If you are someone who ever has to make a speech or talk in public, this is a fantastic app for the iPad that is your very own teleprompter - just like the professionals use!   The text of your speech text scrolls in big letters, at a speed that you determine.

The Lite version has limited functionality, but gives you a really good idea of the App's capabilities - so that you can decide if it is worth spending $8.99 for the full version.

• Here's the App Store link to the Lite Version
  
• Here is the App Store link to the full version

Card Mate is an iPhone app that allows you to photograph the back and front of each card using your iPhone's camera, and then give your card a name.  It is able to 'auto-detect' the card, making the photographing process very easy!  You can also assign a category to each card, to allow you to choose to view cards of a particular type.

It is free to try - you can add up to 6 cards with the free version.  If you want to add more than 6 cards, the App will cost you $3.99.

Next job is to finish scanning all my store cards and business card into the app as well!  Another task for the Christmas break!

PLEASE READ AND BEWARE:  This could happen to anyone!

This week has seen another iTandCoffee client under attack from hackers, who have taken control of her Hotmail account and even changed her password.

It started when a friend let her know that she had received a strange email from my client and called my client to warn her.

Realising something was amiss, my client sent an email around to her contact advising that her account had a virus or had been hacked.   At this point, she really should have logged in to her Hotmail account via Webmail and changed her password.  (See Securing your Hotmail account (or live.com or outlook.com account.)  (Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it!)

Unfortunately, the next day the poor lady found that her email no longer worked on any device - that her password no longer seemed to be valid.  The reality hit home then that hackers truly had stolen her email address and password.   It was at this point she called iTandCoffee.

How had hackers discovered her email address and password?

This had happened when she clicked on a link in an email from a friend (who had previously made the same mistake, and whose account had also been hacked) and entered her email login details on a screen that looked like a legitimate login screen.

Subsequent to that, the hackers had not only been emailing her friends and then replying to friend's emails that asked whether the emails were legitimate.  They had also changed her Hotmail account password, so that she could no longer access her emails from any device and could no longer log into Hotmail via her web browser.

But that's not all - Apple account was also impacted

These hackers had also attempted to hack my client's iTunes/iCloud account that had the same email address - and the account had therefore been locked, and required a password (using security questions and answers to reset it.  Fortunately, my client had secured that account with a different password, so the hackers had failed to access that account.

But with access to her Hotmail account, the hackers would still have the opportunity to perform password resets on this and other online accounts that use the Hotmail account as identifier! 

And the hackers continued to have access to her account to email any of her friends and contacts pretending to be her.

So what could this lady do next about her inaccessible Hotmail account?

In the case of a hacked Hotmail, Live or Outlook account that you can no longer access, go straight to the 'Recover your Microsoft account'  page at https://account.live.com/acsr.  (For GMAIL, visit https://www.google.com/accounts/recovery, )

Follow the prompts and provide the required information.  Make sure you do this from a computer that would usually access the mail account - this will help to prove that you are the owner.

In summary, if a passcode has been forgotten, and perhaps the device disabled due to too many attempts, the steps to resolve the problem depend on whether you have an iTunes or iCloud backup of the device and whether you have enabled 'Find my iPhone' (or iPad) on the device.

It's pretty bad news if you don't have a backup

If you don't have a backup, you will (unfortunately) be forced to erase your device and return it to its factory settings, resulting in the loss of whatever was stored and set up on your device.

Restoring your device

Here is the Apple Support article that provides the various recovery and restoration options.

Needless to say, if you have any issues understanding or following these instructions, contact iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 or enquiry@itandcoffee.com.au.

A call today from a representative of the Office of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) restored my hope for a resolution to the ongoing battle with Telstra about a client's email accounts and billing accounts.

Words cannot describe how good it was to speak to someone that I could understand (!), and who understood the nature of each of the issues we have encountered.  This person was interested in understanding the full picture of what has happened since this tale of woe began.  No-one from Telstra has shown such an interest to date.  

So far, every time Telstra has tried to 'fix' something, we have found a new problem generated.

They have cut off email accounts, re-instated them incorrectly, not communicated changes they have made to email account settings, wiped out emails that had been re-instated, not cancelled an account that should be already cancelled, charged for that account that should no longer exist, not responded to a formal complaint for 8 days, not communicated regularly after assigning the complaint, and - after all this - have left the email accounts connected to the wrong Telstra account (something that we had to work out for them - it seems that no-one at Telstra was capable of noticing this).  Back to square one after weeks of aggravation.  

In dealing with past Telstra issues (my own and on behalf of clients), I would only have escalated to the TIO as a last resort.  However, the TIO rep that I spoke to today said that, in this case and others, we should have given Telstra only one chance to resolve the issue.

So, as soon as the issue had not been addressed the first time, we should have immediately then raised the TIO complaint.  And, when Telstra failed further in their commitments to resolve the problem/s, we did not need to wait the two weeks from the original TIO complaint to escalate our issue further with the TIO.

This is great to know - I certainly will show less tolerance for Telstra's 'run-around' and lack of communication and progress when seeking resolution to problems in future.

Our TIO rep has now taken control of getting the matter resolved, and discussing with Telstra the matter of compensation for my clients.  

Do you have the 'language' to talk to Telstra and other Telcos?

A key issue for many people in a similar situation to my clients, however, is that they don't have the language needed to talk to Telstra representatives in a way that clearly articulates the problem, and are unable to determine if what they are being told is reasonable.

In some cases, it is also difficult to determine if their problem has been properly addressed when Telstra says it has.  When things are still going wrong, is it something wrong at the Telstra end, or  perhaps with one of the client's devices.  Endless hours spent on Telstra phone calls or Live Chats can generate enormous stress, especially for older people.

I had a case recently where Telstra told my client that an ongoing problem had been resolved, then closed the corresponding complaint - even though nothing had been done to address the problem.  When I checked the account and saw the problem still existed, I then had to go through the process of re-opening the complaint.  That particular issue took 3 or 4 months to resolve, and should certainly have involved the Ombudsman.

Unfortunately, getting problems understood and addressed is made so much more difficult by foreign call centre accents that even I struggle to understand at times - especially given that much of the terminology being discussed is foreign to most people anyway.  This can make it difficult to identify whether an issue is at the point where it should be raised with the Ombudsman.

If you are having an issue with a Telco, and would like someone to act as your 'Advocate' when dealing with Telco staff - or just need help to interpret some of the language that you are hearing, or to help diagnose your Telco problem -  please don't hesitate to contact iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420.

And do keep in mind the advice given to iTandCoffee today by our lovely TIO case handler, about only giving the Telco one chance to resolve the issue before lodging a complaint with the TIO.  

Complaints can be lodged with the TIO at https://www.tio.com.au/making-a-complaint.

Tadaa SLR is such a great, simple photo editing App, that makes it really really easy to get professional looking photos - just like those you can get with a DSLR camera.  The best thing is that it allows you to adjust any photo after you have taken it.    

This was another one that I was lucky enough to get for free a little while ago, when it was listed as 'free for a day' in my Apps Gone Free app.  Normally, it is $6.49 in the App Store.

Just take a look at the two photos below - one is the original that I took on Sunday, and the other is the version that I have created using Tadaa SLR, where I have decided to only have the Macbook in focus.  And it only took a minute to produce this edited version!  There are different options for how far to extend the 'blurring effect'.  Great!

Click here if you need further details.

There is great range of good home budgeting apps available, both for mobile and computer platforms

One that I have been using and find really good or tracking incomings and outgoings is Pocketbook.

Pocketbook is a free app on your iPad and iPhone that can also be used on your computer via your web browser see getpocketbook.com.  

Pocketbook allows you to link to your bank account/s, then sync and categorise your bank transactions really easily.   You can also import transactions from elsewhere, and export reports.

It's free, so check it out to see if it meets your needs. 

Other iPhone and iPad possibilities that you might like to take a look at are:

• TrackMySpend from ASIC
• Best Budget Free - Control your Expenses

Additionally, here is an article from the Sydney Morning Herald in 2013, giving some other suggestions.

This week, I am featuring a couple of apps that I have had for years, and highly recommend.

One is a fantastic translator that you can use while travelling, when you don't have internet access; and another that our family has loved and used for years to manage pocket money and chores.

It doesn't appear that any other changes have been made in relation to ongoing issues with 'free' apps and their associated In App Purchases - so parents will probably continue to be 'stung' by children spending large amounts of money on In App Purchase in apps that appeared free.

Do you know how to ensure that your child does not spend money on their or your i-Device without your authority?

Come along to an upcoming Free morning tea at iTandCoffee to chat with other mums about 'Parenting in the Digital World' and to find out how to 'lock down' your child's device to prevent such spending.

Click here to find out when the next 'Parenting in the Digital World' morning tea will be held.

The below related hints and articles available on the iTandCoffee website.  Blog Articles can be viewed by anyone; Handy Hints can only be viewed by members of The iTandCoffee Club - why not join today to be able to view these great tips and hints any time.

Hey Boroondara council!

What's with running an Instagram competition for children in primary school, when Instagram is not supposed to be used by children under 13?

I have even heard that you are asking primary schools in the area to promote this competition with the school's 8 to 12 year olds!

And that you are asking kids to make their Instagram accounts Public in order to enter the competition!  Even worse!

We parents who are trying to keep our children off these social media platforms while they are still at primary school are fighting a losing battle when you promote competitions such as this.

It's this sort of thing that we talk about at the 'Parenting in this Digital Age' free morning tea gatherings, which will now feature regularly in the iTandCoffee calendar.  Click here to find out when this next gathering is scheduled.

Apparently, an admin officer in the Youth Services area of the council mistakenly made the requests around the Booroondara community without vetting it with anyone.  Unfortunately, the damage is probably already done.

This week I had a visit from a client, who was desperate to recover some very important Notes that were inadvertently deleted from her iPhone.

She had visited the Genius Bar at the Apple Store, but was told that there was not really any way of recovering the information that she had lost.

So she came to see me to find out if there was any possibility of retrieving these lost Notes, especially given that she had regularly backed up her iPhone to iTunes on her Macbook as well as backing up to iCloud.

The answer is ... maybe!

While the iCloud backup is unlikely to be of any help in retrieving the lost Notes, it is possible that the lost data is still available in the iTunes backups that are saved to her Macbook.  So what's the difference between these two types of backup.

The below is taken from a article that talks about i-Device backups.  (Read more here if you are interested.)

What this highlights is just how important it is to, if possible, regularly back up your iPhone and iPad to iTunes on a computer - so that you have a complete backup of your device should you ever need it - rather than just a partial iCloud backup.

Where are iTunes Backups stored on your computer

iTunes backups are saved away to an hidden area on your Mac or Windows computer.  In the case of this client's Mac, we could see all her iTunes backups in the folder

          ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

You can get to this hidden folder by opening Finder, then choosing Go from the menu bar and clicking on Go to Folder, and typing in the above path.  (Refer later for where to find the backup folders on Windows.)

In that Backup folder, you will see a list of backup folders, which contains a heap of strangely named files that are actually the contents of the backup.  The Date Created for each of the folders in Backup provides you with the backup's date.  

(If you don't see Date Created in the columns provided, right-click on the column heading area and 'tick' the Date Created option from the list that drops down.  This will add the column to your Finder view.)

Below is a sample of my own iTunes backup folders.  I have clicked on the Date Created heading to sort the list of folders in descending Date Created order, so that the newest is at the top.

When we looked at my client's backup folders on her Macbook in the same way, we were able to see that she had a backup from just before and after the date that she thinks she deleted the Notes.  So hope was restored.

But how can you then find what you need in the iTunes Backup

The question is then, how can she view the contents of her backup in a way that allows her to locate her missing Notes - given that there is nothing that would indicate which of the files in the relevant backup folder contains her deleted Notes. 

Double-clicking on a few files at random shows that these backup files are sometimes photos, sometimes text with gobbledy-gook - but finding a couple of Notes amongst thousands of files would be like finding a needle in a haystack.  (If you don't have much in your backup, this solution might be workable for finding a particular file.)

The easiest way to extract the information contained in this set of folders is to download a product  that allows you to view the contents of the backup.  

The particular product that I use for cases like this is Aiseesoft Mac Fonelab.  This app is not available from the Mac App Store, so must be downloaded from the Aiseesoft website.

Below is an image of the Fonelab screen.  In this image, the app is in the process of scanning my nominated iTunes backup to identify all the Photos, Contacts, Messages, Notes, etc.  Once it has finished this scanning, I will be able to look through what it found.

The below images shows the list of the Notes that Fonelab found in my backup - I can view the content of each note and, if I choose, can 'recover' these notes to a specified Output folder.

While this product is not cheap (right now, it is US$48.96), it can be a real lifesaver for those times that you lose something really important.

Some other options (which I have not tried myself, so cannot provide any recommendation) are:

• iPhone Backup Extractor
  
• iTunes Backup Viewer
• iBackup Viewer 

• Phone Rescue

So there is hope for my clients lost Notes, if she wants to invest in a product such as those described above.

Location of iTunes Backups on a Windows Computer (Windows Vista, 7 and 8)

         \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

The below elated hints and articles have been published previously on the iTandCoffee website.  Blog Articles can be viewed by anyone, but Handy Hints can only be viewed by members of The iTandCoffee Club - why not join today to be able to view these great tips and hints any time.

iOS 8.1.1 has today been released by Apple, for those out there who, like me, have been waiting on fixes to the many bugs and performance issues that still existed in iOS 8.1.

I have seen many clients recently who have upgraded their iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to iOS 8 and have been finding their devices incredibly slow - talking ages to open, close and switch between apps.

This update is supposed to address the performance issue with these older devices (as well as other glitches!)

You may not see the '1' symbol on the Settings app just yet - but you can still go to Settings -> General -> Software Update, and will find the update there - ready and waiting for download and installation.

I will be 'test driving' this new update over the next couple of days.  So tune in again later this week to see how this goes.

Oh dear!  A friend of mine this week has managed to wash her beloved iPhone with her clothes as part of a full laundry wash cycle!  Needless to say, it was not exactly functional afterwards.  

Clean, but dead!

But it really opened her eyes to how dependent she is on this small device - something she writes about here in her blog.  

While I would never recommend the form of cleaning used by my friend, a recent article 'scooped' to the iTandCoffee Scoop.it page highlights that regular cleaning of your mobile phone should be on your 'must do' list.  

This Apple Support web page describes how to clean your i-Device and its case.

Do schools think parents are more tech-savvy than they really are?

So many schools are now bringing iPads to the classroom - with parents required to provide their children with the school-mandated iPads in many cases.  The introduction of these iPads is occurring in early primary years in some schools.  This puts powerful technology - small computers -  into the hands of very young children.

When a school requires that a child, especially a primary school aged child, have their own iPad, who then is responsible for educating the parents about how they can help ensure their child's safe use of the device?

My experience from dealing with many parents of children with school-mandated iPads is that too many schools are neglecting their duty of care in this area.  They are not providing essential advice to parents BEFORE the children are given their iPads.  

While many schools will offer 'CyberSafety' seminars for parents - telling parents about the dangers out there in the online world - very few schools include specific instruction as part of these seminars about how to 'lock down' the child's iPad so that they only use age-appropriate features, apps and content.  

A case in point: At a local primary school, a parent I know requested parent education be provided by the school about Parental Controls on the iPad, and that this occur before the kids 'took possession' of the devices they would be using this school year.   She knew that many other parents, like her, did not really understand these devices and certainly didn't know anything about these features. 

This parent was told by the school that CyberSafety information sessions would be conducted at the school during the year and that this would address her concerns.  
Offers of free information sessions from iTandCoffee were rejected on the basis that a renowned international presenter, an expert in CyberSafety, would be coming to the school during the year.   

A local expert offering a free session BEFORE the devices were given to children did not seem worthy of consideration.

Offers of access to free iTandCoffee online videos that parents could watch at home were also rejected by the school.  

Sadly, the promised school CyberSafety sessions for parents were then not run until October - 10 months after the children started using the devices for school.  Even worse, these sessions DID NOT cover the topic of how to set up parental controls on the iPad.  They only covered the more general topic of online safety. 

This particular school is not alone.  Only today I visited a parent whose boys go to a private school where personal iPads are required in the primary years.  After I showed her how her boys' devices could have been locked down (which would have prevented the problems she was now dealing with), she angrily questioned why the school had not provided her with information about the features that I showed her.  Once again, excess spending and inappropriate content downloads had resulted from a lack of controls on a child's iPad.

Why is it that schools are so reluctant to cover this area with parents?  

Is it that those who are responsible for 'rolling out' the iPads think that iPads should be 'easy to understand' and that parents should be able to work out things for themselves?  

Or is it that schools just don't think they are responsible for what the children do on the iPads when they are not at school - that their responsibility is limited to adequately 'locking down' the iPads while on the school intranet.

I know from experience in dealing with too many parents whose children have spent over $1000 in a day, or have been targetted by a predator on KIK messenger, or that are 'Facetiming' friends from their bedroom in the wee hours of the morning, that schools can not assume that parents actually do know ANYTHING about these devices.  Some might, but a large number don't.

Far too often, young children are ruling the technology roost at home due to the parents lack of understanding of the devices that the children are using.  And schools are contributing to this problem by bringing the devices to a younger and younger student population.

Come on schools - it's not that hard!  A one-hour information session can 'enlighten' parents to an area of the iPad's settings that too many people do not even know exists!  But it needs to be done before the kids get their hands on their new iPads, not after!  Schools need to help shut the gate before the horse bolts!
 
(For more information about free in-school sessions for parents at schools in the Boroondara area and surrounds, on the topic of 'Parental Controls on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, contact iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 or enquiry@itandcoffee.com.au.)

A friend of mine posted a link to the below article on Facebook yesterday.  

While it is a really good article about setting rules around the use of an iPhone by a 12 year old, it misses a fundamental piece of information that would have been really useful to include.

It does not mention how to set up parental controls on an iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch - something that I consider essential before any child is given one of these devices.

I know I am currently up on my soapbox about this particular topic, but I have seen too many families and their kids impacted by inadequate controls over what the kids can do, buy, see and access on these mini computer devices.

If you are not sure how to 'lock down' your child's device to protect them from online predators, from inadvertent (or deliberate) unauthorised spending, and from gaining access to material that is inappropriate for their age, come along to the free iTandCoffee morning tea information session for parents on November 19th.

Come along to a free morning tea at iTandCoffee to learn about how to keep your kids safe on their i-Devices.

For those of you who are the 'default parent' when it comes to the kids online safety, iTandCoffee is hosting a one-hour coffee morning where we will look at how easy it is to set up Parental Controls on your child's iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

When:   Wednesday 19th November, 9:30-10:30am
Where:  27 Sycamore Street, Camberwell
RSVP:   By 5pm Tues 18th Nov. Call 1300 885 420 or provide your email address below.

I have had an issue with my Calendar on iPhone and iPad ever since I upgraded to iOS 8.  

I use a booking system called BookFresh, and was previously able to view all my appointments from my BookFresh calendar in my iOS Calendar and on my Mac's calendar.  

This was achieved by subscribing to the Bookfresh Calendar as one of my iCloud Calendars on my Mac, which meant that the calendar then appeared on every other Mac and iOS device connected to the same iCloud.

After upgrade to iOS 8, I have found that my Bookfresh bookings are no longer automatically refreshing to my iPad and iPhone - which is incredibly annoying when I rely so heavily on my iPhone while on the go, to check details of my next appointment!  

The appointments correctly refresh on my Mac - just not on the iOS devices.

The only way I have been able to get my iOS 8 devices to refresh the Bookfresh events in their Calendars is 

• by doing a hard re-boot of the device (Sleep and Home buttons held down for about 10 seconds), 
• or by going to my Mac and choosing 'Get Info' for the subscribed iCloud calendar, the changing the 'Auto-refresh' setting to a different value, Saving, then setting it back to '5 minutes' (and saving again).  A real fudge!  And I need to keep remembering to do this whenever I place a booking in my booking system!

This takes my back to the days of iOS 5 when the same thing used to happen.  It was resolved in iOS 6 and 7, but appears 'broken' again in iOS 8.

I haven't been able find anything about this problem on the Apple Website or other online forums.

A call to Apple Support looked initially like it solved the problem (uncovering the second option suggested above for getting the calendar to refresh), but only worked at the point I made a change in 'Get Info' and then not again until I changed something in 'Get Info' again.  This was something I didn't realise until after the call had been terminated!

I will be calling Apple again about this one, but if anyone has a suggested fix for this issue, please leave me a comment.

This questions features nearly every week during iTandCoffee classes and appointments.

So many people store their passwords in notebooks, on pieces of paper, in their Notes apps and in their Contacts app. Many of these same people do not even have a passcode on their iPad or iPhone, leaving themselves very vulnerable should their device be lost or stolen.

Here again is an article about the best Password Keeper / Password Manager apps for the iPad and iPhone.  

As I have previously mentioned, I use Onesafe and sync my password data via iCloud, so that all my Onesafe data is available on all my Apple mobile devices and computers.