Monthly Archives: June 2014

Cell Phone Battery Myths

Posted on by
Reply

20140620-004230-2550728.jpg
Yesterday we talked about what to do if your cell phone was suddenly submerged in water. Many DigiDame fans sent me emails recounting their personal experiences. I have no idea why they were too shy to post them on DigiDame, but I thank them anyway for their feedback.

I also received a lot of funny remarks about Silica Gel Packets. For those of you who asked where to buy them, the answer is simple: Amazon.

Today, I want to share how to treat your cell phone batteries. As luck would have it, Mashable, a lifestyle/tech news site, ran a story about this today. I read it with great interest because I have been given misinformation on this topic over the years.

Here are the facts, once and for all. For more in-depth information click here.

Myth 1: Using off-brand chargers destroys batteries.

The truth: Off-brand chargers, while not optimal, are fine. It’s knockoffs you should avoid. (Knockoffs are brands that look like the popular ones. Off-brands have their own identify).

Myth 2: You shouldn’t use your phone while it charges.

The truth: Use it all you want, as long as you’re not using a sketchy third-party charger.

Myth 3: Charging your phone overnight kills the battery.

The truth: Your phone is smarter than you think. Once it’s fully juiced up, it knows to stop charging. That means the battery isn’t even in use at all.

Myth 4: You don’t need to turn your phone off — ever.

The truth: Your phone may be a machine, but it still needs to take a few breaks. An Apple Genius said that in order to maximize battery life, you should turn off your phone from time to time, especially when you go to bed at night.

Myth 5: Don’t charge your phone until it’s completely dead.

The truth: It’s better to charge your phone every day than to do a “deep charge” from time to time.

I urge you to read the Mashable post. It will provide you with the finer points.

Saving Smartphones That Take The Plunge

Posted on by
Reply

20140618-234355-85435301.jpg
Everyone has different theories on how to save your cell phone if it accidentally falls into a basin of water, or worse, the toilet bowl. I am happy to report that our friends at CNET, one of the utmost authorities in everything digital, have published the most definitive steps to take if your smartphone accidentally takes the plunge

Here you go.

Step 1. Turn your phone off immediately,

Step 2. Dry the outside of the phone with a lint-free towel, paying close attention to any ports, speakers, and microphones.

Step 3. Place the device and parts in a zip-top storage bag, along with a handful of silica gel packets.

Step 4. Wait 72 hours before turning on. This is probably the hardest part.

Step 5. Power your phone on. You should be back in business

For a more detailed explanation, click here.

Another Reason To Go To Starbucks

Posted on by
3

20140618-002509-1509374.jpg

20140618-002508-1508949.jpg
Every time I pass a Starbucks, I think of all the Grande Caramel Frappuccinos I have downed in recent years. It’s been 15 months since my last one, but I can still taste that intense sweet syrup. Yum, yum.

I also think of all the good times I had meeting friends and conducting business meetings at so many locations across America. While many can’t stand seeing a Starbucks when they leave the United States, to me it always represents a home away from home. Let me not forget the free wifi and the availability of a bathroom that is also enticing.

Now you are among the first to know that Starbucks will also allow customers to charge their mobile devices wirelessly by placing them on a Powermat in 7,500 company-owned Starbucks locations. Starbucks is partnering with Duracell Powermat so customers can charge their smartphones wirelessly rather than plug in at the limited number of power outlets. The mats are a joint venture between Procter and Gamble’s Duracell brand and Powermat Technologies.

Starbucks has begun testing the technology in Boston and San Jose. More than 100,000 wireless chargers will be placed at 7,500 company-owned Starbucks during the next three years in the U.S. Europe and Asia are also slated within a year.

20140618-004922-2962641.jpg

Art Is A Beach

Posted on by
1

Andres Amador relies on a many different digital cameras to photograph his work. He uses the best of the best, and sometimes a disposable camera that you buy in a local drugstore. He’ll take anything he can get, because if he doesn’t capture his art, he may never see it again.

Amador’s artwork covers over 100,000 feet of beach during low tide. Once the tide comes in, his art work gets washed away as if it never existed. Amador doesn’t really consider the finished product the true masterpiece. It’s the journey getting there.

Make sure you watch the video to see the most incredible images

20140617-003807-2287825.jpg

20140617-003807-2287655.jpg

20140617-003807-2287477.jpg

20140617-003808-2288118.jpg

#nakedbikeride hashtags

Posted on by
2

20140615-204513-74713697.jpg
Image: Leon Neal/APF/Getty

My friend Laurie asked me about one of my recent posts this morning at a Father’s Day brunch. She was curious why I wrote about something that wasn’t necessarily “senior” oriented.

Good question. The main reason I write this blog is because I want my readers to be aware of some of the hottest topics or innovative products in the digital world. I hope I’m delivering a service that makes everyone who reads DigiDame very much a part of one of the most remarkable periods in history. Trust me, I know that many readers are far more knowledgeable than I am. All I am trying to do is keep other seniors informed so they can appreciate the tech revolution.

Even a silly post like this one is meant to keep all those who are interested apprised of current Internet news. I can’t stress enough how hashtags (#) have replaced the town crier in ways we never thought possible.

In the last few days, thousands of bikers all over the world met In the buff because of the Twitter hashtag #nakedbikeride. Seventy cities around the globe participated.

This event first took place in 2004. The purpose is to demonstrate “the vulnerability of cyclists on the road” and to “protest against oil dependency.”

I don’t understand the “”oil” part, but okay, I accept it. This year, some of the more active cities were London, Seattle, Chicago and Guadalajara,

Thank you Mashable for publishing some of the sights

20140615-222159-80519792.jpg

14 Jun
Metmanph @metmanph
#wth #NakedBikeRide pic.twitter.com/FOTEfhWW20

20140615-222535-80735004.jpg
14 Jun
Friction Media @FrictionMedia
This definitely is 1 of the weirder walks 2 Waterloo station I’ve had recently #NakedBikeRide @BBCNews @ITV @MetroUK pic.twitter.com/6XcV94px79

20140615-223644-81404562.jpg
14 Jun
Yesica Ramos @YsiicRams
#nakedbikeride #bike #mexicocity pic.twitter.com/rVGS3ss6vJ

20140615-230842-83322456.jpg
We smartly voted to keep our clothes on at Father’s Day brunch. Laurie is to my left. Thank you Laurie.

Happy Father’s Day

Posted on by
2

20140615-000217-137634.jpg
Join us for a July 4th celebration

Lois and Eliot Hess
1000 South Pointe Drive
Miami Beach, Florida
Apt 3601

8:00 PM
Desserts and Drinks
Fireworks 9PM Sharp

Valet Parking

Please RSVP: Lois 917 822 2591
Or email loisw@hwhpr.com

The App That Wipes Out Graffiti

Posted on by
Reply


A real estate friend of mine recently told me that a lot of the graffiti that is in urban areas across the nation is going to be wiped out. He was not talking about the art work that adorns so many city streets, but rather the offensive scribbles that really devalue many buildings.

He didn’t tell me exactly how it was going to get done, but I wonder if we are going to follow what the Romanians did in Bucharest. It all started out as an advertising campaign for Cif, a cleaning products company, but turned into an appreciated national public service.

The McCann advertising group. ad agency, created an app that encouraged Romanians to snap photos of vulgar graffiti. The photos were transmitted to the Cif team who quickly drove in a branded van to the location to clean the surfaces.

There were so many times over the years that I wished I could have done the same thing. I hate when someone defaces properly that belongs to others. It would be great to catch them in the act, but that will never happen.

New Hot Features From iOS Operating System

Posted on by
Reply

20140613-002539-1539738.jpg
My brother Steve reminded me of an article about some of the fantastic upgrades on the iOS 8 operating system that is slated to come out in the Fall. Personally, I think some of these improvements are very senior friendly. You’ll see what I mean.

The iOS 8 is going to feature a microphone button in the (message) text window so you can record a short audio or video message and send it without leaving the app. I know that I will use this new feature all the time because of its simplicity. No more three or four steps to get this done. I love sharing on-the-spot news, so I can’t wait to try this out. Apple didn’t reveal the size of the audio and/or video message allowed, but I’ll be happy with whatever it is. Sometimes shorter is better.

Another feature that will be available on the iOS 8 is photo and video messages that will disappear after a few seconds. You may not remember but I wrote about an app called Snapchat that the young folks use to send photos and videos that are only available for a few seconds. Not sure what everyone is sharing and then wants wiped out. Hmmm.

Teens and young adults like to exchange private messages and then want them erased. Now older IPhone users will have the same advantage. The big plus, in my estimation, is that all of my messages will not take up so much space, I am really lazy about cleaning them out. Yes, you can choose to keep whatever you want.

You are going to love the next feature being debuted. Apple is going to give you the ability to opt out of a group text message that goes back and forth. No more constant beeping. The new feature will also let you rejoin the conversation at a later time. How cool is that?

Click here to read a CNN story that has more details about the new features of the upgraded iOS 8.

We Know Why You Lie

Posted on by
2

I admit it. It’s really all my fault that I lost my mini iPad and a stack of important papers on an American Airlines flight yesterday. Read yesterday’s DigiDame for my first report on this dilemma. I was very tired when I sat down in my seat. I quickly put my mini iPad and papers in a pocket on the seat in front of me. Then I fell into a deep sleep.

By the time I left the aircraft I totally forgot what I left behind. I didn’t realize my loss until I started to unpack. Freak time. I quickly called the Lost and Found department at Miami AA. All you get are voice mails telling you not to call. If they find your lost items they will call you.

I know that my mini iPad was taken off the plane because I tracked it on the app Find My iPhone. I marveled at the ability to keep an eye on my iPad and then crashed when I discovered the app wasn’t working as the mini iPad battery died. Don’t make the same foolish mistake. GPS does not work when there is no charge.

I couldn’t stay inactive all day so I called MIA Lost and Found. Nothing. I filed a police report with airport detectives. I will know more later today. I got through to the airport tower. An air controller was furious that someone gave me their number. I also tweeted back and forth with AA hoping that would help to resolve this situation.

Even though everyone at AA said they would help, no one did. I was on my own. Late last night I actually got through to someone at AA Lost and Found. In a 24-hour period they received 30 iPads that passengers lost, none were mine.

Final analysis? This entire fiasco could have been much easier if AA had a live rep to help me navigate through the process. I feel sorry for everyone who suffered before me. I was hoping to get AA to change their Lost and Found procedures so no one would ever experience the frustration that I am going through. I guess that is too much to expect.

Here is my Twitter conversation with AA where nothing was accomplished.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 9:49 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves Left iPad on ft 1599 NY to Miami yesterday. Seat 5E. Tracking it on Find my iPhone. Taken off plane. No word from AA

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 9:54 AM
@loiswhitman Have you contacted the Lost and Found department in MIA yet. Their email address is Miami.lostandfound@aa.com.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 10:32 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves no one answers. Called many numbers around the clock. I am going to tweet this experience until I get results

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 10:35 AM
@AmericanAir @aairwaves @fmiphonestories @findmyiphone No one is calling back. 24 hours. This system doesn’t work. Will keep tweeting

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:14 AM
@AmericanAir I filed a police report and now a detective is on the case. I am pissed that the entire process is so phony

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:17 AM
@AmericanAir I plan to get to the bottom of this for everyone else who doesn’t have the energy or the tenacity.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:18 AM
@AmericanAir the person who took the iPad off along with important papers is hoping not to get caught. AA has to have checks and balances

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 11:19 AM
@loiswhitman We’ll be happy to touch base with MIA and request they look to see if it was turned in, Lois. Please DM us a description of it.

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 11:29 AM
@loiswhitman Thank you, Lois. We’ve forwarded this info to our team at MIA to look for your lost item. We’ll follow up once we hear back.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 11:58 AM
@AmericanAir sorry 2B champion of lost items but someone has to do it. Your lost and found dept in Miami and the process is a joke

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 12:27 PM
@loiswhitman We’ve received your DM and will respond as soon as possible.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 12:52 PM
Interesting that FindMyiPhone is not on a public twitter feed. Let’s find out why???

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 3:31 PM
@AmericanAir no one contacted me. Have to go on rampage again. Only thing that works. Someone working for AA took it for themselves

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 3:40 PM
@AmericanAir owes me a mini iPad. Read digidame.com tomorrow to find out why!

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 3:46 PM
@loiswhitman We’re sorry you’re iPad is missing, Lois. We’ve responded to your DM. Please check.

Lois Whitman-Hess (@loiswhitman)
6/11/14, 5:07 PM
@AmericanAir found my mini iPad and I can’t get it from MIA Terminal D. Shame on them

American Airlines (@AmericanAir)
6/11/14, 5:20 PM
@loiswhitman We’re glad to hear you iPad has been found, Lois. Please continue to work with Lost and Found.

Tracking My Mini iPad

Posted on by
3

I left my mini iPad on the airplane we took from NY to Miami today. It’s in the pocket on the seat in front of me. I totally forgot I put it there. Needless to say, I’m all flustered waiting for it to be returned. My fingers are crossed. Right now it can go either way. I also had a lot of important note papers next to my iPad. The papers are more important than the iPad even though I want it all back.

I want to remind you that the “Find My iPhone/iPad” app is a must. It allows me to track the whereabouts of my Apple devices. iCloud helps me figure out where they are.

All I do is sign in at iCloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app to see my missing mini iPad. The “Lost Mode” feature let’s me see where my device is and can track where it’s been.

Now i just have to be concerned about the honesty of any person who might find it. I’ll know more in the morning.
I immediately locked my device through the cloud and sent a message to my mini iPad with a contact number. Then whoever finds it can call me from the Lock screen without accessing the rest of the information on my device. Good luck to me.

20140611-001751-1071889.jpg

20140611-001752-1072889.jpg

20140611-001753-1073157.jpg

20140611-001752-1072571.jpg

20140611-001916-1156957.jpg