Nowadays your Operating System’s Antivirus protection is as good as most payware. A US study shows however that older generations of computer user are still paying for Antivirus apps, when they really don’t need to. Check out ZDNet‘s article about the subject here to learn more, then type Antivirus into this Blog’s search field to see my other blog entries on this topic.
Want to leave notes on your phone/computer by talking to it?
Now you can use AI to do a better job of entering notes onto your mobile devices and computers, simply by talking into the microphone. Discover more about ChatGPT’s Speech to Text in a recent MakeUseOf post here.
Signing documents with your mobile device
Ever needed to sign a document from your mobile phone? Check out CNet‘s article here to discover how you can do precisely that.
Mobile updates to Google Maps and Waze
Google Maps has saved me more than once whilst traveling. One time saving me more than several hours by automatically directing me around some road mayhem. Google has recently announced additional features in Google Maps and Waze for Carplay to further enhance your mobile navigation experience. Discover more in the Macrumors post here.
Apple’s built-in obsolescence
I’m not completely anti-Apple, as I’m writing this on an old MacBook Pro (I hate upgrading devices needlessly when the existing kit still works fine). I regularly use this Apple notebook, an iPad, an iPod, and several Apple TV’s. I do however have concerns over how quickly Apple devices become “unsupported”. For example my 2019 iPad no longer works with my Apple TV 4K, which is insisting I place a more recent iPad or iPhone next to it so that I can make changes to the device’s Settings; which I am now unable to do now as the iPad has suddenly become “unsupported”
Interestingly I’m able to run the latest version of the macOS operating system on an old 2011 “unsupported” Mac notebook computer. Watch Anson Alexanda’s YouTube video below to discover how this is possible and more about Apple’s built-in obsolescence .
Vinyl records to digital files
If like me you have a treasured vinyl record collection; turning your favorite tracks from those records into digital files will enable you to play your music on mobile apps when you are in the car or away from home. For example I also use Apple iTunes on a computer attached to my sound system at home to play both my old vinyl tracks as well as more recent downloaded music. The conversion process is not as difficult as you might think, just time consuming. Discover more in the YouTube video below from Sound Matters.
Free no download video chat app
The FastCompany folks have just published an article about a free video chat app similar to Zoom, Meet, Skype, etc., that doesn’t require a download, sign up, sign in, sharing of personal information etc. If this sounds interesting to you, check out thier article here.
Using Apple AirPlay with Roku devices
You can now use Apple AirPlay to stream your Apple devices to a Roku device attached to your TV. Tom’s Guide has published an article explaining how to do it – read about the steps to accomplish this here. Note that some older devices may not be supported.
Using CC (and BCC) when sending emails
A lot of people don’t use, or even know what CC means when addressing and sending an email. CC stands for Carbon Copy. Read the HowStuffWorks article here to discover more about this useful capability.
What is even more useful is BCC – which stands for Blind Carbon Copy. I use this all the time when sending emails to a group of people where you don’t want all the recipients to know who else has received the email. This is important when you think the email might be forwarded on to others (such as when you are forwarding funny jokes, stories, etc., that you have received) and you don’t want your recipients email addresses to be exposed to other people further down the track. These type of emails are a great hunting ground for nefarious actors who collect email addresses to then sell to scammers. I’ve had my email address scraped like this from emails sent to me, that then get forwarded on by another recipient to a new set of people. It is possible for your email to be forwarded hundreds of times by many people, and the exposed email addresses eventually end up with people you you don’t know.
So be kind to your friends by hiding their email addresses using BCC when you think the email might be forwarded on again.
5 NordVPN settings you need to change
PCWorld have published an article with recommendations for making Settings changes in the NordVPN app; a very popular VPN solution. Read about those suggestions here.
Amplify sounds with your iPhone
Apple iPhone & iPad devices have a feature called Live Listen that enables you to amplify sounds around you. Read Gadget Hacks‘ article here to learn how to listen in on your heartbeat, better hear your TV, or spy on conversations around you.
Edit PDF documents for free
The Laptopmag guys have recently published an article discussing how you can edit a PDF document without paying for an Adobe subscription. If you are happy to edit your documents in the cloud via a web interface, read how you can do it here.
How to move MS Authenticator to a new device.
If you use Microsoft’s Authenticator app and now need to move it to a new mobile device, Geeky Gadgets has published an article describing how to migrate the app’s two-factor codes to your new device. Read how to do it here.
Your iPhone can help you sleep
Huffpost has just exposed an iPhone background sounds feature that can help you sleep or focus. Discover more here.
How to share your location with others
The Verge just published an article discussing how you can share your current smart phone location with others using apps such as Google Maps, WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc. Read about it here.