Just in case you didn’t catch the news, Apple 🍎 wants to turn the iPhone into a sensor that will “noninvasively and continuously monitor blood sugar levels to better treat diabetes.”
I heard this report tonight on NBC TV News with Lester Holt. I couldn’t believe my ears, so I googled it. Sure enough, there were a number of stories from different news outlets that said Apple was secretly working on a feature that can track glucose levels accurately without piercing the skin. It’s reportedly an optical sensor that shines a light through the skin to measure indications of glucose.
This is great news for the 29 million Americans who have diabetes. Apple is not sure when the monitor will be available. It has been in development for five years and still needs more work.
The center of the universe, Fifth Avenue at 59th St. NYC.
I bought the iPhone 6 plus, 128 GB, in slate gray. It wasn’t a tough choice for me because I lost my iPad two months ago and this is going to be the replacement. I am counting on the additional length to be just right for reading newspapers, magazines, and books.
I’m actually quite excited because I have been squinting for too long. I’m not going to get the new iPhone for a few weeks because we ordered it from our local Verizon store. Eliot woke up at 3am on Saturday morning to buy the unit for me but the Apple site was down even though they said that was when they would be open for business. He tried getting into the site for an hour and then was just too exhausted to stay up any little longer.
He ordered the iPhone 6 Plus later at lunchtime. Tonight we had dinner with our friends on Central Park South. In the walk back home, we stopped by the Apple store. People were already lined up waiting to be the first to own the new iPhones. Who are these people and why do they have the time to sit and wait?
11:00pm and the Apple store was packed. I needed a new cord so we ventured inside. It’s still a wonderment to me.
If you love sports, concerts, and bird watching, then you are going to love the field binoculars. When the binoculars attach to iPhone, it is perfect for either easy viewing and/or recording. The 36mm lenses on the binoculars deliver 8X magnification for a 465-foot field of view at 1,
The unit is being sold at Hammacher Schlemmer for $99. The description reads “When the phone is in camera mode, the screen displays all magnified images as if it were an external monitor. The included phone case seals snugly over one eyepiece, aligning the phone’s camera with the binocular lens. Included phone cases fit iPhone 5S/5 and 4S/4. The field glasses also function as standard binoculars when detached. Includes carrying case and cleaning cloth. 1 3/4″ H x 6″ W x 7” L. (2 lbs.).
My friend Steve just gifted the binoculars to me. I wanted to let you know about them immediately. After I use it a few times, i will give you a review.
There is good news for all of my contemporaries who are starting to have hearing problems. Made for iPhone hearing aids are supposedly better than many of the traditional ones out there because they will give you more and better options to suit your specific needs.
I started to notice that more people were mumbling a few years ago. It never occurred to me that my hearing abilities were changing. I’m still not totally convinced that it’s me, but okay I will give in a little bit.
Hearing problems can occur at any age, but it is prevalent in folks 65 to 74 according to the National Institutes of Health. Approximately 36 million people report hearing difficulties.
The average hearing aid user is 69 years of age.
Hearing aids from Starkey and GN ReSound are among those designed to connect directly to iPhones. The reason why these apps are so good is because they have numerous settings that allow people to easily adjust the sound settings to the environment. They also have geotagging features integrated into the GPS for customized settings when the user returns to the same place over and over.
The app’s Live Microphone feature addresses ambient noises. The user can place the phone in front of the person opposite him/her to pick up the conversation.
In case you are wondering why your iPhone is running on empty after you just charged it or why it is not responding to your touch, check the weather in your local area.
Word has leaked out from Apple’s headquarters that extreme cold temperatures are paralyzing smartphone operating systems.
If the temperature goes below the freezing mark, your smartphone will probably start acting funky. Apple wants you to shut down your iPhone immediately and store it in a warmer spot.
Very few of us knew about this before. Huge temperature swings (below 32 degrees and higher than 95) can harm the intelligence of your smartphone. Everything can go blank. Apple said they never had to warn Americans before, but there have been too many customers complaints now to remain silent.
The smartphone hasn’t been the only danger areas for Apple these days. Surprise, surprise. The signature Apple store on Fifth Avenue suffered a severe blow today because of the snowstorm. Cleaning crews operating snowblowers shattered one of the fifteen monolithic glass panels that make up the exterior of the iconic 32-foot glass cube. The structure looks like it is weeping.
For those of you who are not on Facebook, I wanted to share some of my photos. I consider them collectibles.
A friend posted this.
Former HWH staffer Meghan Dougherty visited with us recently. She is a wife, mommy of two, and author of a soon-to-be-published tween novel. Remember, you saw her here first.
The townhouses on East 62nd Street — all dressed up for next week!
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke at the 92 Street Y. We live in her district in Miami.
Dylan’s Candy Store getting ready for Chanukah.
The real Teri Garr wrote this message on a blackboard hanging in Georgio’s Country Grill on 9th Avenue at 53rd Street.
Today marks one week and one day since the line started in front of the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Enthusiasts from near and far wanted to be the first on line to buy the two new iPhone models being offered. That means there are human beings walking around this Earth who have the freedom to stop whatever they are doing on a day-to-day basis to stand in line for 15 days just so they can say they bought the first units sold at that particular location.
“You got that right,” said Brian from Brooklyn, who was actually napping when a group of us strolled by him this past Wednesday night around 11:30 pm. I thought he was sound asleep, but as we approached he quickly got himself assembled for a DigiDame interview.
Brian was very upfront. Part of this whole experience was to get interviewed. Sorry Brian, this interview is only for DigiDame. We are no Huff Post. He didn’t care. “I’m just getting warmed up,” he announced. I asked him every question a mother would want to know. He answered everything as if I were a close friend. As he spoke, I was once again reminded that most young people today are willing to share openly and don’t have the inhibitions of many of us older folks. “Take me like I am,” is his philosophy, even though he was polite as heck. When I asked what his mother thought about his escapade, he gleefully answered, “I am buying two iPhones, one for me and one for her.”
What a smart young man. Brian’s interview is above. Click here for more details on the wait.
I hate when friends want to hold my iPhone to see a photo or a video. They usually want to get closer to the screen. Unfortunately, they sometimes lose my photos when they try to enlarge the image or they displace videos when they want to switch from one to another. I have been known to grab my iPhone after I see them trying to manipulate the screen. “Get your sticky fingers off my screen,” I sometimes say out loud or mumble to myself
Recently I found a solution to my dilemma that I want to share with you. It’s the new ultra-sleek 3M Projector Sleeve for the iPhone 4/4S. All you do is slip your iPhone into the case. The case allows you to project pictures and videos everywhere and anywhere. All of a sudden everyone can share together. While it hasn’t been publicly announced, 3M is going to shortly introduce a projector sleeve for the iPhone 5. 3M calls the sleeve “dock and go.” I love that because it is small and thin enough to go with you everywhere. You can slip it in the pocket of your jeans, your purse, or the pocket on your shirt.
The makers of the 3M Projector Sleeve claim that users are getting a kick out sharing their new favorite viral video from YouTube® or streaming the newest films from Netflix® on the wall, on the ceiling or on the side of a tent. Others are creating photo sharing nights with family and friends with special slide shows. The 3M Projector Sleeve allows for 100 minutes of projection time. It also has a rechargeable battery. It’s very simple to use. Just project, share and enjoy. It even works as a back-up charger for your phone with the press of a button.
I plan to use the 3M Projector Sleeve for client presentations, to review photos on my camera roll, and to show off interesting videos I took at concerts, musicals, and plays. I may also start my own human interest channel on YouTube and share the videos with friends when we all gather together.
Amazon has the 3M Projector Sleeve on sale for $165.98 through November. It usually sells for $229.00.
Every night when we leave our office on 22nd and Broadway, NYC, I start complaining about taking the subway home. “Let’s take a taxi,” I usually bellow. We usually start walking half a block toward the subway entrance, but if I see a cab with its light on, I start waving my hand frantically. “Take me home. Take me home.”
Tonight there wasn’t a cab in sight. I was pacing on the sidewalk as Eliot started descending down the steps. He got half way down when all of a sudden a young woman on top of the steps started screaming “Stop that guy he has my iPhone. Stop him please.” Then like a flash of lightening some kid with an iPhone in his mouth goes flying down the steps. Eliot chases after him and prevents the guy from entering the platform by shoving him to the floor.
While this is going on the victim is still screaming “Get my phone. Get my phone.” I am half way down the stairs at this time frozen on the spot. Before I knew it, the thief breaks lose and starts running towards me in order to run up the steps and get away. By this time an army of woman barricade the exit above me and start chanting “Drop the phone. Drop the phone.”
Eliot trails the guy up the steps and one clobber later the guy drops the iPhone from his mouth on to the floor. The owner grabs her phone and starts screaming for joy. The women opened the gap to let the thief free. He turned out to be a kid and no one wanted to detain him.
Everyone started to applaud Eliot and the gal with the iPhone yelled out one big thank you to everyone and then added, “When you live in New York, everyone has your back.” Then Eliot came to retrieve me from my catatonic position. Next week Eliot and I are going to be married 33 years. I could only give him my most earnest reaction. “What the F… were you thinking? Don’t ever do that again.”
Most older folks often question the validity of Twitter. Many of my friends think it is a place where everyone goes to post what they ate for dinner, what movie they saw, and who their favorite rock star is. Au contraire! Twitter continues to be a social media platform where users report information as it develops and voice their opinions on current events
I want to show you what I mean. Crimson Hexagon, a social media research company, recently surveyed Twitter to see what Americans thought of Apple Maps Vs Google. Their results really give you the nitty gritty. Crimson Hexagon grabbed more than 50,000 tweets that mentioned the Maps app, which comes standard on the iPhone 5, over the last six days. Just 10% of those expressed interest, approval or excitement, such as this review from pastor Charlie Campbell: “I was a little nervous about losing Google maps but I must say I like Apple’s maps even better.”
Then Crimson Hexagon dug up 22% of the tweets expressing an outright hatred of the Apple app. But another 30% cracked jokes at the expense of Maps, such as this from entrepreneur Chris Eh Young: “If you ordered an iPhone 5, shipments are being delayed. Apple is forcing the delivery guys to use Apple Maps.”
Click on the Mashable story here written by Chris Taylor to learn more. It is quite fascinating.
DigiDame 