Posted on April 23rd, 2018 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
A reader told us she’s tired of being tracked. We suggest using the new Opera web browser. It’s free and you can get it from Opera.com. Once on board you will have a built-in “Virtual Private Network,” or VPN, as the techies call it. It automatically encrypts all your data so hackers can’t get to it, which makes it safe (at least until the counter-attack) when you’re using free Wi-Fi at the airport or a coffee shop. For your phone, there’s “Opera Free VPN,” from the iPhone or Android app stores. Besides safeguarding your data, it lets you into places you might otherwise not be able to go. For instance, some videos are restricted to certain countries. We’re looking at […]
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Filed under: Apple, browsers, facebook, Internuts, iPad, web | Comments Off on AT THE OPERA
Posted on December 4th, 2017 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Half a century ago Andy Warhol predicted that someday everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. He forgot to mention pets. Now there are websites devoted to making your pet stand out from the crowd. Bowser or Fluffy can even star in their own story book. And of course you can post videos — with background music and sound effects. Don’t worry that people will think you’re some kind of nut, a recent report says 65 percent of pet owners post news of their pets twice a week. Where do they post? On pet social networks, of course. If you search on the phrase “How to Make Your Pet a Star in Social Media,” you’ll get lots of advice. ABC […]
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Filed under: apps, facebook, gadgets, humor, iPad, kids, security | Comments Off on NO CAT CALLS PLEASE
Posted on January 23rd, 2017 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
A reader asked us for our recommendation on the easiest tablet to use – the iPad, the Kindle Fire or something else? The easiest tablet is nearly always the one your friend has, because they’ll help you out. We always regretted getting an iPad for our aunt, because she never learned to use it. All her friends had computers, but they were thumb-dumb when it came to the iPad. If we’d thought of it, we would have told her to watch YouTube videos. There are good ones on every kind of tablet. So, go to YouTube.com and search on “how to use an iPad” or “how to use the Kindle Fire.” What could go wrong? Basically, all tablets are similar: […]
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Filed under: Amazon, Android, apps, gadgets, Google, Internuts, iPad | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 16th, 2015 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Joy lost her iPad Mini at the gym and has been using an old Amazon Fire tablet. The new $50 Fire is better than the old one in many ways. One of the best changes they made was moving the power button.
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Filed under: Amazon, iPad, tablet | Comments Off on AMAZON FIRE
Posted on October 6th, 2015 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
A reader wrote to say his wife has a Kindle and loves reading outdoors. His iPad costs hundreds of dollars more but he can’t read it in sunlight. “Not fair!” he said. “My wife grins at me as I struggle.”
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Filed under: iPad, Kindle | Comments Off on READING IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT
Posted on April 3rd, 2015 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Joy’s friend Frieda asked her how to put mail into folders on the iPad. We find computers more practical for email, so we scratched our heads for a minute before coming up with these simple steps.
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Filed under: email, iPad, iPhone | Comments Off on ORGANIZING MAIL ON THE IPAD
Posted on April 1st, 2015 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
We’ve always been skeptical of those “RealPad” ads in the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) magazine. But readers tell us this senior version of a tablet computer is really neat. RealPad simplifies the user experience. If you can put up with a shorter battery life and a less zippy performance, it could be for you.
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Filed under: apps, gadgets, iPad, tablet | Comments Off on OUR READERS LIKE REALPAD
Posted on December 16th, 2014 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
We were at a launch party for “Suffer No Fools,” a new PBS documentary, when a guy asked us if he should get the latest Kindle or the new iPad Mini. This is a tough question – and he was a tough-looking guy.
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Filed under: books, iPad, Kindle | Comments Off on KINDLE OR IPAD
Posted on December 11th, 2014 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
The new Phone 6 makes text messaging a lot easier. Send a text message to a group, add your map location and your voice, pictures and video. It’s all in the “details.”
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Filed under: Apple, iPad, iPhone, phones | Comments Off on TIPS AND TRICKS FOR YOUR NEW IPHONE 6
Posted on June 17th, 2014 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
For reading books and articles, or watching videos, Joy loves to hold her iPad. But if the urge to write a long letter strikes, there’s nothing like a physical keyboard. Our favorite is the new “Wired Keyboard for iOS devices,” $60 from Griffin Technology. It’s about three-fourths the size of a regular computer keyboard, but still easy to type on and small enough to carry in a tote bag. We found we had to press a little harder than usual to make capital letters, but otherwise it felt as good as other keyboards. Having a wired keyboard can be better than going wireless. You don’t have to pair it with your Bluetooth connection, or worry about batteries. It’s especially handy […]
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Filed under: gadgets, iPad, keyboards | Comments Off on AN IPAD KEYBOARD
