Take Control Books - News http://www.takecontrolbooks.com The ongoing story of our innovative publishing model that integrates the best of online, magazine, and book publishing. en tonya@tidbits.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-02T19:23:59+00:00 iCloud’s Back to My Mac Now Supports Remote Base Station Access http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/iclouds-back-to-my-mac-now-supports-remote-base-station-access 2012-02-02T19:23:59+00:00 On page 61 and 66 of Take Control of Screen Sharing in Lion, Glenn wrote that you can't use an iCloud account to access an AirPort Disk or Time Capsule via Back to My Mac, even though you can with a MobileMe account. As Glenn had suspected when he drafted the manuscript, Apple has now added iCloud-based access to Time Capsule drives and USB-attached AirPort drives. Of course, accessing those drives just lets you work with the files on those drives—there is no screen to share on a Time Capsule or AirPort base station! Glenn wrote much more about this topic in his TidBITS article, AirPort Utility 6.0 Adds iCloud Support but Removes Many Features.

—Tonya Engst 

Take Control of Screen Sharing in Lion

]]> AirPort Utility 6 Removes Features, Adds Simplicity http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/airport-utility-6.0-removes-features-adds-simplicity 2012-02-01T14:20:56+00:00 AirPort Utility has finally been overhauled completely, nearly 13 years after its introduction. The new AirPort Utility 6.0, currently available only for Lion, makes it simpler for average network users to set up Wi-Fi base stations but dramatically reduces the number of options available. For example, it allows you to configure only 802.11n base stations, all of which were released in 2007 or later.

With AirPort Utility 6, you can connect to and configure an 802.11n AirPort base station over iCloud's Back to My Mac. A firmware update was also released for all 802.11n (2007 and later) base stations to add support for iCloud's Back to My Mac remote configuration and remote disk. The firmware update also fixes a few performance issues.

If the new version of AirPort Utility doesn't meet your needs, don't despair. Apple has kept AirPort Utility 5.5.3 available for download. It works with 10.5.7 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard, including supporting base stations with the latest firmware updates. Apple has also updated the 5.x track to version 5.6 for Lion. You can keep both a 5.x version and 6.0 installed on the same machine, although only one may be running at a time.

This Take Control title needs to be updated to explain AirPort Utility 6 (as well as the iOS app). But until Apple pours more functionality into AirPort Utility 6, I recommend sticking with 5.5.3/5.6. I've written an extended explanation of the feature changes for TidBITS, in "AirPort Utility 6.0 Adds iCloud Support but Removes Many Features."

—Glenn Fleishman 

Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network

]]> Changes to LogMeIn App http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/changes-to-logmein-app 2012-01-23T16:43:16+00:00 As 2011 wound down to its final weeks, LogMeIn changed both the features and pricing of the LogMeIn Ignition app covered in this book. There is now a free version, named simply LogMeIn, and a for-pay version, LogMeIn Pro. Glenn Fleishman describes the changes in his article, "LogMeIn App for iOS Set Free and Gains Pro Upgrade," 23 December 2011.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of iPhone and iPod touch Networking & Security, iOS 4 Edition

]]> On the Importance of Passwords http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/on-the-importance-of-passwords 2012-01-23T16:17:18+00:00 In the November 2011 issue of The Atlantic, James Fallows shares the story of how his wife’s Gmail account was hijacked and what they went through to recover years of stored messages. It’s a compelling tale that will hopefully bring home the need for secure passwords and offline backups of cloud-based data.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of Passwords in Mac OS X

]]> AT&T Revises iPad Data Plans http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/att-revises-ipad-data-plans 2012-01-23T16:08:05+00:00 As of January 22, 2012, AT&T has modified its iPad data plans. Although the lowest level plan—250 MB for $14.99 a month— remains available, the upper tier has been split in two: new subscribers can choose between $30 for 3 GB or $50 for 5 GB a month. Those who have subscribed to the previously available 2 GB for $25 plan and automatically renew it can keep that plan for now. Glenn Fleishman slices and dices the new AT&T data plan offerings (including those that affect iPhone and tethered account users) in his TidBITS article, AT&T Raises Data Plan Prices for New Customers.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of iPad Networking & Security

]]> AT&T Changes iPhone Data Plans http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/att-changes-iphone-data-plans 2012-01-23T15:54:41+00:00 As of 22 January 2012, AT&T has raised both the cost and the usage allotment of two of its smartphone data plans. The lowest tier now costs $20 a month for 300 MB of data usage; the previous plan cost $15 for 200 MB. Those who exceed the 300 MB are now charged $20 for an additional 300 MB. The next higher tier now costs $30 a month instead of $25, but now offers 3 GB of usage instead of 2 GB; this plan retains the $10 for each additional 1 GB of usage. Those who currently have the older plans can keep them, but if they change to any of the new plans they cannot then return to the older plans. Glenn Fleishman slices and dices the new plans in his TidBITS article, "AT&T Raises Data Plan Prices for New Customers," 18 January 2012.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of iPhone and iPod touch Networking & Security, iOS 4 Edition

]]> TextExpander 3.4 Is All about Sharing http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/textexpander-3.4-is-all-about-sharing 2011-12-21T16:41:26+00:00 Earlier this month, Smile released TextExpander 3.4, a free update to the program for owners of earlier versions of TextExpander 3. The update features expanded help for setting up shared snippets among multiple users, as well as providing users with the ability to tweet via Twitter their current TextExpander time-saving statistics (I foresee Twitter wars among TextExpander aficionados). Also included in the update is support for choosing Dropbox local folders. You can read about all the changes included in the update here.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of TextExpander

]]> Joe Tells All About His Latest Take Control Book http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/joe-tells-all-about-his-latest-take-control-book 2011-12-21T16:29:19+00:00 Okay, that's journalistic hyperbole (who can tell everything about a book in thirty-seven minutes?), but Joe talks quite engagingly and informatively about his latest edition of Take Control of Mail on Your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. You can either listen to or watch his conversation with Chuck Joiner to find out the latest about Mail in iOS 5.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of Mail on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

]]> Hear Tonya Discuss Take Control of Your iPad http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/hear-tonya-discuss-take-control-of-your-ipad 2011-12-21T16:18:26+00:00 Taking time off from producing and editing other Take Control books, Tonya Engst went on an instant virtual world-wide book tour (from her own desk) to discuss her own iOS-5-covering edition of Take Control of Your iPad. You can hear the interview at MacNotables, or see it at MacVoicesTV.

—Michael E. Cohen 

Take Control of Your iPad

]]> FAQ for 1Password Users Downloading “Take Control of Your iPad” http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/news/1password-help 2011-12-21T12:09:55+00:00 As author of this ebook, and also has the main customer support person for the Take Control series, I'm seeing a few questions today about how to work with the PDF of "Take Control of Your iPad." Because I'm about to start my holiday vacation, I wrote up this quick FAQ to help people who want to work with their ebook before I get back to my desk in early January.

I have the PDF, but I would like the EPUB. What to do?

Working on a Macintosh (or Windows PC), open your PDF to the cover (page 1). Click the Check for Updates button. You may see a dialog asking if you would like to log in or create a new account. It's ok to do either of those, but you can also just close the dialog. You should now see a download link for the EPUB.

What about a Mobi file for my Kindle?

Follow the same basic advice given above for the EPUB.

I have a Take Control account already, and I want to add this ebook to my Take Control library. What should I do?

Here's what to do:

  1. On the computer (or iOS device) where your ebook is located, open your main Web browser and make sure you are logged in to your Take Control account. The login link is near the upper right of the Take Control Web site. If you click the link but find that you need help, notice that there is also a help link in the login pop-down.
  2. Open the PDF of the ebook.
  3. On the cover (page 1), click Check for Updates.

You may need to reload the library page in your Take Control account in order to see the change. Your ebook will now be fully registered, just like an ebook you bought through the Take Control Web site.

How do I transfer the ebook to my iPad? (or other iOS device?)

There are many ways to do this. Here are a few likely ones:

  • If the ebook is in your Take Control library, you can log in from within the Safari app on your iPad and then download the ebook. Once it downloads, for a PDF, tap the screen to access the "Open In" controls. For an EPUB, the "Open In" controls should appear automatically. (Notice that the answer to the first question in this FAQ has a clue about how to create an account, if you don't have one. And, the third question explains how to add a PDF to your account.)

  • Drag the PDF into the Library area at the upper left of the iTunes window to add it to your iTunes Books library. Read the ebook's extended chapter about syncing from iTunes to learn how to sync a PDF from your computer to your iPad. Remember that PDFs will not appear in the default "Books" collection in iBooks. The ebook explains that too.

I have another question along the lines of what's being discussed here... what should I read for more help?

The chapter in the ebook called "Read Ebooks, Magazines, and More" may hold your answer. Also for more about moving your ebook to different mobile devices, see Device Advice.

—Tonya Engst 

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