GeekSugar

Teach Your Mom Tech: iTunes Store

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:57:08 PDT

The iTunes store offers lots of content, but with the separate pages for movies, TV, apps, and books, it can be a pain for a casual user like Mom to navigate. This Mother's Day, help Mom make the most of her digital media with a walk-through of the iTunes Store's most important functions.

Update Mom's iTunes: If Mom's still running on 6.0, the first step is updating the program to its current version. She's less likely to run into bugs, plus she'll have the most current store features.
Teach how to redeem a gift card: Save Mom the future phone call to you by showing her how to redeem an iTunes gift card. Select the "Quick Links" bar on the right hand side of the iTunes Store home page, then "Redeem" to enter the gift card code and begin purchasing. Remind her to take this step any time she wants to use the gift card, otherwise iTunes will automatically charge the credit card associated with the iTunes account.
Test out the search bar: Mom likely knows what she wants to purchase ahead of time, so help her search for items via the search bar on the upper right-hand corner of the title bar. The results aren't always clear, so make sure she's selecting the right items for purchase (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo book rather than the movie).
Explore each option on the navigation bar: Music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books: these are just a few items on the top navigation bar that Mom should explore to see what's new and what's popular.
Dive deep into each section: Each media content page breaks down into series of categories. View the list of categories by holding down the content page name on the navigation bar, or look to the "Quick Links" section on the right-hand side of the page. That way, Mom can search for types of movies, books, and music she prefers.

John Cusack Got a Hot Tip From Steve Jobs, Then Ignored It

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:18:32 PDT

Before the launch of iTunes, John Cusack got a glimpse at the future of music, straight from Steve Jobs himself. His response? "I'll pass."

On last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, John talked about how after filming High Fidelity, the Apple CEO gave him a sneak peek at what would become iTunes and the iPod, because he wanted the actor to do a commercial. John wasn't interested in doing the commercial, but now he's kicking himself for a missed opportunity. Check out the clip.

Fragrance Makers Capture the Scent of a Brand-New MacBook Pro

Miriam Lacey — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:30:00 PDT

In the 21st century, appreciation for "that new-car smell" may finally have been usurped by a scent that's much better aligned with the zeitgeist - the scent of an Apple Macbook Pro. Scent marketer Air Aroma says its labs have captured the bouquet of a freshly unboxed MacBook, and now the fragrance is being used as ambient scent for an art exhibition in Australia. The notes are exactly what you might expect: "the smell of the plastic wrap covering the box, printed ink on the cardboard, the smell of paper and plastic components within the box, and of course the aluminum laptop which has come straight from the factory where it was assembled in China."

How does one even begin to make such a scent, though? With an actual laptop, of course. An unopened MacBook Pro was sent to Air Aroma's suppliers in France, and from there, the noses "used the scents they observed unboxing the new Apple computer to source fragrance samples." The scent isn't being mass produced as of now, but there are undoubtedly some gadget junkies who'd probably be more than happy to catch a whiff of this unconventional fragrance.

The One Reason to Buy an iPad Mini

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:15:50 PDT

Just a month after the debut of the latest iPad, the Apple-product rumor mill is moving again, this time with speculation that an iPad Mini will hit store shelves later this year. With a reported cost of $300, an iPad Mini would place Apple front and center of the more affordable and smaller tablet market, which includes the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Do we need an iPad Mini, though? One of the iPad's greatest differentiators in the tablet scene is its size; a user can feel comfortable browsing the web, editing photos, or watching new releases on the nearly 10-inch screen. With rumors of Apple looking to compete in the world of smaller tablets, the sole reason we could see to add yet another gadget to our tech family is: it'd make a perfect ereader. Using the full-size iPad to read a book while curled up in bed or squished on a crowded bus isn't always an easy one-handed task. However, an iPad Mini might offer reason enough to finally streamline our ereader and tablet into one product.

Do you agree? For what reasons would you purchase and use an iPad Mini?

Source: Flickr User inUse Consulting

The 1 Step You Need to Take to Prevent Getting the Mac Flashback Trojan

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:42:16 PDT

Come to find out, Macs aren't virus-proof. There's a new trojan virus spreading through Mac computers at an alarming rate - over 600,000 could be infected now, 57 percent of those being in the US. The virus disguises itself as an Adobe Flash Player installer, and after you've installed what you think is an update to Flash, the malware then seeks out passwords and log-in information stored on your computer.

There are a few ways to find out if your computer is infected, but there is also one simple way to prevent the effects of the virus - download the latest security update from Apple! This will close any loopholes and vulnerabilities in order to keep your computer (and your information) secure.

Source: Flickr user neenio

Does Your New iPad Run Hot?

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:15:27 PDT

New iPad sales are on fire right now, and new owners are feeling the heat. According to Apple forum posts, the new iPad runs hotter than previous generations. These reports vary widely depending on how many - and the kinds of - apps being used, and the duration of iPad use. Apple has already responded to these claims saying, "The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE, plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications." Sound off - is your new iPad running hot after extended use?

More Images From the New iPad 5MP Camera

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:01:33 PDT

Did you pick up a new iPad this weekend? Lines were long outside of Apple stores, and one of the few major improvements coming with the third-generation tablet is the 5MP camera. Interested in seeing what it can do? Check out a few of the images we captured in the gallery.

7 Apps to Download For the New iPad

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:03:36 PDT

Retina display! Amazing 2048 x 1536 resolution! But now that the new iPad is here, which apps should you download to best appreciate each of those 3.1 million pixels? Many app makers are revamping display quality to fit the iPad resolution, so we've rounded up six that are the most "resolutionary."

iPhoto ($5) - A must for the new iPad, edit and further beautify your pictures with the ease of a few quick gestures.
Star Walk ($3) - Tour the universe in all its stunning, bright-eyed wonder.
Mass Effect Infiltrator ($7) - Galactic battles redesigned with out-of-this-world graphics.
IncrediBooth ($1) - The fun of photo booth strips, without the machine eating your dollars.
Flipboard (Free)- Flip through online magazines, RSS feeds, and social media in the vivid revamp of this popular app.
The New York Times (Free) - Keep up with world events as if you're actually there.
Vimeo (Free) - The documentaries and fun videos Vimeo is known for get some added definition.

New iPad owners, which apps are looking extrabeautiful on the new screen?

New Apple iPad Goes on Sale!

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:49:11 PDT

Scores of fans across the globe waited in front of Apple stores to get their hands on a new iPad. Did you wait in line this morning? Click through the slideshow to check out the scene from Apple stores in NYC, Tokyo, and London, and share your lineup images with us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

The New iPad Goes on Sale Tomorrow at 8 a.m.: Camping Tips to Keep You In Line

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:29:29 PDT

The new iPad with the fancy high definition Retina display goes on sale tomorrow, and if you didn't get your preorder in, you'll have to battle the crowds if you want a new tablet on day one. But standing outside for hours (or overnight, if you must) isn't an easy task. Should you go for it? Prepare and keep yourself entertained, hydrated, and safe with these iPad line camping tips.

Do some recon - Scope out your local Apple store, AT&T retailer, or other launch-day location and use Google Maps to pick out a prime spot, preferably with shade and/or overhead coverage.
Know when to arrive - Apple stores will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 16, while AT&T and Verizon stores have also been known to open doors early to greet tired Apple fanatics.
Bring some reading material - Load up your ereader with some books you've been meaning to tackle - you'll be in line for a while!
Keep your gadgets charged - With all these gadgets you're toting along, you're going to need some juice. Obviously, you'll be far from an outlet, unless you post it up in Starbucks while someone saves your spot. Keep your gadgets charged with a solar charger by day, so you can power them through the night.

Get the rest of our tips after the break.