The default voice for speaking text in iOS is the same voice as Siri, but if you want to switch it up and hear something different you can change the text-to-speech voice quite easily. Switching voices is a bit more fun than you’d expect though, at least with English, because you end up with different … Read More

Now that Twitter is so deeply embedded into OS X from 10.8 onward, you’ll find convenient aspects of that integration throughout Mac apps. A surprisingly useful example is in the Contacts app bundled into OS X, where you can send tweets directly to users or check their timeline easily: Right-click on a users Twitter name, … Read More

For those with iPhones, iPads, and iPods who don’t want to be served more relevant ads by way of anonymous usage tracking, a new setting in iOS 6 allows users to flip a switch to limit such ad tracking on their device. To be clear, this setting is about serving targeted advertisements based on anonymous … Read More

Saturday Night Live weighed in on the ridiculous nature of some of the iPhone 5 complaints this past weekend with an amusing skit that spoofs whiny tech journalists and their complaints with the Chinese factory workers who build the iPhone itself. It’s pretty funny and puts the outrageous complaints into some proper perspective, ranging from … Read More

Siri is getting more and more useful, and one of the better uses for Siri are location based reminders. With location reminders, you can have Siri remind you to do things like make copies when you get to work, feed the cat when you get home, and just about any other task that would be … Read More

For most iOS users, if you need to access the Drafts folder, they will tap back from their Mail app inbox to Mailboxes, and then tap on Drafts to access any email drafts on an iPhone or iPad. But that’s not necessary, and there’s actually a super fast shortcut to access the Drafts folder of … Read More

Designers Teehan+Lax have an excellent habit of releasing free high quality PSD files of user interface elements from iOS, and they’ve done it again for iOS 6 and iPhone 5. Compiled as a very well labeled and layered photoshop document, the latest iOS 6 GUI kit includes virtually all the UI elements from the latest … Read More

It’s a fact of modern life: Macs can run slowly for seemingly no reason, but chances are there is a reason the Mac is running so poorly and we’ll cover the most common reasons, how to know if each reason is causing the slow down, and most importantly, how to fix it. If your Mac … Read More

Amazon is having a whopper sale on tons of super-fast solid state disk (SSD) drives today, with prices up to 40% off, each with free shipping. SSD’s are probably the best bang-for-your-buck upgrade to any computer, and if your Mac doesn’t yet have an SSD and you’ve been holding out for a great deal to … Read More

Apple has started to air a new iPod ad that encompasses the entire lineup, ranging from the new iPod touch to the new iPod Nano and even Shuffle. The commercial emphasizes the range of colors offered for each new iPod, with the devices bouncing around on screen to a loud catchy song playing in the … Read More

Apple’s new Maps app includes a really handy feature that lets you rotate the direction of maps on screen by swiveling your fingers, making it easier to follow directions and roads. While the maps are rotating, the compass will keep telling you where North is, as you’ll find when using the turn-by-turn navigation. If you … Read More

A peculiar bug that’s impacting some iPhone 5 users leaves the iPhone unable to find a signal and rejoin a 3G/4G network after leaving an area with EDGE or no service. Despite being in a location with adequate cell coverage, the iPhone will just report “No Service”. This is most likely a software issue with … Read More

If you don’t use the Newsstand app in iOS there isn’t much reason to keep it around on the home screen, but for whatever reason Apple has made it impossible to move into a folder. A past bug let you move it, but that’s been patched with more recent versions of iOS. Now for the … Read More

Most Mac OS X preferences are managed through easily accessible control panels, but going behind the scenes with defaults write commands can lead to some genuinely useful tweaks that can only be made through the command line. This list represents a compilation of some of the best defaults write commands out there, and even if … Read More

Worried about scratching the back of your beautiful iPhone 5? Don’t want to wait for an official InvisibleShield to be released from ZAGG or the other film protector companies? Maybe you’re just cheap and don’t feel like shelling out the $30 to protect your $200+ iPhone investment? Well, if you don’t mind having an incredibly … Read More

Launchpad’s new search function from OS X 10.8 onward make it an extremely fast app launcher, certainly faster than navigating multiple screenfuls of apps and clicking on app icons with a cursor. For the speediest launches, just do the following: Hit F4 and start typing the app name, then hit return Is that quick or … Read More

Siri is much more useful than many realize, and one of the best ways to use Siri while on the go is through your earbuds or earpods, the classic white headphones that come with all iOS devices. All you need is Siri enabled, and then connect the earbuds to your iPhone or iPad as you … Read More

All My Files is one of those features of Mac OS X that was somewhat controversial at first, but once you start using it often, you can stop sorting files yourself in the Finder and just let All My Files, search, and Spotlight manage documents instead. Nonetheless, there are still times when you’ll want to … Read More