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TUAW's Don't Panic Guide to iOS 7
TUAW readers of long standing, this post is for your friends and family who are asking you about iOS 7. Feel free to share it with them in person, on your social networks, or randomly in coffee shops and libraries. For more info, scroll to the bottom of the post. Breathe in, breathe out. Namaste! Chances are, you're here because someone you know suggested you look us up regarding iOS 7, the new operating system for the iPhone and iPad. Thanks for reading; we're here to help. Most importantly, don't panic. We're going to run down some of the most commonly asked questions and essential tips for iOS 7, with a minimum of jargon and handwaving. If you have questions about iOS 7 that aren't addressed or linked here, drop a note in the comments, send us an email or a tweet, or hop over to our Facebook page to join the discussion there. You can also review our week one full coverage rundown, or keep an eye on our ongoing posts about iOS 7. Want to vent or inquire in person? Call into our Sunday night talkcast to connect with the TUAW team directly. What is iOS 7? Do I need it? Every so often, Apple delivers a major upgrade to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch operating system (iOS). Each new version offers some additional features, new tricks and twists, and (if everything goes according to plan) more stability, fewer security issues and less misbehavior like crashing or connectivity problems. iOS 7 is the latest big upgrade, and unlike system upgrades for your PC or Mac, it's free to download and install. You may be hearing more conversations about iOS 7 than you did about previous system upgrades; chances are, that's because it delivers a comprehensive design overhaul, turning away from the resemblance to physical objects like leather-bound address books and green felt card tables (a concept called skueomorphism) to a cleaner, more abstract visual language. Apple's legendary design chief Sir Jonathan Ive took over the look-and-feel reins of the operating system for this version, and it's his aesthetic that's at work here. Certainly your first five minutes with iOS 7 may come as a bit of a shock to the system, but that should pass. As to whether or not you need it: if your phone or iPad is working fine, you do not need to install iOS 7 right away. Waiting a few days or a few weeks is not going to cause any harm, and chances are there will be one or two small updates to iOS 7 in the coming days that will clear up some rough edges and bugs. In the longer term, if your device supports iOS 7 (some older units, including most iPod touch models and first-generation iPads, do not), it's a good idea to move up; many iOS applications will start to require the new system. If you live in an area where iPhone thefts are common, iOS 7 also adds Activation Lock, an important anti-loss feature recommended by law enforcement. If you have a new iPhone 5s that shipped with iOS 7 and the Touch ID feature, note that the fingerprint unlock option on that phone is just that: an option. If it gives you an uncomfortable feeling, don't use it. If you're the sort who enjoys reading the manual before installing the software (I know I am), Apple has posted the iOS 7 manuals online in PDF format. You can also download them for free on your device in the iBooks store. Although this should go without saying, we'll say it for the record: No, iOS 7 does not magically render your phone waterproof. I already installed it, and I hate it! Can I go back to iOS 6? Unfortunately, while this was briefly possible after the iOS 7 release, it's not anymore. Unlike a desktop computer OS (Windows or OS X) that can be installed wherever it's compatible and you have a license, iOS versions are digitally "signed" by Apple's servers to permit installation; the signing for iOS 6 was turned off the weekend of 9/21. Without those digital signatures, under virtually all circumstances it's impossible to install iOS 6 over an iOS 7 device. (There may be loopholes for iPhone 4 owners, which are still being investigated.) For the record, if you bought a new iPhone 5c or iPhone 5s, they shipped with iOS 7 preinstalled. There is no way to downgrade those phones to iOS 6, nor is one likely to emerge in the future. If you're miserable with the new visual look (as some who are on the verge of needing bifocals, like yours truly, might be), there are some quick tips to getting a bit more legibility in the main screen. Setting a dark-colored background can help, but first try turning on the Bold Text option -- it makes a huge difference! You can also improve your iOS 7 battery life with these quick tips. OK, I'm ready to install iOS 7; is there anything I should do to prepare? There is! First of all, please backup your device. You can do this either via the iCloud service or by connecting your device to your computer and backing up in iTunes. We've got a full rundown here; Apple even explains how you can choose between the methods, or use both. Although an iOS backup should save the photos on your Camera Roll, you may also want to make sure that your device's photos are backed up to iPhoto, a pictures folder or a cloud service like Dropbox, Google+ or Flickr. You also need a reasonable amount of free space on your phone (about 3.1 GB) before attempting to install iOS 7. If you're short on space, consider removing apps, music or books you don't need right now. You can check which apps are chewing up the most room via the Usage pane inside Settings: General on your device. (You backed up first, right?) All the preamble steps are covered in this post. Once you're ready to go, you can install from the Settings app on your device, or by connecting to iTunes. Don't forget to update iTunes to the latest version available, as well. Once I've updated, how do I do the things I used to do? Although there's an enormous list of new and improved features in iOS 7, here are a few key changes that may be particularly tricky if you don't know how they work in the new world order: Quitting/closing applications. Just as in iOS 6, you can double-press the home button quickly to bring up an application switcher, allowing you to quickly swap your active app without going back to the home screen. (You can also use a four or five-finger swipe on the screen to switch between apps.) Unlike the older system, you aren't presented with a small row of icons across the bottom of the screen; now you've got full views of the app's active state, and an easier swipe back and forth to navigate. But what if you want to close out an app? No more long-press and little red X; now it's a swipe up through the app's miniaturized image. Steve's video walkthrough may help. Notification Center. iOS 7's alerts and reminders now get sorted into three buckets: Today, All and Missed. You can also easily dismiss notifications at the top of the screen by just tapping on the little bar in the center of the notification. Search. To search, just swipe down slightly from the middle of any home screen. The search field has moved from its own homescreen pane to the top of the screen. Folders. They can now contain more than just a few apps -- go nuts! Swipe left and right to see additional icons. Control Center. Frequently tweaked items that previously required a dive into the Settings app? They're now accessible with an upward swipe from the bottom of the screen. Quickly set a timer, turn Bluetooth/WiFi on or off, pull up camera or calculator, adjust brightness and volume -- even turn on a flashlight! Control Center is also the new home for the AirPlay mirroring controls; you don't get to them via a double-press of the home button and a rightward swipe anymore. Legibility and looks. Most of the aggravation and anxiety around iOS 7 involves the visual changes, and whether or not they actually reduce the legibility of the user interface. While the jury may still be out on that question, you don't have to wait to adjust the system to fit your own visual acuity. Simply open the Settings app, scroll down to General, then Accessibility. You can use the aforementioned Bold Text option to emphasize the icon labels, or adjust the text size in applications like Mail to make them easier to read. If the zooming, panning and parallax "wobbles" are giving you uncomfortable feelings, the Accessibility settings are also the place to find the Reduce Motion setting. Siri. In addition to some new commands and data sources, Siri's got a new voice -- and it's a man, baby! Adjust your settings in the Settings app, General, Siri. You can ask "What can I say?" at Siri's prompt to get a rundown on the new capabilities. Where can I go to get help? Apple's support site and user community are certainly good places to start. You can also visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store, or check out your nearest carrier outlet for the iPhone. Of course, sites like our own, Macworld, iMore, the Loop and many others are going to be posting scores of iOS 7 tips and recommendations over the next few days and weeks -- we'll link our favorites here, and we'll add suggestions based on your input. To our regular readers: Thanks for sharing this guide with your friends and family who haven't necessarily been following along with every moment of the iOS 7 saga. If you want to give them a handy reminder card, just download our printable version here. Towel image courtesy of ThinkGeek; you can buy your own Don't Panic towel there.
Apple FileVault 2 encryption cracked, but don't panic
FileVault 2 is a feature of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion that provides a way to encrypt a full disk drive so that it can only be used by those who know a password ... until now, that is. Passware, a company that makes forensic software used to recover lost passwords or open encrypted files to police and others, has announced that their Passware Kit Forensic 11.4 software (US$995) can extract the keys to FileVault 2 in an average of 40 minutes. Password was able to recover data from FileVault 2 encrypted drives regardless of the length and complexity of passwords. Fortunately for Mac users, however, not only does the cracking require a relatively expensive piece of software, but it also requires that certain conditions be in place for the software to be able to extract the FileVault keys. The Mac must be powered on and logged in; in other words, the FileVault keys must be in memory for Passware Kit Forensic to extract them. Passware can't extract encryption keys on static data, nor can it determine what the keys are before they've been requested as part of the log-in process. That means that as long as you turn off automatic login, you should be safe. To turn off automatic login on your FileVault 2-encrypted Mac, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Options and make sure that "Off" is selected from the drop-down. The other tip to keep you safe? Turn off your laptop while traveling so that the Passware software cannot be used to hack into it. There's one other good piece of news; hackers need to get to the contents of memory through a working FireWire or Thunderbolt port, so the Passware process does not work via remote access. Likewise, those older MacBook Airs that only have USB ports are safe from this method -- commenter Thomas Brand on the Brooks Review notes that "Thunderbolt and FireWire access data directly from the system bus allowing the exploit. USB goes through the CPU." Yes, FileVault 2 encryption is vulnerable. But with a few easy, common-sense steps, mobile Mac users can keep their data safe anyway.
The Game Archaeologist plays with MUDs: The history
You know that sinking feeling when you get into something that's way, waaaay over your head and you have no choice but to swim furiously or drown? That's exactly how I felt when I started to do research for this month's series on MUDs -- Multi-User Dungeons -- and their descendants. At first I was thrilled, because I knew that along with Dungeons & Dragons and Bulletin Board Systems, the MUD was one of the key predecessors to the MMORPG as we know it today. It was, and still is, vital gaming history that helped to shape the genre. The only problem was that for various reasons -- mostly a lack of good internet access in college and general ignorance -- I'd missed out on MUDs back in the day. But it's not like that stopped me from covering any of the other games in this series that I never experienced first-hand way back when; after all, there are few among us who can honestly say they did everything. So the problem wasn't the lack of first-hand knowledge but the sheer, overwhelming scope of this subject. One game alone is a manageable subject -- MUDs are an entire genre unto themselves. It's intimidating, to say the least. It doesn't still my excitement, however, nor will it stop us from diving into this topic no matter how deep the waters get. This week we'll take a look at the brief history of the MUD/MUSH/MOO/et al. and then get into specific games later this month. So hold your breath and jump on in with me!
Don't panic: Liquid damage, and what to do about it
We've all had an "oh poopie" moment involving liquids: Time slows down, you watch as the glass tips over, its contents cascading (beautifully, in another context perhaps) over the rim and onto the table. The rivulets of beverage roll in a miniscule tidal wave across the surface, over the edge, and drip to the floor. All in the span of a few seconds. The worst part is when there's a computer between the cup and the table. That's when an oops becomes a crisis. What's the best thing to do when there's a spill on your laptop? Keep calm and carry on: 1. Don't panic. First, know that your data is safe. Hard drives -- while not hermetically sealed -- are tightly put together. If you act quickly, you can prevent the liquid from getting to your hard disk, and damaging your valuable data. (I'll save the bad news for later.) 2. Turn off the computer. Even before you run to get a towel, turn the computer off. If you can't shut it down normally (the keyboard won't respond for example), try pressing the power button for several seconds to force the computer to shut down. Unplug the laptop, and disconnect any cables and USB devices. 3. With the lid open, turn the computer upside down. This prevents the liquid from getting too far into the computer. While the computer is upside down, remove the battery and set it aside. 4. Wipe up the liquid. All joking aside: use toilet paper. Ounce for ounce, it's the most absorbent material you're likely to have handy. It's also thin, so it can reach down into crevices in and around your keyboard to soak up the liquid. This is especially important for sugary drinks like colas and juice: Sugars are sticky, and if they dry, you'll have a bigger problem. Next: If you're prepared, you can take your computer apart to clean up any liquid inside.
Video: Kindle 2 sees the wrong end of a laser, recommends you don't panic
If there were anything a frequent traveler needs more than a towel (and money, and identification, and maybe a cellphone...) it's a Kindle 2. To celebrate its ability to provide free access to the world's great information repository from absolutely anywhere (within in the United States that has cellular access), Adafruit Industries has turned the K2 into something of an ode to Douglas Adams's great epic: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. After a little burning action courtesy of its Epliog 35 watt laser (which we've seen in action before), the e-book reader now sports the most valuable advice ever given to a man (or alien). Sadly it still won't give you directions to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but it will at least let you download and start reading it in under a minute. Ford Prefect would be proud.
Mage class changes in patch 3.1, so far
You can subtitle this post: "Where's my Mage changes at, dawg?"While other classes have been getting some insane changes (no more consumable ammo for Hunter? Huh?), the Mage class was left with little information.The only major change that really came out in the last day was that there will be a replenishment like talent added, taking the place of Improved Water Elemental. The overall effect will be similar to what Shadow Priests do with their mana regen.Some of the other things, which we are assuming have been intentionally left vague, include changes to make spirit a more "useful and interesting" statistic for Mages, and increasing a Fire Mage's survivability. There is also a blurb about giving Frost Mages an Ice Lance "Shatter Combo" in PvE encounters.So if you're like everyone else and scratching your head, asking where are all the more detailed changes... don't panic! We're sure there's a ton more to come. Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
Target Mode: don't panic
TUAW reader Bryan raised an important question--one that's been circulating on a number of Apple forums--in response to yesterday's confirmation that Open Firmware won't be ported for x86 Macs: what happens to the Open Firmware functions Mac users love, such as Target Disk Mode and holding down "c" to boot from CD? The answer? Probably nothing. The newest Intel chipsets, like the 945g, support Intel Active Management Technology, which allows for on chip control of all kinds of I/O. Its primary purpose is to allow remote control of devices via AMT enabled ethernet cards for easier network diagnostics and server recovery, but it can be put to a variety of other uses as well. The best publicized use has been its support for DTCP-IP, but it should be able to emulate most of the OF functionality Mac users rely on, and probably some things we haven't thought of yet.
Mac Trojan Horse; Don't Panic
It's not in the wild (I love that phrase; I always picture pictographic horses drawn from ones and zeroes trampling through cubicles when I hear "Trojan in the Wild"). In any case, there's a new proof-of-concept Mac Trojan out there that takes advantage of the five minute window after you log in to your Mac when admin-level tasks can be run without re-authenticating. Damien Barrett (that's Mr. Barrett to you!) recommends creating an administrator user for installations, upgrades, etc, and a regular non-admin user that you use for regular day to day computer usage. Good cautious advice. My two cents: all these proof-of-concepts prove that the concept sucks. I know your 1337 friends all think it's cool that you fragged your Dad's network with your little hand-coded virus, but please, don't make these things anymore, coders. And for all you virus-fearing Mac users: be cautious, but relax. Nothing is taking down your system any time soon. Also, how funny is this picture?
