Recently, this lovely iPad fell off a small stand and did a 20 cm. face plant onto the kitchen table. Even though there was a thick table cloth, the display cracked, and cracked ugly. The display looked like we could easily cut a finger if we touched it the wrong way. However, amazingly, everything else…
John Martellaro
John Martellaro was born at an early age and began writing about computers soon after that. With degrees in astrophysics (B.S.) and physics (M.S.), he has worked for NASA, White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Apple. At Apple he worked as a Senior Marketing Manager, a Federal Account Executive and a High Performance Computing manager. His interests include chess, science fiction and astronomy. John is the host of the TMO podcast Background Mode.
Articles by John Martellaro
Connect a MacBook to an iMac's Display with Target Display Mode
_________________ The applicable document here is: “Target Display Mode: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).” That Apple document goes into great detail, so I won't repeat it here. The Short Version Here's what TDM is all about. Let's say you have a MacBook Air with a small display that you use for travel. At home you have…
X-Doria Folio Case for iPhone 6: Awkward by Nature
The X-Doria Engage Folio case for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is a folio case designed to inherently protect the iPhone's display. In the process, compromises have been made which create an awkward case to handle. Some, however, will appreciate the folding cover. __________________ This case is a hybrid design. A faux-leather cover is…
OS X Yosemite: The Quintessential Review
On October 16, Apple released OS X Yosemite which is version 10.10. I have been beta testing since the first developer release and also testing with iOS 8. Here is everything that I learned and how I've sized up this stellar OS X release. Introduction OS X Yosemite 10.10 is the latest version of Apple's…
How Apple's Tim Cook Explained Away Poor iPad Sales
I know that there's a lot of negative commentary in the markets on this, but I have a little different perspective on it…. Instead of looking at this thing each 90 days, if you back up and look at it, we've sold 237 million in just over four years. That's about twice the number of…
Why Your iPhone Uses PNG for Screen Shots and JPG for Photos
____________________ The short and simple answer is that screen shots are often of web content, and that content often has text. The Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format does better with images like that, and the resulting file size is often correspondingly larger than a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG) file. You probably don't want much…
Supply Chain Says MS Surface Pro 3 Tablet is Dead, Microsoft Denies it
DigiTimes says, based on supply chain reports, that Microsoft is planning to cancel the Surface Pro 3 tablet. Cited were poor expected sales, “unlikely to surpass one millon units,” and Microsoft's unaggressive pursuit of a next-generation model. Here's what I'm thinking about all that. _________________ Rumors are rumors. When it comes to Apple, it's always…
iOS 8: 3 Very Nice Weather Apps With Widgets for Notification Center
_________________ All three of these apps have some very nice features when used as a stand alone app: They're full-featured weather apps in themselves Their widgets vary in extent and design, so you will want to check each widget to see which one gives you the data you prefer. (For a refresher on how to…
9 Alternative Ways to Carry Your iPhone 6 Plus Other Than Your Pocket
Here's a sampling of some alternative products we on the TMO staff have found that could ease the way you carry your iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. 1. The LD West leather (shoulder) Holster. $120. For the James Bond fans, a shoulder holster may be just the answer, especially for active people and minimal pocket…
OtterBox Symmetry Case for iPhone 6: Slim, Great Looking, Solid Protection
The OtterBox Symmetry case for the iPhone 6/6 Plus is in the middle of the spectrum of protection. It affords more cushioning than clear, thin polycarbonate cases, but not the ultimate protection of the OtterBox Defender. The style and materials are first-class. __________________ There are times when one needs a middle-of-the-road case in terms of…
iOS 8: Apple Moves Setting for Notification Center on Lock Screen
___________________ In iOS 7, the part of the Settings hierarchy that controls what can be done on the iOS device Lock Screen looked like this: – Passcode (& Touch ID if applicable) – Allow Access When Locked – Siri - Notification Center – Access on Lock Screen – Notifications View – Today View - Control Center -…
iOS 8: Make Cellular Phone Calls from Your iPad Using Handoff
____________________ Let's say you're in the living room watching TV and your iPad is in your lap—as one of those second screens. Your iPhone is in the kitchen on a charger. You need to make a phone call. Instead of getting up to fetch the iPhone, you can make the call right from your…
4 Science Oriented Apps that Support iOS 8 Notification Center
1. Sky Guide. This is an astronomy and sky chart program that won an Apple 2014 Design Award. The app itself is similar to Star Walk and SkySafari, and in the Notification Center it displays a useful subset of information: sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset by default. The graphic shows the time of daylight and…
We Got Our Bigger iPhones - Hooray! So How do we Carry Them?
Back in the early days of the iPhone, it was a fairly small device that easily fit in a shirt pocket or jeans pocket. Today, the power of the iPhone and the demands we make of it virtually require a larger display. So how do we carry it? __________________ Personally, I have always used a…
OtterBox Defender Case for iPhone 6 Plays Great Defense
There are occasions when you must have an iPhone with you, readily available, but the environment is rugged. Examples are construction, airline and military operations. In those cases, one may prefer to have the ultimate in iPhone protection: ports covered, display protected, and a multi-layer, cushioned shells. This case fills the bill _____________________ The OtterBox…
Rokform Sport v3 Case for iPhone 6: Serious Protection and Mobile Options
There is no way around it. Most any case for the iPhone will change its look, feel and heft. The question is, given that you want some good protection, what kinds of options do you want? Rokform provides a boatload. _______________________ There are many different philosophies of iPhone case design. Some are almost decorative in…
iOS 8: Hide and Unhide Images in Photos App
____________________ We'll be working with the iOS 8 Photos app on an iPhone or iPad. (I haven't verified for iPod touch.) 1. In the Photos app, tap and hold on a photo you want to hide. As in iOS 7, there's an option to Copy, but now there's a new option: Hide. Tap and hold…
iOS 8: Quickly Access Your Favorite Contacts with Home Button
I think this is going to be one of my favorite new features of iOS 8. The basic procedure is simple. Start by double tapping the Home button. Double tap the Home button. Swipe the photos at the top to the right to view Phone app Favorites. Swipe the photos at the top to the…
Star Walk 2 for iOS Suffers a Myriad of User Interface Flaws
Star Walk 2 by Vito Technology is the next generation of the venerable sky charting program that was launched in 2008. This iOS app has been well received throughout the years, but the new release suffers from too many user interface and usability errors, and its does not fare well compared to the competition. _________________…
How to Check Your AT&T iPhone Upgrade Eligibility
___________________ Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number *639# (*NEW#) directly from your iPhone. Shortly, you'll receive a text message from AT&T. Here's how it looked on my iPhone 5s. Method #2. Another way to check is to use Apple's Apple Store app. On the home (Featured) page is…
Why a 12-inch iPad is Almost Certain
Image credit: Paramount Why do people stand in line every year for a new iPhone? Why is iPhone technology changing so fast? Conversely, why are iPad sales more or less ho-hum? Why isn't iPad technology exploding? I want to reflect on that situation. __________________ When I think about the success of the iPad, I think…
Recover a Mangled URL in the Address Bar of Safari, Other Browsers
____________________ Let's say you're reading an article that has a long URL/address. Perhaps you're tying to delete all the extra query string after the core URL and a “?” mark. (I do that all the time for the Particle Debris column.) And then you make a mistake and delete too much. Alternatively, say you're editing…
Why Everything Gets Better With Apple, Worse for Others
___________________ Some examples are in order. A phone carrier starts with unlimited service to entice customers and later does everything it can to force-convert customers into capped or metered service. A company, which had a fine product for sale can't generate enough growth with a mature technology, so it makes its product available via subscription…
An iPhone Veteran Evaluates an Amazon Fire Phone
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced the Fire Phone on June 18 with several novel features and a 4.7-inch display. This TMO review takes a close look at the Fire Phone from a technical perspective that steers away from politics and towards what the iPhone or any potential owner would want to know about this very…