Download or read book Take Control of Apple Home Automation written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-02-22 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Manage your smart home with Apple’s HomeKit platform Version 1.5, updated February 22, 2023 Thanks to Apple's HomeKit platform, you can easily configure smart home devices (such as light bulbs, outlets, thermostats, sensors, cameras, and door locks) from a variety of manufacturers to behave exactly as you need them to; integrate them with a hub such as a HomePod or Apple TV; and control them with an iOS/iPadOS device, a Mac, an Apple Watch, Siri commands, or automated programming. This book gives you all the information you need to get started. "Smart home" devices are everywhere these days—you can buy internet-connected light bulbs, thermostats, door locks, sensors, and dozens of other products. But these devices aren't very smart on their own. Apple's HomeKit platform offers a way to integrate, monitor, control, and automate smart home devices from a wide variety of manufacturers. Using the built-in Home app on a Mac or iOS/iPadOS device (perhaps along with third-party apps), you can connect to your various smart devices, see what they're up to, control them, and even get them to operate on a schedule or respond to changing conditions in your home automatically. Even with HomeKit, however, home automation can be a daunting prospect. That's why Josh Centers wrote Take Control of Apple Home Automation. The book walks you carefully through every step of the process, showing you how you can start with a basic system that costs less than $50 and work your way up to as much complexity as you want or need. And you don't have to be a computer geek to simplify and improve your life with HomeKit-compatible products. Even if you don't know a wire nut from a macadamia or which end of a screwdriver to stick in a socket (spoiler: neither!), Josh's thorough advice will enable you to work wonders in your home. In this book, you'll learn: • The most common home automation myths (and why you shouldn't worry about them) • How to choose HomeKit-compatible devices that meet your needs, and which products you might want to avoid • Exactly what HomeKit is, what it does, how it works, and what its limitations are • Why you need a hub (in the form of an Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) and how to set it up • Important safety rules for working with electrical products, especially those that require wiring • How to install advanced accessories such as a smart switch, thermostat, or door/window sensor—including illustrated, step-by-step instructions • What Apple's Home app for Mac and iOS/iPadOS does—and how to configure homes, zones, rooms, accessories, services, and scenes • Tips for controlling your smart home using a Mac, iOS/iPadOS device, Apple Watch, HomePod, or Siri • Ways to automate your smart home using schedules, sensors, geofencing, and other tools (without making your house seem haunted) • The best ways to troubleshoot home automation problems This book was sponsored by Elgato (the original makers of the Eve line of HomeKit devices, which spun off into a separate company in 2018), so many of the examples feature Eve products, although nearly all the advice in the book is applicable to HomeKit products from any manufacturer. (You'll also read about working with Philips Hue bulbs, ecobee thermostats, and numerous other devices.) If you're an Apple user who's interested in joining the smart home revolution—or adding even more smarts to your existing setup—this book is the ideal guide.

Download or read book Take Control of Shortcuts 2nd Edition written by Rosemary Orchard and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-01-30 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Automate your iPhone, iPad, or Mac! Version 2.1, updated January 30, 2023 Automation is no longer just for advanced computer users! Apple's Shortcuts app lets anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac automate day-to-day tasks, from the simple to the complex. This book is a complete introduction to Shortcuts, covering every aspect of building, installing, debugging, running, syncing, and sharing shortcuts. It also includes step-by-step recipes for creating numerous useful shortcuts yourself. Apple's Shortcuts app brings extensive automation capabilities to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, using a drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blanks interface much like Automator—but much more powerful. It lets you perform sequences of tasks, including ones that span various apps, with just a tap, a click, or a voice command—or even automatically when certain conditions are met. Shortcuts can save you time and effort, help you accomplish previously complicated tasks, and let you customize your device to better meet your needs. Apple finally brought Shortcuts to the Mac in macOS 12 Monterey. (The book now includes coverage of macOS Ventura, iOS 16, and iPadOS 16.) But for all its utility, Shortcuts is not self-explanatory, so it can be challenging to figure out its quirks and create effective, time-saving automations. That's where Take Control of Shortcuts comes in. Written by automation expert Rosemary Orchard, this book opens the world of automation to users at every level. With Rosemary's help, you'll learn how to: • Navigate the Shortcuts app: Understand the user interface (on each platform) and terminology, then install and run your first shortcut. • Run shortcuts: Discover many different ways to run a shortcut, from tapping or clicking an icon to using Personal or Home automations, Siri, and Apple Watch. • Build shortcuts: Start with simple, one-step shortcuts and work your way up to complex shortcuts with input, output, variables, conditionals, loops, and more. Debugging advice is also included. • Install and sync shortcuts: Download and install shortcuts others have written, sync your shortcuts across your devices, and share them with other people. Then, to both illustrate the main principles you've learned and give you practical tools to get you started, Rosemary walks you step by step through the creation of 25 sample shortcuts, most which you can also download and install using links in the book. Examples include: • Event templates • A daily overview • Converting and sharing images • Adding a song to a playlist • Logging expenses • Turning on lights automatically when you get home • Disabling rotation lock just for YouTube on an iPhone • Reminding you about upcoming deadlines 15 minutes after you arrive home • Automatically setting seasonal scenes for HomeKit lights The book also discusses how Shortcuts can use REST APIs to talk to various web services (with detailed examples), and numerous complementary apps that work in conjunction with Shortcuts. Whether you're completely new to automation or already have significant programming experience, you'll find plenty of useful information in this friendly, practical guide.

Download or read book Take Control of Apple TV 4th Edition written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-12-13 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everything you need to know about the Apple TV! Version 4.0, updated December 13, 2023 Whether you're considering an Apple TV, already own one, or have a smart TV or streaming device that supports AirPlay and/or the Apple TV app, you can more fully enjoy Apple’s ecosystem with this ultimate guide by editor Josh Centers. You'll learn about the best TVs and sound equipment to buy, how to maximize your Apple TV's picture quality, get the most out of the Apple TV app, control your media with AirPlay, and so much more!n Josh walks you through cables, ports, and setup, and explains how to use gestures and spoken commands with the Siri Remote—yes, you can talk to your TV! He helps you navigate and customize the Home screen, plus describes getting-started settings such as inputting your Apple ID and enabling parental controls. You'll learn how to use the TV app (whether on the Apple TV box itself, on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad; or on a third-party smart TV), and how you can best view home movies and TV shows. The book also looks at using an Apple TV to listen to your music or Apple Music, download and play podcasts from the Podcasts app, and browse your photos. In Take Control of Apple TV you'll also read about: • What's new in tvOS 17 • Which Apple TV model to buy—or whether you should get different hardware instead • Getting the most out of your the Siri Remote (either version) • Alternatives to the Siri Remote • Using Control Center on an Apple TV • Using a game controller with Apple TV • Controlling Apple TV with Shortcuts • Using AirPlay to beam the display of your Mac or iPhone screen to your TV • Making Mac or iOS/iPadOS audio play through your TV’s speakers • Making and receiving FaceTime calls on an Apple TV • Using SharePlay to watch shows with friends in other places • Running Home Sharing to play media from a local computer • Using one or more HomePods as speakers for your Apple TV • Using an Apple Watch to control your Apple TV • What you can do with Conference Room Display mode • How to tell whether an iOS/iPadOS app includes a free copy of its Apple TV version • How to reset or restore an Apple TV—useful for troubleshooting or for handing your device to a new owner

Download or read book Take Control of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-04-03 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teach your iPhone or iPad new tricks Version 1.2, published April 3, 2024 Josh Centers is back with his tenth book on Apple's mobile operating systems. This guide for users of iPhones and iPads explores the new features and interface changes in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. It also covers iOS and iPadOS basics, such as working with the Lock screen, Control Center, and Home screen, and using built-in apps like Camera, Messages, and Siri.n Whether you're upgrading an iPhone or iPad to Apple's latest mobile operating systems or trying to master the obscure ins and outs of your device, Take Control of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is here to help. As he has done since 2014, Josh Centers explores what's new and different in this year's releases, including Contact Posters, improved autocorrect and predictive text, interactive Home screen widgets, accessibility improvements, offline maps, animated video reactions, and much more. In addition, the book includes information about many basic iPhone and iPad features, even if they haven't changed recently. Although this book is not intended as a comprehensive guide to everything an iPhone or iPad can do, it's suitable for beginners and long-time iOS/iPadOS users alike. Among the many topics covered in the book are: • A complete list of what’s new in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 • How to create and use Contact Posters • Working with interactive Home screen widgets • Using Live Speech and Personal Voice to assist in communication • Adding animated reactions to video calls • How to use new features in apps like Find My, Freeform, Health, Home, Notes, Reminders, and Safari • Downloading maps for offline use • Information on what each of the built-in apps does • How to use and customize the Lock screen, Control Center, and Home screen • Creating and using Focus modes for enhanced "Do Not Disturb" settings • Using Handoff to start tasks on one device and then continue them on another • How to search with Spotlight • Making the most of Siri for getting information and performing tasks • Working with keyboards (built-in and external) for text editing, emojis, and more • Sharing almost any content with others in a variety of ways • Special iPad-exclusive features (including Stage Manager on iPads with Apple M-series chips) • How to communicate using Apple's Messages app • Using the built-in Camera app for photos and videos • Configuring your device's accessibility features, including Live Captions for real-time transcriptions of audio

Download or read book Take Control of Home Security Cameras written by Glenn Fleishman and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make your home safer! Version 1.4.1, updated April 28, 2023 Are you thinking about installing a home security camera—or several? This book guides you through the many decisions about quality, features, privacy, and security that will help you find just what you want. Or do you own an existing system and want to swap out parts, expand it, or upgrade it? You’ll learn options for cameras you own and what interoperates. The book explains the role of Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, and how to make its highest-level security work for you. In Take Control of Home Security Cameras, networking and security expert Glenn Fleishman shows you how to make smart choices about buying and configuring cameras that take into account technical details, video quality, system integration, your own privacy and that of others, and internet security. As you read this book, you'll: • Figure out which features are right for you • Configure your system securely to ensure that you and people you authorize are the only ones with access to live and stored video • Understand the different kinds of cloud-based storage of video, and which you might be comfortable with • Learn about Apple HomeKit Secure Video, an option available for the Apple ecosystem that lets you access video and control cameras from several manufacturers in a highly secure way from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, including Logitech’s Circle View • Get to know features found in home security cameras, and how they affect the quality and nature of video you capture • Set your system so that alerts only appear for the kinds of motion, sound, or other triggers that meet your threshold • Avoid becoming part of the surveillance state—or opt into a limited and controlled part of it with a fuller understanding of what that means • Learn about the legal aspects and limits of recording audio and video, and how they might (or might not) help catch criminals

Download or read book Take Control of Sonoma written by Joe Kissell and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-03-20 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet the latest version of macOS Version 1.2, released March 20, 2024 macOS 14 Sonoma makes your Mac more secure and easier to use, with a wide array of new and improved features. Learn how to upgrade your Mac from an earlier version of macOS, find your way around Sonoma, use new features, and discover extensive changes to built-in apps such as Safari and Messages. Sonoma is Apple's latest effort to make Macs even more powerful and easier to use, and Joe Kissell is back with a complete guide to the upgrade process, as well as an in-depth look at what's new. People participating in video calls or sharing their screens via FaceTime, Zoom, and similar apps have some helpful new tools at their disposal. Widgets can now live on your desktop. Messages adds usability features, Safari offers greater privacy and flexibility, and Notes includes hyperlinks and better PDF support. Take Control of Sonoma walks you through all these changes and many more. This book teaches you things like: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Sonoma • Steps you should take before upgrading • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • What's new in the System Settings app • Using new Safari 17 features, such as profiles that separate your Safari data into multiple contexts, turning any website into a standalone app, sharing passwords and passkeys securely, and browsing the web with greater privacy • How to put widgets on your desktop • Navigating long, multi-person Messages conversations more easily, using filters to narrow down searches, sharing your location (or requesting someone else’s) within Messages, and more easily working with stickers • Creating categories in Reminders to organize your lists, and getting alerts before a scheduled task is supposed to occur • Viewing complete PDFs within Notes and easily creating link that take you from one note to another • Improving your privacy and security by securely sharing passwords and passkeys and using information from your keychain in apps besides Safari • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements, a less-annoying Autocorrect feature (plus inline typing predictions), AutoFill for PDFs, and new capabilities for AirPods, dictation, screen savers, wallpaper, your lock screen, and screen sharing (among other features) • Improvements to bundled apps, including FaceTime, Find My, Home, Mail, Music, Photos, and Siri

Download or read book Take Control of Sequoia written by Joe Kissell and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-09-16 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get up to speed quickly with macOS 15! Version 1.1, published September 16, 2024 macOS 15 Sequoia is one of Apple's most ambitious updates in years. Along with the usual range of new features, it introduces Apple Intelligence, which will permeate many parts of the system and fundamentally change the sorts of things you can do with your Mac and how you do them. This book is your complete guide to what's new in Sequoia—and what Apple has planned for future updates, too. Sequoia is an unusual release in that the first version (15.0) has only a fraction of its promised features. Version 15.1, which appears to be on track to ship not long thereafter, will bring with it the first tranche of Apple Intelligence capabilities, and even more will roll out over the coming months. Joe Kissell tells you everything you need to know, including a thorough walk-through of the upgrade process. You'll learn about new window tiling features, iPhone mirroring, videoconferencing tools, the much-discussed Passwords app, how Siri is becoming more powerful, new ways of formatting messages in the Messages app, additional features in Notes, and much more. This book teaches you things like: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Sequoia • Steps you should take before upgrading • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • What's new in the System Settings app • Using new Safari 18 features, such as page highlights, a redesigned Reader view, a tool to remove distracting page elements, and a new video viewer • What Apple Intelligence can do in macOS 15.1 (including Siri changes, writing tools, and image generation) and what's coming later (for example, ChatGPT features) • The many ways you can now tile your windows, and how to turn off the annoying bits • What the new Passwords app can and can't do (and why it probably won't replace your current password manager) • Using the new iPhone Mirroring app to interact with your iPhone right on your Mac's screen • How to enhance video calls (using apps like FaceTime, Zoom, or Slack) with background replacement and better screen sharing controls • Ways to format text and add animations in Messages, plus smart replies, scheduled replies, and emoji or sticker tapbacks • New ways to use Notes, including new text formatting options, transcription of live audio, collapsible sections, and text highlighting • How to use Math Notes for calculations without a calculator or spreadsheet (and not just in the Notes app) • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements and new capabilities for AirPods • Improvements to bundled apps, including Calculator, Calendar, Freeform, Home, Mail, Maps, Photos, and Weather Joe plans to update this book several times in the coming months to reflect the ongoing changes in Sequoia.

Download or read book Take Control of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-09-16 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keep up with the latest changes in iOS and iPadOS! Version 1.1, updated September 16, 2024 iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 overhaul your iPhone and iPad with major new features and interface changes. These include Apple Intelligence, which will gradually gain features and affect many aspects of how you use your device. In this book, Josh Centers shows you what's new, plus what you have to look forward to in future updates.n This year, Apple is initially rolling out new versions of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 with a subset of their full feature set. New features, including many that are part of Apple Intelligence, will start appearing in version 18.1 and continue rolling out over the coming months. Josh Centers introduces you to all the changes you'll see and how to navigate them. He discusses the redesigned and now completely customizable Control Center (plus more customizations for your Home Screen), major changes to apps such as Photos, Messages, Notes, Maps, and Safari, the new Passwords app, and much more. This book shows you: • A list of major new features in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 • How to determine whether the new software will run on your device, and the steps to follow to install the upgrade • Which Apple Intelligence features will appear first, in version 18.1, and what's coming later on • How to modify your Home Screen, including turning app shortcuts into widgets • What's new in Control Center (almost everything) and how to take advantage of its new features • The changes—both useful and controversial—in the Photos app • New capabilities in Messages, including text formatting, animation effects, and scheduled messages, plus support for satellite messaging and RCS • The new Page Menu and the redesigned Reader mode in Safari • How the new Passwords app makes it easier for you to access items in your keychain • Many new capabilities in the Notes app, including Math Notes, richer formatting, highlighting, and attachments • Additional options for hiking and walking routes in Maps • The redesigned Calculator app, which now offers a much wider range of conversion options • Improvements to the Journal app, including Journal widgets for your Home Screen • Smaller changes to apps including Calendar, Files, Fitness+, Freeform, Home, Mail, Music, Phone, and TV • Systemwide changes to Accessibility, AirPods, Game Mode, Contact Sharing, Emergency SOS Live Video, Flashlight, and SharePlay, plus new iPad-specific changes and a way to paste links over text Josh plans to update this book several times in the coming months to reflect the ongoing changes in Sequoia.

Download or read book Take Control of iCloud 9th Edition written by Joe Kissell and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-01-16 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understand iCloud’s capabilities and limitations, and put its key features to good use! Version 9.1, updated January 16, 2024 Apple’s iCloud service is highly useful, but it can also create headaches for the average user. In this book, Joe Kissell explains how to avoid frustrations and make iCloud work for you across all your devices. iCloud is a simple idea in theory—access to all your data on all your devices, via the cloud—that can become complicated when put into practice. Instead of wasting time fiddling with iCloud, when there are many other more important things to be done with the information it contains, learn how to minimize frustrations with Take Control of iCloud, Ninth Edition! Whether you want a quick tip or a deep dive into the inner workings of iCloud, you’ll find what you need in this best-selling book by Apple expert Joe Kissell. Start by learning what iCloud can do, how it differs from other cloud services, and how best to set it up on Macs, iOS and iPadOS devices, Apple TVs, and Windows PCs. Then, move on to finding out the key aspects—and hidden gotchas—of iCloud’s core features, including: • iCloud+, Apple's paid membership tiers with extra features • Photo features: iCloud Photos, iCloud Photo Sharing, and iCloud Shared Photo Library • Family Sharing • iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library • iCloud Drive • Mail and Mail Drop • Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, and Notes • iCloud Keychain • the iCloud website • Location features: Find My Device, Find My Item, Find My People, and the Find My app • Two-factor authentication • Activation lock • Backing up and recovering data • Managing your privacy and security (including the use of Advanced Data Protection) This edition not only covers the changes to iCloud in macOS 14 Sonoma, iOS 178, and iPadOS 17 but also includes details about recent changes to iCloud that span operating systems, including the iCloud website. It also continues to cover macOS 10.15 Catalina, macOS 11 Big Sur, macOS 12 Monterey, macOS 13 Ventura and iOS 16/iPadOS 16, but drops coverage of earlier operating system versions.

Download or read book Take Control of Notes written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-12-13 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlock the potential of Apple’s Notes app! Version 1.7, updated December 13, 2023 This book tells you everything you need to know about Apple's Notes app for iOS, macOS, and the web, from basic features like formatting to advanced features like scanning documents, password protecting notes, making sketches, and managing attachments.n Apple’s Notes has come a long way since it was first introduced with the iPhone as a simple note-taking app, but many users are still unaware of its expanded capabilities. Now available on Macs, on iOS/iPadOS devices, and on the web at iCloud.com, Notes has become a surprisingly powerful tool for writing, sketching, organizing, and sharing information of all kinds. In Take Control of Notes, Josh Centers provides a quick but thorough guide to this deceptively simple app, showing you how to master its many tools—and avoid or work around its limitations. Among many other things, you'll learn how to: • Choose where to store notes (iCloud, IMAP, or a device) and whether or how they sync • Import notes from other apps and services • Apply and modify character-level and paragraph-level formatting in a note • Make lists (including checklists and lists with multiple levels of indentation) • Work with tables in notes • Encrypt notes with a password • Add photos, videos, audio, maps, and other content to your notes • Scan printed documents into Notes and save them as PDF attachments • Draw and sketch using your finger or an Apple Pencil • Share notes with other users, and add @-mentions • Use the Quick Note feature in macOS and iPadOS to start a note from anywhere • Organize your notes into folders, tag notes, and search their contents

Download or read book Take Control of Monterey written by Joe Kissell and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2022-06-29 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get to know macOS 12 Monterey! Version 1.2, updated June 29, 2022 macOS 12 Monterey builds on the changes in Big Sur, making your Intel or M-series Mac even more powerful and easier to use. This book teaches you how to prepare for a smooth transition to the new version of macOS—and what to do once you've upgraded. Learn your way around, find out about new capabilities (and a few pitfalls), and improve your privacy and security. Following 2020's Big Sur release, which massively overhauled the macOS interface and introduced support for M-series (Apple silicon) Macs, we have macOS 12 Monterey. Although the look and feel are quite similar to Big Sur, Monterey adds refinements, improvements, and interesting new features to books your productivity and your privacy. As was the case for Big Sur, we're not publishing a separate Take Control of Upgrading to Monterey book. Instead, complete upgrading instructions are included here, along with details about what to expect before, during, and after your Monterey installation. Among the many subjects covered in this book are: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Monterey • Steps you should take before upgrading • Upgrading from the Monterey public beta • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • Improvements to FaceTime, such as updated audio and video options, scheduled meetings, and (later this year) SharePlay • New Messages feature, including Shared with You better handling of photos, and new Memoji options • Changes in Safari 15—including last-minute changes to address design flaws in the new interface for tabs • The Focus feature that takes Do Not Disturb to a new level • Shortcuts, which has made its way from iOS/iPadOS to macOS and added new features • What's new in the Maps app, including more city detail, Driving mode, and better transit support • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as AirPlay to Mac, iCloud+, improved password support, and Quick Note • Improvements to bundled apps, including Books, Finder, Mail, Notes, Photos, and more

Download or read book Take Control of Apple Watch 4th Edition written by Jeff Carlson and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-12-13 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore everything your Apple Watch can do in watchOS 10! Version 4.2, updated December 13, 2023 Get to know your Apple Watch and customize it to help you focus on what you care about most. Tech expert Jeff Carlson helps you understand the watch mindset, pick the watch model that’s right for you, set up and share its faces and their complications, get the notifications you want, take advantage of the health and fitness features, handle communications, and learn how the controls and core apps work.n The Apple Watch has become the world's best-selling watch, as well as the most popular wearable digital device. Since the device's introduction in 2015, Apple has developed numerous new watch product lines, vastly expanded the device's capabilities, and enabled developers to create entirely new apps and tools. The Apple Watch hides an enormous amount of technical complexity behind that unassuming touch screen, and with help from author Jeff Carlson, you'll unlock every last bit of its power. With watchOS 10, Apple dramatically changed some of the core watch interactions, which Jeff covers here. Take Control of Apple Watch covers all Apple Watch models through Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, as well as all the new features introduced in watchOS 10. Jeff walks you through getting to know the Apple Watch (including how to pick one out if you haven’t already), along with topics that teach you how to navigate among the watch’s screens with the physical controls, taps on the screen, and Siri. You’ll also find advice on customizing watch faces and sharing them with others; taking advantage of the electrocardiogram (ECG) capability and blood oxygen sensor, plus the temperature sensors introduced in the Series 8 and Ultra; getting the notifications you want; handling text and voice communications; using Apple’s core apps; and monitoring your heart rate, hearing, and monthly cycle to improve your overall health. A final chapter discusses taking care of your Apple Watch, including recharging, restarting, resetting, and restoring. Among the many topics covered in the book are: • Picking out and setting up your own Apple Watch—covers models up through Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 • How to adapt to the numerous changed gestures in watchOS 10 • Making watch face complications work for you • Using Control Center and Smart Stack • Understanding how the watch interacts with your iPhone (including how to control your watch with your iPhone) • Staying connected using a cellular-enabled Apple Watch model • Using Siri on your watch for a wide variety of tasks • Tracking your exercise, even when you leave your iPhone at home • Using your watch to monitor sleep data • Placing and receiving phone calls on the watch • Getting navigation directions (and using the redesigned Compass app, including waypoints and the Backtrack feature introduced in watchOS 9) • Using the Walkie-Talkie feature to chat with other Apple Watch owners • Sending default (and customized) text messages—and even sending money via Messages • Seeing email from only certain people • Adding calendar events and reminders • Loading your watch with photos and using them to create new watch faces • Doing workouts with Apple Fitness+ • Finding people, devices, and items • Controlling your home with HomeKit-compatible devices • Triggering the iPhone’s camera remotely using the watch • Paying at contactless terminals using Apple Pay • Putting tickets on your watch • Using health-related features such as the blood oxygen sensor and medication reminders, plus the ECG, Cycle Tracking, and Noise apps • Detecting falls and (with newer watch models) car crashes, and automatically calling for help • Controlling an Apple TV, or Music on a Mac with the Remote app • Unlocking a Mac (and authenticating certain actions) with your watch • Adding apps to the watch via your iPhone or the watch's built-in App Store • Resetting a messed-up Apple Watch and force-quitting an app

Download or read book Take Control of Preview written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2023-05-24 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover Preview’s hidden features for editing images and manipulating PDFs! Version 1.3, updated May 24, 2023 Apple's Preview app is bundled with every Mac and yet many Mac users have only a shallow understanding of what it's capable of. Mac experts Adam Engst and Josh Centers have plumbed Preview's depths to create a cheerful, colorful book that explains dozens of techniques for importing, viewing, editing, and converting images in Preview. It also puts you in control of reading, annotating, manipulating, and encrypting PDFs.n Packed with real-world examples and tips, the book teaches you how to bring files into Preview from a camera, iOS or iPadOS device, or scanner (or just from the Finder). Once you discover Preview's surprisingly capable collection of image-editing tools, you'll soon be editing imported photos by tweaking the exposure, color saturation, sharpness, and more. You can even mark up your images with circles, arrows, and text, plus numerous other shapes. In the second part of the book, Adam and Josh focus on PDFs in Preview, describing how to configure Preview to make reading PDFs as fluid as possible. Since so many paper forms now come in PDF, the book shows you how to fill out PDF-based forms, complete with quick insertion of your digital signature. Those who read digital textbooks or who collaborate on documents will learn to annotate PDFs with highlights, notes, and bookmarks. You'll even learn how to create PDFs from a scanner, the clipboard, and the Print dialog. Finally, Adam and Josh cover various ways protect your PDFs, including encrypting them, restricting permissions, and redacting portions of them. Preview is a veritable Swiss Army Knife. Don't miss out on the many ways it can make your life easier, including these capabilities: • Import photos from your iPhone or iPad. • Scan paper-based documents and images. • Add a scanned page to an existing PDF. • Take a screenshot that includes the pointer. • Open hundreds of images in a single window. • Trash unwanted images with a keystroke. • Duplicate, rename, and move images without leaving Preview. • Play a manually arranged slideshow of images or PDF pages. • Resize and change the resolution of images. • Crop out undesirable content. • Identify people, landmarks, and objects in images. • Mark up screenshots with shapes and text labels. • Magnify a portion of an image with a loupe. • Add text captions and speech bubbles to photos. • Tweak the white point and black point in photos. • Make photos sepia or black-and-white. • Edit a photo while comparing it to its original version. • Export to any of numerous formats, including HEIC. • Put thumbnails, table of contents, notes, or bookmarks in your sidebar. • View search results by rank or page order. • Copy text and images from a PDF, and copy text from any image. • Highlight text just like you would in a college textbook. • Add notes to highlighted text and as freestanding objects. • Review notes in the sidebar or Annotations inspector. • Create bookmarks to pages you want to revisit quickly. • Annotate a PDF with customizable shapes and arrows. • Fill in PDF forms, whether or not they’re interactive. • Create and insert a digital version of your signature into PDF forms. • Add, remove, and rearrange pages in a PDF. • Rotate PDF pages that were scanned at the wrong orientation. • Encrypt PDFs so they can’t be opened without a password. • Set restrictions on who can perform various actions on a PDF document. • Redact sensitive information from a PDF.

Download or read book Home Automation Made Easy written by Dennis C. Brewer and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2013 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Make your home smarter, safer, and more fun--and save money, too! Home automation is finally practical, useful, and easy! Now, you can control your home exactly the way you want to, without paying monthly fees. This book shows how to do it all yourself, with today's simpler, more reliable, less expensive technologies."--From publisher.

Download or read book Home Automation For Dummies written by Dwight Spivey and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ready to control you house with your smartphone or tablet? Spivey shows you how to control thermostats, home security systems, and much more! Best of all, with these plain-English instructions, you can do it yourself!

Download or read book iPhone and iPad Basics written by Josh Centers and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-09-30 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Master the fundamentals of your iPhone or iPad Version 1.0, published September 30, 2024 iPhones and iPads were intended to be easy to use, but over the years, a lot of complexity has crept in. As a result, most of us—even those who have been using these devices for years—jump through unnecessary hoops to perform basic tasks and overlook helpful but less-than-obvious features. This book walks you through everything you need to know to navigate your device with ease.n Apple doesn't include an instruction manual with iPhones or iPads, assuming that you'll search the web to learn how to do anything you can't easily figure out. That's a pity, because it spells frustration for new users and means a great deal of your fancy device's power may go unused. Josh Centers is here to help with iPhone and iPad Basics, a friendly guide to all the information Apple never gave you. Do you know the difference between the Lock Screen and the Home Screen? What Control Center is and how to customize it? How to use a share sheet? What to do when you get too many annoying notifications? How to find apps in a sea of icons? Ways to run multiple apps at the same time on an iPad? Those are just a few of the topics Josh explains in detail. You'll learn about: • Terms and concepts: The names and meanings of important interface elements • Hardware controls: What all the physical controls do, plus charging options and the StandBy feature for iPhones • Cameras: Use the front- and rear-facing cameras on your iPhone or iPad • Customization: Configure the Lock Screen, Home Screen, Dock, Control Center, and innumerable settings to your liking • Apps: What all of Apple's built-in apps do, how to add new apps, and how to switch between apps • Finding stuff: Use Spotlight to find apps, files, contacts, and more • Siri: How to use your voice to interact with your iPhone or iPad • Keyboards: All the tricks of the on-screen keyboard, plus what you can do with an external keyboard • Sharing: Share nearly any sort of information on your device with other people or services using the share sheet • Focus settings: Avoiding distractions with enhanced "Do Not Disturb" features • Special iPad features: How to multitask on an iPad and more • Switching from Android: Tips for moving to an iPhone or iPad from an Android device This book keeps its focus on basics, deliberately avoiding advanced topics. Rather than serving as a comprehensive reference guide, it helps you find your footing and helping you feel confident with the major capabilities of your iPhone or iPad.

Download or read book Take Control of Automating Your Mac 5th Edition written by Joe Kissell and published by alt concepts. This book was released on 2024-01-29 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work faster, increase your efficiency, and have more fun with automation! Version 5.0, updated January 29, 2024 Ever wondered if automation could make your life easier? In Take Control of Automating Your Mac, Fifth Edition, Mac expert Joe Kissell shows you how to save time and aggravation by using numerous built-in macOS tools, as well as helpful third-party apps, to automate routine tasks and procedures.n Looking for ways to work smarter and faster with your Mac? In this updated and expanded fifth edition of his popular guide to Mac automation, Joe Kissell shows how anyone, at any level of experience, can save time and effort, and avoid unnecessary errors, by using automation techniques that range from the simplest keyboard shortcut to the most complicated script. In this book, Joe teaches you how to automate routine tasks in a wide variety of ways. You can begin by making the most of productivity features such as Siri, Spotlight (for launching apps), and text replacement—and then move on to the more sophisticated automation tools built into macOS, such as Shortcuts, Automator, AppleScript, services, and shell scripts. In addition, Joe gives extensive information about third-party automation apps that can make a huge difference to your work efficiency, such as Keyboard Maestro, TextExpander, OmniGraffle, and many more. As an extra bonus, the book includes coupons for discounts on seven automation apps! Whether you’re new to automation, you just need a refresher, or you’re experienced with automation but want to go deeper, this book can teach you the skills you need to automate with ease. Take back your time, work more efficiently, and have more fun with your Mac, with Take Control of Automating Your Mac, Fifth Edition! With this book, you’ll learn how to: • Get started with the built-in macOS automation tools, including Shortcuts, Automator, AppleScript, and shell scripts • Take full advantage of input devices to save clicks and keystrokes • Customize toolbars and your Touch Bar to put hard-to-find controls at your fingertips • Use your voice to control your Mac with Siri and Voice Control/Dictation Commands • Automate text expansion for faster, more consistent typing • Control the Finder with a launcher and by organizing files with Hazel • Supercharge your clipboard to remember and reformat previous copies • Write macros in Microsoft Office and Nisus Writer Pro • Create rules to file email automatically in Apple Mail and Outlook • Log in to websites faster with a password manager • Automate cloud services with IFTTT and Zapier • Set up automatic backup and syncing • Run tasks automatically with Login Items, Calendar events, or launchd • Use Omni Automation for JavaScript-based automation tasks • Control nearly anything on your Mac with Keyboard Maestro