AuntTUAW
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Dear Aunt TUAW: How can I tame iOS with my Apple Wireless Keyboard?
Dear Aunt TUAW, It would give me great comfort if I could rest my head on your bosom of knowledge and have you answer this troubling question. Auntie, why isn't there better support for the Bluetooth keyboard on the iPad? I mean love my keyboard (no... not as much as you Auntie... silly) but all I can use it for is typing. I mean, I should be able to use the navigation keys in the Safari browser? Like scrolling up/down/etc. Hotkeys when in the Springboard or in an app? How about games using the keyboard for controls (ASWZ) as an option? None of that works. I know, Auntie. You're gonna bring up attach rates, but instead can you please talk to Uncle Steve and have him get on this? Your loving and devoted Nephew, Kevin C
Dear Aunt TUAW: What's my best bet for international data?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I will be in China for 10 days on vacation later this year, and I'd like to share photos, updates, etc. with friends at home. What's the best way to do that? I have an iPhone 4 and a Wi-Fi only iPad. As far as I can tell, my options are to either buy into AT&T's international data plans (although I don't mind the price, the minimal amount of data you get probably won't be enough) OR unlock my phone and get a China-specific SIM (complicated, and I'm unsure how to get the SIM and make sure it works). Perhaps I might be able to get a MyFi-like hotspot device that would work in China, but I'm not even sure such a device exists. So what's the best option for data when traveling to China? Hugs, Your nephew Jason M
Dear Aunt TUAW: Do I need to upgrade to Aperture?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I have a ~100 GB iPhoto '11 library. I currently have it on an external FireWire drive because I didn't originally have space on my internal drive. All that has changed, and I am now looking for tips on how best to manage this library and be able to back it up regularly. iPhoto '11 seems to be working fine right now (takes a little bit of time to start the app, but nothing really excessive). However, I really want to start backing it up on a regular schedule -- would splitting it up make sense (only the latest library would need to be backed up, which would take much less time). It sucks that you can only access one library at a time in iPhoto. Would moving to Aperture seem a natural at this point? Any and all help including backup/sync progs would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Your nephew, Matt "iPhoto challenged" C.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Should I buy a refurb iPad?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I'm torn between the iPad 2 and the newly re-priced iPad 1. I need to know whether or not it's worth buying the updated iPad 2 or picking up an original iPad at $100 off ... or a refurb model for even less. I'm really on the fence. A $349 16 GB iPad sounds quite attractive. Please help! Love & kissies, Your nephew Paul
Dear Aunt TUAW: Do I have to re-buy apps for all my devices?
Dear Aunt TUAW, If I buy an app direct from the App Store, I can load it onto more than one iOS device connected to my iTunes account? And then, what's the low down on in-app purchasing? If I then make an in-app purchase on one of my devices, say for an upgrade pack, or more scenery for a game, or more Sat-Nav aids, etc. it seems like the update is only available for the device I made the in app purchase on. Is there any way to put an in-app purchase on both my iPhone and my iPad? Or do I have to make the same in app purchase again for every device? What if I keep my iPad for my wife and then buy an iPad 2 - so I want to have both on the same iTunes account - how will I move my in app purchases across to the new iPad? Your loving nephew, Jonny (not Ive - the other one) xxx
Dear Aunt TUAW: How do I install a Lion partition on my MacBook Air?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I'm in the Mac Developer program and I'd really like to be able to install Lion on my MacBook Air as a second OS. What are the best strategies to do this? Is it worth going out and buying a second SSD drive and swapping that out with my primary Snow Leopard system? Thanks for letting me know! Love and Kisses, Your nephew G
Dear Aunt TUAW: How do I restore a Mac App Store purchase?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Hi! How can one restore applications purchased through the Mac App Store after an OS X reinstall? I couldn't find any related info. Thanks in advance, @Fellowweb
Dear Aunt TUAW: Is Ireland's 3 carrier blocking Cydia?
Dear Aunt TUAW, It looks like 3 Ireland, the one of the Irish iPhone carriers, has blocked Cydia's servers from their network. I'm experiencing errors refreshing data from apt.saurik.com and can't get Cydia to work at all. Can you suggest a work-around for those of us on 3? Help a jailbroken Irish iPhone user out! Love, Your Irish Nephew Stevie-boy Dear Stevie-boy, Auntie is happy to report that the Irish Cydia Blackout of 2010 was, in fact, a mistake. 3 spokesperson Chris Jones told TUAW that Cydia was blocked in error. Jones stated that 3 uses third-party company Bluecoat to filter their internet connection for adult content and other objectionable material. "Cydia has been caught in this filter in error," he told TUAW, "and we are working to resolve this." The Irish Times tech team got the same explanation. Auntie doesn't have a specific time as to when 3 will resolve the issue, but is happy to report that 3 is working on the problem. Love & kissies, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Why would an iPad have a proximity sensor?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I've been hearing rumors that the next generation iPad might include a proximity sensor. Now call me dim, but I just don't get it. Proximity sensor? What the fudge? Are we supposed to be holding our iPads to our ears while we chat over Skype VoIP? Has Apple never heard of the (please imagine airquotes here) Bluetooth headset? I'm serious. Is this the stupidest rumor or what? Love, hugs, whatever, Your nephew Davie C.
Dear Aunt TUAW: How do I move my iPhoto library to a bigger drive?
Dear Auntie TUAW: Ever since getting an SLR camera as an early Christmas gift (during Thanksgiving actually), I've been taking high-res photos at a rapid clip -- and filling up my hard drive quickly in the process. In the last month, I've halved my disk space. Is there a good way to offload your iPhoto library to an external drive? I'd still want to be able to access it regularly, so perhaps via a wireless drive like the Time Capsule? If that's not a smart way to go, what other alternatives are there? Should I just lower the image resolution on my camera from Large to Medium or Small? Seems like it would be kind of defeating the purpose of having such a good camera, but with photos running around 12 MB each (and videos exponentially larger), I'm worried about running out of HD space in January. Ted
Dear Aunt TUAW: Should I return my iPad and wait for an iPad 2?
Dear Auntie TUAW, OK, so I got an iPad for Christmas. Very excited. Dig the idea. I have a long and storied history of receiving/buying Apple products right before the update. I feel like a new iPad's coming soon. So the dilemma: return the iPad for credit and wait on the new one, or will that leave me hanging for too long? Help! Your Nephew, Mick
Dear Aunt TUAW: Can I AirPlay to my Mac?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Do you think a Mac will be able to accept an AirPlay feed in the future? Here's why I ask -- I'm considering getting a Mac mini for my home theater. But I realized that a great feature of AppleTV is the AirPlay functionality. It seems strange that the mini (that costs 7x more) lacks this functionality. Have you heard any rumblings that accepting an AirPlay stream could come to Mac OS X? Love & snuggles, Your adoring nephew Todd V.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Apple TV and oddball video formats
Hey Auntie TUAW, I just ordered my new Apple TV, and have a ton of footage in MKV, AVI, etc. which probably won't work with iTunes, let alone my Apple TV. What can I do to batch convert and import all my movies to iTunes, which will work with Apple TV and be as high-rez as possible? With all my love, Ari
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find iPhone simulation games
Dear Aunt TUAW, Finding games (or any app) for iPhone, or iOS in general, is a series of hit and misses. Let me be frank. It's mostly misses. I was wondering if you knew of any good Empire Building or (preferably) Company building games out there. Any help would be most appreciative. Thanks, Your nephew Mike E.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Is this a Verizon iPhone?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Dunno if you've seen this before! Is it a Verizon iPhone leaked screaanshot? Hugs, Francis Dear Francis, Auntie isn't sure if this falls under the basic rule of "Don't teach Auntie to suck eggs -- or change carrier names," but given Auntie's general familiarity with the subject matter, she's leaning towards "fake." What do you other nieces and nephews think? Let Auntie know in the comments. Love, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me accessorize my iPod nano on the cheap
Dear Aunt TUAW, I bought a brand new multitouch nano, and now I want to accessorize it. But money is tight, and I don't have a lot to spend. I don't really care about "pretty," but I'd like to see what kind of functionality I can get (accessory-wise) on the cheap. Can you recommend any really affordable add-on accessories for my new little pal? Thanks a lot in advance, Your nephew Stephano J.
Dear Aunt TUAW: RSS in the clouds
Dear Auntie TUAW, I'll admit it... I'm a news junkie. Podcasts, RSS feeds, the works! RSS feeds are what I am wondering about today. You see, I like to skim my RSS headlines, read the feed items that catch my eye, and not have any items automatically delete or disappear. My current setup is using Mail's RSS functionality and then manually deleting the articles I don't want. I'm fine with that, heck, ... I prefer it that way. But ever since I got my shiny, new iPad, I've been wondering if there is a better way. See, I like to read RSS feeds on my morning and evening commutes. (Don't worry, Auntie, ... I take the train.) Hence, my problem. I read and delete or read and save an article on my iPad, but then I have to manually reconcile my feeds with those on my home computer. Ideally, what I'd like to do is have an RSS client "in the cloud" and then be able to access it from my iPad, my Mac, and maybe even my work computer and my BlackBerry. Basically have it function like an IMAP-push mail server, if you get my drift. I checked out Google Reader, but it seems lacking. Any suggestions? Hugs and snuggles! Erik
Dear Aunt TUAW: Burn baby burn
Dear Aunt TUAW, Is iTunes slowly encouraging the death of CDs? The burn icon at the bottom of the interface has disappeared as you can see in this screen shot. Concerned, Your nephew Sean
Dear Aunt TUAW: location voodoo
Dear Aunt TUAW, I've recently become the proud owner of a 3rd generation iPod touch. I found the Nike+ app that uses some strange GPS/wifi-triangulation scheme to locate me and how far I run/walk. How does the iPod touch do this? Is it magnets? Smoke? Mirrors? Is this a reliable location-reckoning system? There are a lot of rumors abounding on the Interwebs, and I know you'll get to the bottom of it, Auntie. Love & tickles, Your nephew Marc H.
Dear Aunt TUAW: dock my iPhone to my iPad
Dear Aunt TUAW, I wish I could dock my iPhone right into the side or back of a large iPad screen. And then have the iPad run off my phone. That way I could have a large screen when I need it. But when I leave the house for a walk, I could take the smaller device (the iPhone) out and carry it in my pocket. Love and snuggles, Your nephew Gary
