Month: September 2016

How to get an iPhone 7, via Apple, when you’re using Consumer Cellular or other carriers

Dan Uff September 25, 2016 0

Ordering an iPhone if you use one of the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) is a piece of cake. Just select your carrier, choose the phone, color, Gigabytes and the current cell number that you want the phone to be on, click Add to Bag and make the purchase.

But what if you want to buy the iPhone 7 directly from Apple's web site and you have another cell phone company that is not listed on the web site. Sure, you can order it through the carrier itself, but for those of us who want to order it via Apple, that's not an option.

The problem lies in when the customer gets to the cell-carrier selection and then the number that you'd want the iPhone on. There IS a way around it....

Note:
Before doing the below, make sure your cell network is compatible with a cell carrier protocol called GSM which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. GSM lets a cell phone use any cell network's communication protocol to use an unlocked cell phone.

Go though the iPhone 7 selection process as normal.
When asked for the carrier, select T-Mobile.
You'll then skip the process of asking for a current cell number and the last 4 digits of your SSN.
You'll then be taken to the CHECKOUT PROCESS.

That's it. When you get the new phone, you should be able to take out the SIM card from your old phone, and put it in the new one.

(Note: You may have to call your carrier to activate the SIM card in the new phone.)

Report: Wide iPhone Availability expected by October 8th

Dan Uff September 24, 2016 0

People who weren't lucky enough to get an iPhone 7 on pre-order or launch day are s*it out of luck, as supplies for the device quickly dried up.

Web site AppleInsider.com inquired about the problem, and they have been told by multiple sources that Apple retail store managers have been told that they will have stock for walk-in customers either on or by October 8th.

The problem steams from an international shipping log-jam that has been holding up the remaining stock of the device.

We do not know if this stock is just aimed for Apple Stores, or if any other cell phone companies will also be able to take advantage of this ship by date.

You COULD be affected by the Yahoo! Hack and not even know it!

Dan Uff September 24, 2016 0

Do you think that you're not affected by the Yahoo! security breech? Think again.

Just because you may not use e-mail via Yahoo! doesn't mean that your information may not be affected. Yahoo has several other web sites under the company's umbrella such as Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, use Ficklr, Blog on Tumblr, or any other services that Yahoo! maybe affiliated with.

Per Thorsheim, a global cybersecurity expert based in Norway, told CNN/Money:

There are lots of people, millions of people, who don't understand they have a Yahoo account.

The hack was discovered last Thursday and was allegedly committed by a "state-sponsored actor" on behalf of a foreign government, according to the company. It said the breach occurred in 2014.

When news broke about the hack, much of the attention was put on Yahoo! email accounts. But Thorsheim said one of his big concerns is that many people don't realize they have other accounts that put their information -- including names, email addresses, telephone numbers and birthdays -- in jeopardy.

Yahoo! has not given much information on what accounts -- and web sites -- were hacked. When reporters asked company spokespeople about this, they didn't answer questions about whether specific services such as fantasy sports accounts were included in the hack.

Millions of people maybe affect by the hack and not even know it. Many security experts suggests that you not only change your Yahoo! password, but to also monitor your financial records for any suspicious activity.

Parts of this article were taken from CNN/Money.

How to enable and use Siri in Mac OS Sierra

Dan Uff September 24, 2016 0

One of the neat features of Sierra is the addition of Siri. Using Siri on MacOS is just like using it on iOS with the addition for it to help you with everyday tasks on your Mac.

First, you should make sure that Siri is enabled. To do that, go to System Preferences > Siri. The below window will open:

Make sure that the Enable Siri (left) has a checkmark in it. You should then close the window (⌘Q). Then, you should see the Siri icon in the upper-right of the screen (next to Spotlight search).

Before I go over some Siri commands, lets go back to where you enabled Siri so we can take a look at what's there.

Language - This is the language that Siri will listen to and respond to the user's requests.
Siri Voice - The type of voice that you'll hear when Siri responds (Male or Female).
Voice Feedback - Siri will show you what you said to it before Siri does a voice command.
Mic Input - The type of input device Siri will use to 'listen' for you.
Keyboard Shortcut - You can assign a keyboard shortcut to enable Siri.
Show Siri in Menu Bar - Shows the Siri icon next to Command Center (upper-right corner).
About Siri and Privacy - General information on how Siri is used and how your privacy is protected.

Now that you know a little about the Siri control center, close it. Now you can start using Siri just like you've been in iOS. Here are some commands to try (always click on the Siri icon before speaking).