iOS

A FaceTime conversation with Apple devices is a terrific experience, once you get it set up. However, configuring properly across multiple devices, Macs, iPads and iPhones, with different addresses, can be tricky. Here are some of the basic FaceTime addressing dos and don'ts, plus what you need to know to set up the feature so…

If you have to call a lot of people who have extension numbers, you know how frustrating that can be. Do you write down their extension numbers in your Contacts app? If so, where? Do you just have to remember every single one? Ugh. Yeah, this way doesn't work. Fortunately, the iPhone has a built-in,…

RadarScope obtains the raw NEXRAD radar data from the 159 National Weather Service Doppler radars, some in super resolution, in the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico and displays tweather patterns, such as thunderstorms and other weather effects, on your iOS device. In addition, it displays predicted storm tracks plus severe weather and flash flood text…

When you share your contact data, you're giving others an easy and fast way to get in touch with you. In most cases, if you send someone what's called your vCard, a simple double-click will add you to his contacts list without the need for him to type anything in. It's really cool! To send…

If you have trouble reading the small text on your iOS device, you can enlarge it, at least in some helpful locations. To configure the size, go to Settings> General> Accessibility. What you'll want to change is (unsurprisingly) labeled Large Text. Once you select that, you'll be given a bunch of different font sizes to…

When you're setting up a document's layout in Pages, you may run across the problem of overset text in floating text boxes. Having overset text just means that the text box isn't large enough to display everything you've put in it. Obviously, I didn't end my sentence that way, but you can always tell if…

Allow me to introduce you to your friend and mine – the Histogram. You may have seen the little feller lurking around not only within iPhoto, but in Aperture, Photoshop, and just about every other image editing apps on the Mac. He's also been spotted hanging out in several photo editing apps on iOS devices.…

“Alright, time for everyone to use the bathroom,” my father used to say on road trips. “But I don't have to,” was the inevitable whine from (at least) one of us kids. Dad's reply was always the same: “It wasn't a question.” My dad was focused on being as efficient as possible, of course. Instead…

Many people really love what they consider their ultimate iPhone case. For those folks, a bulky battery pack inside a case just won't do. If that describes you, but you still need additional power for your iPhone, the best choice is a small, handy, external battery pack that can be used with any iOS device—just…

The best browser is the one you have with you. In the days of yore, I would find myself browsing the web on my iOS device and think to myself, “I should really be looking at this on my Mac,” and so I'd email myself a link to the site that I was viewing, jump…

Turning on Airplane Mode will generate a recognizable symbol in the Status BarTurning on Airplane Mode will generate a recognizable symbol in the Status Bar Our readers are a smart lot, and I suspect that most who delight in using their iPhones understand the difference between Cellular and Wi-Fi communications. Let's face it, though, there…

If you want to see how a bit of science has morphed from a laboratory curiosity to something so common we don't even think about it anymore, take a long hard look at radio waves. Back in the 1800s all but a handful of scientist even knew waves of electromagnetic force existed. It's was something…

There are two things that I can expect when I receive a new product from Just Mobile  — it will be unique and it will be made from high grade aluminum. The AluCup proved to be no exception. Just Mobile AluCup It is a multi-purpose desktop stand, sculpted from a single piece of high grade…

Apple gave the public its first preview of iOS 7 last week during its annual World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. A beta version just for iOS developers was released the same day, and it found its way to many people outside of that group who promptly started complaining about stability issues, non-functioning features,…

Being the parent of a toddler, who just loves to get his grubby little paws on my iPad, Guided Access has become one of my best friends. Let me show you why. Here's the scenario: The family is on a roadtrip, and the toddler needs some entertainment in the back seat. He just loves to…

Each year at WWDC, TMO interviews a few Apple developers who want to tell their story. The result is usually a number of serious insights into the state of mind of the developer community. In our fifth interview, Dave Hamilton chats with Dave Peck from Cloak. _________________________________ Dave Hamilton: I’m here at WWDC with Dave…

You have lots to do each day, and that's what lists and To Do apps are for. But when you get that brilliant bolt from the blue, or two, it needs a special place to hibernate while you fill in the details. Vesper does that with grace, focus, and simplicity. Vesper, named after the character…

Any reasonable person will readily admit that reading and writing text messages on a smartphone while driving, regardless of how large the phone's screen or the text is, is a dangerous distraction. There are statistics on the number deaths and injuries caused by distracted drivers, but I've covered some of that in an earlier article…

“You need a very product-oriented culture, even in a technology company.” – Steve Jobs, 2004 Sir Jonathan Ive I've been thinking about Apple CEO Tim Cook and the company's design guru, Sir Jonathan Ive. It started when former VP Scott Forestall was fired and Sir Jony was put in charge of the look and feel of…

Apple's AirDrop feature makes it easy for Mac users to share files without any special setup, and while there was speculation that it would be a feature in iOS 6, it never materialized. Now there's word that Apple has been testing AirDrop for iOS 7 and it may finally show up on the iPhone, iPad,…

Clicking on a field header within the Contacts app on your Mac gives you all sorts of handy-dandy things you can do. For example, if you click where it says “mobile” or home” (or whatever) in front of a phone number… …here are the choices it'll give you: The options depend a bit on what…

In the current mobile climate apps can make or break a platform. Just ask Blackberry. While Android phone manufacturers can undercut Apple on price, it is in this app ecosystem that I believe Apple still has a major advantage over its key competitor. Apple's unified system is a key draw for developers The unified nature…

If you mention zombies to most learned folks they will likely roll their eyes and sigh with sympathy for another mind given over to the current fringe fad. They may offer a few patronizing words about the origin of the zombie lore and something to the affect that the undead are no more real than…

The first delicious rumors have emerged on what Sir Jonathan Ive is doing to iOS 7. 9to5Mac reported that unnamed sources have described the new look and feel for iOS 7 as “black and white and flat all over,” a play on the old-school riddle about newspapers*. The sources also said that iOS 7 will…