Tech Heavy

Transfer files between iOS and OS X with Instashare

Kevin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:56:29 +0000

Ever wanted to transfer a picture or file to your iPhone or iPad from your Mac without connecting it iTunes? Of course this idea isn’t something new, people have been using services like Dropbox and Google Drive to do this for years but we just recently came across a new app that will allow you to transfer files between your Mac and iOS devices without having to use iTunes or any third party cloud service. Instashare transfers any file you choose to your devices via a local WI-FI or Bluetooth connection, this similar to Apple’s AirDrop feature for their desktops (AirDrop gives you the ability to transfer files between Mac’s on the same local network but not iOS devices).

Unlike Dropbox and most of the other cloud services currently available, Instashare transfers the file directly to the device or computer it’s paired to. You will not have to wait for the file to upload to a server and then wait for the device to go out and download the file from said server.

Instashare is currently free for Mac and iOS, with an Android and Windows version currently in-development. The iOS version is ad-supported but a small payment of 99 cents you can remove them permanently.

Check out the video below to see Instashare in action!

Attach your iPad to your iMac or desk

Kevin — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:42:07 +0000

Some stands just don’t do justice if you are looking to have your iPad at eye level with your monitor. Whether it’s to compare data, use the iPad as an external monitor, or even watch a movie while you are working the HoverBar is a must-have accessory.

I have been guilty of trying to prop my iPad up with books and magazines in order to get it to stand next to my iMac so I can watch a movie or TV show while doing other various tasks on my iMac. Most of the time it ended poorly with my iPad crashing down. I have always been a big fan of the work TwelveSouth has done with their Apple accessories, so as soon as I found out they were releasing iPad mounting arm I was thrilled.

The HoverBar allows you to hang your iPad next to any iMac or Apple display with an L-shaped stand. Don’t have an iMac? No worries it also attaches to most desks. If you plan on attaching it to a desk I suggest scoping out some reviews or pictures on Amazon or the TwelveSouth website to get a better idea if it will work for you.

The HoverBar’s latest version fits both the iPad 2 and the new iPad. It will run you $79.99 and you can pick it up from TwelveSouth directly or from Amazon.com.

Check it out in action in the kitchen:

Burn an ISO in Mac OS X

Kevin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:35:20 +0000

Disk Utility is here to the rescue, this built-in Mac application, which you can find in your Utility folder (or by searching ‘Disk Utility’ in Spotlight) allows you to burn an ISO without the need of any third-party software.

First, locate the ISO that you wish to burn and make sure you know it’s location on your computer so you can insert it into Disk Utility and follow the steps below:

Open the Disk Utility app, you can find it in /Applications/Utilities/ or do a spotlight search
Open the File menu from the menu bar, then select Open Disk Image (or press Option Key + Command + O)
Find the ISO you want to burn, select it, and hit OK
If you haven’t yet go ahead and insert a blank disk (make sure the disc size is bigger then the ISO so it can fit)
Now click on burn

Depending on the size of the ISO and the speed of your CD/DVD drive (older Mac’s typically have slower drives) it may take some time to finish. These steps can also be used if you wish to burn a DMG file to a CD/DVD as well.

Disk Utility is a wonderful default Mac app that can also be used to create partitions, format drives, and create disc images.

NOTE: These steps should be almost identical on all versions of OS X, if you notice something different leave us a comment below.

Dice With Buddies Multiplayer Yahtzee for iOS

Kevin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:07:02 +0000

I normally don’t waste any time with third-party game apps, typically the best experience is from the original creator of the game. For example, Words With Friends is a sure fire hit and with that success came loads of clones, and while they might be cheaper or have a few more features the game play is sub-par. I would normally advise you not to waste your money on these clones but then I fell in love with Dice with Buddies, a third-party Yahtzee style game that has completely mastered the multiplayer aspect.

With Dice you can play Yahtzee online with anyone that owns an iOS device (Yes, there’s even an iPad version). If you don’t have any friends with a iOS device, no worries, you can play random opponents as well. Dice keeps track of every game you play and compiles a nice list of your statistics so you can show off that high score or bad ass win ratio.

The game has push notifications to alert you immediately after your opponent has played and also has a ‘Nudge’ feature that allows you to send a reminder to your opponent if they haven’t made their move in a while (or forgot).

Dice also offers in-game chat so you can send little messages back and forth without having to leave the app.

Dice with Buddies is definitely one of my favorite apps as you can see from the screen shots above I’ve played over 260 games and I’ve only had the app for about two weeks. To top it all off Dice even offers a leader board on their official website that keeps track of all-time high scores and win ratios.

Whats missing?

I’d love to see some Game Center integration, achievements for obtaining so many win’s in a row, or for playing 100 total games, etc. Also, you can only get one 5 of a kind (commonly known as a Yahtzee), any more 5 of a kind’s won’t get you an extra 100 points like it does in the original game.

It’s mind boggling that Hasbro hasn’t added multiplayer functionality to their app, it seems to be the winning trend these days with iOS Games (Draw Something, Words with Friends, etc)

Worth every penny

Dice with Buddies has two versions sitting in the app store and they are identical in terms of game play but one is ad-supported and free while the other is ad-free and $1.99.

Diablo III Release Date Set For May 15th

Kevin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:08:57 +0000

It has been a long time coming but Diablo III (finally) has an official release date as of this morning and it’s going to be May 15th 2012. With the release date comes the ability to pre-order the game via Blizzard for the typical-but-totally-worth-it price of $59.99. Over the past few months sites like Amazon have been offering up the ability to pre-order the game even though no release date had been set, let it be known that most of those deals are for the box copy of the game.

I strongly encourage you to go out and pre-order the game directly from Blizzard/Battle.net as you will get instant access to the game (via a downloadable client) starting TODAY! This means you can download the whopping 7.60GB well before the game releases at 12:01PM PDT on May 15th allowing you to go directly to hell without any hesitation.

As huge fans of the Diablo franchise we are debating devoting a page/community to the game here at Tech Heavy. Maybe a clan? Would anyone be interested in this? Let it be known in the comments below!

80% Off Adobe Student And Teacher Edition Software

Kevin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:02:58 +0000

Adobe is currently offering 80% off Student and Teacher Edition Products within their online store. Using the coupon code (SAVE80EDU) during checkout, as long as you are a student or teacher of an Accredited Educational Institution, will give you the chance to receive a hefty discount!

You have the option to choose digital download and receive free shipping, or if you’d rather have the physical DVD shipped to you it comes out to be $5.95.

The following products that qualify for this deal are:

Acrobat X Pro Student and Teacher Edition - $23.80
Photoshop CS5 Extended Student and Teacher Edition - $39.80
Creative Suite 5.5 Design Standard Student and Teacher Edition - $59.80
Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium Student and Teacher Edition - $89.80
Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium Student and Teacher Edition - $89.80
Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium Student and Teacher Edition - $89.80
Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection Student and Teacher Edition - $179.80

Adobe will require you to prove that you are a student before allowing the transaction to process so make sure you have a .edu address or other form of ID associating you with a school system or university.

This deal is valid from 12am (PST) on February 19, 2012, until 11:59pm (PST) on March 2, 2012

Update (2/22/12 12:05PM): Sam in the comments below noted if you order via phone you can also get them to include Lightroom in this deal for only $17.00.

Apple Announces 10.8 Mountain Lion

Kevin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:35:37 +0000

Apple dropped a bomb this morning announcing it’s next addition to the OS X family, 10.8 Mountain Lion. This was quite the surprise as in the past they haven’t released OS X versions so close together. In fact, there was almost a two-year gap between the release of Leopard and Snow Leopard. Like Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion aims to be almost an expansion pack adding a few new apps and features rather than being a full UI overhaul as we saw with last summer’s Lion.

What we know so far:

iChat will be known as Messages and will allow you to send iMessages to any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or other iOS device running iOS 5. (Lion users can beta test this new app now!)
A Notification Center displaying alerts from Mail, Calendar, Messages, Reminders, System Updates, etc.
iCloud integration that will now automatically sync and update your files across all devices.
Stream your Mac to your TV (AirPlay Mirroring) watch movies from your Mac or play games via Game Center.
New security elements (Gatekeeper, as they call it) which allows you to control how apps are downloaded and installed.
A Game Center app identical to the one you see on your iOS devices.
Twitter integration, sign-in once and you can tweet directly from Safari, iPhoto, or Photo Booth.
Notes and Reminders app’s that will sync with your iOS device apps (if iCloud is enabled).

If you are registered in the Mac Developer program it’s your lucky day because you can test out a preview release of Mountain Lion right now! Everyone else will have to wait until this summer to get their hands on the new and improved feline.

Check out the Mountain Lion Sneak Peek video over at Apple.

UPDATE: Lion users can beta test the new Messages app now! (FYI: Installing Messages replaces iChat but all features of iChat are included in Messages)

Clear for iPhone

Kevin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:03:15 +0000

Clear is a straight forward to-do list app with a very slick tap and swipe interface. Realmac Software created a simple, user friendly approach for to-do list management. Rather than bullets or numbers, with Clear, your to-do list items are color coated to show their importance overall and you won’t find a single button within the app as everything is managed by swiping or a quick tap.

When I first saw the screen shots below I didn’t think much of the app but after watching the introductory video I was simply blown away by it’s flexible approach. This is an app that you don’t have to spend time tweaking or learning how to use, it’s almost too easy!

There is several features I wish the app did include like iCloud support, and Geofenced reminders, but as new app it still impresses. I look forward to see what additions Realmac might make in the next version.

Act fast and get Clear now for only 99 cents during it’s introductory sale!

Check out the official Clear video by Realmac below, it is a full demonstration of the app:

USB Wall Outlet Options

Kevin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:30:36 +0000

It seems like with every mobile device we have these days the other end of the cord contains a USB connection, so it’s fitting that we are now starting to see new power outlets and adapters appear on the market. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost my USB power plug (seen on the right) for my

iPhone or my wife’s Kindle, and I dislike using my laptop to charge my phone since it takes so bloody long.

All that has changed now that I discovered the RCA Wall Plate, this handy little fella will plug into your existing standard outlet turning it into a fully functional USB charging station.

Option 1 – Wall Plate

$19.99 a piece on Amazon

The RCA Wall Plate will charge multiple devices at once including cameras, cell phones, and tablets.

I can leave this in the outlet at all times and not fumble around with other AC adapters. This is a quick fix but if you feel like going all out you can always replace your entire outlet with one that contains built in USB ports, as you can see in option 2 below.

Option 2 – Full Outlet Replacement

You can pick up one of these from OWC for $27.99 a piece.

Be sure you do your research before buying and installing Option 2, these new outlet devices are normally longer and wider then your existing outlet, so make sure it will fit. We are not responsible if you burn down your house or shock your tits off because you didn’t investigate before installing!

Higher Education and Social Media

Kevin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:18:57 +0000

The below infographic depicts how social media can help a school connect with it’s students at a more personal level and how it can do wonders in terms of improving communication. I strongly believe social media can be beneficial to a college if it is managed right. You can’t simply create a Facebook account or Twitter account and post meaningless status updates or repeat the same information you send in e-mails or letters. Like the infographic states the student or follower needs to feel the connection is authentic or it’s just a waste of time.

Give this infographic a once over and let us know what you think about the merging Social Media and Education in the comments below.

Infographic via: Online Universities Blog