Live Life Use Passkeys

On episode 413 of Geekiest Show Ever, Elisa and Melissa discuss the answer to life, the universe, and how it could be passkeys. We have helpful links in our full show notes. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Geekiest Show Ever is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Products made by Apple mentioned in this podcast are a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Episode artwork by Melissa Davis. The passkey icon is a trademark of FIDO Alliance, Inc.

Passkey Directory – FIDO Alliance

Passkeys.directory – 1Password

Unlock 1Password with a passkey (beta)

Melissa’s Passkeys presentation for Tucson Macintosh Users Group

Goonies Never Say Die

On episode 411 of Geekiest Show Ever, Elisa and Melissa discuss tech for getting organized with finances, food, and, genealogy. Check out full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art by Melissa Davis. 

We talked about using Paprika by Hindsight Labs LLC, MacFamilyTree 10 by Synium Software, and Money by Jumsoft.

  

Geekiest Gift Guide

On episode 409 of Geekiest Show Ever Elisa and Melissa share their favorite and most geekiest gift ideas. Check out full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art is a photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.

WWDC2021 Reactions

On Geekiest Show Ever episode 359, we cherry-pick our favorites from the slew of new software features that were announced at WWDC2021. It was held virtually on Monday, June 7, 2021. (I posted the original show notes here: https://www.geekiestshowever.com/gse359-wwdc2021-reactions/) Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. You can email us: podcast at geekiestshowever dot com. Follow us on Twitter for additional tips and conversation: https://twitter.com/GeekiestShow. We'd like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Elisa can be found at https://twitter.com/senseidai/. Episode artwork credit: @DylanMcD8 on twitter Link to episode artwork credit: @DylanMcD8 on twitter

Here are Apple's links to more details about all the features that were announced:

iOS 15

iOS 15 Overview

Full list of new features available with iOS 15

iPadOS

iPad OS Overview

Full list of new features available with iPadOS

macOS Monterey

macOS 12 Overview

Full list of new features available with macOS Monterey

watchOS 8

watchOS 8 Overview

Conversation Boost is a feature I am really excited to try.
Check out this article from ai about it: Apple enhances AirPods with Conversation Boost, Find My integration, Spatial Audio for Apple TV — appleinsider

Check the Apple Security Updates page to see if your Apple gear is up to date.

Audio Link

Apple Fitness Plus Review

If you're thinking about trying a new fitness program, you won't want to miss the well-rounded, multi-perspective review on episode 355 of Geekiest Show Ever! We discuss Elisa's Apple Fitness Plus experience. Listener Scott shares his thoughts, too. Melissa has a tip for redeeming Apple Gift Card codes. 

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Listener Feedback & Recommendations

Scott recommends a book called "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition"

 

Apple Gift Cards

When you've been gifted an Apple Gift Card in a digital format like an email from a friend or from a third party like the one Apple uses for its Trade-In program, follow the instructions found on Apple's Help Topic page: Redeem your Apple Gift Card. In the case of Apple's current Trade-In processor, Phobio, they email you a "PIN" which a series of numbers containing spaces. Simply copy this "PIN" to a new note in your Notes app then delete the spaces between the numbers. Copy the modified "PIN" number into the text field where you're redeeming the code and the "Redeem" button text will now be accessible.

Home Smart Home

On episode 353 of Geekiest Show Ever, we discuss how we’ve been hacking our way through this pandemic. Elisa and I discuss the merits of using the word ‘hacker’ to describe someone who does something good with technology superpowers. Here is an article written by Chris Williams of The Register that examines the etymology in depth and where it might end up in our lexicons: “So it appears some of you really don't want us to use the word 'hacker' when we really mean 'criminal''
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Terrible UI Prize Goes to Vaccine Registration Sites

COVID-19 Vaccine appointment scheduling has been frustrating to say the least, but we are finally starting to feel like we’re making some progress. Elisa has flexed her online ticket-ordering muscles and now has appointments down and underway! I finally managed to get an appointment for one family member and now I must wait my turn.

CleanMyMac X Has A New Space Lens Feature

I am really looking forward to trying this new feature out on all my external hard drives! MacPaw makes some of the most beautifully designed interfaces on the planet and I'm thankful for the opportunity to review this version of CleanMyMac X.

Here is a peek at new feature called Space Lens.

One of the toughest parts of my job is trying to help my clients move their data around and optimize it so they can access it. So many times they have external hard drives loaded with stuff and they don't know what's on them. I'm going to scan a bunch of my own drives with this new tool.

I'll report back with new features as I discover them, but two features that look really interesting are the built in malware detection scan and the Menu Bar status. (It's a bit like iStat Menus.)

Download a free trial and check it out for your Mac.

Upgrade Your Car With ZUS

Mother's Day isn't far off and I have a terrific gift idea! If the mom in your life is anything like me she may have any one or more of the following: an older or aging car, a habit of losing her car in a parking lot or parked on the street far away, and a smartphone or tablet that's running low on juice (because she just shot a bunch of home movie and photos). Sound familiar?

ZUS to the rescue! Thanks to a review unit from nonda.co, this handy new gadget has given my 13-year-old car a bit of an upgrade. ZUS plugs into the cigarette lighter port and converts it into a 2-port charging outlet for USB-powered devices. I love how each port is illuminated so I can find them easily in the dark. It's also built with military-grade materials so I don't have to worry about it melting or malfunctioning in the desert temperatures where I live. Not only does this thing charge our smartphones AND tablets quickly, it also helps me locate my car!

Imagine you're on a road trip with the family and your destination is an amusement park with one of those huge parking lots. I always have so much anxiety worrying about finding my car when we get back. Recently, I took the kids to the Children's Museum downtown where parking was a huge challenge because of the need to park so far from our destination. In these scenarios, I used to whip out the Notes app and jot down the row number or some kind of description or snap a photo – all while trying to keep my wiggly kids from having a meltdown because it's taking Mommy too long. Now I can park my car quickly and worry-free because ZUS will help me find it. When it's time to walk back, my kids love helping me find our car with the ZUS iPhone app because it gives us a compass to follow. If for any reason it can't pinpoint your location as you park your car, the app lets you know and directs you to snap a photo of the area surrounding your car. (So far in testing it out, it's only happened once during our current road trip.)

Another great feature in the ZUS app is the ability to set a parking timer right there as soon as you park. We've definitely been in that situation many times where we had to concern ourselves with a parking meter ON TOP OFF trying to remember at which meter we've parked! Two problems solved with one ZUS!

My family and I have travelled across the country and back several times and I can already see how handy ZUS will be for future road trips to come.

I really think this would make a fantastic gift for Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8th, 2016. When you buy a ZUS directly from nonda.co, use this 10% off promo code (valid until March 31, 2016)

SMM-AKZUSSUMMER16

If you're reading this after Mother's Day, then Father's Day next on the gift list! Check it out using my affiliate link and thanks in advance for supporting my blog!

Many thanks to nonda.co for the opportunity to review ZUS for my readers!

Adorable Little App Review: Find Adventure, Alfie Atkins

My very artistic 5-year-old son loves, loves, loves this app! It kept him completely entertained during our summer cross-country road trip. There is something very, very soothing about this app. (Besides playing it myself, I've witnessed my husband play it and become completely enamored with it for a long time.) There is no language barrier so children from any background or most any age could play with it. There is something so gratifying about completing these little building projects, exploring the make-believe land, and feeding little fruits to friends along the way. The app promotes creativity, exploration, imagination, compassion, and calmness. The incentive for completing the imaginary project builds is a new color dab or pattern. These can be used to color and design future builds.

I was amazed to check the progress my son was making as he earned new color dabs and bonus patterns. It's just a cool, entertaining app that reduces stress and gets imaginations going!

My only concern is the large footprint it takes up on our iPad. It's always up there at the top of the usage list. It would be great if the app developers found a way to reduce the size the files take up. Other than that, we love it and my son wouldn't dare delete it to save room! If you have room on your iPhone or iPad, I recommend it. Play it with your child and they will love showing you how to color the creations you can make together. You may find yourself playing it by yourself sometime just to relax!

Here is a link to the App Store where you can download it or put it on your Wish List for later. It would be a cool gift for a friend.



Thanks to the App Developers over at GroPlay for giving me this promo to review for you. They have some other amazing apps you should definitely check out!

What's On My iPhone

People always ask me what apps they should install on their iPhone or iPad. I've been wanting to make a mini catalog like this for a long time and I finally started to scratch the itch. I've created a "What's On My iPhone" Pinterest board. I've embedded it below using a script. If for some reason it doesn't load properly, just click this link. For each pin I've included a short and sweet reason for why I chose to install the app and what purpose it serves. I started getting punchy after pinning for a while so some of them are a little silly. Several of them I wrote as if my great aunt were asking me about apps on her very first smartphone.

I'm hoping I can use it as a point of reference because I get asked this question so many times and I always feel like it's more of a needs-based answer. This way the viewer can just skim through and see what might apply to them or maybe find something they hadn't even considered.

Follow Melissa Davis's board What's On My iPhone on Pinterest.

How To Make an iPhone Wallet

It's 7:38 AM and I'm tired, haven't yet brushed my teeth, the kids are fighting over a toy and dragging their feet trying to get out the door to go to school on time. I'm rushing to get organized while throwing on something that resembles clothes and I'm lucky if I manage to slip on some matching shoes because thank goodness I only need to look presentable from the waist up during the morning drive-and-drop-off at my eldest son's school. Do you know this dance?

I'm here to tell you that rushing out the door to run errands without grabbing a purse now is so liberating! My iPhone in its new case is now my new wallet and it's the only thing besides my water bottle and keys that I grab while dashing out the door. It's rugged, durable, stylish, and convenient now that it's protected by the NewerTech NuGuard KX combined with a Kena Kai iROO phone pouch on the back. I get so many compliments on this case and pouch combo.

I love buying my computer parts and accessories from Other World Computing and always recommend them to friends, family and clients. When they asked me to review one of their cases, I couldn't say no. They provided me with this NewerTech NuGuard KX case along with the KXs Screen Armor to put through the paces. When I saw what a rugged case it was, I knew it would be my new full-time case. I had already been using a regular TPU case with a pouch on the back, but wasn't wild about the color combo. When they sent me this case in the Darkness color, I just had to get another iROO pouch for the back in the same black color and now I have the most awesome iPhone wallet!

The NewerTech NuGuard KX iPhone case by itself is some serious protection for your iPhone. Add to it the KXs Screen Armor (screen protector) and you've got something really rugged that even the kids can play on without fear of having your precious iPhone damaged.

Here is a description from the manufacturer: "Unlike common military-impact test grade iPhone® case materials, the NuGuard KX uses state-of-the-art X-Orbing gel technology to absorb and evenly distribute kinetic energy. This revolutionary technology is then engineered into an effective one-piece design that's available in eight attractive color combinations."

Here is a photo of the two products I combined to make my perfect "iPhone Wallet."

The NuGuard KX is very tough, but not too thick and bulky. It feels good in your hand and has a great grip to it. It has a tire-tread look to it on the back. At first I thought it a bit masculine for my own tastes, but in a color like Darkness, it's actually very unisex. I also like to think of it like that little black dress mother tells you that should always remain in your closet. I so rarely wear dresses much anymore, but with a little black iPhone case, I feel like I'm stylin!

Normally I like purple, but I'm very picky about the shade of purple. Black makes it easier and it always looks great no matter what you're wearing — if you're fashion-conscious. I suck at fashion, so this really is the best color for me because it just goes with everything. The other really great thing about this case is that when I upgrade to the next iPhone, my husband will get this one and he's already excited about this case and pouch combo.

One of the design features I really appreciate is the lip around the front perimeter. I was quite surprised at how it doesn't get in the way when trying to move apps around like a lot of cases I've seen. I have been using this case for over a month now and love it. It has been drop-tested by accident several times now by both the kids and I and it holds up wonderfully.

Having my iPhone dropped is one less thing I panic about because of this case. It has landed straight onto the glass on hard surfaces with absolutely no damage whatsoever. The NuGuard KX case is totally mom-approved! 

Of course, I wouldn't recommend testing this for yourself, so just take it from me — I've taken one for the team here several times over! This is important for parents who let their little ones play with their iPhones. Let's admit it, this happens to us all and maybe more than we'd like at times. This would be a great iPhone case for a kid's phone if they're old enough to have one of their own. It's so rugged, just watch this video of an iPhone inside this case being drop-tested from a wind turbine! My son LOVES this video and it's all he would talk about when I first started using this case.

The ports are all accessible and I have no issues plugging things into the bottom.

One of my biggest areas of concern when it comes to cases is the camera cut-out. I always worry about flash halo. Shiny plastic too close to the flash can result in a funky halo or ghosted edges on your photos because of how the light bounces off the inside edge. This case does not present that problem at all. As you can see here, there is plenty of room around the camera while still protecting that area because of how it's raised up. My one and only critique here is that I only wish they could have designed it so that there were just a few more millimeters of space to the left of the camera hole so that I could still use my magnetic lenses and ring set. If there were just a teeny bit more space, I could have kept the metallic ring affixed and still be able to attach my macro lens without needing to remove the case. Luckily the case does remove easily enough so I can clip on my top-loading 3-in-1 lens kit to take creative shots.

I hope this review of the NewerTech NuGuard KX iPhone case is helpful when you're looking for a protective case for your iPhone 5 or 5s. They come in several colors besides Darkness, including: Roulette Red, Midnight, Rose, Trooper, Eagle Shield, Buzz, and Nubar Forest.

Although this is primarily a review for the iPhone case, I highly recommend getting the iROO pouch and putting these two products together. It has suited my needs really well and is a winning combination. Let me know if it works for you!

Adorable Little App: Baby Tweets

Little language learners will find Baby Tweets by Creative Lamas fun to use no matter what language is native to them. When I first launched this app, my initial impression was that my 4-year old is a little too advanced in development to benefit from an app such as Baby Tweets. Then I tried the different languages and noticed how he was still engaged and trying to make the same sounds. I took French in high school, so it was fun to try and remember some of basic words I had forgotten. Keagan's little cousins on the other side of the country are learning Hebrew and Russian in addition to English, so it will be fun to share this with my sister-in-law and maybe next time they FaceTime with each other, they'll have new words to share.

The app is universal so it works on all iOS devices (iPhone, iPad or iPod touch). Some of the icons look a little stretched out on the smaller screen iPhone version, but it looks great on iPad. The app voice has a slight English accent which is fine with me as I prefer to hear it. (US English compared to UK English.) The buttons or target areas for tapping are large and responsive.

The app is free with the ability to upgrade to the full version which unlocks the remainder of the screens. There are just enough screens offered in the free version to give you an idea of whether or not you'd like to advance to more content. I appreciate how the parental controls section is clever in that if the baby or child were to tap on the "Full Version" button, it asks you to "Please insert your year of birth" before continuing. There are no annoying ads and it does not nag you to upgrade. These features are crucial for me as a parent when selecting an app for my children. Ads get in the way of learning and accidental purchases are frustrating for parents. This app has none of that which is why I was happy to review it for my blog when the developer offered me a promo code for the full version.

What I like most about this app is how easy it is to switch between the different languages without needing to speak that language natively. You just tap on the country flag icon and from there the screens continue on in the language you've selected. It's a fun way even for an adult to learn some basics of a new language! Here is some additional information directly from the developer:
Baby Tweets

First Words app for toddlers
This application has more than 70 word exercises to enrich the child’s vocabulary. With beautiful art, engaging feedback and lots of surprises it is an app that both the baby and the parent will appreciate! The toddler, from about one to two years, is encouraged to identify objects in a picture, showing a number of objects familiar to him. When he touches the correct picture he receives positive reinforcement. In the event he chooses incorrectly he will hear the correct name of the object sought and in this way will enlarge his vocabulary. Infants from the age of one and a half to two years old, is capable of learning new words every day. The Baby Tweets application is designed to aid the parent to expose the infant to a variety of words thus improve his language skills.

Features:
· From 1+ years.
· Free from advertisements.
· Free to install and to play on 4 screens· $1.99 for 8 additional levels.
· Designed for web, iOS and Android.
· Easy navigation.· Languages: English, French, Russian and Hebrew
· Developer: Eran Lesser, Creative Lamas

Help for Heartbleed Heartburn

Have you heard about the Heartbleed Bug in the news? You may have seen its logo plastered across your screen at some point. I wonder if sales of antacid are on the rise right about now because I bet it's causing a lot of heartburn lately. If you are not overly concerned with this news at the moment, I'm not here to send you into a panic, but identity theft can really take its toll if you're not prepared. I know from experience and it's not the sort of thing I wish on anyone.

It's a whole lot easier to float down the river in a boat without a hole in the bottom of it! Managing your login credentials and maintaining good passwords helps you stay aware and on the lookout for anything nefarious. I know too many people who use the same password, or a variation of it, over and over again because when given a choice between security and convenience, most will choose the latter.

If you have a credit card, you should be used to the idea of change by now. Your credit card has an expiration date on it and each time they issue a new one, even though the number may remain the same, the security code on the back changes. Websites or software products with login screens like those used for banking, payroll access, insurance, healthcare, etc. require a periodic password reset in order to access it, but there are a lot of websites that do not require this and so people become complacent. Of course changing your password is not the be-all-end-all, but it certainly helps to thwart attackers. You lock your home and car while away, so why leave the all the keys under the door mat? A thief will likely check there first. If it becomes public knowledge that you stash your keys under the potted plant next to your door mat, ya might want to change your locks and start keeping your keys a little closer from now on.

I'd like to take this opportunity to educate you on how you can strike a balance between security and convenience, so pop some of your favorite flavored chalk or antacid and here we go:

Get a Password Manager

Now, I just told you not to use the same password for each site which I know sounds like a tall order, but what if I told you that you could memorize just ONE really, really good master password, hide it really, really well and let that be the key that securely stores and unlocks all the other keys? Doesn't that sound much easier than having to remember or write down a bunch of stuff only to forget where you put it or maybe later not be able to tell if you wrote the letter 'O' or a zero. Six times over? Remember though, keep this master key close because it's the key to your city. If you suspect it has ever been guessed, change it and guard it closer.

The app I've chosen to invest my security in over the past several years is 1Password by AgileBits. It has worked so well for me and my family that I am using it with more and more of my clients. It saves so much time and energy when they put it to use. When threats or security maintenance protocols create the need to change passwords, using this password manager makes it easier to document and store the new information, securely. Everything you enter into this software is for your eyes only unless you decide to share it with someone you trust who also has 1Password so they can lock it away in their own vault. This is extremely helpful for use in families and between colleagues. You can use iCloud or your own secured Wi-Fi connection to sync between devices so that your information is not intercepted while syncing.

At the time of this posting, there is a sale on 1Password and I highly recommend that you have the latest version. If you still have the older version, now is the best time to upgrade because they've added a lot of new features. There is one app that will work on your iPhone and/or iPad and another app that works on your Mac. You sync them with each other and all your information is secured on all your devices! While both pieces of software are on sale right now, it's really worth the price when you see what all it can do. The developers are constantly polishing this app and they stay on top of all the security risks so you don't have to. All you have to do is click these links and the App Store on either iPhone/iPad or Mac will take care of the installation process. It's very easy.


1Password for iOS on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch

1Password for Mac OS X







Learn How to Use Said Password Manager

Once you've installed 1Password, my good friend, Don McAllister, at ScreenCastsOnline has kindly published his instructional video tutorial for free. You can watch it right here. If you like his method of instruction, you should really consider subscribing to his other videos! A free trial membership is available.

Lists of Sites That Have Been Affected

If you've ever signed up for any of the services listed below, you need to change your password. It doesn't matter if you signed up and then never used the site again. If you're like a lot of people, you may have used the same password there that you use in other places. That makes you more vulnerable because that's what hackers will assume when they target you. Just go to the site and change it anyway. Be sure to use the auto-generation tool in your password manager so that you're using a password you'll never use anywhere else. Don't worry about memorizing it because you'll just copy and paste it when needed. If your password is ever extracted somehow, like in the case of a bug like Heartbleed, the fact that you can change it and update your login credentials more efficiently WILL keep you safer. If you plan on abandoning an online service, just be sure no personal or financial details like a credit card are linked to the service in question and if you really do not plan on using it, maybe now is the time to close it off.

Here are some of the big ones I could find where you should change your passwords because they have been patched by now:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Tumblr
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
GoDaddy
Intuit Turbo Tax
Dropbox

If you use any of their related services like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, for example, you should change your passwords at their websites first and then don't forget you need to make that same password change in the settings on all the devices you use to access that service. For example, if you change your password for Google's Gmail service, then you need to plug that same new password into the Settings section on your iPhone, iPad and/or Mac. Using 1Password makes this easier because you just copy and paste it into the boxes calling for it.

Sites With More Complete Listings:
The Heartbleed Hit List: The Passwords You Need to Change Right Now
Here’s A List of Websites Allegedly Affected by The Heartbleed Bug (updated)

What is the Heartbleed Bug?

Here are some links to easy-on-the-eyes articles if you want to educate yourself further on what this bug is and why it's important to act. It's a lot of information to digest and even then it still might not make sense, but I tried to pick articles that explain it a little easier than most.
Heartbleed, the new OpenSSL hack: How does it affect OS X and iOS?
Heartbleed: What You Need To Know About The Security Fiasco In Three Minutes Or Less

Check Your Router

Apple made a statement quoted here saying Apple products are not affected. If you have an Apple-branded router used to connect to your modem , e.g., Airport, Airport Extreme or Time Capsule, it is not affected. Linksys routers are also not affected according to their statement issued here. I'm not yet sure about Netgear or other companies. If that changes, I'll update this post. If you use a router other than those who've already issued statements to get your wireless devices connected to the internet, contact the company who makes it to find out if they've issued a patch. If so, change your passwords.

There is a password used to manage the device and then there is also a password used to connect to the device. You may have given the latter password out to family and friends who have visited your home and connected to your Wi-Fi. You'll need to give them the new password when they visit next time. I've found it helpful to write or print out the password (so it's legible) and tack it to the fridge or someplace accessible so you can just hand it to your guest and they can enter it in their device. (Just don't forget to put it back!) If the manufacturer has not issued a statement saying their product was affected, just wait. Unless you registered your warranty with their site, you'll need to check this on your own as it's unlikely you'll get an email about it.

Additional sources for this post:

Heartbleed — What's Next? Check Your Clients, Routers, Virtual Machines And VPNs
Heartbleed Bug Affects Gadgets Everywhere

'Heartbleed' Bug in OpenSSL Puts Encrypted Communications At Risk

Disclaimer: I was not compensated to write this, but I am using affiliate links for the app downloads.

I Have The Power!

While at Macworld/iWorld this year, I visited the Powerocks booth and they gave me some of their awesome products to review for you here on my site. I'm very excited to tell you more about them!

So hey, do you remember SheRa? She had the power and now I do too because thanks to Powerocks, I no longer worry about being without power for any of my gadgets. It's like an anxiety chill-pill! Let's just say, whenever I reach into my bag, I now feel like this:

Image Credit: The amazingly talented Zephyri http://zephyri.deviantart.com

I've been using these Powerocks over the past week or so now, showing them off to clients and bragging to friends and family about them. They are slick-looking, practical and PURPLE! Of course, you can get them in several other colors, they have something for everyone. Mother's day is coming up so it might be fun to get a pink one for your mom or grandma! The colors are nice and bright so they're easy to spot when you're digging for one inside your bag. They come in a wide range of sizes and capacities.

Flash Magic Stick
The Flash Magic Stick is a 3000 mAh capacity charger. It's about the size of a lipstick tube and it has a built-in flashlight. I love, love, love that it gives me feedback on how much charge it has with its blue indicator lights on the side. The Powerocks designers are so smart because they made it so that you must press the button twice in order to turn on the light and twice again repeatedly to cycle through the different features: solid, blinking and strobe lights. It drives me nuts when products are designed with loose buttons that easily power on and waste energy for who knows how long inside your bag that by the time you need to use it, it's drained! Not so with the Flash Magic Stick. It's a bright design in more ways than one!

This little charger came in über-handy while I was at Cirque du Mac this year because my friend Barry was running out of juice on his iPhone. I had this handy Magic Stick in my pocket which charged my iPhone so I lent it to him for his ride home because Friends Don't Let Friends Power Down! The Flash Magic Stick came in so handy and I'm very pleased with this product. I think they will make fantastic gifts!

Next up is the big boy — The Magic Cub 2 — at 12000 mAh this mighty little brick packs a ridiculous amount of power!! I won't lie, it has a little bit of weight to it, but it's not overwhelmingly heavy. I love, love, love, how they think of everything. When you pop off the cover to reveal the ports, does it get lost? Nope! There's a string that keeps it attached! Brilliant! There are multiple charging cables built right in with a USB port to plug in your Apple devices requiring a bring-your-own Lightning cable. They tell me future designs will incorporate a Lightning cable built in, so check back for that, but in the meantime, this isn't really a big deal, because I always keep an extra USB to Lightning cable in my bag along with this bad-boy. This Powerock will be awesome for camping trips or long flights. I'll definitely be taking it with us when we travel out east to visit family because it's great for charging multiple devices — power for the whole family!

Here is a video showing my friend Michael Portis and I reviewing our Powerocks among other products in action during our Macworld/iWorld 2014 Wrap-Up.

Check out Powerocks and Go ahead, Get lost!

I Am Crazy Calendar Lady!

I went to Macworld/iWorld this year! It was a blast! More on that in another post because I'm still digesting it all now that I've pretty much accepted it wasn't all a crazy dream!

One of the things that happens at Macworld, is you get very overwhelmed by all that's going on. Yes, there is an app for that and I did use it, but not without first consulting my iPhone calendars. Yes. Plural. I have many calendars. It's just how I roll. If you met me at Macworld this year, you may have been blessed to take a peek at my iPhone and what you would see might make you a little dizzy or even want to bow at my feet and claim how unworthy you are because you do not have the cool and organized calendars like me. (Ok, someone needs to make me a Game of Thrones graphic where I'm perched upon the throne and the swords behind me are different calendar events or task line items. If I had that, I would insert it here. But I don't so just use your imagination. Muwahahaha!)

I have a calendar for everything and each is a different color and serves a different purpose. I can toggle them on and off depending on how busy my day gets. My calendars just rock and I like it that way. I mean, how else would I know where I can squeeze in a cat nap? I have insomnia and don't actually sleep like normal people, so having different calendars helps me manage my family, my business and monitor my health. Each member of my family has their own calendar. I also have a separate calendar for TheMacMommy which is how I schedule my clients and business-related events. Then I have a calendar for the YMCA which shows each of the exercise classes, ya know, in case I actually muster up the energy to go? I have a calendar which shows all of the childcare time available at the YMCA which, you know, might actually entice me to go to the gym or pool for times when I really could use a break from Keagan's constant and adorable babbling, the kind that never stops and makes it near impossible to think straight because I really need yet one more voice inside my head! Yes, that kind. (I love you my sweet baboon!)

Does having super, color-coded crazy calendars make me any less frenzied? Kinda sorta, but not really because there probably isn't much in the world that can do that. I wouldn't be me unless I wasn't at least a little scatterbrained, BUT having my crazy cool calendars is just lots of fun so I want to tell you about the awesome tools I'm using. YOU might actually find a way to be really super practical with them!

First up, I'll tell you about the new kid on the block. It's called UpTo. Right now it's only available for iPhone, but they are working on an iPad version. They're also working on making it available in other countries too, but so far as I know, it's USA only. (Sorry global friends. When I know more, you will know more!) This app does what other calendar apps do, but it does it in a really cool way and it has these extra social and entrainment features. Before UpTo, I used to have a hand-made calendar I called "Entertainment" and on it would go information and dates for TV shows I wanted to catch when they became available or so I could watch for them to become available online for free. You see, I'm a cord-cutter since 2009 so when the rest of the world is all excited about TV shows that have just aired, I put my little blinders on and try to avoid the social media spoilers while patiently waiting for them to become available somewhere else that doesn't involve cable TV. I'm a mom, like I can actually watch anything when it airs, come on! UpTo is becoming super handy for this!

I really like how it takes a layered approach to calendars. When I use my default iOS calendar, I have to constantly toggle calendars on and off to see what I really need to focus on. UpTo has this really cool pinch to reveal gesture and when you specify which calendars need to be front and center, you can put the less important calendars in the back and then just peek at them when you need to. I mean, the premiere of Game of Thrones is super exciting and all, but it's not going to help me get that cat nap if it's in my face the whole time.

UpTo is free! Use my affiliate links to download it here:

Ok, lets move on to the mainstay of calendar apps. While I'm really enjoying UpTo and using it on the side with all it's cool new social and layering features, it still has its limits and those limits are not present with the darling of all Mac and iOS calendar apps, Fantastical by Flexibits. The developers gave me review codes so I could tell you more about them here. So many of my friends all over the world have been using Fantastical for so long now I had to see what all the fuss was about on the iPhone. I've been using the Mac app for a long time now, so long that it's kind of just ingrained as part of my workflow for entering events onto my Mac calendar which then syncs across all my devices. Yeah, I think they meant for that to happen! I love how the little icon is ever-present in my menubar and it gives me joy to click on it and interact with it from the drop-down menu. If you click this link, you can watch a cool little video to see just what I mean.

You can download Fantastical for the Mac here:



Now, you know I'm big on the whole trifecta thing of having the same apps on all my devices and Flexibits must know what I like because they have a version of Fantastical for iPhone and they just released an iPad version. (I don't have the iPad version, but if I get it, I'll be sure to report back on it soon.) So, it's just natural to want to use Fantastical 2 on your iPhone (and now iPad) for all your scheduling needs. I found it to be true what my friends say, that once you use Fantastical on your iPhone, you'll never use the native Calendar app again. (While you can not delete the native calendar app, the trick I use is I create a folder that I shove onto the back page of my iOS devices which contains stock apps I no longer use or the ones that are now available by swiping up from the bottom to reveal Control Center.)

The interface design of Fantastical 2 for iPhone is super slick, intuitive and easy on the eyes as you can choose from both light and dark themes. When I was bragging earlier about how my friends think I'm the Crazy Calendar Lady, it's because I was showing them the Fantastical view on my iPhone sideways and watching them all ooh and ahh over all my color-coded blocks!

One of the coolest features I just discovered is the special treatment given to birthdays! Go ahead and tap once on someone's birthday and you'll see their face (if you've given them an avatar in your Contacts or if it's been assigned from a connected Facebook). Notice the animated falling confetti! Such a special touch. Below that you'll see icons for communicating with your birthday buddy so now you have no excuse – go on now, give them a call or send a text or email and wish them a Happy Birthday! (I bet the Flexibits Moms inspired this feature ;)

In this example, my Dad has a birthday coming up. I've blocked out his info for privacy, but you'll notice it says "Dad" and that's because Fantastical 2 respects the nickname from his contact card. Between nicknames and falling confetti, it's these little attention to details that tickles me when I review apps for my blog.

As always, you can check out a trial version on the Mac here. Once you fall in love with it as much as I have, you can get it for your iPhone and iPad using these links. Thanks for checking out my reviews and supporting my efforts!

Fantastical 2 for iPhone here:


Fantastical 2 for iPad here: