IFTTT

If you don't have the app "IFTTT," then you're missing out! IFTTT stands for "IF This Then That" and does exactly what it sounds like. For example: If I post a post on my blog, then post it to Twitter. If it is my birthday, then call me and wish me happy birthday. The possibilities are endless! To get started with IFTTT, click the links below!

Click Here to go to the Website

Click Here for the iPhone App

Holiday Apple Online Store and iPad Mini Available

Today, the iPad mini was released. Apple was very quiet about this. Why? Because the supplies were very short and there was a manufacturing problem. However, you can now buy your iPad mini with a Retina Display for $399. In addition, the Apple Online Store was also updated with some holiday cheer! The gift guide is up! However, be sure to check out Tech Talk 4 Geeks' holiday gift guide!

Let's Get Productive: Effective Note Taking Strategies with Google Drive

To learn about how to take notes in class or in a business meeting with a computer, here are some tips! They are in this Google Drive document! Just click here to go to the document!

If you can't view it, here's a picture of the document!

The Click - Games 4 The Holidays - Wii U - Part 1

The Wii U is the console that brings families together around the world! This week, +Jonathan Davies and I continue our discussion with the Wii U!

NOTE: Clicking on our heads and the other videos only work on computers, not mobile devices!

The "Brightest" Feature in Mavericks

Did you know that the light sensor in OS X Mavericks knows if you're in front of the screen? It does. If you stay in front of the screen, the Mac won't fall asleep. If it was asleep while you were away and you walk in front of it, it turns on. How cool is that?!

The Porkfolio

I've been waiting for a product like this for ages. The Porkfolio! The piggy bank that tracks how much money you've put into it! Simply connect it to your WiFi network and the Porkfolio app. It counts for you! This product is available off of my Holiday Gift List 4 Geeks!

WebMD Allergy App

If you have allergies, such as pollen allergies, then you should try the WebMD Allergy app! It tells you how much pollen and dust is in the air based on your current location. It can also distinguish pollen levels from tree, grass, and ragweed. If the pollen or dust gets too high in your location, the app sends you a notification if you have a severe allergy to it. The app also gives tips on controlling allergies and an allergy journal. The WebMD Allergy App is available for free from the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Find My Friends 4 Carpools

If you're in some sort of carpool, try this! Assuming you all have iPhones, set up Find My Friends (available from the App Store for free) with each other by sharing your location with each other. If you're being picked up by another, tap their name on the "Friends" tab and then tap "Notify Me." Say that you want to be notified wherever you're being picked up. It's that easy! You will now be notified when you should come out of your building to be picked up by your carpool!

The BookBook Travel Journal

TwelveSouth has made a new product, the BookBook Travel Journal. It is basically an iPad case with some extra compartments. It starts at $99. TwelveSouth has made a line of other products for encasing iOS devices such as the BookBook for iPhone.

OpenEmu

If you're a geek like me, then you probably like video games. Not just any video games, but the classic video games. Those are the BEST! We're talking Earthbound, Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 2, and even Paper Boy! Since the games are older, today's coders have created "emulators" to play these games on the universal device we use today, the computer. To elaborate, emulators are like a "digital console" that you install on your computer and a "ROM" is the "digital game cartridge" that we plug into the emulator. Most emulators are for only one console, however OpenEmu takes it to a whole new level! It combines the world's greatest emulators into one great app. Not only that, but it displays your ROMs beautifully with their cover art. When you play a game, you can use save states (an unlimited amount) and cheats (unless you're a true gamer). The best part is that OpenEmu is FREE (but it's only for Mac)! Instructions are below.

I'm sorry that my collection is small. I got this software recently and haven't gotten a chance to fully add all of my ROMS.

Here's how it works:

1. Install the latest version of XCode (Requires OS X 10.7 or later; I recommend OS X 10.9).
2. Download GitHub (Be sure you have a GitHub account; if you don't, get one here).
3. Go to this link and click "Clone in Desktop" (on the far right side).
4. Save it wherever you like and wait for it to clone.
5. Once done, go to where you saved the "cloned" folder and open it.
6. Find the file called "OpenEmu.xcworkspace" (pictured left) and open it (be sure it opens in XCode).
7. In the top-right corner, click on "OpenEmu" in the bar and select "Build All" and "My Mac 64-bit."
8. Go to the top and click "Product," "Build For," and "Profiling."
9. Wait for it to finish (Estimated time: 5 Minutes; If this fails, you may have an invalid build. This happened to me and it didn't work until I repeated step 3 a week later. Do NOT search for downloads of OpenEmu as they do not work and will make your life complicated in the future.). It MUST be successful.
10. In Finder, search for "OpenEmu.app" and right-click on the app and click "Open Enclosing Folder." It is pictured above and to the right.
11. In this folder, you should find a very similar app also called "OpenEmu." Open this (and drag it to your dock or Launchpad for quick access) to run the app.

There you go! I know that it is a very hard and painful process, but it is well worth it! If you didn't understand this guide, try the official guide by clicking here. Now, just follow the onscreen instructions to get started and download some ROMs off of the internet. Just Google something like "[Video Game Name] ROM" and find a site that is listed. CoolROM.com is a very popular site.

Gaming 4 The Holidays - PS4

Today, John and I continue our discussion with the PS4!

NOTE: You can only click on our heads if you are on a computer, not a mobile device.

Which iPad 2 Get

As you may know, the iPad Air was recently released. Today, I will explain which iPad you should get. NOTE: If you want LTE, I recommend T-Mobile, however take into consideration of the cost of plans and your smartphone's plan. 

Bring it to school: 

For this endeavor, I recommend the iPad Mini (either generation) because it can fit well into a backpack and can be easily be taken out at anytime. 16 to 32 GB capacity. 

Casual User:

I would recommend an iPad 2 or iPad Mini (1st generation) for light use of the iPad. They both cost $299, so it doesn't matter which you pick. The iPad Mini is the newer of the two. 

All Around (and Work):

The iPad Air is for you! It still has great portability with my hands-on time with it. As for capacity, I recommend around 32 to 64 GB. If you want to, you could even get an iPad Mini (2nd generation). 

Color:

After testing with various apps, you'll find that the white color fits quite nicely with cases and apps designed for iOS 7. There is less contrast, so it looks nicer. Check out which iPad color suits you at an Apple Store as well. 

Get an iPad with T-Mobile!

T-Mobile is currently giving away 200 MB a month for free to ALL T-Mobile iPad Cellular models. You don't even have to sign up. Just use it wisely. 200 MB isn't a lot. One person will use about five times that amount in a month. 

Happy Halloween!

If you haven't noticed, it's Halloween! Remember that tomorrow starts November and that Hannakah isn't far away. Right after that, boom! It's Christmas! Stumped for an idea? Be sure to check out my Holiday Gift List 4 Geeks (http://techtalk4geeks.blogspot.com/p/holiday.html). Happy Halloween!

Customers Begin to Receive iPad 3G Settlements

So, here's the story. Ages ago in 2010, the iPad was introduced. The ORIGINAL iPad! It came in WiFi or WiFi + 3G. The iPad with 3G came with two data plans. The 250 MB plan (which wasn't enough for a month) for $14.99 a month and the unlimited plan for $29.99 a month. The ideal plan was the unlimited plan. Two months after the release, AT&T (the only carrier for Apple at the time) discontinued unlimited data and replaced it with a 2 GB plan for $25.99. Users (including yours truly) who didn't switch experienced problems with their cellular data. Now, people are receiving emails to receive $40 provided by Apple by following a link. 

Christmas App

There are many apps for Christmas shopping season, but there's no better one than "The Christmas List" (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-christmas-list/id340779800?mt=8) by Limbua. This app lets you keep track of all the gifts you need to buy, how much they cost, and what store to buy them from. This app is definitely worth your two dollars. Try it. But, hurry! You only have 56 days left until Christmas! And don't even get me started on how early Hanukkah starts this year!

Apple Read My Post!

If you are a longtime reader of my blog, you probably remember the post "Secure your Security!" This was probably one of my more popular posts. It was a post about how a thief could turn off your "Find my [iOS Device]" service unless you did a certain method. However, now with iOS 7, Apple has made it so one must enter their password for turning off the feature. This means we don't have to add restrictions to location services. If you followed my directions from the original post, here's how to disable it. Go to Settings > General > Restrictions and enter your passcode > Location Services > and tap "Allow Changes." 

The Click: Gaming 4 The Holidays - Xbox One

This week's episode will be about the Xbox One. This is a basic discussion between me and Tech Talk 4 Geeks gaming correspondent, Jonathan Davies (+Jonathan Davies).

Jonathan's Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Animalcrossing35

My Blog:
http://techtalk4geeks.blogspot.com

NOTE: The links on our heads won't work on mobile devices. 

Apple iPad Event - Part 4

Finally, Apple announced OS X Mavericks. Mavericks provides a fresh, fluid experience to the Mac. It adds a new Maps app and iBooks. In addition, if you have an Apple TV, you can use your TV as a second display! Finally, Mavericks adds more efficiency to Mac. The best part is that it's free. OS X Mavericks takes about an hour to download. It takes another hour to install. I recommend that you do a backup and use repair disk permissions using Disk Utility (Check out my tutorial: http://youtu.be/59Di8elviPM) prior to updating. 

Apple iPad Event - Part 3

For today's post, I'll be talking about Macs.

Mac Pro:

Apple announced the Mac Pro. This small powerhouse has everything cranked to the max! Thunderbolt 2, USB 3.0, and more!

MacBook Pro with Retina Display:

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is the laptop version of the Mac Pro. It has a faster Intel processor.