Connecting Bluetooth Devices To Your Mac

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Hardware, Macintosh

Would you like to use a wireless keyboard, mouse, or trackpad with your Mac? Bluetooth is a wireless technology that lets one connect various devices such as keyboards, mice, printers and speakers. The maximum range of Bluetooth is about 30 feet. People like the idea of Bluetooth devices since it reduces cable clutter. However, Bluetooth devices use batteries, so it becomes important to keep these in stock. Also, if you choose to use a bluetooth keyboard or mouse, I recommend that you have a spare old-fashioned wired, USB keyboard or mouse stashed in your closet in case the Bluetooth device ever acts up.

Here are some general instructions for connecting a Bluetooth device to your Mac: Read More from “Connecting Bluetooth Devices To Your Mac”

A MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Adapter Let’s You Use Your Old Power Adapter

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Hardware, Macintosh

Have you bought a new MacBook Air or Retina-Display MacBook Pro to replace your older MacBook? If so, you might have noticed that the power adapter that came with your new laptop has a thinner connector on it. The thinner connector is called a MagSafe 2 connector. Apple introduced these in 2012 as a replacement for its previous magnetic connector, MagSafe, introduced in 2006.  If you’d like to continue to use your older MagSafe power adapter you’ll need to buy the $10 MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adapter from Apple.

[Update November 2016: Apple’s newest laptops, the MacBook Pro with TouchBar, introduced in Oct 2016 and the 12-inch MacBook, introduced in early 2015, both have USB-C connectors on them. Thus Apple’s newest power adapters no longer use MagSafe connectors at all. Instead, they have USB-C connectors.]

Macintosh Text Expansion Options

Posted on by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, macOS (formerly OS X), Software, Utilities

Do you type the same information into email messages or Word documents? If so, you would benefit from using a text expander. Text expanders let you create abbreviations then whenever the abbreviation is typed it inserts a word, phrase, sentence or paragraph that you designated. For example, you could create the abbreviation ‘addr. When you type ‘addr the abbreviation vanishes and your street address appears. Apple includes a basic version in OS X and iOS. If you need more features you can use a third party text expander. Read More from “Macintosh Text Expansion Options”

How To Backup Your iPhone or iPad

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Backup, Hardware, iCloud or AppleID, iPhone and iPad, Local Backup, Services

Backing up your iPhone or iPad is important because it permits you to recover all of your applications, personal data including photos stored on the device. It also allows you to recover text messages and call history on the iPhone. Apple provides two ways to backup your iPhone or iPad and I typically recommend using both methods. Read More from “How To Backup Your iPhone or iPad”

Organize Your Computer Accessories

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Getting Organized, Miscellaneous

Do you carry your laptop and assorted accessories in your bag? If you’re like me, you carry a power cord, earphones, a USB flash drive, a few cables and adapters, etc. I grew tired of sorting through a pile of accessories trying to find what I needed. I ended up buying a small Cocoon Grid-It which fits into the outer pocket of my laptop’s carrying case. It holds onto my assorted accessories so I can quickly find what I need. Read More from “Organize Your Computer Accessories”

Set Up Signatures in Apple Mail

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Email, Software

Apple Mail lets you assign one or more signatures to each of your email accounts. This flexibility is great, but the user interface to make this happen is not intuitive. It’s easy to do, but it’s much easier to be shown how to do it the first time. Here are instructions for creating signatures in Mail and linking these signatures to an email account.  Read More from “Set Up Signatures in Apple Mail”

Nest Earphone Case Prevents Tangled iPhone Earphones

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Hardware, iPhone and iPad

Are you tired of untangling knotted up earphones? If so, check out Digital Innovations’ Nest earbud case. The Nest is an innovative and affordable way to store your earphones (aka earbuds) in a tidy manner. A few months ago, I bought a Nest for $10 and love it. I’ll attempt to describe the Nest in words, but you’ll get a better understanding by watching this 20 second video. The Nest is made of flexible rubber. You flip back the outer lip of the case, then tuck the earbuds into the core of the spool. Next, wrap the earbud cord around the outside of the spool and then snap the outer lip closed. You end up with a neat package that can be slipped into your bag. To extract your earbuds, you simply grab the earbuds and pull them straight up. The cord unwraps from the spool and you’re ready to use your earbuds. I’ve seen a lot of cord wrap devices, but this one is really clever. Check it out.