The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation along with questions from our members.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included Evernote for Dummies courtesy of Wiley, along with My Evernote from of Que. Below are the notes from our presenter, including links to other Evernote products.

Power Tips:

• Email into Evernote
• Web Clipping/Skitch/Clearly
  • http://evernote.com/webclipper/
  • http://evernote.com/clearly/
  • http://evernote.com/skitch/
• Offline notebooks
• Note Links and Table of Contents

Additional Resources

• Trunk
• Evernote Blog http://blog.evernote.com/business/
• Evernote Business Bloghttp://blog.evernote.com/
• Knowledge Base: https://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#/product/evernotebusiness
• GTD Secret Weapon:http://www.thesecretweapon.org/
• Evernote @ Work by Joshua Zerkel http://www.customlivingsolutions.com/evernoteatwork

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

A great example about “never judge a book by it’s cover” I expected this book to be a book about how to get the most out of OS X. Tips and tricks to extend the OS beyond what Steve Jobs envisioned. While a few gems were included, most of the tips had nothing to do with the power of OS X and more about hardware and many of the tips were only marginally Mac related such as securing a Linksys router or using a Wii Remote with your Mac.

These tips and projects were either extremely basic such as installing and backing up Mountain Lion (sigh) or completely unproductive and complex projects such as a dye job for your Macbook. I was particularly annoyed with the chapter on torrents which didn’t cover the risks of malware (rare, but not impossible on the Mac) and the legal and copyright implications of doing so. That was completely unacceptable in my opinion.

Read the table of contents and see if these projects interest you and if so, the book may be for you but for most people this won’t increase their productivity or “unlock the power of OS X”. I found the book had some amusing ideas and a series of tricks that were cool but nothing to write home (or a book about).

Pros: Interesting projects and a few helpful tips
Cons: Little in productivity or value enhancement for your Mac

Two out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Too often computer books are written for either beginners or programmers. Very few intermediate books truly exists but this is the “just right” level for an experienced Mac user who wants to take his or her experience to the next level without learning programming or spending hours at a command prompt. This is the book for the rest of us who want just a little more from their daily experiences.

Instead of reading like a manual this book is in a “cookbook” style with various recipes you can try divided up into sections such as automation, productivity and security. Each recipe includes a justification for the project and tells you the very basics of how to do it primarily to help the reader reach that intermediate level. After establishing the basics, Cone suggests configurations and software to take it to the next level. The built-in functions of Spotlight are great, but programs such as Alfred build on that skill set and make your Mac usage experience extraordinary.

I was initially skeptical, but pleasantly surprised by this book. I expected a series of simple tips and tricks I already knew or topics so advanced and complex that it simply wasn’t worth my time “trying” these ideas. The book has a perfect balance of suggestions and project that can really enhance your Mac. Sure, I could research programs in the App store or online but this book curates all those thousands of programs into a series of basic ideas and solving of problems. Use your Mac with an external monitor? An entire chapter covers little things you can do to prevent annoyances such as knowing where your menu bar is or the annoying resizing of windows when you disconnect your monitor.

Experienced Mac users will benefit most from this book, but even beginners who simply want more will find a great series of ideas in this book. These chapters solve problems intermediate users experience and beginners haven’t quite hit the wall yet.

One of the best books on the Mac I’ve read in recent years and makes a great gift for any Mac user that wants to be more productive and efficient without investing too much time or energy.

Pros: Outstanding series of ways to use your Mac better with detailed instruction
Cons: The book quickly needs a version 2 because I finished the book wanting more of the same.

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The ideal audience of this book is an intermediate Mac user who isn’t afraid of making changes to program settings or going into terminal and typing a command or two. Knowledge of UNIX or programming isn’t required, just an adventuresome attitude and a willingness to learn.

Most of the tips were commands and functions I never knew existed and wasn’t looking for them but now that I’ve found them I couldn’t imagine life without them. For example, a simple terminal command will turn off that annoying question about using TIme Machine on a new hard drive when it’s plugged in. Another amazing tip is being able to show the full path names of file locations in the title bar. Saves me the confusion of knowing which disk is the original and which is the copy.

Probably all of these commands, tips, and tricks can be found online somewhere but Kung Fu puts it all together from a reliable source so you can take your Mac skills to the next level.

Pros: Amazing tips and tricks
Cons: No blackbelt issued at the end

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation along with questions from our members.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included iPad at Work courtesy of Wiley, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation along with questions from our members.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included Master Your Mac: Simple Ways to Tweak, Customize, and Secure OS X courtesy of No Starch Press, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation along with questions from our members.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

Do you use Evernote? Want to use Evernote? This meeting we’ll discuss the product and ask members to share their tips and questions about this powerful product

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

This discussion topic will be about how to use your Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, desktops and laptops) to improve your health with devices from Fitbit, Lark and other companies. Dave Greenbaum will lead the discussion showing off his devices and be sure to bring your questions and tips.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

This discussion topic will be about how to use your Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, desktops and laptops) to watch TV instead of paying for cable each month, commonly known as cord cutting. Share your experiences and bring your TV related questions.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

This meeting will help determine the future as we will discuss changing the meeting schedule possibly and generating new ideas. If you have an opinion, please attend. We will also have a chili potluck, so bring your favorite chili to share or fixins.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

Did you get a new Mac, iPod or other goodie for the holidays. This meeting is all Questions and Answers. Get all your questions answered for free by local experts. This meeting is ideal for PC “switchers” and beginners

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

Apple makes a wide variety of software and hardware and sometimes it’s hard to navigate the offerings. During this meeting, we’ll take you through Apple’s product line and help you find the right stuff for your holiday shopping list. Beginners welcome. Currently confirmed is MacXprts kansas that recently moved to a larger space outside of the iCafe. http://www.macxn.com/stores/lawrence-kansas

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

This is the type of book every help desk should have handy for a quick reference to common questions of end users. The table of contents and index lets you quickly find the function you need and typical of the pocket series: an appendix with useful keyboard shortcuts.

A short review for a book short on pages but long on information

Pros: includes just the essentials
Cons: not for novices

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Missing from this book is handholding and screenshots as this is all meat without any fat weighing the book down. The table of contents helps the reader hone in on the topics and functions they will be most interested in without long-winded explanations. While all of Mountain Lion’s 200 new features aren’t covered a large number are covered with just enough detail to make them useful such as Airplay, Notifications, and dictation.

Need to get up to speed on Apple’s latest cat quickly? This is the book for you.

Pros: Straightforward and right on target
Cons: Not a comprehensive guide

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Overall this is an excellent starting guide that is accessible to non-technical users. Good screen shots and explanations and coverage on the key functions are included in this book. What’s missing is the readability I’ve come to expect from this series. The screenshots had too much annotation and the pages were too busy. I could easily see someone getting information overload from the book.

Lacking in the book is a sufficient explanation of iCloud. iCloud is such an integral part of OS X Mountain Lion and can be very confusing to a starting user. The author simply points the reader to Apple’s online tutorials which is significant oversight and tremendously decreases the value of the book. Along those lines, too much technical information was included that wouldn’t be relevant to beginners.

If you are expecting the quality of previous versions of this book you’ll be disappointed, but it’s still a good starting book to give to someone new to the Mac or Mountain Lion.

Pros: Good explanations
Cons: Lacks readability, too much technical info for beginners

Three out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

As Apple makes minor revisions to its operating system, Pogue has gotten a bit lazy in updating screen shots and some information in the book. Numerous screenshots show pictures from Lion and earlier operating system versions. A novice user might get confused by these subtle variations. This edition, more than any other edition I’ve seen in Missing Manuals had errors caused by not updating certain sections.

That being said the major new features are covered extremely well and the guide to dictation was valuable. The chapter covers the exact syntax of commands and expertly discusses what dictation can and can’t do. I would have liked to see more direct highlights of new Mountain Lion features so readers could hone in if they are upgrading from Lion.

New users might be overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the book. It covers most every function and doesn’t easily sort out what you “need” to know and what is “nice” to know.

Overall a great tome on everything OS X Mountain Lion, but be careful about the errors.

Pros: Great coverage of Mountain Lion
Cons: Occasional annoyances referencing Lion features

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation along with questions from our members.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included iPhoto ’11: The Macintosh iLife Guide to using iPhoto with OS X Lion and iCloud along with The Mac OS X Lion Project Book, and iOS 5 in the Enterprises all courtesy of Peachpit, an iPod Shuffle donated by Board Member Bruce Sergeant along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included The OS X Mountain Lion Pocket Guide courtesy of Peachpit, and with OS X Mountain Lion Pocket Guide courtesy of O’Reilly.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation and fantastic question and answer session about which Garmin apps work best for our users.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included iOS App Store codes for 3 Garmin apps.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The first chapters cover how to use an iPad to assist with your current process such as storing photos, backing them up and using them to control your advanced camera. Other chapters cover apps for editing, rating and tagging photos as well as videos. Even though I’m only a novice photographer, the tips and tricks in this book are invaluable for anyone who wants to shoot photos on the road but not take a whole laptop with them.

The chapter on building an iPad portfolio and sharing photos was really valuable to anyone who wants to show off their digital work and includes very specific suggestions of apps and processes. Finally, the last chapter covers a list of apps that photographers would use on location, in the studio and on the road.

If you are looking for a book on taking photos with the iPad, this isn’t for you, but if you want to use your iPad along with your digital camera to make your photos even better this book is for you. The writing is crisp, clean and direct (though some of it went over my head).

Pros: For the pros!
Cons: Not for those actually taking pictures with their iPad

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

In the past few months, Apple has introduced lots of new products. We’ll go over all the exciting changes to these premier Apple Products.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

John Welch, author of many Macintosh books and member of the Angry Mac Bastards podcast will join us remotely to talk about some tips and tricks about controlling and configuring a group of iOS devices for home or office.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The book starts off with reviewing multiple device configuration via iTunes directly and along with the iPhone Configuration Utility (iPCU) and all the really cool ways you can limit and lock down features. Want to remove the ability to install apps from an iPhone? There’s an app for that. Well not an app, but a setting in iPCU. Moving up from iPCU is Mobile Device Management and application servers and then finally applying these configurations via wireless and Over The Air (OTA).

The book covers configuration primarily for readers using iOS 5 and MacOS Server 10.7, but also will be useful for users of 10.6, iOS 4 and third party products such as Jamf’s Casper suite. It is not really a hands-on how to guide despite the title. In the introduction the author clearly states “If you’re looking for a cookbook of how-tos, I will tell you now, this is not the book for you.” Instead, the book gives a broad overview and identifies the pain points and tips you’ll need to pursue things yourself. Included in each chapter are links to Apple and third party guides about how to create these detailed configurations on your own and what to watch out for, identified in the side bars as “Big Scary Warning”

After reading this book, I wasn’t confident I could go out and do this myself, but I was confident in pursuing the subject more. The book is more of a coach on the sidelines saying “you can do this,” “you know this” (It’s a Unix system). The author’s humorous and laid back approach to technology really empowes the reader and doesn’t suffer from the dry and stale approach most technical books tend to suffer from.

Until I read this, Mobile Device Management of iOS devices seemed like a big theoretical construct I’d have no interest in. I’m not in an Enterprise after all. Now, besides the ultimate cool factor of these remote configurations (and the fact that Lion server is so inexpensive) I can see use cases within a family or a small business with just a few iOS devices. Enterprise is too narrow of a focus and I’d like to be able to instantly configure and remotely manage the iOS devices in my household or organization. If you are responsible for more than a few iPhones, iPod Touch and iPads in your family or business, this book is a great way of determining if you should be managing these devices via a central interface.

Pros: Great overview of centrally managing iOS devices, easy to read and understand
Cons: Title confusion – the book is neither hands on nor restricted merely to the “enterprise.” Home Office, Small Office and residential readers who have a few devices in their home will find great value in this book.

The Lawrence Apple Users’ Group 2.0 will be having a meeting entitled
“Getting Going with Garmin” Wednesday, August 1st , 7pm
at Douglas County Senior Services at 745 Vermont Street in Lawrence.

Johan-Till Broer of Garmin will show us not just Garmin’s iPhone products for navigation, but devices for fitness and exercise.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

iPhoto is a great program and understanding the basics is intuitive and easy. To really extract the power of this program, a guide like this helps.

Unlike many tech books, this focuses on practical applications and where to use them rather than a list of features and how to use them. Detailed real-life examples are used to explain confusing (at least to me) concepts such as histograms, gallery effects, and raw. I also found extremely helpful the last sections of the book focusing on printing photos and using the greeting card, calendar and postcard functions. Again, this was about getting stuff done rather than what it could do.

This guide is updated to include all the new features of Lion, iCloud and Photostream as well as the modern ways to use Facebook, Flickr and photo sharing.

Each topic was presented with deleted screenshots and explanations without overwhelming you with details. On average, each topic was about two pages and just enough to understand without getting lost.

Outstanding guide to getting the most out of iPhoto as quickly as possible

Pros: Perfect guide to using the best and most practical features of iPhoto

Cons: Won’t make you look that much better in your own pictures

5 out of 5

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Each concept is presented with an excellent description and screen shots so you know you are doing it right and can follow along with the book. Everything is covered in this book: basics, intermediate and advanced topics; not just setup and sync but video editing, iCloud and troubleshooting.

The Genius series is a great product line from Wiley. It retains all the knowledge of an Apple genius without the attitude and the long wait to get to the bar. Purchase this book and go to a real bar with your spare time! Just don’t leave your iPhone there.

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The stand is comprised of two pieces of aluminum in a variety of attractive colors that provide a stand to hold your tablet or phone. The brushed metal design matches the iPad and iPhone perfectly (but doesn’t come in white!). The stand comes together by simply crossing the metal pieces into a scored slot. The lightweight aluminum make the stand lightweight and portable and the phone stand actually fits on your key chain.

When devices are held in the Prizm stand all ports are accessible, including the bottom dock and the device can be held in a portrait or landscape orientation. In addition, I had no problem using the Prizm with a variety of iPhone and iPad cases: even my thicker “extreme” cases The cradling is secure and reliable, but unfortunately is not adjustable: one position is all you get.

The attractive colors frame the iPhone and iPad extremely well and instantly draw the eye. This is the type of stand that impresses people and if you want a conversation piece on your desk or to draw people to your Macworld booth this is the way to go. I can also see this stand working well for using your iPad as a picture frame. Personally I’ve used both the tablet and the phone stand for travel: works great to prop your iPad at the coffee shop or on the plane to do some hands free reading.

The best feature is the price: $24.95 for the phone stand and $29.95 for the tablet stand. This price makes it easy to buy the stands in a variety of colors depending upon your mood. My favorite was the green, but it comes in a total of 11 colors.

Pros: Attractive, simple design that frames and supports your iPhone and iPad
Cons: Not adjustable

10 out of 10

The Fitbit is about the size of a small money clip and can be put in your pocket via a clip-on or worn around your wrist. Along with the Fitbit monitor is a a docking/charging station that creates a wireless port connection on your computer. When your Fitbit tracker is within range, the docking station uploads data to the Fitbit website so you can access tracking via the web and the iPhone app.

The tracker is a high-tech smart pedometer. It looks not only at how many steps you’ve taken but how many stairs you’ve climbed and monitors your sleep for you. Taking in account your height, weight, and age, it determined how many calories you are burning based on your activity and basal metabolic rate. Compared to more advanced analyzers such as a heart monitor or the BodyMedia Fit Core, the numbers were consistent. You can easily track your progress throughout the day and set goals for yourself.

The iPhone app also include a calorie tracker, but the database was very limited. Instead I used Loseit! Fortunately the FitBit has an API (http://www.fitbit.com/apps) that allows other programs to interact with your Fitbit. Combining the FitBit with LoseIt! made it very easy to track what I ate everywhere. Other apps include the ability to use the Aria Wi-fi enabled scale so that way you don’t even have to enter your weight.

Similar to such popular social apps as Foursquare, the Fitbit website allows you to compete with friends and earn badges such as having walked 250 miles or your best number of stairs in one day. This gamification makes it easy to create incentives to go a bit farther each day or climb a few more stairs.

According to the Fitbit specs, the device’s battery life is a minimum of three days and average is five to seven days. My personal experience matched that as I would usually only dock it on the weekend and had no problems with battery life. The charging must be via the dock so travelers could have problems if they don’t bring a laptop on a long trip. The Fitbit will only sync with the dock connected to a computer since it has no inherit ability to directly send data to the Fitbit website.

My only major concern with the device was its very small size. When I’d go to the gym or get on the elliptical at home, I’d forget to clip it on when I changed clothes. It was a habit I had to train myself to do: always put on the Fitbit. Once or twice the device had a near fatal run-in with the washing machine as I’d forget to take off the Fitbit before throwing clothes in the hamper. A frantic run to the basement saved the Fitbit before someone pressed the start button on the washing machine.

For $99 the Fitbit delivers a great way of tracking your fitness progress and keeping you accountable. The long battery life and the web interface and APIs make it easy to connect with others working on their fitness and track a variety of factors that can contribute to better fitness. Use this in connection with your own weight loss journey and have fun with your process. It makes working out almost enjoyable!

Pros: Fun, flexible and powerful way to track your progress
Cons: requires a computer for syncing, small size makes it forgettable at times

Five out of Five

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included Microsoft Office 2011 Visual Quickstart Guide and iCloud Visual QuickStart Guide both courtesy of Peachpit, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included iPhone 4 Portable Genius courtesy of Wiley, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The NuScribe stylus is a great writing instrument in and of itself. Sleek and simple, it has the right amount of weight to hold it comfortably in your hand. As a stylus, it just feels natural. The NuScribe feels just like a pen and because it’s a pen and a stylus, I use it everywhere. I’ve got a pen when I need to write and a stylus when I need to use my iPhone. Since the ball point is on the opposite end of the stylus nib, it’s unlikely you’ll accidentally use the pen portion on your iPhone screen. I remember my Palm stylus had pen marks for when I pressed the wrong button on my stylus/pen combo.

The stylus nib is always exposed, so in a purse or pocket you have to be careful it doesn’t get damaged. Ideally it would have some protection, but that protection would probably detract from its ease of use.

The price of the stylus is inexpensive enough that if you lose your pen (or it walks off your desk), it won’t set you back too far. And, yes, it works great with Draw Something!

A great multifunction stylus that lets bridges your digital and analog world at a price that won’t need a carrier subsidy.

Pros: Works great as a pen and basic stylus
Cons: Need to be careful with the stylus nib

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The Flygrip will attach to practically any iPhone case with a very strong adhesive (Flygrip will provide a basic bumper case at a nominal charge if you don’t have one). That’s one of the things I like about the Flygrip–the ability to bring my own case (and in fact, it isn’t iPhone specific and will work with any phone)

While attached the Flygrip adds minimal bulk to the back of the case and can be used as a horizontal or vertical stand for your iPhone–perfect for those tiny airplane tray tables or really any situations in which you want an easy viewing angle.

The killer feature of the Flygrip is the ability to hold your phone with one hand when the Flygrip is extended. Instead of using a “death grip” to hold your phone, you easily mount your iPhone between your fingers and wear it like you would a ring. These leaves all your fingers free to text or swipe. A few minutes of using this in mass transit and I was hooked on the Flygrip. Holding my phone with my hand instead of between my fingers seems so 20th century now. With all the advances of the iPhone, we still hold our phones just like we did 100 years ago. Join the 21st century and get yourself a Flygrip.

One caveat about the Flygrip. While I absolutely love it, the adhesive had trouble with extremely cold weather. A subzero Kansas winter caused my first Flygrip to detach, so be careful with weather extremes. Additionally, the adhesives didn’t work well on a soft shell bumper cases or any case with significant texture. It needs a solid flat and clean surface to adhere, leaving some cases unable to work with the Flygrip.

Pros: Awesome way to hold your mobile phone and use an existing case without adding much bulk
Cons: Doesn’t work with all cases and may fail with extremely cold temperature

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Fortunately WaveCradle saves us from iPhone mediocrity. The primary purpose of WaveCradle is to enhance and amplify the audio output of your iPhone without the use of speakers or other extra hardware. The WaveCradle uses natural acoustics to direct the sound to the listener via its curved design. When listening to music or a phone call, the audio output is noticeably louder without being distorted. This won’t replace a traditional speaker but for casual desktop use it works great.

Just like your iPhone, WaveCradle isn’t just functional but a dream to look at. It comes it two styles, classic and low profile, as well as three different colors (I opted for traditional black). The sloped bottom makes it look like your iPhone is lounging in the lap of luxury rather than carelessly laying down on a table top. Your iPhone stands at attention ready for action, but at a slight recline just to let you know it likes to let its hair down on occasion.

My only complaint with the WaveCradle is that there is no pass-through for charging. To charge the iPhone while its in the cradle, you have to garishly cover the front with your charging cable. Ruins the illusion of perfection!

You’ve got to put your iPhone down sometime, so you might as well add some functionality.

Pros: Stylish way of storing your iPhone and amplifying sound.
Cons: No charging pass through

Posting Footer

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

iPhone obsessed, while written primarily for the iPhone 4 and 3GS camera, still applies to any iOS device with a camera. Although some tips and tricks for finding a great photo are included, the book’s focus is on apps and procedures to take a good photo and turn it into a great one. It’s all about post-production without a desktop. Use your iOS device to perform advanced manipulation that rivals some of the best desktop programs.

What I really liked about the book is QR codes in every section taking you to the app for purchase as well as online videos and tutorials that go into greater detail if you are interested. No long URLs to type: smart!

As a very novice photographer, some of the language and techniques used were a bit above my level and this book is written for photographers well-versed in concepts such as filters, lens flares and blurs. The audience for this book is experienced photographers wanting to take some of their techniques to iOS devices. This is the book when you’ve mastered Instagram and Hipstamatic and want more, much more.

Overall a great book and the apps and procedures reviewed should definitely improve the quality of my shots.

Pros: QR codes extending the book online, details of how to use the apps to make great photo manipulations
Cons: Requires photography knowledge

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

I saw PadPivot at Macworld 2011 and it was being pitched via Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a crowdsourced funding project in which someone comes up with an idea and needs to convince people to give them money in order to take the product to market. The idea has be great for people to dish out their hard earned money with little or nothing in return. This isn’t investing because the donor doesn’t get a stake in the profits generally or shares. They might get a token premium like a T-shirt or coffee mug. The PadPivot is a great success story because it had to have such wide appeal.

One of the key features I immediately noticed is how with a few simple steps it compresses to the size of and thickness of a mobile phone making it easy to carry in your pocket, in your tablet sleeve or in a carry on. When it isn’t on the road with you, the PadPivot is a simple iPad stand with a groove and stabilizer to make sure it doesn’t fall over yet leaves room for your docking connector. Great to keep besides your computer or to use it to display pictures while charging.

In motion is where the PadPivot shines. When fully extended it forms a concave surface that you can place on your thigh or even your arm. Even a big guy like me had no problem getting the PadPivot to stay put on my leg. A grippy pad holds the tablet onto the PadPivot surface. It’s a loose fit, like a sticky note – enough to stay put, but can easily be knocked or bumped. The goal is to give you a bit of stability to keep your hands free and prevent the tablet from sliding off. This made typing very easy without a surface to place the iPad on since both hands could type instead of one gripping the iPad. This is a ‘killer app’ on a plane, with no room on that tiny tray table to prop the iPad up put plenty of room on my leg.

If you do have a flat surface upon which to put the PadPivot, you can use it to hold an iPad or iPhone to view content at a proper viewing angle of about 80 degrees.

Though I’m not a gamer, the PadPivot has a smooth and full range of motion to it allowing you to expertly drive that car or spacecraft and take full advantage of the accelerometer without worrying about your grip on the iPad.

If you travel at all with your iPad, even across the room, you’ll find the PadPivot an indispensable tool for keeping your focus on the iPad rather than holding it.

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

I’m not sure why they call this for Seniors because this seems like the average Dummies book. A good quality guide that covers all the major information you need to know. This book is extremely comprehensive and a novice might find it a bit intimidating. It’s geared more towards a intermediate user that already feels somewhat comfortable with an iPad

The one “senior” aspect of this book is the typeface. It’s BIG. Obviously it’s designed for those that may have trouble seeing. The book is designed for person that may not feel comfortable with technology which includes not just seniors but really anyone.

Having worked with seniors, I think this book presented too much information too quickly and the average novice might get overwhelmed with so much to do and configure on the iPad, and the books goes way beyond the basics.

Overall, for a senior that already feels comfortable with technology and is eager to learn, this book is a good fit. For novices or those afraid of technology, this may be too much.

Pros: Lots of details, big type
Cons: Maybe too much for information presented too quickly
Three out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

We’ll give a whole new meaning to the term chips and bytes. Chat with your fellow Mac enthusiasts as well as buy sell trade equipment. Picnic will be potluck, bring something to share

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

MobileMe is set to close down on June 30, 2012. This meeting will tell you everything you need to know about moving to iCloud, especially if you don’t move to Lion.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

If you are giving or supporting an iPad for someone who is a baby boomer or older, this is a great book!

This book is specifically designed for senior adults who may not always feel comfortable with technology and face certain physical challenges when eyesight and mobility begin to fail. Unlike “dummy” style books, this book respects their life experience and doesn’t talk down to them.

Each chapter focuses on tasks rather than functions. Instead of presenting Safari, the chapter is entitled “Browsing the Web”. For novices who didn’t grow up with these terms, focusing on what the iPad can do rather than what it is called is vitally important.

The chapters state requirements as far as technology and skills. This way you’ll know if you have exactly what you need to proceed. During the explanation tips and tricks are given about how to use the iPad, but not as many tips on efficiency or shortcuts. Newbies will love that because they may simply not know all the great things the iPad can do and don’t want to get bogged down with a “simpler” way of doing it. They are just trying to learn the basics. In particular I think the color coding of this information was great. Red backgrounds for warning and green for tips makes it an easy read and less intimidating with too much black on white text. The ending of the chapters have a summary and a quiz to reinforce the learning. Outstanding

The one major flaw of this book is the print size. It’s bigger than the average manual but honestly, if your target market is older people with potential eyesight issues, I think the text should be much larger. Also, this is written in the UK and some of the British spellings and terms might throw American readers a bit

Pros: Focuses on tasks rather than technology, easy to understand for novices without talking down to them
Cons: Text should be larger

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

With the imminent demise of MobileMe, it’s time more of us move to iCloud and Lion, but with Apple thrusting this upon us, not all of us feel comfortable changing the way we’ve done things with MobileMe for years. Fortunately this book will alleviate your fears and make you a master.

The book, although multiplatform, focuses primarily on the Macintosh usage. Each aspect of iCloud is covered: mail, notes, iMessage, contacts, calendars, reminders, iPhto, iTunes, backups, documents, and search functions.
Each chapter gives an overview with objectives and then clearly organizes the information with tips, screenshots and easy to read diagrams.

The audience for this is beginner and intermediate users, although since the service is so new, we are all pretty much beginners and can learn from this book.

Missing is troubleshooting ideas when things go wrong, but this is a “quickstart” guide and not a comprehensive manual.

iCloud is fairly straightforward and not a huge leap from MobileMe, but it is different and this book explains to both new users to the product and migrating users everything they need to know to be successful

Pros: Covers the transition to iCloud and all the functions it entails
Cons: Can’t bring back the functions we miss in MobileMe!

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The organization of the book is extremely focused. Each chapter covers a different aspect of what a user might need to do with their iPad such as writing, contacts, or presentations. Instead of showing you the basics of the iOS apps included in the iPad, David takes a holistic approach suggesting not just a variety of alternative apps but discussing suggested workflows and how to optimize these workflows for your individual business. No stone is left unturned here: billing/invoicing, databases, project management and more business specific concepts.

The chapters start with the coverage of the primary iOS apps as well complimentary or alternative apps. Each app is given a QRcode making for easy downloading on your iPhone. What a thoughtful and smart idea, but that’s MacSparky–the online identify of David Sparks. Great screen shots and succinct writing make this a quick and easy read and allows you to skip over the concepts you aren’t interested in. Don’t skip. Even if you know contact management or word processing, the tips and tricks to optimize usage are well work the short reads.

The appendix of the book includes industry specific suggestions for law, medicine construction and more.

A seriously awesome book by an industry luminary!

Pros: Organization and content focused on business
Cons: Absolutely none

My biggest concern with this book was that it was too advanced for a novice audience and too basic for an intermediate or advanced reader. For example, a novice doesn’t need to know about DHCP numbering schemes but an intermediate or advanced user doesn’t need to know about how to shutdown the computer.

The organization of the chapters is simply bizarre. The author’s flow is based on setup rather than usage. The starting chapter includes setup and networking and moves to sharing with other users, a clearly more advanced concept, and then swings back to running applications and then organizing files or folders. Waiting until chapter 5 to talk about web surfing really doesn’t make sense to me. Most users want to hook up their computers and immediately surf.

Later on in the book, information about remote connections and printer sharing are included, but given the same amount of space as sending an email or watching a DVD on a Mac. Different concepts require different amount of space to cover, so a new user might easily get overwhelmed they didn’t understand some of the more advanced concepts.

I’d like to say the topics were covered well but they weren’t. The illustrations were extremely busy with as many as 8 flags on one screen requiring a legend and color coding to decipher.

Pros: Comprehensive
Cons: Coverage of topics inconsistent, confusing illustrations, too much information for a novice and not enough for an intermediate user

Two out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

First, the Garmin Fit™ App for iPhone allows you to track your workouts in real time like many other apps. The real magic comes in with Garmin’s ANT+ Adapter for iPhone ($49.95) which allows you to interact with other fitness devices via a standard similar to Bluetooth. Garmin’s own heart rate monitor ($60.00) and Foot Pod ($69.99) interact with the ANT+ adapter and feed real time data into the Garmin Fit™ iPhone app, showing not just the distance you did, but how hard you worked out and how many calories you burned, so you can adjust your workouts accordingly. The app allows you to track your improvements and lets you strive for a bit harder, faster, or stronger workout. A third monitoring device made by Garmin and compatible with the iPhone hardware and software solution, the Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor, I didn’t test since I tried the Garmin solutions on internal gym fitness equipment.

Although it’s easiest to buy all your products from one place, the fact that the ANT+ adapter uses an established standard means you can interchange the Garmin Fit app and monitoring product as well as mix and match devices and apps that comply with ANT+. Standards are always easier to work with than proprietary solutions. Many gym devices already support ANT+ so you may not even need additional equipment besides the adapter.

While I am by no means a runner or fitness guru, the combination of the hardware and software gave me the data I needed in a way to understand it in order to improve my workouts and increase my cardiovascular fitness while losing weight.

Before I got the Garmin solution, I used a separate heart rate monitor with a watch. This was very difficult to use because any tracking required me to type the information into another application and that data was only a summary. I couldn’t see exactly how long I was at my target rate or adjust my workouts to exceed my goals.

The quality app combined with the Garmin fitness solution is an excellent combination for anyone looking to monitor their workouts a bit closer to maximize effectiveness.

Pros: Easy to use affordable equipment for monitoring your workouts to maximize effectiveness

Cons: You still have to work out!

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

This case is unique – typically extreme cases have a hard plastic interior and a softer silicone exterior to absorb impact and protect the headphone jack, dock, and volume switches. The Tank has a hard shell with integrated internal softer silicone protectors for the headphone jack and dock which are where moisture sensors are located. Because it’s integrated, you can’t chance the color when you want to try something different. The volume switches are protected but the speakers, microphone, rotation lock and camera remain naked and exposed to the world. This was an poor compromise in my opinion. Why only protect some parts if you are already adding bulk in the exterior?

Another feature of extreme cases is an integrated screen protector. No worrying about applying plastic to the screen with bubbles and lint trapped underneath. The drawback of the plastic overlays is they do impact the vibrancy of the screen as well as the general sensitivity. The case uses an accordion plastic overlay that can easily be pulled back to provide extra protection when not in use and full access when retracted.

On first glance this seemed like a great feature. This accordion plastic was thick and easily withstood direct impacts. A plastic overlay simply can’t protect like that. Unfortunately this for me was its greatest downfall. That thick plastic wasn’t fully transparent so anytime I had to read anything, I’d have to go through the process of retracting the plastic – even to answer the phone and see who was calling. I found myself too often keeping the plastic retracted and thus leaving my screen fully exposed.

One great feature of the Tank is an extremely well engineered belt clip. The iPhone fit tightly into a full cradle style clip. There was no risk of this slipping out like I find too often with other cases that are only gripped on the sides or the ends. The actual clip portion of the belt clip was several inches long and attached securely to my side. As a big guy, this was the first and only belt clip I was confident wouldn’t slip off when I got down or sat up. Since the screen faces outward in most belt clips, that screen protector is a great feature while it hangs on your side.

My problem with the Tank is that I’m the type of person constantly using the phone to play games, answer emails, check social media and even making phone calls. I can’t imagine going five or ten minutes and not using my phone for something and thus got extremely frustrated having to constantly move the screen protector out of the way. If you are that type of user, you’ll find the Tank about as practical as going grocery shopping in an M1.

However, if you keep your iPhone in your purse or book bag, that thick plastic will keep it well protected as it bounces around and bangs against keys, books and miscellaneous change. The belt clip was outstanding if you keep your phone more to your side than in your hand. You–with the self discipline not to be checking your phone all the time–I envy you.

If you check your phone constantly, the Tank is an exercise in frustration. However if screen protection is your ultimate goal and you don’t check your phone that often, the Tank may be your secret weapon to avoiding screen replacement. The best offense is a good defense as they say.

Pros: Great belt clip, outstanding screen protection
Cons: Not all ports protected, regular users will fine the screen protection too cumbersome

Two out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

I saw PadPivot at Macworld 2011 and it was being pitched via Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a crowdsourced funding project in which someone comes up with an idea and needs to convince people to give them money in order to take the product to market. The idea has be great for people to dish out their hard earned money with little or nothing in return. This isn’t investing because the donor doesn’t get a stake in the profits generally or shares. They might get a token premium like a T-shirt or coffee mug. The PadPivot is a great success story because it had to have such wide appeal.

One of the key features I immediately noticed is how with a few simple steps it compresses to the size of and thickness of a mobile phone making it easy to carry in your pocket, in your tablet sleeve or in a carry on. When it isn’t on the road with you, the PadPivot is a simple iPad stand with a groove and stabilizer to make sure it doesn’t fall over yet leaves room for your docking connector. Great to keep besides your computer or to use it to display pictures while charging.

In motion is where the PadPivot shines. When fully extended it forms a concave surface that you can place on your thigh or even your arm. Even a big guy like me had no problem getting the PadPivot to stay put on my leg. A grippy pad holds the tablet onto the PadPivot surface. It’s a loose fit, like a sticky note – enough to stay put, but can easily be knocked or bumped. The goal is to give you a bit of stability to keep your hands free and prevent the tablet from sliding off. This made typing very easy without a surface to place the iPad on since both hands could type instead of one gripping the iPad. This is a ‘killer app’ on a plane, with no room on that tiny tray table to prop the iPad up put plenty of room on my leg.

If you do have a flat surface upon which to put the PadPivot, you can use it to hold an iPad or iPhone to view content at a proper viewing angle of about 80 degrees.

Though I’m not a gamer, the PadPivot has a smooth and full range of motion to it allowing you to expertly drive that car or spacecraft and take full advantage of the accelerometer without worrying about your grip on the iPad.

If you travel at all with your iPad, even across the room, you’ll find the PadPivot an indispensable tool for keeping your focus on the iPad rather than holding it.

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The Sport has 3 basic functions: Bluetooth audio, FM radio, and handsfree phone. All these functions are integrated into an extremely lightweight set of earbud style devices that are rain, dust and shock resistant.

The Bluetooth audio had great sound, but it was often a bit too low to listen to at the gym. I had trouble getting them to fit correctly into my ear. Fortunately a set of Yurbuds came to the rescue and I was extremely happy! The FM radio was good for gyms that broadcast the TV audio system on a close range frequency. Now I could watch TV and do the treadmill at the same time.

As a handsfree accessory for my iPhone, it was very easy to make and receive calls. Voice Control worked like normal which is to say not so great (no iPhone 4s with Siri test with!) Even while on the run, callers could hear me well and I could hear them. I was able to hangup on a caller and end the conversation from the controls on the earbud.

In general as a Bluetooth accessory, this device had some great added features that made it a delight to use. The device uses lights as well as verbal signals to tell you when you are paired, powered on, powered off, and connected. This is a great feature since the device is in your ear, you can’t easily see if it’s properly working.

Besides difficulty with the sound levels, as a glasses wearer the device’s wrap around style did cause some interference. I’d have to put the Jabra on first and then my glasses; not a major inconvenience, but a minor annoyance.

The killer feature was the way it tracked battery. When the battery gets low it announces battery low over your audio (but not during a call). As it gets lower the warnings get faster. Additionally the device taps into a underutilized iOS feature that tracks the battery level of a Bluetooth handsfree device. The icon shows up next to the Bluetooth icon and is in the shape of Apple’s original Bluetooth handsfree for the iPhone. Now I could see exactly how much I had left and when I need to recharge. Nothing is more frustrating than your tunes cutting out midworkout. With 4.5 hours of talk time and 3 hours of music you’ll have to charge it often, but it uses a standard micro-usb port as well as includes an AC adapter for charging independent of a computer.

Overall great sound with a set of killer features that make this a welcome addition to your workout.

Pros: Lightweight, durable and great hands-free wireless functions
Cons: Not always loud enough, difficult to fit in some ear and eyeglass configurations

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

OS X Lion is a significant change in the way you interact with your
Mac and for previous Mac users these changes can be a bit
intimidating. This book assumes basic knowledge of Macs and
computers. No hand holding about how to turn it on or how to use the
mouse. You should already be experienced with computing, but not
necessarily a Mac. This should be a “switchers” bible, although it
doesn’t make direct reference to PC to Mac transition, it does tell
you how to do typical tasks such as email, browsing and file
management on he Mac platform.

The book takes the reader through the key aspects of Lion such as the
Finder, iCal, Address Book and the slew of other programs that come
with it such as TextEdit, Preview and iChat and incorporates how new
features such as Gestures, Resume, and Mission Control changes the Mac
experience for the better.

Rounding out the end of the book are chapters about how to use system
wide features such as data detectors and pdf as well as some great
guides to troubleshooting and personalizing your Mac and most
important, Time Machine backups.

Typical of anything Robin Williams is involved in, this book has a
vivid, elegant and simple layout that makes for an enjoyable read.
Too often tech books are either terribly text heavy or have so many
screen shots that you feel like you are reading a comic book. Mac OS X
Lion dances that line between the two quite well. Excellent examples
with detailed textual descriptions.

Pros: Excellent review of OS X Lion, easy read
Cons: Not included with every Mac Sale

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Now that jailbreaking is legal (though unsupported) by Apple. Come learn how to jailbreak your devices and the benefits of doing so.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included a Mac OS X Lion: Peachpit Learning Series courtesy of Peachpit, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

Just want to socialize and hangout with your fellow Apple enthusiasts. Here’s your chance. We’ll show a Apple related movie and provide the popcorn. Feel free to bring snacks for yourself or to share with the group.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included a Microsoft Office 2011 Portable Genius and Mac OSX Snow Leopard for Dummies both courtesy of Wiley, along with a one month trail of video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included an MacTuneUp from Macware, along with a one month trail from video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

Do you deal with PDF files frequently? Don’t want to deal with Adobe products (Adobe Reader), but need more power than Apple’s built-in Preview? Smile Software’s (formerly Smile on My Mac) PDFpen ($59.95) and PDFpenPro ($99.95) may be the perfect application for you.

I’ve been using their TextExpander software for a few years now and was excited to try another one of their signature programs.

I’ve been happily and successfully using Apple’s Preview for almost all of my PDF needs for many years now. I’ve always been able to open, view, combine and rearrange multiple PDFs with ease. However, there are a few features that I have never been able accomplish with Preview.

As an educator, I often deal with many PDF files that are related to a specific unit or topic. I can easily combine multiple PDF’s into one document, but once the number of pages becomes unwieldy it’s difficult to organize the document and maneuver through it. PDFpenPro solves this problem by allowing me to create a table of contents. Adding items to the table of contents is as easy as highlighting the text that I want to use as the table of contents entry and then hitting a keyboard shortcut to add the entry. PDFpenPro also gives me the option to make the entry a “child” (sub-entry) or an “aunt” (promoting the entry to a higher level). The table of contents then holds these entries as clickable items to move directly to that section of the document. When I’ve combined a large number of PDF files, I can also use PDFpenPro’s page numbering feature to either add regular page numbering or Bates numbering (often used in legal documents) to all pages within the newly combined document.

If a PDF has a text layer, then PDFpenPro allows a number of changes to be made to the document. You can select text and have it changed to editable text so that you can change the text to whatever you’d like. You can highlight and redact text as well. Redacting text means to obscure part of the text by either erasing it completely or blocking it from view. This particular function is probably not one that I need in my line of work, but others may find it useful when blocking names or other identifying information for privacy reasons.
PDFpenPro also enhances on Preview’s ability to annotate PDFs. You can add comments, URL links, text boxes, lines, arrows, and other drawing features right on top of the original PDF. It is my understanding that this annotated PDF is then readable by others even if they do not own a PDFpen product. All the recipient needs to do is open the file in Adobe Reader and all annotations are viewable.

One of the most frequently advertised features of PDFpen and PDFpenPro is the built-in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine. You can set up the program to ask to OCR when you open a scanned document or you can import a document directly from your scanner into the application.

For those who are often required to fill-in PDF forms, PDFpenPro allows you to fill in, save, and even overlay your signature. Doing this is as easy as having a JPG or a PNG of your signature and then dragging it into the file. This can then be changed to a transparent image so that you can place it anywhere in your document. Your signature can then be placed in the PDFpen Library so that you can have fast and easy access to it. Place other frequently used items in this Library as well.

PDFpen and PDFpenPro have too many features to completely cover in this review. My bullet-list of other favorite features are as follows:
Save to Evernote
Save webpages as multipage PDF’s (Pro only)
Cropping, repositioning, and editing images
Create interactive, cross-platform PDF’s (Pro only)

To see a full list of features and compare it to other PDF manipulation software, please see the following links.

PDFpenPro features: http://www.smilesoftware.com/PDFpenPro/features.html
Feature Comparisons with other software: http://www.smilesoftware.com/PDFpen/compare.html

PDFpenPro is just what I need to take my PDFs to the next level. If it sounds like something you’d like to try, you can download a free trial of either program from their website at http://smilesoftware.com/. If you feel overwhelmed and feel the need for a tutorial, Don McAllister from ScreenCastsOnline has recorded several short screencasts covering different aspects of the programs. You can view those at http://smilesoftware.com/PDFpen/screencast/

Did you get a new Mac, iPod or other goodie for the holidays. This meeting is all Questions and Answers. Get all your questions answered for free by local experts. This meeting is ideal for PC “switchers” and beginners

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

Log Leech won’t necessarily explain these logs but will help you at least find those nuggets of information locked in the haystack. Once installed the program will take all the log entries and sort them attractively by program (and associated icon) as well as by date. You can then use the icon to hone in on the specific information you want.

When problems develop with your Mac and you aren’t sure what could be the program, a look at Log Leech might help you find the answers. More than once opening Log Leech revealed the reason problems were occurring that I couldn’t easily find by looking at the console. Console lumps all your program information together. You can’t always see what you need when you are faced with an overwhelming screen of random code.

Log Leech take the copious amounts of trivial information in the console and organizes it into an easy to use and read fashion. The Console App reminds me of DOS and the Unix world while Log Leech reminds me of a Mac.

Pros: Great for reading logs and deriving information from
Cons: Apple will buy this app and include it in the OS if they are smart

5 out of 5 Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included an DiskTools Pro from Macware, along with a one month trail from video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

Office Time for the Mac and iOS makes sure none of those valuable dollars and cents slip through your fingers, and more importantly helps you bill that to a third party.

Office Time for the Mac starts off as a general time tracking program. You can set a series of projects and categories to figure out exactly what you are doing and whom you are doing it for. For example, if you are working on a website project, you might put the website as the project name, coding as the category and then put in notes about exactly what you are coding. You can even specify what your billable rate is. With this level of detail available, you’ll be able to tell the client exactly how the bill was derived and where their money is going.

For professional management, you can use advanced reporting such as graphs and spreadsheets to determine where you time and money are going. In particular I used the program to make detailed reports of exactly how much I spend on different types of projects to know if I should hire additional administrative or technical staff. Office Time also allows exporting for more advanced analysis.

In order to prevent you from missing out on any missed time, Office Time uses a menu bar icon to quickly log a specific project and begin tracking the information. Switching tasks is as easy as choosing from the menu. Should you walk away from the computer or get distracted (dog barking, phone call etc), Office Time will recognize no activity and offer to remove that time from billing or place it in another category (which typically isn’t something you can bill).

Since so many of us are on the road and may not be at our main computer, Office Time also has a separate iOS application that works great on both the iPhone and iPad (full screen on the iPad). The iOS application will sync on demand when both your main computer and iOS device are on the same wireless network. Over the air syncing on wifi or 3G would be great, but I fully understand why these limitations exist.

No stone was left unturned in the design of this program. Since expenses often go along with billed time, Office Time for both MacOS and iOS includes expense tracking that can be directly integrated with the projects and categories. You can sync the information with iCal so you can visually see your projects and where your time is going.

Best of all, from right in the program, you can set custom invoicing to send our your bills, or export the data into your favorite accounting program. The program is not for accounting so it won’t track whether you’ve been paid or if an item is past due, but you can still get your invoices out quickly. International users will appreciate the ability to track in multiple currencies. If you don’t know what an invoice is and you bill your time, this program is a great place to start.

Now, you have absolutely no excuse not to track your time and billables. Except, of course, your own laziness. At least with Office Time, you can’t blame your tools but only your actual productivity. Office Time will save you time and help you bill it better than any program I’ve seen.

4.5 out of 5 dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Title: Now that I have a Mac with Lion, what do I do?

This book, despite its title, isn’t as much a book about Lion as it is a book about how to use a Mac with Lion to do certain neat projects. Most Mac users can figure out email and surfing the web, but what about taking your DVD collection and putting in on your Mac?

Before purchasing this book, read through the projects. Even if one of them interests you, the book will be a great value. If you aren’t interested in any of this, then it’s probably worth taking a pass. Projects are as follows

1) Organizing your files
2) Mastering Spotlight searches
3) Printing to save paper
4) Installing applications purchased at the Mac App store
5) Providing Remote Technical Support
6) Remote controlling a Mac in your home
7) Accessing your files remotely from another Mac
8) Using DropBox
9)) Copying DVD content to your Mac
10) Basic photo editing and touch ups
11) Creating a slideshow
12) Using Rapid Weaver for a family website
13) RSS Feeds
14) Configuring TextExpander
15) Full screen mode to avoid distractions
16) Audio Podcasting
17) Setting up Time Machine alongside a cloning solution
18) Using your signature in a PDF

Each of these projects are short–just four of five pages. The book is easy to understand and the projects are fun and relevant. They assume a basic to intermediate knowledge of Lion. No explanations of files or how to click a mouse is included.

Since I knew how to do all of this or the things I didn’t know didn’t interest me, I didn’t find the book that valuable. I learned this stuff the hard way through trial and error. However if someone asked me how to do any of these small projects, you bet I’ll suggest this book.

New Mac users who simply want to feel more comfortable with their Mac and need some ideas of projects will find this book ideal. If I did Macintosh tutoring this would be a great companion manual.

Overall, a fun book for intermediate Mac users with relevant and interesting projects.

Pros: Excellent digest of fun projects to get to know Lion and your Mac better
Cons: Limited scope if you already know how to do these things or if they don’t interest you.

Five out of Five

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Logo Design Studio Pro is a great program for those of us who have very little design skills. In fact, its name only scratches the surface of what this handy little program can do.

Apple came out with iPhoto for those of us who needed basic, powerful and intuitive ways of managing our photos and then took that iEthic to movies, DVDs, music and more. Unfortunately design was left out of the picture. Sure iWork can help you create and manage presentations, but graphic design is not its strong suite.

Logo Design Pro might as well be called iDesign because it takes the ideals of the iLife suite and brings it to graphic design. The foundation of the program is Logo Design. A series of templates don’t just give you ideas of logos based on your industry and what you do, but include a series of tasteful graphics and “taglines” for your business.

Being a extreme novice (I hate the word “dummy”), I was still able to great some pretty nice logos in just a few minutes. Moreover I was able to create designs for a wide variety of settings, including a Keynote presentations (see how well this works with iLife!). Open an existing template, add some of the included art objects, some fonts and color and there you have it!

The designs created by the program are “vector” based which means they can be shrunk and enlarged without any loss of resolution or quality. This is the accessible equivalent of FreeHand and Illustrator and for those that remember, MacDraw.

Even if you have a logo, you’ll still love this program. Presentations, web graphics, and flyers can all be enhanced with the tools this program gives you. Import your logo and jazz it up a bit with some graphics and wrapped text. Create a business card on the fly or just enhance a iWork or Microsoft Word document with some easy pizzazz.

My only major complaint with the program was skimpy documentation and included help (the help is virtually identical to the included program guide). The help didn’t conform to the typical Apple design and actually used icons from Windows help. Uggh.

Pros: Easy to use, powerful, and very intuitive
Cons: Skimpy help

Five out of Five Dogcows

5 out of 5 dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Apple makes a wide variety of software and hardware and sometimes it’s hard to navigate the offerings. During this meeting, we’ll take you through Apple’s product line and help you find the right stuff for your holiday shopping list. Beginners welcome

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Note our inclement weather policy: if USD 497 is closed, our meeting will be cancelled. Check our website if there is a question about whether the meeting is cancelled due to weather.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included an Mac OS X Lion: Visual QuickStart Guide from Peachpit, along with a one month trail from video training courtesy of macProVideo.com.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included copies of DiscLabel and TextExpander courtesy of our guest from Smile Software.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

Is there a great software or hardware product you’d like to share with fellow member?. Maybe give them some holiday ideas? This meeting is perfect for all users: beginners, intermediate, and advanced.

We’ll also discuss iOS 5, iPhone 4S and iCloud (show off your iPhone 4S!)

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

First, batteries are so 20th century. With the ample amount of light in most homes and offices, the constant swapping and charging of batteries is wasteful and annoying. The K750 is solar powered and solar charging. Once it’s fully charged, the specifications indicate you can use it in total darkness for 3 months. A handy app allows you to check the exact charge left in the unit. After using it for a few months the keyboard has always tested at 100%.

The keyboard is sleek and comes in five different colors (including Apple’s standard aluminum). I like the black because, hey, black is the new black. This is a full keyboard including a numeric keypad and a full set of function keys across the top. The Mac version of this keyboard has the command keys in the correct place as well as the function alternatives for Mission Control/Dashboard at the top. The typing was extremely responsive with a soft and smooth touch. “Delightful” is the word that comes to mind.

The wireless technology uses the “Logitech Unifying receiver” which is a USB dongle for all of Logitech’s wireless peripherals. All things being equal I would have preferred Bluetooth based technology. Bluetooth wouldn’t use one of my USB ports and would allow me to use the keyboard with iOS devices. Annoying, but I understand sacrifices have to be made.

The Logitech K750 for Mac is a great wireless keyboard for users that type often and don’t like constantly changing batteries.

Pros: Save money and hassle’s using solar technology, full featured keyboard that is easy to type on

Cons: Requires a proprietary dongle, doesn’t support Bluetooth

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The writing style is direct and straightforward and assumes familiarity and comfort with previous versions of MacOS such as Leopard or Snow Leopard. This is not a beginner’s book and lacks the handholding and screen shots you’ll find in a “non-technical” book.

Starting with the installation process, the book walks through the key features the average user needs to know about and ends with a great troubleshooting and short-cut guide. If you aren’t a manual reader, this book is for you. It gives you just enough information to explore the features quickly without being bogged down by long explanations or tutorials. Consider this more of an outline and a getting started than a extensive manual on all things Lion, which is just what some of us need!

Pros: Short, succinct and just what you need to get started
Cons: Requires basic knowledge of MacOS, not for beginners.

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Microsoft Office 2011 Visual Quickstart Guide

The book starts with explaining exactly what is new in each part of the Office Suite and previews what experienced users might want to focus on. The book leaves no stone unturned, covering not just the PowerPoint, Excel, Word and Outlook but includes the esoteric extras such as My Day, Sky Drive and Office Web Apps.

In particular this book handles both beginner and advanced topics. Those users experienced with Office basics can look at the table of contents and quickly jump to the function they are most interested in. Don’t know what Sparklines are in 2011? Quickly jump to a great explanation on the subject. While the book is larger than the typical Visual Quickstart guide, the information was very accessible

As an experienced Office user on both the Mac and PC, I found this an invaluable resource to optimize my investment in this new version. The final chapters were golden as they really tied all the programs together and focused on interoperability between them.

Overall this is a great book for anyone using Microsoft Office 2011!

Pros: Covers all aspects of the suite in detail in a manner beginners will understand and advanced users will be able to master

Cons: None!

5 out of 5 dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Was that one of your new years resolutions? If you’ve ever worried about your data, or worst lost some, this meeting is for you. Dave Greenbaum of DoctorDave Computer Repair will share with us his backup wisdom. This meeting is great for both beginner and intermediate users.
Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The Step by Step series is a lesson-based training program, but you can easily avoid the actual lessons in order to use the book as a reference guide. In this case the actual training exercises are pretty minimal and could have easily been omitted and still retain the book’s value.

The book is extremely well-laid out with a great table of contents and index. Each chapter introduces the concepts it covers and the key points and then reviews them at the end. For users of an Exchange server, the lessons cover both Exchange-based accounts as well as traditional IMAP/POP email systems. Users new to Microsoft products as well as seasoned Entourage and Outlook for the PC users will still find the book’s lessons accessible and of value. If you already know a concept, the book makes it very easy to skip that section.

Unfortunately since the book was printed, Microsoft made significant changes to the sync functions and now that Apple is retiring MobileMe, these sections will be subject to additional changes. Such is the nature of tech books.

Pros: Easy to understand lessons and comprehensive review of features
Cons: Lessons not terribly substantive

4 out of 5 dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Macware’s Disk Tools Pro is an excellent all-around utility for maintaining, optimizing and protecting your Macintosh hard drive. The suite of modules is an excellent addition to the market and possibly your own hard drive, especially older ones.

The primary focus of the program is to test the integrity of your hard drive’s structure and data integrity. Unlike Apple’s Disk Utility and other programs, Disk Tools Pro will proactively monitor your S.M.A.R.T. status and disk space and will allow you to schedule a battery of tests and procedures.

For hard drive testing, some functions such as optimization, volume repair, and scan/reassigning (they call this repair but that is really inaccurate) of bad sectors can be on a boot volume, but may be limited in scope. Full testing and repair requires the drive to be dismounted, which obviously can’t be done on a boot volume. Others tests such as preference file testing, file analysis, backup, broken alias/symbolic link files, and benchmarking can all be done on the primary drive.

Where Disk Tools Pro shines is its ability to schedule most of its tasks, so you can easily backup or clone a drive on a set schedule or do regular maintenance during off times. Another great feature of this program is the fact it works on older systems running 10.3.9 as well as Apple’s latest systems as of this writing.

Overall the suite has a clean and easy to use interface with sufficient animation and graphics to explain its functions without being confusing or too technical. Each function is presented in either a “cover flow” style fashion or easily accessible from a menu.

The price for all these features is steep at $79.99 and most of functions of this suite can be found in other shareware or freeware programs, but the convenience of having it all in one place and having scheduling is of great value.

Pros: Comprehensive utility suite in a well designed package compatible with older systems
Cons: Cost

4 out of 5 dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included an Case Logic 13″ Laptop Sleeve from Case Logic, along with a copy of Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual courtesy of O’Reilly.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The Reflex offers slightly more protection (and a slightly higher price) than the Commuter line in some areas. Similar to the Commuter, it’s a hard shell bumper case combined with some silicone to help with grip and to add some style. Instead of an integrated screen protector, both the Commuter and Reflex use screen overlays. I personally hate those as they almost always show bubbles for me. These bubbles are a greater risk with the Reflex, though, because the case didn’t fit right over the iPhone unless you place the screen protector absolutely perfectly.

Unlike the Commuter or Defender, the Reflex case offers no port protection. The headphone and dock connectors are completely exposed. That is a disappointing and annoying modification to a very important aspect of protection. Both those areas include a moisture sensor that can easily get tripped.

The Reflex’s namesake is a design that absorbs shock along the corners of the case resulting in a slight bounce when dropped. That’s cool and in my brief testing, the case nicely bounced when dropped on those corners. How often does the iPhone drop perfectly along one of those corners? Not very often from what I could see.

Another feature of the Reflex is easy separation and removal of the case. One problem with iPhone cases is that they get in the way of docking station solutions. The Reflex allows you to remove the bottom portion of the case to insure compatibility with devices that use the dock port. This was a handy feature, but I’ve been using a dockstubz to solve that problem. Occasionally as I pulled the Reflex out of my pocket, the case inadvertently separated which kind of defeats the purpose of having a case.

Overall this case offered a few gimmicks that might appeal to some iPhone 4 users, but overall the Commuter or Defender offer better value and protection.

Pros: Nice bounce on the corners, separation of case makes for easier docking
Cons: Difficult to use screen protector, case separates unexpectedly, no port protection

2 out of 5

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Microsoft Office 2011 Portable Genius

Each major program of the Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook) is given an introduction and then a series of in-depth analyses. At the beginning, the geography of the program screen is introduced along with a survey of major menu items and preferences as well as keyboard shortcuts for these functions. For intermediate and advanced users, these intros can easily be skipped. Ideally these menu and shortcut guides should be in the last chapter of the section because new users might get intimidated with the twenty or so different ways to do a simple task.

The book’s style is highly visual and focused on functions, answering “How do I” questions. Unfortunately there is often no designation between which functions are new to Office 2011 and functions that have been there since the beginning (Outlook excluded since it hasn’t been on the Mac platform for a long time). In particular, Excel’s new Sparklines function wasn’t covered nor were the collaboration aspects of the Skydrive. While these aren’t as important as printing emails or creating formulas, users upgrading from previous versions might have found some coaching useful.

The final chapters of the book briefly cover Microsoft Communicator, Remote Desktop Connection as well as using Microsoft resources to get help with the program.

Experienced users of previous versions of Office for the Mac or PC won’t find much value in this book, but for novice users new to the Microsoft family of products, this book will help them transition nicely.

Pros: Adequate guide to Office 2011
Cons: Lacks coverage and specificity of new features

3 out of 5 Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Have you thought of upgrading to Lion? Our friends at MacXprts located inside iCafe will teach us how to get the most from Lion and if it’s right for you. This meeting is ideal for beginners.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or Contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

Although the iPad has excellent sound, it will never fool you into thinking it’s a true stereo system. However, wiith the PadDock 10 you get a rich full sound you’d expect from a set of standalone speakers. Unlike many other products, the PadDock was designed for the iPad rather then retrofit from an iPhone solution. This device serves three main purposes: iPad stand, charging dock, and stereo speakers, and does all of them well.

As an stand, the iPad fits securely and snugly into the unit. Other stands for the iPad generally hold the unit in place via gravity or a few clips. Since this is an actual dock, the dock connector holds it in place and the top of the unit has a firm clip that ensure the iPad isn’t going anywhere when the unit rotates. This snug fit does get some getting used to when placing the iPad into the dock or removing it. The rotation of the stand is 360 degrees, but at each 90 degree interval the stand has a soft lock making sure the rotation doesn’t stray. Clips at the four corners prevent you from having to put pressure on the iPad to rotate it. An elegant and stylish black and grey design matches the aesthetics of your iPad.

As a charging dock, the unit allows you to expand the type of cables used to charge your iPad. Included is USB power cord that uses a type A male connector to power the unit instead of the standard charging cable that came with your iPad. The PadDock also comes with a USB to USB Mini cable creating a more standardized solution. To charge, I was able to use a variety of USB chargers including the stub charger that came with my iPad. I liked keeping my original iPad cable connected to my Mac for syncing and using the PadDock to charge my iPad. To sync your iPad to your computer via a PadDock, you’ll need to flip a switch to go from charge to sync.

As stereo speakers, the dock’s sound was outstanding for its size. Compared with other bedside and table solutions that sound tinny, the PadDock had substantial bass and was able to achieve fairly high volume that let me listen to music and watch videos while working out on a treadmill at my home gym. I keep the PadDock in the kitchen to listen to music while cooking and keeping the iPad up out of harm’s way.

Eventually, my PadDock ended up in the kitchen so I could listen to music or view instructional vidoes, keep the iPad safe, and charge all at the same time. Overall this is an outstanding product that serves many functions. If you’ve upgraded to an iPad 2, the PadDock is a perfect way to extend the function and flexibility of your original iPad as an entertainment station.

Pros: Flexible stand and dock charger, quality stereo speakers
Cons: Tricky to move iPad in and out

4 out of 5

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

When you are looking for true charging power on the road, few external batteries can beat the RichardSolo 9000 Mobile Charger. The 9000 mAh battery will keep your iPhone or iPad charged for a long, long time!

RichardSolo has been an industry leader for iPhone chargers and the 9000 continues that tradition. The device comes in an attractive carrying case that contains a retractable USB charger as well as a standard USB charging cable (to be used as a spare). It does not come with any wall charging unit so you’ll either have to use the AC to USB adapter that came with your iPad or iPod or purchase one from RichardSolo (I’ve been using their dual USB car charger for years). There’s room for it in the case. I’m slightly annoyed that the device doesn’t charge via more standard USB Mini or Micro chargers, but obviously with 9000 mAh some concessions need to be made.

The device charges in about 8 hours and has indicators for 100%, 70% and 30% charge. In actual usage I got almost a full charge for my iPad. The charger is smart enough to know what type of USB charge to provide. It comes with no charging cables so you will have to bring your own and it can charge any device that uses a USB port. I did notice the smart charging was a bit more particular about the cables I used. Not all my USB cables worked on the device, but that wasn’t a real problem. I was delighted to have so much power on the road. I used it to charge a wide variety of USB devices such as my iPad, my iPhone, my personal hotspot, my bluetooth headphones and more. My laptop only has two USB ports so the Richard Solo 9000 allowed me to be truly mobile without sacrifice.

Of course with that much capacity, the device is going to be heavy. It weighs in at about 10 ounces and is a bit bulky, but the case makes it much easier to travel with. The black and silver accents match nicely with Apple’s current design aesthetic and if you didn’t know better you’d think Apple made it.

If you are looking for maximum portability with your iPad or iPhone, Richard Solo’s 9000 mAh mobile charger will keep your going on the road! Excellent capacity and compatibility make this an ideal choice for road warriors like myself

Pros: Outstanding capacity and compatibility with thoughtful accessories.
Cons: Non-standard USB charging cable, bulky

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

While I’m a huge fan of extreme case protection for the iPhone 4 (my current favorite is the Griffin Survivor), one of the problems is that this extra protection frequently prevents my iPhone from fitting into various docking solutions and cable connectors. Fortunately, two products from CableJive solve this problem. You can have your protection and still keep your existing accessories.

The dockStubz is a simple yet effective 1.3 inch tall adapter that sits between your existing dock and the iPhone (or iPod touch and iPad depending on the situation) The svelte 30 pin male connector is designed to slip through most bulky cases without encumbrance providing a vital link to your existing investments. I’ve used it effectively with the entire Otterbox product line as well as select cases from Ballistic and Griffin. Just in case you need some extra power, the dockStubz also has a mini USB jack that can be used to provide power directly. Great for users who have existing devices that charge via mini USB: no need for an Apple iPhone charging cable.

For situations in which you need not just a more compatible male connector, but a bit of reach, the dockXtender has the same style connector as the dockStubz, but also provides two or six feet of cable extension. I’ve tried other cable extenders but run into the problem of fitting into my case. I could use my dockStubz with an existing cable extender, but why do that when CableJive provides an all in one great solution that protects the integrity of the signal? The dockXtender was a handy tool for using my existing iPhone accessories with my iPad, a total win-win device.

Although I did not test this aspect of the product, Cablejive proactively reports that the dockStubz does not work with the Apple VGA or HDMI adapters.

Both the dockStubz and dockXtender are necessary tools for anyone with a bulky iPhone case who still wants to interact with the existing iPhone accessories, cables, and adapters. Viewing their website, I appreciate their proactive warning to consumers and generous return policy for those with incompatible adapters

Pros: Effectively adapts existing 30-pin devices to practically any case
Cons: Problems with some Apple adapters

Five out of Five Dogcows

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Enter the SleepPhones: a great way to listen to audio while you are sleeping. As someone who suffers from chronic insomnia, I frequently listen to mp3s designed to help me relax and fall asleep. In order to do this I either need to sleep in a separate room or use headphones. The problem, of course is that headphones are uncomfortable and interrupt or prevent sleep. The SleepPhones have found that balance of a comfortable solution that stays in place and doesn’t get in the way.

The soft fleece headband can be worn over the forehead or, as I often do, use it as a sleep mask to protect your eyes and block out the light. Two adjustable speakers are encased in the headband and can be moved to an exact position on top of your ears. At the beginning I didn’t quite realize this and found the volume too low and disruptive to my sleeping companion. Once I found the proper placement, volume issues were resolved. Note that as you sleep they may move so each night that I have to use them, I have to spend a minute or two to find the proper placement. The long headphone jack allows me to clip the iPod onto the side of the bed or pillow case without encumbrance.

The headband is machine washable with the speaker buds removed, but I’d suggest hand washing as the fleece headband probably is not sturdy enough for continued run-ins with an agitator. I was disappointed the product only had a six month warranty, but I’ve used it for over four months without incident. I’m a bit wary of any product with such a short warranty.

If you are looking for a great solution for audio on your way to dreamland, SleepPhones delivers on its promises. The headband speaker combination allows you to fall asleep and not disturb others in the room.

Pros: Works great as part of a sleep solution
Cons: Speakers frequently fall out of alignment, paltry six month warranty

Four out of Five Dogcows

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

After downloading the driver software (no CD is included), the Doxie allows you to scan directly to online service such as Google Documents, Flickr, and Evernote as well as workstation based solutions such as iPhoto and PDF. The software must be running in the background in order for scanning to work, but does not need to be the currently running application.

Pressing on the “heart” button after loading a document begins the scan process. One very annoying aspect of the product is the over-the-top cuteness of that starts with the heart motif. Not only is the scan button a heart but hearts dot the logo on the scanner as well. Even the name Doxie screams cuteness and can either be a miniature dachshund or slang for a lady of the evening: neither of which evokes serious professional work. This is not the type of product I’d pull out at a business meeting.

The software uses a anthropomorphized female version of the scanner complete with a pink (or blue) background as well as fishnet stockings and high heels. I don’t know why Doxie thinks a scanner needs gender, but my British friends tell me that Doxie is slang for a woman of ill repute, so maybe this all makes sense. Fortunately this “feature” can be turned off and you can opt for a simple interface.

The Doxie scanned documents well. In order for the scanner to engage, the item being scanned had to be flush with the right hand side of the scanner and if the item was an irregular size, the scanner might stop in the middle of the scan. The scanner path was slightly curved which caused problems with stiff or irregular documents-I wouldn’t put anything precious through this scanner as I’d often have problems with it jamming.

The scanner software does not include optical character recognition (OCR) but relies on third-party options such as Google documents’ built in (but limited) option or other programs.

For pictures, the software included only basic preset options such as dpi and color vs greyscale. Selecting more esoteric options such as descreening and color depth were limited. The sheet fed aspect of this scanner doesn’t allow you to specify scan area.

Overall the scanner was a great value at $149 even with its saccharine image. For basic document and picture scanning, Doxie is a great choice and the cloud approach is a neat angle to the product. Irregular, precious, or stiff documents should be avoided with this scanner though.

Pros: Value, portable usb-powered, cloud scanning options
Cons: Too cute, sometimes jams

Two out of Five Dogcows

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Smile On My Mac makes great products such as PDFPen, TextExpander, and DiscLabel. A representative will be visiting us remotely to help us learn about these time saving products and win some great prizes.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included an iPhone 4 Case and an iPad Case from Hard Candy Cases, along with a copy of Take Your iPad to Work courtesy of Course PTR.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

It’s compact design folds to 2.5″ (L) x 2.3″ (W) x 0.7″ (D), and weighs 1.76oz – perfect for slipping into your pocket or a laptop bag. The USB connector recesses into the unit and the stand and dock connector folds in as well. No exposed parts means less problems in the long run. No wonder it won a 2011 CES Innovations and Engineering Award!

Although the battery is relatively small at 1200 mAh, Kensignton claims it provides an additional 3.5 hours of talk time. Not a full charge by any means, but a nice little boost as well as an easy way to use FaceTime with its built-in stand. A battery status button has four blue lights to indicate how much of a charge you have. At a retail of $49.99, it’s a pretty good deal for a nice compact external battery charger.

The only negative is that the compact design is hard to figure out at first. It’s easy to fold it out incorrectly and insert the iPhone incorrectly. It takes some getting used to, but otherwise it’s so darn handy!

Pros: Compact and portable, built in usb cable
Cons: A bit tricky to learn

Four out of Five Dogcows

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

When you want true power, power to dominate your iDevices, look no further than the ChargeBlock for iPad. Not only will it charge your iPad (1 or 2) or iPhone but practically any USB devices and does so with a size and dimension not much different than previous generations of iPhones. This is simply a must-have device for power on the road.

With its 8200 mAh capacity, Miccus claims it can provide 13 hours of use and for the iPhone 4 it can provide 61 hours of talk time. Wow. The amazing part is this power fits into a stylish eight ounce package. Included with the ChargeBlock is a USB cable and interchangeable tips for USB powered devices: Mini & Micro USB, Nokia, LG, Motorola, iPod, and iPad. It also includes a 12VDC cable with changeable tips for PSP, DVD, smd GPS. It includes a wall charger as it cannot generally charge via a standard USB port.

Style and aesthetics were clearly at play here because not only is it powerful, but simply gorgeous. Capacity is indicated by three neon blue lights so you have a good idea how much of charge you have left. It can pass through charge any devices connected via USB making it an ideal travel charger. When not charging, a rocker switch turns off the battery. The black mirror finish and silver accents match your iPhone or iPad’s design perfectly.

At $99 retail, the device isn’t cheap but gives great value with its high capacity and ergonomic design. Why pay a little bit less for half the capacity?

The ChargeBlock for iPad is the perfect mix of power, style, and function for effective charging of any USB device on the road, but especially an iPad.

Pros: High capacity, well designed
Cons: None I can find

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Mophie’s Juice Pack Reserve gives you a few extra ounces of courage, or in this case battery, to top off your day, but lacks the power and flexibility to be a reliable external battery charger.

Although it’s the size is somewhat large at 1.60 in x 3.15 in x 0.63 in it only contains 1000mAh of battery power. That’s inconsistent with its size. Batteries with higher capacity come in a smaller size and I really expect more from such a large device.

This external charger has a unique feature I found quite annoying. It has a retractable dock connector which makes for easy travel but for difficult use. The connector wouldn’t stay in place. It would come out while carrying and would fall out of the iPhone during use. This is simply poor design that lacks the real world testing that would have shown what a terrible idea this was. A locking mechanism (most retractable pens have this) would have gone a long way to improve this product.

It does have two interesting pluses. First it has a carabiner keychain to attach to a purse or laptop bag. Additionally it has a handy-dandy flashlight, but its power was meager at best. Good for finding a lock in the dark and not much more.

Most users of external battery chargers would be best off with another product, but if you don’t mind the retractable connector and need a small boost of power you can carry on a keychain or attach to a bag then this product might be a good choice. Otherwise move on to either another Mophie product or a external charger from someone else.

Pros: flashlight and carabiner keychain
Cons: meager capacity and flashlight, awkward connector

One out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Similar to the Defender, this Survivor provides 3 layers of protection. The first layer is a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame interior that wraps around most of the phone. The second layer is a clear plastic overlay that protects the screen without impeding audio or the camera. Finally, a thick silicone overlay protects every aspect of your iPhone including the dock and speaker jack (where the water sensors are located).

The silicone overlay is truly unique and reminds me of the earlier Otterbox Defender 3G cases. On each of the four corners (where impact is likely) the silicone is up to a quarter-inch thick and when dropped on this corner my iPhone literally bounced (the test was an accident, but I was nonetheless impressed). The flaps protecting the dock and headphone jack actually include a plug to form a tight seal when closed. According to Griffin, the ports block blown sand/dust (up to 18 m/sec for 1 hour). Water resistance isn’t claimed, but can be inferred given this sealed design. In a video shown on their website, the iPhone is dropped in a snow pack and still continues to work.

The belt clip is a great design with a minimal clip that attaches to the bottom of the case. It can be used in a vertical and horizontal position. You need to make sure it clips properly. I didn’t one time and learned the hard way how well the silicone bounces the iPhone when dropped.

An annoying flaw exists that may be a deal killer for some users. The flap protecting the rear facing camera is normally closed, is not removable and won’t stay open by itself. If you want to quickly snap a picture you need to manually hold the flap open. More than once I got a blank picture because I forgot to open the flap before taking a picture. I got used to it, but if you rely on being able to take a quick picture with your iPhone, this may not be the case for you. I didn’t mind, but other testers got quite frustrated and said they’d simply remove the flap if they used the case long term.

Despite the camera flap, I simply loved this case. Sure it adds heft and bulk to your svelte iPhone, but this isn’t about fashion, it’s about protection. Hands down, the Griffin Survivor is the best case to protect your iPhone 4. Its three layer protection, sealed flaps, and excellent belt clip make it an ideal choice for iPhone users needing ultimate protection.

Pros: Great protection for your iPhone 4 from practically any mishap
Cons: Annoying camera flap gets in the way, belt clip can be confusing, bulky

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Got a problem with your iPad, iPhone, Mac or otherApple device and want to save money and time? Come to this meeting and ask all your questions to a panel of distinguished experts from a variety of fields for free. This meeting we’d love beginners to ask questions and if you are an expert, please come and share your knowledge.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The Super-Juice Power case by Dexim is an external iPhone 4 case combined with a 2000 mAh battery. Unlike other cases I’ve seen in this style, Dexim has thought of everything and this is the battery case I’d recommend above all others currently on the market.

The battery power is similar to that of the Mophie Juice Pack Plus and claims to supply an extra 2000 mAh to your device to allow for 6 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video, or 40 hours of music. It uses a micro-usb cable to charge itself and to provide pass-through charging to the iPhone. Three blue LED’s in the back indicate the level of charge the device is providing and a small button in the back can turn off the battery boost when not in use.

The Super-Juice’s strength is in its design particulars. Unlike most other cases I’ve seen in this category, the iPhone 4 is easily removed from the Super-Juice. Release the top hood and the iPhone slides out. However, the hood stays attached to the case so you can’t lose it. Why other manufactures haven’t taken this step really surprises me. More than one external battery case I’ve had in the past was rendered useless by losing a critical part.

The back of the Super-Juice has a little “kickstand” that can keep the iPhone in landscape mode on a table or another flat surface. This is perfect for watching video on a plane and is a simple little extra that makes all the difference.

My only major complaint is the fact that the plastic of the case has a glossy finish which can become slippery in sweaty hands. I intend to attach a few grip slips to prevent the case from slipping. Since it comes only in white, I might use the grip strips to jazz the color up a bit.

Overall, the Super-Juice Power Case by Dexim is a high capacity external battery and case that keeps you going all day with your iPhone 4 and has subtle design features and extras that make it best of class.

Pros: 2000vmAh battery, kickstand, integrated design so nothing gets lost
Cons: Only comes in white, glossy finish to the plastic.

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

This integrated Bluetooth keyboard and case copies the original design of the first iBook so much that more than one person asked why I was carrying a black iBook. If they ever make this in blue or orange, there will be many confused people out there.

When the iPad is placed in this case, it looks like the typical laptop: screen on top and keyboard on the bottom. Close the iCapsule just like you would a clamshell style laptop (though the iPad won’t go to sleep when you close it) You’ll notice there isn’t a pointing device or trackpad on this “laptop”, which got annoying after a while. I was so used to typing on it like a laptop I’d instinctively move my thumbs towards the trackpad rather than the screen. That’s a testament to how seamless the transition from the iPad experience was.

The actual case provides no padding, but has a handle and is made of hard plastic so mishaps are less likely. The screen is somewhat protected from impact when closed because it is flush with the keyboard. Occasionally debris from the keyboard was transferred to the iPad screen when the case was closed (incidentally, this is a common problem with traditional laptops).

While the iCapsule had your typical keys including control, option and escape, it replaced the typical function keys with a variety of handy quick keys such as full volume and music controls (pause, play etc) as well as selection, copy, spotlight and keyboard toggling. This is very handy for someone doing serious work on an iPad.

iPad purists will balk at the amount of bulk this adds to the iPad and that it somehow defeats its purpose. Partially they are right. Many people replace their laptop with an iPad because they want a lightweight powerful alternative with incredible battery life. Of course, serious typing is near impossible on the iPad. Typing on the iCapsule was quick and responsive. The device takes two AA batteries, but the keyboard goes to sleep after non-use.

Unfortunately the iCapsule suffers a near fatal flaw that I hope gets fixed in later releases. While the designers left space to plug in headphones on the side, they failed to include a port for the 30 pin connector. The only way to charge your iPad is to remove it from the iCapsule. Over time it becomes a pain to constantly remove your iPad in order to charge it. Because the keyboard is bluetooth, you’ll be reducing your battery life significantly and thus charging is more important. Moreover, the sleep button was difficult to access while in this case. The designers left little room for it. If you put the iPad in backwards (which you can do), the iPad will constantly go to sleep due to the pressure. Accommodations should have been made to make sure that all ports were available and you couldn’t put the iPad in its case backwards.

Serious typists and those making the transition from a laptop will really enjoy how easy and natural the iCapsule case and keyboard is to use. Be prepared for the constant removal each time you want to charge the iPad though

Pros: Ideal laptop replacement with responsive and spacious keyboard
Cons: Lack of support for charging while in the case or guides to prevent the iPad from being put in backwards

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Similar to other cases in its class, this provides multiple levels of protection. A hard plastic shell is protected with integrated silicone bumpers and a screen overlay. An optional extra wrap around bumper is included that provides another layer of protection as well as covers the headphone, mute/rotation lock, and the dock port.

The port protection had some minor problems. The mute/rotation lock would often fail to stay closed and I had a rough time getting any connectors to fit into the dock port. To get the sync cable from Apple to fit I had to use more force than I’d feel comfortable and it made a loud snap when put in place. I got used to this, but it still made me nervous I’d break a cable. The only part of the phone that remains unprotected are the speaker ports at the bottom and the rear facing camera. Not a big deal, but it’s not full and complete protection for your iPhone. Of all the extreme-style cases I tested, this was most compatible with dock style devices such as the iHome.

This Ballistic HC provides multi-layer protection without the bulk of some other cases and is an excellent value for someone wanting a higher level of protection without sacrificing the size of their iPhone

Pros: Svelte design, multi-layer protection
Cons: Port didn’t always stay closed, tight dock connector

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The ZAGGMate iPad Case and keyboard combo upon first glance is a brilliant idea: a combination bluetooth keyboard and iPad protective case. Unfortunately, the implementation of the design is flawed and for many this product simply won’t be a good fit.

The first serious flaw in this product is the way the iPad fits into the case. The fit is extremely tight with padding on the edges in order to make sure the iPad doesn’t separate from its keyboard case. This tight fit makes it difficult to remove. You need to use both hands as well as your fingernail. Be careful though, that brushed aluminum can have sharp edges and if you apply too much pressure, you find your iPad flying across the table. I was constantly afraid of injuring myself or the iPad.

Using the keyboard was quite difficult. In order to accommodate the physical size of the iPad, the keyboard was significantly smaller than the typical keyboard and was almost exactly the same size as the iPad virtual keyboard (which is logical if it’s the same size as the iPad). The ZAGGMate metal edges did not allow me to put my hands in a natural position: I had to type at an angle since the edges of the keyboard had a ridge that prevented you from laying your palms on a flat surface. The only way to type was to keep your palms raised in an awkward and painful position. I could only type a few minutes at a time before my wrists got tired or the pressure from the case edges cut into my wrists. Ouch.

The iPad was held in the case while typing with a small valley and a plastic stand. The stand didn’t always fit into the grove properly and my iPad would fall down. If you purchase this, make absolutely sure to put some pressure on the stand to confirm it’s aligned properly. Even while properly put in its stand, any movement of the surface would knock the iPad out of alignment. I was in constant fear of it dropping yet again out of the ZAGGMate.

The actual case did nothing to protect the sensitive back of the iPad which was yet another disappointment with this product. The padding around the sides is minimal and I actually scratched the front of my iPad while putting it in the case (ironically, I had a screen protector so it was fine).

The only positives I could find about this keyboard case combo was that it is extremely light and adds little weight to your iPad. It also allows for charging the iPad while in the case. Charging the internal battery of the keyboard is done by the less popular Micro USB cable.

Pros: Minimalist keyboard that integrates a case
Cons: Case very difficult to use, provides minimal protection, keyboard small and awkward to use

One out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The JuicePack comes with a USB charging cable in order to charge the battery, but requires the user to bring their own charge cable for their devices. This is a bonus in my book since I have a plethora of iPhone charge cables. The JuicePack will also provide a passthrough charge to any device connected to it.

For portability, I use the Scoche flip-sync cable which fits nicely on my keychain so I’ve always got an iPhone cable handy. The fact you can use the Powerstation for a variety of devices is a great feature. I was able to provide top-off charges to my iPhone, iPad, and my MiFi all from this device and still had some power left over

Unlike other external batteries, the Powerstation will provide a 2.1A charge for the iPad, though it won’t fully charge the iPad. To track how much charge is left it uses a series of six white lights. A status button is located on the top of the battery to quickly check how much is left. An additional switch allows you to turn off the battery’s output once you’ve got enough charge.

At $99 retail, this is a bit pricey, but will be of great value if you have multiple devices needing a charge. Lightweight, powerful and ergonomic is a win in my book

Pros: Lightweight with substantial capacity
Cons: A bit expensive

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

We’ll give a whole new meaning to the term chips and bytes. Chat with your fellow Mac enthusiasts as well as buy sell trade equipment.

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The capacity is rated at 3000 mAh, which claims to add 11 hours of talk time for your iPhone. While I could not fully test that, I was able to take a almost dead iPhone 4 to a full charge.

The most surprising feature of the BluePack was its weight. Even though it is high capacity, the device only weights 3.2 ounces and is similar shape and size to the iPhone 4.

Another feature of the BluePack S8 is a built-in flashlight. At first I thought that was a silly feature, until I travelled with it (which would be a common use of an external battery pack), and needed a flashlight in the middle of the night. Then I saw the light, literally

The accessories the BluePack comes with are also quite handy. For one, it does a fast charge with a dual USB AC adapter. While you can use this for the S8, it works well for other devices. Additionally it has a USB to 30-pin iOS adapter, a USB Mini and a USB Micro cable. Since the charger provides a standard USB port, you can use either the included USB adapter or bring your own if you have a speciality one.

A great feature not always found in external batteries is the ability to charge your USB device while the S8 is charging. Plug the S8 into the wall and then your iPad or iPhone into the S8. Both devices get the necessary charge.

Overall, the BluePack S8 is a perfect balance of price, performance and features and I strongly recommend it as an external battery charger.

Pros: Great capacity, very portable, flashlight and adapters
Cons: Carrying case, cable length

Five out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Kensington’s PowerGuard case with integrated external battery has great potential but fails to deliver in critical areas. However, it is one of the least expensive out there, so it might be a good option for those who are price conscious.

While priced similar to other integrated battery cases, the case weighs more ,yet has the least capacity of the cases I reviewed: 1200 mAh. Kensington reports for an iPhone 4 use this adds 4 hours of extra talk, 5 hours of video, or 22 hours of music. My experience is consistent with that claim.

One of the key flaws of the PowerGuard case will be encountered immediately: opening the darn thing. Unlike other cases that have easy hinges, the PowerGuard requires a coin or flat-head screwdriver to separate the bumper from the battery. Apply too much pressure and you’ll crack the plastic tabs like I did! If you are out in the field and need to change to another case–good luck.

Another flaw is lack of a capacity indicator. Most external battery chargers include LEDs or other indicators to know how much capacity is left in the battery. The PowerGuard has one light that indicates whether or not you have a charge.

One nice feature is the fact it has a slot in the back that you can use the supplied credit-card like plastic card to create a horizontal stand. I doubt if anyone will actually use the supplied card; I already carry enough of those in my wallet. Finally, my loyalty card for the grocery store has some use!

If price is the critical factor, the Kensington PowerGuard might be a good option for you if you don’t need to remove your iPhone from the case that often. Otherwise spending a bit more on another case will get you a better value with less frustration.

Pros: Inexpensive, kickstand slot
Cons: Difficult to separate the case, lack of capacity and capacity indicator

2 out of 5 Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The Kensington Travel Battery Pack and Charger provides a nice jolt of battery power while you are on the road and gives you a handy horizontal viewing stand as well. However at its retail of $70 and street price of around $40, other chargers provide a greater value.

I was generally disappointed in the design of this device. The Travel Battery Pack and Charger has an integrated USB connector, but beware, it’s quite short and I had trouble charging the pack with my USB hub and other USB charging devices. Kensington claims the integrated USB tip is a feature since it’s all you need to carry, but I found it an annoyance as its weight made it fall out of my Apple-supplied iPhone charger. The device was an awkward size of 1.50″ x 2.75″ x 6.00″ making it difficult to carry in my jeans pocket or in my laptop bag.

As a charger it delivered 1500 mAH of power which Kensington claims amounts to 23 hours music, up to 7 hours of video and up to 5 hours of talk time. The ergonomics of the device made it near impossible to hold the iPhone and keep the battery connected: this device was simply not designed with talking in mind.

Using the Travel Battery pack while on a flat surface was completely acceptable. The dock protector was an integrated horizontal viewing stand for the iPhone which made it easy to use on the plane to catch up on my TV viewing. I also liked the 6 blue LEDs indicating exactly how much of a charge was left.

While better values exist in external battery chargers, some users might find the “kickstand” cap a neat feature for their extended video viewing needs on the iPhone and others might value the integrated USB port that eliminates the need for a cable. I certainly didn’t and after testing, this devicehas been sitting on the shelf unused. It’s a design that just didn’t work for me.

Pros: A sizable 1500 mAH of power, integrated USB port and horizontal kickstand
Cons: Bulky, difficult to use the short USB connector, difficultly using the phone while charging.

2 out of 5 Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

Sometimes your iPhone needs a bit of a power boost to make it through the day, just like it’s owner might need a cup of coffee or a shot of the latest energy drink. The Dexim P-Flip™ Foldable Power Dock is small, powerful external battery that will get you to the end of the day and then some, with a few extras to make it a great value.

The P-Flip is an external 2000 mAh battery charger and claims to provide up to 6 hours talk time, 10 hours video/gaming or 40 hours music. My real world tests were consistent with this claim. Folded up it’s about the size and thickness of a business card holder, 2”x3” and weights about 9 ounces.

It’s designed to be used as an iPhone 4 stand for Facetime conversations or simply a convenient way to use the phone while charging via its USB mini cable since it can provide power to the iPhone 4 while charging. I was able to use the P-Flip while holding the phone up to my ear, but it was a slight bit awkward. I kept this in my pocket and used it for an extra power boost while taking a break for lunch or dinner while on the road.

Included with the P-Flip™ is a clear bumper case to provide a tight fit in the stand for an iPhone 4, but the device works fine to charge a naked iPhone or while using some of the other popular iPhone cases. However, if you use a full wraparound case for your iPhone you’ll most likely need to remove it while using the P-Flip. No big deal given the number of naked iPhone 4s I see in the wild.

Dexim boasts that they also provide a free alarm clock iPhone app that’s designed to compliment the P-Flip. The idea is with the P-Flip you can use it as a replacement for your standard beside clock. The app works fine but doesn’t really take advantage of any special feature of the P-Flip. Nothing negative, but it’s more a marketing gimick than providing anything useful.

If you need a bit of a power boost throughout the day and run your iPhone 4 naked or with a minimal bumper, the P-Flip™ Foldable Power dock is a great option.

Pros: Powerful, lightweight and easy to use.
Cons: Need to use either their bumper or a minimal case

8 out of 10

If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can use these devices to remotely access your files and computer from anywhere in the world. Why lug a laptop around when you’ve got a portable computer right in your had?

Meetings are always free and questions are always welcome, even if it isn’t about the topic being discussed. A door prize will also be given out to an attendee. Go to http://www.laugks.org for more info or contact Dave Greenbaum, 785-218-9676, dsg@mac.com to be notified of upcoming meetings.

The meeting opened up with introductions and recent Apple news. This was followed by the above presentation.

The meeting concluded with our monthly door prize, which included a Hard Candy iPhone 4 Case from Hard Candy Cases, Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPad from Wiley and a copy of CrossOver courtesy of Codeweavers.

Check us out on the web and subscribe to the podcast at http://laugks.org/.

The Chargeblock has an impressive 1500 mAh of power which provides up to 19 hours of audio and up to 5 hours of talk time, yet weights a little over an ounce. The ergonomics of the device are outstanding. The shape and size of the charger is similar to that of a cigarette lighter and fits easily into a pocket, purse, or laptop bag. Unlike a cigarette lighter, the top case that protectors the 30-pin connector is detachable and might get lost over time, which is a minor annoyance.

Unlike any other external battery charger for the iPhone I’ve ever tested, the Chrgeblock was 100% usable while talking on the phone. It unobtrusively added a curved bottom to the phone and didn’t fall out during conversations. More than once I forget that it was an add-on to my iPhone and not part of it. Incidentally it worked great with my iPad as well.

The charger uses a series of 3 red lights to indicate the charge status. Around the edges is six blue lights that “dance” around the device while charging. This was a cool sci-fi feature but did get somewhat annoying while charging in a small hotel room. I had dreams of Cylons and Colonial Vipers.

This charger has become a trusted companion that I carry with my practically everywhere! If you’re looking for a few ounces of iOS power to get you through your day, the Chargeblock XL is all you need.

Pros: Excellent capacity, balanced design and affordable
Cons: Wish they made an energy drink to help the iOS device user get through the day

FIve out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings

The Technocel PowerPak XT is a combination USB charger and external battery pack that I highly recommend as a great combination for anyone who travels and needs a little extra power boost now and then. Because it has a USB port and a AC power plug, you can charge your iPhone (or iPad in “slow-charge “mode) and charge the device’s own battery at the same time.

Ironically, the device comes with a variety of USB adapters to charge mobile phones but not those made by Apple–you’ll have to bring your own cable for that. The PowerPak has a 1600 mAh internal lithium ion battery which claims up to 4 1/2 hours of extra talk time. Actual usage was consistent with this claim as my iPhone charge went up by 50% after the Technocel was drained.

The device is about the size of a Macbook charger (sans cables) and can easily fit into most pockets. It has a matte finish and curved edges making it powerful and visually pleasing (and won’t grind into your leg while in your pocket). Carrying an iPhone charge cable with you could be annoying though – I used the Scosche Flipsync portable charger to avoid this problem.

Technocel claims the device can hold its charge for a year. While I couldn’t test that, I did leave it fully charged and unplugged and still got the 50% increase in my iPhone 4’s battery when I plugged it into the PowerPak XT.

Four red LEDs indicate the current capacity left in the battery or whether the device is charging, depending on the situation. Knowing how much of a charge is left in the external battery is always helpful

This is a smart design as it replaces the standard iPhone charger but also provides you a extended battery pack for just a bit more space and size. Because it’s a pass through USB charger, you can use it in a variety of combinations to charge other devices either with the included USB cables or those provided by the manufacturer.

Pros: Universal design provides charging and battery backup at the same time
Cons: Doesn’t come with iPhone charging cable

Four out of Five Dogcows

This article used with permission by the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group. The original article written by David Greenbaum aka DoctorDave™ or incorrectly Dr. Dave can be found here.
RSS Feed for Dave’s writings