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Can You Have a Love Affair with a Gadget?

by Michael Sheehan on February 8, 2013

in Apple, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Humor, iPad, Opinion, Software, Tablet

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“I’m in love with the iPad Mini” I proclaimed proudly to my wife.

I didn’t expect the response (well, I did in a way). “You cannot be in love with a gadget.” That was that. End of discussion.

I had been hoping to start a conversation about why I like the iPad Mini so much or why it is better than other gadgets I have played with. I guess that my opening line might work with non-materialistic goods (e.g., “I’m in love with our dog”) – but even that might sound a bit odd. I probably should have said “I love the iPad Mini.”

HTD-in-love-ipad-mini

Being “in love” and “loving” are two distinct things. But people often are accused of being “in love” with inanimate objects like a car or with something intangible like sports. Or perhaps people are just using grammar incorrectly. My wife, however, does make a good point. You can’t be in love with technology. You can be passionate or obsessed with it…but not in love with it.

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Apple Posts iOS 6.1 Release – Here’s What’s New & How to Update!

by Michael Sheehan on January 28, 2013

in Apple, Cellular, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, How To, HTD Tech Tip, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Software, Tablet

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After releasing iOS 6.1 beta 5 to developers this past weekend, Apple released iOS 6.1 to the public today (Monday Jan 28, 2013). Updates can be obtained directly via your iOS update or via iTunes. You can also download the .ipsw directly from Apple. Details on these processes are below.

iOS-6.1-update

So what is new in this iOS release? Honestly, there aren’t that many visible features but there are plenty of behind the scenes fixes and updates. Specifically:

  • Support for more LTE carriers
  • The ability to purchase movie tickets using Fandango coupled with Siri (US only)
  • If you use iTunes Match, you can now download individual songs from iCloud
  • Reset the Advertising Identifier via System Preferences (General > About > Advertising)
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  • Security Updates
    • Fixed –> Authentication relying on certificate-based Apple ID authentication may be bypassed
    • Fixed –> Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to a cross-site scripting attack
    • Fixed –> A user-mode process may be able to access the first page of kernel memory
    • Fixed –> An attacker with a privileged network position may intercept user credentials or other sensitive information
    • Fixed –> JavaScript may be enabled in Mobile Safari without user interaction
    • Fixed –> Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
    • Fixed –> Copying and pasting content on a malicious website may lead to a cross-site scripting attack
    • Fixed –> Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to a cross-site scripting attack
    • Fixed –> A remote attacker on the same WiFi network may be able to temporarily disable WiFi

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A Plush, Propping Pillow for your iPad

by Michael Sheehan on August 9, 2012

in Apple, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, iPad, Opinion, Review, Tablet

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I have seen many different types of cases for iPads out there and most of the ones that I have reviewed are for “out in the world” use cases, meaning they provide hard case protection (and some even include Bluetooth keyboards). But then I got to spend some time with the CushPad, which is a large, bulky, pillow-like “case” that is more for enabling easier reading, especially while lounging around the house and in bed.

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The CushPad holds your iPad 2 or 3 (the “new” iPad) snuggly between two bevels. You can use an iPad 1 (which is what we used for testing) but CushPad doesn’t recommend it. My wife was the primary tester of the CushPad, using it when we were lounging around in bed while on vacation.

HTD-cushpad-69

There really isn’t anything techy or geeky about the CushPad, but it can make your techy and geeky life just a bit more comfortable.

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HighTechDad’s Father’s Day 2012 Reviewed Gift Buying Guide

by Michael Sheehan on June 11, 2012

in Apple, Cellular, Consumer Electronics, Family, Gadgets, General, Google, Hardware, Intel, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mobile, Opinion, Parenting, Review, Tablet

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Rev up those Father’s Day gift engines, it’s that time of year again! Yeah, I’m a bit late in getting together my list of products that you might want to consider for your dad for Father’s Day, but you will still have a few days to get those gifts (or write up a nice IOU card). Anyway, this is a gift guide of products that I have reviewed since the last Father’s Day (you can always look back at my 2011 Father’s Day gift guide for ideas as well). I have tested these products out (and may actually be still using them).

Fathers-Day-2012

So let’s cut straight to the chase here. Here is a chronological listing of products that I have reviewed over the past year, what they are, the price, my overall rating of that product and a link to the full review on HighTechDad.com. And I haven’t included every product that I have reviewed here. There are some items that aren’t quite appropriate for Dads and my car and automobile reviews can all be found here.

Clamcase for iPad

Review:  ClamCase Transforms Your iPad into a Netbook with iOS Benefits

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Does the Blackberry Playbook Have Another Play Up Its Sleeve? Potentially!

May 21, 2012
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I remember when the Blackberry Playbook was first announced, in fact, I was at the CES 2011 where it was revealed. Everyone was saying what an amazing piece of hardware it was but then over time, the details emerged about how closely tied it was to having a Blackberry smartphone. Also, during the 1.5 years [...]

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Want to make your Draw Something Game even Better? Get a Stylish Stylus from Targus

April 12, 2012
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I few weeks ago, I was introduced to the amazingly addictive drawing and word game called Draw Something. This game quickly rocketed to the #1 paid application position in the Apple App Store and has been holding steady ever since. It’s a great app. You pair up with someone to play with and then you [...]

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A Tablet for Babies? The VINCI Tablet Gives Toddlers a Jump Start on Touchscreens

September 23, 2011
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A few weeks ago I received a pre-production version of a new tablet targeted toward children ages 2-4 or so called the “VINCI Tab“. I had been dying to review an Android-based tablet, but the VINCI threw me for an unexpected curve. It really is not what you might expect. While it is technically a [...]

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10 Things Steve Jobs Has Done for Parents

August 25, 2011

With Steve Jobs announcing that he will be stepping down as CEO of Apple, I took some time to reflect on how Steve and Apple have impacted my life as a parent, specifically, a “High Tech Dad.” In my household, Apple products reign. Each of my children use Apple laptops or desktops, and each one [...]

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