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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Tips on How to Permanently Delete Apps from iPhone (iOS14)

 How to Permanently Delete an App from Your iPhone (iOS 14)

Goto the App Library Screen on your iPhone, by swiping until you get to the App Library screen.

 

 

Press on the search bar at the top, You should then see a running alphabetical list of all your apps.

Scroll down to find the app you wish to delete. 

Press on the icon to the left of the app name.  You should see options: Add to Home Screen, Share App and Delete App.  

 

Select Delete App to get rid of it.

Sometimes, you will get a message that it is downloading the app. Once downloaded, you can press on icon again and delete it.

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Connecting Older Car Speakers with iPhone and Bluetooth FM Transmitter for Older Cars

I am back from traveling the world. My blog for tips and helps is now resuming ...

I have plans for some road trips in the USA.   My preferred road trip car is an older convertible, but unfortunately it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of most newer cars.  It does, however, have a nice set of speakers which I plan to utilize. I want to avoid replacing the original radio system.  I am investigating some of the tech devices available for older cars. One device, the Nulaxy KM29 Bluetooth FM Transmitter, looks like a promising solution.


My iPhone is equipped with Bluetooth and has adequate voice navigation apps and streaming music capabilities for an enjoyable journey.  So, I want to use the Bluetooth feature on my iPhone with a device that will connect to my speakers/radio.  The KM29 Nulaxy Bluetooth FM Transmitter has Bluetooth that can easily connect to my iPhone, as well as several other modes of input that allow for listening to music.

The Nulaxy device has:

• A TF card slot ( a TF card is smaller version of a SD microchip card) (It uses an adapter, so it can be inserted into a SD card reader to load on music from a laptop or computer.  I had to purchase one of these cards separately, as it was not included in package.
• An auxiliary input.  The package does include an auxiliary cable to hook up transmitter to a device like an iPod or even your iPhone.
• A USB memory stick connector.  (USB stick is not included in package)

All of these inputs can be used to play music files or audio books stored on either the card, stick or a device like an iPod connected to the audio in jack.

The FM transmitter is easily plugged into a cigarette lighter in your car and has a swivel type arm and nice 1.8" screen for viewing information like song titles, battery info, switching songs, scanning for FM station, volume control etc. It comes with 2 USB ports which can be conveniently used to keep your iPhone, iPad and/or other devices charged. The device has various buttons for searching thru folders, scanning channels, skipping back and forth thru songs, selecting folders, songs, and equalizer modes.

There is a brief instruction sheet that comes with the product.  It takes some definite practice to figure out the buttons and modes.  A short press on the middle button in center allows for selecting the input modes: USB Stick, Bluetooth, or TF Card.  How long you press the button determines various options.  For instance, you can accept an incoming phone call by pressing the center button once.  Holding it for 3 seconds, rejects the call.  Pressing the same button twice, redials the last phone number. 
 

When plugged in, the transmitter can be used to connect to any unused FM radio station. First  select the unused FM station on the radio and then using the 'scan or CH button' capability on the KM29 select that same unused station on the device.  The transmitter will also connect to your Bluetooth device.  You will need to open Bluetooth settings on your iPhone and select the Nulaxy Transmitter initially, but after that it auto connects when you get in the car the next time.  When you play songs on your Bluetooth connected iPhone from your Music app or Pandora, you will hear the music through your car speakers. 

I have also tested playing from the TF card slot and USB memory stick port - both worked fine.  I did have to figure out the best way to put songs on the card and stick in a format that was easily read and navigated by the buttons on the KM29.  Both card and stick supported folders.  Key to file structure was to make sure that I used only mp3 music files.  I made folders of artists and nested albums for the artists and songs inside the artist folders.  I didn't test, but I would suspect you could have a genre folder too.  "Wav" format is also acceptable according to the instruction manual, but I didn't test.

Notes:  Basically to setup the USB stick and/or TF/microSD card, I used only mp3 files.  I used a USB hub to connect to my Mac laptop and to transfer files from my user directory's media files (Music folder) to each device using drag/drop.  I also ran a software application on my laptop called HiM  (Hidden Cleaner Improved by Fernando Iazeollo) to strip hidden files from the stick and the TF card.   I used artist> album> song file structure.  I also deleted and emptied trash or all mp4 songs and albums with  only one song inside.  The TF card is limited to 32GB.  Scrolling through the screens took time.  I could use the button in center by turning it to go thru a list on the screen or I could use the forward/back buttons to move through the list. 

The auxiliary in line allowed me to use an old iPod full of music to play thru my speakers and worked great. The auxiliary in line plays continually even while you might be playing another mode such as TF card or USB Stick. When I was playing music using the auxiliary input mode, the music continued to play when a phone call came in, but sound was lowered somewhat. This would not be optimal if you were listening to an audio book.  You would probably prefer a pause if a call came in at the same time. 

If you have connected your  iPhone via Bluetooth to the transmitter,  you merely need to press the center button to answer any incoming phone call.  This is a great hands off method of talking on your phone through the speakers in your car.  The music from your iPhone which might be playing is paused and resumes later after you hangup the call via the same button.

So for about $20, I can use my iPhone over existing car speakers with current radio system, stream my music playlists and songs or play Pandora, or use MP3 Books app to listen to an audio book.  I can also run Apple Maps or Google Maps to get voice navigation which also comes over the speakers.

This device is a great, inexpensive way to provide you with voice navigation, streaming music from your favorite road trip playlist, while having the ability to talk on your phone hands-free.  Just what I was looking for!

If you have any problems or questions about this particular device, don't hesitate to comment below.  I will try to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

Stay tuned for another blog in future -  How to use the "Shortcuts" app on iPhone to setup your road trip apps from one home screen button. When I get in my convertible and cruise down the road, I will be able to hit one button on my iPhone that will load in my music list - start playing the first song,  load in my mileage record app, text someone that I'm on my way, load in the directions and map to my destination, activate voice navigation and check the weather of my destination. 

Note:  For more info on HiM (Hidden Cleaner iMproved) -- a simple drag-and-drop utility that cleans and ejects USB devices like MP3 players, USB sticks... (and also local folders).

 go to https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/52076/him 

















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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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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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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 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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iMessage Solution for Activation

iMessage suddenly quit working on my iPad 2 and iPhone 3GS, yesterday.  I am traveling and was very frustrated with the fact that I was not able to iMessage from overseas.  As it turns out, I tried everything.  I updated my iPhone to OS5.0.1, but left the iPad at 5.0 (just in case).  I tried reboot, repowering and even reset my apple id and password.  All that did not work.

As I was forced to change my password to meet the new 8 character, capital, number format - this caused panic in accessing emails, mobile me and other things.  Resolved those issues, but iMessage still would not verify or activate.  I tried resetting Facetime settings, iMessage settings and numerous other settings.

Alas, the solution was to turn off location and set my time zone to automatic.  I have had to adjust the timezone manually as I am traveling and do not have satellite access all the time. 

This works, finally my iMessage and Facetime were activated.

Hope this helps someone else.   Suggest making sure your time zone is correct before trying to verify or activate before changing a bunch of settings and passwords. Tweet

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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Making An Album and Adding to Existing Album with iOS 5 Devices

With the new iOS 5 for iPhone and iPad devices, comes some pretty cool features for photos.  We've all wanted to be able to make albums on our iPhones and iPads and now we can do so.

Select the photo app icon on your device which brings up your camera roll of photos.  Select the curved/share icon on the right side upper bar and then select the photos you wish to put in a new album or to put in an existing album.

If you select the option to create a new album, you will enter the name for that album and those photos will be organized in that new album.   You, will also be given an option to put photos in an existing album and you merely select the name of the album where you place these photos.

Also with the iCloud option implemented your photos will be 'streamed' to the cloud and all your devices for seamless backup and access.  I haven't impemented the iCloud as yet.    If you connect your camera to your device via a camera connection kit, the photos will be automatically handled by the cloud if that option has been selected.

All of this seems to be pretty confusing at first, but Apple has some support documents or how-to's posted for situations that might arise.  Check here for How to Reset Your Photostream and How to Remove photos from devices, Macs and PCs. Tweet

Just returned from a great trip to Europe visiting Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and France.  The weather started out rainy in Germany and The Netherlands, but eventually the sun did come out and the temperatures during the entire trip were pleasant and tolerable for summertime.

I used the iPad 2 to keep track of all my documents, itineraries, maps, phone numbers and travel plans.  I also had my iPhone along, but found the handy iPad screen to be easier to see and zoom in on the various city maps.  I kept my iPhone in airplane mode and used only with wifi connections to avoid any large data download fees that would be associated with 3Gs network mode.  I felt confident that if needed for that emergency call, that it could be retrieved from my pocket and used.  My son also reminded me that I could always use a hotel or restaurant to call a cab when needed.

My husband had purchased the maps for Europe for his handheld GPS unit.  On the occasions when I didn't go along with him and my daughter, they managed to get lost.  Once he forgot to turn off the GPS unit while they were out exploring Amsterdam's many museums. They walked in the wrong direction when leaving the museum only to realize that my daughter had dropped her paper map somewhere along the walk, and he had no power left to consult his GPS.  When I was along, I was able to wake up my iPad, run GoodReader app where I had conveniently downloaded the city maps in pdf form for offline viewing.  We were always able to find our way.

I find that the best way to travel is to pre-plan by finding city maps, travel ideas and such from the internet sites and uploading these to Google Docs.  I am then able to download these to my devices as needed for the cities that we visit using wifi or pre-load all of them prior to leaving the US.   I also kept my other itineraries for accommodations and travel loaded for easy access.  All the important confirmation numbers an such were very easy to access online or offline from my iPad or iPhone.   If you have the mobile me email account, you can also email any pdf files to yourself before you leave and have access to those documents offline as well from your iPhone or iPad.   I would have liked to use my iPhone with some of the travel apps I had downloaded while out and about, but didn't want to take a chance on incurring large fees on my phone bill, so I studied suggestions while using wifi in advance of the days outings.

We all downloaded an mp3 guide to the Louvre Museum and tried using our headsets to listen to the tour while exploring the museum.  The Louvre is a great museum to see and we saw Mona and Venus, the two attractions that draw the most crowds.  Everyone was crowded around the Mona Lisa trying to take an iPhone photo alongside.  The number of iPhones I saw on this trip was astounding.

Here is a photo, my granddaughter took while in The Louvre Museum with my iPhone - she called it - "Baby World."

And of course, on the ten hour flight from the US to Europe and back, the granddaughters were easily entertained with Talking Tom, coloring apps and some favorite games.  They also texted messages from the ship to their family while using wifi and the TextFree app.  The ship we were on had excellent wifi coverage, so we were always connected via iPad, iPhones and MacBook Airs.  

As I sit here today, I am longing for the new iOS 5 that will allow me more features for my future travels.  I am envisioning that life abroad can be entirely possible if I am able to stay connected to family, friends and the internet.  

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International Charges on iPhone

I've decided to outline some of the things I learned today, about using your iPhone abroad.

If you wish to use your iPhone for voice, text messaging, email, surfing the web or using apps that access the internet, while you are in Edge or 3G mode, then you will be charged.

• If you receive a VoiceMail, you will be billed per minute and if you listen to that voicemail, you will be billed per minute.  Note: You can have this Voicemail disabled by calling AT&T.  It is nice to have this feature, assuming you don't have a lot of friends calling and leaving you messages all the time.  A good reason to consider leaving this option enabled would be if you need to hear from someone back home. 
• Any calls you make overseas to overseas or the US will incur a charge per minute for each call based on the roaming fees associated with that country.  To receive discounted per minute roaming rates, you can take out a World Traveler Plan costing $5.99 per month or you can be charged the standard rates for that country which a generally higher rate for the countries without taking out this plan.  Therefore, if you just plan to make a few calls or only for emergency, it might not benefit you to also have the additional $5.99 monthly plan.
• Text messages are received and billed as well.  Check the ATT site for international costs and plans.  Usually text message options will offer a cheaper alternative to incurring costs for lengthy voice calls.
• When using email, surfing the web, streaming movies, or using apps that rely on data transmission you can rack up some pretty hefty charges.  If you do not use these services on your iPhone while in the voice mode and only while using wifi, you can avoid these added costs.  You should try to take advantage of free hotspots and inexpensive wifi services in cafes, hotels and restaurants during your trip.  If you plan to access these services while under Edge or 3G, then it is advisable to get a plan offered for international usage which currently includes:  

• 50 MB for $24.99 Monthly Charge
• 125 MB for $49.99 Monthly Charge
• 225 MB for $99.99 Monthly Charge
• 800 MB for 199.99 Monthly Charge.  
• Once you exceed the data by 1MB, you will be billed $10 for an additional 10MB 

• Note:  The only way to keep your iPhone from automatically transmitting data is to keep both the "Data Roaming" and the "Fetch New Data" settings to OFF. Even if you change these settings to the OFF position, you will still be able to use your phone for voice and text. You also have the option of using wifi when available. To turn off data roaming please select Settings-General-Network-Data Roaming. To turn off data fetch Settings, Mail-Contacts-Calenders, Fetch New Data, Change push to off and select to Fetch Manually. 
  
  Note:  The monthly plans for discounted rates per minute on voice calls and plans for data downloads can be added or removed at any time and do not involve a cancellation fee.  
     
  You are able to add and remove international features by accessing your online account or calling AT&T International Care at 1-800-335-4685. or if you are out of country you can dial 001-916-843-4685. 
  
  Note: 
  
  If you need to speak to an International Care Representative you can always chat with one online at the AT&T site. You can also send us an email by logging onto your online account at att.com/mywireless>contact us. Or you can reach a representative by dialing +1-916-843-4685 while you are outside of the country.
  
  
  To reduce costs while overseas consider using wifi when available, using Skype or FaceTime type apps when wifi is available to make your calls, emailing or texting while using wifi.  If you need navigation, see if your current handheld GPS devices are up-to-date with maps of the regions you plan to visit and use instead of incurring charges for downloading maps while using 3G or edge connection on your iPhone.  Yes, Google Maps can be expensive to use while on data roaming charges are incurring for large data downloads of maps.  I often download maps and use with GoodReader in the form of pdf file.  That way, I can zoom in on city maps much like we did when we used paper maps.  This can also be done by storing your pdf maps in your iBooks and can be accessed without using wifi or expensive data roaming plans.
  
  
  Happy traveling.  Remember with a little pre-planning you can enjoy your trip and avoid any unexpected expenses or surprises when you get home.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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I Can Sing with Songify iPhone App - It's Easy

This morning I kept receiving singing messages from my children who were out and about exploring and having a good time.  They have been keeping me up to date on their daily adventures from having breakfast to traveling on a ferry to go to the beach.  Something very cool about hearing an audio message instead of just reading an email, especially when that message is set to the beat of music. 

The iphone app Songify is available in the apps store for free and has several installed musical genres and songs that you can use with your recorded message.  The software analyzes your voice and composes music to match.  I've never been able to rap, but now I might.  The software also allows you to buy various other tunes for options.  Even if you can't sing it still works great.  You also have options to allow duets and sharing with Facebook and Twitter, as well as emailing to your friends.

Check it out. Click here for iTunes link.  It is marvelous and fun and a very clever app - I know you will love it!

Here is a sample:  http://khu.sh/usersong_4e18cf5070a30 Tweet

Will You Be Walking on Cloud 9?

I remember back to third grade when I was first introduced to cloud terminology.  Even though this has been many many years ago, I still remember the words Cumulus, Altostratus and Cumulonimbus and Cirrus.  Each of the terms brings to mind a picture of a type of cloud like a puffy cloud, a thin or wispy cloud or a rain cloud.   The terminology can also relate to the cloud's position in the sky.    Alto referring to those clouds in the middle of the sky at an altitude of 6000+ to 20000 feet, a Cirrus cloud that lies above 18,000+ feet, or a Stratus or Stratocumulus cloud that is located below 6,000 feet.

Today, I ponder all the new cloud terminology in hopes that it can be visually represented and as easy to learn.   Since the hottest topic today seems to be cloud computing, it might be good to review the terminology around this newest phenomena.  So here goes, my interpretation:

A cloud or residing in the cloud is a term used for a place to store your stuff like documents, photos, music, and so on.  This is a concept that most MobileMe users understand, at least those that have used the iDisk from Apple in the past few years.

Cloud Computing is the ability to use combined applications and services provided by data centers in the cloud.  For example: those who use a service like Google mail or Yahoo mail online are already using cloud computing.  You are using a mail application from the service provider either Google or Yahoo.  Ideally, A large corporation or individual that uses these services, does so without having to employee a special IT group to maintain the application or worry about storage.  Another advantage is that the mail is accessible from anywhere and anytime, as long as you can access the cloud or the internet.

I definitely remember the time my son informed me that this phenomenon was coming, that was at least 20 years ago.  It is here and has been for awhile.  Most of us have already experienced the cloud and cloud computing in some form already.

Many questions will be hashed about and analyzed.   Will it simplify the way we access, store and handle our data?  Will we have a means to backup data, access data and save data securely? Will we be able to manipulate this data using shared applications based in the clouds?  Will these applications be maintained and upgraded seamlessly without any of us worrying about taking care of these things ourselves?   What will be the costs for services, costs for maintaining, reliability and security issues, and how will we access and share data with others?  If we all move to the cloud, will the immense amount of data (e.g. Big Data Theory) be unlimited and infinite?

The final question to ponder -   Have you made your moving plans yet?  Many of us will be looking for the right cloud to meet our needs.  Those of us who have iWeb sites and MobileMe Galleries will need to move our stuff in a year's time to a secure cloud.  Where and what Cloud have you decided to use?  Will you be walking on Cloud 9?

Credits:  Photo taken by my husband, from an airplane over South Africa. Tweet

Is It Time to Build an Ark Yet?

The question "Is it time to build an ark yet?"  comes to mind this week.  I am sure lots of people are experiencing some stressful times, as many areas along the rivers of this country are under water.   I  decided to check the app store to see what water apps were available for iPhone users.  Amazingly there are quite a few 'water apps', mostly covering water conservation issues.  Some of these offer means to calculate water consumption, tips and facts about the relationship of water to our health and ways to conserve.

Here is a list and description of just some that are available in the Apple App Store.

Virtual Water - is an app that brings awareness to just how much water we ingest in our everyday lives from the food and beverages we consume.   The interactive user interface allows one to compare resources and products for quick facts about amounts of water used when cooking, cleaning, eating or drinking.  It not only encompasses the common foods and beverages, but also includes information on other products that make up our virtual water footprint. 

How Blue Are You? -  is an app that provides tips on conservation of water,  It provides a calculator to see how American Standard brand products can save water and money.  It provides weekly prizes and information on rebates, location of where to find products and information on ways the products can help us be responsible in conserving an important resource, water.

Drip Detective - is a clever free app that shows exactly how much water is going down your drain from a leaky faucet.  The virtual interface allows you to tap your iphone screen for 3 to 4 drips and then it calculates how much water volume is wasted each day, week, month using gallons or cubic feet. You can also calculate the impact on your water bill.

TapWater.org app - denotes all the locations for finding free tap water in pubs and cafes in London while you are traveling. 

Water Your Body and Waterlogged - are apps for tracking your daily water consumption to insure health and maximum hydration.  You can also access tips and facts about water and human health.  You can set reminders and goals.

My Water Diary - is a free app that tracks your water useage for common household, bathing and activities.

Toobz - Free - an app that features two game modes for connecting pipes without spilling water.  Each level your time is shortened.

Flood Rescue - a free game app that has you maneuver your boat thru obstacles to rescue persons swept away by floods. 

FloodMap Mobile - is an app for viewing FEMA flood hazard zones on a Google Map, getting flood report detailing FEMA maps, information on insurance costs, how to connect with FEMA and insurance agents and property elevations from USGS. Tweet