Apple-Putting your devices to sleep, shutting down & waking them up..

When you put your apple product to sleep, your session can quickly be resumed and you can also bypass the startup process.  This feature is excellent if you will only be away from your device for a short time. If you will be away from it for an extended period of time, it is best to shut it down.

MacBook

To put your MacBook to sleep, you may do any one of the following:

·        Shut the display.

·        Choose the Apple and then select Sleep from the menu bar.

·        Press the power button and click sleep in the dialog box that will appear.

·        Choose Apple, then select System Preferences, click Energy Saver, and then set a sleep timer.

To shut down your MacBook, you may do one of the following:

·        Choose Apple and then select Shut Down from the menu bar.

·        Press the power button and click Shut Down from the dialog box that appears.

iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

When you are no longer using your device, you can lock the display to save battery. When your device is locked, nothing happens if you touch the screen. If you are playing music, you can still listen to it while the device is locked and you can also adjust the volume by using the buttons on the side of the device.

·        To put your device to sleep simply press the Sleep/Wake button.

·        To power your device down, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button. A slider bar will appear at the top of the screen. Release the Sleep/Wake button and drag the slider to the right power the device down.

These devices are set to automatically sleep after a minute or two of inactivity. To change the Auto-Lock setting, go to Settings> General> Auto-Lock.   

Waking up Apple devices from Sleep

MacBook

·        If your display is shut, open it to wake your MacBook

·       If your display is already open, press the power button or any key on the keyboard.

iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

·        If your device is locked, press the Sleep/Wake button or the Home button, and then drag the slider to the right.

·        If your device is powered off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple appears and then release the Sleep/Wake button.

Cloud Computing - Continued Discussion...

Several times earlier this year (in Feb. & May) we discussed Cloud Computing, but things are changing and there are more and more companies offering us the ability to store on their clouds (which means on their servers) So- the discussion continues...

There is no doubt that cloud computing is here to stay.  Many of us have been using "cloud computing" for years without realizing it - If you use a hotmail, yahoo, AOL or Gmail account" for your emails, you go to the specific company's website, via the internet, enter your user name & password (from any computer in the world) and your email messages appear. You can then write/compose new emails - all the while the computer you are sitting at, is simply a vehicle allowing us to see and type - but all of our emails are actually being stored and/or written on/from their computers....hence "cloud computing"

Today many of these same email vendors are providing us with additional free space, so that in addition to our emails we can also store our documents, photos, movies & music in another part of our "email account" - like having an additional file cabinet...  Why would we do that?

Well, like your emails, you can access any of these items stored on their "cloud" when you are away from your computer (home or work) because remember it's stored on their computer - in their cloud...

If you have multiple devices - you may want to "sync" them, so that when you enter information on one device, it appears on all your devices...   

For example:

You have a Windows based computer, a Smartphone & a tablet - if you have a Gmail account and use the Google Drive Cloud - whatever is entered in these on one computer shows up on the rest

Or You have an iPhone, iPad and MacBook - by simply having an iCloud ID and password (and the iCloud ID can be your existing email address w/hotmail, Gmail, etc..) you can select in the settings of your iCloud what you want to share among your devices-Photos, emails, contacts, calendars, etc..

Or maybe you have a Windows PC, an Android Smartphone and a MacBook - you could simply choose to have the Apple iCloud on all your devices to share your music, data & moves...

And the combination goes on and one..

If you have been using hotmail/live/msn accounts - you have "SkyDrive" which is their free cloud computing for us to store data and photos - but anyone can go to SkyDrive.com and download the app and receive a certain amount of storage for FREE - Gmail users have the free Picasa Web Albums and Google Drive cloud; and again anyone can use this or Apple/MAC's iCloud or any of the other hundreds of companies... most allow some free storage - others charge an annual or monthly fee - some based on the amount of storage, some are by computer - it varies..

Shop around and remember you can use multiple "cloud services"; I know some people who store all their music in iTunes synced with the iCloud; and use their SkyDrive for their documents; maybe DropBox for their data from work; Google Drive w/Picasa Web Albums for their photos and Carbonite, so everything is backed up every time they are on the computer (no limit) but this service doesn't allow you to use a syncing feature (yet)!

The list of companies offering cloud computing is growing every day.  Each has their own features, it depends on what you are looking for... I always think it's better to begin with the FREE services while you learn, and once you've mastered that and understand what it is you are using, then you can always switch to or add another service if needed...Here is the link to an article recently published about some of the popular "cloud computing companies" -

http://www.consumer-rankings.com/online-backup

Registration for next series is this Thursday, October 25th-9am

We are pleased to remind you that registration for the next computer class series (#56) at 1000 Southern Artery will be held this coming Thursday morning, October 25^th, 2012 at 9am in the main building – so join us and bring a friend…

This Series #56, will run from Nov. 5^th, 2012 to February 7^th, 2013

No classes will be held for various holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and Martin Luther King Day.  

Morning classes, designed for those becoming familiar with computers and the various software application programs such as Word & Excel, will be held:

• Beginners held Monday 9am-10:30am & Wednesday, 10:30am-12Noon
• Intermediate 1/Internet are Monday 10:30am-12N and Wednesday, 9am-10:30am
• Intermediate 2/Word & Excel Basics is Tuesday, 9am-10:30am 

Our morning classes cover…

• Beginner classes cover Hardware, Software and an intro to the Internet
• Intermediate 1/Internet classes cover all aspects of the internet, surfing effectively and using your email to the full extent
• Intermediate 2/Intro to Word & Excel classes are an introduction to the two most popular software programs used worldwide-Word is the basis of all email programs, word processing & texting, and Excel is a spreadsheet program for list management and budgets… 

Afternoon classes are designed for those who understand computer, internet and word basics and are anxious to expand their horizons and have a better understanding of the changing technology (and terminology) and all the “new stuff” that’s available, and our afternoon classes will be held:

• Monday & Tuesday at 1pm-2:30pm
• Wednesday & Thursday at 12:30pm-2pm & 2pm-3:30pm  - Winter hours effective 11/5/2012 for these 2 days of classes 

Our afternoon classes this series will focus on the changing technology and all the wonderful things we keep hearing about – if you have any of these devices or are thinking of getting one, or just want to better understand the system you have – then join us, when we will cover:

• Photo Gifts: More than storing them on PC’s, Gift Ideas, Movies, Digital Photo Frames
• Ereaders… Kindles, Nooks & More..
• Tablets, Netbooks, iPads, Laptops
• Cloud Computing – SkyDrive, iCloud and Google Cloud..
• Music –MediaPlayers-Windows, VLC & Itunes
• Getting To Know Apple, Google & Amazon

How to Download Audio & eBooks from most libraries…

Reading on portable devices has never been easier - and instead of running to your local library - most offer us the ability to download books from the comfort of our homes, office or anywhere we can access the Internet... 

Although the way in which can vary slightly from library to library, most work the same way – whether you want to download them to your computer, mobile device, iPod, iPad, Nook, Kindle or other eBook reader…  If you have a problem download, call or visit your specific library’s website, as most list their instructions for downloading…

WHAT DO YOU NEED:

1.   A compatible device with an internet connection – PC, Mac’s or mobile devices

2.   A current valid library membership card

3.   Free software, which is typically available at your library’s website, such as

•  OverDrive Media Console for Audio Books on PC, Macs & other mobile devices
•  Adobe Digital Editions, for PDF & EDUB eBooks on PC, Macs & other eBook readers..

 WHAT TO DO NEXT:

1.   Browse your library’s website, searching by title, subject, author or format

2.   Add selections to your “Cart” – Some libraries will allow you to place “a hold” on books currently not available and then you will get an email when they are available

3.   Click on the “proceed to checkout” link (similar to shopping online)

4.   Click “Download” or “get for kindle”

5.   Once it is downloaded, you are ready to enjoy your Audio Book or eBook

•   For  eReaders: You will Open “Adobe Digital Editions” and drag  drop the title onto the device name on the left panel-After the transfer is complete you may disconnect your device from the internet and enjoy your books..
•  For audio and video, Open “OverDrive Media Console”, select your title an click “Transfer” to launch the Transfer Wizard – Follow the prompts to complete the transfer process
•  For Kindles, click “Get for Kindle” to retrieve your download from Amazon.com, Select the Kindle or Kindle reading app in which o deliver the title and you are ready to go..

 REMINDERS…

• The book “Titles” typically will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, avoiding any late fees.
• Once you’ve downloaded these, many Audio Titles can be burned to CD, so you would insert you CD, then Click the Burn button in “OverDrive” and launch the Burn Wizard, Select the part you want to burn and when the burn is done, you can enjoy your title wherever you can play CD..

A Kindle or a Nook or an iPad or a Tablet?? Oh My!!! Part 2 of 2

Continued from Wednesday, March 28th, 2012…

Then of course there’s the question – is an e-reader enough or should I spend the extra money and invest in a tablet and if so should I get an iPad or a tablet??? Tough choices for sure…

Differences between an iPad or one of the many Android Tablets…
1. The iPad is a single product, Android tablets are a common name for a variety of products
2. The iPad runs on the MAC iOS; Android tablet run on Android based system
3. The iPad lacks flash while Android tablets have it
4. The iPad doesn’t have true multi-tasking; Android tablets do
5. The iPad has more apps than Android tablets – but both are increasing their numbers daily
According to an independent survey done by cnet.com, their recommendations are as follows in these major categories… so happy shopping… and remember as always with technology – do your homework first and set your budget next…

Best basic e-book reader: Amazon Kindle ($79, no touch screen), Amazon Kindle Touch ($99 to $189, with touch-screen), Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch ($99, touch-screen),

Best reading tablet for under $200: Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

Best all-around full-featured reading tablets: Apple iPad (third-gen), Apple iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the new Samsung Galaxy 8.9

A Kindle or a Nook or an iPad or a Tablet?? Oh My!!! Part 1 of 2

Every where we go, someone is using an e-book reader, iPad or Tablet. Yes, whether you are on a train, plane, bus or automobile; or walking down the street or sitting in a lobby – to many, the days of fumbling with newspapers and sneakily removing recipes & coupons from the doctors office are long gone… Today with many of these devices you can do all of this and surf the web and much more…

 

But how do you decide which is best for your needs.. 

 

Yes, it’s true – Amazon’s Kindle was the first, but it didn’t take long for Barnes & Noble to introduce their Nook, and of course we are all familiar with Apples iPads, and then of course other manufacturer’s are introducing their own, including Sony’s Reader Wi-Fi, Kobo Reader and many Android manufacturers which are a step up from the SmartPhones and just below (according to some) a tablet, such as the popular Samsung Galaxy Tablet… Sure can get confusion…

 

As with all technology, it’s all about the options – what do you plan to use the device for – just reading books and magazines, or do you want to be able to store and listen to music, what about taking and storing photo’s, streaming videos like youtube, hulu or netflix, and surfing the web… so many choices – so many options.. And for most, just as importantly, should be that you establish & stick to a budget before you head to the mall..

 

Yes, prices are coming down daily and surprisingly as the prices drop, the list of features grow with each new model – the result obviously of competition….

• Basic Black & White e-reader: Prices range from $80 to $150
• Color e-reader with a 7” color screen from $400-$300
• Full Size, multi-feature, color tablet (like the iPad2 or “new iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tablet ) where screen choices used to be 7” or 10”, but that’s changing and prices are $200 to $800+

Continued Part 2 of 2 on Saturday March 31st, 2012

Apple iTunes, iPods, iPhone, iPads & Music...

So many students are now using various Apple devices – such as iPod, iPad, iPhone etc.. and the questions we receive are as varied as the devices themselves.

Bu the most popular question I receive is “how do I get music from my computer to my iPod, iPad, iPhone etc”…all of which use Apples iTunes…

Apple has a wonderful instructional site that answers every conceivable iTunes questions you might have – The site walks you through (in English) the various aspects of everything and anything you might want to do with these and other Apple devices… And trust me, it is easy…

So if you have created an iTunes library and/or you have one of the iPod, iPad, iPhone devices - visit this website. The website boasts “It will answer all your questions from burning CDs to watching HD TV, everything you always wanted to know about iTunes"

I would recommend that you save the website to your Favorites/Bookmarks or better yet, add it to your Favorite Bar, because I’m sure you’ll visit it often…

http://www.apple.com/itunes/features