Ditch OS X Mavericks for Lion

It often seems to me that the more complex things get, the more bugs there are and while new technology is in many ways fantastic, it can also be a source of frustration. Although there is much to like in OS X Mavericks on the Apple iMac or MacBook, it has some frustrating bugs too.

Mavericks has only been out a few weeks, yet Apple has already released a beta of a service pack to developers. Apple doesn't call them service packs, but each 0.0.1 update is essentially a service pack. OS X 10.9.1 is currently being tested and it won't be long before it is pushed out to the public. Let's hope it fixes some of the bugs that many people have been experiencing.

My own irritations are mainly with Finder and Cover Flow view is so unreliable I have given up using it. Select a file in the bottom part of the Finder window and Cover Flow view shows a preview in the top part. However, sometimes the file displayed is not the one that is selected. On several occasions I have been working with a bunch of images, deleting some and renaming others only to find that I had been deleting and renaming the wrong ones. I got in a terrible mess and had to rename everything back and pull files out of the Trash and start again. I don't trust Cover Flow view enough to use it.

Another useful feature of Finder is the way you can preview files. Select a file, tap the spacebar and it is displayed in a pop-up preview window on the screen. It's great for checking images, documents, PDFs and so on without having to load up an app. Only it often doesn't work in Mavericks. The preview window opens and is blank. It sometimes takes four or five attempts to preview a file. Select a group of files, tap space to preview them and there are forward and back buttons. Only some of the files don't display. You have to go back and forth several times before it appears.

Minimise an application and it disappears into the Dock icon. Click the Dock icon and it should be restored and be displayed on the screen. I was working with iMovie the other day and couldn't get it back on the screen when minimised. I had to long click on the Dock icon until the menu appeared and then select the window.

As you can see from the screen shot, it is Mavis' birthday tomorrow, but do I really need to be told eight times? This happened when I booted up and the notifications system seemed to have gone crazy for a minute.

Mavericks is also slow at times and starting up is particularly slow. It seems to take ages to get going in a morning and I have to switch on and go and make a cup of coffee while it sorts itself out, or sit staring at the screen for five minutes until it is finished. Sometimes things take a few seconds to respond too. Perhaps you are thinking I have old hardware, but it's a one year old MacBook Pro and I've still not finished the payments on it. It's not the latest, but it's not exactly old or under powered either.

I have two partitions on my Mac and I keep Lion on one and the other is running Mavericks, upgraded from Mountain Lion. Hold down the Option key just after switching on and there is a choice of which OS to start. Lion, despite being older and having more software installed, starts quicker, uses less memory and is more responsive. That's why I choose to use Lion most of the time and I only use Mavericks when I have to.

Although there are more features in Mavericks, most of the time they aren't ones I care about or need. When I need to get work done quickly, it is best to boot up Lion.

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iPad got fat and heavy till the Air came along

It is interesting reading the reviews of the latest iPad Air and a lot of people have commented on how thin and light it is. Apple gave it the Air name because it is as light as air. OK, not really, but it is lighter than before. One reviewer remarked that it was like a completely new tablet. The reason for their reaction is because the iPad had become fat and heavy.

Being fatter and heavier isn't a selling point, so at the launch of the iPad 3 and 4 Apple kept quiet about this and never mentioned it.

iPad 1 = 680g / 13.4mm thick
iPad 2 = 601g / 8.8mm thick
iPad 3 = 652g / 9.4mm thick
iPad 4 = 652g / 9.4mm thick

iPad 5 = 469g / 7.5mm thick

Notice how the weight and thickness dropped significantly with the iPad 2, despite it having a much better specification than the previous model. With the iPad 3 and 4 the weight rose and it got thicker, making it more awkward to hold - one-handed anyway. The performance may have been better, but you paid for it by being fat and heavy.

I didn't buy an iPad 1 because I wasn't that impressed. The iPad 2 is much better and that's when I bought one. It was a good tablet. I say 'was' rather than 'is' because it is beginning to show signs of age. Apple continues to sell it even though it's a two and a half year old spec because it's OK for most apps if you don't mind the low resolution screen. 

I have just upgraded from an iPad 2 and the difference in thickness and weight is much less noticeable. It is slightly lighter and slightly thinner, which is welcome, but it isn't hugely different. The most noticeable change is the sharpness of small text. It is much better than the old iPad 2's screen. I've not played any games on it yet, but there should be a noticeable improvement in performance.

What will the iPad 6 be like? It is hard to imagine it being any thinner or lighter. If it is, then the difference will be tiny. It's easy to make something fat and heavy thinner and lighter, but when something is already thin and light it's hard to make it even more so. I think the iPad 5 is one I'll be keeping for a long time. The iPad 2 and 5 look like the best of the range so far. Pick your models wisely and don't just buy every one that comes out.

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Should you buy an iPad Air or mini Retina?

The iPad Air goes on sale tomorrow and no doubt there will be huge queues outside of Apple stores across the country and even across the world. Or will there? The queues could be smaller this time around because Apple is launching the two new iPads - the Air and the mini Retina - on different dates.

Some people will want the iPad Air, but others will choose to wait for the iPad mini Retina. This will reduce the queues and it will mean that stores are less likely to run out of the model you want compared to previous years where there was just one new iPad.

So which iPad should you buy? If you check the specifications on the Apple site, there is only one difference between the two new models. Screen size. Same processor, memory, iOS, apps, Wi-Fi, and so on. Even the screen resolution is the same. There isn't anything you can do on an Air that can't be done on an mini Retina and the performance should be identical.

The choice is therefore between a 7.9in or a 9.7in screen.

As an iPad 2 owner, I had already decided that it was about time I upgraded. Although the iPad 2 still runs every app I've tried on it, it is sometimes slow and it struggles with apps that push it to the limit, like games. Also, I can't prise it out of the hands of the rest of the family, so I rarely use it myself and spend more time on cheap 7in Android tablets. A second iPad would be useful.

The iPad mini Retina would save money and be just as good as an Air, but one thing puts me off and that's the small text that many apps use. What is fine on the the full size iPad's 9.7in screen could well be difficult or even impossible for me to read on a mini's 7.9in screen. Because the screen resolution is the same on both iPads, I suspect that developers will not take the reduced screen size into consideration. They'll simply display the app on the mini the same way they do on the full size iPad and this means that everything, including text, will be 20% smaller. Will it be readable?

The size of text on the screen is a continuing irritation for me and I recently had an iPhone app that had text so small I couldn't read it. I had to install the app on an iPad to read the instructions, menus and buttons. Once I knew what everything was I could then use the iPhone app. This shouldn't be necessary, but it is far too common.

High resolution retina displays have encouraged app developers to use ever-smaller font sizes so they can squeeze more on to the limited screen space of phones and tablets, but this reduces usability and can even make it impossible to some people to use them. I have actually deleted apps after using them for just five minutes because the text was so small it made my eyes hurt with the strain of reading it. Retina displays have a downside.

As you get older, your eyes get worse, but it would be wrong to assume that this is just an age thing. Of course, your granny will have trouble with small text on a tablet or smartphone, but just look around you at the number of ordinary people of all ages that wear glasses. Many people, including young people, don't have perfect vision and they struggle with tiny text. I wish developers would stop using such small text and test their apps with real people with all their faults and not just a few elite teenagers with eyes like a hawk.

For me the choice between the two tablets is between comfortable reading or headache-inducing eye strain. I guess I'll have to fork out the extra cash for the bigger model even though I'd like the smaller one. At least I'll get my hands on it sooner rather than later.

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Find free images on Google

If you are looking for a photo for your ebook, blog, Facebook page or website, there are countless images available the web and a Google image search will produce hundreds to choose from, no matter how obscure the subject.

The problem is that a lot of the images are copyright and it is not legal to take them and use them in your own works. You could get in trouble if you copied someone else’s photo from the web and used it without their permission. Here is a useful tip to find legal images that you can use in any way you like.

Go to the Google home page and down at the bottom of the browser is a Settings link. Click it and then select Advanced search in the menu that is displayed. On the advanced search page, enter the subject or object you want to find in the boxes at the top. Suppose, for example, you wanted to find some free images of elephants, you would enter 'elephants' in the top box.

Now scroll down to the bottom of the advanced search page and  next to Usage rights, select one of the free-to-use licenses, such as Free to use or share, even commercially. Now click the Advanced search button.

This performs a standard web search, but then you can select Images to see image results. All the images are free to use, as per the license you searched for. However, you should always read the details on the website it comes from because sometimes you have to credit the photographer.

Click Search Tools at the top of the page and there is a menu to filter the images by license, which saves you having to go back to the advanced search page and start again.

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How to use Windows 8 search to find stuff

The biggest change in Windows 8, and one that continues in the upcoming 8.1, is the Start screen. Instead of having a menu that lists all your applications, there is a Start screen that contains tiles for a few key items.

One of the problems with the Start screen is that is just doesn't show everything. A typical example is Task Scheduler. It is on the Start menu in Windows 7 and you just go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Task Scheduler.

Task Scheduler is not on the Windows 8 Start screen. No problem, just search for it. You can simply start typing on the Start screen to bring up the search screen to find stuff. However, if you type 'task scheduler' then Windows 8 search says that there is no such program.

There are no apps and no settings. Has Task Scheduler been taken out of Windows 8? No it hasn't and you just have to type in 'schedule tasks' instead.

This time there is one item in Settings and selecting this shows an item called Schedule Tasks on the left side of the screen. Click that and it runs Task Scheduler.

This is really odd behaviour and it can be confusing when looking for certain programs and tools that you may have used with earlier versions of Windows. It is unclear why a search for 'Task Scheduler' does not list Task Scheduler, but Windows 8.1 is no better. In fact, it is worse because it lists lots of Bing search results, like weblinks to sites like Wikipedia and others instead of the program you actually want.

Searching for Disk Cleanup (which is now called Disk Clean-up in Windows 8), is slightly better and search returns a result called 'Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files'. Clicking it runs Disk Clean-up.

It seems that you cannot use Windows 8 search to find applications you know the name of. Instead, you must search for the action you want to perform. So to find Task Scheduler you don't enter its name, you enter 'schedule tasks' and to get Disk Clean-up you enter 'free up disk space'.

So if you can't find something in Windows 8, try typing what you want to do, rather than what something is actually called.

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Clear Windows 8 tiles of personal information

The most noticeable feature of Windows 8 is, of course, the Start screen. It has a collection of tiles that are used to start programs instead of the menu system that was used before.

Some of the tiles are live and this means that they can show live information, such as the weather, news and so on.

They can also show various sorts of personal information like emails, messages, photos, calendar appointments and so on.

If you are in a public place like a train or coffee shop with a laptop you might not want everyone around you seeing your live tiles if they happen to glance your way. Fortunately, there is a way to clear the live information off the tiles on the Start screen.

Move the mouse up into the top right corner of the screen to show the Charms bar on the right and then click Settings, Tiles. There is a button to clear your personal information from the tiles. It wipes them clean, but it is not a permanent change and after a while notifications will begin appear in them again. It’s still useful though.

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Discover what can access your Google account and block it

There are many websites and services that require you to sign in before you are allowed to access them. To make the task easier they often provide a Facebook, Google or Twitter login option. Click the button and you provide access to your account.

Apps on mobile phones and tablets work in the same way and they often require you to log in with a Google, Facebook or Twitter account. Let the app access your account and you can then use the the app's features and functions. Your account becomes part of your profile or identity for the app.

Some of these apps, sites and services that work with Google, Facebook and Twitter are very useful and you can link the calendar app on your phone, such as an iPhone, with Google Calendar, there are extensions for Chrome and Firefox that do clever things with Google Mail, there are apps and sites that combine and sync your contacts across all your social networking services.

I don't worry who or what has access to my Facebook and Twitter accounts because I don't put anything on there that I wouldn't want made public. (Facebook is designed for sharing stuff.) Google is a different matter because it handles email, calendars, book, movie, music and app purchases, and so on. Where email and money is involved, I worry about security.

Do you know who or what has access to your Google account? There are probably phone and tablet apps, browser extensions, websites and services that you once used, or perhaps tried for a short time because they were free and then abandoned. They still have access to your account and this is worrying.

You should regularly check who and what can access your Google account and revoke permission for anything that shouldn't have it. It is important to keep on top of your Google account security.

Go to accounts.google.com in a browser and click the Security link on the left. Scroll down a little and next to Connected applications and sites, click Review permissions. A list of sites, apps and services is listed and you may be surprised at the number that have access to your Google account.

Of course, there are a lot of Google services in there, such as Google apps you have installed on your tablet or phone. They are fine and it is the non-Google items that you should focus on. Look for any item you don't use, such as mobile apps you tried, but uninstalled, sites and services you signed up for and no longer use, and so on.

Click the Revoke Access button next to any item you don't currently use. This won't stop you from using the item in the future and all that would happen if you tried to use it again is that it would ask permission to access your account.

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