One Cool Tip .com

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:

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears on the screen.

Drag the slider button to the right to turn your device completely off.

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:

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.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

#restart #iphone #ipad #off #on

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Up the Periscope - Broadcast Live from Your Phone!

"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.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Cool Tips for a Cooler Life!

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels

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

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

#hotel #internet #Marriott #Netflix

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Skip the Line - Use the Subway App

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

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Monday, June 8, 2015

Skype for Web Now Open to All Users

Skype has opened up the beta testing for using Skype for Web to all new and existing US and UK Skype users.

This new option allows users to use Skype from within a web browser without downloading and running the stand-alone Skype app.

And it's not just about video.

Skype for Web allows users to make and receive video calls, instant messages and audio calls with friends and family.

The new service supports the major browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Firefox. A plugin needs to be installed before the first call.

To try the new Skype for Web beta, visit http://www.skype.com or http://web.skype.com and sign in with your Skype ID and password.

This new service is a great step in making video calls easier to use.

Source: Skype

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Amazon Echo Now Reads Audible Books

Is there anything the Amazon Echo can't do?

We'll, yes. But it is learning new tricks all of the time.

Now Amazon Echo will read Audible books to you. And Amazon Echo also supports Whispersync for Voice so you can switch between reading and listening Kindle Unlimited books.

Listening to an audiobook is easy.

To listen to an audiobook, just say "Alexa, read <Audible Book Title>".
To pause an audiobook, just say "Alexa, pause".
To resume the current book you're reading by saying "Alexa, resume my book".
To control the playback say "Alexa, go back" or "Alexa, go forward"

Note, in these examples the <Wake Word> is "Alexa" but you can change it to "Amazon" by changing the wake word in the Echo app settings.

Source: Amazon

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Friday, June 5, 2015

Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App

Do you Waze?

That's the question you'll want to ask your friends and family from here on out.

Waze is a smartphone app that is a community traffic and navigation app.

The Waze community allows you to join drivers who share real-time traffic information.

Now owned by Google, this community-based app gives you the best route to your destination based upon updates from your fellow drivers and data acquired by Google from local and state traffic systems. It even updates the best route while you are driving.

Waze Screenshot - Report Real-Time Traffic and Road Conditions to Improve Driving for All

Waze Screenshot - Outsmart Traffic with the World's Largest Coomunity of Drivers

Waze is a powerful app because of this constant updating of information.

Millions of drivers are updating road conditions such as construction zones, accidents, potholes and even police traps.

This real-time data means that it is much more than regular maps you can find on your iPhone or Android phones like MapQuest, Apple Map or even Google's Map app.

As you drive to your destination, Waze will pop up information and audibly alert you to upcoming conditions.

You'll know about that police car on the other side of the hill before you even see it.

It's easy to find and connect to fellow Wazers from your social networks. You can connect your Waze account to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Once connected, you can share ETAs and destinations. This is a great option if you are travelling to the same destination in separate vehicles.

I've found having a good phone mount on the dash works best to avoid distraction and I always use the voice reporting to tell Waze about road conditions that I encounter. This makes it easy to share information while keeping my eyes on the road.

You can download the free Waze app for iPhone from iTunes HERE and the Android from the Google Play store HERE.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Check Out Google's New "My Account"

Google, long a target for its omnipresence role in people's digital lives, has just released a new tool to allow you to better control your Google life.

Or at least the information you share with Google.

The new tool, My Account, is available at : http://myaccount.google.com/

The new My Account tool provides access to your Google settings and other tools to safeguard your data and help protect your privacy.

For example, you can manage the settings and the information for popular Google services such as Search, Maps, and YouTube.

As with anything in life, it's a matter of making choices, If you want Google to provide relevant information from its maps or Google Now service, Google needs to know your location history. That's the key data behind providing the service.

Some people want the service while others may cringe at the thought of so much information in the hands of a large technology provider.

But that's the value of the new My Account tool.

You can make better decisions about how much information you want to share.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?

It's true. Windows 10 is free*.

OK, it's Free but with an *.

Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 devices.

It will be available to install starting July 29, 2015.

You can reserve your free copy today. But you only have until July 19, 2016 to take advantage of this offer.

To reserve your copy,

Click on the small Windows icon located at the lower right side of the taskbar.
Click "Reserve your free upgrade" when prompted

That's it. Microsoft will download Windows 10 to your device when it's available and let you know when your device is ready to install the upgrade.

To learn more about this offer, check out the Windows 10 FAQ HERE.

Source: Microsoft

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Google Ending Calendar SMS Notifications

Google Calendar Lofo

Starting June 27, 2015, Google Calendar will no longer send SMS text notifications.

This service, started before the advent of smartphones, provides text messages for calendar alerts.

It's the beginning of an end of an era where web-based applications communicate with mobile users thru SMS text messages.

On smartphones like iPhone and Android, the built-in alert function serves the same purpose.

You can download the free Google Calendar app for iOS HERE. And the free Goggle Android app HERE.

So, if you are on a "dumb" phone, now's the time to take the plunge and join the smartphone revolution.

Source: Google

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Monday, June 1, 2015

What Are Google Doodles?

Google Doodle

We've all seen them on Google.com.

Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we smile.

And sometimes, we say to ourselves "I didn't know that".

But what are they?

Google Doodles are artistic representations of the Google logo that are displayed on Google's main page to honor events such as holidays, anniversaries, birthdays and even current events.

B.R. Ambedkar’s 124th Birthday

B.R. Ambedkar’s 124th Birthday

Some Google Doodles appear only on a specific country home pages while others appear globally across the world of Google.

But sadly, as the dawn breaks for a new day, the Google Doodle disappears.

But fear not for Google Doodles are safely stored online and are available in an archive.

You can view Google Doodles from around the world HERE. A full archive is available HERE.

Source: Google

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

How to Fix the iPhone Text Message Reset Error

If you haven't heard, pranksters have learned that sending a specific string of text as a message to an iPhone will freeze and reset the iPhone.

How fun.

We won't share the offending text here. But it's easily found.

So what's the fix?

According to Apple, if you encounter this unfriendly text message and your iPhone has gone bonkers, here's the fix:

Ask Siri to "read unread messages."
Use Siri to reply to the malicious message. After you reply, you'll be able to open Messages again.
If the issue continues, tap and hold the malicious message, tap More and delete the message from the thread.

Apple also says that there will be a more permanent solution in a future update. Yay.

So why does this text have such magical properties to be able to reset an iPhone? The answer is a bit complicated but it relates to the numerical coding behind each text letter. Some foreign text, in a specific string, can cause SpringBoard, the application that handles the main iPhone screen, to reset.

Fortunately, this text message error only results in a minor annoyance. But Apple and other smartphone makes should expand their efforts to ensure that their devices and operating systems are not vulnerable to these errors and much worse attacks.

Source: Apple

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Take Back Your Inbox with Google Inbox

Google Inbox, an alternative format for its popular Gmail service, is now open to all users.

Google Inbox has been in testing for the past several months and opening it up to all users will allow more users to experience the beauty of "smart" email.

So what does it do? Inbox lets you take control of your email inbox. Messages are grouped together. Reminders are easily set. You can view relevant images from the web. All from the same screen. It's a modern and refreshing take on how an email Inbox should work.

Check out the video from Google:

If you use Gmail, Inbox is a welcomed addition.

And you can easily use both regular Gmail and Google Inbox.

Google Inbox is available from the web and mobile for both Apple iOS and Google Android.

You can download the app at http://www.google.com/inbox

Source: Google

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

The Sparkly End of Facebook?

Facebook has made a change this week. And not for the better.

It is now allowing animated gifs to be added to status updates.

The world is ending as we know it.

MySpace, the forerunner to Facebook, came to its bitter end due in part to the proliferation of animated gifs and autostart music that were used to decorate profile page.

Especially the animated Tinkerbells.

No offense Tink, but you are the messenger of social media death,

Facebook built its audience on a clean, simple interface and fast performance.

Maybe the world is ready for Sparkly Tink to show her stuff again.

But the OneCoolTip of the day is to be wary of this dark angel of social media death,

If you are interested in living on the wild side, you can add an animated gif by pasting in the URL. Uploaded gifs are not currently supported. The gif must be on an external website. have fun!

UPDATE
The feature is still rolling out to users. So you may not yet be able to add an animated gif to your timeline. Also, animated gifs work on the web version of Facebook but not yet the mobile app.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Friday, May 29, 2015

Google Photos is a New "Must Have" App

UPDATE 6/22/15: You can also upload photos from your desktop to Google Photos. Learn more HERE.

Check out the new "must have" Google Photos app for Apple iOS and Android devices. Released this week, the app offers free, unlimited cloud storage for all of your photos.

Google Photos Screen Shot - Automatically organize by what matters

Google Photos Screen Shot - One home for your photos

One cool new feature is the ability to search your photos by keywords. Google Photos automatically organizes your photos by peoples, places and things. At first it's a bit alarming but after being able to find photos quickly, you will come to appreciate the value of this technology.

In addition, there is basic photo editing and sharing within the app.

Google Photos is a great new tool and we're excited to see what's next for this amazing app.

You can download the iOS version HERE and the Android version HERE.

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Amazon Echo Now Knows Your Google Schedule

Amazon announced today that their Echo home device now will access your Google Calendar.

You can ask it simple commands regarding your Google calendar.

Just update your Google account in the Amazon Echo app on your smart phone.

Amazon Echo Details on Google Calendar

READ MORE

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Mobile Ag Apps

Looking for a good resource of mobile ag apps?

Here's a good list of farm news apps, weather apps, ag management and crop-focused apps from TruffleMedia

Mobile Ag Apps

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

iPhone Tips

Apple iPhone has a number tricks to get your work done faster. And you may not know some of them.

For example, you can type in uppercase by double clicking the Shift key twice quickly. To turn off, just click the Shift key again.

And to type a special character like #, you can press and hold the #+= key and then slide to the desired character. That allows you to continue to use the normal alpha keyboard afterwards.

Finally, to use alpha with special characters, such as ~ , press and hold a letter and other alternatives will appear. Just select the one you want to use!

For more iPhone tips, check out this helpful tip sheet from Apple:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-5/tips/

One Cool Tip.com

http://www.onecooltip.com

Daily Tips for a Cooler Life!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)