We tend to think of using FaceTime for a face-to-face video and audio call to a smiling face. But did you know that iOS 7 introduces the ability to make audio calls only? Here's how to do it. _______________________ First, it may be helpful to review how to make the initial FaceTime connection to another…
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
What's That Strange Bar at the Top of iOS 7 Lock Screen?
For some users, there's a new, odd looking bar at the top of the iOS 7 Lock Screen. What is that exactly? Here's what the bar looks like. It turns out that the bar is both a notification and a touch prompt that you can pull down from there and see notifications from the Lock…
FaceTime with Saturn: See the Sky with a Telescope and iPhone 5s
Everyone knows what FaceTime is for: face to face communication. But what happens when you put an iPhone behind the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope and make a FaceTime call? Delightful, remote viewing of the moon and planets. ______________________ I have a friend, Michael Weasner, who is an amateur astronomer near Tucson, Arizona. On Sep…
iOS 7: How to Turn Off Automatic App Updates
The introduction of automatic app updates in iOS 7 is terrific. But there may be times when you don't want that to happen. Here's an explanation of when you might want to turn it off and how to do it. ________________________ In iOS 7: Tap on Settings. Tap on iTunes & App Store. Select “Updates”…
iOS 7: How to See the Time Stamp of Each Bubble in Messages
Messages in iOS 7 are very economical in their presentation. Not every message bubble is time stamped. Here's a quick tip on how to reveal the time of every bubble. ________________________ Let's say you're reviewing a message stream and you really need to see the exact time of each message. Or one in particular. The…
How the Design of iOS 7 Evokes Such Strong Feelings
iOS 7 dramatically changes the look and feel compared to iOS 6. At first, we're not quite sure about our feelings. However, in time, important design elements surface in our consciousness. It's a fascinating journey. _______________________ When I look at iOS 7, it generates very strong, positive feelings. The strongest feeling I get is that…
Why Apple's Move to a 64-bit iPhone 5s is So Darn Clever
Some observers underestimate what's to be gained by Apple's 64-bit A7 in the iPhone 5s. Is it really just a marketing stunt? Or an inadvisable plan to put 64-bit ARM CPUs into MacBooks? I want to look at why the move to marry iOS with 64-bits is so darn clever, now and for the long…
64-bit Apps for iPhone 5s Will Be Larger, But You Probably Won't Need More Storage
Apple's new iPhone 5s uses a 64-bit A7 CPU. The next generation 64-bit apps will be a little bit larger and hybrid 32/64-bit apps will be almost double in size. If you're you're thinking about a 16 GB iPhone 5s, should you consider a 32 GB model instead? I asked a few iOS developers about…
How to Upgrade Your Old iPhone Online With Apple, Directly
If you have an older iPhone and are eligible for an upgrade, you can order the newest iPhone directly from Apple and pay only the subsidized upgrade fee without ever having to step into your carrier's store. Here's how to do it. Part I. The Upgrade Assuming that Apple announces new iPhones on September 10,…
How to Check Your iPhone Upgrade Eligibility (Verizon)
With Apple's formally announced Media Event on September 10, the expectation is that Apple will be announcing one or more new iPhones. Here's a handy guide to help you determine if your current iPhone is eligible for an upgrade with Verizon. Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number #874…
How to See Full Cookie Details in Safari 6
Starting with Safari 5.1, Apple changed the amount of cookie details, for the worse, that we can see in the Safari Preferences. But we could still get to them with Developer tools. In Safari 6, the raw cookie detail is stored in binary format, but we can still see the data in “classic” mode with…
How to Check Your iPhone Upgrade Eligibility (AT&T)
With Apple's formally announced media event on September 10, the expectation is that Apple will be announcing one or more new iPhones. Here's a handy guide to help you determine if your current iPhone is eligible for an upgrade with AT&T. ______________________ Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number…
LYNKtec Paintbrush Tip for iPad Drawing Has That Artist Feel
LYNKtec has released a new Artist Paintbrush Tip for the TruGlide Pro stylus. This is a replaceable tip for the original Pro stylus barrel. It's not pressure sensitive, and it doesn't afford finer lines when drawing. Instead, it simulates the traditional soft brush experience that artists appreciate. ______________________ Earlier this year, I reviewed the…
Sabine Sound Amplifier for iPad mini Works Very Well
The iPad mini is a great product, but the inclusion of stereo speakers on the bottom didn't solve the problem of directing the sound forwards, towards the user. Customers still find themselves cupping the edge of the iPad mini to redirect and amplify the sound. The Sabine passive sound amplifier for iPad mini solves that…
How to Obtain the IPv6 Address of Your Mac and iPad
Finding the IPv6 address of your Mac or iPad isn't extremely difficult. But there are a few technical wrinkles to be aware of. While OS X, with access to the command line and more disclosure in the Network System Preferences, almost nails the details, it's less straightforward with an iPad (or iPhone). _____________________ IPv6 development…
Run Any Mac or PC App Remotely on Your iPad with Parallels Access
Parallels, famous for its virtualization software, has launched a new product for the iPad called Parallels Access. It allows you to remotely operate and fully control any OS X or Windows app residing on your computer right from your iPad. It does this by translating traditional mouse controls into familiar iPad gestures. You can even…
How Apple's Healthy Advertising Emotion Enraged One Critic
Our culture has been, for a long time, immersed in war, weaponry, and computer-aided death, both in reality and in our entertainment. In the midst of that, Apple has come out with ads that remind us what we ought to be doing with our fabulous technology. One reaction to that has been dismay and derision.…
Why Apple Will Deliver BOTH an HDTV and a Set-top Box
For a long time now, we've heard rumors that say Apple's new TV product will be a conventional HDTV with a 50 to 60-inch display. Other sources insist that it will be a next generation Apple TV set-top box and that competing in the cut-throat HDTV business makes no sense. However, there is an argument…
How to Obtain the URL of any Given Tweet
When using Twitter, most of the time it's sufficient to log a Favorite or retweet (RT) a given tweet. But what if you want to publish a link to that tweet? Every tweet has its own unique URL, and that's what you'll need. Here's how to find it, either from your browser or from a…
DOJ Publishes Proposed Remedies in eBook Price Fixing Suit Against Apple
The U.S. Department of Justice has published its proposed remedies to address Apple's price fixing as a result of its case against Apple. The “Remedy Would Require Apple to Terminate Agreements with Five Publishers; Provide for a Court-Appointed External Monitor; Allow Competitors to Provide Links from Their E-Book Apps to Their E-Bookstores.” The U.S. DOJ…
Dust Settling: Next iPad mini Will Have Retina Display
The rumors have been flying fast and furious. Will Apple's next iPad mini have a Retina display? Some sources have said that it wouldn't come until after an intermediate model without that feature. Now the situation is a somewhat clearer with the Wall Street Journal reporting that an iPad mini with a Retina display will…
You Will Want a New Mac Pro, but Here's Why You'll NEED it
When Apple announced its new Mac Pro at WWDC, the first thought of many customers was that they wanted it. Badly. Then reality sunk in; this is a Mac Pro for professionals. It'll be too expensive for the Rest of Us. However, here's why you'll need it anyway. And will love doing it. __________________ Whenever…
Set Up Apple's FaceTime and Make it Always Work
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…
RadarScope for iOS: Beautiful, Visual Access to Weather Radar
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…