February 2012
1 post
November 2011
1 post
How to upgrade tracks to iTunes Match, fast |... →
This worked and I learned a little bit about filtering a iTunes Smart Playlist. More importantly, most all my songs are now 256 kbs.
June 2011
1 post
iPhone HDR Photos Explained →
HDR is explained here concisely with examples on when to use it, and when not to use it. Great article.
May 2011
1 post
“If you restore a new iOS device from a backup of an old one, usually passwords...”
– From a GigaOM article.
April 2011
8 posts
NBA Game Time Courtside Updated
NBA playoff brackets are now included with series information. (iPad version)
The NBA Game Time 2010-2011 app for the iPhone has been updated too.
Data Validation in Excel Tables
Use Data Validation in a Table to avoid data entry errors for Dates and Numbers, which require different formulas.
Add Conditional Formatting to Tables
Conditional Formatting and Tables go hand-in-hand because when data is added the Table automatically extends the formatting. You can also add a custom formatting rule to help avoid mistakes with data.
1 tag
Table Styles in Excel
Changing Table styles is easy, but Excel 2010 (Windows) 2011 (Mac) have different Ribbon functionality regarding Tables.
You can also make a Table look better by hiding the worksheet gridlines.
Excel Tables – Styles, Conditional Formatting and... →
I should have written three posts about Excel Tables this week. One on Table Styles and worksheet appearance, another on conditional formatting and the last on data validation. But for some strange reason it all came together in one large 1,277 word article.
Garage Band Update a Little Late
The GarageBand update for the Mac release yesterday now has support for projects imported from GarageBand for iPad. Kind of missed the iPad launch data on this one.
Selling my iPad 1 with Two Cases →
Shameless eBay link.
Toon Paint 2.0 Update with Complaints
I was going to update the ToonPaint app on my iPhone, but noticed all these complaints. The developer responded with a note on the support site.
PLEASE NOTE: All new optional features for ToonPAINT 2.0 are brand new and were not present in previous versions of the application. We are aware that people want the smoothing button and “photo color picker” restored, and will will be...
March 2011
16 posts
The Genuis of My iPad 2 Camera
I went to the Genius bar at my local Apple store today to check out the unnatural camera angle on my iPad 2. I was hoping that mine was significantly different than other iPad 2’s on display in the Apple store.
Sadly my iPad camera angle is no different than any of the other iPad’s. Somehow it seems when you FaceTime, Photo Booth, take a picture or video with either camera that...
Air Play Movie Trailers with the IMDb App
This already stellar IMDb app recently got an update with version 2.1 for Air Play so you can now stream movie trailers from your iPad and iPhone to Apple TV. Gotta love it!
AT&T Data Usage Monitoring
I recently changed my Data usage plan with AT&T to include the Personal Hotspot feature a few days after the billing cycle started. Consequently the myAT&T app on my iPhone wouldn’t give me any stats, just the following message.
However, AT&T has another feature that works just as well to monitor data usage. Just dial the number *DATA# (that’s *3282# ) from your iPhone...
iPad 2 Mute Button Doesn't Work
I love many things about my new iPad 2, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why the mute button doesn’t work. I’ve double checked the new Slide Switch Setting and it’s correctly set.
So I’m at a loss.
Guess I’ll be visiting the Genius bar in my local Apple Store.
iPhone Circular Wave Maneuver
While riding in the car the other day, my wife was laughing at me doing the circular wave maneuver with my iPhone 4. I tried to tell her I was only following instructions because of compass interference, but that only made her laugh all that much more.
What’s a fella to do?
Apple Products or Stock? →
Now I just wish that time machine would get built.
Let us pretend for a moment that the year is 1997 and you’re in the market for a new laptop computer. You want the top-of-the-line product at the time, so you opt for the newly released Apple Computer PowerBook G3 250 laptop. This revolutionary piece of technology, which comes with a 250-megahertz processor and a whopping 5 gigabytes of...
Springpad app on the iPhone
I just started the discovery process with the Springpad app, which seems like a cousin of Evernote, but with more features that may or may not be useful. In fact, there seem to be so many new features that it’s going to take a while to decipher how Springpad works.
Springpad has passed the 1 million user mark so they have something going right. Here’s something for you to ponder.
Hide Unnecessary Labels in Gmail and Goolge Apps...
I’ve been cleaning out my Gmail and Google Apps mail accounts and felt the need to delete some Labels, which seemed to be dominating the left side of my Gmail window. After nuking the little-used labels I still had a good many Labels left, but noticed a Label option to “Show if unread” which helped me clean up the “Label clutter” in my mail accounts.
You can find...
YouTube Video Upload Limitations
I recently tried to upload a video to YouTube from iMovie on my MacBook Pro and received the following warning.
My project was over the 15 minute limit so iMovie wouldn’t allow an upload. You’ll notice the limit for video file size is 2GB, which seems a lot considering the 15 minute time limit.
WatchHere’s the iPad 2 from TeamCoco (after the commerical) then read my reasons why I’m buying one here.
iPad 2 - Apple Special Event [video] →
Add a FaceTime Number to the iPhone Favorites List →
February 2011
8 posts
WordPress 3.1 Highlights →
WordPress adds post formats like Tumblr, but each theme developer has to incorporate them before normal people can use them.
Tom Tom app Update for Verizon with Price Cut
The Tom Tom U.S. & Canada app was just updated for the Verizon iPhone, but that’s not what caught my eye. It was the price!
$39.99 USD is quite the steal for this app.
Find My iPad Feature →
My mom just got an iPad. Little did she know that some measure of protection is available with the Find My iPad feature. Sign up for a free MobileMe account, turn on the Find My iPad feature, then you can go to to me.com, sign in with your Apple ID and your iPad will show up on a map. You can send it messages, tell it to make noises so you can find it, or remotely lock it or wipe the data if...
The Daily Update is Working
The second update is out for The Daily iPad app and it seems to be working. I read the entire issue without the app crashing! And the load time seems to be shrinking as well.
What will they think of next?
Simplenote Dropbox Problems
Today I wrote a post about the Simplenote and Dropbox Sync Delay Times and afterward started tracking delay times, but Simplenote completely stopped syncing with Dropbox. I turned to Twitter for some answers.
As you can see it’s been several hours. Looks like something’s broke.
The Daily Updated
Yesterday I posted The Daily Struggle and today the App comes out with its first update, version 1.0.1. Coincidence? No. Needed? Yes.
The updates are for:
Increased performance and stability
Improved introduction experience
Twitter posting updated
Twitter login updated
Change to image caption text concatenation
The second bullet is obfuscation for FASTER LOADING, which has improved...
Facts: The Daily for the iPad →
Check the facts, then get The Daily on your iPad free for two weeks.
January 2011
18 posts
Settings to Change in Finder
I’m relatively new to Macs and still using a Windows computer so it took me some time to figure out I needed to change a couple of preferences in Finder to make my life a little easier.
The first is to have Finder open in the directory folder I want, and not settle for the default setting. Open Finder, then choose Finder > Preferences, select the General tab, and select the folder you...
The Newspaper Clipping Image Generator →
Write your own headlines.
Verizon's 1st iPhone Commercial →
Y’all are gonna like it.
NO, Don't Take 4- & 5-Finger iPad Gestures →
This article mentions a note in the just released iOS beta from Apple that indicates 4- and 5-finger iPad gestures won’t be included in iOS 4.3 when it comes out.
Thanks Rob ( @Podcast411 ) My Thoughts Exactly →
I read the NYT article and thought “this guy is way-off-base and seriously biased.” Not enough room in the comments to respond. So Rob Walsh took him to task in this blog post. Go Rob!
I'm Struggling with 9 Steps to Work Less and Do...
I’ve finished the last two chapters of 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More, but am procrastinating (step 2) on writing up the review. The fault is solely mine.
Latest Version of FileZilla is Not Working For Me
I love FileZilla, but the recent update, version 3.3.5.1. has something wrong with it and I couldn’t connect to any of my websites. Luckily I saved the earlier version 3.3.5 in the Downloads folder and was happily surprised when it asked if I wanted to downgrade, then proceeded to do just that and my problem is solved.
I hope they get things straightened out.
Why I'm Not Switching to Chrome →
I was just starting to use the Extensions and Apps in the Google Chrome web browser, and now they go and do something stupid like this.
Things I Learned about iTunes
When you purchase a high definition video, you also receive the standard definition version.
I Really Like this Mobile iPad Stand →
I found out a couple of things you need to know about the Compass Portable Stand for iPad after using it for a couple of weeks, so I wrote a blog review that will post on Monday, the 10th of January.
Keep Children from Deleting iPhone and iPad Apps
I’ve come across a way to keep my 1-year-old grand-son from deleting apps from my wife’s iPad and iPhone, which he is prone to do, and wrote a blog post about it.
Why Apple Will Let Verizon Announce An iPhone →
Here is something that rings true.
Watch NBA Game Recap Video on the iPad
The NBA Game Time Courtside app for the iPad is free and allows you to watch NBA game recap videos if you have subscription to NBA League Pass Mobile. Just select a previous game, tap the TV icon, and tap Recap to start the video. It’s kinda small when you consider the iPads screen, but the video is usually of decent length.