Great iOS Apps.

Well I sure am glad we are out of February, it was ridiculously cold!  Hopefully that didn't stop you from checking out the great apps I highlighted last month on The MacMentor's Weekly posting on Facebook for the App of the week.  My goal with the app of the week postings is to make you more aware of the great tools out there for your iOS devices.  Then at the start of each new month, give a more in-depth review of those apps with these blog posts.

Ok, so the 1st app highlighted this past February was a cool note taking App that is a nice companion to Evernote.  The app is SwiftKey.

SwiftKey uses what it calls predictive technology, to advance the keyboard by learning how you write to better provide autocorrect and smart next word predictors or predictions.

SwiftKey Note gives you a cool new way to capture your thoughts, in an easy to use, beautiful app.  

SwiftKey is like Artificial intelligence for your iOS device.  The more you use it, the smarter it gets.  Even better, it connects with your EverNote account to further personalize your experience by making predictions based on your EverNote archive of notes.  Below you see screen shots from the SwiftKey app.  Under the +, you see the Elephant Head icon, which is the EverNote icon.  So you can create a note using SwiftKey, and store it in Evernote.   

One of the best features of SwiftKey is that it gets smarter as you use it more, and learns to adapt with you over time.  You can track your typing stats in settings, and watch your typing and productivity get better and better!  

Ok, for the week of February 9th, I choose the new app from Facebook, Paper as that weeks App of the week.  Facebook has been one of the top 50 iOS apps since it came out some six years ago.  But honestly, the app is tired and has needed a facelift for quite some time.  Well Facebook finally gave itself that needed facelift, sort of.  The Facebook app hasn't changed, but they did create a new one, called Paper, that is fantastic, and provides a much better user experience.  

One of my favorite features in Paper is the ability to Edit Sections.  Sections provide you with the ability to view things that the original Facebook app did not offer, sort of like news sections from different Sections of life.  The different Sections offered range from Pop Life, to Flavor, to Planet, to Family Matters.  

To get to Edit Sections, from the your page, or section (which is your home page, screen capture 1 below) take your finger, and swipe down on the screen.   That takes you to the Facebook Section (2nd screen cap below).  On that page, take your finger and swipe down

 Now you are taken to a page that will look similar to the one below.  

Next, you'll click on the Edit Sections field which takes you to a screen similar to the one below.  The lower portion of that screen let's you pick what will be displayed on your "Paper".  It's a cool concept, and adds some much needed life to what was an incredibly dull, boring Facebook experience on your iOS device.  

Once you've added the sections you wish to view, you click done (upper right corner of your screen), and you are taken to what is your Paper home screen.  From there you swipe along the lower portion of your screen to view the posts of your Facebook friends.  If you wish to view a post, you tap on it.  Notice below, the post in the middle that reads "Happy Independence Day".  I tap on that, and it full screens (2nd screen cap below).

So, all in all, Paper is a very cool, much needed update to the Facebook App.  If you visit the Facebook App on a regular basis, I highly recommend downloading and using the new Paper app instead!

Next up, an App that I use regularly to keep track of my to-do's.  It's called, Wunderlist.  

Wunderlist is flat out awesome!  It not only tracks your to-do's, but lets you create numerous to-do lists.  It's super easy to use interface lets you get up and going very quickly, and it's companion apps for the Mac and PC make it that much more lovable (not to mention, Wunderlist can also be accessed via the web!).  

When you open Wunderlist on your iOS device it looks like the screen cap below.

If you want to add a list, notice in the screen cap above the "+Add a list...", simply tap that and you can create a new list.  To create a new to-do, simply tap anywhere on the right side of the screen, and it brings you to a screen that looks like the one below.

Next, type in the name of the new to-do (I've typed "Create new blog" in the field).  Next, click the Done button.  It brings you to an editable screen (like the one below).  

From there, you set your to-do's Due Date.  If you wish to be reminded by Wunderlist, you can have it Remind you.  You can add a subtask, and finally any notes you wish for the particular to-do.  I've added screen caps below to take you through the process.  

All in all, Wunderlist rocks.  Oh yeah did I mention its FREE!  That doesn't hurt either...So if you want an App that gives you a bit more than the Reminders app that comes with your iOS device, go and download Wunderlist.  It's ease of use, and cloud syncing make it an A-list App!

The last App that I highlighted in February is "Keeper Password and Data Vault".  I've had many many clients and friends say to me, "how do I keep track of my numerous passwords, it's getting overwhelming"!  I absolutely agree.  Most of you probably have anywhere from 5-20 different passwords (maybe even more) to access everything from your AppleID, to your email, to your bank account, to countless other sites you access on your iOS device as well as on your computer.  There are endless App options out there to store your passwords, I choose Keeper because it gets fantastic reviews, it's works across platforms, it's easy to use, and its free!  

For obvious reasons I'm not going to show screen caps of my Keeper.  Some important things to know are:

Keeper uses work-class encryption technology, including 256-bit AES data storage.  PBKDF2 encryption keys (what are those you ask?   It's really great encryption technology is what you need to know!).  They also use Double encrypted syncing, and what's called Two-factor authentication.  If you don't understand that, just know it's great technology to keep your passwords safe!  

So, I hope you enjoy checking out and using the Apps that I highlight each month.  If you have a suggestion for the App of the week posting, by all means, don't hesitate to share it with me.  I love finding new apps to share!  

Till next time, best to you and your devices!

What is an AppleID?

Getting to know your AppleID

What a lovely spell of cold weather Mother Nature has dumped on us here in Chicago-land, or as we are now known, Chi-Beria!  Thankfully the cold hasn't stopped me from blogging!  Today's blog is inspired by my workshops.  At some of these workshops, I cover what I consider the "Basics" of your iOS Device.  I start in settings, and spend a good deal of time discussing the Apple ID.  Reason being, so many people just don't get it's importance.  So I thought I'd write about it in this edition of The MacMentor's blog, and how it ties into what I call, The Apple Ecosystem.

Apple has created quite a wonderful system for all it's device owners.  It started some 14 years ago with the introduction of the iPod and iTunes.  In order for the music you purchased to be tied to the correct device(s), Apple created the Apple ID.  Then a few years later along came iPhone and iPad,  all tied together using your Apple ID.  All part of the Apple Ecosystem.

Apple’s ecosystem consists of  your devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) as well as iTunes, iCloud, iMessage and FaceTime.  The key to the Apple ecosystem is the Apple ID.  Your Apple ID is an email address that Apple uses as a pointer to what I call "Your Apple locker".  Your locker of content within the Apple ecosystem.  Your Apple ID  is what you will use to sign in to the iTunes Store, Mac App Store, iCloud, iMessage and FaceTime.  When purchasing content through iTunes, your Apple ID tells Apple who’s “locker” the content should be assigned to, as well as what devices your content can be shared with.  It's how Apple knows not to assign my purchases to someone else's device(s).  With iCloud, your Apple ID is what Apple uses to push or sync your non entertainment content (Notes, Reminders, Calendar events, Contacts) to all your iCloud enabled devices.   

Another great part of this ecosystem, and a feature that I love is iMessage. 

I'm sure you've all texted from your iPhone.  Did you know you can text to and from your iPad, iPod Touch and your Mac using iMessage?  Oh yeah, did I mention it’s FREE!  That's right folks.  Take a quick look at your Message App on your iPhone.  Click on any message.  It's either Blue or Green.  Do you know why that is?  The green texts are texts that are not going through iMessage.  The blue texts are being sent through iMessage.  I can see you all shaking your heads going, ah that explains it!  How's this for fun.  Apple is basically giving the phone companies the "Bird" (middle finger) with iMessage.  A free way to text.  Of course it's only free to those on Apple devices, but if your whole family is on them, you can get rid of your texting on your cellular bill.  Nice.  

Now let's discuss FaceTime.  FaceTime is the video chat feature of Apple’s ecosystem, that got a great update with iOS 7 and Mavericks and now has what's called FaceTime Audio. 

FaceTime Audio let's you make voice calls through the Apple Ecosystem.  Really?!?!  Do you see what Apple is doing here?  Providing you with ways to no longer have to pay for cellular calls, or texting.  Go Apple!  So how does FaceTime work?  Simple, you sign into FaceTime with your Apple ID and you use the FaceTime App to video chat with anyone else who has a FaceTime capable device.  Real life story.  Last summer, my daughter was in Israel.  From a Kibbutz, she used her iPhone to FaceTime me.  Do you know how much it cost?  NOTHING!  It was completely FREE.  A video call from Israel to Deerfield and it was Free!  Can't beat that with a stick...

Ok, that’s a high level of what your Apple ID does for you within the ecosystem, now let’s break it down further first by iTunes, and the Mac AppStore, then iCloud and iMessage.  

iTunes is the heart of the Apple Ecosystem.  It came to life Thirteen years ago, in January of 2001.  iTunes is where you purchase entertainment for your Apple Devices.  What started out as a cool place to buy and store your music has evolved into an incredible online entertainment store, where you can not only buy music, but movies, TV shows, Apps for your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and much more.  You can even take classes from many of the top Universities around the world through iTunes U!  Whichever device you choose to purchase entertainment content from, you are required to enter your Apple ID (and password).  This allows Apple to correctly share that content to the proper devices.  The Mac App Store works the same way as iTunes, only it’s content is specific to Mac computers, where iTunes content can be used on all Apple devices, and on PC's.

Now on to iCloud.  The iCloud service is Apple’s latest attempt at cloud storage and syncing, and it blows away its predecessor, MobileMe.  What iTunes is for entertainment content, iCloud is for your personal, non-purchased content.  The iCloud service is available on all Mac’s running at least OSX 10.7 and all iOS devices running at least iOS 5.0 (I hope you are all at iOS 7!!).  To enable iCloud on your Mac computers, you’ll go into system preferences, click the iCloud preference, and login in with, you guessed it, your Apple ID! 

On your iOS device, you’ll tap on settings, and scroll down to the iCloud setting, tap, and sign in with...your Apple ID!  Then you’ll choose which content you desire to sync and backup through iCloud.  

Now what some people don’t realize is that iCloud can and should be used to back up your iOS device(s)!  Wirelessly!  How does one go about that you ask?  Good question!  All you’ll need is the white cord and power supply that came with your device, an electrical outlet and a wireless network.  Plug the appropriate ends of the cord into the iOS device and the power supply, plug the power supply into the outlet, put your device to sleep ( or let it go to sleep on its own), and if you are connected to a wireless network, iCloud will find your device, when the last backup was initiated and if it was over 24 hours ago, it will back up your device.  Once a day, iCloud will back up your non-purchased content (mail, if you have an iCloud account, Contacts, Calendar events, Reminders, Notes).  

A couple of other great features of iCloud are Photo Stream, Documents and Data and Find my iPhone.  Photo Stream let’s you share pictures, wirelessly, between all your Apple devices.  Now, on your Macs, you be have the appropriate version of iPhoto (which comes on all Macs circa late 2011 and forward).  If you are running an older Mac with OSX 10.7 or later, and have yet to upgrade iPhoto, you will NOT have Photo Stream on your Mac.  Upgrading iPhoto is simple, go to the Mac App Store and download it for $14.99.  Photo Stream will house up to 1000 pictures at a time, for up to 30 days.  Here’s how it works.  You take pictures with your iOS device, and when you get to a wireless network, those pictures get pulled up to iCloud and will be available in your Photo Stream.  So after a day of picture taking, you can come to your Mac and see those pictures in iPhoto, without having to do anything!  Just click on the Photo Stream option in iPhoto and your pictures are virtually there.  If you use the iWork suite of tools (Pages, Keynote and Numbers), iCloud can be used to sync your content from those applications between your devices.  So you can create a Keynote presentation on your Mac, save it to iCloud, and open it on your iOS device, very, very cool!  The Find My Phone service of iCloud is indispensable.  If you’ve misplaced your iOS device, or sadly if it gets stolen, you can log into iCloud.com (with your Apple ID!), and locate it!  That is awesome for those of us who quite often forget where we leave our devices!  It works using the GPS on your device to locate and display that information to a Map on iCloud.com, very cool!  I once had a customer who had her phone stolen, and we were able to track it on iCloud.com.  We called the police, informed them of where it was, they tracked down the perpetrator and got my client her phone back!  Technology at work!

That friends, is a high level overview of your AppleID, the Apple ecosystem and it’s benefits.  For more in depth help, please contact me to set up an appointment!

Enjoy your day, and until next time...Best to you and your devices!

Great devices for your iPhone and iPad.

To start off 2014, I decided to not only do an App of the Week post on my Facebook page, but to include a Device of the Week as well.  There are so many different types of devices out there, all you need to do is head to an Apple Store (or online to Amazon) to see a wide variety, ranging from wireless speakers to heart monitors, to home heating systems and beyond.  I decided to highlight one per week, then create a blog at the beginning of the following month to highlight those devices.  Here's my list for January!

First, the Tego Power Grid.  We are all looking for ways to extend the life of our devices, well look no further.  Tego has created a fantastic device.  For starters, it packs enough power to charge your device twice without needing to be re-charged itself.  Can easily be recharged by plugging into the USB slot of a computer.  It's super compact and light-weight, and best of all, is only $59.00.

So if you are one of the many people who always find themselves looking for an outlet to charge their devices, go get yourself the Tego, you'll be happy you did.

The next device that I highlighted in January just blows me away.  For those of you who still don't realize that there is an app for almost anything, check this baby out...Have you ever found yourself looking for a device, or system to help you keep track of your health?  A device or system that won't cost you an arm and a leg, but tracks and monitors you throughout the day?  Well if you fit that description, I've found the perfect device for you!  It's the Fit Systems Arm band by Body Media.  

If you are overweight, and looking for help counting calories, this beauty helps you keep track of your caloric count.  The calories going in, and the calories burned!  Sweet!  It helps you achieve your fitness goals by accurately tracking your daily activities.  Finally, it monitors how well you are sleeping!  As you may expect, the device comes with an App, to help you keep track of things while you are on the go.  So whether its you looking for some help with your health, or someone you know, I highly recommend the Fit Systems Arm band.

Ok...So the first two devices for January were quite cool.  The 3rd device that I highlighted in January is downright HOT!  Now if you are like me, you like your music clean, with rich bass and ultra-clean treble.   There's nothing worse for me than listening to some great music on some cheap speaker system with wimpy bass and treble that's overly tin-ee.  It's challenging to find small speakers that measure up!  We'll the UE Boom wireless speaker, from Ultimate Ears, ROCKS!   It will take the best bass from John Paul-Jones, and play it true.  It will make Miles Davis' horns shine.  All the while pulsating through a Neil Peart drum solo like a full blown set of floor speakers.  Yeah, it's that good!

The Boom starts at $199 (The limited edition Boom, the one right above, is $229).  An incredible feature of the Boom, that's not currently available on any other wireless speaker (that I know of), is that you can connect two Boom's via the Boom App to have totally mind blowing experience!  

So if you love your music, loud and crystal clear, the UE Boom is exactly what you've been looking for.  It can be found online, or at retailers like The Apple Store.

Ok, now for the final January device of the week...

In keeping with my music theme, my next device stays in the music genre.  I've attended more concerts in my lifetime than I can remember.  I followed the Grateful Dead for a bit in the early 90's, have seen more than my share of Dave Matthews shows as well.  I always wanted to record my concerts, but never had the right equipment.  Well look no further my friends.  Let me introduce you to the IQ5 Stereo Recorder.  

The iQ5 is a high quality stereo condenser mic.  Perfect for recording your favorite concert, or your child's first piano concert.  The iQ5 has a rotating device that allows audio recording with the optimal left-right stereo orientation, regardless if you are using it horizontally or vertically.

The Zoom has a companion app that allows you to record in linear PCM, 16-bit/44.1kHz format for CD-quality audio, that accurately captures the music and spaces.  It even records in compressed AAC format when you need smaller faster data transfer.  

Now I realize that to most of us the kHz and AAC compression won't really matter.  It was more for the audio files that read my blog (ha ha ha!).  All the rest of us need to know is that it records well, and can record in compressed format if you need to!  

So there are my choices for January's Apps of the Week.  The Tego Power Grid, The Fit Systems Arm band, The UE Boom Speaker, and finally the iQ5 Zoom recorder.  Keep up with my February Apps of the Week on my Facebook page, http://facebook.com/theMacMentor, then comeback early March and I'll have another blog post for the February App/Device of the week choices.

Thanks to all for reading...and if you have a favorite App/Device let me know about it!

Until next time, Best to you and your devices!

iOS 7 Tips and Tricks...

Hi!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and those of you that celebrate had a great Chanukah!  It's been almost two months now since iOS 7 was dropped in our laps, and I've been quite surprised at how few people have actually like it!  I do workshops all over the Chicagoland area, and I have not had more than a handful of people that have said that they like it better than previous iOS iterations.  I've been using iOS 7 since the first beta release came out this summer, and I actually like the changes.  So I came up with a list of 25 helpful tips and tricks that I am going to be posting.  12 in this blog, and 13 in the next (coming in a few weeks).  I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on iOS 7, what you like, and what you dislike.  Remember this.  You all were VERY familiar with the previous release of iOS (1-6).  Almost nothing changed visually, there were tweaks under the hood (in settings), so iOS 7 was a major change, and most people don't like change.  I'm here to challenge you to grasp iOS 7 and make yourself like it, because it's hear to stay!  Hopefully this blog (and the one that follows) will help make your iOS 7 adoption all the more easy!  So here we go!

First, I'm going to start with the Notification Center, or as I like to call it, the "What's Happening in your life" Center.  The Notification Center in iOS 7 is WAY more than just alerts.  It tell's you what's going on in your life (that is, if you use the Calendar on your phone and not some paper calendar!), as well as what's going on in the rest of the world.  What's great about the Notification Center, is that you get to decide how much or how little gets displayed.  You just go into Settings > Notification Center and toggle on what you wish to see!

Prices of the iPhone have not changed since the iPhone 3 came out.  However the price you pay for the iPhones has gotten downright silly.  Prior to the 5S being released, there wasn't a great market for older iPhones.  There was a few outlets where you could sell your phone and get a couple of dollars, or you could sell it yourself on eBay or Craigslist (or to a friend etc).  Now it seems like everyone wants your old iPhone.  I Sold my 4S back to Apple, for $204!  I got my 5S for $12 (taxes).  Not quite sure how Apple is making money there, but I'm ok with that.  Problem is, the real cost of these devices comes from the carrier plans.  You may get the device for free, but the plans are anything but free!  Now with iOS 7, you can decide which apps get to use your data plan, and which ones don't!  I call this the "Save the data" setting!  Here's how it works:  In the Cellular Setting, slide down and you'll see Use Cellular data for:  Underneath that header, are all your apps.  You can toggle on/off the apps you wish to use while not on Wi-Fi.  Saving your precious data for what's important, and possibly saving you some money as well!

Siri has come along way since it was first introduced.  Now with iOS 7 you can change Siri's voice from the familiar female voice, to a new male version.  This is very easily accomplished by clicking the General Setting > Siri> Voice Gender

Next tip...Bigger may or may not be better...when it comes to text that is...:).  You always had the ability to increase text within the apps that came with your iPhone (or iPad), now in iOS 7, you can increase or decrease text size in all apps that support resized text.  Simply go into the Accessibility setting, (within General), tap the Large Type setting (toggle it On).  A feature that is long overdue for those of us who may have a hard time seeing smaller text...

I've had numerous clients, friends and family tell me they think the text in iOS 7 is harder to see than in previous iOS versions.  Well, it is!  The white background used in iOS 7 has made the text appear less easy to read than it did in iOS 6 and earlier.  How do you change that, glad you asked...:).  Back in the Accessibility Setting, you'll want to toggle the Bold Text setting to On.  Just a heads up, when you do this, your phone will prompt you for a restart.  It's ok, let it restart, when it turns back on, your text (in every app!) will be much easier to see!  

Finally, real multi-tasking comes to your iOS device.  Now with iOS 7 you have the ability to choose if you'd like your apps to update while running in background mode.  This can be very useful, but, for the iPhone, can also assist in battery drainage, so be careful.  Within the General Setting, go to the Backgroup App Refresh setting, and choose which apps you'd like to have the ability to update in the background.  

I have been pleading with Apple, since the first iPhone came out, to implement automatic updates.  It's coming they kept on saying.  Well, it's here!  No more, "I'll update my apps later, it takes too long!"  Now you can have your Apps update automatically!  This is very easily accomplished by going into the iTunes and App Store Setting, and under Automatic Downloads, toggle the Updates switch to Green (or on)!  Thank you Apple!

Ever use your device to listen to music?  Ever have the screen lock while listening and then you want to fast forward to the next song, only to have to hit the home button to do it?  Now, a feature that's been on the iPad for a while, comes to the phone, as the lock-screen has been significantly enhanced to allow you to simply tap the pause, fast-forward or reverse button, and not have to press the home button to get to your music.  Maybe not the biggest or best new feature, but a welcome one for sure!

Many of us don't bother with Restrictions, or worse are not even aware they are available on our iOS devices!  Now, in addition to being able to restrict explicit song lyrics and "mature" apps, iOS 7 lets you limit adult content in Safari as well.  You can even add specific sites to the list that you may want to keep away from younger kids (or any kids for that matter!).   Simply go into General Setting > Restrictions  and Enable Restrictions.  Then slide down to the Websites setting and you can decide what you wish to restrict.  Another nice addition by Apple.  

And Apple said, "no longer do you have to download a flashlight App!"  There are a lot of great new features in the Control Center, one of them is the addition of a Flashlight.  Why it wasn't added sooner doesn't really matter, it's here now!  Simply bring up the Control Center, the bottom has four icons, the first being a Flashlight, simply press it and what do you know, your iPhone is a flashlight.  Nice...

There's a new way to share (on newer devices), AirDrop!  I'm sure you've emailed or texted a picture (or file) to one of your contacts (if you haven't, you need to call me and we can set up a session!).  Now, with iOS 7 there's a new way to share, AirDrop.  AirDrop is a new feature that uses Bluetooth technology to find other iOS 7 devices (that are AirDrop capable, not all are) that are near you,  and now, instead of messaging or emailing a file you can AirDrop it.  To do this, you  must have at least an iPhone 5, or iPad 4 running iOS 7...

Lastly for this blog, Make sure you set boundaries up for AirDrop!  One thing to be very careful about is who you share things with!  If you are sitting in an airport, and you go to AirDrop something to a family member, make sure you set AirDrop to Contacts Only.  If you turn on the Everyone setting, you'll end up seeing iDevices that you don't recognize, and you don't want to accidentally send something (personal) to an unknown, or unsuspecting person...:).  

There are well over 100 cool new things within iOS 7.  I hope what I've shown you today helps you improve how you use your devices.  I will be doing another blog shortly covering additional new features.  Until then, if you come across ones you'd like to share, please do so by commenting here.  As always, I hope you enjoy reading my blogs, I enjoy creating them for you!  Until next time...

Best to you and your devices!