Automatically Copy Photos From Any Smart Phone to Your PC or Mac

A common question I hear is "how do I share photos from my smart phone" or "how do I get photos off my smart phone?" You can copy ALL photos from your smart phone quickly and safely so they don't get accidental deleted. Do it automatically and without wires.

Many are very particular about how they organize their photos and that's all well and good but getting them from the smart phone to the computer is a bigger struggle.

I strongly recommend using an online service and there are a few which I will list below. However, I want to stress that if you want ease and worry free, then invest just a little money(some some) and time to sign up for one of these services.

Facebook and Google+ stop at uploading photos to the cloud with an extra step on your part to move those photos to your PC or Mac. . Dropbox and OneDrive actually synchronize those photos to your Mac(Dropbox) or PC(both Dropbox and OneDrive). I strongly recommend one of these two services although Dropbox is my favorite.

All of the below services are FREE, however, additional storage space have a fee.
 

Facebook

Go to App Settings / Synch Photos and turn this On. This allows ALL photos to go to Facebook. Once the photos are on Facebook, click here to see what else you can do.

Google+

From the Menu, choose Photos > Turn On at the lower left. There are other choices to fine tune your uploads like only doing this when on WiFi to avoid excessive data usage (I do this). Click here for more on Google+.

Dropbox

Within the Dropbox app, choose Settings > Turn On Camera Upload. You can choose WiFi only too if you wish. With these settings, all NEW photos will automatically upload to a folder called Camera Upload on Dropbox. This Camera Upload folder will then, AUTOMATICALLY, synchronize down to any of your computers (Mac or PC) if it has Dropbox installed there too. For more information about Dropbox and photos, click here.

OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) from Microsoft

Unfortunately, OneDrive does NOT have an automatic synch at this time but it is easy enough to upload an entire list of photos from your smart phone to SkyDrive.

Within the OneDrive app, touch the upward arrow to Upload Photos and Videos. For more information about using OneDrive, click here.

Creating a OneDrive account is a bit more cumbersome than all the others.

All of these services are available for Android, iOS and Windows Phones as well as Mac and PC.

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Poor Vision - No Problem. 5 Easy Eye Saving Tips

Although my vision is poor-legally blind-there are PC settings that help me. Yes, it is more work and yes, there are things I can no longer do. Fundamentally I need text bigger.

Windows and Mac have settings to help out the visually impaired. The most often used is adjusting the screen resolution to make everything larger. For now, I'll focus on Windows.

1. Use a larger monitor. I have been using a 23" diagonal monitor for many years
2. Adjust screen resolution to make everything larger
3. Change only text size for certain areas of Windows
4. Zoom In and Out in your browser
5. Zoom In and Out with the mouse scroll wheel

Changing the Screen Resolution is done in Control Panel. This changes the size of everything.
Go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display > Screen Resolution > Advanced Settings.
I use 150% instead of 100%

There is also an option to Change Only Text Size with a drop down to select where and the size you want. The options are:

I change the Menus, Title Bars and Icon Size fonts to 12 pt from the default 9 pt.

Windows 8.x has a nifty app called Magnifier. I haven't spent much time with this app but I gave it a try recently and it works pretty well and flexible enough to make things bigger on the screen. It does create some work and getting used to as you either move the mouse point to the screen edge or use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate.

All browsers allow zooming of the screen by holding the Control Key and hitting the '+' key to zoom in. Likewise Control and '-' key to zoom out.

Also, hold the Control Key and scroll forward or back on the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

In some cases, an individual application will have settings to make things bigger. Look for Preferences or Settings to see what is there.

As a Free tip, instead of carrying a magnifying glass, use your smartphone and a FREE app called Magnifying Glass. There are many for Android and Apple.

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Do You Worry About Internet Safety?

SplashData reports that hackers have discovered the most  common internet password is now '123456' which swapped with' password'. That's right, the number 1 and number 2 most common internet passwords just switched places for 2013.

Chris Smith of the Boy Genius Report shares in his article 'Password' is no longer the dumbest password of the year.

Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica in his article Internet users ditch"password" as password, upgrade to "123456".

 

Splashdata News Friday, Worst passwords of 2013 - our annual list update.  January 17, 2013
 

Most Common Internet Passwords of 2013
Credit SplashData

Experts say we should use a strong password for our most sensitive websites and I would agree. I would also agree with virtually all of my friends (those over 55) that I need a password I can remember.

Here is a method to help you do both.

We will NOT use any from the top 25 most common but will use a scheme to create a strong password using numbers and letters and special characters.

1. Decide on your favorite word. It can be a name, place or thing and try to make it 5 or 6 letters or more.
2. Choose your favorite number over 1,000.
3. An finally choose your favorite special character. NOTE: some special characters are not allowed by some sites.
4. Now put these 3, easy to remember, items together to make up your "strong" password. Capitalize one of the letters (not the first one) to add one additional piece of strength.

For example:

My favorite name will be 'otto', my childhood pet dog.

1. My favorite number will be '1975', the year I got my first computer.
2. My favorite special character will be the '-' (hyphen).
3. I'll put them together in this order. '-1975ottO'.

Now THAT is a very strong password that I can remember easy enough.

 
It is advisable to have different passwords for different types of accounts. To handle this you might want to use a different special character for different types of accounts.

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What Do You Do When Windows XP Support Ends April 8, 2014?

Windows XP support ends April 8th, 2014. Surprisingly enough this has been a long run for this operating system. Windows XP was first introduced August 24, 2001. Pretty amazing really. Microsoft wants you to upgrade and this is obvious.

According to Gartner, the global installed base of PCs, at the end of 2013, will be 1.63 billion units.  Windows XP is currently installed on at least 500 million computers and almost certainly used by over a billion people.  (Too Many PCs are Still Running Windows XP. October 3, 2013). And Windows XP Market Share was 28.98% as of Dec. 2013 according to Net Application Data.

 

However, Windows 8.x hasn't been getting good press and deservedly so. It's a bit confusing but absolutely doable. 

So what does this really mean to you if you still have Windows XP? You have a choice to make and for most, it is not really a dangerous choice. You can do nothing and be pretty safe with what you have. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" type of answer. However, if you surf the web, download programs, music and other things on the internet, you might be more mindful and realize that your Windows XP will become more vulnerable to hacks, viruses and malware as Microsoft won't be spending any serious time supporting XP any longer. Found bugs won't be fixed, no more security updates, etc. This goes for Office 2003 too.

 

You CAN continue to use Windows XP however--it will NOT stop working.

You CAN still instill it on PCs and register it with a valid License Key. This allows you to install XP on a new PC if you wish as long as you have the original CD/DVD.

As of Jan 15, 2014, Microsoft said it will continue to provide Malware Signatures via Microsoft Security Essentials. NOTE: This could change in the future.

 

 

Here is what Microsoft says about the end of life for Windows XP.

 

If you want to see if your current computer can upgrade to a new version of Windows, download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant. http://windows.microsoft.com/eos

My recommendation

Buy a new PC with the latest version of Windows. Purchasing a new version of Windows and installing on your current PC will work and work fine but getting a new laptop with Windows 8 can be had for under $300. Purchasing a Windows 8.1 Upgrade is $119.99.

 BUT, doing nothing is not a huge risk to most so keeping XP is a valid response.

How to upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows XP or Vista.

Other Articles on the subject.

When Windows XP Support Ends, here's how to keep your PC secure. David Ludlow. Expert Reviews. Jan 15, 2014

Windows XP Won't Go Quietly

Kevin Casey. Information Week. Jan 7, 2014

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that some of the most important machines that desperately need to upgrade from Windows XP are ATMs, of which an estimated 95% still run on Microsoft's older operating system.

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Automatically Save Photos Off Your Smart Phone

A common question I hear is "how do I share photos from my smart phone" or "how do I get photos off my smart phone?"

I say automatically and without wires, get ALL photos copied off your smart phone quickly and safely so they don't get accidentally deleted.

Many folks are very particular about organizing their photos and that's all well and good but getting them from the smart phone to the computer is a bigger struggle.

I strongly recommend using an online service and there are a few which I will list below. However, I was to stress that if you want ease and worry free, then invest just a little time to sign up for one of these services.

1. Sign up online
2. Install the software on your smart phone
3. From your phone, turn on the setting to automatically upload to the service's Internet site

Facebook and Google+ stop at uploading photos to the cloud. Dropbox and SkyDrive actually synchronize those photos to your Mac or PC. However, Facebook and Google+ allow you to download those same photos back to your Mac or PC.  I strongly recommend one of these two services although Dropbox is my favorite.

All of the below services are FREE, however, additional storage space have a fee.
 

Facebook

Go to App Settings / Synch Photos and turn this On. This allows ALL photos to go to Facebook. Once the photos are on Facebook, click here to see what else you can do.

Google+

From the Menu, choose Photos > Turn On at the lower left. There are other choices to fine tune your uploads like only doing this when on WiFi to avoid excessive data usage (I do this). Click here for more on Google+.

Dropbox

Within the Dropbox app, choose Settings > Turn On Camera Upload. You can choose WiFi only too if you wish. With these settings, all NEW photos will automatically upload to a folder called Camera Upload on Dropbox. This Camera Upload folder will then, AUTOMATICALLY, synchronize down to any of your computers (Mac or PC) if it has Dropbox installed there too. For more information about Dropbox and photos, click here.

SkyDrive from Microsoft

Unfortunately, SkyDrive does NOT have an automatic synch at this time but it is easy enough to upload an entire list of photos from your smart phone to SkyDrive.
Within the SkyDrive app, touch the upward arrow to Upload Photos and Videos. Creating a SkyDrive account is a bit more cumbersome than all the others. For more information about using SkyDrive, click here.

NOTE: Dropbox and SkyDrive can synchronize documents in addition to Photos and Videos.

All of these services are available for Android, iOS and Windows Phones as well as Mac and PC.

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A Nifty iPad Tip

Getting yourself back to the top of the page from wherever you are is easy with this tip. Tap the Status Bar. The Status Bar is the thin, horizontal spacer at the top of the screen and goes all the way across. It's where you see the current time is. Heck, just tap on the time.

Status Bar At The Top

This works great when browsing the web and you've gone down the page a bit and want to get back to the top. Don't swipe up and up and up. Just tap the Status Bar.

You can even tap the Status Bar at the top of a column to achieve the same result. A good example is the Mail or Notes app.

I'd love to hear about your useful iPad tips too. Just put them in a comment. Thanks!

 

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Tablet Grandpa's Most Popular Articles of 2013

To close out the year I thought I would share my most popular articles. I based this strictly on the number of views for the article and not comments or my personal opinion. These are the top 5 for 2013.

1. Turn Your Old SmartPhone into a Security of Baby Cam
2. Do It Yourself VideoMagnifier
3. Windows 8 End UserTraining Brochure
4. My Top 10 Most Useful iPad Apps  Dec  June  Feb
5. Misplace your phone -Find It Easily

 

Note that there are 3 links to My Top 10 Most Useful iPad Apps as I publish this a variety of times as new apps make there way to me. Check out what was added and what dropped out.

If you find these interesting, please share this web site with friends, relatives and neighbors. I do my very best to write without using technical jargon and deliver easy to understand explanations. Oh, and I work to keep these blogs short so they are quick and easy to read. Most are only four to six paragraphs.

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Target Hacked - What Can You Do Now?

Yep, big Target got hacked and lot's of folks are concerned but you can take back some control with only some amounts of effort.

Many have heard to check your credit card statements to see if unauthorized purchases have taken place. To same time and energy, get email alerts notifying you that a purchase was made WITHOUT your physical card being present. Contact your Bank and/or Credit Card company or go online to see if alerts are available. Most hackers get your number and make online purchases with it. I like this feature very much and do it with my credit and debit cards.

Sometimes, hackers produce a new card with your number on it. This is a tough one. In this case you might have to get a replacement card. As time consuming as this sounds it is not all that bad and the alternative s might be even more troublesome.

Here is a good articlefrom Money.com on this very subject.

 

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3 Critical Windows 8.1 Tips for Beginners

There are always those things one remembers that puts them over the top of whatever challenges them. Windows 8, and now Windows 8.1 is a challenge for many. These 3 Critical Tips will help tremendously.

 

Sure, there is much more and many of you may have other tips but I strongly believe these 3 will serve you well.

1. Right click on the Start Button
2. Just Start Typing to Search
3. Hit the Windows Key to get back to the Start Screen

 

The Start Button (now a square) has returned! Hover the mouse pointer in the lower left corner and the Start Button will appear as if by magic. However, the magic happens when you right click it. It will reveal many options you have become familiar with. The most comforting is shutting down. A welcome feature that was hidden a few clicks into Windows 8 but now much easier to get to. The other options are for those more adventurous and that goes for many PC beginners. Control Panel is here, so is File Explorer (formerly File Manager) and even the Command Prompt. Oh, clicking on the first item, Programs and Features takes you directly to Add/Remove Programs. Enjoy!

I know everyone wants the old Start Menu, where one goes to find programs and files but the need to click away has been reduced to typing a few letters. That's right. Just start typing the name of the program you want and the Search box opens and there are your letters just like the keyboard typed them. And there too, is the program you wanted so click on it! If you want to open that letter typed a few months ago so you can revise it, just start typing words from the name of the document and it will appear below the search box. It's as easy as that. By the way, no need to invest in clicks to find the search box either but you can if you want. Just begin typing and that search box knows what you want to do.

The "new search" is quite good now. Take a peak and what else you can do with the "new search".

At lastly, I have heard many times that it's impossible to close a program or get back to where we began. Just hit that Windows Key in the lower left on your keyboard. This takes you back to the Start Screen where it all begins.

Like I said, there are certainly more tips to share but get these down now and you'll be off and running. Take a peek and these links so see more. Windows 8 has been tough--both for us and for Microsoft. Windows 8.1 is a welcome improvement to get us back to being productive and more comfortable with Windows.

 

Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera have a Windows 8.1 Book in progress and you can get it for only $2.00! Buy now and continue to get updates for FREE too. These two authors have written Windows 7 Secrets, Windows 8 Secrets and Windows Phone Secrets and those books have sold in the $30.00 range. Now they are "self publishing" and we consumers are the winners.

Microsoft, finally, has some very good documentation. I've enjoyed the clear and "non-technical" speech. Nice job Microsoft.

Windows8.1  Product Guide

Windows8.1 in Detail

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My Top 10 Most Useful iPad Apps - Dec 2013

To me, a most useful app is one that I use virtually every day. It helps me get something done or provides useful information to me in a manner I can use. Since I have a vision disability, I need larger print so the apps I choose have a bias to this required feature. As a result, many very useful apps are not on my list if I cannot see the text well enough.

Personal Productivity

Mail Apple's included Mail App. This is a FREE Choice

I am in and out of e-mail on my iPad, smart phone and laptop all through the day. I prefer the iPad's included e-mail app as I like the way it allows me to have all of my e-mail accounts appear in a single mailbox view. This is easy and convenient. The app also allows me to make the text larger so I can see it better. Included on the iPad.

Week Calendar HD $2.99 New to my Top 10.

This is new to my list as I've used Pocket Informant Pro for my calendar and to do list for many years. However, I've dealt with small text all this time since the calendar was so good. Well no more. Week Cal HD is a terrific calendar AND I can enlarge the text to my liking. What a joy. I don't mind paying the $2.99 price since I can see it well and use it every day. My favorite view is the weekly as the current day of the week is slightly wider than the rest.

Nightstand FREE

Since I have to charge the iPad and I need a nightstand alarm clock with very large letters; Nightstand for iPad fits the bill perfectly. I just set the iPad up as my night stand alarm clock and plug it in to charge. The numbers are 1 3/4 inches tall, shows the weather for my location and I can even dim the screen so it doesn't light up the room all night.

There is a pay version ($2.99) that allows for your own background photos as wall paper and eliminates the ads and this is the one I use.

OneNote FREE New to my Top 10.

OneNote is part of Microsoft Office and has been around since 2003 and I've used it since then. I was one of the testers of the app for my company in 2005 and used it daily. OneNote is a note taking and note organization app. The greatest value of the app is that all notes are searchable. This means I never loose anything since I can simply search for a single word in the note and I will get a list of all notes that contain that word.You can even hand write notes if your device can handle it like the iPad and Android tablet. I haven't worked for 3 1/2 years but I still use OneNote. One of the best features of OneNote is that I have OneNote on my PC, iPad, Android Smart phone and Android Tablet and all completely synchronized. I write in one and the note appears in all.

Social Media

Tweetbot Alternative Twitter app FREE

I am in and out of Twitter every day and post a link to this Tablet Grandpa blog on Twitter. It took me a while to understand and then love what Twitter provides. It shows short and easy to read quips, information and links to what people are saying and I get to choose the people. See my article on how Twitter is useful.

I gladly paid the $2.99 since I can easily read it throughout the day.

Facebook FREE

I have a love / hate relationship with Facebook and Facebook replacement apps. Replacement Facebook apps have some extra features beyond Facebook's own app and I like that but none of them have everything. What irks me most is that I cannot enlarge the text enough to make it comfortable to read. I put up with it because I really enjoy staying in touch with my friends and family and communicating with some of them. Eventually, someone will make that perfect blend of features and ability to enlarge the text for me. Until then, love / hate continues.

News and Information

Feedly FREE

For reading news, blogs and other articles on the web; I've used an RSS (really simple syndication) reader to pull articles into a single place where I can skim and go to the detail if I choose. I've used Google Reader for many years but Google has decided to discontinue it in July 2013. Feedly also works on my Android smart phone too.

Pocket FREE

I love to read but it so difficult with my vision disability. I require large text and a nice contrast between the task and paper in order to see properly. As a result, books and newspapers are out. However, Pocket saves me because I can "clip" web sites, web articles and other news on the web to Pocket where I have the text set to very large on a very white background. Via my smart phone, I can "share" tweets from bloggers that will put the bloggers article right into Pocket where I can read it comfortably. Pocket also strips out web and blog advertising and just shows you the text and included pictures.

 
AP Mobile (Associated Press FREE

There are many news apps for the iPad, some of which I like very much but none allow me to enlarge text enough to make them comfortable to read.  AP mobile allows me to enlarge the text enough for easy reading. Also available for iPhone and Android smart phones.

Flixster FREE New to my Top 10

I've used Flixster on my Android phone but now I also use it on my iPad. It is my "go to" app to see what's playing at my local movie theatre. No more Internet search or newspaper--I can simply see what's playing close by or even see which theatre has the movie I want to see right now.

Intellicast HD FREE

I am a bit of a weather junkie and have used many free and paid weather apps for the iPad. Beyond being easy to read, I love looking at radar images of weather. I can see a 2 week forecast as wells as an hourly forecast over the next 24 hours. Many free weather apps limit you to one or just a few weather locations but Intellicast allows many cities. Intellicast is my current weather app of choice but I continue to look at the latest and greatest weather apps.

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Try Flixster When Going to a Movie

Flixster isa FREE app for iOS and Android that is my "go to" movie and theaterapp.

Flixster for iOS

Flixster for Android

We go tothe movies about once per week, sometimes more and often at a moment's notice.While out and about my wife might say, "let's go to a movie, what'splaying?" All I have to do is lookat my smart phone and look at Flixster.

Flixster for Android

 

 

Flixstershows theaters close to you by using the phone's GPS. No searching needed. Youcan even choose a particular movie and see where it's playing and at what time.

• Play Movie Trailers
• Get Show times
• View Photos
• View and Add Ratings
• Purchase Tickets
• See Upcoming Movie Info

If you area movie fan, Flixster is a "must have" app regardless of mobiledevice.

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