Docs' Tech Notes

First iPad Commercial

2010-03-08T19:17:00.000-06:00

If you didn’t watch the Oscar’s this past weekend, you likely missed the new iPad commercial touting the coming soon date of April 3rd for the Wi-Fi only version (3G version scheduled for late April). So in the interest of providing readers with the latest in iPad news. Here ya go. And yes, this Apple fan boy just can’t wait! Personally, I won’t own an iPad without 3G -- can’t wait until the car mounts are released.

Is the iPad on your wish list? Which version will you purchase? Drop a comment and let me know.

LEGO, SketchUp and James Bond...what could go wrong?

2010-02-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

Combining three of my favorite things, James Bond, LEGO and SketchUp, this video was created to demonstrate the SketchUp plugin SketchyPhysics. It is simply incredible and an amazing example of what you can accomplish with the free Google SketchUp. My only regret? SketchyPhysics is a Windoze only plugin at this time.

Make your own gourmet chocolate covered strawberries

2010-02-14T19:54:00.005-06:00

Okay, Doc is here to help all you guys out there who tend to focus a bit too much on tech and not enough on your wife or girlfriend. I know you are out there. Yes, I’m looking at you, and back at me. Below are photo instructions to make gourmet chocolate covered strawberries. And it’s easier than programming a VCR to record...err...DVR.

Click the play button to begin and use the forward and reverse buttons to navigate through the images:

Happy Valentine’s Day from Doc’s Tech Notes!

Just how fast is free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s?

2010-02-07T12:50:00.004-06:00

After announcing that McDonald’s was going to begin offering free Wi-Fi during the first quarter of 2010, I finally had a chance to give it a shot. Wi-Fi at Mickey D’s is provided by AT&T and if you’ve used your iPhone at McDonald’s (it was free to iPhone users previously), it will be the same network. After the click below, let’s take a look at how easy it is to get online and just how fast a Wi-Fi connection you can expect, as you munch on some fries.

There are only a few steps required to to connect to McDonald’s/AT&T Wi-Fi. Connection to the network involves nothing more than:

• Load your favorite browser
• Navigate to any page, Google for example – you will be redirected to the McDonald’s Wayport page
• Accept the terms of service and click the connect button – the now connected page will be displayed and you are ready for business

I was curious as to just how fast a connection was being provided, so I fired up Speedtest.net. The results of this test are presented in the image below.

Based on the speeds I received, you won’t be uploading nor downloading large files, nor will you be streaming movies {UPDATE: I was able to view low quality YouTube videos without a hiccup and I was able to receive a steady acceptable quality stream from Netflix...not bad), but you will find a competent connection for blogging, e-mail, surfing and even audio downloads/streaming. And with the ubiquity of McDonald’s, you are sure to find a connection when you need it. Would you like Wi-Fi with that? “I’m lovin’ it!”

Have you given free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s a shot? Post a comment and leave your speed test results. I’m curious to see if these speeds are fairly consistent.

Roku XR -- Streaming Netflix Perfection

2010-02-06T12:05:00.004-06:00

I just purchased a new, and every inexpensive, Roku XR to add to our entertainment cabinet. Not familiar with the Roku? Let me hit the highlights for you. The Roku boxes, all three models, provide access to several streaming audio/video services. Most notable for this little black box is Netflix Instant Streaming. Not familiar with Netflix Instant Streaming? Take some time and read this page. I’ll be waiting for you after the “click below” to share my experiences with the Roku. I’ll also discuss why it is a better solution for streaming Netflix movies than a TiVo HD.

TiVo Netflix Instant Streaming Issues:
Netflix Instant Streaming is available for several devices. I use the service on our TiVo HD; however, there are many issues. The most serious being that the TiVo would require a reboot, or worse, reboot on its own (usually while recording a show) after extended Netflix streaming. And it takes FOREVER for a TiVo HD to reboot! But that wasn’t the only thing that lead me to a Roku box purchase.

I have Charter Internet service. The connection is generally quick and during non-peak hours, provides exceptional bandwidth for streaming. During peak hours, things change. Because of the densely populated area of our community, the bandwidth drops considerably when we all decide to surf the web. That’s when the TiVo streaming becomes erratic and chaotic. It often switches between an HD stream to a lower quality stream, rebuffers every two minutes, or in those worse cases, completely locks up the TiVo. I blame the TiVo Netflix streaming software. It should be smarter and when downgrading the signal, it should stay there, not continuously trying to improve the signal by rebuffering every two minutes.

Solution – Roku:
So what’s a Netflix streaming fan to do? One evening when we were particularly interested in a Lost episode (we’ve been mowing through the first five seasons on Netflix instant streaming to watch the last season with the rest of the world) the TiVo began its erratic behavior. I turned off the TV and broke out the MacBook Pro. I fired up Netflix in Safari and we continued to watch the show with nary a problem – no hiccups and no lock ups. Hmmmm. That reinforced my belief that the TiVo software was defective. Time for a new solution and hooking up the MacBook Pro to our HDTV was not the answer.

We needed something easy to use. After a bit of online research and talking with my good friend Mark, I decided the Roku was just the ticket to solve our Netflix streaming woes. And we’ve been happily watching Netflix streaming with nary a hiccup. The Roku does Netflix streaming perfectly and during those peak hours, it figures out a suitable streaming speed and delivers the best possible picture available for the reaminder of the show. No switching back and forth as the bandwidth goes through its peeks and valleys. During peak hours, we’ve found the Roku more consistent than the TiVo in providing HD streams. It is the clear winner.

Roku has Channels:
I’ve focused this post on Netflix Instant Streaming, but Roku has and is adding “channels” to their line up including Amazon Digital Downloads, for movie purchases and rentals; the Twit network for all of your favorite tech audio and video netcasts; and, live games for MLB fans. There’s even a Pandora channel so you can listen to all your favorite customized music. Rumor is – more channels are on the way.

Wi-Fi Problems:
Now before I sound all warm and fuzzy about my Roku XR, let me share just a bit negativity about my installation. Sure, there’s only two cables to connect (power and HDMI), but I had a bit of problem connecting to my Wi-Fi network out of the box. I purchased the Roku XR because it included 802.11n Wi-Fi. I wanted the Roku connected to our network wirelessly and I wanted it to have the fastest connection possible.

In our home, I have an Airport Extreme (802.11n) with a bridged Airport Express (802.11g) installed to provide two separate networks for differing devices (read this post for more). Initially I tried to connect the Roku to our faster network (802.11n). It wouldn’t connect no matter what I tried. So, I connected to the slower network (802.11g). No problem. The Roku immediately connected and displayed an upgrade notification. I proceeded with the software upgrade.

After the upgrade I decided to give the faster network another shot. It immediately connected. Moral of the story? If you have an Airport Extreme (n) router, you may have to upgrade the Roku software before you can connect. If you don’t have an 802.11g, you may not be able to connect the Roku to your network via Wi-Fi. Solution? Run a network cable from your router to your Roku, connect via ethernet, update the Roku software, disconnect the ethernet cable, reboot the Roku, connect to the 802.11n network. That should do it for you.

Summing Up:
The Roku wins the Doc’s Tech Notes seal of approval. I’m a huge fan now and I find myself exploring even more of my Netflix Instant Streaming Queue. If you have been streaming Netflix on your TiVo and have experienced the same issues described, I highly recommend you go out and get yourself one of the three Roku’s available. If you have an 802.11n network and an HDTV, that would mean the $129 Roku XR. For those readers with an 80211g and an HDTV, consider the $99 Roku HD. Still using a standard definition TV? No worries, the basic Roku is just for you and a steal at $79! If you are like me, you’ll find even greater value with Netflix Instant Streaming. You’ll also be able to explore other IPTV channels. Who knows, you may even find you can do without those expensive premium cable channels.

Are you using a Roku? How has your TiVo Netflix streaming been going? Drop a comment below and tell me about it.

McDonald's Nationwide Free Wi-Fi Starts Today!!!

2010-01-15T14:04:00.007-06:00

I’ve previously mentioned that Barnes and Noble was now providing free wifi and I have been anxious to report that more merchants are adding this service to draw in the tech savvy crowd. Beginning today, McDonald’s is also offering free wifi at the majority of it’s U.S. locations. Cheap coffee and free wifi, now there’s a match made in heaven! Here’s the original news story from Yahoo News:

Starting today, fast-food restaurant McDonald's will begin offering free Wi-Fi access at 11,500 of its 14,000 U.S. locations. It's a nice improvement from the $2.95 they were previously charging for two hours, and it could come in pretty handy in a pinch, considering the ubiquity of McDonald's.

I can hear it now, “would you like free wifi with that or maybe a hot apple pie?” Let me know if you give Mickey D’s a try this weekend. I’ll be on the road and may just have to stop in for a quick beverage and to check my e-mail! I might also like a hot apple pie with that.

Happy New Year from Doc’s Tech Notes

2010-01-01T11:10:00.003-06:00

As with most folks this day of year, it is time for me to reflect on last year and ask myself, “how can I better myself and help other people in the coming year?” On this 2010 New’s Years Day, I am sharing five of my Doc’s Tech Notes related resolutions that speak to style, site design and community. You can review these five resolutions right after the click below.

1. After two years, I will finally complete the Doc’s Tech Notes site redesign and decide on a logo.
If you want to help with the logo design feel free to drop me a line and we can crowd-source the thing. I have ideas (the design used in this post is my favorite of the bunch), I just can’t seem to flesh them out. Logo design is not one of my strong points.

2. I will strive to publish more frequently.
With a move and a new job coming up in 2010, that will be a tough resolution to uphold. However, during 2009, I did develop some processes and explored some new tools that are making blog posting faster and more enjoyable.

3. My posts will be accessible to both new and seasoned tech users.
This is Doc’s Tech Notes theme. I want my tech savvy friends as well as their mothers to be able to understand my notes and apply them. This is no easy chore my friends and I cannot always make this possible when delving into advanced topics such as CSS, programming, Arduino, etc. Maybe more video in the future? Hmmm...

4. I will build a community of readers that will share their thoughts and ideas to better my notes.
This resolution not only for me but for you, the reader. I have a couple of faithful commenters (big thanks to Mark who wins the 2009 award for most comments), but want more of you to chime in and provide feedback. That’s what makes a fair blog/ideas better. Mark, you are still encouraged to continue your comments! :D

5. I will prepare posts with fewer typos and grammatical errors.
Good luck with that one Doc cuz there are already several within this post! Writing has always been an editing process for me. I “stream of conscious” my ideas and then come back later for editing. It is during this editing process that I miss my mistakes. Little tip for the readers. I DO NOT mind being told when I am wrong, so feel free to exercise resolution number four. And a HUGE thanks to my wife who always...and I mean always...finds my errors. If a blog post is more grammatically correct than normal, it is probably because she had time to proof it before I hit the Publish Post button.

There you have it. My Doc’s Tech Notes resolutions for 2010. We’ll come back in 2011 and see how I/we faired. Did I miss something? Is there a topic you want me to focus on the for the New Year? Get resolution number four started and drop me a comment below. Happy New Year Doc’s Tech Notes readers (all 107 of you as of today) and thanks so much for hanging in there throughout 2009. It’s been a good year and a good 00’s.

New Magic Mouse...meh...with MagicPrefs...Oh My!!!

2009-12-31T17:29:00.008-06:00

Santa was kind enough to leave me a new Apple Magic Mouse under the tree this year. Now, I took the Magic Mouse for a test run at our local Apple Store before Christmas and thought it was very well designed, nice to look at and somewhat useful with it’s very limited set of touch commands. What kept me from purchasing on the spot were three things:

1. No middle button – I’m a SketchUp user and that is a requirement
2. Very few gestures – No pinches and touch gestures: that’s just a crime
3. It was too close to Christmas to make any personal purchases for fear Santa was planning on the same purchase

As I said, Santa is one jolly ol’ tech savvy elf and when I unwrapped the gift, I couldn’t wait to try it out on a regular basis; however, I left an old three button USB mouse connected for those CAD moments, that is until I ran into MagicPrefs. Let’s learn a bit more, after the click, about this wonderful piece of free software that gives the Magic Mouse the features Apple left out.

MagicPrefs is a small piece of software by Vladalexa that provides the Magic Mouse with all the capabilities it is lacking out of the box such as:

Pinch gestures
2 finger touches
3 finger touches
4 finger touches
Tail dragging – the best named feature in the bunch
2 finger swipes
3 finger swipes
and a bunch more

When you download, install and load the software, a menubar item is added (as shown in the image below). This menubar items does a couple of things. First it verifies the software is active and secondly, allows you to open up a Preferences window, select a profile, disable autostart, etc.

Selecting the Preferences option taps into the missing magic; a piece of which is shown in the image below. It is in this window that you tailor preferences to your needs and add capabilities to your mousing, touching, clicking and swiping actions. This is also where you add the all important middle-click if you are three button user like I am.

The thing that really makes this piece of software useful is that you can customize each function to your your own liking and continue to build profiles based on your usage (default, CAD and gaming profiles are included). I’ve customized my profile for my own personal use and continually modify and refine it. I’m beginning to wonder how I am going to be able get any work done on a computer without a Magic Mouse.

If you truly want to experience the magic of the Magic Mouse, you must install this software now. You won’t be sorry and you’ll finally feel as if the Magic Mouse is worth the premium cost. Do you have a Magic Mouse? Have you tried out MagicPrefs? Drop me a comment and add to this note. Would love to hear about your configurations.

Merry Christmas from Doc!

2009-12-24T18:00:00.008-06:00

Doc wishes all his readers a Very Merry Christmas and hopes Santa leaves you all kinds of tech goodness under your tree! As a gift from Doc and to enhance your holiday joy, please enjoy these Christmas images from the 2009 Bethalto, IL Spirit Christmas Walk.

Did you receive a gift that will make Doc jealous? Leave a comment and tell me about it. I’ll share my list a bit later.

Another keyboard shortcut stocking stuffer

2009-12-22T14:33:00.002-06:00

I've had quite a few comments regarding my previous post that shared how to quickly activate your favorite browser's address bar using ⌘ – L on a Mac or CTRL – L for Linux/Windows users. Today we are going to carry on the keyboard shortcut theme and integrate two more similar keystrokes into our browsing work flow. These keystrokes, presented below, will open a new browser tab and close the currently active browser tab without the need to move your hands off the keyboard.

Open a new browser tab:
Mac | ⌘ – T
Linux/Windows | CTRL – T

Close a browser tab:
Mac: ⌘ – W
Linux/Windows: CTRL – W

I showed these to my MacBook using wife and she loved them! Give them a shot and combine these with the previous keystroke you learned. You'll notice your browser productivity will skyrocket! You know, it's the little things during the holiday season...ain't it? Merry Christmas!

BTW...would like credit to the "Escape key escaping" image, but couldn't find the original source. Anyone have that info?

Quickly jump to your address bar

2009-12-19T17:57:00.002-06:00

I have a short, but very useful, tip for Mac, Linux and even Windows users today. It’s a keystroke that will save you a bit of time when browsing using Safari, Chromium, FireFox or most other Mac and/or Linux browsers. When you are ready to enter a new URL in the address bar of your browser and find that that it is not active or already has a URL in place, before you move your hands off the keyboard and grab for the mouse hit:

Mac | ⌘ – L
Linux/Windows | CTRL –L

This keystroke combo will activate the address bar (as shown in the image below) and allow you to immediately begin typing a new URL. For newbies...no need to delete the content that is highlighted. As soon as you type your first character, all the old excess URL baggage will be deleted. If only life’s baggage was as easy to delete!

That’s it. Short and sweet. Consider it a nice little Doc’s Tech Notes stocking stuffer. Give it a shot and let me know if you find this keystroke as useful as I have. If you have other simple keystrokes that enhance your productivity, drop a comment and add to the note.

Transfer photos from Flickr to Picasa on your Mac

2009-12-19T11:05:00.001-06:00

When I first started blogging, I purchased an unlimited Flickr account not only for blogging images storage, but also for personal photo storage. Lately I’ve been moving to Google services for all of my blogging needs. That meant moving my images from Flickr (my subscription is set to expire in one month anyway) to Picasa, and I have to say, the move has been an extreme productivity enhancer from a Blogger user’s standpoint (more on this in later posts).

Google made the notion of switching a bit more appealing recently by providing a couple of storage upgrade options that should make any photo-bug or blogger perk up and take notice:

20Gb of storage for $5 per year
200 Gb of storage (plus free 4Gb Eye-Fi card) for $50 per year

Being the gadget geek I am, I chose the 200 Gb (shared between Gmail and Picasa) of storage with the free Eye-Fi card. I can always downgrade my storage requirements next year if I find I didn’t use the 200 Gb. I probably won’t need that much cloud storage but, hey, I get the Eye-Fi card and that alone is worth $50.

Now the time consuming part; moving my images from Flickr to Picasa. Here’s the easiest way I have found on a Mac to move images from Flickr to Picasa. Take a look after the click.

Download Flickr Images:

First we need to get our images and photos out of the Flickr cloud and onto our desktops. Here’s how:

Download Photo Grabbr from Malarkey Software (payment requested)
Fire up Photo Grabbr
Select Flickr | Authorize... from the pull-down menu – the default browser will load the Flickr authorization page
Select the link to authorize Photo Grabbr access to your Flickr account
Close the browser and return to Photo Grabbr
Select Username from the Look up drop-down menu as shown in the image below
Enter your Username in the text edit box – as shown in the image below, my username was my entire name

Click the Search button – a list of your Flickr photosets will appear
Select the photosets you want to download
Click the Download button – Photo Grabbr will begin downloading the images to the Desktop (default location that can be changed using Photo Grabbr preferences) and organize them into folders using the photoset names; VERY convenient!

Alright. We have our photos liberated from Flickr. Now it is time to upload them to our Picasa account.

Upload to Picasa:
This step involves another download so let’s start with that process:

Download the Picasa Web Albums Uploader (PWAU) for Mac (Free) – while on the page, check out the video to learn more about using this software and its included iPhoto integration
Fire up PWAU
Provide the login window with your Picasa (Google) account information and click the Sign-in button – the software is now ready to upload images
Locate the folder within the Photo Grabbr folder on your desktop containing the images from the Flickr photoset you want to upload – you only need locate the folder
Drag the folder into the left-side pane of the PWAU software – the window will populate with thumbnails of all the images in the folder as shown in the image below

Click the New Album button – options to include a title, description, public access and captions will be provided as shown in the image above
Add at minimum a Title (the rest is optional and can be added online later)
Click the Scale large photos for: drop-down menu and select a size – choose the largest to maintain a high quality image that can be printed (you have 200Gb for Pete’s sake!)
Click the Upload button – wait time varies based on number of images and size and PWAU provides a status window shown below

When the images have been uploaded, PWAU will ask if you want to view your online Picasa Album as shown in the image below

Click the View button and your default browser will load the uploaded photoset as shown in the image below

Take some time to verify your photos, add captions, change the order, add map locations or share with your family and friends.

Before someone mentions it, yes you could download the Picasa desktop software for Mac and use it to upload and organize your photos, but I am trying to move all my photos to a secure cloud location without the need to keep my own local digital copies (call me a fool, but I trust Google with my images).

There you have it, the quickest way I know to move your photos and images from Flickr to Picasa. Have a better solution (such as a Mac equivalent for the Migratr program for Windoze machines)? Leave a comment and add to this note. I would REALLY like to know. Gotta to run...have about 30 photosets to upload to Picasa!

Export all Google Docs with a couple of clicks

2009-12-16T16:22:00.003-06:00

This post may give you that sense of deja-vu given my recent Google Docs post on a similiar export topic; however, Google has made the liberation of your data from Google Docs even easier. Learn how it is even easier to download and archive your Google Docs data in just a few simple steps. Yep, it's as easy as 1-2-3 and you can learn how right after the click. What are you waiting for? The liberation of your data is at stake!

Exporting all Google Docs:

Enter docs.google.com into your browser address bar
If you haven’t logged into your account, do so using the Google login screen – the Google Docs files listings page will be displayed
In the All items area (or the My Folders area if you selected a specific folder of files) click a single file – this step is necessary to activate the Export... menu option described in the next step
Click the More actions button – the More actions drop-down menu will be displayed as shown in the image below

Select the Export… option as highlighted in the image above – the Convert, Zip, and Download Files window will appear as shown below:

Click the Export all your files (up to 2Gb) option as pointed out in the image above – Google docs will collect all the documents and present a listing of the number of file types that will be added to the archive download file
If you would like a different file format other than those presented, use the drop-down menus to make those selections
Click the Continue button and your files will be archived and presented for download

Refer to my previous Google Docs export post for additional directions if you don't find the remainder of the procedure intuitive

Granted, this isn't a huge change over the old way of exporting our documents, but it does streamline the process a bit and make things less confusing. My only wish now is that Google would provide the oft rumored Google Drive complete with DropBox type functionality for continuous syncing. Combine that with the 200Gb of storage for $50 and you have the makings for a clear cloud winner! Whatcha think? Drop a comment and let me know.

Cyber Monday Shopping at Amazon!

2009-11-30T09:52:00.002-06:00

As most Doc's Tech Notes readers know, today is when everyone shops on their bosses dime (not recommended...I'm just pointing out the obvious). As a companion to my previous Black Friday post, I now present the link to all of the wonderful Amazon Cyber Monday deals. Today's Gold Box offer is also a deal that should appeal to readers; an Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) for only $158.00.

{Update...Amazon sold out the iPod Touch! You missed it.}

Ok, now back to work with ya and be on the look out for your boss who is making sure you are working, not shopping. Alt-Tab is your buddy today!

Did you snag any Black Friday or Cyber Monday tech deals? Drop me a comment and "do tell!"

Happy Thanksgiving!!! -- Black Friday Tip

2009-11-26T10:14:00.000-06:00

I, and my family, are huge fans of Amazon and especially Amazon Prime. You may have guessed as much from the ads I regularly update on my page. So what’s the Tech Tip for Doc’s Tech Notes readers on this most festive of Turkey Days? Simple. Save time and money on your Christmas shopping this year by browsing Amazon’s Black Friday deals. How does Amazon save you time and money (and quite possibly your sanity)? Check my listings of Amazon and Amazon Prime advantages after the click:

Amazon Shopping Advantages:

No waiting in lines at zero-dark thirty (as we say in the military)
Know before you checkout whether an item is in stock and available for purchase
Get very competitive prices (and on most purchases the best prices available anywhere)
NO TAX!
Shop in your underwear (please...DON’T leave a comment and share your underwear shopping experiences!)
Save wear and tear on your car (no dinged up doors from shopping carts and inconsiderate shoppers)
Save gas
Have Amazon wrap your purchase for even less holiday frustrations
Have Amazon send your gift directly by creating an address book

Amazon Prime Advantages:

Free second-day shipping on all Amazon Prime qualifying purchases (which is about anything you need)
$2.99 next-day shipping on all Amazon Prime qualifying purchases
Share your Amazon Prime account with your family members, at no extra expense (so they can buy gifts for you!)

Now if those listing don't make you an Amazon shopper, I don't know what will. Click the banner below to begin your Black Friday Shopping today (and let Doc know you appreciate his hard work this past year!) - yep, many items are available now, so another advantage is no waiting until Black Friday for Black Friday deals.

Happy Thanksgiving Doc’s Tech Notes readers and Doc is so thankful to his loyal readers for your readership and comments. Have any other Black Friday tips? Did you snag a good Black Friday tech deal? Leave a comment and share with the group.

Learn all you need to know about Chrome OS -- with video

2009-11-21T06:00:00.019-06:00

Check out Google’s wonderful and descriptive video below:

Review another video and learn more about Doc’s experiences with ChromeOS after the click below.

And here’s a demo of the beta in action from the Google preview event:

I’ve tried the beta version of Chrome OS (using the image and instructions provided by the good folks at GDGT) using VirtualBox 3.1 beta and have to say, so far the OS is nothing more than a fast browser on top of a faster OS with no configuration options. But that’s mainly due to the beta not enabling the “login to the cloud features” to all but google.com domain account holders. 7 second boot time...Really? Yep...that's about how long it took on my VirtualBox setup as well. An easier way to experience Chrome OS is to simply download and install the Chrome(Chromium) browser on your current computer.

Rest assured, Doc will keep an eye and mouse click on the beta’s progress. For now, not much to get excited about other than giddy anticipation of next year’s final release. I can’t wait until I can fire up Chrome OS on my Acer Aspire One!

Have you tried Chrome OS? Drop me a comment and tell me about your experience as well as your thoughts on Google’s new OS.

Get more out of Google Voice with Voice Mac

2009-11-20T19:04:00.020-06:00

I’ve been using Google Voice now for quite some time and have a great software recommendation for the Mac users who are also Google Voice users. If you want to make calls, review your voicemail messages and send SMS messages from your Mac without visiting the Google Voice site, fire up your browser and head on over to the Voice Mac web site and get to downloading.

Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way up front. This post references Voice Mac version Beta 5.1. And the beta tag is warranted as there are several quirks. But if you can overlook the quirks, you'll find a useful tool to manage and utilize your Google Voice account at the beta price of FREE.

Once you have a copy downloaded and installed, hit the link to learn how to setup and use Voice Mac.

The first thing you need to do is pair the Voice Mac software with your Google Voice account. We’ll touch on this process and then we’ll dive into some more useful features such as reviewing your voicemail, making calls and sending SMS messages.

Voice Mac Setup:

Before using Voice Mac you will need to perform a bit of setup and configuration as demonstrated with the following steps:

Download Voice Mac
Start the Voice Mac Application – the first time you fire up Voice Mac you will be presented with the Google Voice Login window as shown below

Enter the Gmail account login and password that is associated with your Google Voice account
Click the Login button – Voice Mac connect to your Google Voice account and the Contacts window, as heavily annotated in the image below, will appear – take some time to review the image and the descriptions before proceeding

To choose between using either the Address Book.app or your Google Contacts (Doc’s preferred method) to populate your Voice Mac Contact list, press ⌘+, (or Voice Mac | Preferences from the pull-down menu) – the Voice Mac Preference window will appear as shown in the image below

Click either the Google Contacts or Address Book radio buttons to select the contacts database you wish to use with Voice Mac – go ahead and explore the other Preferences while you have the window open (they are self-explanatory)
Close the Preferences window and depending on your selection and/or Internet connection, your contacts list should populate in a few seconds

Now that Voice Mac is paired to our Google Voice account and we have the contacts list populated, let’s make our first call.

Making a Call:
Making your first call using Voice Mac is pretty easy using these simple steps:

Using the scroll bar or the search box (as highlighted in the second screen shot above), locate a contact to call and click on the contact once
Using the Ring: drop-down menu, select the phone to ring to connect to the contact – remember that these phones are configured in your Google Voice settings
Click the green and white phone button – the Ring: phone selected will be called and you will be connected to the contact selected

Just like making a call using the Google Voice page, only you didn't have to fire up your browser!

Sending an SMS message:

Not only can you make calls using Voice Mac, but it is also a pretty decent SMS client for Google Voice. Here's how to send your SMS messages:

Follow bullets one and two in the Making a Call instructions above
Click the purple and white SMS button – the SMS window will appear as shown in the image below

Type in your SMS message and hit Enter – the SMS message will be whisked away to the recipient
Follow up messages appear in the same window so leave it open (don't forget, SMS messages using Google Voice are FREE so send away!)

Alright, now that we know how to call and SMS a contact, let’s take a look at the most important feature, reviewing your Google Voice voicemail.

Reviewing Voicemail:

From the menu, select View | Voicemail – the information window will display and present a listing of each voicemail message, including the transcript, if available

While we are on the topic of the Information window, take a look at the image below and you’ll find that there’s more than just voicemail access available.

Click on the buttons at the top of the Information allows you to review:

SMS History | Voicemail | Placed Calls | Received Calls | Missed Calls

These buttons are also pretty self-explanatory, so click away to get familiar with their contents.

Additional Features:

Some additional features found using the menu include:

File | Save Voicemail – select a voicemail message from the Information | Voicemail window and then select this menu option, as shown below, to download a voicemail message as an .mp3 file for archival and review (currently the only way I can listen to messages using Voice Mac – see notes below)

View | Reverse Lookup – displays the reverse lookup window for an unknown contact as shown in the image below

View | Google Voice TOS – launches the Google Voice Legal Notices page
View | Rates – launches the Google Voice Calling Rates page
View | Credit History – launches your credit page on Google Voice

Issues and Recommendations:
There are a few issues in the beta version and I have a few recommendations for the developer to include in future releases. Below is my list in no particular order:

Cannot read long transcripts
Cannot copy the contents of transcripts
Would like the ability to respond to a voicemail via e-mail using the contacts e-mail information
Cannot listen to voicemails – I receive a -5401 error (anyone else experiencing this problem?)
Contact items are too big and I would like a way to modify the size of the text and the images
Resizing the Contact listing is a bit erratic and will cut off the Ring: drop-down menu
Should include a menu bar or dock icon setting in Preferences
Needs a bit of visual UI candy – it’s basic and it works, but could still take a lead from other Mac software in the “pretty” department
Too many windows can be a bit confusing and a single or two-window interface might make things a bit more intuitive

Conclusion:
Despite the problems I’ve experienced, and remembering that Voice Mac is still a beta product, Voice Mac is an excellent addition to any Google Voice user’s Mac. I am anxious to try out future releases and know that in time, this will only get better and better. Have something to add? Leave a comment and add to this note. Have an Ubuntu or Windows solution? Let us know about that one as well.

More DropBox Ideas

2009-11-16T18:41:00.006-06:00

I’ve been having a blast trying to figure out fun and productive ways to use DropBox beyond simple file syncing. A few of them have saved me a ton of time and I thought I would share them with you. All of these tips involve using the symbolic link tip I shared in a previous post and are designed to work between two or more Macs. With a few simple modifications, these tips can be used on other OSs as well. Here’s my short list:

Sync my LDRAW library – AFOLs using MLCAD or Bricksmith will really appreciate this tip as it ensures your LDRAW library is the same across computers!
Sync my Desktop – sym link: /Users/username/Desktop – ensures the same files are on my Desktop from computer to computer
Wallpaper/Screen Saver image syncing – create a Wallpaper folder in your Dropbox/Photos folder and set up the screen saver to use images from this directory – I further add additional wallpaper folders by theme: Halloween, Christmas, Fall, Family, etc
Syncing 1Password data – sym link: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/1Password

All of this syncing and I only have the free 2Gb service! So what cool and useful ways have you found to use Dropbox to keep data in sync and make your transition smoother from computer-to-computer? Leave a comment and add to this listing. As I discover more uses, I’ll add them to this post so check back occasionally to view more of my own personal tips or how Doc’s Tech Notes readers are using Dropbox.

Doc salutes all who serve – Happy Veteran’s Day

2009-11-11T08:29:00.000-06:00

Export (download) multiple files from Google Docs

2009-11-10T08:00:00.007-06:00

In a previous post, I shared the process used to upload multiple files (.doc, pdf, odt, etc) to Google Docs. Next, let’s learn how to download (export) one, a series, or all documents. Why would we want to do this? Backup, backup, backup. Even though most of us trust Google’s cloud, there is still no reason you shouldn’t download these files on a regular basis for those “just in case” moments. Learn how after the click...

Download single/multiple files:
:: Enter docs.google.com into your browser address bar

:: If you haven’t logged into your account, do so using the Google login screen – the Google Docs files listings page will be displayed

:: In the All items area (or the My Folders area if you selected a specific folder of files) click in the checkboxes next to the files to download as demonstrated in the image below

:: Click the More actions button – a drop-down menu will be displayed as shown in the image above
:: Select the Export… option as highlighted in the image above – the Convert, Zip, and Download Files window will appear as shown below

:: In the Convert, Zip, and Download Files window, review the default file formats automatically chosen – the default are MS Office formats
:: If you want to change the format for all of the files to be exported, select either the OpenOffice formats link or the PDF formats link
:: If you want to change the file formats for individual file types, use the drop-down menus to manually make the selections as highlighted in the image below

:: Once the file format selections have been made, click the Continue button at the bottom-left of the Convert, Zip, and Download Files window – the Zipping Files window will appear as shown in the image below – if a small number of files are to be exported, this window will only be displayed for a few seconds

During this process, the Google servers convert and compress the Google Docs files into a single .zip file that is later downloaded.

:: At the bottom left of the Zipping Files window are three options that can be selected during the export process:

Select the Email when ready button to have an e-mail sent to your Google Docs registered e-mail address when the process is complete – convenient when large file selections are made
Select the Cancel file zipping button to cancel the current process entirely and return to the document listing page
Select the Start over button to return to the Convert, Zip, and Download Files window and reselect the formats without having to reselect the files

:: When the process is complete, the Zipping Complete window will appear as shown in the image above
:: The .zip file containing all of the documents should begin downloading automatically to your browser’s default download location
:: If the file download does not start automatically, select the click her to download button as pointed out in the image above
:: Locate the single .zip file download – the file name will resemble documents-export-2009-11-08.zip with the only modification being the date appended to the file name
:: To extract the documents within the file, simply double-click on the file

That's a pretty lengthy process, but Google Docs makes it easy if you just take your time and review each window carefully.

Download all files

You may want to download all files at once and then place them in a safe location such as: burning them to a CD/DVD, placing them on a shared network drive, or using another online service such as iDisk or Dropbox. Instead of running down the list of files checking each one individually:

:: Click the Select all visible option as highlighted in the image below – all the files in the listing will be selected

:: After making this selection, continue the previously described process by selecting the More actions button and selecting the Export… options

There you have it. The ins and out of exporting your files off of the Google cloud and onto your desktop. Consider downloading all of your documents weekly or monthly. Add a Google Calendar event now to remind you. Go ahead, do it now. I’ll wait…done? Good for you!

I don’t know about you, but having my Google Docs safely stored in another location gives me a nice warm safe data fuzzy feeling inside. So where do you save your backups? Have another way to get your files out of the cloud and onto your desktop? Add to this note by leaving a comment below.

Upload multiple files to Google Docs

2009-11-09T08:00:00.008-06:00

Since blogging about how to use gdocsuploader to upload multiple documents to the Google Docs, there have been two new features added to Google Docs that I have been remiss in sharing; multiple uploads and multiple downloads (export). Let’s learn how to first upload multiple files. In a later post, I’ll show you how go the opposite direction and download multiple files.

Upload multiple files:
:: Enter docs.google.com into your browser address bar

:: If you haven’t logged into your account, do so using the Google login screen
:: Click the Upload button as shown in the image below – the Google Docs upload page will be displayed

:: Click the Select files to upload link as pointed out in the image below with arrow 1 – an operating system (OS) file selection dialog box will appear
:: Use the default multiple selection mode available in your OS to select the multiple files you wish to upload (for OS X, select the first file, hold down the Shift key and then select the last file to select a range) – choose only the files that Google Docs supports (on a Mac, all unsupported formats are ghosted and cannot be selected)

Doc’s Tip: Make file selection easier and faster by copying all the files you want to upload to a single folder on your Desktop. Once you have uploaded these documents, drag the folder to the Trash.

:: Once the files have been selected, click the OK button to close the files selection dialog box
:: If you want the files to be uploaded to a particular folder, select the folder option drop-down menu as highlighted in the image below and select a folder

:: Click the Start upload button, as highlighted by arrow 2, to begin the transfer – depending on the number and size of the files, you are now in wait mode
:: Once the files have been uploaded a confirmation screen will appear – your files have now been uploaded to Google Docs and ready for use
:: To view your uploaded files, click on the Back to Google Docs link in the upper-left corner

One thing for new Google Docs/Cloud users to remember is that any edit made in Goole Docs will not be made to your local files...I’m just sayin’! Have another tip for uploading single or multiple files? Want to add to the note? Is there an error or omission? Leave a comment.

Apple replaced my almost three year-old iPhone!

2009-11-07T20:19:00.003-06:00

Doc has a little story to share and a moral. For the past couple of months I have been fighting with a first generation iPhone with a section of the touch screen that would not work. It was about a .5 inch strip across the top of the screen. While the phone was still usable for normal functions, it involved knowing when to rotate the phone 90˚ so that options were accessible. Again, usable for most applications, but annoying for others and forget gaming.

I’ve been putting off a trip to the Apple Store because my initial thought was that their solution would be to simply say, “you need a new phone.” While the iPhone 3G is appealing at $99, the additional fees that would be required for 3G service and an equivalent texting plan was a put off. So I searched online and found an Apple tech note that provided some troubleshooting options. I tried them. They didn’t work. Then I noticed a section on the page that read:

“If the steps above don't resolve your issue, please schedule a service appointment with an Apple Retail Store for evaluation, even if your iPhone is out of warranty.”

Huh? Even if your iPhone is out of warranty? That was an intriguing statement. So that’s what I did. I used their online concierge to schedule an appointment. A couple of hours later, I was standing in the Apple Store with my iPhone in hand. After a few minutes my Genius, Eric, greeted me. I shared the problem. He looked at the iPhone and said, “Wow, that phone is in better shape than most phones a month old.” I thought to myself, “Good, that means they won't use the ‘you broke it’ excuse and understand that I take good care of my gear.”

Eric plugged in the serial number for the aging iPhone and after a few seconds reported that there have been reports of a certain batch of first generation iPhones with this problem. My iPhone was one of them. He then said, that they didn't have any first generation iPhones in stock, but he would order one for me at no charge. Wow! No charge…for an almost three year-old phone? That's amazing.

After a minute or two Eric returned and proclaimed that they did in fact find a first generation phone to replace mine. He took it out of the box, unwrapped it, plugged in my old SIM card, activated the phone, had me erase all the data from my iPhone, sign a form in a couple of places and I was on my way out the door with my new (probably refurbished) first generation iPhone. The icing on the cake for me was that the battery on my old phone was about kaput. It would barely get me through the day. Not anymore! And I can finally use my rotating LEGO iPhone dock again!

So what’s the moral of the story? I buy Apple hardware and am happy to pay the Apple tax (higher than normal cost) when I receive service like this! Has anyone else experienced this kind of service with their Blackberry or Motorola? If so, drop me a comment and let me know.

By the way, while I was visiting the Apple Store, I tried out the new Magic Mouse. It rocked! I’m going to have to get me one of those high tech rodents. Have an Apple Genius story to share? Leave a comment. If you have one of those new Magic Mouses...tell me about it before I drop $70 or I find that Santa left one under the tree for me!

Happy Halloween from Doc!

2009-10-31T12:45:00.003-05:00

Or rather, Doc’s shadow!

It’s Ubuntu 9.10 upgrade time!

2009-10-30T06:00:00.069-05:00

Ubuntu 9.10 was just released and I’m sure many Doc’s Tech Notes readers are eager to update their desktop, laptop or netbook – as is Doc! Need to know more about this update before installing? Click here.

Doc’s here to make things easy and today I’ll provide the steps necessary to accomplish an upgrade, on a current Ubuntu 9.04 install, with just a few clicks of the mouse. I'll also share the method using a single Terminal command. No need to wade through that whole “download the .iso and burn to cd or install on USB” hassle!

Read the complete Tech Notes step-by-step guide after the click.

:: Ensure you are connected to the Internet
:: From the Gnome menu, select System|Administration|Update Manager
:: Click the Check button to search for updates to the current installation
:: Install all updates
:: Click the Check button again – a new release message will appear
:: Follow the on-screen instructions to begin installing Ubuntu 9.10
:: Walk away as the process will take some time – my installation took over an hour 2 hours on an Acer Aspire One with SSD.
:: When prompted, reboot

Looking to accomplish the same thing and a Terminal type of person? Enter the following at the Terminal prompt and just follow the prompts (this is Doc's preferred method):

do-release-upgrade -d

The Ubuntu development team sure makes the upgrade process easy. Can’t do that on a Windoze machine...or even a Mac for that matter. Have another Ubuntu 9.10 install tip or want to share your Ubuntu upgrade experiences? Leave a comment.

Google Wave Accounts

2009-10-29T12:55:00.004-05:00

I recently received my Google Wave invite and it is an interesting technology; however, without additional folks, it’s kind of lonely. So here’s the deal. I have 19 invites and I am going to share 9 of these invites with Doc’s Tech Notes readers. All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me how you would use Google Wave to support your Blog or collaborate with Doc’s Tech Notes. The top 9 responses (as judged by me) will receive the accounts. Take some time and formulate a response. Land grabs will be ignored.

Read the complete Tech Note after the click and learn how to qualify.
I'm looking for people who will actually test Wave and assist me in developing a better understanding of its use. My goal is to begin sharing Wave tips and tricks and I would love to collaborate with readers/bloggers to develop these posts (giving credit of course). Fellow Bloggers would be my first preference, but it is not a requirement. So what are you waiting for? Leave a comment below!

Already have your Wave account and lonely? Send your Wave address to steven@docstechnotes.com and I'll add you to the Public Doc’s Tech Notes Wave.