Two-step verification for Apple ID

Apple today announced two-step verification for your Apple ID. I just hope it works as good as it does with my Google login. I don't have as much confidence in Apple when it comes to stuff like this as I do with Google. Even though I personally feel Google does security better it is great to see Apple offer this to its users. This is a step in the right direction and a much needed feature. Currently two-step verification is only available in 5 countries.

If you are not sure how to set-up 2-step verification then please read the Apple FAQ: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5570

When you set up two-step verification, you register one or more trusted devices. A trusted device is a device you control that can receive 4-digit verification codes using either Find My iPhone notifications or SMS to verify your identity.

Then, any time you sign in to manage your Apple ID at My Apple ID or make an iTunes, App Store, or iBookstore purchase from a new device, you will need to enter both your password and a 4-digit verification code as shown below.


After you sign in, you can manage your account or make purchases as usual. Without both your password and the verification code, access to your account will be denied.

You will also get a 14-digit Recovery Key for you to print and keep in a safe place. You will use your Recovery Key to regain access to your account if you ever lose access to your devices or forget your password.

Why developers should focus on iOS

The App Store℠ has over 500 million active accounts

Yesterday Apple released a press statement with some very impressive numbers attached. I am rather impressed at how well Apple has done but I am not surprised in the least. I think this year we will see the 1 millionth application in the app store. Currently that number resides at more than 775,000 app in the App Store.

"The revolutionary App Store offers more than 775,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 300,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 23 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel."


I wonder if any other "App" store can claim 500,000 active accounts? 500,000 active accounts with credit cards on file? Okay so maybe not 500,000 credit cards but I am assuming most of the 500,000 have credit cards attached to them.

Tim Cook critiquing competing tablets from Samsung and Microsoft

Tim Cook talking about tablets from the competition.

What I see, for me, is that some of these are confusing, multiple OSes with multiple UIs [user interfaces]. They steer away from simplicity. We think the customer wants all the clutter removed. We want the customer to be at the center of everything. I think when you start toggling back and forth between OSes and UIs, etc., I don’t think that’s what customers are looking for. I think that customers want tablet-optimized apps. You know, we have 275,000-plus apps that have been optimized for the tablet. If you just stretch out a smartphone app on a tablet, it’s an awful experience. It’s not what customers want. I think it’s another reason that usage is so low on these other tablets.

I don’t doubt that there will be units sold in other tablets. It’s happening today. It will happen in the future. But what I strongly believe is that many people that are doing so might feel good initially if they pay a low price, but will bring it home and start to use it, and they’re no longer satisfied. That good feeling is gone. And those people don’t repeat purchases.

Let me give you an example of this. I was thinking about this the other day. Look at netbooks. Many people thought netbooks were the coolest thing ever. Many companies hyped them. In fact, the sales boomed, and then what happened? They crashed, because they were awful! They were flimsy products with crappy, cramped keyboards. They were underpowered. They were just awful.

So we never went into that category. We never put any time into it. A great product doesn’t mean an expensive product. It means a fair price. The iPad mini is all the way down to $329. This isn’t an expensive product. So when we can do great products and achieve a great price, we feel great. But what we wouldn’t do is say, “We’ve got to have something for this price, and then let’s see what we can do for it.” That’s not how we think. We think about the product and making a great product that we want to use. When we can do that and achieve another price point, that’s great. But our customers have a high expectation, and we’re not going to try to pass off something—we would never do that. That’s not how we think.

You can read the entire article on Mashable.

The iPad Mini Event

Well, if the iPad Mini is real then it will be announced today. This time around Apple is going to stream the event to the world. You can view it on your AppleTV or via your browser. You can check the Apple website for the stream: http://www.apple.com/apple-events/

According to MacRumors you can view the stream on these devices:

The video stream requires Safari 4 or later on a minimum of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, or iOS 4.2 or later for those accessing the stream from a mobile device. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with a minimum of software version 5.0.2.

EarPods by Apple

EarPods by Apple

I have been using the new EarPods for a couple of weeks now since the iPhone 5 launched. I decided to purchase me an additional pair to use with my iPad and figured I should do a quick overview of them. So here is my opinion on the EarPods and what I think about them compared to other earbud style headphones.

The first question most people ask me: “Are they worth the $29 they cost?” This is an easy answer for me, YES! For $29 you get what you paid for, they are not the best earbuds on the market but they don’t cost nearly as much as those high end earbuds cost.
For example, I paid $149 for Beats Tour In-Ear Headphones and if you compare them with the $29 Apple EarPods, the EarPods will be the better buy. They sound almost every bit as good as the high end Beats but at a fraction of the cost. I know most audiophiles do not consider Beats to be high end headphones but they sure are priced like high end components.

The volume rocker on the new EarPods is a nice redesign vs. the old style Apple EarBuds. The older earbuds were a pain in the rear when you wanted to mute your music or lower the volume. They never seemed to work correctly, Apple has changed the design and now you can feel the +/- button raised a tad on the ends and the middle is slightly recessed for easy access to the mute button. This is a very subtle but much needed change to the EarPods.

The bass is deep in the EarPods, much more so than the older earbuds that Apple sold before. I guess it depends on the type of music you listen to, but for me the added bass is a nice touch. I have read several blogs online stating it was too much bass though, again I think this is opinion based on your preferred music genre.

The overall sound of the EarPods is slightly improved over the older Apple earbuds, although they do not seem as loud as the older earbuds. That could be the main reason they sound better, I think before the sound would get drowned out when I would have my iPad on full blast. If you are looking for a decent pair of in-ear headphones with built in microphone and volume switcher built in then I would highly recommend you check out the EarPods.

Highlights:

• Designed by Apple


• Deeper, richer bass tones


• Greater protection from sweat and water


• Control music and video playback


• Answer and end calls

iCloud extended until 2013

Just got an email from Apple stating they extended my 20GB of iCloud storage until 2013 because I was previously a MobileMe subscriber. This is really cool of Apple to extend this to their loyal customers. Little things like this are why I continue to purchase and support the Apple ecosystem. Not only do they make the best computing products in the world they also have the world's best customer service.

When you moved your MobileMe account to iCloud, we provided you with a complimentary storage upgrade beyond the standard 5GB that comes with an iCloud account to help you with the transition. Originally, this storage upgrade was set to expire on September 30, 2012.

As a thank you to our former MobileMe members, we will continue to provide you with this complimentary storage upgrade at no charge, for an additional year, until September 30, 2013.

My Apple Store experience

I originally posted this on my personal blog, but it is about the iPad so I figured I would share it here.

I bought my iPad 2 on day 1, which I believe was March 11, 2011. I can't quite recall off the top of my head, but I am pretty sure that was the official release date. This time around I bought the 64GB 3G iPad (AT&T). I probably had the iPad for about 2 months before I noticed something on the top left of my iPad, LIGHT LEAKAGE. At first it was not that bad, it was a slight yellowish tint/light bleeding through the side of my screen. No worries, or at least I thought, after 3 more months or so I noticed more light leakage in several more spots going down the right side of my iPad, if you were viewing in landscape mode with the home button on your right when facing the screen of the iPad, I now had significant light leakage on my iPad 2.

In the beginning of December of 2011, I picked up my phone and called Apple Support to see what I could do about my problem with my iPad. At first I was told my 90 day complimentary technical support period had already passed and when talking on the phone with the Apple Support assistant I started to think that I was screwed. He was friendly but he kept trying to sell me Apple Care for an extended period of time since my "1 year limited warranty" was due to expire in about 3 months. I was told it would be best to take it to an Apple Store and have my iPad looked at and if it was a hardware issue then I could have my iPad possibly replaced, I was then given an Apple Support case number and asked if I wanted to set up an appointment to take my iPad in. My problem is where I live, the closet Apple Store is in Albany, NY, which is about a 1 hour and 45 minute drive. I told the Apple Assistant my situation and was told that I could hold on to my case number and if I wanted to set up an appointment a later date to just use that number as it was already on file.

At this point I am thinking that I am now the owner of a $829 piece of shit! This past week for the holiday my relatives come to visit me for a few days and it just so happens they want to go Albany for a day of shopping, I decide not to call the Apple Support number to set up an appointment and just decide to bring my iPad 2 with me on the trip and decide what I will do about my iPad when I get there. This is 2 days after Christmas and yes the Apple store was wall to wall with iFans. I walk up to an Apple employee for assistance and tell him problem, he tells me I need to see someone at the Genius Bar so he walks me over to a Macbook Air on display and has me enter my email address and name on a support page for a Genius Bar appointment. He tells me it will be about 15 minutes before anyone can see me, I wait 10 minutes and my name is called. I talk to the Genius and explain my problem with my iPad 2, I have a hard time really showing him the light leakage as you can only see it when you are viewing the iPad in a darkened room and when the screen is dark or black, it will really show up then. He tells me he has seen this problem before, which really surprised me to hear an Apple employee admit that an iPad has a known problem, or any Apple product has a problem for that matter. He takes my iPad into the back room and comes out about 3 minutes later and says he can see the problem areas on my iPad. He tells me that he can exchange my iPad for a new one but he can't promise that the new iPad 2 will not have this same problem, also tells me once he opens it for the exchange that it is mine, I am skeptical as I am thinking he is just trying to keep me from exchanging it, but I explained to him that I use my iPad 2 basically as my 2nd computing device behind my iMac and this flaw was unacceptable. He was very understanding and went into the back room again and returned with a brand new boxed iPad 2 in hand, opened it up in front of me, activated it, restored the new iPad 2 from a back up from my iCloud back-up data then proceeded to wipe my original iPad 2, hopefully my iMessage are not getting sent there still though.

I guess the moral of the story is I walked into an Apple store with a 9 month old iPad 2, no box, no receipt, no proof that I was even the original purchaser of this iPad 2 and I walked out of the Apple store with a brand new iPad 2 with ZERO light leakage from what I can tell so far. Let me see you do that with any electronic device or computer. It is the little things that make Apple products so great, the buying experience is one them, the design of the product down to the way the products are perfectly packaged, the craftsmanship that goes into every device is spectacular, but the customer's buyer satisfaction is 2nd to none. I have been an Apple fan for about 10 years now, ever since I bought my first iPod, I have now amassed 3 Mac's, 6 iPods, 3 iPads, several other Apple devices such as trackpads, magic mouse and keyboards. I have been satisfied with everyone of my purchases. Now I know if I do happen to get that rare dud that Apple will do everything possible to make it right as they did with my iPad 2.

Buy an iPad now and get $50 iTunes card

Purchase a new iPad from Apple in the Education Store and Apple will give you a $50 iTunes Store app gift card. The credit is only good in the iTunes app store though, you can not use the card to knock $50 off the iPad purchase price. You can use the card to purchase: Apps, Music, Movies,  and iBooks.

The Back to School offer will expire on September 21, 2012.



 

Visit the Apple Education Store: http://j.mp/QxAbTw

Total iPad Interview - Derek Ross

I sat down this past week with Derrick Ross of Android Authority and Jennifer Ruggiero my co-host on Total iPad and we discussed the Nexus 7 tablet. It seems Android has finally caught up to iOS in user experience as far as scrolling and smoothness of the UI is concerned thanks to Jelly Bean. I will admit I am also intrigued with the smaller form factor and currently the iPad 'Air' is only a rumor at the moment. I do currently have 2 Android devices in my possession and I have owned several other devices as well, 6 in total. Even though I am a proud iPad owner I will be dammed if Derrick didn't make me want to buy a Nexus 7 by the end of the show.

I started out wanting to compare the iPad to the Nexus 7, but even as Derek points out during the conversation they seem to be 2 different devices and probably not a good comparison. So the conversation was mostly about the Nexus 7 which was perfectly fine with me, I am an iPad guy but I am also intrigued by other devices as well. I hope this discussion will help those on the ropes about which tablet to buy and even though we don't go into great detail about the iPad, I have an entire site dedicated to just about everything there is to know about the iPad. So listen to the discussion and when you are done if you decide the Nexus 7 is not right for you then check out Total iPad for everything you could ever want to know about the iPad.

I would like to thank Derek for taking the time to join Jennifer and I, if you are looking for more great Android discussion and links then you should circle Derek on his Google+ Profile.

You can also circle Jennifer and I on Google+ as well:

Christopher
Jennifer

You can read all about the Nexus 7 here.

Customize Spotlight Search on your iPad

A quick iPad tip on customizing Spotlight Search on your iPad. You can adjust what Spotlight will search for and set what order your want your searches to appear in.

To adjust Spotlight on your iPad do the following:

1. Open the Settings application


2. Tap on the General tab in the left panel


3. Scroll down and find 'Spotlight Search'


4. Remove the check mark from any of the listings you do not want to appear


5. You can re-order by dragging the 3 prong icon in the order you want searches to appear

 

Do you have a question or comment? Try me on Twitter @iCrizzo

Top iPad Stories (July 30 - August 5)

As has been the case for the last month or so the iPad 'mini' rumors are running rampant. We also learned that Apple has really thought about a smaller iPad for a while now as reports have surfaced that Eddie Cue has continually pushed for a smaller iPad. The iPad is the still the most dominant tablet on the market although it is losing some of its market share due to all the other options now available. The iPad 2 still makes up 60% of the iPad web traffic in the U.S. I also have some great links for developers or those who are interested in getting started with developing. If you interested in learning about developing for the iPad be sure to check out the 'Try iOS' link. I also some great reviews, tips and my app pick of the week.

Top Stories:
How the iPad made Apple the top ‘PC’ vendor, and what it means for Windows
Samsung Struggles to Match Apple's Retina Display Quality
Wintek sales spike 61% ahead of Apple's anticipated 'iPad mini'
iPad still owns over 2/3rds of the tablet market
iPad Smart Covers could get a whole lot smarter
Explaining the iOS and Android mobile browser usage disparity
AT&T stores will start moving to iPad-based Point of Sales by early next year
Eddy Cue Wanted A 7-inch iPad In 2011
iPad 2 still going strong: Makes up 60 percent of iPad web traffic in the U.S.
The iPad: Your Next Work Device?
The iPad Halo Effect
The iPad Put A Fork In Personal Computing

iOS Development:
Try iOS iPhone/iPad App Development Course
Kobold2D Xcode 4.4 Compatibility Update
How to Make a Game Like Cut the Rope
Cheddar for iOS is Now Open Source
FilterKit - iOS Framework for easily adding post-processed image filters to your app

Review of the Week:
Frequency - Tune In and Watch Videos

Tip of the Week:
Editing Microsoft Office documents on your iPad

App of the Week:
Projectbook: Notes and To-dos - theory.io

Bonus:
Gold iPad case

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Apple's Smart Case

I recently decided to buy an Apple Smart Case for my 3rd generation iPad. To be honest I have no idea why I bought it, I think it was more of an impulse purchase rather than something I needed. Anyway, here is a short review of the Smart Case with my opinions of it and what you can expect out of the Smart Case.

DESIGN

The Smart Case is made of Polyurethane material outside and a microfiber lining on the inside. The Smart Case comes in 6 different colors: light grey, charcoal, sky blue, lime green, light pink, and red. The Smart Case costs $49 and if you buy the Smart Case from the Online Apple Store you can get it laser-engraved with a personalized message. Apple claims the Smart Case will work with both the iPad 2 and the ‘new’ iPad (3rd Generation). The Smart Case reminds me of a hybrid of the 1st generation iPad cases that Apple sold but with the front of a Smart Case. The front cover is magnetic and your iPad will wake from sleep when lifting the cover, it will also put your iPad to “sleep” when closing the cover on the front.

The case will protect the front and back of your iPad from scratches as well as add a vibrant color to your iPad. The case probably will not protect it from drops nor keep the glass from shattering if you were to drop or if your iPad took a hard knock to the screen. This is more of a wear and tear protection cover rather than a keep my iPad safe from rugged usage.

If you fold the Smart Case back the case will double as a stand so if you have an external keyboard you want to use with your iPad or if you want to prop up your iPad so you can watch a movie it will work for that also. Be warned though, using the Smart Case as a stand feels very flimsy to me and the slightest touch to the iPad and it will start rocking back and forth leaving you with the feeling that it is about to crash land! It will also prop up in 2 other directions: Portrait Mode (be very careful) and Landscape Mode with the iPad laying flat but propped up at an angle.

The Smart Case lines up with all the buttons and ports on your iPad. You can easily access the mute switch or rotation lock button on the side of the iPad. The volume buttons are covered but the Smart Case fits over the top of the button and replaces them with rubber like buttons that allow you to adjust the volume the same way as if you didn’t have your iPad in the Smart Case. I did not have any problem plugging my earphones into the earphone jack. The 30-pin cable will fit into the slot perfectly. I did have a problem using my Apple iPad Dock Connector with my iPad while it was in the Smart Case, my iPad would not fit in the slot of the Dock Connector while it was in the Smart Case.

I have noticed that the outside of the case will dirty up fairly easily, if you have owned an Apple Smart Cover then you know what I am talking about. The Smart Case seems very susceptible to smudges and dirt. You can take a damp cloth and wipe it clean though, just remember it is probably a good idea to remove the iPad first.

COMFORT

The iPad will snap into the Smart Case fairly easily and it just wraps around the sides of the iPad. With the iPad in the Smart Case you will not notice any added bulk or weight when carrying your iPad. I have noticed one thing though when carrying the iPad, the edges seem to be “sharp” and if you hold the iPad with the hinge facing up it feels like the edges are digging into your hands. You will also notice this while holding the iPad in your hands while reading a iBook or playing a game.

(View the full gallery. Click to enlarge.)

[photos_bar]

PROS

• Protects the front and back from scratches


• Auto-on


• Auto-off


• Lines up with buttons and ports


• Case is magnetic and will wake on opening

CONS

• Flimsy


• Sharp Edges


• It gets dirty easily

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Smart Case is not the cheapest case on the market nor will it keep your iPad the safest. Apple does not claim either of those statements. What it will do is give you piece of mind from the normal wear and tear your iPad will go through on a day to day basis. Kids playing with your iPad, dropping it in a messenger bag or purses, dirty hands, etc. All those things the Smart Case will protect your iPad from. If you were to ask me if I would recommend this case I would give you a resounding YES. It does what Apple intended this case to do and that is protect the outside of the iPad.

Do you have a question or comment? Try me on Twitter

Top iPad Stories (July 24 - 29)

I am back on track this week but most of the Apple news was dominated by the release of OS X Mountain Lion. Do not fear though, I have found some great articles regarding the iPad which is only 1/2 as profitable as the iPhone according to their quarterly earrings call. As always I have great news links, tips, iOS Development link and my weekly bonus.

Top Stories:
iPad makes 1/2 as much as the iPhone
The iPad prototype from 10 years ago
iCloud needed features list
iPad now has a 68% marketshare
Apple Podcasts app updated
iOS dominates the enterprise
Best quarter ever for Education, iPad dominates
More iPad Mini stuff, is Apple already telling us about it
LG hard at work on next iPad
iPad in China growth despite late launch
No more password required for iOS on 'Free Apps'
Customers don't want tablets, they want iPads
Google Earth updated for the iPad, brings 3D imagery

iOS Development:
Develop Apps from PowerPoint
Pinch to reveal animation
Create Marion like platform game

Review of the Week:
Dunk an iPad in 3 feet of water
My review of papernomad

Tip of the Week:
Hide text message previews

App of the Week:
iTranslate Voice HD - Sonico GmbH

Bonus:
Apple's History of Skeuomorphism
What if Pong was released in the App Store

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My first LTE Experience

I recently returned from a 10 day vacation, on this vacation I only brought my iPad and my iPhone with me. Normally when I go out of town I usually bring my Macbook or Macbook Air with me and connect to hotel Wi-Fi or free Wi-Fi hotspots if I can find one. For this trip though I brought only my iPad and paid the $30 fee to AT&T and used the cellular data on my iPad, this was also the first time I got to experience LTE and not just the '4G' data on my iPad. I also saw a ton of people with iPad's at Disney. Actually. At. Disney. Taking pictures with the iPad, browsing with the iPad, using the Disney line apps on the iPad, using the Disney map on the iPad basically using the iPad like a mobile device and not a laptop replacement. But, that is a story for another day.


My first experience with LTE was a terrific experience. The first time I saw LTE appear on my iPad was around D.C. but I think I was actually in Virgina on I-95 South toward Florida. I didn't have LTE service for that long maybe about 15 minutes and LTE went away a did not appear again until I was outside of Jacksonville, FL. After Jacksonville I think I had LTE the rest of the time I was in Florida, keep in mind that I am on AT&T so I am not sure if Verizon has better coverage, I think they do. I will say that while I was in Florida it seemed I never had less than 2 bars of LTE though. Those 2 bars felt faster than my home internet which is powered (or underpowered) by Comcast. It felt awesome using my iPad on LTE, nothing lagged, webpages loaded fast and it felt like I was at home sitting on my couch. My overall service with AT&T was pretty good I think out of my entire trip I was only without cellular data only once for an extended amount of time and that was for about a 30 minute stretch of south Georgia on I-95. I would say from New England to Florida I only went without service maybe 3 times and never for more than a few minutes with the exception of that stretch in Georgia. I don't think my battery drained that much faster on the LTE vs. my normal usage which is on Wi-Fi. If the battery did drain faster than normal it was not noticeable.

[photos_bar]

The LTE model iPad paid for itself. The Disney resort I stayed at wanted to charge me $9.95 a day for internet access, $9.95 x 7 days = $69.65. Of course I still had to pay AT&T the $30 but that was for a month of service which is about a $1 a day. I still have 4G cellular data on my iPad as of right now even though I probably will not use it since I am home and will probably just connect via Wi-Fi. I do travel a lot so having cellular data on my iPad when I normally would not have Wi-Fi available is a nice added feature to an already terrific device!


I did run into a few annoyances with a data only iPad, in other words no Wi-Fi access. PhotoStream was my biggest problem, it wasn't really a problem as I know that my photos only sync over Wi-Fi but until you go an extended amount of time without Wi-Fi service you will then begin to see how valuable Wi-Fi + PhotoStream is. For those that do not know what PhotoStream is, it is Apple's photo sync service through iCloud which sends your photos taken with your iPhone or iPad camera to your other iOS or OS X devices using the same Apple ID via iCloud that have PhotoStream turned-on. Since I was on vacation and using my iPhone to take a ton of pictures (1337 to be exact) I really missed not having PhotoStream sync my pictures from my iPhone to my iPad. I could still sync my photos but that required a USB cable and the camera connection kit plus about 10 minutes of my time. Another thing that bugged me was trying to either download a new app or update applications that I already had installed on my iPad. I ran into this problem a couple of times, on a data connection you can not do either if the file size is above 50MB. Seemed like everything I wanted to do was over this 50MB cap which really irked me to no end. I guess I can look at it on the bright side, it beat the 35MB limit that it used to be.


The main reason for this post is, if you are thinking of buying an iPad and not sure if the LTE model is right for you, I would say if you live in an area with LTE go ahead and spend the extra $129 and get the iPad with LTE. If you do not live in an area with LTE but you travel a lot or if live in a city where LTE might be coming soon getting the LTE model iPad is probably a good investment. Even though I only got to use LTE for about a week in that 1 week it made me glad I choose to go with the LTE model. A few annoyances aside my overall experience was a good one.


Have a comment? Try me on Twitter @iCrizzo

Top iPad Stories (July 9 - July 23)

I have been away on vacation but I have been keeping up with the top iPad stories via Mr. Reader and Instapaper on my iPad. I give you 2 weeks worth of iPad related news and stories. Enjoy.

Top Stories:
iOS 6 Fonts
The iPad is rubbish (read at your own risk)
Australian airliner to offer iPads for pleasure
Another iOS patent
iOS rules mobile advertising
Fox films make it to iTunes in the cloud
Reservation system for China iPad launch
iPad is Revolutionizing how we read
Smaller iPad will be toy of the year
IAP flaw

iOS Development:
Fluid UI
NSConference MINI

Review of the Week:
Art Set

Tip of the Week:
Fix stuck downloads
Edit docs on your iPad using Office Web apps

App of the Week:
DragNSync

Bonus:
Paper Planes

Sync your saved passwords and encrypt your data

When you backup your iPad or any iOS device that has saved passwords you need to make sure you have "encrypt backup" check marked in iTunes. If you restore from that backup your saved passwords will not sync if you do not have that box checked. I backup my iPad to both iCloud and my Mac via iTunes, I figure it can't hurt to have a backup in multiple places.

 

To configure your iPad to backup with encryption turned on you will need to do the following:

• Connect iPad to your computer


• Open iTunes


• Select your iPad in the left panel


• Select the Summary tab (it is default so it should be selected when you launch iTunes)


• Scroll down to the Backup section


• Checkmark 'Encrypt local backup'


• Create a password and verify that password (you can also store in the Keychain if you are on a Mac)


• Your iPad will now start backing up with your data encrypted

[photos_bar]

If you have a question or a comment feel free to contact me on Twitter @totalipad

Top iPad Stories (July 2 - July 8)

This past weeks seems to have been dominated by the iPad mini rumors or will be a bigger iPod Touch? Who knows. I personally do not think we will see a 7" iPad this year but that is only my opinion. There was a huge App Store bug that caused more than a few apps to become corrupted when you updated them, that has now been resolved. I also have some great tips, tricks, reviews and as always my bonus link.

Top Stories:
iPad Mini to be produced in Brazil?
AT&T will block stolen iOS devices
Apple tweaking new iPad design?
Scanner Pro gets iCloud support
New Call of Duty game for iOS
Why would Apple release a 7" iPad?
Apple server bug
Apple fixes corrupt binary

iOS Development:
AppCode - How it can help with your Objective-C development workflow
devicePixelRatio

Review of the Week:
Cheddar

Tip of the Week:
Stop auto-typing the period


App of the Week:
Angry Birds Seasons HD - Rovio Entertainment Ltd
iPad Accessory: (currently free)


Bonus:
iPhone 5 concept

Launch+ for iPad (review)

Launch+ is a fantastic universal app for iPad and iPhone. It allows you setup your most used applications or features of those application or the people you email the most in one convenient location, preferably the dock on your iPad. You can also set up notification center alerts and events, tweet right from the app, tweet what you are currently listening to (a feature not currently available in iOS) right from this app. I use this app as a convenient way to access OmniFocus or Byword to add a new note from text I have copied from my clipboard. If you have several pages of apps and you are tired of scrolling through those pages looking for  apps on your iPad then you should check out Launch+. It does so much more than what I have just listed and if you are wanting a tool to speed up your workflow on your iPad then this is the app you want to help accomplish those task.

Features:

• Full scheduling support for Notification Center*


• Launch actions, apps and websites


• Call, Text, Email, FaceTime, Skype your favorite contacts


• Create new Events, Contacts, Emails and Messages


• Tweet with Photos, Clipboard and Music info


• Map routes to favorite places, like home or work


• Search Clipboard in web


• Music control


• Screen Brightness control


• Volume control


• Flashlight with SOS and Strobe Mode

Launch+ is a $1.99 in the iOS App Store. You can download it here: Launch+ - devarty.com

Have a comment or an app you would like me to review? Use the contact button in the footer or try me on Twitter @totalipad

Instapaper for iOS Review

by Brian Booher

For the past few days I have been trying out the Instapaper app for iOS, specifically for the new iPad, or iPad 3.  You might be thinking it's a similar app to what "Instagram" that was recently bought by Facebook, Inc. for $1 billion.  They are completely different and not related in any fashion, at least what I can find.  It can be found on the Apple App Store currently for $3.99.

Instapaper gives you the ability to read webpages and articles you save offline.  In my case, I just have the WiFi version of the iPad 3, so it is really nice to be able to read an article when I have the time.  I can imagine this is helpful for people who commute to work where cell-phone access is not available, like when you are riding the bus or subway.  Do realize that when you save an article, it will only save what is on that page at the time.  If the article has multiple pages, it will not save all of them unless you specifically tell it to.

One great example of the usefulness of Instapaper is being able to catch errors in articles and show the proof.  One example is from ABC News article "Nine Things You Never Knew About The Fourth of July."   It states that on July 4, 1963, General John Pemberton of the Confederacy surrendered in Vicksburg, Mississippi that became known as the turning point in the Civil War that eventually won the war for the North?  No I did not make a typo in that sentence.  I have provided a screenshot below of part of the article.  If you would like the read the whole article, you can find it here.

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Instapaper does allow you to save articles from the built in web browser or from Safari.  Instapaper will give you instructions on how to make a bookmark in Safari that will allow you to save articles directly to Instapaper.  If you use Chrome for iOS over Safari, it is possible to do the same process, but unfortunately you have to jailbreak your iOS device in order to unlock that capability.  I know this because my iPad 3 is jailbroken and have installed a program from the Cydia market to allow Chrome to work with Instapaper.

I can see this app useful for saving blog posts of celebrities or politicians who post something that may be controversial and then try to make things better by deleting them.  You will have to record it from either the web browser in Instapaper or from Safari.

You do have the ability to share article with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.  There is also a section called "The Feature" that shows the best articles submitted to Instapaper.  You can see what your friends are sharing as well.

Instapaper does allow you to archive your articles, but you will have to get a subscription for that.  3 months will cost $2.99, 6 month for $5.99, and 1 year for $11.99.  To me, the 3 month package is the better value because if you use that for 1 year, you save a whopping 3 cents.  I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's more of an observation.  For the fact that you can archive for basically $1 per month, that is very affordable since you won't have to worry about your articles being lost if your iOS device gets lost, stolen, or broken.

So until that day where the entire world is accessible to the Internet, no matter where you are, there will always be a need for offline access.  Instapaper is a great way to read something to pass the time or to be used for information preservation.

Do realize that the price of the app or the subscription rates can go up or down at any time.  I have absolutely no control on that.

You can find Instapaper on the Apple App Store on iTunes: Instapaper - Marco Arment

Have Fun and Geek Out!


Instapaper Website

iPad File Sharing

This is a just a quick tip on how to use File Sharing on the iPad via iTunes.  "How do I share files from my iPad or to the iPad?" - I see this question asked a lot on Twitter and on the Apple.com support boards.

 

File Sharing:

1. Connect your iPad to your Mac or Windows PC


2. Open iTunes


3. Select your iPad in the left panel


4. Select Apps in the top menu


5. Scroll down to the 'File Sharing' area


6. Select your App


7. Drag and drop your document or file (to or from)


8. If you are dragging to the iPad, tap sync

 

You can share any type of file to the iPad, just remember not all applications will support all file types. A great example would be iMovie, you can easily import your videos to iMovie but the video file needs to be the correct file format or iMovie will not recognize it.

 

If you have any questions feel free to ask me on Twitter @totalipad

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