We’ve been so busy in the South Burlington Service department this week that I didn’t have the time to ponder about a good topic for this week’s Tech Tails article. Instead, I’m bringing you a few random thoughts.

On a recent Saturday I was on one of those long tech support calls where there’s a lot of time for general conversation because the customer’s computer is doing something that takes a while. This customer asked how to properly pronounce the name of Apple’s current operating system. Thinking OS X is pronounced OS “Ex” is a common misconception.

The “X” in the name is just a roman numeral representing the version number of the system, the number 10. Think of it as a cool marketing tool. Every poster for a new operating system can have a big X on it done up in various designs. Much hipper than a number 10. Apple lays it out in “this support document.”:http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22541 You can even ask your computer–open up the Terminal application and type in the following:

say “OS X”

The second item on the agenda is a nifty little app I recently discovered called “Caffeine”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fcaffeine%2Fid411246225%3Fmt%3D12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 (available in the new Mac App Store). The first cool thing is that it’s free; free is always good. Second, it’s called Caffeine, I’m a hard core coffee junkie so… Third, it keeps my Mac awake when I want it to be and sleeping when I don’t. Basically, it puts a little coffee cup (yum) in my menu bar. If I click it it turns black and the Mac will ignore its current energy saver settings and stay on no matter what. If I click it again, it turns grey and the Mac follows my energy saver instructions. I like to keep my energy saver to sleep the monitor after a minute, so it goes off quickly when I’m away from the computer.

Finally, check out the iPad app “Project.”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fproject%2Fid404942717%3Fmt%3D8%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 There’s not much I can really say about this magazine app from Virgin founder Richard Branson–I believe it needs to be experienced rather than read about! I believe it’s free (at least for a limited time) so there is zero risk to try it. I hope that magazines on the iPad move in this direction. Some come close like the interactive editions of National Geographic and Popular Mechanics, but most are just literal digital versions of an analog device. Boring. Check out Project–you will not be disappointed!

A common question that we get at Small Dog about using the touch pad keyboards on Apple devices is __”How can I get ‘Caps Lock’ to stay on?”__ It is totally possible, and you’ll be typing in caps in no time!

The trick is that you need to go to *Settings,* click on *General,* then you will want to go to the *Keyboard* option, and then click on that. Under the *Keyboard* settings you will see *Enable Caps Lock;* make sure it is on.

Once you have followed the instructions above you will now have the option to use ‘Caps Lock’ in any of your Apps. When you’re typing (let’s say in an email) and you want to write something in all caps, you need to find the little up arrow on your keyboard; it will appear on the left side.

If you tap that arrow once, it will turn white and will make the next letter you type a capital letter, but the it will go back to lowercase. If you tap the up arrow twice, it will turn blue and that means whatever you type will show up *IN CAPS.* If you want to turn the capitalization option off, simply hit the arrow once more.

Happy typing!

“Image Source”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/123chromapixels/2991450281/

Today, Apple announced a partnership with Verizon Wireless which will officially bring the iPhone 4 to the carrier’s network. Lowell McAdam, President and COO of Verizon, made the highly anticipated announcement at a press conference held in New York City earlier this morning. Tim Cook, Apple’s COO, joined McAdam and Verizon CEO Dan Mead on stage to discuss the device’s launch and hardware details. McAdam offered the following on the newly established partnership:

bq. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”

The iPhone itself appears to be virtually identical to its current AT&T based counterpart, save for hardware modifications enabling it to run on Verizon’s CDMA-based network. Among the features highlighted at the conference were the device’s 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, and A4 processor.

The iPhone is slated to become publicly available at Apple and Verizon Wireless stores nationwide on Thursday, February 10th. Qualified existing Verizon Wireless customers will be offered an exclusive pre-order opportunity beginning February 3rd–a week ahead of general availability.

Though specific plan and rate details were not discussed, the Verizon iPhone 4 will be priced inline with Apple and AT&T’s current offerings. For qualified users, with a new two-year agreement, the 16GB version of the device will retail for $199, and the 32GB for $299. Perhaps the most exciting exclusive feature of the CDMA based phone is its ability to act as a 3G Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices.

Since the first generation iPhone debuted in mid-2007 as an AT&T (then Cingular) exclusive, Verizon Wireless users have been eager to get their hands on the remarkably innovative device. While numerous 3rd party manufacturers have attempted to clone the device for the competing carrier, none have come close to the usability and design perfection achieved by Apple throughout the phone’s lineage. After years of squashed rumors and envy, Verizon customers have finally had their day. Tim Cook commented:

bq. “Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it, We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”

We’ll be sure to provide updates on additional features exclusive to the Verizon version of the iPhone 4, data plans, and rates as the information becomes available.

To learn more about the iPhone 4 click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/iphone/
To read Apple’s full press release, click “*here.*”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/01/11iphone.html

Presenting the iWaited Merit Badge, dedicated to the brave campers who waited and waited for the iPhone to come to Verizon.

Grab the badge and post it to Facebook, your blog, etc. to show that you’ve demonstrated patience and perseverance in the face of overwhelming temptation.

Congratulations Camper!

__For the record, we love AT&T. Most of us have iPhones on the AT&T network and are very happy with our service. But for those that need Verizon, it’s great that you finally have an iPhone option. It’s still the best smartphone out there.__