Sep 26 Meeting

iCloud and More, by Kent McDonald

Kent will spend half of the presentation on understanding and mastering the capabilities of iCloud, something that has forever eluded him. The rest of the time will be spent on reviewing new accessories and announcements regarding Mac and iOS products and on shortcuts and tips for helping users to accomplish their tasks more efficiently on Macs, iPhones and iPads. All of this information will be based on the two most recent issues of MacLife.

The Apple HomePod Smart Speaker

The Apple HomePod is acclaimed for its outstanding sound quality. Don McAllister’s video covers setup, using Siri for playback, controlling playback via iOS, the AirPlay interface with iPad, iPhone and Mac, using HomePod for podcasts and the interface with HomeKit. After the video, Kent McDonald will do a short presentation comparing the HomePod to its competitors including the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

You’ve heard Allison Sheridan speak before, and she’s even talked to you about why a password manager (like 1Password) will make you happy by removing the stress of remembering passwords.  But that talk was all theoretical.  In this presentation, Allison is joined by Pat Dengler, who is an Apple Certified Consultant.  Pat specializes in helping people learn to use their Macs and iOS devices better, and is a great resource for learning 1Password.  Pat and Allison will review why having a password manager is a good idea and then dig deeper into how 1Password actually works.  This isn’t a sales pitch for 1Password or for Pat’s services, but if you want private lessons (or small groups) from Pat she’ll be available after the presentation to make those arrangements.

Allison Sheridan

Podfeet Podcasts at http://podfeet.com

Technology geek podcasts with an EVER so slight Apple bias!

This month I expand on a topic I gave at the beginners group on adware a few years back. .   I will cover the overall topic of Malware, which will cover viruses, adware, spyware, PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),  and also on non- malware scams that try and trick you in calling a number and giving the folks your credit card info.  Even if you don’t fall for the scam, the webpage may try and lock you into itself, there are easy escape steps to follow.

Jim Pernal

Apple Wallet, Apple Pay, and the Messages App

Using Apple Wallet, Apple Pay, Apple Pay Cash and the Apple Messages App, by George Wilde

Did you know that you can use your iPhone to do all of the following things, and much more?

â—† Use Apple Pay with your Apple iPhone or Apple Watch, or even purchase items using your Mac with Apple Pay on the web.

â—† Use your Apple Wallet to store credit cards, airline boarding passes, train tickets, event tickets, merchant reward cards, and much, much more.

â—† Pass through TSA Security and board a plane with no printed tickets or printed boarding passes, just by using your iPhone or Apple Watch.

â—† Pay in a store using Apple Pay without pulling out your credit card from your physical wallet, or without even pulling out your iPhone if you have an Apple Watch. Apple Pay couldn’t be easier or more secure. The merchant never sees your physical credit card nor does he have access to your actual credit card account number.

◆ Transfer cash to others using Apple Pay Cash with your iPhone Messages App. 

â—† Send secure iMessages to individuals or groups using the Messages App. Incorporate videos, audio, emoji or even Animoji into your iMessages. Send iMessages with effects including bubble effects, handwritten messages, or even your heartbeat. Understand the significant differences between an iMessage and an SMS/MMS message. There are so many things that this little Messages App offers you on your iPhone!

The main presentation in March will consist of these Screencast Online Tips followed by discussion of each:

•Using AirPods with iPhones and AppleTV

•Converting iPods into Photo Frames

•Eliminating iPhone Camera Shake

•Creating Apple-Mail Rules on a Mac

•Copying Apple-Mail Rules to IOS Devices

After the beginners’ Q&A, but before the main presentation, Tom Thorpe will dig into VPN(in)Security.

Jim Pernal will discuss the latest Mac Operating System, High Sierra (10.13)  The presentation will include the requirements for using this system, how to upgrade, why you should upgrade, and finally a few of the new features in the system with some demos. Some of the new features are the APFS file system, HEVC and HEIF codecs, and VR support.

Before the main presentation, Tom Thorpe will dig into WiFi (in)Security.

Photos for Mac OS and iOS, presented by Adam Christianson of Maccast

This month Adam Christianson, host of the Maccast Podcast (maccast.com), will look into the Apple Photos apps on macOS and iOS. The presentation will cover the basic of photo management, editing, sharing, and more. Adam will also dive deeper into more advanced topics like iCloud Photo Library, Memories, advanced photo editing, and the new artificial intelligence technology that drives the automatic image identification and Faces features in Photos.

Adam is a software engineer, long-time Mac user and board member of the San Diego MUG (SDMUG) and San Diego Computer Society (SDCS).

The December 6 meeting (originally scheduled for Dec 13) will include the beginners session at 6:30 as usual, free pizza, the election of Club officers for 2018 (it’s not too late to submit your name if you would like to become an officer, see sbamug.com/volunteers) and a table topics session. Glen Terry will lead one of the tables in a discussion of iPhone Tips. Other table possibilities are hardware/software upgrades, backups/security and iOS Control Center/Today View and Notifications.

Using Apple Notes, presented by George Wilde

Apple Notes is a  powerful note taking App preinstalled on every Mac, iPhone and iPad. There are many note Apps available from third parties for Macs, iPhones, and iPads. With the recent significant updates to Apple Notes, the Apple Notes App is one of the most powerful note Apps – and it is free and already installed on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Did you know that you can create a note on an iPhone or iPad from your lock screen without even logging into your iPhone or iPad? You can create handwritten notes with an Apple Pencil, as well as mark up existing notes or make sketches. You can use Siri to dictate notes and you can search for contents of notes using Spotlight. You can format notes and add titles, tables, bulleted lists, images, photos, and videos,. You can input data from other Apps. You can even scan documents and mark them up or add a signature. And best of all, all of your notes are synched through iCloud. Notes taken on a iPhone will be instantly available on your iPad and Mac. You can even encrypt notes so that they are not readable by anyone else. And you can send or share notes with others. 

In this presentation I will tell you how to set up Apple Notes on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac and use Apple Notes to maximum advantage. Bring along your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to try out the many features yourself. 

The Apple Notes presentation is at the next SBAMUG meeting on October 25th at 8:00 pm. Make a note of it!