MapQuest – A Great Turn-By-Turn GPS App for the iPhone

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Software

Would you like your iPhone to give you audible driving directions? If so, you should check out MapQuest. It is a free, turn-by-turn GPS navigation app for the iPhone and iPad. MacWorld wrote an extensive review of GPS apps in 2011. After reading the article, I purchased Navigon.  [Note May 2019: Navigon is no longer available in the US for iOS] I used Navigon for a few months and liked it,but found the interface cumbersome. After a client praised it for its easy-to-use design, I tried MapQuest. It had also been highly rated in MacWorld’s review of GPS apps. While MapQuest doesn’t have all of the features offered by Navigon, I prefer it for its relative ease of use.

Here’s a quick overview of  how I use MapQuest and why I like it. Read More from “MapQuest – A Great Turn-By-Turn GPS App for the iPhone”

How To Organize iPhone and iPad Apps Into Folders

Posted on by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

Do you have a lot of apps on your iPhone? Do you find it difficult to locate the one you need? By grouping related apps into folders you can find your apps more easily. By setting up folders you can reduce the number of screens that you have to flip through to locate your apps. For example, the iPhone can typically display 36 apps on two screens. I have 90 apps on my iPhone, and they fill less than 2 screens. Read More from “How To Organize iPhone and iPad Apps Into Folders”

How To Convert 35mm Slides To Digital Images

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Photo, Scanning, Services

Do you have a box of 35mm slides you’d like to convert to digital photos? You have two ways you could proceed. You could either buy a scanner that is capable of scanning film (both positives or negatives) or you could farm out the work. GT Recording, HomeDVD and iMemories are 3 such companies which offer slide scanning services. iMemories offers photo, negative and slide scanning. Read More from “How To Convert 35mm Slides To Digital Images”

Create Unique Business Cards using Moo

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Miscellaneous

Create a great first impression with unique business cards made by Moo. Moo lets you design your own business card on their web site. That’s not so unusual. What is unusual is that you can place a unique image, photo, quote, math question or coupon code on each card. This flexibility is a great way for a photographer to highlight their portfolio, or a great way for a math tutor to highlight what she can teach you or a great way for a company to promote a product at a trade show. You have to watch Moo’s video about their Printfinity service to fully understand. Read More from “Create Unique Business Cards using Moo”

How To Convert VHS Tapes To DVD

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Movies

In a previous Tech Tip I listed three companies that offer video tape to DVD services. In each case, it cost about $25 per tape. Do you have a box full of tapes that you want to convert? If so, it might be more economical for you to do the conversion yourself. A colleague, Tim Lusk, wrote the following about his experience using a Sony DVDirect to convert VHS tapes to DVD: Read More from “How To Convert VHS Tapes To DVD”

Shorten Web Page Links Using TinyURL

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Software, Web Browsing

Do you send links to web pages in emails? Are you surprised at the length of some web page addresses? If so, you can use TinyURL to create shorter web page addresses. The technical term for a web page address is URL (Uniform Resource Locator). I’ll use this term throughout the remainder of this article. TinyURL is a free service that lets you enter a long URL and get a shorter URL that you can use in its place. Read More from “Shorten Web Page Links Using TinyURL”

Scanning and Shredding Services from US Archive

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Scanning, Seattle, Services, Shredding

Do you have boxes of papers that you’d like to scan so you can empty your closet or storage area then easily access them on your Mac laptop when you travel?

Do you have some large blueprints or drawings that don’t fit on your office scanner? Do you want to convert microfilm to be read on your Mac? Read More from “Scanning and Shredding Services from US Archive”

What’s the difference between computer memory (RAM) and hard drive storage?

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics, Terminology

One of the greatest sources of confusion for computer users is the difference between a computer’s memory and its storage space. The confusion is not entirely the users’ fault. Overlapping terminology contributes, as does poor word choice. I’ll try to reduce confusion by differentiating the terms as well as talking about their overlap. Read More from “What’s the difference between computer memory (RAM) and hard drive storage?”

How to Share Files and Folders Inside your Dropbox Folder

Posted on by Tim Hannon in File Sharing, Services

Here are instructions on how to share a file or folder inside your Dropbox folder with another person. In previous Tech Tips, I gave an overview of Dropbox and give instructions on how to share files that are too large to send as an email attachment, even with people who don’t have Dropbox accounts, using the Public folder in your Dropbox folder. This week, I cover two more features of Dropbox: Read More from “How to Share Files and Folders Inside your Dropbox Folder”

Quickly Jump to the Top of your iPhone Contact List

Posted on by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

After owning an iPhone for several years, I was pleasantly surprised when I recently learned a new iPhone shortcut that I now use everyday. You can jump to the top of your Contacts list by simply touching the “top bar” which is where the time and battery level indicator are. See the picture on the right to understand this more easily. Simply touch where I put the red mark in the photo. Read More from “Quickly Jump to the Top of your iPhone Contact List”