After 3 years of iPod silence, Apple finally announced new versions of the popular music-playing device this week. The new iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle come in some amazing new (and vibrant) colors with some really nice hardware improvements.
The hardware improvements and new colors are nice, but that's not what has me excited about these upgraded devices. When most people think about the iPod, they think about playing music, but these devices do so much more. In this post, I will ignore the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle (not that they aren't great devices) to focus on the new iPod Touch and how it can change the way you work and play.
Apple iWork is an incredibly powerful (yet easy-to-use) suite of productivity applications used to get stuff done. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are the three applications that make up the iWork suite, and together, they allow you to create stunning documents and collaborate with others.
Like most software, you get out of it what you put into it. If you only understand the basics, you will only reap some of the benefits. The more you understand, the more you will find you can do. That's especially true with iWork for iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch). Because it's a non-traditional User Interface, performing some of the functions can be a little less intuitive. Today's TechTalk post gives you 5 tips on getting the most out of iWork for iOS (or as I like to call it, "iWork on the Go").
Apple iWork is an incredibly powerful (yet easy-to-use) suite of productivity applications used to get stuff done. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are the three applications that make up the iWork suite, and together, they allow you to create stunning documents and collaborate with others.
Like most software, you get out of it what you put into it. If you only understand the basics, you will only reap some of the benefits. The more you understand, the more you will find you can do. That's especially true with iWork for iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch). Because it's a non-traditional User Interface, performing some of the functions can be a little less intuitive. Today's TechTalk post gives you 5 tips on getting the most out of iWork for iOS (or as I like to call it, "iWork on the Go").
The other day, I was asked which app was the one that I used the most on my iPhone. I had a pretty good idea, but never really paid too much attention to it. To validate my hunch, I spent the next 24 hours keeping mental note of which app was open and used the most.
While I set aside 24 hours to do this, it was pretty clear within the first 6 hours. And the winner is... Messages! Apparently, I text a lot! Not just on my iPhone or iPad, but on my MacBook Pro as well. When using Apple's iMessage network (i.e.: when the text bubble is blue), these text conversations automatically flow seamlessly between iOS devices and Macs, and it's worked this way for a while now. Historically, however, this only worked for iMessage messages and didn't include traditional SMS-based text messages between you and non-Apple users (i.e.: when the text bubble is green). Because I sit in front of my computer a lot during the day, it would be nice to be able to text those users from my computer as well. Fortunately, there's an easy fix for this
Last week, Apple held their annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. I've been to several of these conferences, and Apple puts on a great show. The sessions of packed full of valuable technical information. For developers, it's like Christmas.
Not only is it a great opportunity for developers to learn from each other as well as Apple Engineers, but it's also a great chance for developers to show off their stuff. Participating developers can submit their applications for review. On the second day of the conference, Apple holds a "Design Awards" event to showcase the best of the best. In some cases, the best comes from large, International development houses. In other cases, it's literally a guy in his garage with a good idea.
Today's post comes in response to a recent reader question: "Don't launch but I've been using my AOL email address for many years, and now find it somewhat difficult to use. My family also makes fun of me for using it. What is the best way to change it to something else so that I don't miss email?"
When it comes to changing your email address, there is the right way and the wrong way. I see people doing the wrong way all the time, and it results in confusion and usually lost emails from friends, loved ones and coworkers. Here are some tips to changing your email address the right way.
Security seems to be a hot topic these days, especially since we seem to hear of breaches of security almost on a daily basis. Security isn't just important to business, but it's also important for individuals (maybe even more so, in some cases). Regardless, we should all be a little more security conscious.
Apple happens to be doing a lot of the right things to ensure that our data is secure. One of these initiatives is a system called "two-step verification". It can be a little confusing for some, so I wanted to present the information in a way that makes sense.
When you attend a conference or event for work, you're always required to register for that event using specific personal information... name, address, email address, etc. A lot of times, these conferences will also have some sort of vendor fair where vendors can show off their goods and services. These vendors almost always offer some sort of SWAG (Stuff We All Get) to entice you to stop and listen to what they have to say (pens, stress balls, t-shirts, etc). Seems harmless enough, right? The problem is that in order to get the free stuff, they swipe or scan your attendee badge. In the process of doing this, they are getting the personal information you used to register for the conference.
At first, this may not seem like a big deal. The conference ends, you go home and life is good... until you start to receive all the spam associated with the vendors who scanned your badge at the conference. While I have posted tips to reduce the amount of spam you get (click here), this situation can be completed avoided from the beginning. Here's how.
Sometimes, you're just too busy to take that phone call, and sometimes, it's just not a call you want to take at that particular moment (for whatever reason). iOS 8 has a really cool feature that allows you to auto-respond to an incoming call by sending a text message back to the caller.
While these pre-canned messages are pretty useful, I will be the first to admit that they don't accurately reflect my personality. I just don't talk that way to people. As a result, the caller feels like it's a cold, canned response. Even though we all know it is, there is a more effective way to use this feature. Here's a simple tip that allows you to customize these auto-response messages with language that you would use in every day conversation, making them sound more like you.
Apple officially only holds one public event (in the form of a conference) a year, so when WWDC (World-Wide Developer's Conference) rolls around each June, it's usually a big deal with lots of big announcements. Today's event, held at San Francisco's Moscone Center, is no different. There has been a lot of speculation that announcements at today's event will surround products like Apple TV, Apple Watch, various cloud-based services and more.
Although Apple has announced that they will be live-streaming the event from Apple.com as well as on Apple TV, we all know that these events can be lengthy (90 minutes or more). Here is a summary of the event.
Whether you’re in the business of giving presentations, or you only do so on occasion, the following is information that will definitely benefit your ability to create stunning slides. I sit through enough presentations to know what works, and what doesn’t. What do I use as a gauge? My attention. If a presentation can hold my attention for the duration, then I know the presenter has done a great job.
The one thing that most people overlook when presenting is that you are always selling something. You may not be selling a physical, salable product or service, but at the very least, you are selling your ideals and your principals to those in attendance. Having said that, it's important to do your best when preparing to give your presentation. Below are 6 techniques that I use when creating my presentation slide decks.
Apple's suite of online services (a.k.a.: iCloud) helps you to manage your digital life. From email to calendaring to photo-sharing, your iCloud account has the potential to be the center of your digital life. This is not only true for you, but it will likely be true for your children as well.
Even though they may not be ready to use iCloud right now, here's some advice that will help you (and them) when they are ready to use it.
If you haven't learned something new today, then you must be dead or on vacation, but even on vacation, you should be learning something new. That's exactly why this "Tech Talk" blog exists... to help you learn something new every day.
When it comes to developing your skills and talents, there are plenty of ways to do this. The most common way that most people think of right away is a formal college or university education. This is obviously still a very valid option, but wouldn't it be nice to attend a college course here or there without the time and expense commitment that goes along with it? Good news... you can!
When Apple introduced FaceTime alongside the iPhone 4 introduction in June 2010, it was used very little. I believe this was the case for two reasons: 1) people had a hard time finding an application for its use and 2) at the time, it only worked over WiFi. Since then, AT&T and other carriers have relaxed their restrictions to the point that yu can now use FaceTime over 4G and LTE on the go. Now, it seems like FaceTime is used more frequently (I use it just about every day, and it's becoming more frequent).
The ability to take a screenshot of your computer is invaluable for troubleshooting a problem or showing off the latest new app. Taking a screenshot on a Mac is easy (you can get instructions here).
Taking a screenshot on your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch may not be as intuitive, but it's just as easy... once you know how to do it. This tip will make it easy for you.
