Apple Watch Update - Works best With a Paired iPhone But Retains Some Features Without One

A few more days learning the Apple Watch and the update.  Apple Watch is designed to be paired with the iPhone.  It works best using Bluetooth, however, it can pair using Wi-Fi.  From what I have read, Wi-Fi uses a little more power from the watch than Bluetooth.  What is interesting is that the watch does have some features when using only Wi-Fi without the paired iPhone.

Two websites explain the relationship:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204562  and https://support.apple.com/kb/PH20767?locale=en_US 

The experience of a new device is interesting.  I am amazed of the incredible capabilities that the watch provides with such a small "footprint."  I am learning a little more every day.  

Apple Watch

With a couple of upcoming holidays in the next few weeks, I received an Apple watch as a gift.  Not that I needed a watch, because I never wear one.  After I figure it out a bit more, I will wrap it up so that I have a gift to open.  The watch uses a "haptic" as an alert, which is a buzz feeling when emails and messages arrive.  The watch is tethered to the iPhone and that may be the downside.  The phone should be within 30 feet but it seems that my watch wants the phone closer than that.

I did answer a couple of phone calls with the watch this morning and the quality of the audio was excellent.  I really like the emoticons that you can send with messages.  Fun!

As I read, developers are still creating apps for the iWatch.  The two I added are Google Maps and App in the Air.  You can read about other Apple watch apps at http://www.wareable.com/apple-watch/best-apple-watch-apps-832 

Even more features are noted on the YouTube video below.  Enjoy!

Apple Update 8.3

The newest version of Apple OS for iPad and iPhones was recently released.  The new version provides choices of skin color and hair for male and female emoji icons.  It also allows user to change Siri's voice.  From what I read on a CNN article, Opps Apple's Diverse Emoji Turn into Aliens, if you do not upgrade, the male and female icons turn into aliens. I prefer not having to make an extra step and select the type of female icon each time - wish it would "remember" my preference.  Who knows what the future will bring with new updates. 

Apple Pay - Update

Apple Pay is now available for those who have the latest iPhones and iPads.  You need to do the latest system update to access the feature.  Once the update is installed, click on Settings to enter credit card information.  Entering the credit card info is extremely easy - just click the camera icon in the credit card set-up window and hold the camera over the card.  The information is automatically recognized.  If for some reason, it isn't, you can enter the info manually.  Once you are done, the app validates the card information and you probably will receive verification from that credit card company. It took me only a couple of minutes to set up my Apple Pay credit card accounts.

Apple Pay is more secure than using your credit card because it uses NFC (near field communication).  Every time you pay, it generates a unique code that cannot be used again.  That is in contrast to using your credit card where you have that little extra 3 or 4 digit code in addition to the credit card number. 

I found a quick useful article, Apple Pay Do's and Don'ts at http://www.forbes.com/sites/paularosenblum/2014/10/21/apple-pay-dos-and-donts-a-practical-guide/

Another good article about it from CNET, Everything You want to Know About Apple Pay is at http://www.cnet.com/news/everything-you-want-to-know-about-apple-pay/

Dropbox Update for the Mac - Screenshot Uploads

According to the article, Dropbox Updates with Automatic Screenshot Saving and iPhoto Importing (http://lifehacker.com/dropbox-updates-with-automatic-screenshot-saving-and-ip-1434368743), Dropbox for the Mac allows you to upload screenshots.  If that is a feature you want to have so you can share with others, go ahead and turn it on.

Not sure about others, but I have too many photos on my Mac devices.  It would take too much space that I need for work files.   For some, however, that feature may be helpful. 

Update on iOS7

After a couple of days using iOS7 - I am very pleased with the changes.  LifeHacker has an article outlining some of the new features at http://lifehacker.com/top-10-secret-features-of-ios-7-1336967278@whitsongordon

A few items not mentioned include:

• New wallpapers in the Settings menu
• New sounds in the Settings menu
• The way folders work - you can have more than one page in a folder and each page can hold 9 icons

I am  certain that there are many other changes, but I am still discovering the new ones.

New Apple iOS 7.0 Update

This morning I was greeted with the new iOS update for the iPhone and iPad.  The new iOS is a striking different look and feel.  The security feature is built-in when Find My iPhone is activated.  I was prompted to enter a 4 digit security code every time I unlock the phone.  The search menu is available from every screen by swiping down.  The changes are all very nice!

Reasons to Use iCloud if You have an iPad and/or iPhone

iCloud just got better!  There are several reasons to use the cloud storage site if you have an iPhone or iPad.

• From a security perspective, I suggest having your location finder turned on on the remote devices (yes, it does require additional battery use). The advantage is that you can use iCloud to find your iPad or iPhone.  Whether you have misplaced the device or it was stolen - if the device is turned on - you will be able to see on a map where it is located.
• New iCloud beta apps have promise!  You can drag and drop files including those created with Excel and PowerPoint.
• Pages
• Numbers
• Keynote

EndNote Reference Manager and Apple iWork Pages - Lessons Learned

A student in one of the classes I am teaching is using Pages on the Mac. I encourage all of the students to use a personal reference manager, such as EndNote (our university has a site license for the software).  What I learned is that EndNote has limited menu features in Pages in comparison to those available in Microsoft Word. 

• There is no clear (have not found it yet) way to refresh the citations in a Pages document when changes were made to the citation in EndNote.  
• Even if the citation output style is noted as APA 6th, EndNote names the reference page as Bibliography in bold font face. 
• You cannot use Cite While You Write from within EndNote because it works only with Microsoft Word.  When you insert a citation using the Pages Insert menu, you are able to search multiple EndNote libraries.

When I installed EndNote on my Mac, it installed correctly.  The install did not work on the student's computer.  We did a Google search and found a plug-in to enable the install.  

The bottom line is that it is possible to do Cite While You Write using EndNote and Pages, but the function is within Pages, not EndNote. There are online resources to assist with the use of the install and use of EndNote for Pages.

Apple Release of iOS 6.1

Apple has released version iOS 6.1.    I just updated the operating systems on my iPhone and iPad.  After the software installed and the device restarted there were several startup windows.  One allowed me to choose the email address and phone number that could be used for text messaging and FaceTime.  Another window prompted me to sign into iCloud.  There is a new setting that allows you to limit ad tracking.

About the Advertising Identifier - quoted from the article:
iOS 6 introduces the Advertising Identifier, a non-permanent, non-personal, device identifier, that apps will use to give you more control over advertisers’ ability to use tracking methods. You can reset a device’s Advertising Identifier at any time. And, if you choose to limit ad tracking, apps are not permitted to use the Advertising Identifier to serve you targeted ads. In the future all apps will be required to use the Advertising Identifier. However, until then you may still receive targeted ads.

You can read more about the updates at http://www.macworld.com/article/2026542/apple-releases-ios-6-1-update.html 

Print from Your iPad or iPhone

Thinking back to what computing was like 20 or 30 years ago and compare it with today is mind-boggling!  When I read Rick Broida's MacWorld blog today about printing from the iPhone and iPad at http://www.macworld.com/article/2020470/print-to-dropbox-evernote-or-an-actual-printer-from-your-iphone-or-ipad.html  it reminded me of how printing options have changed since the release of the iPad and the recent iPhones.  Because I can create, edit, and print from the iPhone and iPad, I often do not need to carry a laptop.  There are a couple of printing options:

• ePrint printer that provides printing using WiFi or email
• Print apps

As Broida's blog noted above, a print app that costs $19.95 is much less than replacing a printer with an ePrint printer.  I believe that HP (Hewlett Packard) is still the only printer that provides ePrint services.  When you purchase an ePrint printer you can print using WiFi on a local network system.  You click on the Send To icon on the mobile device, select the available printer, and print.  

ePrint printers allow you to print using email.  Each printer has a unique email address.  Enter the email address, message, and click the send button.  This feature will print most any kind of documents that is attached to the email. 

Broida's blog discussed the FingerPrint app.  One of the commenters for his blog mentioned Printopia.  Both apps cost $19.95.  We can expect new options for printing from mobile devices in the future.  It is an amazing difference from the dot matrix printers of the past.

Google Maps and the Apple App Store

Just yesterday, I wrote a blog about using Apple Maps and Siri. I noted that Apple maps directions did have an error for a Georgia highway.  Today, MacWorld reported that Google Maps is back in the Apple App store as of yesterday.  Sure enough - it is there! 

Apparently, Apple has recognized the problem with the Apple Maps software. The Apple Maps issues are not a problem for me when I am using the app in places where I know how to navigate without the app, but it has the potential of causing significant problems if you are going to an unknown place. 

Apple - Find My iPhone Update

The Apple Find My iPhone app was updated on December 11th to include driving directions to the lost device!  I was curious to see how the app worked. To see the update changes, open the Find My iPhone app.  Click on the Devices button in the top left corner to select the device. You should see a green icon with a car (Driving Directions button)  to the left of the iPhone name.  Click on the button and Apple maps will open.  Click on the Direction button (top left corner) for driving directions.

I realize that Apple maps are still not perfect.  I have been using the Driving Directions app with Siri audio, just to test the app.  The other day, Siri instructed me to turn right on a particular highway number, but had the number wrong (off by one digit).  Fortunately, you can report map problems to Apple.  When you click on the curled paper on the bottom right corner of the Maps window, you can click on the Report a Problem link.  Caution - the Report a Problem is at the top in dark gray on gray font - so almost invisible :-).  

Customizing the Mac Computer Dock

Yesterday, over half of the readers for this blog are Mac users - amazing.  That make some sense because many of my more recent blogs relate to Apple products.  A couple of days ago, Chris Breen posted a new How-To blog on customizing the dock, where selected apps appear on Mac computers at http://www.macworld.com/article/2018708/mac-101-dealing-with-the-dock.html?page=2 .

The secret, once again, is in the System Preferences.  Many of us were originally Microsoft PC users.  When we migrated to Apple products, we tried to do everything like using Microsoft Windows.  Now that I use Windows and Apple operating systems almost equally, I find myself trying to work on a Windows PC like I do on the Mac, for example, mouse scrolling and finger gesturing.

Because Apple products are designed differently, the Mac experience can be initially frustrating. That is a good reason to explore Chris Breen's How-To postings.  Next week he will focus on System Preferences (analogous to the Control Panel in the Windows OS).  That should be a great How-To!

New Gmail App for iPhone and iPad

A Google blog posted yesterday discussed a new Gmail app for the iPhone and iPad. Yes, an app! I had not even considered using an app for mail as gmail is one of my email accounts set up using Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars.  The screen shots of the Gmail app looked very nice, so I downloaded the app to the iPad.  The Gmail app provides a very nice simple and colorful view of email, which is very different from the regular email app.  You may find it worth exploring, too.To read more and see some of the screenshots, go to
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-gmail-app-for-iphone-and-ipad.html

Setting Notifications for the Mac Mountain Lion OS, iPhone, and iPod

If you have a Mac computer running Mountain Lion operating system (OS), an Apple mobile device, you probably are familiar with receiving notifications.  However, did you know that you can customize them?

On the Mac, go to the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen > system preferences > Personal > Notifications.  On a mobile device, click the Settings icon > Notifications.  You can chose a calendar style alert, select which apps you want for notification, whether to show a badge icon (shows number of alerts), and whether to play a sound.  You can also specify the number of notifications that you prefer (1-20).

Kirk McElearn has a very nice article detailing the notification system for Mountain Lion OS at http://www.macworld.com/article/2015473/qanda-mountain-lion-s-notifications.html. 

Creating a touchscreen glove to the iPad, iPod, or iPhone

I read a DIY column today about how to sew a few stitches of conductive thread into the finger tip of a glove so that you do not have to remove the glove to use the mobile device.  Actually there are several blog tutorials and YouTube videos on the topic.  One blog is at http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/diy-make-any-pair-of-gloves-touchscreen-capable-with-just-a-couple-stitches-of-thread-20091130/ 

From what I read the conductive thread is "hairy" as it is made metal fiber - so the recommendation is to wax the thread before threading a needle and sewing a few stitches in the tip of the glove.  You can purchase small amounts of thread for less than $3.00 (excluding any shipping charges).  One example is  http://www.karlssonrobotics.com/shop/conductive-thread-bobbin-30ft/?gclid=CO7MlJDD8rMCFQu0nQodTxwAtw 

Of course you can search the Internet yourself using the search word "conductive thread."  

Search Techniques for a Mac

Today, it is Thanksgiving here in the United States.  I just finished preparing all of the family favorite foods for a turkey and dressing dinner this evening, so have time post a blog.

Chris Been just posted a great article on how to search using a Mac on MacWorld at http://www.macworld.com/article/2014722/mac-101-seek-and-find.html.  If you are new to the Mac you may have overlooked the magnifying glass, called Spotlight, at the top right corner of the home screen.  Chris goes over some search techniques that many of use may have overlooked.

Did you know that you can search by key word, for example, name, author, kind, and/or date? To search by author, you would type author: Sewell. To search by author and kind, you would type author: Sewell  kind:image.  Furthermore, like on the Windows PC, you can specify where you want to search. 

Apple Numbers Spreadsheet Software Tutorials

I am working on writing my eBook for the ePublishing project.  One of the spreadsheet software discussed in the book will be Apple Numbers from iWork.  It is fascinating to see the differences between Numbers and Excel.  The most significant difference is that Numbers allows the user to have a "canvas" where multiple tables (individual spreadsheets) and charts can be displayed.  The second most notable difference is the ease at which the user can change the display of data.  The third big difference is the number of templates for the user to choose from when opening the program. Excel users will be pleasantly surprised.

There are a number of tutorials for learning Numbers.  The Apple iWork website has a number of short tutorials at https://www.apple.com/iwork/tutorials/#numbers

Of course, YouTube is always a great source for tutorials.  Other tutorials can be located at Lynda.com.  I will be posting some of the Lynda.com tutorials that can be shared on this blog, although they are all probably available on YouTube, too.

The Lynda.com Essentials tutorial is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uq_DYR0Vi8
I have embedded that video below.

iBooks Author - Another Video Tutorial from Kinetic-Media

Now that iBooks Author has been available for a few months, there are additional resources for learning how to use it.  Jeff Batt from Kinetic-Media recorded his 1-hour session on using iBooks Author and posted on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D0tPNeXXro.  I have embedded the presentation below.

If you are considering doing a workshop on how to use iBooks Author - beware of potential bandwidth problems if you want the participants to access the Internet.  When I co-presented on using iBooks Author at the Sloan C/MERLOT conference last July,  bandwidth issues were significant.  Participants were attempting to download the software, but could not.  That is a reason to consider recording your session, like Jeff did.  Of course, if we had anticipated the issue, we could have asked participants to download the software ahead of time.

Note, there is a 2.33 minute advertisement that you can skip to view the video.