February 2015 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Check Your iCloud Storage No More Running Out of Space iCloud is great and makes the iPhone, iPad, and Mac work together seamlessly. The only problem is that they only give you a scant 5GB of free storage. That was a lot of space a decade ago, but can quickly be taken up if you have multiple devices on the same iCloud account. The best thing to do is to learn how to manage your storage. To check, grab your iPhone or iPad and go into Settings -> iCloud. On the third line down you will see Storage and a representation of how much space you have available. Select this level to drill down further. From this Storage window you can go one level deeper to manage your storage. You can also upgrade or downgrade your plan. The plans are much more affordable for additional storage. The 20GB is only $0.99 a month and other plans go all the way up to 1 TB, which I don't think anyone needs at this point. I have the 20 GB plan and never get the out of space emails from Apple. For $0.99 I think that's a good deal. Wendy manages hers in the 5GB free zone, which takes some doing, but can be done. Despite all your best efforts to effectively manage your storage, keep in mind that if you back up your devices to iCloud, you will need more storage eventually.

iTunes Match: Carry Your Music with You Keep Your Friends Close and Your Bieber Closer For a long time, despite all the advancements with iTunes, iCloud, and the iPhones/iPads, music syncing worked much like it did way back a decade ago. You had to physically sync with your iTunes library to carry your music along, but this is no longer the case with iTunes Match. For around $25 per year (plus tax) iTunes will scan your entire music library and make it all available from the cloud to all your devices. Yes, this means no more syncing. With the service you even get the bonus of listening to iTunes Radio commercial free. To get started, open your iTunes, select your Music and choose Match. Or for more information visit Apple's page at: https://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/

Using Two-Step Verification with Your Apple ID If you like passwords, you can have another one! For the past several years, many of the major banking sites have enabled two-step verification. Using this process you cannot access the bank's secure site without both a password and a code sent to a mobile phone or email address. It's yet another barrier of passwords between a hacker and your account... and you and your account. Apple has implemented the same option with Apple IDs. If enabled, you would have to enter both your password and a four digit PIN code every time you make a purchase, sign into iCloud, or manage your Apple ID.  If you are interested in setting this up, visit Apple's FAQ at: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204152

January 2015 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Are You Ready for Ultra HD TV? Things to think about before spending 4K on 4K If you followed any of the buzz at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that just wrapped up in Las Vegas, you couldn't help but notice all the new Ultra HD (UHD) or 4K capable TVs. They were everywhere, and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video announced plans to offer more Ultra HD titles. But here are a few things to know before you run out and pick one up for yourself. Go Big or Go Home Size does matter with regard to Ultra HD TVs. The jump from standard definition TV to HD was a significant step up in image quality, but going from 1080p to 4K Ultra HD is more subtle. The general rule is, at comfortable viewing distances, 720p is indiscernible from 1080p on TVs under 50 inches. In order to get the best bang for your Ultra HD dollar, the advantage really shows up at 70 inches or larger. Ultra HD or 4K is a theater sized standard so think big when you shop. Check Your Internet Connection For HD video (1080p) your internet connection must support a constant stream of 5 Mbps. In real terms this means having a service in the 20 Mbps range for reliability. 4K or Ultra HD content requires a minimum of 25 Mbps! You can do the math, but if you are not subscribing to at least a 50 Mbps package you may run into buffering and the slow spinny wheel of boredom. A robust connection is a must!

Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad Delete, Manage, Sync and Be Happy! Are you running out of space on your iPhone or iPad? Well here is how to check what's clogging the drain.  Go into Settings -> General -> Usage -> Manage Storage. Be patient as it all calculates.  If you are like most, Photos and Messages are the two biggest storage hogs. Make sure to transfer photos to iPhoto and delete them from the device. The iPhone/iPad is a temporary holding location. The iPhoto database on your Mac is where they should all live to be kept, cataloged, and backed up with Time Machine. This spring, Apple will be announcing an "iPhoto in the Cloud" where you can have access to all of your photos all the time from any device. But for now, copy them into iPhoto and delete the photos from the iPad or iPhone to free up space. Also, Photo Stream actually downloads a copy of the photos onto your device. These will accumulate over time. If you are sure they are synced in your iPhoto, toggling Photo Stream on and off will clear out the old ones. To do this go to Settings -> Photos & Camera; then toggle My Photo Stream off and on. For Messages, remember that they can grow large and at the end of the day, texts are not considered archival. So go ahead and delete old conversation streams. To do this go back to the top level in Messages, select Edit, choose the conversations you'd like to delete, and click Delete in the lower right.

Our Printer Picks for Home or Small Office Narrowing Down the Field It's always tough picking a new printer. The salesman at Office Superplex is usually quick to name whatever he has on sale as an incentive that week, but you deserve better. We want to take "100% Off" of your worry today by helping you narrow down the field. Color Inkjet Printer - Epson WorkForce The Epson WorkForce model printers are very Mac friendly and we have found them to be reliable and easy to set up. They come in several different models and all have AirPrint, which allows you to print from your iPhone or iPad. As a general rule: Never spend more than $150 on an inkjet for home or small office use. $125 is the sweet spot, which will get you a solid current model, but sometimes you can find them on sale for around $99. B&W Laser Printer - HP Laserjet There are probably still HP Laserjet 4 printers circa 1992 chugging away in offices and homes across the country. HP builds a solid black and white laser printer and they tend to last. If you need to print and print a lot, a black and white laser printer can have many advantages over a color inkjet. Color Laser Printer - Xerox Phaser We don't usually recommend a color laser printer for home or small office use. They are expensive and don't have the resolution of comparable inkjet printers. If you are considering one and are willing to spent $400-$500, then take a look at the Xerox Phaser series. The more you spend, the better the image quality. If you really really really (x1000) want a color laser printer then break out the Benjamins and either lease or buy a Cannon ImageRunner.

December 2014 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Use Reminders for Those Holiday Lists She's Checking it Twice, So Don't Forget the Milk! Ah, the Holidays... A time for family, friends, and running around like crazy people trying to get it all done before the new year clobbers us like an underdone turkey. Well, good thing that Apple has our back with Reminders -- a powerful app where we can share lists to make all of that shopping and doing a seamlessly synced symphony of efficiency. With all the iCloudedness, Reminders is deployed across the Apple universe on both the Macs and mobile devices. Since you will most likely be interacting with the iOS version, here is how to set up a list for sharing. But first, go into Settings -> iCloud and make sure Reminders is turned on. To create a shared list (sharing is good): Open Reminders Close out of any open Reminders Scroll to the top of the list Click the plus (+) next to "New List" Select your iCloud account Name the List and click Done Select the List and click "Edit" Choose "Sharing" and "Add Person" Add the iCloud/Apple ID of those who you want to share the list with The invitees must, of course, accept the share. Then, when you or the sharee adds items or checks them off, the list syncs! Happy Listing!

Turning Off the Digital Noise with iOS 8 Tweet me no more! The great thing about the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch is you can now be connected 24/7 via email, text, Twitter, Facebook, etc., etc., etc. The bad thing is, of course, you can be bothered 24/7 via email, texts, Tweets, and pokes. But you can give yourself some relief from the Digital Noise through these three nifty tweaks in iOS 8. 1. Do Not Disturb You can use Do Not Disturb settings to control phone calls and notifications at specific times or when the phone is locked. To see the How To visit http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT5463 2. Notification Center You have the power to determine if you want to be bothered by specific apps. Go into Settings -> Notification Center to change your preferences to how you want to be notified by each app.  3. Hide Mail Boxes Don't want to see your work email on the weekend? You can hide it! Go into the Mail app (make sure that you are in the "Mailboxes" view). Click "Edit" and then you can un-select mailboxes you don't want to see. To add them back to the list, just reverse the process.

Get Into the Holiday Spirit with iTunes Radio A Free Holiday Treat iTunes Radio is Apple's answer to streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. The great thing is that it's free! And now for the Holiday's they have a plethora of stations to choose from to get you in the spirit. Also remember, you iTunes Match subscribers get to listen ad free!  To access iTunes Radio from your Apple mobile device: Launch the Music App (Red with Two Eighth Notes) Select "Radio" on the bottom right Click the plus to add new stations Listen Away!

November 2014 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

OS X Yosemite is Good to Go! New Operating System for Macs After having worked on OS X 10.10 Yosemite for the past few months we can honestly say that we like the new operating system. Instead of going into all the new features here, you can see what Apple has to say about it: https://www.apple.com/osx/ But... as with all new operating systems, there are some things to consider before upgrading: Check Your Software If you are moving from OS X Snow Leopard, keep in mind that things like AppleWorks, MS Office 2004, and certain older software programs will not work in OS X Yosemite. Check carefully with the software company's website on any business critical applications that you may use to ensure that they will function in OS X 10.10. Check Your RAM OS X Yosemite uses RAM more efficiently, but the more the better. If you have 2 GB of RAM consider upgrading to at least 4 GB for a better experience. You can stop by Crucial.com to see what upgrades are available. http://www.crucial.com Check Your Backup Only brave people upgrade without confirming that their backup is working. Double check that you have a good backup of your system before going to the App Store and downloading Yosemite.

Family Sharing on iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite Mr. Rogers Told Us to Share With iOS 8 for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, along with OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Apple has announced a new service called Family Sharing over iCloud. It allows a family to share App and iTunes purchases between members. It also creates a shared calendar and Photo Stream.  You can initiate the setup right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch under Settings -> iCloud. Remember that you will want the "Master Sharer" to be the person (parent) under whose iTunes Account most of the content is purchased. For more information check out: http://www.apple.com/icloud/family-sharing/ For detailed instructions and Apple's FAQ, visit: https://www.apple.com/support/icloud/family-sharing/

When to Upgrade Your iPad Three Things to Ponder Yeah, Apple came out with all these new shinny iPads, so many of us wonder if we should run down to the Apple Store and replace our aging iPad 2s. I've been asked this question many times in the past month, so here are three things to consider to see if you are do for an update. 1.) Do You Have An iPad 1? If you do, you should upgrade. They don't run the current iOS 8 and were even out of date a year ago. If you have an iPad 1 (if no camera, it's an iPad 1) you should consider updating. 2.) Can you run all of your Apps? If all the apps that you use run and run well on your iPad, then there's no real reason to update unless you want to. Even the iPad 2s can still run the current operating system. If the apps that you use run slowly or you are running out of space, then upgrading is a consideration. 3.) Is it cracked, broken, or loses charge? The older the device gets, the less efficient the battery is. If you only get an hour or so out of a charge, or if it's cracked, chipped, or otherwise mangled, upgrading isn't a bad idea.

October 2014 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Apple to Announce More Apples 10/16 Will See New iPad and Etc. Apple is having another event! They are titling it "It's been way too long," although we can only speculate about what this means. What we can expect is the official launch of Apple Pay for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, a new iPad, and the release date of OS X 10 Yosemite. There is also speculation around the Apple TV. The Mac Mini is due for a refresh, and with the Mac Pros being a year old, we could see hardware upgrades there, too. But as with all things Apple, we won't know until Thursday. If you want to watch the event you can see it live here: http://www.apple.com/live/

Get Ready for OS X 10 Yosemite From the Oceans to the Mountains Did you just finish your upgrade to OS X Mavericks? Well, there's a new operating system for Macs on the block and it looks like Apple is set to announce the official release date this Thursday the 16th. I got my hands on an early release and have been working with it for a while now. There is a lot I like about the new operating system. It follows the look and feel of iOS 8 on the iPhones and iPads, has even tighter integration with those devices, and iCloud Drive is a great step forward for iCloud, as it improves on Apple's former iDisk offering. A word of advice: If you use your computer for business everyday, or if you don't have a compelling need to upgrade right away, I'd wait a few weeks before moving to Yosemite. It's always best to see how things shake out when a new major operating system is introduced. To find out more about Yosemite, you can click here: http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/

Three Tips for Better Videos Shaky Cam is the Easy Part Okay, so you either waited in line, bribed an elected official, or traded your house for one, but you secured a brand new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Congrats! Well, one of the best features of both new phones is their ability to take astonishing videos -- the only limitation being the budding cinematographer holding the phone. Now, we can't all be a Jan De Bont or Janusz Kaminski, but these three little tips can get your videos higher on the watchability scale. Hold it Sideways Take a look at a modern HD TV or movie screen. They are longer on the top than on the sides. It confounds me how many people take videos holding their phones vertically. Countless "eyewitness reports" featured on the news tend to be from folks shooting videos that appear as if we are peeking through a cracked closet door. If you hold the phone sideways not only can you capture more action, but it's easier to control the head space. Plus, your final product will look smashing on your TV, computer, or other device. Light Your Subject The key to great filmmaking is great lighting. It can be difficult to sort out, but you want to light your subject so that he, she, or it stands out from the background. This may mean moving to a different spot to get a better angle, but the subject is the reason for the video, so make sure that your subject can be seen. Want to add a touch of Hollywood? Try lighting the background, too. It adds additional separation. More Hollywood, you ask? Introduce a back light behind your subject. It helps add a three dimensional effect in a two dimensional space. Give Yourself Room to Edit Roll a couple of seconds of film ... uh ... video before and after the action. If you want to edit in a tool like iMovie or one of the versions of Final Cut it will make it much easier to splice in transitions and avoid abrupt changes in action.

September 2014 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

It's Here: iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Should you get one? Three Things to Consider Tim Cook announced the big new iPhones last week, and the Internet has been abuzz ever since. Pre-orders have set new records, and I'm sure there's already a line at the Biltmore store for the release on Friday the 19th. The big question is: Should you get one? Well, we have it boiled down to three thoughts before you grab your camping equipment and head to the Apple Store. Yes: If You Like a Bigger Screen The new phones come in two sizes. The iPhone 6 has a screen that measures 4.7 inches diagonally, while the phablet-sized iPhone 6 Plus clocks in at a huge 5.5 inches. And despite the size, they have made the phones thinner. In fact the iPhone 6 with it's big screen is actually lighter than the iPhone 5c. If you have a 4 or a 4s, this is a huge step up in real estate.  Yes: If You Like Taking Pictures The cameras on both versions of the iPhone 6 are much improved. In addition to offering 240 fps (frames per second) Slow Motion, HD Video can be shot at 60 fps at 1080p. Both have image Auto Stabilization so you can leave the steady cam rig at home, and are packed with features like Exposure Control, improved Face Detection, and a Panorama mode where you can create 43MP photos of epic proportion.  Yes: If You Like Longer Battery Life The A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus operates faster than the A7 in the iPhone 5s, but does so more efficiently. In essence, you get more power with longer battery life. And thanks to the physical size of the iPhone 6 Plus it's able to accommodate a bigger battery for even longer life than the iPhone 6. There are many more features of the new iPhones, so click on over to Apple to read all about them and make the decision for yourself. https://www.apple.com/iphone/

iOS 8 is Here! A Couple of Things to Know Before Upgrading The new operating system for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch was released on Wednesday. It doesn't look that much different than iOS 7, which you are running now (most likely), but is an improvement and a worthwhile update. You can learn more about it here: https://www.apple.com/ios/ and from our friends at CNET here: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-guide-to-ios-8/ Before you upgrade, here are a few tips: Do A Backup of Your Device Sync Your Photos and Videos to your iPhoto on Your Computer Charge Your Device to 100% or Plug It In During the Update Be Patient - The update takes a while. Don't do it if you need your phone or are about to run out the door. Clean Up Your Device - The iOS 8 update needs about 5.7 GB of free space to run. And one big piece of advice: Hold off on converting to iCloud Drive. You will be prompted to convert your iCloud account to iCloud Drive. If you do, documents and other stuff on iCloud Drive will not be accessible by your computer, unless you have the next operating system - OS X 10.10 Yosemite, which has yet to be released. The Apple Watch I'm Already in Line One of the biggest surprises at the September 8th Apple Event, was the announcement of the upcoming Apple Watch. I'm a runner and loved my Garmin 305. I had two that I practically wore out. The Apple Watch is right up my alley. They announced Sport, Dress, and Casual editions. They will even have a gold model, if that's how you roll. To learn more about the Apple Watch, visit Apple's site at: http://www.apple.com/watch/

August 2014 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Two Device Security Tips for Back to School Keep Your Friends Close, but your iPhone Closer (or iPad) Let's face it: Kids lose stuff at school, but there are a few things that you can do with them to ensure that their iPads and iPhones don't end up in the lost and found... or worse. Put on a Passcode Putting a passcode on your iPhone or iPad is the easiest way to secure it. For iOS 7 users, simply go into Settings -> Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on the iPhone 5s) and create one. Make sure that you write down the code. If ever forgotten, the device needs to be completely wiped and set up from scratch -- all data will be lost. Enable "Find My iPhone/iPad" Go to Settings -> iCloud where you can toggle Find My iPhone/iPad on. This will allow you to log into iCloud.com from any web browser and not only locate your device, but also lock it, display a message, or even erase it completely.

Choosing a New Monitor Sometimes It Hertz Not long ago, I carried around a 17-inch MacBook Pro weighing in at almost seven pounds. It had a big screen and was a wonderful machine overall, but it was cumbersome.  Now, the new 13-inch MacBook Pros are light as a feather and can be easily hooked up to a quality monitor to expand your workspace at the office. I'm typing this article right now staring at my 23-inch Apple Cinema Display. You can have the portability and back-saving weight of a small but powerful laptop, yet the real-estate of the monitor of your choice. Plus, with AirPlay and an Apple TV you can also use your 90-inch 4K curved TV as a display, too. And why wouldn't you want to? But when selecting a monitor, the current myriad of choices can be daunting. There's Full HD, Ultra HD, 2K, 4K, and variations of flavors therein.  PCMag.com has put together an article for graphic designers on choosing the best monitor. Now, many of us don't need a monitor that a high-end designer may use every day, but the article can help you understand all that lies on the external display playing field these days. You can read it here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2456236,00.asp Passwords, Data Breaches, and You Thoughts and Best Practices By now you all must have heard or read about the massive data breach of 1.2 billion or so usernames and passwords by a Russian hacker group. Unfortunately, news like this over the past year has become more commonplace, although what makes this instance so shocking is the sheer size of the theft.  There's a lot of advice out on the internet as to what you should do to protect yourself from these types of attacks. It boils down to a few common principles: Don't use the same Username and Password with every account. Create secure passwords of at least 8 characters with numbers, letters, and even symbols, if sites allow it. Write down your Usernames and Passwords and keep in a secure location. Change your Usernames and Passwords if you suspect that they have been stolen. Monitor your accounts and email for any funny business. Watch your financial accounts closely, reconcile statements, etc. This article from IT World shares 'Five Ways to Better Protect Your Passwords' that are very easy to implement: http://www.itworld.com/security/430802/russian-hacker-breach-five-ways-better-protect-your-passwords   CNET's Seth Rosenblatt has a different take on the matter, though I'd rather err on the side of caution. You can read his article here: http://www.cnet.com/news/why-you-shouldnt-be-scared-by-the-largest-data-breach/