April 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Safe Travels with Your Mac or iOS Device Avoiding Icky Public WiFi Free public wifi is convenient. It's available just about everywhere these days, but its safety is questionable. Even if you are diligent about not logging into financial sites or doing anything of the like while on one of these networks, there still is a risk that your information can be intercepted. The good news is that there is a simple solution: set up your own wifi network. This can be as simple as tethering to your iPhone by enabling Personal Hotspot or purchasing a mobile hotspot device from your phone provider. In this way you will be using your provider's cellular data network vs. a wide open public wifi. And yes, we have all read about fake cell towers jacking our data connections. This does happen. Nothing on the Internet is risk free, but by using your cellular data connection you are at least hedging your bets. For instructions on how to setup and use Personal Hotspot on your iPhone, click here:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204023 Here are some links to popular mobile hotspot devices:  - AT&T https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/hotspots.html  - Verizon https://www.verizonwireless.com/internet-devices/verizon/

Clean Up Your Mac the Easy Way Make Room for More Stuff If you have had your Mac for a while, chances are it's plugged up with iPhone backups from 2008, old iTunes TV show downloads, or any number of old documents that you just no longer need. Well, if you are on macOS Sierra (and yes, you have to be on macOS Sierra) there is a new "Manage" tool to help you clear out old files and apps. First, go up to the Apple in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, and from that drop-down select About this Mac. Click on the Storage tab and there you will see the Manage button. Give it a little time to calculate, but here you will have the ability to see what's clogging the drain and get helpful solutions on how to handle all that stuff. BUT FIRST! Make sure that you have a backup before deleting stuff, because if you delete something by mistake, it would not be fun.

New Mac: How Much Space Do You Need? 128, 256, 512 - Oh My! Time for a new Mac? If you have a machine that is from 2011 or earlier, that means you. But, how much space do you need? It's important to figure this out before you buy, as the new Macs either don't allow for future upgrades, or if they do, it's logistically difficult and prohibitively expensive. First, here are our general recommendations for consumers: 512 GB is sufficient for general use. 256 GB is fine, but only for very light use (email and web surfing). 128 GB is useless as there is not enough space for system files, apps, and other things -- you will run out fast. Professional use is a different thing, and often times much more storage will be needed. To determine how much space you will need, first do a backup, and then see the previous article on how to clean up your drive. Then, go back up to the Apple in the upper left and click About This Mac, then select the Storage tab. It will tell you how much data you are using. Write this number down. This is a good place to start. Remember that as the years pass, file sizes will increase, so the more storage you purchase now, you are looking at extending the useful life of your new Mac. And you also need about 10% of the drive to remain free so that the operating system and apps have a place to work.

March 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Backup Your iPhone/iPad Now! Seriously! New iOS Update Introduces New File System Toward the end of March Apple will be introducing an update for the operating system on your iPhones and iPads. iOS 10.3 will be introducing new features, but the biggest change is one that you will not see. The underlying file system is changing. Imagine a library re-doing their entire card catalog overnight. Yeah... you get my point. Advice from around the internet is to backup your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch before this update comes out. You can backup to iCloud, which is the method we recommend, or go old school and do it in iTunes. Either way, it's something that you need to put on the top of your priority list. To backup to iCloud, connect your device to a power source, join your wifi network, and then go to Settings -> iCloud -> Backup. Initiate a backup by selecting Back Up Now. For more prepping advice, check out this article from ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-get-your-iphone-or-ipad-ready-for-ios-10-3/

Spring Clean Your Passwords Make Life A Bit Easier I know, we all hate passwords. And in this case, it's totally okay to hate -- I asked. But no matter how much ire we direct toward them, passwords are a necessary part of technology. This does not mean that they need to drive you crazy. Here are some tips to clean up your passwords: Make A List - It doesn't have to be a list, but it has to be something. You need to record your passwords somewhere that is secure, accessible to you, and easy to update. This can be a locked/encrypted document or spreadsheet, a notepad kept in a safe, or anything like that. Just ensure it is secure and easy to update. And make sure you update it every time you change a password. Use A Current Email - If you are using an old Compuserve email for your Netflix login, you need to change it. Make sure your logins are associated with your current email address. Update them as needed. Change It Up - Complex passwords are secure passwords. When creating a password use at least ten characters with a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols. Avoid names, birthdates, or anything that can be easily figured out by a hacker. Two-Factor Authentication - Consider two-factor authentication for important accounts, like banks, brokerage sites, etc. When you login you will be sent a text with a code. This makes sure that it is YOU logging into the account, and not someone from Moldavia.

Apple TV Secrets Shhhh... don't tell anyone We love our Apple TV. The new version has so many features, some of which are hidden. Check out this article from Macworld about 38 Must-Know Secrets and Shortcuts for Your Apple TV: http://www.macworld.com/article/3003185/home-players/30-must-know-secrets-and-shortcuts-for-your-apple-tv.html

February 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Safari and Flash How to Re-Enable It Adobe Flash has been a necessary evil of the internet, but its influence is waning. HTML5 is taking over and this is good news for you, as it's faster and much more secure. To prepare for this, Apple has disabled the Flash plug-in in Safari.  But you may have sites that still require Flash. Here is how to re-enable it: Open Safari and go up to the Safari drop-down menu Select Preferences Choose the Security tab Make sure Allow Plug-Ins is checked Click on the Plug-In Settings button Choose Adobe Flash Player on the left and make sure it is checked In the lower right hand of the window look for "When visiting other websites" Turn it either to On or Ask. If On it will just run when needed. "Ask" will require you to allow it for specific sites -- you will be prompted by a pop-up. That will get Flash running again in Safari, but you may still need to update it. Never, ever click on a pop-up asking to update Flash. Many times this is the way malware gets on a Mac. Here is the safe way to check for Adobe Flash Updates: Go to System Preferences Select Flash Player Click on the Updates tab Hit the Check Now button

iPhone Rumors The Roundup The 10th Anniversary iPhone is due to be released this fall. Check out these links for the latest rumors: Mac Rumors: https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/15/2017-iphone-edge-to-edge-display-virtual-buttons/ CNET: https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-iphone-8-steel-body-iphone-7s-aluminum/ ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/article/what-wireless-charging-would-mean-to-the-iphone/

Apple TV and the Single Sign On Setup Has Gotten A Little Easier One of the most finicky things about setting up an Apple TV is logging into every single provider app. The good news is that Apple finally released Single Sign On. If your provider supports it, you sign in once in settings and then allow the apps to use those credentials. Here is the link to the how-to from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207035

January 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Battery: To Replace or Not A Word On the iPhone & iPad Like me you may be resisting letting go of your older iPhone because you don't want to put a huge flat screen TV in your pocket. Okay, I'm exaggerating (a bit), but some of us don't see a need for a 5 inch or larger screen -- that's why we have iPads. But the pitfall of holding on to an older iPhone is of course battery life. The same can be said of iPads. My iPad 3 is now over four years old an I need to charge it up often to keep it going. But does it make sense to replace our aging batteries? No. That's the answer. Don't do it. Sure, there are a myriad of phone repair places that will happily replace your battery. But the iPhones and iPads are built with non-replaceable batteries for a reason. Having a random shop crack yours open to put in some off-brand lithium ion battery is ill advised. We have yet to see a "repaired" device that we would consider acceptable. iOS devices have a life-span of about 2 years, which is standard for mobile devices. Battery life will be good for that period, but will start to drop off afterwards. If your device is older than 3 years, an upgrade is advisable as a better option than repair. And remember, you don't need the iPhone 7 if you don't like the size. The iPhone SE is the same size of the venerable iPhone 5 with all the iPhone 6 guts in it.

Apple Wireless Network Tweaks Yes, It Hertz If you have an Apple Airport Extreme and a new Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, you can enable the 5GHz network option on your Apple Airport Extreme to boost speed to those devices. In fact, we have found that the newer Apple TVs work much better on this frequency, especially when using AirPlay. 5GHz is a higher frequency than the standard 2.4GHz radio, so the signal won't go as far, but it allows much better throughput for devices that can take advantage of it. And if you have one of those Gigawhatever internet services, it's an easy way to optimize speed. To enable your 5GHz radio, go into Airport Utility and when editing the configuration of your Airport, select the Wireless tab and then Wireless Options to see the checkbox.

Alexa, Siri, Google Home & Privacy It's Open Mic Night at Your House... Every Night All these new voice assistants hitting the market are cool. I think of Captain Picard asking the Enterprise computer for his favorite tea. Cool, yes, but are they secure? All voice assistants are constantly listening for their key phrase to activate. This means that the microphone is always on. How the different services handle trapping this voice data varies. Wiredmagazine has an excellent and brief article that can answer some of your concerns. You can read it here: https://www.wired.com/2016/12/alexa-and-google-record-your-voice/

December 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Are You Really Backing Up? Trust But Verify Over the past few months, Wendy and I have run into many people who have not backed up their phones, iPads, or computers. Not backing up is bad. You can lose data. Actually, you will lose data. With syncing, cloud services, malware, adware, breaches, and all that, your data needs to be backed up in order to not only restore what you have lost, but also for troubleshooting an issue, where restoration of a previous state of your photos or contacts, for example, can help solve a problem. Time Machine and Your Mac If you are not backing up your Mac with Time Machine, you are asking for trouble. The state of your computer changes from minute to minute, and can go sideways at any moment. As an example, I have had to restore my MacBook Pro from its Time Machine backup several times over the past eighteen months. Yes, I work with computers and push my Mac very hard, but since I use Time Machine it's just a minor inconvenience. To use Time Machine, you will need an external hard drive. Setting it up is easy by going into System Preferences and turning it on. Apple has some sweet instructions right here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250 Once you have it set up, you can't just trust that it is running. Here are some tips: Mac Desktop: Keep the Time Machine drive plugged in at all times. Give it time to back up. Do not just shut down your Mac and walk away. Leaving the machine running will allow it to fully grab and update your data. Mac Laptop: At the end of the day, plug your laptop into power, leave the lid open, make sure it is on, and then connect the backup. That way you will, at the very least, capture one full backup per day. External Drives: If you have external drives that you want to be backed up, too, you need to make sure that they are connected and included in the backup set. Go to System Preferences -> Time Machine and click the Advanced options to see what drives are included/excluded. Every so often, click the Time Machine icon on the top menu bar to see when your last backup occurred. You can also view this by going into System Preferences -> Time Machine. iCloud Backup for iPhone and iPad Backing your mobile device to iTunes is no longer the preferred or most-effective method. We have found that it does not necessarily restore as well as the backups to iCloud. To turn on iCloud backup on your iPad or iPhone, go to Settings -> iCloud -> Backup and turn it on. It will backup once per day, when connected to power and while on wifi. You can also go in here to check the backup status.

A Frank Discussion About Email It's A Whole New World A long time ago, like the last decade, you got your email from either your cable/internet provider or web hosting company. Companies had their own servers humming away in some back room. Savvy users may have even set up their own.  That was the past. Today everything is more connected, more mobile, and more vulnerable. In the age of cyber attacks, breaches, spoofing, graylisting, blacklisting, sunspots, and SPAM, the small providers cannot keep up. That leaves you frustrated that you can't send mail, receive mail, or end up on the naughty list and can't email anybody because you have been blacklisted. So, what to do? Re-think who is hosting your mail. Is it their primary business, or do they focus on television programming? Do they have a big staff and hundreds involved in gray and blacklisting spammers? How has your experience been over the past year? If their services go down, is it a footnote leaving you to take hours out of your day to call them, or are they big enough that it hits the news? Hmmm... These days, when it comes to email, the bigger the better as they have more people involved in keeping it humming, and more incentive as their larger size means that if there is an issue it will pop up on CNET, CNN, CNBC, or Fox Business. Not good for their bottom line. They want to keep the user happy. In the world of Mac, we have seen better experiences with iCloud and Gmail. Again, they are bigger services, have an army of folks keeping them going, and have huge exposure if there is an issue. But remember, you don't need to lose your old email address. If you decide to move to a new provider your can always forward your mail to your new address. And if you have a hosted domain, remember that your web host and mail host can be separate entities.

Buying a New MacBook Pro? Read This First Know What You Need The new all USB-C MacBook Pros are out, and you may be thinking of buying one this holiday season. If you are, note that Apple has made a major change to the way the hardware is installed and its upgradeability. On the new model, the RAM and Solid State Drive are attached to the board and are not able to be swapped out by the user. That means any future upgrades will require an expensive trip to the Apple Store Genius Bar. So, get the SSD size that you need -- we don't normally recommend going less that 500 GB. Also, max out the RAM. 16 GB may seem like a lot now, but in a few years you will be happy that you have it. Oh yeah, also make sure you purchase Apple Care in the event you have an issue with your new MacBook Pro.

November 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The New MacBook Pros & What You Need To Know It's USB-C Time! To much of their usual fanfare, Apple announced new MacBook Pro laptops. There has been a lot of controversy about these new models, so let's break it down so you know the skinny and can make a decision if you are in the market for one. Better and Faster: This is expected. The underpinnings of the new MacBook Pros are speedier than the previous generation. This is a given for an upgrade. No Mag-Safe Adapter: Yes, it's gone. Instead there is a USB-C charger like the MacBooks. It's, of course, a higher wattage unit. ALL USB-C: That's right! No more USB 3.0 or SD Card Slot or anything like that. All the ports are USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. Fast? Yes, but you will need a ton of adapters to link up with all of your non USB-C peripherals, which is all of them.  OLED Touch Bar with Fingerprint Sensor: On the top of the line 13-inch and the 15-inch models, the row of function keys has been replaced with an OLED touch bar with a fingerprint sensor. The bar can change options depending on which application you are in. You can also unlock your MacBook Pro with your fingerprint, just like your iPhone. The deletion of traditional ports on the MacBook Pro and the full-blown move to USB-C is what makes these Macs so controversial. You will need adapters or a port replicator to connect to your USB backup drive, your monitor, or directly to your network via ethernet. This adds costs and complexity. This was an issue with the ultra-portable MacBooks when they came out last year, but as an ultra-portable, connectivity to external devices is not its purpose.  Also, the revolutionary Mag-Safe Adapter is gone. Now if you trip over your power cable, instead of it safely disconnecting from your Mac, the motion will fling your new $3000 MacBook Pro across the room. Nice. Am I a little snarky about these models? Sure, but you come here for honesty, not spin. If you are in the market for a new MacBook Pro there is a lot to get excited about, but the adapter thing is something that you will need to know about since you will want to fill your bag with them before leaving the Apple Store. To check out the new MacBook Pros go here: http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/

Adware/Malware Tips Keeping Your Mac Clean We have seen a lot of adware and malware infecting machines, and have even been witness to Macs with "antivirus" and other questionable software on them that fail to keep these computers safe. Here are some quick tips to keep you out of trouble: Use Google as a Search Engine: They do the best job of all of them of scrubbing their search results. Do Not Respond to Requests to Update Adobe Flash: The Adobe Flash scam is the biggest way that the bad stuff gets on your Mac. If you need to update your Flash, go into System Preferences -> Flash Player and click on the Update Tab. There you can run a check.  Watch the Social Media Sites: All the social media sites are seething with tricksters dolling out malware to unsuspecting browsers. Be careful on what you click on. Check out MalwareBytes: This program can rid you of Adware and Malware with a simple click: https://www.malwarebytes.com/antimalware/mac/

Inkjet Clogged? Read Here Print, Print, Print Just a quick word on inkjet printers. They are inexpensive and do a really good job, but if they are left for a while the jets can clog to the point where they become impossible to clean. The only option then is to get a new printer. If you intend on leaving your inkjet idle for more than a week or two, ask the person or persons watching your house to print at least once a week. If it is a multi-function, a simple copy will accomplish the same purpose.

October 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

macOS Sierra is Ready for Prime Time  This Mild Upgrade is Good macOS Sierra has been on our machines for a few weeks now and it is working well. It is stable, looks a lot like El Capitan, and hasn't given us any troubles. Your mileage may vary, but we wanted to let you know about our experiences. If you wish to update to macOS Sierra, head over to the App Store for the free download. It takes a while (about an hour or so) and please make sure that you have a backup before you begin.

Protect Yourself from Malware and Scams An Update from An Article Published in May 2015 [If you are a long-time Mini-Bytes subscriber, you may have already seen this, but there has been a rash of new and updated scams. I thought this to be relevant again.] Macs, by the very nature of the design of macOS, are very secure systems, unlike Windows computers (shiver...) that pass around infections and viruses faster than a kindergarten class. But still, the bad guys have to figure out a way to, well, be bad guys. The way they do this in the world of Macs is by trickery and tomfoolery. Keeping a watchful eye will go a long way to keep you safe. Your Admin Password Keep in mind that your Administrator Password (the one you need to enter to log in or install software) is the key to your Mac. If it pops up, ask yourself why. It's the front door of your system -- enter the password and you open the door. Just as you do at home, be sure you know who you open the door for. Adware Let's talk about Adware. What is it? Adware is software that tracks your activities on line so that you can be presented with ads either embedded in a web page or via pop-ups. Technically Google is adware, but we're talking about the bad stuff -- the borderline malware that gets installed on your system by piggy-backing on a legitimate install. If you are getting a lot of pop-ups or your home page has been changed to a weird search engine like InstallMac, then chances are you have adware on your system. How to remove it? MalwareBytes for Mac does the job very well and is available here: https://www.malwarebytes.com/antimalware/mac/ BUT! If you have adware, you may not be able to download it or will be redirected somewhere else. It can be a vicious circle. How do you prevent adware? Only download content from legitimate websites. Many malware sites will mimic the URLs of actual websites. Again, be wary and check twice. The Scary Pop-Up We know you've seen it. It pops up, may even lock your browser, and says that you are infected with some awful virus and that you need to click here or there, call someone, or buy something. Well, phooey! It's a scam. Don't download the software and don't call the phone number. Ever! If you call, they will want access to your machine and then it gets a lot more serious. Close Safari, then reopen and go to History and select Clear History & Website Data. Choose an interval, or all of it -- your choice. If you are having trouble clearing the history, disconnect your machine from the Internet and try again. The Phone Call The phone rings and it's Microsoft, or the Internet Police, or the Tooth Fairy, or whoever telling you that your machine is throwing errors and causing ships around the world to spontaneously sink. You must grant them access to your computer and pay them $200 or even worse things will happen. What to do? Hang up. It's bogus. How long have you been on hold with your ISP when you can't get online? Exactly.... they don't have time to be calling. It's a scam. And never, ever, allow someone to remotely control your machine, unless you know them. (See the front door reference above.) This is just the tip of the iceberg of best practices, but if you follow the roadmap presented here it will be a significant help to keep you away from the scammers. Is it a little cynical? You bet, but in this case a little cynicism today can keep any future headaches away.

File Vault - When It Is Good Encryption for Your Mac There has been a lot in the news about encryption lately. An encrypted disk basically locks every single file with a passcode. For an operating system, like macOS or Windows (shiver...), to interact with an encrypted disk it needs that passcode. Don't have the passcode and you won't be able to get in. So, if you are bad with passwords, encryption can be a terrible thing.  But in many cases there are advantages to encryption. On the Mac the service is called File Vault and you can turn it on in System Preferences - Security & Privacy. But here are a couple of things to consider before you turn it on. Do You Need Encryption with File Vault? That call is personal. If you have a laptop that leaves the house often, then encryption is a good thing. In the case where the laptop is stolen, it is highly unlikely the thieves will be able to get at your data. Medical offices require encryption under HIPPA, and your business may require encryption on certain types of machines. Can Your Machine Handle File Vault? Encrypting and decrypting files on the file takes a lot of horsepower. It is highly recommended that if you do want to enable File Vault you do so on a Solid State Drive. You can enable File Vault on the old style SATA drives, but it will slow things down considerably. Also, you need enough disk space for the disk to encrypt. If you don't have enough space you won't be able to set it up and the machine may lock. Yes, it happened to me. If you have a newer machine with an iSeries processor and a solid state drive then you have the horsepower. It's generally accepted that it is not a good idea to encrypt disks when performance is paramount -- video editing and graphic design workstations are a good example. If you are not good with passwords, you need to tread carefully. If you lose your password, or the encryption unlock key, or your iCloud, you WILL LOSE ACCESS TO YOUR DATA. So, be very careful.