an M7 chip which measures motion date and enables a new generation of health and fitness apps. The Nike+ app will take advantage of the M7 chip. The camera is also improved with a slow-motion mode, taking 120 frames per second so you can smoothly slow down the action. The prices for the iPhone 5S are $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Apple is also selling a leather case for the 5S which will cost $39.

Oh and as a special treat, Elvis was in the house! No, not that Elvis, Elvis Costello. He was playing a song from his new album being released next week.

As for iOS 7, it will be released on September 18th.

Jessie, a horrible show on the Disney Channel

As many already know, a recent update to the Apple TV brought with it new channels/apps. One of these is "Watch Disney Channel" which allows you to watch select episodes from select shows on demand, as well as watch what's currently playing live on the channel. As I was familiarizing myself with the selection of shows, I came across the show "Jessie." I put on the most recent episode that Disney offered, episode 25 from season 2 titled "Break-Up and Shape-Up" and the episode was so horrible that I could barely it. I suffered through it to see if it got any better, but it didn't.

In the episode, the main character Jessie Prescott (Debby Ryan) talks about an old ex boyfriend named Ted. She said he's the only guy she broke up with because he was "heavy, hairy in the wrong places, smelly, toll booth attendant" and then implied that he might have actually been a troll. But then when she sees him again, he changed. He "started working out, losing weight, and got the hump removed." and suddenly Jessie was all over him. She was drooling and jumped on him at first sight. Later in the episode Ted took his jacket off, and again Jessie drooled. She has a boyfriend named Tony, but that doesn't stop her from ogling Ted.

Jessie belittles Tony because his job as a doorman apparently isn't "special" enough for her. She insults his work, rather than being proud that he has a job in the first place. In the end of the episode Jessie admits to Tony that she was attracted to Ted, and then breaks up with him. Jessie and Tony part as "just friends" because as she puts it "the spark is just gone" and that since they notice other people it's a sign they should see other people.

This sends the wrong message to young girls, that physical appearance is more important than emotional, intellectual, or spiritual qualities. The show also sends the message that it's ok to be materialistic and expect their boyfriend to have a super amazing job, rather than be understanding of the job he has. Girls are also told by this episode that if they see another guy that's attractive, it's ok to ruin their current relationship for the new guy whom they hardly even know. Disney is basically saying it's ok for young girls to grow up as shallow, emotionless, sluts who go after any guy they think is hot. Parents, do your children a favor and don't let them watch this atrocious show.