Author Archives: Doug Holcomb

Control outlets in your house with iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

Posted on by — Leave a reply
Control outlets in your house with iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

Have you ever wanted a way to control outlets in your house with your iPhone, iPad (Mini), or iPod Touch? What if you could turn a lamp on and off without even getting off the couch? What if you could set your lights on a timer so that they would turn on/off automatically while you were on a trip? All of this is possible with the Belkin Wemo. The Belkin Wemo is a simple plugin outlet that connects to your wifi network. Then, there is a free app that allows you to name that outlet and control it from your Continue Reading →

How to care for the battery in iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

Posted on by — Leave a reply
How to care for the battery in iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

The question of how to care for the battery in your iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch is an important one. With the investment you have put into your iDevice, you want to make sure you get the longevity out of the investment you have made. All iOS devices carry lithium-based batteries. These batteries give the longest life for the weight and size which is why they are used in many electronics. They also allow for several hundred charges (400 at 80% capacity is what Apple says) before they begin to lose capacity. Lithium-based batteries, like the ones used in Continue Reading →

How to use your iPhone, iPad (Mini), or iPod Touch as a Walkie-talkie

Posted on by — Leave a reply
How to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a Walkie-talkie

Did you know you can use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a Walkie-talkie? It’s actually quite simple with an app called Voxer. The app is free and works globally as long as you have an internet connection. It also works between iOS and Android devices so that you can connect with all of your friends no matter what device they have. Here is a direct link to the app so you can try it out for yourself: Voxer Walkie-Talkie Here is the description from the developers: Voxer is “A truly live push-to-talk and multimedia messaging tool, without the restrictions Continue Reading →

How to generate a highly encrypted password with Siri on iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

Posted on by — Leave a reply
How to generate a highly encrypted password with Siri on iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

This article will show you how to generate a highly encrypted random password using Siri on your iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch. There are hundreds of things you can ask Siri and some of the most useful come through Wolfram Alpha, which is a computational knowledge engine. In a recent post I described how you can ask Siri for nutritional information for certain foods. The results come from Wolfram Alpha (check out the post here: Ask Siri for Nutritional Information). One of the other helpful things that Siri can do using Wolfram Alpha is generate a random password that is Continue Reading →

Ticket to Ride Europe for Free this weekend only for iPhone and iPod Touch

Posted on by — Leave a reply
Ticket to Ride Europe for Free this weekend only for iPhone and iPod Touch

Ticket to Ride Europe Pocket for iPhone and iPod Touch is free for this weekend only! If you haven’t played Ticket to Ride, you are missing out. This is a great game created by Days of Wonder and they have done a fantastic job adapting it to iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (Mini). My wife and I play the iPad version all the time. Getting the App for free (discounted from $1.99) is the best deal out there. Here is a direct link to get the iPhone/iPod Touch game from the App Store now: Ticket to Ride Europe Pocket. Here Continue Reading →

How to check warranty status of iPhone, iPad (Mini), iPod Touch

Posted on by — 29 Comments ↓
How to check warranty status on iPhone, iPad (Mini), iPod Touch

This post will will show you how to check the warranty status of iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch. Apple has always been known for providing its customers with excellent customer service and warranty processing. I can personally attest to this as I have received great customer care over and over whenever I have had an issue with any Apple product. I have never needed an original receipt or the original box. And, Apple has always honored the standard 1 year warranty on any used iPhones or iPads I have purchased on Craigslist. This is one of the things I love Continue Reading →

Control computer with iPhone, iPad (Mini), iPod Touch

Posted on by — Leave a reply
control computer using iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

One of my favorite apps that I use allows me to control my computer with my iPhone or iPad (Mini). It also works with an iPod Touch. The setup is easy and I can use my iDevice as a remote, a wireless mouse, a keynote or powerpoint presentation controller, etc. The best part is that the connection is established via Wi-Fi so you don’t need line of sight for it to work. The app I use is called Mobile Mouse (click here for a direct link to the app in the App Store: Mobile Mouse -Remote/Mouse/Trackpad/Keyboard). Here is how to Continue Reading →

3 Ways for how to improve battery life on iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓
3 Ways for how to improve battery life on iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch

One of the biggest complaints of the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 5 is the battery life – it runs out too fast. Although the iPhone 5 made a slight improvement in overall battery life over its predecessors, it often won’t last you through the day with heavy usage. My hope is that Apple will significantly improve the battery life in future generations of the iPhone – iPhone 5S and iPhone 6. But until that happens, here are a few ways for how to improve the battery life on your current iOS device. 1. Turn down the screen Continue Reading →