en katiefloyd http://www.katiefloyd.com <![CDATA[Katie Floyd]]> https://static.feedpress.it/logo/katiefloyd.png Katie Floyd http://www.katiefloyd.com Tue, 23 Aug 2016 21:32:07 +0000 en-US Site-Server v6.0.0-8715-8715 (http://www.squarespace.com) Special Mac Power Users for Relay FM Members Katie Floyd Thu, 25 Aug 2016 22:20:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4243452 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57bcbe83e4fcb567fdffc020

Relay FM has created a membership system to allow listeners to support the hosts of their favorite Relay FM shows. Listeners can choose to support a specific show like Mac Power Users, or support all the shows on the network. One of the perks of membership is that members will receive a bonus episode shows during Relay's anniversary week in August, including a very special bonus episode of Mac Power users.

Since this show didn't have to conform to a typical format, David and I knew instantly what we wanted to talk about. Star Trek and Star Wars. We spent almost an hour talking about our love for the series, how we became fans, our favorite characters and movies, what we think about the reboots and some of our traditions. It was a lot of fun.

If you're a Relay FM member, you can grab your special bonus episode of Mac Power Users now, along with special episodes of many of the other shows on Relay. If you're not a member, you can sign up now and gain access to all the members-only content.

My sincere thanks to all the members for your kind support of David and me and all the wonderful hosts on Relay FM!

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Mac Power Users #336: iPhone Productivity - Relay FM Katie Floyd Tue, 23 Aug 2016 21:19:22 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4224355 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57bcbe39b8a79b49057ca264 This week on Mac Power Users David and I share some of the most efficient productivity tasks and apps appropriate for the iPhone. Topics include calendars and contacts, email, task management, scanning, writing, and additional utilities for productivity.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Casper: Because everyone deserves a great night sleep. Get $50 off with the code ‘MPU’
  • Eero: Blanket your home in fast, reliable WiFi.
  • The Omni Group We're passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad. 
  • Automatic The connected car company that improves your driving and integrates your car into yoru digital life. Enter code MACPOWER to get 20% off your purchase.
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Katie's Week In Review: August 21, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 21 Aug 2016 20:23:47 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4204283 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57ba0da8b8a79bd395ce38f9 It’s a crazy weekend for me so I’m leaving you with a more abbreviated “link list” for the week in review post this week. Nevertheless, here are a few links of note for the week ending August 21, 2016:

  • Apple Announces Environmental Progress in China & Applauds Supplier Commitment to Clean Energy - Apple continuing their commitment to the environment, this time by putting pressure on their suppliers in China to commit to clean energy. Apple suppler Lens Technology has agreed to run its Apple operations on entirely renewable energy.
  • Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’ - I enjoyed this interview by Jena McGregor of The Washington Post discussing his first five years as CEO after Steve Jobs. Cook talks about some of the missteps as CEO, how the job can be lonely at times and living up to expectations.
  • Apple, Google, FCC Team up to Stop Spam Robocalls Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer explains how some of the biggest players in the telecom industry are finally stepping up to address the problem with spam phone calls. I received one earlier today. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t answer my phone (and sometimes miss important calls) if I don’t recognize the number. There’s a new feature in iOS 10 that will allow Apple to query a database to attempt to determine if a call is likely spam, but so far Apple hasn’t gone so far as to build or maintain one itself.
  • New Ways to Control Your Experience on Twitter - Twitter has finally taken some positive steps to allow people to attempt to filter out trolls and limit the notifications they receive from. Twitter says this is just the start of their steps to take back control of the platform and control harassment. We’ll see. Right now it seems that these features are only available in the native Twitter apps, which I don’t use because they also come with tradeoffs. Hopefully Twitter will open these features up to third party developers.
  • Introducing Automatic Pro - Automatic rolled out a new version of their connected car adapter this week. The highlights include a new 3G connection included in the purchase price so it doesn’t have to always be connected to bluetooth. This is great because I find my iPhone’s bluetooth connection can be flakey sometimes causing my Automatic to drop connection. I’ll be picking up one of the new adapters. (Full disclosure, Automatic sponsors Mac Power Users - you can save $20 using this link.)
  • AT&T Introduces new MobileShare Plans - Following a similar move by Verizon, in advance of the new iPhone announcement AT&T has announced new mobile data plans. The plans are more expensive (of course) but in lieu of overage charges you’ll have the option to throttle your speeds down to 128kbps when your exceed your data cap. While painful, it might be a nice alternative if you only have a short time left before your billing cycle resets.
  • New Star Trek postage stamps are being released to celebrate the 50th anniversary. They’re available now for pre-order through the USPS.
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Mac Power Users #335: Workflows with John Voorhees Katie Floyd Tue, 16 Aug 2016 15:03:11 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4160390 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57b32b40be659468fb6d1031 This week on Mac Power Users, David and I chat with John Voorhees. John is an attorney by day but also develops software and writes for Mac Stories. We chat with John about how he juggles all his tech related tasks while managing a busy day job. (We sympathize.) 

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • PDFpen from Smile With powerful PDF editing tools, available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, PDFpen from Smile makes you a Mac Power User.
  • 1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don't have to worry about that anymore.
  • Fujitsu ScanSnap ScanSnap Helps You Live a More Productive, Efficient, Paperless Life. 
  • Squarespace: Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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Katie's Week in Review: August 14, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 14 Aug 2016 21:11:27 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4146486 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57b0de6be58c62414be1f6ab Mark Gurman is back with new rumors about the iPhone and MacBook Pros. That and other exciting links of note for the week ending August 14, 2016:

  • Mark Gurman, who is known for his accuracy recently in reporting Apple rumors, claims to have details of the new iPhones. Writing for his new publication, Bloomberg, Gurman claims that the standout feature will be a dual-camera system on the larger iPhone, a re-designed home button that appears to be touch sensitive rather than a physical click wheel and removal of the headphone jack. Gurman says we can also expect a hardware design similar to that of the past two years, perhaps making way for a more radical redesign next year for the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone. Gurman’s report, if true, seems to confirm previously reported rumors but doesn’t seem to bring a whole lot of additional information to the table.
  • Also this week at Bloomberg, Gurman claims Apple is planning its first major Pro laptop overhaul in four years. Again, Gurman’s report seems to give credit to previously reported rumors claiming the notebooks will be thinner, include a touch screen strip for function keys and feature more powerful processors along with USB-C technology along with a Touch ID sensor. However, Gurman says the MacBook Pros likely won’t debut alongside the new iPhone at an event rumored for September 7th. I’ve been hanging on to my 13" MacBook Air waiting for Apple to release new notebooks and if most of this is true, it sounds like just the update I’ve been waiting for.
  • This week Fast Company ran a cover story promoting an “inside look at Tim Cook’s Apple” It features an interview with Eddie Cue and Craig Federighi with follow-up by TimCook along with a sidebar featuring Bozoma Saint John about Apple Music.
  • It’s about time. Google has finally updated Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for iOS with split view support. Jason Snell of Six Colors has the details. Like Jason, David and I use Google Docs and Sheets to plan and prep Mac Power Users and the inability to use these apps in split screen on iOS was problematic. It only took them a year - but I guess better late than never.
  • Google has also announced that the Chrome browser will begin blocking Flash that runs in the background of webpages and make HTML5 the default beginning in September. John Voorhees of MacStories reports that Chrome 55 will make HTML5 the default except for sites which only support flash. I don’t load Flash on any of my computers but find myself occasionally using Chrome (which currently has Flash support built-in) to load a site that requires it. I’m unclear how that might change in the future, but it sounds like Chrome will still support Flash in the future, just not as a default.
  • IFTTT has released a new feature that allow recipes to live inside other apps. This will allow users to browse and activate select IFTTT recipes from within the developer’s app. Currently integrations are live with partners including LIFX, Garageio and Skybell with additional integrations coming online soon from partners including Automatic and Ring.
  • Last week I mentioned I was interested in the Logitech Create 9.7" iPad Pro keyboard case and I might have considered it if I hadn’t just bought the Apple Smart Keyboard for my iPad. This week Phil Dzikly of iLounge posted a review of the Crate 9.7". Overall it earned a high recommendation from the iLounge editors, though it appears to be a bit bulkier than Apple’s solution.
  • My thanks to MailButler for sponsoring the site this week. If you’re interested in having your product or service featured on KatieFloyd.com, consider an RSS sponsorship, details can be found here.
  • Finally, this week the official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released. I have to admit, it gave me goosebumps. The trailer runs about 2 minutes. I can’t wait for the 2 hour Incomparable episode about it.
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Mac Power Users #334: MPU Live: "She Can't Take It Anymore, Captain!" Katie Floyd Tue, 09 Aug 2016 23:40:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4107789 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57a7d4e9e4fcb59aef039cba This week's Mac Power Users was a live show. David and I are joined by our pal Victor Cajiao who discusses all the steps of producing a modern music album. We also take listener questions and help troubleshoot an accidentally reformatted hard drive, discuss password schemes, using a ScanSnap for photos, share listener feedback on our Special Event and Keynote shows, discuss options for Evernote and share listener tips.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don't have to worry about that anymore. 
  • Gazelle Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle! 
  • Marketcircle We help small business grow with great Mac, iPhone and iPad apps including Daylight and Billings Pro.
  • Sanebox Stop drowning in email!
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Sponsor: Inbox Zero In No Time With MailButler For Apple Mail Katie Floyd Mon, 08 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4094116 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57a75d06ebbd1acee61ea0b0

Every email user is familiar with this problem: important incoming emails often get lost, if they are not responded right away. They drop down quickly to the bottom of your inbox, replaced by lots of new messages.

With its new Snooze feature, MailButler offers a solution for this.

If you want to deal with the email later, you just have to press the “Snooze” button, and set up the time, when you want to get back to it: be it in several hours, or at the beginning of the next workday.

After that the email is removed from your inbox and moves back to the top later, right at your preferred time. Snoozed emails are also available for you the entire time in a special folder. Zero Inbox has never been so easy to reach before!

MailButler is an add-on, which adds many great productivity boosting features to your Apple Mail. Among them is the ability to schedule, undo, and track emails, convert emails to notes, upload email attachments regardless of size, and more. The developers plan to add new things to this list.

You can learn more about the features and also download the program here.

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Katie's Week In Review: August 7, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 07 Aug 2016 16:08:30 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4087132 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57a75ce8ebbd1acee61ea021 We continue in the lull of summer with not a whole lot of exciting tech news to report. Nevertheless I did manage to find a few interesting links of note for the week ending August 7, 2016:

  • Apple released iOS 9.3.4 this week with a single security fix. Notably, this patch fixes the “Pangu jailbreak exploit” related to a memory corruption issue.
  • On the topic of security, Rene Ritchie of iMore reports that Apple has created a new security bounty program which launches in September offering cash rewards for reporting of security vulnerabilities. iMore has an FAQ on the program.
  • Apple released their long awaited Remote App for the fourth Generation Apple TV. Instead of an update to their existing App, this is an entirely new application available for iPhone. There are some pros and cons of the new application, Dan Moren, writing for Six Colors, has an overview.
  • Writing for Recode, Peter Kafka says that Apple is working on a new digital TV Guide type system to tell users what’s on Apple TV and how to watch it. According to Recode, the idea is to let users see what kind of programing is available through their various video apps and services without having to open the individual applications. Supposedly the “single sign-on” service previewed at WWDC earlier this year was the first step of the plan. I can’t help but think that TiVo does something similar with their “OnePass” feature that allows users to browse and record shows from a variety of different services.
  • The 2016 Olympics kicked off in Rio this week. Though I’m not a huge sports fan, I do like to watch the highlights. I’m primarily watching NBC’s primetime coverage using my OTA Antenna. However, watching the Olympics can be a problem for cord cutters, especially if you want to watch the games live, not delayed. Michael Ansaldo writing for TechHive has put together a guide for how to watch the Olympics without paying for cable TV.
  • Logitech just released a new Create Keyboard for the 9.7" iPad Pro. Oscar Raymundo at Macworld takes a first look. This cover features backlit keys, has a row of iOS specific shortcuts, and includes a protective folio case with holder for the Apple Pencil. I just bought the Apple SmartKeyboard and back case a couple of weeks ago. Although I’m happy with my setup, I might have opted to try the Logitech had I waited a few more weeks.
  • Federico Viticci at MacStories highlights a problem with Stolen iPhones and Identity Theft and shares the story of very convincing phishing attempt his mother received after having her iPhone stolen a few weeks prior.
  • One of my favorite Apps, 1Password has introduced a new subscription service for individuals. (Don’t worry, the standalone service isn’t going away for those of you that are happy with that service.) The new subscription service offers some additional features including built-in automatic sync, data loss protection, web access to all your data on 1Password.com and includes access to all the the most updated versions of all the 1Password applications. Pricing for an individual plan is $2.99 a month with a special launch offer offering 6-months free.
  • The OmniGroup also announced a major update to an App I use regularly, OmniFocus now supports end-to-end encryption. Thanks to recent updates to all the apps on their platform, data Synced to the OmniFocus servers are now securely encrypted when at rest on the server. One you’ve updated all your devices, you’ll receive a notification that your database is available for upgrade.
  • Finally this week, for years the original model of the U.S.S. enterprise has hung in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. However, for the past several it’s been relegated to the gift shop as the model has deteriorated. The Enterprise was recently restored to its original glory and is now back on display in the Milestones of Flight Hall. Here’s a video showing the process of the restoration.
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First Look: MOS Go USB-C Battery Pack Katie Floyd Sat, 06 Aug 2016 23:29:49 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4081735 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57a6720337c58153c17e089d

Charging a laptop with a battery pack was something that has previously only been done with expensive adapters. With more laptops switching to USB-C for power, battery packs similar to the ones we carry to recharge our iOS devices can now be used to recharge computers. Of course, not all batteries are created equal. Most batteries designed for cell phones and tablets will not be able to keep up with the power demands required by laptops and may only provide a minimal charge to a USB-C notebook, and only then if the notebook is powered off.

The MOS Go is a battery with 12,000 mAh, 44.4 Wh capacity which the manufacturer claims will recharge a 2015 MacBook up to 75% capacity. More importantly, it will also provide power to a MacBook that is powered on, meaning you don’t have to shut down your computer to recharge the battery. I viewed a video demonstration provided by the manufacturer where a MacBook with the screen at 50% brightness was connected to the MOS Go and was able to gain about 30% charge over 30 minutes.

The MOS Go has a single USB-C input and thus requires a USB-C cable to charge, but has both standard USB and USB-C outputs. This means you can recharge both your USB-C laptop as well as an iPhone or iPad with a single battery pack. With a 12,000 mAh capacity, the MOS Go should charge most smartphones up to four times and most tablets twice.

I’ve been playing with a MOS Go for about a week now and it’s a nice battery. The build quality is solid and I like that it has dual USB and USB-C outputs. My only wish is it has both USB and USB-C inputs for recharging. If you have a USB-C capable device, like the new MacBook or one of Google’s Chromebooks, adding a USB-C power pack to your travel bag is something worth considering. You can order the MOS Go direct from the manufacturer for $119.95. It’s also available on Amazon.

Now, if only I could get Apple to release a new MacBook Pro with USB-C ports…

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Time Warner Buys 10% Stake in Hulu, Now Don't Screw This Up Katie Floyd Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:47:36 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4052707 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57a211806b8f5b9351bb7efd

As reported by CNET, Time Warner has bought a 10% stake in Hulu and as part of the deal will be bringing some of its content, including live broadcast TV to Hulu. According To CNET:

The streaming service, which is owned by three of the country’s main broadcast networks, plans to launch a paid option next year that broadcasts live TV over the internet. On Wednesday, Time Warner’s Turner bundle of networks became the first to sign on. Turner channels to be available live on Hulu include TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TruTV, Boomerang and Turner Classic Movies.
The deal doesn’t include Time Warner crown jewel HBO, and it doesn’t put any on-demand shows from the company on Hulu’s Netflix-like service of TV repeats and originals.

As a “cord cutter” I’m excited about this deal, but nervous that they may “screw it up.” Especially during big news events (like election season) one of the things I miss is having access to cable news, like CNN. CNN allows cable TV subscribers to stream their content live over Apple TV, but there’s currently no (authorized) way for those of us without subscriptions to access live content. I’ve long said I’d love the option to pay somewhere between $2 - $5 month to be able to buy streaming CNN as an a la cate option.

Depending on the final price of this plan with Hulu, it may be an option. I just hope they don’t screw it up by bundling together a bunch of channels and services I don’t care about and over-charging. That’s what ultimately keeps me from subscribing to services like Sling.

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Mac Power Users #333: The Amazon Lifestyle Katie Floyd Tue, 02 Aug 2016 22:14:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4045901 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:579f75a52e69cfd777c37618 I love Amazon. It has become my default place for all my online shopping and has also replaced a lot of my local shopping as well. This week on Mac Power Users, David and I dive deep on the Amazon lifestyle. We explore many different services and features available from Amazon and share our favorite tips and tricks for how to make the most of them.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
  • PDFpen from Smile With powerful PDF editing tools, available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, PDFpen from Smile makes you a Mac Power User.
  • Fracture Bring your photos to life.

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]]> ScreenCastsOnline Monthly Magazine: Review of Eero Katie Floyd Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:10:55 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4033735 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:579f74bc8419c2adac587a7f This month’s issue of ScreenCasts Online Monthly Magazine is now available in ScreenCasts Online Magazine App. In the August issue you’ll find an article from me about Eero wireless access points

The monthly magazine is packed with streamable versions of Don’s excellent video tutorials as well as articles, reviews and tips from authors including David Sparks, Allison Sheridan, Wally Cherwinski and more. The magazine is free for ScreenCasts online Premium Members or available as a separate subscription or you can pickup individual issues. You can download it in the AppStore or find more info at https://www.screencastsonline.com/membership_benefits/

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Katie's Week in Review: July 31, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 31 Jul 2016 21:47:57 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4026944 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:579e71f020099e276ae4782d This week saw Apple’s Third Quarter financial results and a billion iPhones sold. Here are the links of note for the week ending July 31, 2016:

  • Apple reported its Third Quarter Results. You can find the official report on Apple’s website. Rene Ritchie and Mikah Sargent of iMore have prepared a transcript of the call and Jason Snell of Six Colors has a slew of charts and commentary breaking down the quarter. Although the year-over-year numbers for iPhone were down, probably due to the amazing success of the iPhone 6 last year, Apple did manage to beat expectations for the quarter. The third quarter is traditionally Apple’s worst. Next quarter we’ll hopefully have a bump from “back to school” sales, but right now there’s not a lot of new product out there for people to buy.
  • Apple also announced this week that it sold its one billionth iPhone. Yes, that’s billion with a “B”. When Apple announced the iPhone less than 10 years ago Steve Jobs said they were just hoping to capture a portion of the phone market. Turns out they’ve managed to create a product that completely changed the world.
  • Speaking of the new iPhone, it seems like a pretty sure deal that the new iPhone released this fall will lack a headphone port. As reported by Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer a new video making the rounds on the Internet claims to show Apple’s own Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter. While I have no doubt that Apple will release such an adapter or something similar, I doubt they will ship it in the box as doing so would 1) almost be an admission that removing the headphone jack might have come too soon and 2) negate the opportunity for add one sales. I bet we’ll see another $9.99 - $19.99 adapter as an opportunity for an add-on purchase.
  • As reported by Chance Miller of 9to5Mac, Apple has purchased the rights to ‘Carpool Karaoke’, a popular Late Late show segment and will release new episodes via Apple Music. Aside from Beats One, this is really the first time we’ve seen Apple purchase content for redistribution and seems like an odd move. We’ll see where this goes.
  • Daisuke Wakabayashi of the Wall Street Journal reports that Special Consultant and former Apple Executive Bob Mansfield will oversee Apple’s Car Project. Bob will supposedly be working directly with Jony Ive and senior managers on the car project are now reporting directly to Bob. If this is true, it sounds like things may be getting real.
  • While the Apple Car is likely a ways off, Harish Jonnalagadda reporting for iMore says that Ford will be integrating CarPlay into all of its 2017 vehicles. CarPlay will come as part of “Sync 3” which Ford has announced will be integrated in all of its 2017 cars, SUVs, light trucks and electric vehicles.
  • Kara Swisher of Recode reports that Verizon will buy Yahoo for $4.83 billion with the core business being merged into AOL. Verizon will keep the Yahoo brand. It’s hard for me to get excited about any Yahoo news since I’ve long since stopped using any of Yahoo’s core products or services, given the relatively low acquisition price it sounds like a lot of other people have too.
  • As reported by Thomas Reed of Malwarebytes Safe Mac Blog, there’s new cross-platform malware, Adwind, which can also infect Macs. The Malware requires the installation of Java, which does not come installed natively on the Mac, and isn’t code signed, so Gatekeeper will top it, but it’s out there nonetheless.
  • Adam Engst writing at TidBITS alerted me to another possible vulnerability. Apparently you can Disable Find My Mac by resetting the NVRAM which is ridiculously easy to do. This can be prevented by setting a Firmware password, which has it’s own risks and benefits. Things to know.
  • Finally this week, not really tech related (Okay, Netflix related) but one of my favorite TV Series of all time is Gilmore Girls. A new “Year in the Life” series is coming to Netflix as a 4-part special and premiers on November 25. I love all my favorite shows and movies are all coming back again. Let’s just hope this is better than the X-Files reboot. Here’s the teaser announcement:
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Early Bird Registration Open for MacTrack Legal Katie Floyd Sat, 30 Jul 2016 15:39:53 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/4016962 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:579cca2046c3c4b32bed5f74

Formally known as MILOfest, MacTrack Legal is one of the the best tech and legal practice conference for Mac-loving lawyers. It is a conference for attorneys interested in Macs, iPhones, iPads and anything else bearing an Apple logo. The conference features an interesting mix of practical tips, substantive education.

This event gathers the most collegial and generous attorneys from across the country (and even overseas) in a fun and information multi-day program. The event will be held at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando, Florida October 6–8, 2016. I’m planning to attend and speak at the conference again this year and I hope to see some of you there.

Early Bird pricing is currently available and there’s a special discount if you’ve attended MILO fest at least twice in the past seven years. You can learn more at http://mactracklegal.com

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Mac Power Users #332: Other Uses For Keynote Katie Floyd Tue, 26 Jul 2016 22:59:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3980262 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57975e9a46c3c49c534d4c9a We all know Keynote is a great app for giving presentations but it can do so much more. This week on Mac Power Users, David and I explore the many uses for Keynote beyond presentation day.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander from Smile Type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.
  • 1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don't have to worry about that anymore. 
  • The Omni Group We're passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad. 
  • Backblaze: The unlimited, native backup solution for your Mac and PC

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]]> 10 Great Apps for Productivity Katie Floyd Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:55:01 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3976778 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57975b4903596ebfc9a4d3c5 I'm an attorney by day and others in my local legal and business community have come to know me as a "techie".  Just last week while at a meeting of the probate section meeting a colleague leaned over and wanted to know about several of the Apps on my iPad home screen.  As someone who is regularly asked about the apps I'm using for my work, I thought I'd put together a list of some of my favorites. To start, here are my ten of my favorite apps geared towards professionals. 

1. Due - $4.99 - http://www.dueapp.com - Perhaps I have a problem with reminder/task management apps. You’ll notice I several on this list, but they all serve a different purpose. Due is a reminders and timers App that I use for the specific purpose of reminding me for things that absolutely have to be done, or have to be done at a specific time. The problem with traditional reminder apps is you’ll typically get a notification of a task, but that’s it. If you’re busy at the moment the notification pops up, you’re likely to forget about ti and move on. Due will repeatedly remind you of items that are due until you act on them. You set the reminder interval. For extremely urgent items, you can set an interval as short as 1 or 5 minutes. For not so urgent items, you may only want to be reminded ever 30 minutes or an hour. 

2. Scanner Pro - $3.99 - https://readdle.com - I go back and forth with scanner apps, but currently Scanner Pro is my favorite. I try to adopt a paperless lifestyle so whenever possible I try to scan receipts, papers and other bits of paper I come across in my life so I can get rid of them. Scanner Pro is a great all around scanner App but has recently added the ability to OCR documents and create a default name based on the date as well as create custom workflows for processing specific items. For example, I have a workflow that will process business receipts to a specific Dropbox folder, then delete the receipt once saved.

3. Fantastical - $4.99 – https://flexibits.com/fantastical-iphone - Fantastical has replaced the Calendar App on my iPhone for time management. The big feature of Fantastical is natural language parsing. I can type out a phrase such as “Lunch with David Tuesday at Taco Toms” and Fantastical will automatically create an appointment at noon on the next Tuesday and set the location as Taco Toms and attempt to locate and add the address of the restaurant. 

4. Cloak VPN - Varies - http://www.getcloak.com if you use free Wi-Fi hotspots such as in coffee shops or at hotels and conference centers you need to use a VPN to secure your Internet traffic from prying eyes. Cloak is probably my favorite of the VPN solutions because they offer solutions for Mac and iOS and have a feature that will auto secure a connection to an unknown wireless network so I don’t have to think about it. As soon as I walk into Starbucks and connect, Cloak automatically activates and secures my connection. There are a couple of price options available. I keep a “mini” subscription active for a couple bucks a month that gives me 5GB of access each month which is good for occasional usage. If I’m traveling and need more data, I can add on data as needed.

5.Microsoft Office – Varies - https://products.office.com/en-us/mobile/office-iphone Microsoft Office is a suite of products that has been a pleasant surprise on iOS. I most often use Word.app on my iPad and have found it to be remarkably full featured and stable. For all devices except the iPad Pro (due to it’s screen size larger than 10") most of the features of the office suite such as editing and saving documents can be unlocked with a free Microsoft account. The products also integrate well with cloud services such as Dropbox and Microsoft’s own OneDrive.

6. Duet Display - $9.99 - http://www.duetdisplay.com - I love having a second monitor and find it’s a great productivity tool. However, when I’m traveling or using my laptop on the go, that isn’t possible - unless you have Duet Display. This App allows you to use your iPad or iPhone as an extra display and will extend the desktop of both Macs and Windows PCs. 

7. PDFpen - $19.99 - https://smilesoftware.com/pdfpen-ios - I’ve tried several PDF apps on iOS and PDFpen is still my favorite, probably because it syncs so well with PDFpen on the Mac. Especially since I’ve upgraded to a 9.7" iPad Pro, I find myself viewing and editing PDFs more on the larger size iPad and viewing PDFs in split screen for reference while working in another document. I love PDFpen’s ability to edit PDFs and regularly find myself dropping my signature into PDFs on the go and sending them back to people.

8. OmniFocus - $39.99/$59.98 - https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus - With recent updates OmniFocus on iOS has really come into its own as a standalone application rather than simply as a companion to the Mac App and it’s my task management system of choice. Just about anything that you can do in the Mac App can now be done in iOS and Omni has now even added support for automation which is great for setting up recurring complex tasks or a series of tasks. I’m a great fan of Siri integration which means OmniFocus can read items off my default Reminder’s list or a specific Reminder’s list and when items are added to that list (either through Siri or otherwise) they will automatically be added to my OmniFocus inbox.

9. Deliveries - $4.99 - http://junecloud.com/software/iphone/deliveries.html - With the exception of weekly grocery shopping, I’ve probably transitioned most of my shopping online. I buy almost all my electronics, clothing and convenience items online. This means I have a lot of packages coming to my door and sometimes can loose track of them. I use Deliveries to track shipments so I know when to expect them. My favorite feature is after buying the App you can sign up for a free account on their website, register your email address and from there you can forward delivery notification emails to a special email address and the delivery information will automatically show up in the app. It’s almost too easy.

10. Todoist - Free/$28.99 a year - http://www.todoist.com - This is my third task management related App on this list, but it serves a specific purpose. While I love OmniFocus for my personal task management needs, I was missing a way to share and delegate tasks with others, particularly in the office. To solve this need, our office turned to Todoist. As a task management App it’s pretty basic, and candidly I’m not in love with the design or implementation. But the sharing and collaboration features are good and it allows me to share projects with other attorneys in my office as well as my legal assistant and assign tasks and check on the status of those tasks. For less than $30 a year per person for a business plan, the price was right to get our office started.

This article first appeared in the June Issue of ScreencastsOnline Monthly Magazine. ScreenCastsOnline monthly magazine is packed with hints, tips, articles and links to streamable versions of ScreenCastsOnline tutorials and delivered monthly via Newsstand on the iPad. You can find out more at https://www.screencastsonline.com/membership_benefits/

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Katie's Week In Review: July 24, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 24 Jul 2016 19:51:38 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3960924 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:57951c398419c25e8f05f8cd We’re still in the dog days of summer, but there’s a little more Apple news to report. Here are the links of note for the week ending July 24, 2016:

  • Apple has released a slew of software updates this week including OS X 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.3, tvOS 9.2.2 and watchOS 2.2.2. The updates include primarily bug fixes but also several security updates. The downloads can be obtained through the software updated function on your hardware. I’ve updated all my devices and haven’t run into any issues.
  • Apple announced its FY 16 Third Quarter Results Conference Call will be held on Tuesday, July 26th at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern. The call will be available as a webcast and also available for two weeks after for replay on Apple’s website. Investors are a bit nervous about this call given Apple’s lackluster results last quarter and the somewhat negative rumors circulating about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail.
  • Speaking of the new iPhone 7, Juli Clover of MacRumors reports on a new mockup circulating around the Internet which depicts three models of the new iPhone including an iPhone 7, iPhone 7Plus and a new iPhone 7 Pro. The Pro model allegedly features a 5.5" form factor, dual lens and a smart connector. I’m personally a little skeptical about this rumor, but time will tell.
  • There was major acquisition news this week, as reported by Dan Frommer of Recode, SoftBank is reportedly buying ARM Holdings for $32 billion. This is notable not only for the size of the acquisition, but also because ARM chips dominate the smartphone market including Apple’s iPhone and iPads.
  • There have been several complaints since iTunes Match launched that the service was replacing “matched” songs with different versions. For example, users have reported live tracks could be swapped with studio versions or similar mistakes. Supposedly Apple has been working on audio fingerprint technology to improve the accuracy of this match. As Jim Dalrymple of the Loop explains, Apple has already been using audio fingerprint technology for iTunes Match subscribers and will now be rolling it out to Apple Music Subscribers. I subscribe to iTunes Match, but not Apple Music. I still see a frustrating number of unmatched tracks for no apparent reason, but hopefully as the technology improves this will decrease.
  • The popular writing App Scrivener is now available for the iPad and iPhone. We’ve spoken about Scrivener a lot on Mac Power Users, my pal David Sparks has written books on Scrivener and shares his thoughts on the new iOS App. (Spoiler alert, he likes it.)
  • Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer has news that the new Star Trek Series is coming to Netflix Streaming, but not in the US. The new series will launch in 2017, but US viewers will need a paid CBS All Access account that costs $6 per month. Still, good news for those in the 188 countries where Netflix will be showing the series.
  • Drafts is one of my favorite iOS Apps, in fact its in my Dock, but I still don’t know many of the ninja tricks. Good news, my friend David Sparks has been working on a Screencast Series for Draft with over an hour of content. The series is now complete and there are over 15 tutorials in total available on the Drafts website. Here’s a sample:
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Mac Power Users #331: Stephen Hackett: Collector of Macs Katie Floyd Thu, 21 Jul 2016 16:09:44 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3937419 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:5790f38603596ea40a37aebd This week on Mac Power users RelayFM co-founder, Apple Collector and YouTuber Stephen Hackett joins David and me to explain essential cloud-based services used to run the Relay Network, his growing collection of Macs, and his photo and video workflows.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Hover: Simplified domain management. Use code AUTOMATION to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • The Omni Group We're passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad. 
  • Automatic The connected car company that improves your driving and integrates your car into yoru digital life. Enter code MACPOWER to get 20% off your purchase. 
  • Fracture Bring your photos to life.

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]]> Katie's Week in Review: July 17, 2016 Katie Floyd Sun, 17 Jul 2016 22:11:55 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3903182 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:578c02988419c2c106ad40d3 My apologies for skipping the Week in Review last week, but I had a fabulous time at my brother’s wedding. To make up for it, I have a little extra content this week, so without further delay, here are the links of note for the week ending July 17, 2016:

  • This week we saw a leaked video that allegedly shows the iPhone 7 rear casing. As noted by Juli Clover of MacRumors, the design features no headphone jack and a larger camera hole that may accommodate an improved image sensor.
  • Eddie Cue spoke with Natalie Jarvey of the Hollywood Reporter and shared some insight about future plans for the Apple TV and thoughts on video streaming services. Among other things, Cue says Apple isn’t in the business of trying to create TV shows but is open to “helping guide them and make suggestions.”
  • Apple has released public betas of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Although I recommend extreme caution when installing betas (and I suggest you don’t do this on any machine you rely on) Serenity Caldwell and Lory Gil of iMore has released guides on how to install iOS 10 and macOS Sierra public betas. If you decide to play with the beta, Jason Snell of Six Colors has 7 things to try in the macOS beta.
  • If you weren’t able to attend WWDC, Apple has released the videos of the sessions along with searchable transcripts. Watch and enjoy!
  • A new piece of Mac malware has been discovered. Thomas Reed writing for the Malwarebytes blog explains that this new malware is in the form of a fake document converter app that actually installs a backdoor to your Mac. As always, download software with caution.
  • Last week Apple announced it was bringing the National Organ Donor Registration to iPhone as part of an update to iOS 10. With the new released iPhone users will be able to sign up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor from the Health.app. I’m already registered as an organ donor, but I’ll be updating my information in the Health App as soon as the new OS is released
  • I’m a big fan of two-factor authentication and try to enable it for all my apps and services. Recently Apple has changed the way they implement two-factor authentication. If you’re using the old system (a four digit code delivered via push notification or SMS) you may want to update to the new and improved method. If your confused (as I was) have no fear, Dan Moren writing at Six Colors walks you through the process.
  • This week Pokémon Go! swept across the world. I’m not a big gamer and have never had much of an interest in Pokémon, but it seems to be all the Internet can talk about. If your curious about what the rage is all about, Serenity Caldwell, Lory Gil and Jen Karner of iMore have created a Beginner’s guide on how to play Pokémon Go.
  • My thanks to MailButler for sponsoring KatieFloyd.com this week. MailButler is an add-on, which adds many great productivity boosting features to your Apple Mail. If you’re interested in promoting your App or service through a RSS sponsorship of this site, you can learn more here.
  • Finally, Stephen Hackett (who is our guest next week on MPU) has continued his video series. This time Stephen reviews 7 old Apple notebooks in 6 minutes.
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Mac Power Users #330: I'm not familiar with "Wookieepedia" Katie Floyd Tue, 12 Jul 2016 23:45:00 +0000 http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/980/3859869 50c628b3e4b07b56461546c5:50c658a6e4b0cc9aa9ce4405:5782ec45b8a79b369b3af426 This week on Mac Power Users David and I catch up on listener feedback. MPU Listener Ruben shares how he uses his MPU workflows on his work PC, we discuss merging Apple IDs, cleaning up after being scammed, follow-up on iOS photography, family tech support and listeners share their tips and tricks.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
  • Fujitsu ScanSnap ScanSnap Helps You Live a More Productive, Efficient, Paperless Life. 
  • Gazelle Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle! 
  • Sanebox Stop drowning in email!

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