Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • How Do I Quit Apps on iOS 4?

    In iOS 4, and presumably in iOS 5, there is an easy way to completely close any apps that are running on your iOS device. Many customers complain about their device’s battery life, and running too many apps in the background can be a major culprit of shorter lifespans.

    Quitting excess apps is a great way to preserve battery life, but you don’t need to always quit every app. For instance, I leave Messages, Mail, iPod and Words With Friends running pretty much all the time. I tend to close apps like Camera, Facebook and CNN when I’m done, as I only use them every couple of days.

    To force quit an app, double-tap the home button (the physical button beneath your device’s screen), and the apps that you have used most recently will show up in a tray beneath the dock. Next, press and hold any app in the tray, and a red minus button will pop up next to it. Simply tap the minus sign to quit the app. If you’ve never closed out of an app, then every app you’ve ever opened will show up. It can be a tedious process to quit every app on your device, but it will save battery life. Perhaps iOS 5 will introduce a “quit all” button.

    Remember, this process does not delete apps, it just quits them so they’re not running in the background and draining battery life. Next time you open an app, it will once again be added to the recently used apps in the multi-tasking tray. If you’d like to maximize your device’s battery life, consider quitting non-essential apps when you’re done with them.

  • Apple Releases iOS 4.3.5

    Earlier this week Apple released iOS 4.3.5, an incremental update focusing primarily on a security issue with certificate validation. Arriving just over a week after iOS 4.3.4, this update marks the second security oriented iOS release in only 10 days.

    According to the support document accompanying the software’s release, the update prevents attackers with privileged network positions from capturing or modifying data in sessions protected by SSL/TLS. A full summary and description of changes can be found “*here.*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4824

    While iOS 4.3.5 does not contain any additional new features, its prompt release does demonstrate that Apple is taking iOS security increasingly more seriously. As the company plans to “cut the cord” with iOS 5 this fall, post-PC devices such as iPad will inevitably replace aging computers for some users–simultaneously making themselves more viable and susceptible for attack.

    The relatively quick release of iOS 4.3.4 a week and a half ago and the very quick debut of 4.3.5 today clearly indicate Apple is paying attention to its community and making attempts to squash bugs soon after they’re identified.

    iOS 4.3.5 is compatible with the following list of devices, and is available via “*direct download*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1431 or through iTunes.

    * iPhone 4 (GSM model)
    * iPhone 3GS
    * iPad 2
    * iPad
    * iPod touch (4th generation)
    * iPod touch (3rd generation)

    iOS 4.2.10 is compatible with the CDMA (Verizon) model of iPhone 4 and is available via “*direct download,*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1432 or by connecting a CMDA iPhone 4 to iTunes.

  • Apple Sells One Million Copies of Lion in 24 Hours

    Last week, Apple announced Mac OS X Lion has already amassed over one million downloads. The freshly debuted operating system reached this impressive sales figure in just 24 hours, making it fastest selling OS release in Apple’s history. The first major OS X release available exclusively through the Mac App Store, Lion’s easy install and relatively low $29.99 price point likely aided in its tremendous early adoption rates.

    Lion has been in the wild for over a week now and, although Apple has yet to disclose additional sales numbers, it is highly probable downloads have surpassed the two million mark. With over 250 new features and refinements to nearly every aspect of previous versions of OS X, it’s easy to see why Lion is a runaway hit. Speaking on the operating system’s excellent reception, Apple senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller offered the following:

    bq. “Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic. Lion is a huge step forward, it’s not only packed with innovative features but it’s incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we’ve ever made.”

    Putting Lion’s success in better perspective, MacRumors “*cites*”:http://www.macrumors.com/2005/06/06/wwdc-keynote-summary/ it took Apple more than a month to sell two million copies of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger when it originally launched in 2005. It’s remarkable to think that Apple may have already exceeded this number in just 48 hours.

    Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is now available on the Mac App Store, and retails for $29.99. To ensure your Mac is compatible and ready to upgrade, click “*here.*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/get-ready-for-lion/

    To purchase Lion, click “*here.*”: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%2Fos-x-lion%2Fid444303913%3Fmt%3D12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30 (opens the Mac App Store)

    *System Requirements:*
    * Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, 15, i7 or Xeon processor
    * Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard
    * 2GB of RAM
    * 7GB available hard drive space
    * Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply
    * Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply

  • MAC TREAT #159: You Call That Natural?!

    I, like Don, have been using Lion since its release and loving it. (Though just for the record, I put it on my personal machine. We’re still BFFs, IT!) I’ve found features that I was specifically waiting for (e.g. Resume, tricked-out Finder) and ones that I hadn’t expected (e.g. Actions in-line in Mail such as Delete, Forward, etc.).

    Another such feature that I didn’t expect was the new “Natural” scrolling in Lion. Because Lion incorporates many of the features prevalent in iOS, the way one scrolls is -backwards- different. Scroll down, and your mouse goes up. Scroll up, and your mouse goes down. I understand that motion on my iPhone; not so much on my iMac.

    Thankfully, the fix is easy if this is bothersome to you as well! Just go to *System Preferences > Trackpad* and uncheck “Scroll direction: natural.”

    *UPDATE* Since this was featured in Kibbles & Bytes, I received a few responses which pointed out that if one does not have a Trackpad (either no laptop or no Apple Trackpad), the Trackpad preferences will not be visible. To that I say, you’re right! If you don’t have a Trackpad attached, you’ll find the same option in the Mouse preferences.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    The Lion is loose! Mac OS X Lion is out and I disobeyed all of the IT department’s admonitions and immediately loaded up the latest and greatest operating system from Apple onto my MacBook Air. (Of course, a few days later my new MacBook Air came in, so I am in the middle of migration. More on that below.)

    Hapy and I have a deal: I get the newest Apple notebooks and he gets the desktops. I have been scoring big time lately as the trend has been toward portable systems. I don’t have a lot to say about the new MacBook Air yet, but as I was working late into the night on the migration, I can say that I really appreciated the backlit keyboard.

    I need to go on a Time Machine rant here. Apple’s Time Machine is reason enough to buy a Mac! My Time Machine back-ups are stored on a drive on my desk so that my MacBook Air is constantly backing up while I am working. Since I had a very current Time Machine back-up on my old computer, all I needed to do was connect it to my new MacBook Air and run Migration Assistant.

    Another reason Time Machine is so great? I do not know the exact cause, but after I upgraded to Lion and Microsoft Office, my Address Book was totally empty. The normal tricks I use to find lost contacts were not working, so being the obsessive kind of guy that I am, I jumped in my car at about 9 PM and went back to the office. Since my back-ups are so up-to-date, after just a few minutes, I was well on my way to restoring my Address Book. Time Machine saves the day again! And it was intuitive, easy and flawless!

    As I gain experience with Lion, I’ll be updating you in future issues of Kibbles & Bytes. I haven’t quite figured out the usefulness of the launch pad yet since my dock pretty much does what I need, but it is another tool.

    We bid a fond farewell to Kibbles author Ben Bonnacio who is leaving Small Dog for a position closer to home, and say hello to Stephanie Reich, who will be stepping into his shoes in the Marketing Department as a new member of the Kibbles & Bytes team.

  • 10.6.8 and Parallels 6

    If you recently upgraded to 10.6.8, are running Parallels 6, and have noticed general slowness, don’t fret. This is a known issue and can be easily fixed. Many of the symptoms include constant slowness (with or without “beach-balling”) and a problematic dock. Some proactive users who check Activity Monitor will notice a 100% CPU usage by the dock.

    The issue is with the “Windows Applications” folder on your dock. Parallels Knowledge Base describes the cause as: “Issue with Core Graphics API compatibility with icons larger than 128×128 pixels that causes Finder to work unstably when accessing files with such icons assigned.”

    There is a quick work-around, and also a resolution.

    Here’s the work-around: remove the folder from your dock (drag it off the dock onto the desktop until you see the virtual puff of smoke).

    Here’s the resolution: upgrade to the latest (free) build of Parallels (12092), which can be found here.:http://www.parallels.com/download/desktop/

  • Lion Tip of the Week: Encrypted Time Machine Back-ups

    Lion brings a slew of new features and interface changes. Some drive me mad: reversed (“natural”) scrolling–thankfully, that can be disabled. But some are great, like the ability to encrypt your Time Machine back-up.

    I don’t have a real need for serious data security measures, but if you back up wirelessly, your back-up is vulnerable to unauthorized access even if you’ve secured your wireless network with a password.

    If you need this added measure of security, open System Preferences from the Apple menu and click on Time Machine. In this preference pane, click Select Disk, select the disk you’re currently using for back-up, and click the box labelled “Encrypt back-up disk.”

    Once encryption is enabled, Time Machine will take many, many hours to encrypt your back-up, and if your back-up disk is accessed wirelessly, your encryption time will go up substantially.

    If interrupted, you run the risk of corruption, so plan to leave your computer on and connected to your back-up disk for quite some time once this process starts. I recommend you connect to your network by ethernet to maximize throughput in the encryption process.

  • How to Lift Your MacBook

    The vast majority of insert/eject problems on Apple laptops are related to how users pick up their machines. It sounds ridiculous, and some people even take offense when I offer a tutorial on how to handle their machines, but if you squash the optical drive opening, that is considered damage and is not covered by your warranty.

    By picking up your laptop with two hands, and avoiding at all costs putting pressure on the optical drive area, you can prevent problems down the line. These range from failure of the optical drive, scratching disks on every insert or eject and failure of the drive to suck a disc in or spit one out.

    When we see this problem, we’re often able to use a non-marring nylon probe tool to pry open the optical drive slot. These tools are thin and rectangular, and by inserting the tapered end a few millimeters into the slot and twisting, the slot can be coaxed open. However, if your optical drive is having issues and your slot is compressed, there cannot be warranty coverage for the problem.

    The non-unibody 17-inch laptops are especially prone to this problem, as the optical drive is right under the wrist rest area, and the slot seems less reinforced than on other models. Plastic MacBooks are also very vulnerable. Apple, recognizing this oversight in design and engineering, made the optical drive slot in unibody laptops much more rigid. This said, you should still make an effort to avoid pressing or squeezing this opening.

  • Apple Announces Replacement Program for 1TB Seagate Hard Drives

    Apple announced late last week a program to replace a “very small number of Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems” sold between May and July 2011. If you did not buy your iMac in this time frame, or have an older iMac with 1TB hard drive, you are not affected and do not qualify for free replacement.

    1TB hard drives installed in other Mac models sold around this time are not affected.

    Apple is always good about owning up to quality problems. The old-style MacBook cracking wrist rest issue is a good example, and any old style MacBook qualifies for free top case replacement regardless of warranty status–as long as the cracking is not a result of abuse or physical damage.

    “Click here to determine whether your computer is affected.”:http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/

    It should be noted that this is an issue with the Seagate hard drive. Seagate is a huge manufacturer of storage products, and Apple had nothing at all to do with the development of the hard drives in question.

  • ROTW: New AirPort Express Won't Connect to the Internet

    I’ve had some calls over the past few days from people who recently had to replace their AirPort Express due to passing storms. In each case, they configured their new base station through AirPort Utility, and the unit had a green status light, but none of their systems could connect to the Internet. When they checked their AirPort settings in Network Preferences, there was a message saying their system had a self-assigned IP address (169.x.x.x).

    Any active network adapter, whether it’s wired or wireless, requires an IP (Internet Protocol) address to talk to other network devices. For most networks, it will be similar to 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. Your cable/DSL modem will have an address as well, which is assigned by your Internet Service Provider. An IP address is either static (meaning it will never change) or dynamic (meaning it can change as needed).

    A web or email server is typically static, since it has to be accessible from anywhere in the world all the time, whereas your iPod is dynamic so you can change wireless networks easily. In order for dynamic addressing to work, something on the network has to hand out IP addresses to devices that connect, so when you walk into the local Starbucks your laptop can automatically join the wireless network. This is known as DHCP–Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

    In your home, this is handled by your router–such as an AirPort Express or a Netgear/Belkin/other brand device–but it needs to be configured to do it. In some cases, this is automatic when you first connect it, but in the case of an AirPort Express, DHCP is turned off by default.

    When you connect to the AirPort Express using the AirPort Utility, there will be a row of buttons on the top–AirPort, Internet, Printers, Disks, and Advanced. Clicking on Internet brings up a screen that says Internet Connection; the last option is Connection Sharing. It’s probably currently set to “Off (Bridge Mode)” but in order for your network to work properly, it needs to be changed to “Share a public IP address.”

    Changing this setting now adds two new options at the top, DHCP and NAT. Click the “Update” button and your AirPort Extreme will restart itself. After about a minute, your system should re-configure itself; you can verify this by checking the Network Preferences for your AirPort. It should now have a valid IP address (usually 10.0.x.x), and Safari should open your home page when you start it.

  • Happy Tuesday,

    After a seemingly endless heat wave, Saturday night brought cool breezes and temperatures in the high sixties. It was over 100 degrees Friday in much of Vermont, and even hotter in my warehouse office without air conditioning. Needless to say, the Mad River is a resource I am very thankful for. Many Small Dog employees at our Waitsfield, VT headquarters head to the river on their lunch breaks, or even just to cool off mid-afternoon.

    While Lion is not yet qualified for use on Small Dog workstations, I borrowed a laptop over the weekend, installed Lion, and poked around a bit Sunday afternoon. I’m a big fan of the new gestures, but seemingly unable to overcome muscle memory to use the new “natural” scrolling feature. I disabled that in the first five minutes.

    Launchpad seems to me unnecessary visual overload, but I’ve used Quicksilver to launch my programs for at least five years, so I’m biased. I don’t understand the appeal of “All My Files” seen in the Finder sidebars: why would you want to scroll through a giant list of files when you can use Spotlight?

    Overall, though, Lion is a substantial step forward in interface and design. We should expect a continued trend towards iOS-like features in Mac OS. As Mac OS X ages and iOS matures, the lines will continue to blur. Some day iOS may succeed Mac OS entirely.

    If you haven’t already, you can “get your copy of Lion here.”: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%2Fos-x-lion%2Fid444303913%3Fmt%3D12%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30

    As always, thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

    Matt
    “matt@smalldog.com”:mailto:matt@smalldog.com