Monday, June 15, 2015

My iPhone Has Lost Me!

iOS Privacy Location ServicesFinding your lost phone is often a daily experience for million of iPhone users.

But what happens when your iPhone loses YOU?

That's a very common occurrence in iOS 8 due to new privacy prompts.  It's easy to inadvertently turn off "location services" for key apps that often need to know where they are.  Examples include, Facebook, Twitter, Photos and Messages.

Letting the phone app know where it's location allows the app to provide better information for you.  For example, Facebook can show you nearby locations when you post a status update.

"It used to work but now it doesn't.  How does this happen?"

In iOS 8, new prompts pop up from time to time asking if the user wants to continue letting an app access its location.  If you should answer no, then the privacy setting for that app changes within the hidden settings and the app will no longer access to the GPS location service built within the iPhone.

So how do you change it back?

The location services for iOS and specific apps is hidden within the Settings and then Privacy options on iPhone.  You can check that Location Services are "On" for the phone and then check each app to ensure you do or do want to let that app have access to the phones location.  That's it.

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Sunday, June 14, 2015

ICYMI: Google Photos, iPhone Restart, Periscope, Netflix at Marriott, Subway app, Skype for Web and Amazon Echo Reads Audible


It's been a busy week of One Cool Tips.  In case you missed any of these, check them out!

Upload Your Photos to Google Photos from Your Desktop
Learn ow you can upload all of your PC photos to the new Google Photos service.

How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad
Learn how you can restart your iPhone or iPad for better performance or to recover when it is frozen.

Broadcast from Your Mobile Phone with Periscope
You can be a star!  learn how to broadcast live from your mobile phone.

Watch Netflix from Marriott Hotel Guest Room TVs
Netflix is coming to Marriott hotel guest room TVs.  Learn when and where.

Use the Subway App to Skip the Line
Skip the line by using the new Subway mobile app.

Skype for Web Now Open to All Users
Who needs an app?  Learn how to use the new Skype for Web.

Amazon Echo Now Reads Audible Books
Learn more about how the amazing Amazon Echo can now read Audible books,



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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Upload Your Photos to Google from Your Desktop

Google Photos App icon
Google Photos is a must have app for your smart phone.  We shared that just a while ago.

With auto-uploading and free unlimited storage, your mobile photos will be safely backed up.

But did you know you can also upload all of your PC photos to Google Photos too?

To do this, download and install the free Google desktop loader app available from HERE.

Once installed, you can select which folders with pictures on your PC you want loaded into your Google Photos account.

Sit back.  This may take a while.

Once done, your photos will be backed up to Google and you'll have access to them from your PC as well as your mobile devices.

To view your photos online, just visit: https://photos.google.com/

Similar to the mobile app, you can intelligently search through your photos.  Want to see photos you've taken with a lake scene?  Just search for "lake".  How about photos of your pets?  Search for "cat", "dog", "horse", or "gerbil".  Without you having to tag your photos, Google will search your collection and display the results.  

While not always perfect, it's pretty darn good.

Enjoy!

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Friday, June 12, 2015

How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad

iPhone Screen
Sometimes it's just the simple things that are so hard to figure out.

And one of the most common questions I get from new iPhone users is, "How Do I Restart?"

Fortunately, it's not too often that an iPhone needs to be restarted.  But many believe, as do I, that a restart from time to time will cure all computer ills.

"Restart and call me in the morning!"

If possible, before a restart, close all open apps to ensure that all files are saved. (Double tap the Home button and then swipe up on each open app to close.  If there are files open, visit each app to save any work in progress).

So here's the quick tip on restarting an iPhone or iPad:

How to Restart an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears on the screen.
  2. Drag the slider button to the right to turn your device completely off.
  3. After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo appear.
If for some really reason your iPhone hangs and does not respond, you can force a restart as a last resort.

How to Force a Restart an iPhone or iPad:
  1. To force restart your device, press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home button for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo appear.
If you find that a specific app is the cause of a frozen iPhone, be sure to go to the app's iTunes store page.  In most cases, developers are anxious to learn about bugs in their apps and will post an email for bug reports.  Or leave a review to alert them to a specific issue. And it is most helpful if the specific conditions are relayed so they can replicate and resolve for the next app update.

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone!


Periscope app logo
"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" - Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol's famous quote has become possible as millions of people around the world connect to the internet on a daily basis.

And we've already seen the good, the bad and the ugly as some people get their 15 minutes of internet fame.

But there is great potential as video livestreaming becomes a normal and usual app that users utilize everyday.  And Periscope is the new best livestreaming app.

Livestreaming on the net is not new.  But it is a niche that has not had much traction, until now.  Meerkat sxploded on the mobile app scene earlier this year but Twitter's Periscope app is clearly the better of the two apps.

So what is livestreaming?  Livestreaming apps allow users to broadcast live video from mobile devices to one, a hundred or even thousands of viewers.  Think of it as letting everyone become a CNN reporter.

Periscope App Screenshot - Explore the World in Real Time
Periscope App Screenshot - Broadcast Video LIVE from Anywhere

Not all livestreams are CNN-worthy.   But many are well done and.or give viewers the ability to go behind the scenes of special places or events.

My favorite Periscope broadcasts are from the local news teams around the country and the world who broadcast live during morning news shows.  It's a viewpoint average users just never get to see.

Just as mobile phones, pictures and videos have changed how we view the world, livestreaming will become a common activity, especially for dramatic news events.

But Periscope also has the potential for live broadcasting public meetings and events so that viewers can attend important events that might not be covered by local media.

The latest update to the iOS Periscope app lets you look at a map and find local broadcasts.  This is especially useful if you are looking for something that is place-specific.

Periscope lets you follow contacts and be notified when someone is broadcasting.  Maybe it's a key moment in a day, or a trip to the beach or amusement park.  Or at a news breaking events like a fire, protest or severe weather.

Another great feature is the ability to archive your broadcasts - you can save any broadcast so that your viewers can watch later.

You can download the Periscope app from the iTunes store HERE.  And from the Google Android store HERE.









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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels

Netflix Logo
One of my favorite travel "Road Warrior" tips is to use my Netflix account while on the road. As internet access and quality improves in hotels, using Netflix is an easy way to stay current on favorite shows.

 So it's exciting to hear that Netflix and Marriott Hotels announced today a partnership that brings Netflix to guest room televisions.

 Guests staying at select Marriott Hotels will be able to sign into their existing Netflix accounts by using the Netflix app on the hotel's internet-connected guest room televisions.
Netflix is currently available at six Marriott properties, with six more locations launching this summer. 
Available now:

  • New York Marriott East Side
  • San Jose Marriott
  • Princeton Marriott
  • Newport Marriott
  • Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana
  • Bethesda Marriott Suites

Coming Next this summer:

    • Marriott Marquis Washington, DC
    • San Francisco Marriott Marquis
    • Atlanta Marriott Marquis
    • Dayton Marriott
    • San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
    • Anaheim Marriott

    Marriott Hotels plans to expand Netflix to 100 of its properties by the end of 2015, and to nearly all of its more than 300 properties in the U.S. by the end of 2016.

    Source; Marriott Hotels

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    #hotel #internet #Marriott #Netflix

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    Tuesday, June 9, 2015

    Skip the Line - Use the Subway App

    Subway Logo
    We haven't seen Jared use it yet but Subway has a new app that let's you skip the long lunch lines at Subway restaurants.

    The new Subway mobile app lets you order your favorite Subway sandwiches and then pick it up at the store directly from the cashier.

    I've used several of the mobile apps to save time and I will review a few more here at OneCoolTip.  But Subway certainly brings mobile ordering to the masses with their new mobile app.

    In my personal experience, mobile ordering saves 15-20 minutes.

    And a lot of hassle.

    Before the app, usually there are 10 people waiting in line at the local Subway at peak lunch time.  And when each person orders, he/she seems to have never been to a Subway before.

    What do you want? Let me think.
    Which bread?  Let me think.
    Do you want it toasted?  Let me think.
    Do you want cheese?  Let me think.

    These people have waiting for 10 minutes already.  None of these ordering concepts seemed to have been contemplated before they up up to the Subway Sandwich Artist.

    Avoid all of that hassle and order online through the new mobile app.

    Subway App Screenshot 1
     Subway App Screenshot 2


    It's simple to use the new Subway app.  Download to your phone.  Setup a new account and then order from your local subway.  You pay through the mobile app so your order will be ready to just pickup.  I usually do this at least 30 minutes before I want to pick up the order.

    The app is new but the Subway employees seem to know the process.  Although you will get some stares from the people waiting in line why you can skip the line and just pick up your order from the cashier.

    You can download the app from iTunes HERE and from the Google Android store HERE.

    Source: Subway

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