Most of us tend to simultaneously keep many applications open. Consequently, we sometimes get lost or overwhelmed by having too many windows open. Would you like to quickly hide all windows so you can see your Desktop? Here are two ways to accomplish this:
A MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Adapter Let’s You Use Your Old Power Adapter
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
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”
Use The Find Command in Emails, Web Pages and Documents
Throughout the day I often use the Find command. I encourage you to incorporate it into your daily habits. I use it most frequently within documents to find a particular word or phrase. Here are some examples of how I use the Find command. Read More from “Use The Find Command in Emails, Web Pages and Documents”
How To Backup Your iPhone or iPad
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
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
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”
Use DuckDuckGo Instead of Google
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that is much less well-known than Google, but you should check it out. As the title of this article indicates, DuckDuckGo is a privacy-friendly alternative to Google. Read More from “Use DuckDuckGo Instead of Google”
The Internet and The Web Are Not The Same
As many of you may have heard or read, the World Wide Web, more commonly call the Web, turned 25 in March 2014. While conversing with friends and clients I became aware of a common misconception — that the Internet and the Web are the same thing. They are not the same thing. They are not synonyms. Read More from “The Internet and The Web Are Not The Same”
Extra iPhone and iPad Backups Waste Hard Drive Space
Your Mac may be storing extra iPhone and iPad backups. If so, they are wasting hard drive storage space. Here are instructions on how you can easily view a list of all iPad and iPhone backups and remove the extras. Read More from “Extra iPhone and iPad Backups Waste Hard Drive Space”
Nest Earphone Case Prevents Tangled iPhone Earphones
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.
Wix.com as an iWeb Replacement
When Apple ended the MobileMe website hosting feature and stopped updating iWeb in June of 2012, I knew I needed to find new options for hosting and updating my website. Initially, I simply moved the files from MobileMe to Bluehost, but that didn’t help me if I needed to make changes to the site. Read More from “Wix.com as an iWeb Replacement”
Holding Onto iPhones Is Not A Good Value
I recently replaced my two-and-a-half year old iPhone with a new iPhone. This reminded me that it’s typically not a good value to hold onto your iPhone for many years. Here are two reasons for this belief: Read More from “Holding Onto iPhones Is Not A Good Value”
Create Bullet Lists in Apple Mail
Here are some tips on how to easily create and manage bullet lists in Apple’s Mail application. Read More from “Create Bullet Lists in Apple Mail”
Understand Internet Connection Speeds
Do you know how fast your Internet connection is? What is the unit used for measuring Internet connection speeds? How fast does your Internet connection need to be if you want to stream a movie from Netflix or a similar service? Read More from “Understand Internet Connection Speeds”
Backups Don’t Exist Unless You Test Them
This week’s Tech Tip is a cautionary tale.
Backups Don’t Exist Unless You Test Them. This adage may not make immediate sense to you, but let me explain. It is extremely important to test your backups by actually restoring one or more files. If you don’t know that you can successfully restore a file from your backup, then you don’t know if you really have any backup copies of your data at all. I was recently reminded of this adage when an acquaintance lost all of her email messages and a client came close to losing all his data. Let me elaborate.
Computer Desktop Encyclopedia Gives Simple Definitions for Technical Terms
Do you get overwhelmed by all of the technical terms you encounter? Would you like to get simple definitions for USB, broadband, tether, Wi-Fi or big data? If so, check out the Computer Desktop Encyclopedia (CDE) web site. Read More from “Computer Desktop Encyclopedia Gives Simple Definitions for Technical Terms”
Learn More About the Strength of Your Mac’s Wireless Connection
Would you like to know more about the strength of your Mac’s wireless (Wi-Fi) connection? If so, hold down the Option key and click on the Wi-Fi menu located near the clock in the upper right corner of your Mac’s screen. You’ll notice that additional details about your currently selected wireless network are displayed. I should mention that Apple added these details in Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6. If your Mac is using an older version of OS X, you won’t see the additional details. Here’s a brief explanation about some of these details. Read More from “Learn More About the Strength of Your Mac’s Wireless Connection”
Troubleshooting a Slow Mac
One of the most common questions I hear from clients is, “Why is my Mac slow?” This seemingly simple question can have an array of possible causes. Below are a few things you can easily check. One of these could help you identify, or maybe resolve, the cause of your Mac’s slowness. Read More from “Troubleshooting a Slow Mac”
Regus Offers Virtual, Mobile and Full-Time Offices
You might be interesting in learning about Regus if you answer yes to any of the following questions: Read More from “Regus Offers Virtual, Mobile and Full-Time Offices”