Last Thursday I left for work and realized I left my iPhone on the bedroom dresser. I felt completely lost all day, like a piece of me was missing. In a way it was - for as much as I use my iPhone it may as well be permanently attached to my hand. (Notice I said hand, not ear!) Every day I seem to find new and creative uses for Apple products, but there are a few good old standbys I simply cannot do without:
1. iPhone Clock Alarm. I never worry I won't wake up because I set my alarm wrong or the power went out overnight. Open the Clock app (standard on every iPhone/iPod touch) and click Alarm. Click the + button to add a new alarm. Choose the frequency by individually choosing days, sound (I like Marimba or Strum for a 5:30 wake-up versus Bark or Old Car Horn!), if you want a snooze option (yes, please!), and name the alarm if you'd like (in case you set up multiple ones). Click Save, and just turn it on!
2. iTunes Radio. Although my music library is pretty diverse and I have over 1400 songs and 9 Genuis mixes, I still get tired of listening to my own music when I need to "plug in and tune out" at the office. iTunes streaming radio is amazing - I can quickly find a genre beffiting of my mood du juor and choose from hundreds of stations. I know Pandora is supposed to be streaming radio to the nth degree, yet I like to stay within the cozy, familiar confines of iTunes.
3. Spotlight. Oh, where do I begin? I use Spotlight to find files, find and launch applications, and easily navigate my hundreds of daily email messages. The level of intelligence this little, unassuming app has is mind-blowing. I love that it can search the complete record or just title. Last week I used a Windows-based PC for about 45 mins. and wanted to scream because I couldn't find a thing! Little tip - when using the system-wide search use shortcut "Command + spacebar" to launch Spotlight. Type in your search, navigate to your desired result and hit return. Your wish is Spotlight's command!
4. Two-finger scrolling. Another function I simply can't live without. How much time to PC users spend dragging their cursor to the upper right hand corner of their browser or file window and click/dragging the side scroll down? When I help someone on their PC or have to use one myself (like last week) I instinctively two-finger scroll... the desired result does not occur. Infuriating! For setting/exploring one, two, and three finger trackpad "finger gestures" - click on System Preferences, Trackpad. Turn features on and off and customize them as you wish, and view a video of how to use them. Genius. With the Apple Magic Mouse and now Magic Trackpad this is getting even better!
5. Exposé. Last but not least, this has got to be one of my all time faves. The ability to clear all windows and find my desktop by dragging to a corner is such a time saver. I'm one of those users who has about 8-10 applications and about 15-20 windows open at any given time during the day. My newer to Mac husband likes to close down every window before moving to the next and "can't understand how I work like that". How do you not?!? Again, to view current settings and customize them visit System Preferences and click on Exposé and Spaces. Configure away, or use the default settings. To use the special functions on the function keys, click on Keyboard under System Prefs and check the "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" to turn them "on". You'll need to press the Function (fn) key to use the features printed on the keys.
What are your favorite iPhone, iPod, Mac, or iPad features and functions? How do you use them in your daily life?
Expose is my most desired feature on a windows machine. I find myself swiping to the lower left to show all windows probably 6-7 times per day.
ReplyDelete-steve lemme
definitely Steve! I use is so many times a day - and it's such a natural part of my work-flow. Thx for the comment!
ReplyDeleteCurrent favorite feature: Spotlight on iPhone. I never scroll to apps anymore, I just search them. E-mails and contacts too. Spotlight makes things much easier, especially when you have 150+ apps!
ReplyDeleteLeast favorite cancelled feature: I used to double click the home buttom to get directly to the camera so I could snap pictures quickly when I needed to. With multitasking (which I love!) they removed that ability. The triple click would have been a great place to move that, but alas no. So sad.