Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

Use Guided Access if you need to hand off your iOS device to a young child, and you want to keep them in a single app. This prevents them from accidentally exiting the app or putting the device to sleep. It can also be used to stop others from accessing more than one app on a device when it is used as a demonstration machine or kiosk.

Normal copy and paste of text will include the text font, style and other attributes. But if your intention is to just copy and paste the raw text, then you will want to learn how to use Paste and Match Style. You can use this in most apps, including Pages, TextEdit and Microsoft Word.

The next version of iOS seems to be a big leap forward in looks and features. In addition to a whole new look for many of the primary apps, we'll see new features in Photos, Camera, Weather, Safari and other apps. You will be able to access iCloud Keychain password, have better compatibly with future cars, and be able to share files with nearby iOS users without a network. iOS 7 will come out this fall, most likely at the same time as a new iPhone or iPad.

The latest app from CleverMedia (MacMost parent) is Just Word Search for the iPad. You can choose a set of random words from the dictionary, a preset word list based on a theme, or enter your own list of words. You can also alter the puzzle size, colors and background. You can even decide whether words can be diagonal and backwards. Like most of CleverMedia’s games, this one is free.

Brody wondered why there were so many people with MacBooks on his beach near Half Moon Bay all of a sudden.

If you have quoting turned on in your Mail Composing preferences, it means that when you reply to a message the entire message will appear quoted in your composition window. But if you select a portion of that message first, then hit Reply, you will only get the selected portion quoted. This can make your replies much cleaner.

Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote was packed full of announcements. Apple showed everyone the new look and features of the next generation of both desktop and mobile operating systems. They also introduced new MacBook Air models, a re-designed Airport Extreme and Time Capsule, and gave us a sneak peak of a new Mac Pro model coming out later this year.
The next version of Mac OS X will be called “Mavericks” and will have new features such as Finder tabs, file tagging, flat design in apps like Calendar, better handling of multiple screens, and new iBooks and Maps apps. iOS 7 will have a completely different look with new icons, backgrounds, fonts and colors all around. We can expect both of these in the fall.
Apple also announced a new music service called iTunes Radio. This streaming service lets you listen to music based on criteria you select. It will directly compete with existing services such as Pandora.

Here is what we know about Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks so far. We'll get new iBooks and Maps apps, and changes to Safari and Calendar. There will be better multiple screen support. The Finder will include tabs and tags. We can expect Mavericks in the fall, most likely through the Mac App Store.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference Apple announced new versions of both OS X and iOS. They also launched new MacBook Air laptops and Airport base stations. A new Mac Pro was shown with a whole new design. A new streaming music service called iTunes Radio was also announced. See some of the new features of the operating systems.

You can get and modify information about a file or folder with the Info window. You can also use the Inspector as a way to quickly look at information about any file or folder you select.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference starts Monday with a keynote address that is likely to include new product announcements. Rumors touch on just about every part of the Apple hardware and software line, though most agree that new MacBooks are the most likely to be introduced. In addition, we’ll probably hear about the next versions of Mac OS X and iOS.
Also rumored is a new service called iRadio, which could be a streaming radio service like Pandora, or a streaming music library service like Spotify. However, WWDC announcements usually focus on developers so it is more likely that we will hear about new hardware and new features of the operating systems. Many also hope that Apple will reveal plans for a new Mac Pro machine.
OS X version 10.8.4 was released this week and can be downloaded using the update feature of the Mac App Store. No major new features were added, as the update is mostly bug fixes and compatibility improvements.

Here’s a fun way to enjoy your music. The game Synesthetic takes any song from your Music app and builds game level around it. You simply tilt your devices left and right to avoid obstacles on a track as the song plays. It’s very colorful, even psychedelic.

Sam thought his new hash tags were so clever.

If you have a slow connection, or just want to talk to someone without the video part of FaceTime, you can simply hide the FaceTime app on your Mac (Command+H or FaceTime, Hide FaceTime). This will pause the video signal between you and the other party, but leave audio on. This uses less bandwidth and processing power. You can quickly switch back to video by unhiding the app.

With the help of Siri on your iPhone, you can listen to and reply to text messages without ever looking at or touching your iPhone's screen. This can be useful when cycling or running, or just quicker than typing. Setting up your contacts correctly can help.

When you type a quote or apostrophe symbol on your Mac, it will usually automatically convert to the curly version. However, you can control when this happens on a per-app basis. You can also make exceptions to the process while typing. See examples in TextEdit, Pages and Mail.

You can come up with creative solutions using combinations of apps on your Mac. For instance, to scan documents with your MacBook's camera, you can use Photo Booth to take the pictures, and then Preview to flip them and convert them to a single PDF document. This could be a good alternative to using the copy machine while doing school research.

Apple’s Cards app is a handy and fairly inexpensive way to send customized real-world cards to family and friends. You select a template and add your own photos and text. It only costs $3 to send a card inside the U.S., cheaper than many store-bought cards. And there are some nifty features like GPS location integration and the ability to send cards to multiple recipients, even after the original has been sent.

Apple changed its iPod touch line-up today with the introduction of a new 16GB 5th generation model for $229. This replaces the previous model at the low-end which was simply a 4th generation iPod touch.
The new model means that all current iPod touches now include a 4-inch retina display and an A5 processor. However, this $229 model leaves out the rear-facing 5MP camera and the loop connector present in the other 5th generation models.
CEO Tim Cook was interviewed at this week’s AllThingsD conference and hinted at a range of changes in the future, including opening up more features of the iPhone to 3rd-party apps and a future wristwatch device.
Apple has hired former Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson to help coordinate environmental efforts at Apple. The move was met with praise from outside groups.

“OK kids, we’re in the wild. No modern technology!”
“You mean we need to use a Blackberry instead of our iPhones?”