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Weak iPhone Signal

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Here is a tip for the iPhone that you may already be aware of. If at home, or if you're out-and-about, and you have a weak signal for your mobile phone, here is an article that explains how to use a Wi-Fi network to make a phone call. Most major carriers support this feature. Notice this feature will work whenever you're in an area of a weak mobile signal (and we have a few areas in Prescott like that for AT&T) and have a Wi-Fi signal available that you are able to connect to.

I have had this feature turned on for my iPhone 6 for some time, but have never noticed if I've actually used it. Could be handy sometime, though. If you have an iPhone 5c or newer you might check to see if you have this feature turned on.

Jim Hamm

Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a function of OS X that, if you're lucky, you may never have to use. However, it's a good idea to have an understanding of what Disk Utility is all about if you should ever need to use it. Here is an excellent article from Macworld on Disk Utility that you might want to read and retain for future reference. On page 2 of the article is a paragraph -- Fix startup problems -- that you may want to copy and print a document of what to do if your Mac won't start up. This probably won't happen, but if it should it's nice to know what to do.

Jim Hamm

Comment by John Carter

On Page 2 it starts out talking about the older Disk Utility that had Verify Disk and Repair Disk Permissions. That is quite confusing to any reader because on page 1 it clearly states that these two functions were removed from Disk Utility.

In fact, everything on page 2 is about the older Disk Utility and has nothing to do with the new Disk Utility, including how to fix the startup disk. In my view, that second page link is a mistake - it goes to the wrong page.

A Nanosecond

You've probably heard of the term "nanosecond", which is a billionth of a second. But perhaps you, like me, have trouble getting your mind around anything that says "billionth". But leave it to a lady to really explain something in a manner I -- and you -- can easily understand. Here is a short video wherein Admiral Grace Hopper explains a "nanosecond" using a piece of wire. Interesting. Take a look.

Jim Hamm

 

Internet Speed Test

Occasionally you may want to check your internet speed to see if you are getting close to what you are paying for from your ISP. Perhaps you may use Speedtest.net: http://www.speedtest.net/? This is a good site, and I've used it many times. There are others, and I just came across one that is simple, fast, and powered by Netflix: https://fast.com/ . I compared both sites on my download speed, and they're close, but not exactly the same, as you would expect.

However, if you just want a quick test of your download speed, you might give fast.com a try.

Jim Hamm

Upgrade Now to macOS Sierra?

If you are the adventuresome type (or perhaps a bit foolish, or brave, depending on your perspective), and can't wait until macOS Sierra is released this fall, here is an article describing how to do the upgrade now. If you should decide to try this, as the article clearly states, back up, back up first. As for me? Initially I thought -- yes, I'll give it a try. Then, I came to my senses and decided to wait until it is released.

Jim Hamm

Google Tracking

Of course you know that if you use Google they track the websites you visit. And tailor ads accordingly. Now, Google has added another tracking "feature". Read about it here. In the article, if you click the link "New Features for Your Google Account", you may see your picture in the page that opens up (I did). Google then explains what they're doing. One 'nice' feature of this is that one has to opt in, instead of opting out.

So, read on and decide what you will do.

Jim Hamm

About Tech & Mac Help

I've mentioned this previously, but the website 'AboutTech" is an excellent source for help with OS X (soon to be macOS) and general Mac questions. Here and here are just two examples. Once on the website, there are more links on the right side one can click for more help. Here's one on Mac Troubleshooting tips. I think the articles are well-written and can be a big help with your Mac questions.

Jim Hamm

Start-up Drive

I recommend that you download the free app “Disk Inventory X” and run it. This app will show you in graphical format what is taking up space in your computer in places you don’t even know about. It looks like this when you run it:

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 8.06.26 AM

Each block on the right is an individual item or folder. The larger the block, the more disk space that item uses. Notice that when you click on a square on the right it shows you what that item is on the left. And if you click on an entry on the left, it highlights a square on the right.

And there’s a sidebar on the far right that lists all the items by size, largest first:PastedGraphic-1 jpeg When I ran this on my computer, it showed a huge block in a place on my computer that is for system files. That huge block was nothing more than a folder full of temporary files. Any file ending in .tmp can be deleted (some won’t delete because they are in use by an app at the time), so I deleted the contents of that folder (may require administrator privileges), and I recovered over 100GB of space on my computer.

John Carter

 

PDF Pen - an ebook by Take Control Books

John Carter sent this posting: A message from Adam Engst of TakeControlBooks.com:

Good day, MUG friends!

I presume I don’t have to explain why PDF is useful or wax poetic about how you can’t turn around on the Internet these days without running into one. But if you want a PDF editing and manipulation tool that sits between Apple’s free Preview and Adobe’s $450 Acrobat Pro DC, look no further than Smile’s $74.95 PDFpen and $124.95 PDFpenPro. There’s even an $19.99 iOS companion in PDFpen for iPad & iPhone.

To help PDFpen users make the most of their apps, we’ve just released Michael Cohen’s Take Control of PDFpen 8, with 188 pages of comprehensive documentation. Get the full information about the ebook here.

 

Eero Router

If getting good wifi reception throughout your house is a problem, you may be interested in  this article. It discusses one person's use of a new router system: Eero. I had previously read of this wifi system becoming available, but this is the first comprehensive review I've read. And here are further comments on Eero. Eero is perhaps a bit pricey compared to other routers, but if you have a wifi problem and this solves it, perhaps it's worth the extra cost.

Jim Hamm

APFS (Apple File System)

Starting in 2017 Apple products will ship with a new file system: APFS. It will be available on every device that Apple offers. If you're the 'geeky' type and would like to learn more about APFS, here is a video that you can watch (note that it will only run on the Safari browser), and here is an article that explains, in more understandable terms, what the video shows. Realistically, unless you're a developer of apps for an Apple device, you probably won't care about this new file system. But, if you're somewhat 'geeky', and would like to lift the kimono a bit to take a peek at what Apple is up to in their new file system, the video and article will give you a good overview -- that's assuming, of course, that you're able to stay awake.

Jim Hamm

macOS Sierra

You are probably aware by now that Apple is making a change in its operating system, and its name, as well as adding some new features. Here is an article that provides a summary of the changes. One item that caught my attention was that Apple Pay is coming to macOS. If retailers, such as Amazon, adopt this, it could be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you wouldn't have to fill out a form and enter credit card info in order to make a purchase. It would be quick and easy to spend money. On the other hand, if, say, your iPhone is lost or stolen you better have a good password on it. Otherwise, someone may use your phone to go shopping. Another interesting feature is that your iPhone can unlock your Mac. Not a big deal, certainly, but kind of neat.

Jim Hamm