Apple's packed some great photo-editing features into iOS 8's Photos app. It's not quite Photoshop but it may be all you need. Plus, it's already on your iPhone, assuming you're on iOS 8. Plus it's a ton of fun.Here's how you can use these features to quickly improve your pictures. Mom, and others on iOS... Continue Reading →
My Four Favorite Money-Saving Shopping Websites
Our friend Ben Franklin said "A penny saved is a penny earned." Actually, there's some debate about whether he actually said that, but the thought is a good one. You can't always bring in more money but if you buy stuff at a discount it's almost the same thing. The four websites described below will... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #8: Make and Answer Phone Calls From Your iPad
Eight for 8, Day Eight. I make a point of turning off my iPhone's ringer when I am in someone else's office or home. Occasionally I forget to do it, and when a call comes in I rush to slide the switch to "mute." That's what happened last week, but when I muted the phone,... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #7: Set the Camera’s Focus and Exposure Independently
Eight for 8, Day Seven. Feeling lucky.Some of iOS 8's new features are more like refinements of old features, and some of them are a little on the subtle side. In fact, some of them are so subtle you might not notice them-- but that's why I'm here, to point them out for you. Here's... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #6: See the Battery Usage, per App
Eight for 8, Day Six. Let's get rolling.I get a lot of calls asking how to prolong the battery life on iPhones and iPads, so many that I've written a couple of blog posts about that already: here, and also here. But iOS 8 gives us a new tool in our quest for longer battery... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #5: Hands-Free Siri
Eight for 8, Day Five. iOS 8 gives us a new, hands-free way of controlling Siri. Here's how it works. iOS 8 Tip #5: Hands-Free Siri Used to be, to use Siri you held the Home button down until you heard "beep beep," and then you let go and then you started talking, and when... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #4: Faster Typing, Thanks to the Predictive Keyboard
Eight for 8, Day Four. iOS 8 Tip #4: Faster Typing, Thanks to the Predictive KeyboardiOS 8's keyboard looks a lot like its predecessors, except now it has a little strip across the top row. It uses that strip to present its three best guesses for what you want to type next. Tap a guess... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #3: Audio Texts and Video Insta-Selfies
Eight for 8, Day Three. Why do we say that half of eight is four, when anyone can look at the picture and see that half of 8 is 3? Must be the New Math.Before we get to today's tip I want to thank those who've been sending in tips, questions, and thanks. Those kinds... Continue Reading →
iOS 8 Tip #2: Actionable Notifications
iOS 8 and higher: you can respond to notifications from the lock screen now. This will save you time and trouble.
iOS 8 Tip #1: The Two-Finger Down-Swipe
Here's how you make your iPhone read out loud to you. Incredibly handy: have your iPhone read your emails and articles to you as you drive.