Another year, another batch of new iPhones hits the Internet to dampened-yet-still-feverish hype in the era of COVID-19. And, as always, some of us are sitting around wondering, “What’s the big deal?”

Of course, if you’re a huge Apple fan, you probably appreciate Cupertino’s iterative approach to product development. After all, why mess up a good thing for no real reason?

Such seems to be the thinking behind the FOUR new iPhone 13 models, ranging from an iPhone 13 Mini to the Pro Max (the latter sounding like a throwback to 1996 product naming conventions but we digress).

Of course, each one is distinguished from the other by the size of both the body itself, screen, and price tag. As you can imagine, the Pro Max will do just that to your available credit card balance yet that model might actually be worth it compared with some of the others that, frankly, have more of a rewarmed iPhone 12 air about them.

So what are we getting with the new iPhone 13? The iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13 will both have Cupertino’s bespoke A15 Bionic Chip, a pair of front cameras, a 6.1 and 5.4 inch Super Retina XDR display, and an adequate 128GB storage. Colors will be “starlight,” “midnight,” blue, pink, and, naturally, (PRODUCT)RED. As for pricing, the lower end of the iPhone 13 totem starts at $799 with a street date of September 24.

The upper echelon of the iPhone 13 family sees an impressive augmentation of the smartphone’s camera system in the form of a bunch of new photo modes. Storage goes up to 1TB and new ultrawide cameras promise better capabilities all around in that department.

“The new pro camera system offers even more pro photography capabilities like improved telephoto zoom, macro photography, Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode, as well as ProRes and Dolby Vision video. The Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion is our best display ever; it intelligently responds to the content on your screen, offers fantastic graphics performance, and is perfect for any viewing experience,” Apple’s Greg Joswiak commented of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max.

Body colors include graphite, gold, silver, and sierra blue with the Pro and Pro Max pricing at $999 and $1099.

All of these will utilize Apple’s next-gen operating system, iOS 15 which itself promises a host of cool features for content creators and others.

In terms of what models to be excited about, it’s hard to deny that the Pro and Pro Max up the power and capabilities of the iPhone segment without changing too much else. That said, they’re still pretty similar to last-gen and that’s pretty much to be expected at this point (as we alluded to in the introduction).

If you’re looking to upgrade your older iPhone handset for something new and improved it is hard to deny that these are currently the best iPhones on the market.

https://www.lightstalking.com/apple-debuts-2-apple-iphone-13-pros-alongside-an-iphone-13-regular-and-mini-variant/

https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-13-pro-and-pro-max-have-more-storage-more-zoom-and-more-power

[Submitted by Vince Rubiera]

At the time of this post it is three weeks since benefits expired for many Pennsylvanian's. For many, PUA benefits stopped on December 26, 2020 whether their claims were exhausted or not. Despite an agreement being reached with a new federal stimulus package, Pennsylvania has yet to implement the PUA and PUEA extension leaving many to wonder: where are my benefits?

The federal government has new requirements for PUA and PEUC, including increased verification of benefits.

A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry said the state has to revamp the computer system that issues benefits for the programs, and that could also delay the extra $300 per week that people might be expecting with those benefits.

State officials said there's no timetable for when PUA and PEUC payments will resume.

People who have questions should email uchelp@pa.gov.

Since our inception there have been websites popping up attempting to pass themselves off as the US Press Association.

We would say "we are flattered" if it wasn't so damaging!

The facade that is put up by some of these websites is very elaborate. There are interconnected webs of "press agencies" offering to sell you a fake card they call a "press pass". They list their "publications" in an effort to give the site legitimacy. The fact is, these "publications" are just a lure to get people to think they could actually be part of a "pseudo media conglomerate". All this type of site wants to do is attract enough people to use their work to make it look like they are actually doing something. That is never the issue with the US Press Association, THE USPA. We focus on driving visitors, viewers and listeners to your site or social media profile, because joining our organization is about bringing out the best in you not us.

Fact is, these people have no idea what they are doing. Sure, they have convinced enough people to buy their bogus product and if you go to their site you'll see some members. These numbers pale in comparison to the vast member base that has chosen to trust us, the original, the authentic, The US Press Association. These bogus sites and their operators desperately want to know he we operate.

Why do they want to know? Well the answer is simple, we have been dedicated to serving and assisting freelance and professional journalists and others involved in media for close to two decades now. These pop-up websites have been around for weeks, some have managed to deceive their way into a few years of operation. 

This surge in fake "press agencies" is creating a lasting mark on the integrity of freelance and even professional media organizations.

So many of these websites are really just one big web owned and controlled by a few people.

They create a business structure and set up a registered agent office in a state like Nevada, meanwhile they are nowhere to be found within the United States, instead they reside elsewhere in countries like Germany, Russia and several others. Of course, being a resident of these other countries is not an issue, the issue lies within the deceptive web in which they cast to catch unsuspecting individuals.

These fake sites tend to lure people with tempting phrases like "get your backstage pass". Any practicing journalist, photographer, videographer can tell you that simply having writing, video, photo access does NOT give you backstage access. We believe in being honest with our members and try to educate those that may just be starting out in the field about what is expected of them when we help them secure press passes for specific places or events.

"We need to take a stance against this type of deceptive practice"

We won't lure, lie or cheat to obtain members. Our members are here because they made a solid and informed decision about the organization they wished to become part of. Please stand with us and you can rest assured that we will always have the best interest of our members in mind. 

Stand with us. Become a member today...