How I transfer files to apps on my iPhone/iPad 2023 from my Mac computer

Here are the steps for transferring files to my iPhone or iPad in 2023 with latest iPhones and Mac OS:

Connect iPhone with cable to your Mac computer or laptop  using connector on left side of laptop and appropriate cable.

Note: The first time you connect the device (iPhone or iPad), select Trust when asked on iPhone/iPad whether to trust this computer.  

Open a Finder window.

You should see your iPhone listed in the left hand column of finder winder under Locations.  For example:  George's iPhone 13

Click on the name of your iPhone on the left side of finder window.  You should then see name of iPhone and various tabs that are available to see what is on your iPhone.

(Tabs: General Music Movies TV Shows Books Photos Files Info)

Click on the Files tab.  You should then see a list of apps that have files.  You can click on the name of app and see the files associated with that app on your iPhone. If you don’t see anything then you haven’t added any files to that app.

You can add files to the apps. 

For example, if you want to add an audio book to MP3 player app. You can just drag the folder of mp3 files to that app and they will appear under the name of  the app on your laptop screen.  These files should now be accessible in your app for use on your iPhone.

I was able to transfer audio book mp3 chapter files are all in one folder to the MP3 player app.  

I  also was successful in transferring single midi files to Piano Jukebox app, (This app accesses our bluetooth device BT101 that is connected to our piano.  I was not successful in transferring a folder of midis to the Piano Jukebox app.

I also use an app called Midi_Recorder that I got from App Store. I was able to transfer a folder of midis to this app successfully. It also accesses our Disklavier Mark IV via bluetooth midi device BT101 and plays these midis.

Note:  You can also drag files from an app to your computer's desktop to make a backup of anything you have on your iPhone.  There is also an option to backup all info from iPhone to your computer.  

In earlier systems, this sort of backup and transfer was done using iTunes.  Now appears that it is all done through the finder window and not necessary to run Music app on latest Mac OS systems.

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Great Site for Free TV links and Guides for Disabling Cable TV Subscription

Trying to figure out how to use my Apple TV with an existing HDTV television.

When the time came for the mandatory switch from analog to digital cable subscription almost a year ago and due to the fact we were not watching much cable TV, we decided to disconnect for awhile.

I have been researching the best way to use Apple TV and airplay with our TV.  I stumbled across this great site which provides a great guide for this switch:  disablemycable.com

On this site is various guides and helps outlining using antennas for local channels, using streaming boxes (like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, etc)  and a page with buttons (links) to all the free TV sites.

I plan to test this out with Safari on my iPad using airplay to connect to the Apple TV that will be used with my HDTV.

http://disablemycable.com/remote-control/

As I work through some of the details and tests, I will post any interesting observations at that time.  In the meantime, if you use Apple TV with your existing TV without cable subscription, you may find this site a very useful central place to find all the free TV programs quickly.  Enjoy!

Update:  We got the TV and Apple TV up and running yesterday.  Have all the devices: ipads, iphones and even my Apple Watch working as "remote" to access the wonderful Apple TV menu that has all the buttons one might need to find some free programs, movies and tv series to watch.  I am finding it is pretty nice to be able to watch a program on my time and not tied down to watching a program during a certain time period.  I suppose recording programs is an option for those who continue with cable, but as most have pretty busy lives the Apple TV option works okay too.

The website above would be okay for those streaming boxes that might not have all the menu options and links programmed into their menu setup or for running from a Mac laptop using Airplay and mirroring techniques.




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Digital Photo Albums for My New iPad Mini 3

I generally use Apple iPhoto to create my photo albums to print.  I have traveled extensively over the past fifteen years and thought it would be nice to save some of my photo albums in digital format to view on my new iPad mini 3.

You can easily save the books in a suitable compressed pdf file format to load onto your iPad.  To do so, bring up your photo album project in iPhoto.  View in All Pages format.  Then click on the first page of the album while holding down the control key on your keyboard.  You should see a list of additional popdown menu options.  Select the Save as book option.  Give your album a name and safe to your hard drive.

I normally transfer pdfs to my iPad via iTunes file transfer method into GoodReader and then from there I use the "Open in .... " option to put directly into my iBooks on my iPad.  That works great and doesn't require syncing via iTunes.

Alternately, you can drag the pdf photo album file into your itunes ibooks and then sync your ipad using iTunes after you select the album and your other books to be synced again.

Once in iBooks you can organize all your photo albums into a category you create - say "My Photo Albums".

Now, you will have a digital copy of your printed photo albums to view on your iPad or iPhone.

I spent one summer making slide shows and albums of old family photos that were stored on DVDs.  Looks like now, most computers don't have DVD players and in an effort to have that archive of those family treasures, I am now proceeding with a digital version that can be stored on my old iPad.  Rather than selling my old iPad for a few dollars, I have opted to keep it for digital photo books and cookbooks.

I can also use my iPad in remote mode with Apple TV to view these albums on my big screen TV without having to load a DVD into a player.





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Using Documents App (by Readdle) to transfer epub files to iPad

Today, I downloaded an app called "Documents" by Readdle.  "Documents" is a full-fledge ePub reader, similar to iBook.  The reader option has font size adjustment, bookmarking, and searching options.  It is a very good app that is similar to another favorite app, GoodReader.  I use GoodReader currently to transfer ePub books from my Mac to my iPad using a USB cable and iTunes -- dragging and dropping books into the GoodReader app. 

"Documents" also allows me to transfer PDF and ePub books from my Mac to my iPad via iTunes, just like I do currently with GoodReader.   "Documents" offers an additional way to transfer my files employing a WebDav method.  A local WIFI connection via web browser is used.  The nice thing about this is that files do not have to be uploaded to the cloud to be transferred between devices and you do not need to connect a USB cable between the devices.

To get the "Documents" app for your iPad, click on this link:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/documents-by-readdle/id364901807?mt=8&uo=4&at=10l6UJ&ct=docs_desk_bot

Transferring files (audio, mp3, txt documents, ePubs, PDFs, and other file types) from a Mac to an iPad utilizes the following steps:

(1) Run "Documents" app on your iPad.  Tap on the "gear icon" in upper left-hand corner of the app screen.  Tap on Wi-Fi Drive and take note of the URL given in the text.  For example,  http://10.0.1.2

(2) On your Mac computer, run a browser (Firefox is good) and type in the URL.

(3) A message will appear on your iPad asking for permission to connect to another device with IP address similar to 10.0.1.2.  Allow connection to this device.

(4) The documents that are stored on your iPad should appear in the web browser page.

(5)  To move files from your Mac to your iPad, click on the "Browse" button at the bottom of the browser page (scroll down to see this button).  You should see a directory of your Mac files.  Select the file you wish to move to your iPad.  The name of that file should now appear next to the "Browse" button at the bottom of the web page.

(6)  Click on "Upload File" button. 

(7)  The file you wish to move should appear in the list of files on the web browser page and should also appear on your iPad.

(8)  You can close the tab in the Browser window when finished moving files.  This will disconnect the Mac and iPad.

You can read the ePub or PDF file directly from the "Documents" app on your iPad, by selecting its icon on your iPad.

Note:  you can also select the file and then select the "share" (up arrow icon) from the upper right hand corner of the iPad screen.  From here, you should see an option to "Open in" where you can then move the file to iBook if you wish.

Read more about Documents by Readdle at website:
http://readdle.com/products/documents/

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How to Fix Sound on iPad after ios 7 Update

After updating to Apple's latest IOS update 7 for my iPad, I noticed that my alert and notification sounds were very scratchy and annoying.   Just figured out that this can be fixed by going to Settings> Accessibility and making sure that the mono audio is set to OFF under the Hearing section.  

Mine was OFF, but I toggled it On and then OFF again.   Now my alert tones and sounds are back to normal.  

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Get Rid of Gmail ALL folder

Without a doubt organizing and keeping emails can be a can of worms. Gmail accounts store all our incoming mail by archiving it in an ALL folder on our Apple devices and in a similar folder in our Mail app on our Mac computers. In essence, the mail we want to keep and the mail we don't want to keep gets stored in this folder whether we want it or not.

Since I'm trying to organize and minimize my mail on all my devices, I have decided to find a way to get rid of some unnecessary folders stored in the mail apps and programs I use on my devices and my laptop.


There is a way to control what folders are visible in Gmail account(s) that are setup as IMAP accounts for use with Apple Mail.


To turn off the visibility of the Gmail All Mail folder in Apple Mail on your computer, perform the following steps:

Step 1: Log into your Gmail account using your Browser (Safari, Firefox, Chrome, ... whatever you use).

Step 2: Click on the "gear icon" located on the far right-handside of the browser window and click on the Settings option from the pop-down choices.

Step 3: Select the Labels tab.

UNCHECK the box to the right - "Show in IMAP" for the ALL MAIL folder.


Not only will this remove the superfluous folder from your Mail app, it will also keep Mail from downloading every single message twice.

I choose to have my Spam folder unchecked as well.

You can also keep Gmail from archiving all your messages on your mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, etc.) and allow you to delete messages from your the devices.


After setting up your Gmail account on your iPhone, select the Settings icon. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Then select (youraccount@gmail.com) and change the Archive Messages setting to OFF.

Now when you delete Gmail messages on your iOS devices (iPads, iPhones, etc) they will be permanently deleted and not archived.

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Use iPad as Track Pad with Your Laptop

I am using my ipad to write this blog.  You may be wondering how I can do this.

I found an app today called Wifi Mouse HD that connects with my Mac laptop and allows me to use my iPad as a track pad and to also use my iPad keyboard to input text.

The app can be found in the Apple  iTunes store. Available for iPad and iPhone. It was free today so I grabbed it up to test it out. You also need to access the application for your PC and Mac computers and install on your computer

http://wifimouse.necta.us/


It works great. It appears to have some additional features that are available for purchase.  Features include options like controlling web browsing and multimedia via remote control and hot keys.

Interesting concept, not sure yet how it would be more useful to use an iPad or iPhone as a track pad when my laptop already has one built in. But I suppose if you don't have a track pad available with your computer, this could serve as a track pad for a fairly reasonable price. 


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Mirroring Your iPad and iPhone via Apple TV

When you want to view your apps from your iPhone or iPad on your HD television via your Apple TV device, you need to set up mirroring on the mobile device. 

Particularly nice to view is Google Maps or your favorite game.

Basically, you need to make sure that you have

* One of the latest Apple devices - iPhone 4S or iPad 2 (and later) with system iOS 5 and later.
* Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation) with software version 5.0 or later
* wifi network that is 802.11a, -g or -n

Make sure your Apple iPhone or iPad and Apple TV connected to the same wifi network.

Double click the home button on your device (iPad or iPhone) until you see the most recently used apps at the bottom of the screen.

Swipe to the right, until the music controls are visible at the bottom of the screen.

Click on the airplay icon that is represented by a box with up arrow.

Select your Apple TV.  Another option labeled "Mirroring" should then appear below "Apple TV." Use the slider to select ON to enable mirroring of your device to your Apple TV.

Now you can run your favorite app and view it on your HDTV.


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How to Save Password for Safari iPad when All Else Fails

For a week now, I have been trying to figure out how to save my password/user ID login for a network site I am using.  I was able to do so on my iPhone without a problem, but my iPad is not saving or asking to save my passwords for my login to my network website.

It appears that the option to remember Passwords and User IDs for some sites does not work consistently on my mobile devices.  I have tried just about everything I can think of to get this option to work.  Here is one of the methods I have tried, which might work for you:

 Under Settings>Safari>Autofill> Names and Passwords set to ON.  Clear All option below the Names and Passwords option, to reset the request for saving password/userid for the site and all others.  If you use the Clear All option, you will have to reenter your passwords and User IDs for all your log in sites. 

I finally got my auto-log in to work with my network login.  Basically, I used the Manual option. From the Setting>WiF>name of network from Choose Network select the right pointing arrow.  Select Manual. Click on Authentication. Enter your username and password.

I tested this by leaving the network area and when I came back within range, it auto-connected to the network without having to enter any userid or password.  To double check this solution, I also powered my iPad totally down and upon powering back on - it also connected automatically to the network.

So, no more having to log in to this site, remembering the weird password and username.

Edit:  This did not work after turning wifi off and back on again.  I lost my auto connection capability and had to reenter my password and username each time from my iPad.  I am beginning to think this is an iPad issue, as I have tried multiple solutions to no avail.

Anyone have a solution for this auto log in problem that is persisting on a private network, similar to a log in at a school or place other than on my own network at residence?






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How To's for Apple TV - Viewing Photos from iPad or Laptop

How to Setup Your iPad and/or Mac Computer or Laptop to View Your Photos on Your Apple TV

Connect the Apple TV to your wireless network, by following the next steps:

1. Connect your Apple TV box to your HDTV input connection on the back of your TV via a HDTV cable.
2. Using the remote (that came with the Apple TV). Aim at the white light on the black box, make sure it is un-obstructed view.  Select Menu
3. Use the right arrow on the remote's dial to move to Settings.
4. Press the middle of dial to select WiFi Set Up.
5. Then using the down arrow, select the Network Configure WiFi from the list of options.
6. Select the name of your wireless network and press the middle of the dial to select it.
7. If you don't see the name of the wireless network, select Other and then using arrow key, select Submit and enter password if needed.  Select Menu to go back to the screen saver.

Now for the iPad2 Setup -- for viewing photos from your camera roll and albums stored on your iPad, you will need to do the following:

1. Select the Settings icon from the iPad2.
2. Then select WiFi.  Make sure your device is connected to the same network.
3. To activate Apple TV on your iPad, Tap on the home button twice and swipe towards the right.  You should see the iPod orange icon and the controls for the music player and sound controls.  Look closely and you will see the Apple TV logo which is a box with black up arrow, next to the player controls.
4. When you click on this icon, you will be able to switch to and from your iPad, your network, and also the Apple TV and other devices.  Select Apple TV.
5. Now press the home button once, and select the Photos icon from your iPad.  You should be able to select or make sure that the Apple TV is selected from this app.  By clicking on an album and photos you should see these on your display connected to the Apple TV black box.  You can operate a slideshow, swipe photos and such from your iPad.  These will be mirrored (by using Airplay) onto your display.

NOTE: When you have finished viewing your photos on your Apple TV from your iPad, you will need to switch back to your network to resume using the iPad device with your other apps that require wifi.  However,  when connected via Apple TV you can actually play your music through your TV speakers, along with mirror any of the apps or games from your iPad to the Apple TV.
NOTE:  iPad 1 users will find AirPlay playback will be limited to certain system apps such as Photos, Music, Videos, Safari (for embedded videos), YouTube and FaceTime, along with a few other third-party apps.

You can listen to music and watch movies and videos from your iPad and other output devices. Your content is stored on your iPad, which you use to drive playback to any of the other screens or speakers in your house. The advantage is that you could start watching a movie at home using AirPlay streaming to your HDTV and then when you need to leave the room, you can switch the display back to your iPad and watch it from there. This also works for your music.
Another example -- you can output the Scrabble board from your iPad using Airplay to an HDTV, and then use the free Scrabble Tile Rack on other iOS devices for a local multiplayer Scrabble game.

To connect your Laptop to Apple TV you will have to follow these steps:

For those users NOT running Mountain Lion System software on their laptop or Mac computer. 

1. Run iTunes application on your computer, turn on Home Sharing under the Advanced Menu option. You will have to enter your Apple ID and password.
2. Using the Menu button on your remote that operates your Apple TV, select Computers tab and you will be able to select the Name of your shared library. 
3. You should be able to share or listen to  your iTunes music library or run Photos application on your computer and run a slideshow or view photos from the computer that are now displayed on the TV connected to the Apple TV box.

NOTE: As long as you leave Home Sharing on your computers, then they should be accessible under the Computer Tab of Apple TV.  Your computer does not have to be on to access this option and the photos to be displayed on your TV via the Apple TV box.  Movies and videos that you wish to watch must be stored in your iTunes library on your computer in order to play on your Apple TV. These must be playing on your computer and then they are played on your Apple TV if the Apple TV is selected from the Airplay drop down menu.

If you have Mountain Lion System and a computer with the right processor, it is much simpler to use the Airplay option available with that system to view your photos and mirror your computers screen.

1.  If your Mac supports Airplay Mirroring, an Airplay Mirroring menu appears in the menu bar when an Apple TV is on the same network.  Turn on the Apple TV options in the pop-down airplay menu.   Note: Airplay must be turned on via Systems Preferences&Displays
   From this systems preference, you can also set the mirroring resolution to be the matched to the computer's screen or the Apple TV's screen. 
2.  Once this option is enabled, you should be able to run any app or program to mirror what you see on your computer.

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How to Get PDFs onto Your iPad into iBooks

PDF is an acronym for "Portable Document File" and is a convenient format used for reading documents on all sorts of devices, regardless of application, device, or operating system you have.

There are many popular readers available to access and read PDFs from your iPad.  In fact if a PDF is emailed to you, you can click on it from your Mail app and it will open and you will be able to read it.  iBooks on the iPad is another good way to read PDF files and to store them for offline reading.  Often times when we are traveling, we don't have convenient access to wifi services, and it is nice to have a way to read our stored PDFs to read whenever we wish.

How Can You Find PDFs

There are many PDFs already on the web. We just need to find them.  The quickest way to find a PDF is to use Google Search from your Safari browser on your iPad.  For example, if you want to find a reference manual for your iPad, you can google for it.

Type in a phrase like, "iPad 2 manual pdf"  Using the additional word "pdf" will help find the file in pdf format. 

The search results will appear in a list.  The following result appears to be the best option as it is an Apple pdf file.  Clicking on this result will bring up the pdf.  Now, you can read the resulting pdf directly from your Safari browser; however, it may be something you want to keep as a reference for later.  In that case, after the document has fully loaded into the browser page, simply tap twice with your finger on the pdf and an option  bar will appear at the top of the page.  The option to read/save in iBooks will be one of the options.  If you select this one, your PDF file will be saved to your iBooks bookshelf.  You will be able to access this document offline at any time. 


Other Ways to Transfer a PDF to your iPad

Via Email. You can email a copy of a file by dragging it from your computer desktop to your new email window and send it to yourself.  You can then retrieve it from your mail on your iPad and can save it from there.  To save, merely open the PDF file while in your mail app by touching the opened file with your finger.  Once open, you should notice a small square with curved arrow in the upper corner menu bar.  If you tap on this icon you will be given the same option to open in iBooks.  If you select this option, your pdf file will be saved in iBooks.

Via another app.  Using GoodReader or Dropbox app one can transfer a pdf to their Mac.  You merely drag the PDF into the GoodReader of Dropbox app on your Mac or PC.  Then open the same app, either GoodReader or Dropbox on you iPad and select the document and option to transfer to iBooks. These methods do not require that you sync with iTunes.  Using iTunes to sync books or pdf files is not always convenient.

There is a way to transfer PDFs via iTunes without having to sync

Connect your iPad to your PC or Mac via the cable and run iTunes app on your computer. In the left hand column you will see the name of your iPad under Devices. Select Apps tab at the top in the right hand window.  Scroll down until you see the File Sharing section. Select either GoodReader of Dropbox from the list of apps that have file sharing capabilities on your iPad.  Drag the PDFs into the list for that app on the right-hand side.  They will appear on your iPad retrievable by the app.

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Alex Reads Me My PDFs

While on my treadmill, I try to do something productive to keep my mind occupied and less on the exercise.  Lately I've been trying to read some pdfs of books or manuals while walking or cycling in the fitness center.  I really like audio books as they are easier to manipulate, especially on the treadmill.

I have been pursuing the means to have my pdfs or books read to me. I have found that there are a couple of ways to accomplish this feat if you don't mind a robot reading to you.

First Attempt - Using Voice Over with iBooks

First, I tried using the built in "voice over" option on my iPad. This entails enabling "voice over" in the Settings of your iPad. Under General, you will find "accessibility" option> triple click home button> which I set to "voice over."  When you want something read to you on your ipad, you enable the voice over by hitting the home button rapidly in succession three times.  When you do this, the other home gestures get really confusing. Selecting something then requires two clicks of home button instead of one.  This can be frustrating at first.  Usually I only turn this feature on after I have started iBooks.

Once I have iBooks running and have selected a pdf file to have read, I then triple click the home button turning on the voice over (which is a woman's voice).  Then you have to select the first word or sentence (which can be tricky) and using two fingers swipe downward.  The voice will start reading and continue through the article.  It is pretty frustrating at times, but once it is engaged, works for the duration of my workout.

Second Attempt - Audio Created Using Cntl Clicking Selected Text

Today, I decided to try a different method.  The Mac system allows you to select text in a pdf file that you load into Preview, and then to control click the selected text.  You will see an option to send text to iTunes.

You have a choice of voices (I select Alex).  You choose where to put the audio files in iTunes.  I usually just put them in the Music section.  

Generally, I select one chapter or a section of the pdf or book.  I send each to iTunes.  Using command I in iTunes you can enter the author's name, edit the chapter title, add a track number and any other information you wish like Genre: Books to each audio clip.  

When I finish saving each track or chapter to iTunes, I then create a playlist, sorted by track to get them in order.   

 Moving Audio Files to My iPad without Syncing

Next step is to move these files to a folder on your desktop.  Using command-shift N, create a folder on your desktop. Now select all the files in the playlist and drag them to the new folder.

Note: I have set my iTunes preferences> devices> to NOT auto-synch my devices (ipods, ipads, and iphones).  

Run iTunes.  Connect your iPad to your Mac. Your iPad should show up under devices in the left-hand side of the iTunes window. Select Apps tab.  YOU WILL NOT BE SYNCING.
To move the files to your iPad without having to sync your iPad is accomplished by using the File Sharing option available under the Apps tab.  SCROLL DOWN to see this section.

I use the GoodReader app to read pdfs and also to access documents from Google Drive (Google Docs) and to also listen to audio files.  When I scroll down in my Apps Tab, I see a list of apps that allow transfer of files from my Mac to my iPad/iPhone without having to sync my devices.  It is especially nice to use this method to add files to your devices that are on your Mac laptops or other computer than the one you originally used to sync your device.

I select GoodReader from the left hand column and then see the files that are currently stored on my ipad in the right-hand section of the window.  I then select all the files on my desktop in the newly created folder and drag them to this right-hand section.  They are now quickly moved to my iPad. DO NOT click the SYNC button - it is not used to transfer these files!

I then eject my iPad using the small up arrow next to my iPad device name in the far left-hand column (under Devices) and disconnect my iPad.  Whoala!  I now have the audio files in GoodReader My Documents section and I merely click on the audio to listen to the book.  Alex reads to me.




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My iPad app purchases were missing

I tried viewing all my APP purchases on my iPad 2 tonite. There was only a blank screen showing under all, iPhone, and iPad sections when I ran the "apps" store app on my iPad.

When I tapped anywhere on the blank screen, one of my purchases would appear. I tried rebooting my iPad, checking various settings.

Finally, I realized that I had an iTunes U podcast that was stuck or not downloading on my Mac Air. There was a little number "1"  in a red notification circle next to the iTunes U label in iTunes on my Mac Air. So I deleted this file that had not downloaded properly into my iTunes library.

Checked my iPad and all my apps purchased are now showing up fine.

So if you are experiencing this problem, make sure an app, podcast or download is not stuck in your iTunes library on your computer. This seems to have been the problem. Hope this helps someone else with this problem. :-) Tweet

How to Get an ePub Book onto My Mac

Today's journey involves transferring a free ePub book that I found online at Google Books to my iPad. Searching online for a good book about the Northwest Passage, I found one published in 1860, by James Alex Browne, called "The Northwest Passage and the Fate of the John Franklin."

It was an easy step to download the ePub file to my Mac's hard drive.  The next step was a bit challenging.  It seemed logical to me that I might be able to email it to myself, retrieve it from the inbox on my iPad and save it directly to iBooks app on my iPad.  That didn't seem to work for me.  Possibly it was due to my lack of coherence and coffee this morning. I tried other apps like Free Books and GoodReader. Nothing seemed to work.

Finally, I pursued the use of my Dropbox app.  I moved the ePub file into the cloud in my Dropbox by opening a finder window and physically dragging the ePub file to my Dropbox.  Once the file was located conveniently in my Dropbox in the cloud, I was able to select the Dropbox app icon on my iPad, next select the ePub file, and a popup selection box appeared on my iPad.

It was easy from there to add it to my iBooks library collection or into Free Books or GoodReader. 




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Time Zone Dilemma Revisited

Now that I am back in my own local, I find that a lot of my iCal appointments are incorrect. Scheduled appointments are now on wrong days and at wrong times. It even said that today was Thursday in my iCal calendar, when it is actually is Wednesday. This is not good when you have important engagements or appointments that you need to attend.

I checked out the System timezone settings and such on all my devices, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPhones and iPads when I arrived home to the new time zone. Content that this would fix everything, I started getting reminder calls from my dentist and doctors for upcoming appointments. When I checked my iCal dates and times, they were all wrong.  So it seemed that something else was wrong.

This morning I checked the iCal preferences under "Advanced" tab and unchecked the option to turn on time zone support.  This helped with displaying the correct day of the week for my calendar.

So, I googled "iCal time zone support" and found a link to an excellent article posted online.  I wanted to share this link: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Understanding_iCal_Time_Zones/
with everyone so that they can have a reference that addresses the time zone issues when traveling.

Enjoy! Thanks Jeff Gamet for a well-written article.

Update: You can benefit from  setting up "Time Zone Support" as ON when traveling if you are setting up phone calls from another location for certain times specified in the other person's time zones (i.e. not the current location's time). The burden of having to specify "floating" for all of your other meetings (e.g meetings where you are currently located) shouldn't outweigh the benefits of being able to set up a meeting in another time zone.

If you are traveling a lot, then ...

(1) Make sure you have turned on Time Zone Support on all your devices and laptops and computers.  On an iPad or iPhone, select Settings> Mail: Contacts, Calendars> Time Zone Support

(2) Whenever you create a new event in iCal, you will notice that there is a new pop-up menu to choose from where you can associate a time zone with your events. IMPORTANT:  you will have to manually choose the appropriate time zone for every one of your appointments.

(3) Then, while you're traveling, in the upper right-hand corner of iCal, there is a global pop-up menu that lets you choose which time zone your entire calendar is currently based in. As long as you have manually edited all of your appointments with the appropriate time zone, you will have an accurate calendar. But if you did not manually choose the right time zone for even a single appointment (or if you forget to change the global pop-up menu while you're browsing your calendar), your appointments will jump around and be very confusing.






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Yes, Custom Text Tones for Individuals Using iOS 5

 iOS 5 has allowed us to select a different text tone for each of our contacts from a list of default tones for use when they message us.  But as it always happens, users always want MORE than what is offered.

Since I had already had custom ringtones set up on my iPhone, it was no problem selecting one of these custom tones for the text tone.  If you haven't tried setting tones on your iPhone for your family and friends, that is accomplished by going into your Contacts app (Addressbook) and selecting Edit.  If you scroll down the items in the edit field, you should come across the field where you select a Text Tone.  If you have installed some custom ringtones, they should appear in the list along with the default text tones that Apple offers.   Select which one you wish to use as that special text tone and be sure to click the Save and Done buttons to preserve your choices.

I did not see these same custom ringtones on my iPad.  I remembered that there was no real reason to add custom ringtones on my iPad 2 originally as I did not have "phone" capability and there was not an option to set different tones or such.

So I just selected some of my custom ringtones in iTunes and synced to my iPad 2.  These now show up as options for Text Tones under the Contacts on my iPad.  So now I have some pretty funky text tones for incoming messages on my iPad.  I also read online that some suggest that these tones need to be 15 seconds or less.  Guess it might be annoying to have a long ringtone.  Or it might be that anything longer than 15 seconds might not work.  I haven't tested that theory yet.

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Some Great New Features in iOS 5 - be sure to check them out

Here are some features worth checking out on your mobile devices using iOS 5:

•  Creating albums and moving photos into albums

•  Video formats that are now supported on the device

•  Setting individual text tones for your family and friends

•  Setting up iMessage to use for FREE texting to fellow iphone/ipad users

•  Setting up special vibration tones for you iPhone

•  Enhancing photos right in the Photos app: also rotate, crop and red-eye elimination

•  New app for reminders tat can be synced across devices.  Reminders can send alert when you are near a location. 

•  Accessing magazines on a newstand shelf.

•  Tabs in Safari on your iPad devices

•  Set up custom gestures and keyboard shortcuts

•  New search features in Mail app

•  New Reader in Safari to bookmark and read articles later.

•   Use your volume button as a shutter button for your camera.  Access camera from the lock home page.

•  Swipe to view all your notifications and alerts and text messages and email subject titles from one central location.  On iPhone also see stock and weather in this notification window.

• More gestures, wifi sync, pc free, icloud capable photo streaming, find your friends, airplay ....

•  and text style like bold, underline, italic and suggestion for spelling in Mail app Tweet

iOS 5 Tip: Don't Overlook the New Alert Sounds

The new iOS 5 for our mobile devices now includes the ability to set special sounds or tones for your alerts.   Check out the Settings > General> Sounds> now available to customize.

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iOS 5 Tip: Create Your Own Gestures on Mobile Devices

For those who want to get creative with gestures they use on their iPad or iPhone, try selecting the Settings> General>Accessibility> Assistive Touch> Custom Gestures > Create New Gesture.

Your new gestures are recorded and accessed through a Favorites Menu. Tweet

iOS 5 Tip: Creating Your Own Keyboard Shortcut on iPhone, iPad

You can create your own keyboard shortcuts by going to the Settings on your iPhone or iPad that has been updated to iOS 5.

Select the Add Shortcut, enter some keys and the corresponding message or phrase that will replace that text shortcut when you type a message or note.

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