PROS:

Swipe up – and you get a neat control center. From there you can toggle your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, adjust the screen brightness and music controls as well as access to the flashlight, alarm clock, calculator and camera.

Safari – Do you enter in the actual address or type in the search bar on the top right? Well, no more of that! Safari now has one search bar that does both tasks! (By the way, do you know which browser was the first to combine the search and address bar into one?)

Don’t like someone? No longer receive their calls or messages (including Face Time) by selecting “block this caller” from  within the contact.

When did I send that text? No longer will you say “Approximately an hour ago I sent you the text” – now you can slide over and see the exact time all messages were sent and received.

App Store – Hate manual updates? Now you can allow automatic updates. Want to know if the app is age appropriate for your child? You can now sort by age!

CONS:

What happens if you simply don’t like the new look, or can’t navigate it like iOS 6 or even worse, an app is not working properly?

There is no going back to iOS 6.

So before you go to SETTINGS, GENERAL, SOFTWARE UPDATE and follow the prompts to upgrade to the latest iOS, realize this is a one way trip – are you ready to take the leap?

HELPFUL POINTERS:

Noticed the very bright screen? Well then you probably noticed your battery life draining quickly. Perhaps you should lower the brightness to preserve the battery life.

Underground? While riding the subway underground, give a quick swipe and change to airplane mode, to preserve the battery life of your device.

Not using the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? When not using a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network, make sure your device is not looking for them to conserve your precious battery life.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Windows 8.1 will not be as minor as a service pack update, but not as big as the change from Windows 7 to Windows 8 was.

It will be available starting October 17th for Windows 8 users and available for purchase on October 18th.

With regard to the “start screen” or “metro look/ Windows 8 look” …

– Windows 8.1 allows for more customization of the background

– More size options for the titles

With Windows 8 the computer boots automatically into the start screen, with 8.1 you can decide which screen it should boot into as well as what happens when you hover the mouse over the different corners.

 As with all other software upgrades, not until the final version is released will we know what the changes actually are… so stay tuned!

While there are several browsers to choose from, Google Chrome is a highly popular choice. Read below to see why that is and what are some tips especially related to the newest update.

SOME HISTORY: 

A browser is what is required to allow the average user to access the Internet.

Microsoft packages their browser, Internet Explorer, with all Windows computers and MAC packages Safari with all their products.

When it comes to downloading additional browsers, Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox are both popular picks.

GOOGLE CHROME:

Why is it such a common browser?

Google Chrome has a clean look, it does not have all the toolbars which Internet Explorer offers. Chrome also offers a quick response.

Did you know?

CTRL + T opens a new tab

Looking to search the web? Simply type in the search bar on top or the Google search bar in the middle of the page.

Looking for a website you frequent? Select the image from under the Google search bar.

Looking for your apps? Select “APPS” from the top left of your favorites bar.

CTRL + SHIFT + T opens the last closed tab.

Want to see more previously closed apps? Select the menu button, Select “RECENT TABS” and choose the tab you were looking for.