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Tag: Terminator Genisys

July 5, 2015

You Won’t Believe Why this iPhone Battery Died

If your iPhone can’t hold a charge anymore, you might want to check out one more possible solution before you throw in the towel…

If your iPhone can’t hold a charge anymore, you might want to check out one more possible solution before you throw in the towel…

My wife’s iPhone 6 Plus suddenly had battery problems. Big problems. Purchased online right after I got my own 6 Plus, her iPhone is not even ten-months old. But suddenly it couldn’t get through half a day without burning through a full charge. And believe me, she’s no smartphone power user… so that wasn’t the problem.

Warning: Low Battery
So the IT Guy proceeded to take some standard steps to eliminate known battery-drain culprits on her ailing smartphone:

  • I closed all the unnecessary open apps.
  • I turned off Bluetooth.
  • Also switched off Wi-Fi.
  • I then let the phone drain down all the way and then fully powered it back up to make sure the battery wasn’t experiencing any memory issues.

No improvement.

I was resigned to the likely reality I needed to take a trip to the Apple Store for surgery and a new battery.
(Fortunately, we always buy AppleCare coverage. Plus, our lazy iPhone was still covered on its base one-year warrantee. So my projected pain was more about inconvenience than cost…)

Hiding in Plain Sight
I decided to take another look and lifted the device out of my wife’s purse. The iPhone’s screen was already glowing, and the whole unit was pretty warm… as if it had been lit up for a while.

That’s odd.
It must have just gotten knocked around inside the purse when I picked it up, and the home button had accidentally been squeezed.

That night, I walked by the phone. It was sitting idly on my wife’s night table.
Its screen was illuminated… again.

I stopped.
Wait a minute… I was sure my wife hadn’t just been using it.
She was downstairs.

Hmmm… this couldn’t be a coincidence.
Could it be possible this iPhone was stuck in some kind of ‘always-shine’ mode?

Illumination
So I walked back, sat down and picked up the iPhone to drill down into its settings:

  • General
  • Auto-Lock

And do you know what I found?
Its Auto-Lock setting that determines when the screen shuts off automatically was set to…“Never!!”

WHOAH!!!
(How did that happen?)
(Of course, any iPhone 6 Plus would quickly lose its juice if its screen had been instructed to always remain on…)

So I switched the setting back to ‘five minutes,’ which I find is to be a reasonable amount of time to let your iPhone radiate while momentarily unattended.

Problem solved!

Well, not entirely…
My wife hadn’t adjusted this configuration. And it would seem almost impossible to accidentally make the change.

It was a conundrum for both of us.

Better AppleCare+
Of course the good news is my wife’s iPhone battery is just fine. No Apple Genius appointment needed at the Apple Store.

Another piece of good news for iPhone batteries throughout the known universe is Apple has just improved its AppleCare+ warrantee coverage.

Previously, AppleCare+ would only replace your battery if it couldn’t hold a 50% charge. Now, if your battery can’t get past 80%, AppleCare’s got you covered.
(That’s a pretty sweet upgrade for iPhones, iPads and MacBooks.)

Your Skynet has Arrived
The bad news…?
How the iPhone’s Auto-Lock setting got bumped to infinity mode will remain an unsolved mystery in the Lester family.
Case closed…

Is this ‘freakish’ tech tale really as much of a shocker as my post’s headline suggest? Well, consider it a cautionary account, as we all rely more heavily on technology to live our lives.

You can laugh at sci-fi sagas like “Terminator: Genisys” for being a bit ludicrous. But you can’t deny it’s always a problem when your tech goes rogue.

Pray it’s never intentional.
That could really ruin your day…

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April 26, 2015

The Fate of the Summer Movie Blockbuster Hopefuls

The summer movie season is almost here, but the truth is already out there. Start clicking on some movie trailers to find out the fate of the summertime box office…

The summer movie season is almost here, but the truth is already out there. Start clicking on some movie trailers to find out the fate of the summertime box office…

A long time ago in what now seems like a galaxy far, far away, I used to review movies. Today, as a family man, I’m lucky if I can even get to a flick, let alone find the time to review one.

Fortunately, one aspect of ‘the cinema’ I especially enjoy is simply checking out movie previews online. Last week, I shared my joy with the new “Star Wars” teaser trailer.

For me, a great movie trailer is worth the price of a full ticket. The way it can get your heart pumping in under three minutes. I’ve also got to admit it’s quite the efficient use of your time…. Like who doesn’t have a couple minutes?

If you haven’t noticed, the official start of the summer movie season is almost here.  I say it’s never too soon to decide what movies you intend to see. And what better way to make your decision than simply watching the trailers?

Movie Trailers 101
Here are Barrett’s basic rules on movie previews:

  • If it’s a must-see trailer, the movie has a really strong chance of being solid.
  • If it’s only a good trailer, the flick has a 50/50 chance of getting it done.
  • If it’s a bad trailer, this movie is really in trouble.
    (Because if you can’t find two good minutes to edit together, that’s saying a lot.)

Some trailers suffer from telling you too much about the story.
(Then, you feel like you’ve seen the entire movie.)

Other previews leave you confused as to what the film is about.
(Also a bad sign)

So based on these vastly oversimplified rules, I offer you my predictions for the summer’s best movies based on their most recent trailers.

My Summer Movie Picks Based on Ten Trailers

Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron
This trailer is good. Not great. So you might want to be worried. But this is Director Joss Whedon we’re talking about. I have faith he will deliver.
Go.

Jurassic World
There’s a new genetically engineered dinosaur that’s the monster du jour? Yawn.
Haven’t we really seen this movie three times before?
Pass.

Terminator Genisys
It’s supposed to be somehow set in an ‘alternate’ reality, which allows the filmmakers to ‘reimagine’ the series. Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be anything that new here. And it’s hard to spell the title. But Arnold’s baaack!
So go.

Ant Man
This movie seems to have a genuine sense of humor. I’ve got high hopes this could actually be fun.
Go.

Mad Max: Road Fury
This crazy trailer makes the original trilogy look like Barney the Dinosaur.
Go fast. Very fast.

Fantastic Four
I read they wanted to make this a ‘dark’ origins reboot. The setup looks interesting, but I’m not feeling much connection to any of the characters or their ‘mission.’
Pass.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
This movie is trying so hard to be ‘60’s cool and clever. And fun. The problem is the trailer isn’t. At all.
Pass.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Another one?!
Yes, please.
This series still appears fresh and enjoyable.
Go.

San Andreas
The Rock Vs. the fault line.
California gets destroyed. Again?
Pass.

Tomorrowland
George Clooney. Cool concept. But I’m a little confused.
Pass.
No wait… George Clooney.
Go…

Wait for the Reviews?
How fair is it to assess a movie’s potential, based solely on a finely buffed marketing effort?

Well, it’s never going to get any better for most of these flicks after they’re released and the reviews come out. This is the honeymoon period.

If a trailer can’t get it done today, it’s unlikely the film will end up being a hit tomorrow.

That said, let’s see how these flicks actually handle themselves, and I’ll review my scorecard at the end of the summer…

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