I receive questions from readers like you all the time, and I love it! The question I received that prompted this post was one that I hadn't really been asked before, so it was worth a post. The question is this: "I am an avid cyclist and am looking for an easy way to track my speed and distance using my iPhone, which is already attached to my handlebars for music and texting. Do you have any recommendations?"
My first thought was, why not use a Garmin or other devices that are specifically designed for sports like cycling? But if you already have you're iPhone mounded to your handlebars for music and texting, I have just the app for you!
Hackers and scammers are often looking for ways to steal email addresses, passwords and data. With that information, they can easily 1) get access to the information in your sensitive accounts, 2) use these accounts to pretend to be you and attack others in your address list and 3) send spam to you or your contacts, thus spreading the damage to others. The way that they steal your information can be either be simple or very sophisticated. Either way, we all need to be extra careful of what we click, or where we use our email address and passwords.
In this post, I will give you several common-sense tips for improving your online safety and avoiding phishers and malware.
We all have data that we would really be upset if we lost. Photos, videos, tax returns, training manuals... the list goes on. The point is, this is stuff that's important to us, for one reason or another. Some rely on this data to run their business, while others rely on it to remember the "good ol' days" and share those memories with loved ones.
Because this data is important to us, it's important that we take care to safeguard it and protect it from loss, damage, corruption and theft. It's so important to me, that I could spend a full day talking about how to properly backup data in lots of different scenarios. In the interest of your potential boredom, however, I will cover just one simple concept here that can hopefully encourage you to re-think the way you are backing up (or not backing up) your data right now. I call it the "3-2-1 Backup Strategy".
The Apple TV is an amazing (and necessary, in my opinion) companion to any TV or projector. My rule of thumb... never install a new display without one! You probably already know all about the Apple TV App Store, games, watching video, listening to music and viewing your Photos library, but did you know that you can connect various Bluetooth devices to your Apple TV to make it even more powerful?
In this post, we'll walk through how to pair Bluetooth headphones, keyboards, controllers, and more with your 4th generation Apple TV.
If you are fortunate enough to own and use an Apple Watch, you know how beautiful the watch faces are. Whether you prefer a simple, elegant design or something a little more functional, the quality and functionality is near-perfect.
I've been looking high and low for an equally impressive watch face for my Mac in the form of a screensaver, but my searching has been in vein... until now.
Video-conferencing is extremely powerful and so readily available. FaceTime, Skype, GoToMeeting and other similar services are freely avaialble on just about any device or platform and easy to use. This makes it extremely powerful for keeping in touch with family, friends and colleagues that live and work in other parts of the country or world.
There are some things you should know before hosting or joining that next call. Here are 5 things to keep in mind (for your sake and others on the call).
When Apple released iOS 9.3 on March 21, it included a slew of new features. One feature in particular has caught the eye of many people, literally. The feature is called "NIght Shift" and is pretty interesting.
So what is Night Shift and how does it work? Studies have shown that too much "blue light" in the evening is detrimental to our circadian rhythm. In other words, our bodies are designed to consume less blue light as we wind down for bed time, not more. Staring at a bright computer display (laptop, iPhone, iPad... you name it) doesn't allow for that natural process to take place. Instead, the excess blue light tricks out bodies into thinking it's still day time. Hence, the disruption to our circadian rhythm. Night Shift solves that problem (well, as much as it can) and here's how.
Maybe it’s because I spend a LOT of time on a keyboard, or maybe it’s because I’m lazy, but I don’t enjoy handwriting. Not just longer documents like letters, but even short notes. That also includes envelopes (like USPS envelopes).
Many years ago, I decided to come up with a solution to this problem. Since then, I used it for myself and never really talked about it until the other day, I mentioned this simple idea to a friend, and he was blown away by it. It’s certainly not Earth-shattering, but it’s convenient and can help to add a touch of professionalism (great for small businesses).
I’ve had more than a few readers ask me the same question lately, so I thought I would use that question as the basis of today’s TechTalk post. The question is this: “What is the best way to share a list of tasks with a small group of people (either family members or work colleagues), without creating a complex system?”
It’s a great question, and quite frankly, one that I bet is on a lot of minds (if not already, I bet it is now!). So, here’s the answer!
“Battery life” is the amount of time your device runs before it needs to be recharged (short-term power retention). “Battery lifespan” is the amount of time your battery lasts until it needs to be replaced (battery longevity).
In this post, we'll cover 5 simple rules to ensuring you get the most battery life and battery lifespan out of your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
“Battery life” is the amount of time your device runs before it needs to be recharged (short-term power retention). “Battery lifespan” is the amount of time your battery lasts until it needs to be replaced (battery longevity).
In this post, we'll cover 4 simple rules to ensuring you get the most battery life and battery lifespan out of your Mac.
When I think of significant technological advancements, I think of things like wireless networking, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), laptops, tablets and smart phones. These are all things that I can’t imagine being without at this point. Another technology that I would include in that short list would be virtualization. Not just in an enterprise datacenter, but on your personal computer... specifically a Mac.
Virtualization is a technology that allows you to run an Operating System within an Operating System. The secondary Operating System runs on virtual hardware, which is being provided it by the primary Operating System and the virtualization software. There are two main players when it comes to virtualization on a Mac: VMWare Fusion (my preference) and Parallels (also a great option).
When it comes to taking and managing notes, there are a million app options out there to choose from. Evernote, OneNote and Notability are three of the most popular options available today. They each have their strengths and weaknesses (like everything), and offer a plethora of bells and whistles.
For those who are looking for something a little simpler, yet just as effective (in my opinion) with a clean and intuitive interface (not to mention free), this tip is for you! Read on.
The OS X Dock is a great way to quickly access the application that you use most frequently. You can drag new icons onto the Dock, drag icons off the Dock, change the size of the icons... even add a nice animated genie effect to accentuate the icon you're looking for as your run your mouse over the application icons.
About the only feature missing, in my opinion, from making the Dock completely customizable, is the ability to add a spacer between icons. Ok, I lied. Not only is it possible, but with the help of one simple Terminal command, it's super-easy to do!
Once in a while, I run across a question asked by a reader (or two, or three) that seems like it may be obvious to most, if not all, but it apparently is not. Today's post is one of those.
Believe it or not, there is a right way, and a wrong way to wrap your MacBook charing cable for transporting. Using a series of photos (yes, that detailed), I will show you the right way to prepare for, and take care of, your MacBook charging cable.
