How to Make and Use Smart Folders on a Mac

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Do you find yourself spending too much time looking for files on your Mac, over and over? For example: You want to browse through all of the images on your Mac, regardless of where they’re stored. Or you’re looking for a document you were working on recently, but the name escapes you. Wouldn’t it be nice to somehow have all of your images listed in one all-inclusive list, no matter where they are on your Mac, so you could scan through them without opening up a bunch of folders? And wouldn’t it be nice to have… Continue Reading How to Make and Use Smart Folders on a Mac

Extend your iPhone’s battery life by closing Safari’s tabs

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Many people are surprised to find several (or even “gobs of”) open Safari tabs on their iPhones. This can be a handy feature: click on the tabs button at bottom right in Safari… … scroll through the list of open pages, and tap the one you want to view. Easy. Bonus Tip #1: swipe up to see the tabs that are open on your other iCloud-connected devices. Maybe you had a web page open on your Mac but you want to finish reading it on your iPhone while standing in line to buy a lottery… Continue Reading Extend your iPhone’s battery life by closing Safari’s tabs

Apple’s iPhone XR available for pre-order

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Back in September Apple introduced three iPhones (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR) but only the first two went on sale that day. The XR is now available for pre-order, and will be available in stores starting October 26th, 2018. This video (narrated by Jonny Ive) gives you an overview of all three phones. Listen for Jonny to say “aluminium” at 2:50– always a highlight! Here are prices for the current iPhone line-up. iPhone XS Max, 256 GB: $1,249 iPhone XS, 256 GB: $1,149 iPhone XR, 256 GB: $899 iPhone 8 Plus, 256… Continue Reading Apple’s iPhone XR available for pre-order

How to watch Apple’s October 30th, 2018 event

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UPDATE: the event is over. Click here to watch the entire show. Highlights: a new MacBook Air, a new Mac mini, and two new iPad Pros (no home buttons, Face ID, incredible speed). New Apple Pencil that connects to iPad Pro magnetically– for storage, and for charging! Incredible. It’s time for another Apple announcement event. This one begins at 7 am PST on Tuesday, October 30th, 2018. Yes, West Coast people, that’s 7 am PST. Put the coffee on. Click here to see the official invitation from Apple. Use this link to add the event… Continue Reading How to watch Apple’s October 30th, 2018 event

How to remove adware and malware from your Mac

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Did your Mac’s home page change all by itself? Do you see new items in your browser’s toolbar? Did you get a pop-up message telling you to call an 800 number, or your Mac will be erased? Are your searches being handled by some weirdo website? If so, your Mac may be infected with adware or malware. It’s easy to remove, so let’s do it. The best way to remove adware and malware is with a free program called Malwarebytes for Mac. Malwarebytes has long been a player in the PC world, where problems of… Continue Reading How to remove adware and malware from your Mac

iOS 12: First Impressions, and advice

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Apple released iOS 12 September 17th, 2018 and I installed it right away on an iPhone 8 Plus and an iPad Pro. Installation went smoothly and there was a noticeable speed improvement on each device: apps launch faster, and the camera is ready to take a picture almost immediately. iOS 12 will work on any iPhone that can run iOS 11. If you were waiting for iOS 11 to finally be ready for prime-time, forget it– instead, move to 12. iOS 12 is not perfect; in a few days of medium use, the back button… Continue Reading iOS 12: First Impressions, and advice

How to sync text messages between your iPhone and your Mac

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It’s really handy to have your iPhone’s text messages show up on your Mac (and/or iPad). Start a texting conversation on your iPhone when you’re out, then continue it at home or work when you’re able to use your Mac (or iPad). Each device will have the complete conversation, and the other party will not know that you aren’t doing it all on your iPhone. Setting it up takes a couple of steps, and occasionally things stop working. In that case you’ll need to check on the settings again. This article tells you everything you… Continue Reading How to sync text messages between your iPhone and your Mac

How to watch Apple’s September 12th 2018 Special Event

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UPDATE: the announcement is over. You can click here and watch a recording of the entire event. It’s time for another one of Apple’s announcement events. This one begins at 10 am PST on Wednesday September 12th, 2018. Use this link to add the event to your calendar. How to watch: On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using this link (iOS 10 or higher) On your Mac using this link (macOS 10.12.6 or higher, using Safari) On your Apple TV (2nd generation or higher, latest updates, using the Apple Events app) These shows usually… Continue Reading How to watch Apple’s September 12th 2018 Special Event

NFL Schedules and Calendars for the 2018 Season

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The NFL schedule is out, and it’s super-helpful to know when the games come on, and who’s playing in them, so you can make plans. You’d think you could get NFL calendars onto your iPhone and iPad and Mac by visiting nfl.com, but they don’t have downloadable or subscribe-able calendars there, so don’t bother looking. Instead, go to the South End Zone website, where you’ll find calendars for every team, and for the post-season, and for prime-time, and more. The beautiful thing about the South End Zone’s calendars is you can subscribe to them ONCE… Continue Reading NFL Schedules and Calendars for the 2018 Season

How to Get Amazon Prime Video on your Apple TV

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Six months ago, Tim Cook announced that Amazon Prime Video would appear on the Apple TV by the end of the year. They just made it: last week, the Amazon Prime Video app showed up via a software update on the 3rd generation Apple TVs and it became a downloadable app (search for it) on the 4th generation models. (If you don’t see it on your 3rd generation Apple TV, go to Settings/General/Software Update and update your Apple TV.) This signals the end of the load-amazon-prime-on-your-iPhone-or-Mac-and-airplay-it-to-the-AppleTV end-around. After you’ve installed it, click on the Amazon… Continue Reading How to Get Amazon Prime Video on your Apple TV