| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Apple Keyboard, built in batteries so no need to swap them. Also very easy to sync, just plug in to connect via Bluetooth | |
| Apple mouse, same as the keyboard built in batteries so no need to swap them. Also very easy to sync, just plug in to connect via Bluetooth | |
| A good monitor at a good price, you will need to get an HDMI cable. Also the adapter below if you use USB-C | |
| An adapter for the new Mac connection USB-C, this with the monitor will allow you to connect all your items with one connector to make your Mac a desktop computer as well. | |
| These are great for hands-free phone calls, Siri access, and music or podcast listening. | |
| Get ethernet into other parts of the house. | |
| Good desktop machine both in terms of size and speed. | |
| Good USB keyboard. | |
| I have had good luck with ASUS routers lately. Good feature is what they call AiMesh. allows you to link multiple routers if need for a large enviornment. Look for other ASUS ones if you want more or less but this is a good mid-range one. | |
| This paper scanner works with Catalina. | |
| I like this drive because it has a tray that comes out so a CD/DVD won't get stuck in it. | |
| Here's a nice, low-cost wireless black & white laser printer that offers AirPrint (printing from your mobile device). | |
| This is the larger 10.2 inch retina display iPad that supports the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil. | |
| A good, solid color printer that functions well in a small office or for home use. | |
| Don't forget to get our most recent book, all-new and updated for Catalina! This link is for the paperback version. It's also available for Kindle. Click the link to see that option as well. |
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Often, I need to print a file but I don’t really have to read or edit it. One way is to open the file, then either go under the File Menu and select Print or use Command-P. A quicker option though is to highlight the file in Finder (by selecting it) without opening it, then use Command-P. This will briefly open it, then send it off to the printer all in one step. Easie-peasie! A couple of things to be aware of, though…
1) The print job will be sent to either your default printer or the one you used last, depending on your settings. (This means that if your printer settings send print jobs to your last printer used, but you’re not connected to it, then it won't print.)
2) Depending on the program used to create the file, you may not get the usual dialog box for copies or pages etc. In some cases this method just automatically makes one printout of the whole file.
In spite of these potential drawbacks though, this is fantastic way to quickly send out a print job.
For users with the iPhone 5, iPad 4th generation or earlier you will want to make sure your software is as up to date as possible. Starting Sunday, older software will make the iPhone 5, iPad 4th generation or earlier unusable for the most part. To do this, go into Settings --> General --> Software Update. To verify your current OS go to Settings --> General --> About. It will show the software version you are using, which should be 10.3.4 for iPhone 5 and iPad 4th generation. Earlier devices, iPhone 4S and prior, need to be running 9.3.6. If you don't do this before Sunday (November 3, 2019) the device will have to be erased to perform the update.
Catalina will be out at any time now - I am actually thinking this week and it wouldn't surprise me if it came out today. Note that there are some things I am really concerned about, especially if you're a business that relies on multifunction network printers. I haven't tested many of these yet, but I would not upgrade to Catalina until you’re sure that everything you have will work with it.
Here is a link to check out if programs you have will work. Keep in mind the installer should warn you about issues with software but I don't really trust it.
We just added a PDF to the website of some hands free tips for using the iPhone in your car. This is a follow up to last weeks notice on the new law in Maine. I am assuming that you would have a dash mount or something similar for these tips. Apple Car Play is fabulous as well for hands free phone use.
The new software for the iPhone (iOS 13) will be out tomorrow. Unlike previous software for the devices, this is for the iPhone only and not the iPad (iPadOS is on the 30th). So far in my testing it’s pretty smooth, however since I only test on a couple of devices, your mileage may vary. There is going to be an updated release of the iOS to 13.1 by the end of the month, so that’s the safest time to update if you don't want to take your chances on this first release.
Next is in the State of Maine: there is a new law in effect that your device must be “hands free”. Here is a basic breakdown of the law.
The new MacOS, “Catalina”, is getting closer. I am thinking the very end of September early October for a release date, so stay tuned.
Also, be prepared - this is a very big upgrade, so a lot of previous applications are no longer going to work. You can check to see which applications will not work on Catalina by going to our training website and looking through the PDF shown HERE. Remember that the release is not official yet, so we don’t know exactly what may or may not work, but this is a pretty accurate assessment. I do know that any Microsoft Office items 2011 and prior will not work, as well as quite a few of the older Adobe applications.
First, the quick news. Google had some major issues yesterday across a lot of their services, many of which were down throughout the day. I ended up getting a ton of emails and texts to schedule service because of this. Since my Google account was working, I did not know right away about this issue, so was as baffled as many of you. If you want to keep tabs on status, below is a link to check their services. You may want to bookmark this for later in case you have issues again with Google. If you click on the link now you will see all the red dots on the 6-2-19 date indicating the services that were down.
Click here for the google status page: GOOGLE STATUS.
Next up is the Apple news. Their big conference is this week, and they announced the new OS's coming out. No biggie there since that is the usual announcement. However Apple did announce a new OS for the iPads, so we will have a macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and iPadOS........confused yet? :-)
The good news is that Apple is simplifying OS development for the developers so Applications for the iPads and iPhones can be made more easily for the Mac as well .
They also announced a new Mac Pro computer and a display that has incredible specs. Good news: the specs look amazing; Bad news: cost will be well over 10k for the setup.
Finally, Apple also announced it is breaking apart iTunes and making separate Music, Podcast and TV apps to take its place. Also with the OS a new Photos upgrade will have the ability to find duplicates, something users have been asking about forever!
Since none of these announcements will be out until at least September, I will have time to explore this and keep you posted.
Quite often you might find yourself going someplace without an Internet connection, but would still like to read articles from your favorite websites. Here is how to save articles for off-line reading with the web browser Safari:
Everyone once in a while I need to quit out of Safari for one reason or another, but I don't want to lose all of the pages I have open. In those cases I hold down the "Option" key while quitting out as I normally do. The the next time I open Safari, all the pages that I had been using before come right back.
We take for granted that Apple's Time Machine backup program is doing its job. However I do see backups go corrupt. If you use Apple's Time Machine for your backups, one thing that you can do once in a while for maintenance is to hold the Shift key down and select the Time Machine icon in the menu bar of your Mac, then select "BackUp with Consistency Scan". Note: this will take longer to "prepare" the backup since it verifies the files as it runs to ensure that they're in good working order.
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