All posts tagged iPhone

Weekend Distraction: Can Knockdown 3 for iPhone and iPad

Screen shot 2013-05-17 at 6.26.31 PMI enjoy a game that requires little or no learning curve, and something I can dip in and out of without any thought or fuss.

Can Knockdown 3 is a game that meets these criteria.

You are given three baseballs and your job is to knock down some cans. Simple, right?

It is simple at first, as you are given the opportunity to learn how to toss the ball, and get comfortable with the ‘weight’ of the ball, and figure out the best tosses to get it to your target.

But as you move along, the cans (of course) grow in number, and are stacked creatively, making it more difficult to knock down the batch. Continuing on, you’ll come across more challenges, such as swinging obstacles, or special switches. There are cans that blow up and cans that score you an extra ball.

This is a physics puzzler, and it’s up to you to figure out the best spot to place your shot in order to tumble the most cans.

It’s a good go-to when you have a few moments of time to kill. But be warned… you may find yourself spending far more time tossing balls than you expect!

Can Knockdown 3 is 99¢ in the iTunes Store and works on both the iPhone and the iPad

6 Comments
by sharechair on May 17, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Apps, Games, iPad, iPhone, Puzzle, Weekend Distraction
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Posted by sharechair on May 17, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/weekend-distraction-can-knockdown-3-for-iphone-and-ipad/

A Keyboard Shortcut for Punctuation on your iPad and iPhone

As part of my month-long anniversary series, some posts will include information covered previously. Hopefully this way new readers get to see things they missed and older readers might be reminded of things they have forgotten. (This “forgetting” thing happens to me, too!)

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When you type on your iPad or iPhone, and you need to insert punctuation, you have to TAP the 123 button, then TAP the selected punctuation, and then TAP the ABC button so that the keyboard will return to the alphabet.

That’s 3 taps for each time you need to punctuate. Whew. That’s a lot of tapping.

Here is how to accomplish inserting your punctuation with just ONE tap:

When you get to the moment that you need punctuation, place your finger on the 123 button and HOLD. Now, SLIDE your finger to the punctuation you need, and then RELEASE. Tap – Slide – Release

Poof!

Your punctuation appears in your text, and your keyboard returns to the alphabet so that you can continue typing.

Give it a try: Touch the 123 ….. keep your finger on the screen ….. slide to the punctuation you want…. and release. Cool, huh? :cool:

Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

17 Comments
by sharechair on May 15, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, How to's, iPad, iPad tips, iPhone, iPhone tips, Keyboard Shortcut
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Posted by sharechair on May 15, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/a-keyboard-shortcut-for-punctuation-on-your-ipad-and-iphone/

How to Set Bookmarks on your iPhone

Yesterday’s blog post covered how to set bookmarks on your iPad. I was going to include the iPhone in that post, but the bookmarking process is just different enough to deserve its own post.

How to set up bookmarks on the iPhone:

Go to your favorite website in Safari. For this example, I chose Goodreads.

Tap the action-arrow at the bottom of the screen.

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Several choices will pop up. Select Bookmark.

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This new screen (below) will pop up. It gives you the opportunity to re-name the bookmark. Once you do (or don’t do) this, just tap ‘save’.

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When you want to SEE the websites that you have bookmarked, just open Safari and tap on the BOOK symbol on the bottom of the page.

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You will see all of your bookmarked websites (and a few that Apple has already bookmarked for you). Tap on any of them, and you are taken to the linked website.

Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

5 Comments
by sharechair on May 14, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, How to's, iPhone, iPhone tips, Organization, Tech Tips
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Posted by sharechair on May 14, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/how-to-set-bookmarks-on-your-iphone/

Keyboard Hints for your iPhone and iPad

As part of my month-long anniversary series, some posts will include information covered previously. Hopefully this way new readers get to see things they missed and older readers might be reminded of things they have forgotten. (This “forgetting” thing happens to me, too!)

Screen shot 2013-05-06 at 8.22.37 PMTwo of the earliest posts on this blog were quite simple but also quite helpful.

First, how to lock the caps key on the keyboard of your iPhone or iPad, so you don’t have to keep tapping it in order to type a series capital letters.

Although no one likes to read a “shout” (typing in all caps), sometimes it is necessary to type that way. And when you do, it is as simple as a double-tap.

To type in caps, just double tap the up-arrow. It will turn blue. When it is blue, any typing you do will be in caps. To return to regular-type, just tap it again.

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Another handy hint that I often forget about (until I need it!) is how to find an umlaut or tilde or other little letter-symbols on your iPad or iPhone keyboard.

Here is how to find an umlaut et al:

Just tap and HOLD your finger on a letter. If there are surprises to be found, they will pop up and you can select them. Here is a screen shot as I held the “U”.

Try it yourself and see what you find. Not all letters harbor surprises, but many of them do. :)

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Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

15 Comments
by sharechair on May 6, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, How to's, iPad, iPad tips, iPhone, iPhone tips
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Posted by sharechair on May 6, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/keyboard-hints-for-your-iphone-and-ipad/

Weekend Distraction: Van Gogh Tiles and Monet Tiles for iPad and iPhone

Photo Skitch Document-4Last weekend, I suggested a tour through an art museum as a “Weekend Distraction.” This weekend I’m continuing the “art” theme as I share two puzzle games: Van Gogh Tiles (and Monet Tiles).

One of my readers, Christine, suggested that I try Monet Tiles. (I love to get recommendations!) I downloaded it at once, along with it’s companion app, Van Gogh Tiles. Same game, just (obviously) two different artists.

You are given 3 different ways to solve the puzzle of a scrambled painting. Easiest to hardest. That’s 3 different puzzle approaches to EACH painting. And there are many paintings to solve in each app.

The easiest puzzle presents you with a tiled picture, and you must rearrange the tiles to solve the puzzle. Just tap two tiles to swap their positions. As you work, if you need a peek at the actual painting, just touch the “view” button on the bottom right side of the screen, and the painting will appear so that you can develop your plan to solve the puzzle.

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Here (below) is the screen view of the full painting after tapping “view”. Just tap the picture again, and it returns to your puzzle.

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The “medium” puzzle requires you to rotate the tiles. Again, you can always tap “view” to give yourself clues.

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And finally, the hardest puzzle form is a combination of both rotate AND swap the tiles.

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This is a lovely, relaxing puzzle game. (My only objection disappointment is that when you initially open the game, you are greeted with an advertisement that you have to close. Not a big deal, but, note-to-developer: it seems to me that if you are paying for a game you should not have to close an ad.)

Van Gogh Tiles is $1.99 in the iTunes store.

Monet Tiles is $1.99 in the iTunes store.

Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

5 Comments
by sharechair on May 3, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Apps, iPhone, iPad, Puzzle, Weekend Distraction
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Posted by sharechair on May 3, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/weekend-distraction-van-gogh-tiles-and-monet-tiles-for-ipad-and-iphone/

Weekend Distraction: Stroll through the National Gallery (London) on your iPad and iPhone

Photo Skitch Document-12This is special. Really special. No bells or whistles. Nothing to solve. No villains to capture or chase. Just pure 100% enjoyment.

This is an awesome app that lets you enjoy the art at the National Gallery in London without having to leave your comfy chair.

Photo Skitch Document-16There is a free and a paid version, and I am going to use the London Gallery (free version) on my iPad for the samples I show here. The paid version of this app is basically the same as the free one except that it has a LOT more art (1600!) and a LOT more music.

The interface is simple and clean. The art speaks for itself.

When you open the app, you see a page like the one below. Choose your century and lose yourself in the art of the times. Also notice on the bottom left side of the screen, in addition to sorting by century, you can also sort by Genre or by Name.

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Scroll through the paintings. They look gorgeous on the iPad. And if you would like, you can listen to some included classical music as you browse (several selections are included on the free version, many more on the paid one).

Any action you wish to take is clearly visible on the edges of your screen. Tapping the star in the upper right corner marks the painting as a “favorite”. The HD in the lower center gives you the option of downloading an HD version of the painting you are viewing.

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Touching the action arrow in the lower left hand corner brings up a menu so that you can share the painting in several ways, or save it to your own camera roll. By saving it to the camera roll, you can use any painting as wallpaper for your lock screen or home screen on your iPad or iPhone. :)

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National Gallery, London HD free in the iTunes store

National Gallery, London HD full version is $1.99 in the iTunes store

22 Comments
by sharechair on April 26, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Apps, iPad, iPhone, Weekend Distraction
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Posted by sharechair on April 26, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/weekend-distraction-stroll-through-the-national-gallery-london-on-your-ipad-and-iphone/

Macro Photography on your iPhone: How to Lock the Focus

Photo Skitch Document-5Although the iPhone isn’t a replacement for a “real” camera, it can take excellent photos.

In addition to general photography, it can do an amazing job on close-up (macro) photos.

Just hold the iPhone about 4 inches from your subject, and you will be surprised at the detail you can capture.

However, while you are trying to get your subject into focus, you may be frustrated because every time you move a bit to recompose the shot, (even ever so slightly), the iPhone camera adjusts and refocuses. Argh!

There is a way to “lock” the focus in place and solve this problem, but the feature is a little hard to find.

Here is how to lock your macro focus on your iPhone:

Move your iPhone to within about 4 inches from your subject.

Put your finger on the screen on top of the subject of your photo.

You will see a square appear under your finger. Hold your finger in place against the screen and the square will start pulsating. Take your finger off the screen.

As you lift your finger, you will see the words “AE/AF Lock” appear at the bottom of the screen. This means that the focus is now locked and you can make your small adjustments to the photographic composition without the camera shifting out of focus, again.

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The lock is ‘released’ after you take a shot, so if you are going to take more photos, you will have to put your finger on the screen each time to enable the lock.

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Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

25 Comments
by sharechair on April 21, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, How to's, iPhone, iPhone tips, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on April 21, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/macro-photography-on-your-iphone-how-to-lock-the-focus/

Weekend Distraction: Skill Game for your iPad and iPhone

Screen shot 2013-04-19 at 10.21.38 AMI enjoy games that have a short tiny itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny learning curve. This game is one of those. Just download it and start to play.

The only problem is that you may find yourself sucked down a rabbit hole. You may plan to only play for a few minutes and suddenly you find that a great amount of time has passed. :)

The challenge? Connect the dots.

That’s it.

Connect the dots in numerical order.

Here are the rules:

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Sounds simple, right?

It is surprisingly challenging. I’ve been stuck now several times, but I always want to go back and try another.

As you can see on this screen, I am not in a very good position to connect to dot number 7. Some forward planning is important as you tackle each challenge. Clearly I didn’t give this one enough thought.

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Here I took it a little further. I got to the number 7 …. but now, getting to number 11 looks daunting. I think I’m going to abandon this game and start again (with a little more planning).

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This is a great go-to when you have a few minutes to pass while you wait for something going on in your real life. :)

Rated with 4 1/2 stars in the iTunes store with over 2 million downloads.

Skill Game is currently FREE in the iTunes store.

6 Comments
by sharechair on April 19, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Apps, iPad, iPhone, Weekend Distraction
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Posted by sharechair on April 19, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/weekend-distraction-skill-game/

Truth in Comics: Smartphones can be Dangerous in the Hands of a Dummy

My dear blogging friend Tilly who writes the Laughing Housewife, sent me this wonderful comic.

Funny, yes. And full of wisdom. There are oodles of people who regret their photo-sharing adventures. Anthony Weiner comes to mind, as well as Mark Foley. Even the employees at the (gasp) FBI are not immune.

Cheating is also a biggie for dumb smartphone users, as demonstrated by this cheating scandal.

I love the punchline: A Smartphone is only as smart as its user.

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10 Comments
by sharechair on April 18, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in iPad, iPhone, My Thoughts About Things
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Posted by sharechair on April 18, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/truth-in-comics-smartphones-can-be-dangerous-in-the-hands-of-a-dummy/

Boston: Tech and Terror

Screen shot 2013-04-16 at 8.37.02 AMSuch a horrible event yesterday, in Boston. Many of us were first alerted to the explosion by a tweet or a news headline displayed on our smartphones. What followed was continuing coverage on the news channels, twitter feeds, and the internet.

Horrific events have (sadly) often occurred over the years. But at no time in history have these events been so well documented.

Not only are cities blanketed with security cameras, but nearly every person has a smartphone in their pocket, with camera capability. Instead of relying on a single cameraman sent from a news outlet, we have hundreds of videos from countless perspectives, all filming the event as it unfolds.

I think we live in an age of Big Brother on Steroids. Cameras are everywhere.

But in a situation like this, this tech-of-the-times is probably a good thing. I have to believe that with all the hours of video that the authorities will collect, they will be able to find … to witness … the bomber doing the deed.

I admit that I am sometimes creeped out by all the cameras, but usually I just don’t think about it anymore. I know London, for example, is almost entirely covered by cameras (not including the private ones). Many other cities are not far behind.

I suppose this is necessary in today’s world. But how sad that it is.

11 Comments
by sharechair on April 16, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in iPhone, My Thoughts About Things, News
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Posted by sharechair on April 16, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/boston-tech-and-terror/

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