The Evolution of Technology: A Comprehensive Guide to Smartphones and Computers

As we navigate the digital age, it's hard not to be amazed by the rapid pace at which technology has advanced. From smartphones that can fit in the palm of our hands to computers that are smaller than a shoebox, innovation has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate.

In this article, we'll delve into the history of smartphones and computers, exploring their evolution, key features, and impact on society. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just curious about the latest gadgets, this comprehensive guide is for you!

The Dawn of Smartphones

Smartphones have revolutionized the way we stay connected with others, access information, and capture memories. The first smartphone, the IBM Simon, was released in 1994, but it wasn't until the iPhone in 2007 that smartphones became a mainstream phenomenon.

Since then, smartphones have become an essential tool for daily life, offering:

• Multitasking: With touch screens, keyboards, and app stores, we can perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Camera capabilities: High-quality cameras allow us to capture stunning photos and videos on the go.
• GPS navigation: Built-in GPS enables seamless location-based services like mapping, ride-hailing, and delivery tracking.

 

 The Future of Technology

As we look to the future, emerging technologies like:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI-powered assistants, chatbots, and machine learning algorithms are transforming industries like healthcare, finance, and customer service.
• Internet of Things (IoT): The increasing number of connected devices is creating a network of smart homes, cities, and infrastructure.
• 5G Networks: Faster data transfer rates and lower latency enable seamless communication, entertainment, and remote work.

Impact on Society

Technology has had a profound impact on society, bringing about:

• Increased productivity: Automation and AI have freed humans from mundane tasks, allowing us to focus on creative pursuits.
• Improved healthcare: Telemedicine, telehealth, and medical research have expanded access to quality care worldwide.
• E-commerce and digital payments: Online shopping has revolutionized the way we buy goods and services.

Conclusion

The evolution of smartphones and computers is a testament to human ingenuity and innovation. As technology continues to advance, it's essential to stay informed about its impact on our lives and society. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just curious about the latest gadgets, this comprehensive guide has provided an overview of the fascinating world of smart devices.

Recommended Reading:

• "The Internet of Things" by Kevin Ashton
• "Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" by Max Tegmark
• "Smartphones: The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Using Your New Phone"

Share your thoughts: What's your favorite smartphone or computer feature? How has technology impacted your life?

You running on iOS 16 Beta now?, how Downgrade it to iOS 15

 Did you install the iOS 16 beta but now you’re having second thoughts about running it? If you want to downgrade from iOS 16 beta and revert back to a stable iOS 15 build, you can certainly do that.

 

The method covered here will downgrade an iPhone from iOS 16 back to the latest stable version of iOS 15, however it will erase the iPhone in doing so. This means if you did not create a backup to the computer from iOS 15 before installing iOS 16 beta, you will lose everything on the iPhone by downgrading.

If you are not comfortable with losing everything on the iPhone and do not have a compatible backup available, you should not attempt to downgrade the iPhone from iOS 16. Instead just continue on iOS 16 beta

How to Downgrade iOS 16 Beta to iOS 15.x

This method erases the iPhone to revert from iOS 16 to iOS 15. If you have a backup made from iOS 15 you can then restore that to get your stuff back. If you do not want to erase and lose all data on your iPhone, do not proceed with this method.

    1. Connect the iPhone or iPad to the Mac with a Lightning cable

    2. Open the Finder on Mac

    3. Put the iPhone into Recovery Mode by performing the following sequence: press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, press and hold the Power/Side button until you see the restore screen on the Mac

    4. You’ll see a dialog window that says there’s a problem with the iPhone and giving you the option to restore the device, click on “Restore” to erase iOS 16 beta and restore iOS 15 to the iPhone

    5. Let the restore process complete, it can take a while

When the downgrade has completed, the iPhone will boot back into a clean install of the latest version of iOS 15 that is available, as if the iPhone was brand new. The iPhone will have nothing on it, having been erased.

Assuming you have a backup available that is compatible with iOS 15 on the Mac or archived, you can restore from that backup to get your old stuff back. 

Because this process erases the iPhone and requires a backup from iOS 15 be available to restore their stuff from, this may not be suitable for all users, because most people don’t like to lose everything on their iPhone. But if it’s a secondary iPhone or a test device, you may not mind.

 

Red: OsxDaily

 

iPad Air 5, how to to Restart & Force Restart this Device

 Occasionally you may need to shut down, restart, or force restart a device, and iPad Air 5 is no exception.

 Whether it’s force restarting because of a frozen app, troubleshooting an issue, restarting for any number of reasons, or shutting down the iPad Air for a flight, we’ll cover how you can perform these common tasks for the iPad Air 5.

How to Force Restart iPad Air 5

You can forcibly restart an iPad Air 5 by initiating a series of button presses using the physical power and volume buttons on the device. Here’s the sequence to force restart:

    1. Press and release Volume Up

    2. Press and release Volume Down

    3. Press and hold the Power button until you see an  Apple logo on the screen

After you see the  Apple logo, the iPad Air will boot up as usual. Sometimes a forced restart can take a little longer than a regular restart.

This is a useful technique to know, because it turns out that the method of force restarting the iPad Air 5 is also used on any modern iPad that has Face ID and/or without Home button, including M1 iPad Pro, iPad Pro,, and iPad Mini. And, you use the same sequence to force restart any modern iPhone with Face ID as well.

 

How to Restart iPad Air 5

A graceful restart of iPad Air can be achieved by powering off and back on again:

    1. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Up button until a “Slide to Power Off” shows on screen

    2. Swipe to turn off the iPad Air 5

    3. Wait a few moments, then hold down the Power button to turn the iPad Air 5 back on, effectively restarting the device

Basically turning the iPad Air 5 off, then turning it back on again, is how you restart the device.

How to Shut Down iPad Air 5

If you want to turn off iPad Air 5 completely, you can do that by shutting down the device:

    1. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Up button until a “Slide to Power Off” shows on screen

    2. Slide to turn off the iPad Air 5

With the power off, the iPad Air 5 is turned off. This will allow the device battery to last quite a while as it’s going unused, and the device will not connect to any networks while powered off.

You can also shut down the iPad Air through Settings, but currently there is no restart option in Settings.

The new model iPad Air 5 is a nice upgrade to the iPad line, and many users coming to the new iPad Air may be upgrading from a device with a Home button, which offers a different method of shutting down, restarting, and force restarting. Thus it’s reasonable to expect some users are unfamiliar with the new procedure for restarting and force restarting the fifth gen iPad Air. Once you learn how and practice it a few times, it will become second nature.

 

Red : OsxDaily

 

 

 

 

How to Fix When Click Not Working on Mac

 Tap to Click is a popular feature for Mac trackpads that allow users to tap on the trackpad to perform a click, rather than exert physical pressure to physically click down on the trackpad. Many Mac users like to use Tap to Click, so if you find it’s suddenly not working, or not working as expected, it’s understandable why you’d be bothered.

 

 Some Mac users have found that Tap to Click is not working as expected on their MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, or Magic Trackpad, often since updating to macOS Monterey or later. If you encounter this issue, read along to troubleshoot and fix the problem.

A Quick Fix for Tap to Click Not Working on Mac

Often you can do a simple quick fix to get Tap to Click working again on the Mac, and that is simply disabling and then re-enabling Tap to Click again.

        1. Go to the  Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” 

        2. Go to “Trackpad”

        3. Uncheck the box for “Tap to Click”

        4. Click around on the Mac for a minute with a typical pressed click, then return back to the Trackpad System Preferences and check “Tap to Click” to enable it again

 

Simply turning off and turning back on Tap To Click usually remedies most issues with the feature on the Mac.

Full Fix for Tap to Click Not Working Issues on MacOS

You’ll probably want to backup your Mac with Time Machine before beginning this process, because you’ll be potentially installing a system software update, and also modifying system preference files:

        1. Quit out of every open app on the Mac

        2. Go to  Apple menu > System Preferences > and choose “Software Update”

        3. Install any available macOS software update to the Mac (eg; macOS Monterey 12.4 Update) if one is available

        4. From the Finder on the Mac, hit Command+Shift+G (or go to the Go menu and choose Go To Folder) and go to ~/Library/Preferences/

        5. Locate the files named: 

com.apple.AppleMultitouchTrackpad.plist

 com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad.plist

        6. Drag these two files to the desktop, or to the Documents folder, this is serving as a backup of the trackpad preferences files

        7. Restart the Mac by going to the  Apple menu then choosing “Restart”

        8. Now go to the  Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” then go to the ‘Trackpad’ preference panel

        9. Configure your trackpad per your usual preferences, and make sure “Tap to Click” is enabled

         10. Tap to Click should immediately start working again as expected

Note About Accidental Click Rejection and Tap-to-Click on Mac Trackpads

Some Mac users have noticed that on modern MacBook Pro laptops with extra large trackpads (for example, the latest 16″ MacBook Pro line), that Tap To Click works most reliably in a smaller rectangle within the large trackpad. Some MacBook Air users and MacBook Pro 13″ and 14″ users have noticed similar issues too, but those laptops have smaller trackpads than the 16″ which may be more prone to ignore accidental input.

Explore where you are using Tap to Click, and if you find that the trackpad frequently rejects or ignores taps on the edges of the Mac trackpad, try tapping instead a little closer to the center of the trackpad, as that alone may resolve any issues you are experiencing. 

For some users, tapping towards the perimeter of the trackpad surface does not consistently register Tap To Clicks, whereas tapping directly in the center of the trackpad does reliably produce a tap to click function.

 

 

This may be due to the accidental input rejection feature that is built into the trackpads, which is generally very intelligent at determining accidental input and clicks, but sometimes may be overzealous and think a legitimate click should be rejected. The most obvious example of this happening is when Tap to Click works when used more towards the center of the trackpad, but if you pick an edge of the trackpad to tap on, you may need to tap several times before Tap to Click registers.

While some of this behavior may be intentional, some of it also may be a bug in some versions of MacOS system software, which is why it’s generally a good idea to install the most recently available system software updates. For example, some Mac users experienced Tap To Click issues with early versions of macOS Monterey, but those were later resolved in later macOS Monterey system updates.

 

Red: OsxDaily

 

U-dessert is code name of Android 14's anyone could think of

 

Android 13 is very much still in development (as we wait not-so-patiently for Beta 1 to finally land) but even with its stable release still months off, pieces are already starting to fall into place for further-out Android versions. One question we've been kicking around for a while now concerns which dessert beginning with the letter U might be chosen as the development code name for Android 14 — and it's not like there are a ton of obvious U-names to choose from. Today we finally get our answer, with Android 14 set to go by the code name Upside Down Cake.

Google formally clarifies the code name in some recent notes added to the AOSP (spotted by 9to5Google). Honestly, that's the first U-dessert we thought of, mentioning it as a likely option back when confirmation arrived for Android 13's Tiramisu name. Even getting our U from “upside-down” feels like a bit of a cheat, but it's not like there were a ton of other obvious options. If we start going international with our dessert menu, that could start opening things up a little, but ultimately it's not at all surprising to see Google go in this direction.

Dessert names used to be a much more prominent part of new Android releases, and you'll still hear long-time users affectionately reference past versions like Lollipop or ICS. Even when we weren't talking about the dessert itself, it was still common to refer to its letter: Android M, or Android Q. But for the launch of Android 10 in 2019, Google took a step back from this association, instead embracing the numerical version as the preferred way to talk about Android.

That shift did make a whole lot of sense — it's clean, it's accessible, and really is just a lot more professional-sounding — but for those of us who long for the days when there was just a little more “fun” in Android development, at least the desserts live on as internal code names.

Android 15 is a long way off, but does anyone want to make any bets as to what our V-name might be? Vanilla-something could be obvious, or will Google take us in a new direction? Your guess is as good as ours.

 

 

Red:  Androidpolice

Activate Feature Voice Isolation with FaceTime on Mac

 Voice Isolation mode allows FaceTime on the Mac to emphasize your voice while on FaceTime calls, thereby reducing background noises and sounds. This is a nice feature if you have some background noise going on that may drown out your voice when talking or make you otherwise difficult to hear, whether that’s a loud fan running in the background, a cat meowing, dog barking, a neighbors bad music blasting, or any such situation. You can use this on any FaceTime call, whether it’s video, audio, or group chat.

You’d be forgiven for failing to find any setting for voice isolation or background noise reduction while digging around in the FaceTime preferences, because that’s not where the capability resides. Instead, you use the Control Center, as we’ll demonstrate.

How to Reduce Background Noise in FaceTime on Mac with Voice Isolation

This feature is only available on the latest versions of macOS system software (12.0 or later), so if you haven’t updated yet you will need to do that before having access to the feature.

        1. Open FaceTime on the Mac if you haven’t done so already

        2. Now open Control Center on the Mac by clicking on the little switches icon in the menu bar

        3.  Click on “Mic Mode” to switch the microphone mode

 

        4. Choose “Voice Isolation” from the microphone mode options

 

        5. Return to FaceTime and make your FaceTime call as usual, whether video or audio

It’s a little curious that you have to go to Control Center to access the microphone mode to aim for background noise reduction in a FaceTime call, but that’s where the toggle is located. Perhaps in the future there will also be an easy option directly from the FaceTime call or app itself.

This is a feature that is available in macOS Monterey and newer, so if you’re on an earlier version of MacOS you won’t find the feature available.

This feature is really useful if you spend a lot of time making FaceTime calls, whether for personal or professional purposes. You’ll find it works pretty well.

While we’re covering the Mac here, you can also use background noise reduction with FaceTime calls on iPhone and iPad too using the same technology to isolate your voice and reduce background sounds.

Try it out, it works really well. 

You can further improve performance by using a microphone, AirPods, or even the wired EarBuds. In testing with a set of AirPods, I was able to run a vacuum cleaner while chatting on a call, and the person said they couldn’t hear the vacuum at all.

This feature is useful enough that it’s a little surprising it isn’t enabled by default for calls, since most people are making calls to hear a person chat, and not the background noise. Perhaps that will change down the road.

 

Red: OsxDaily

 

 

 

The way to Enable or Disable Macro Camera Controls on iPhone 13 Pro

 You can choose to have manual macro camera controls, or use the automatic macro mode setting, on the latest top-end model iPhones including iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. This can help you to take macro photos easier, and more suitable to how you use your iPhone camera.

With manual macro camera controls enabled, when the macro camera is available you can tap a flower macro mode option to enable the iPhone macro camera.

With automatic macro camera mode enabled, the macro camera will activate itself when it is available by moving the iPhone camera lens close to an object or subject.

How to Toggle Macro Camera Control On or Off on iPhone Pro

Here’s how to customize the macro camera controls on iPhone:

        1. Open the “Settings” app then go to “Camera”

        2. Scroll down and locate “Macro Control” and toggle the switch ON to enable manual macro camera controls, or toggle the switch OFF to enable automatic macro mode on iPhone camera

 

How you prefer this setting to be is up to you and how you use iPhone camera macro mode.

If you prefer more manual controls, you’ll likely want to enable the Macro Control option, since you can choose when to use Macro Mode on the iPhone camera or not.

If you’d rather have the iPhone take care of things on its own, disabling Macro Control allows the iPhone to enter or exit macro mode on its own whenever using the iPhone camera.

This setting is only available on the latest high end iPhone models, including iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, or better.

 

Red : OsxDaily

 

Convert your Old Mac into a Chromebook with Chrome OS Flex

Ever wanted to use a Google Chromebook running the Chrome OS? If you have an older Mac laying around that isn’t getting much use, you may be interested in trying out Google Chrome OS Flex on the old Mac, which basically turns the older Mac into a Chromebook.  

One potential advantage to this is the Mac gets an operating system that still receives security updates, whereas some old Mac models that are otherwise perfectly great running machines may no longer receive MacOS security updates, and that matters to some users. You also get to tinker around with a different operating system, based on the Chrome web browser. And perhaps you’ll be able to breathe new life into that older Mac that’s otherwise collecting dust? 

A downside however, is that by installing Chrome OS Flex onto the older Mac, the Mac will no longer have MacOS on the computer, since Chrome OS becomes the operating system on that Mac.

Google Chrome OS Flex runs on any Mac from 2010 or newer, so you can get Chrome OS running on hardware that has long stopped being supported by Apple.

If converting an older Mac into a Chromebook appeals to you, you will need a USB flash drive that is 8GB or larger (this becomes the installer drive for Chrome OS), the Chrome web browser (this is where the initial config tool and installer is made), and the Mac must have at least 16GB of storage, and be from the 2010 model year or later.

How to Install Chrome OS Flex on Older Mac

To try this out yourself, you’ll need the Chrome browser. You will also need to be comfortable erasing everything on the old Mac because you need to erase MacOS and all data in order to install Chrome OS Flex on the computer. Do not proceed if you don’t wish to permanently erase that Mac, and do not proceed without a backup of your stuff.

        1. Launch the Chrome web browser on any Mac (you can use a different Mac to create the installer from the destination Mac)

        2. Get Chromebook Recovery Utility here for the Chrome browser and install the extension

         3. Open Chromebook Recovery Utility within Chrome, and select “Google Chrome OS Flex” as the Chromebook you wish to setup

         4. Insert the USB drive you want to turn into the Chrome OS Flex installer then proceed with the creation of the installer drive 

        5. When the USB installer drive has finished being created, connect it to the Mac you want to format and turn into the Chromebook

        6. With the Chrome OS Flex USB installer drive connected to the Mac, reboot the old Mac and hold down the OPTION key, then select the Chrome OS installer from the boot options menu

        7. Proceed with the installation as shown on screen

        8. Your old Mac will boot into Chrome OS Flex when finished

 You’ll soon be booted into the Chrome OS Flex operating system, and the Chrome OS desktop.

Chrome OS is basically an operating system centered around the Chrome web browser, and you’ll have access to all of the Google apps and tools you’re familiar with, including the Chrome browser, Google Docs, Google Sheets, YouTube, YouTube Studio, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Gmail, and more.

 

 Red: OsxDaily

How to Run Windows 11 for free on M1 Mac

 If you want to run Windows 11 on your M1 Mac, you can now do that, and perhaps best of all, you can run Windows 11 in a virtual machine on the M1 Mac entirely for free. 

We’ll be covering how to install, setup, and run Windows 11 ARM on any Apple Silicon Mac, whether it has an M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, or any other M chip does not matter, it will work just fine thanks to the UTM app.

Note this particular walkthrough is geared specifically for Apple Silicon Macs. Intel Macs offer many other ways to run Windows 11 in virtual machines like within VirtualBox, VMware, Parallels, etc,

 step :

        1. Download the UTM app for free, it’s a virtualizer and emulator application, and drag to the Applications folder to install it on the Mac 

        2. Download the Windows 11 VM for ARM free from Microsoft here (you will need a Windows Insider login for this, which is free to sign up for if you don’t have one already)

 

       3. Open UTM on the Mac, then click the + plus button to create a new virtual machine

        4. Choose “Virtualize” from the ‘I Want to” screen, then select Windows

 

        5. Click the “Browse” button and select the Windows 11 VHDX ARM image you downloaded,             with “Import Image” selected, then click Next

         6. Choose the amount of RAM and CPU cores you want to designate to Windows 11 (recommend             to give 8GB RAM or more for better performance), then click Next again

        7. At the Summary screen, choose “Save”

        8. Now click the big Play button to boot the Windows 11 VM and begin setup

        9. Walk through the Windows 11 setup process as usual, choosing your region, account name, etc – Note that networking and internet will not work yet, that takes an additional setup process which             we’ll cover in a moment – thus choose that you have no network connectivity for now and let                 Windows 11 set itself up

 

        10. Wait a few minutes and Windows 11 will launch running in the VM on the M1 Mac

        11. To get internet access working in the Windows 11 VM, download the SPICE Guest Tools ISO here from the UTM website 

        12.  In the active Windows 11 VM, click the disc icon in the toolbar and choose CD/DVD Iso > Change > and select the spice-guest-tools-xxx.iso file you just downloaded

 

        13. Open the mounted D:\ drive in Windows Explorer, then run the SPICE Guest Tools installer in Windows, then restart the VM when installation is finished

        14. The VM will reboot and Windows 11 will now be connected to the internet, confirm this by opening up the Edge browser and visiting a fantastic website

     

And there you have it, you’re running Windows 11 ARM on a Mac with an Apple Silicon processor.

Remember, you must install the SPICE guest tools to have internet access available in the Windows 11 virtual machine, and without it you will not be able to get the virtual machine online. 

 

Windows 11 ARM runs pretty well on a Mac, though performance with UTM may not be quite as good as some of the other virtualization tools you’ve become accustomed to elsewhere. But as a free solution that is simple to setup, this is more than workable and usable. 

         

Red : OsxDaily

Why Camera Freezing on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7+ ? How Fixing it?

Some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users have discovered their wonderful camera freezes on open and randomly does not work.

When this happens it’s quite obvious; the user attempts to open the Camera either from the lock screen or the Camera app directly, and instead of having access to the camera, either a stuck blank black screen will show up on the camera display or a blurred image will show up on the camera display, and the iPhone is unable to take any picture or video.

Given that most iPhone users rely on it as their primary camera, and the emphasis Apple continuously places on using the iPhone as a camera for all of your photography needs, this is a pretty annoying bug.

While there is no great way to resolve this problem, there is a rather blunt-force solution to fix the stuck iPhone 7 camera issue.

Forcibly reboot the iPhone.

Yes, a forced restart is a decidedly low-tech solution but it works. Unfortunately simply quitting the camera app is not sufficient, you must reboot the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus to get the camera to function reliably again.
If you have not rebooted the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus yet, it’s slightly different from restarting prior iPhone models; rather than holding down the Home button you hold down the lower volume button, here is how you reboot the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models, which will fix the frozen camera problem:

• Hold down Power button and the volume down button until the  Apple logo appears on the iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus screen

Once the iPhone boots up again as normal, access the camera and it will work as intended (for a while anyway, it may randomly freeze up again and require another restart down the road). This is more of a temporary workaround than a true fix since it can happen again, so perhaps a future iOS update will permanently fix the issue.

Here are two examples of what a frozen iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus camera looks like, I personally encounter this issue a few times a week on a device updated to the latest iOS version:

iPhone 7 Plus camera frozen on all-black screen:

 
 iPhone 7 Plus camera frozen on a blurred image:

The iPhone 7 freezing camera issue a well documented problem on YouTube and throughout various discussion forums on Apple support site and elsewhere on the web (1, 2, 3, 4, etc). Oddly enough, release notes in iOS 10.1 noted a bug fix for a similar camera app issue, but the bug persists in the latest versions of iOS including iOS 10.2 and 10.2.1 for some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users.

It’s likely the freezing camera issue will be fixed once and for all in a future iOS software update for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users, since it is probably software related and not a hardware problem. As always, be sure to keep your iOS devices updated to the latest software versions to receive these bug fixes. You can update iOS system software on an iPhone in the Settings app > General > Software Update.

Since almost all iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners likely have their devices under warranty, another option is to contact official Apple Support and let see if they can offer a more permanent solution. Some reports online indicate Apple has swapped out cameras or the entire devices if the issue persists for some users, so if you frequently encounter the problem you may want to go that route.

Have you experienced the frozen camera issue? Did this work for you? Do you have another solution to resolve the frozen camera problem on iPhone 7? Let us know in the comments.


source: http://osxdaily.com

How using iCloud Password to Login & Unlock Mac OS X

Rather than remembering a separate password and set of login information for unlocking a Mac, OS X offers the option to use an iCloud password to login to the computer at boot, reboot, authentication, locked screens, and all login windows instead. This is a helpful feature for users who like to keep things simple and use a single login and password for all Apple related tasks on their Mac, since the Apple ID can access iCloud, the App Store, iTunes Store, Mac App Store, FileVault, and quite a bit more.

llowing an Apple ID and iCloud password to unlock a Mac and login to OS X is quite simple, and when setting up a new Mac or a clean install with OS X Yosemite you may opt to do so directly, otherwise it can be enabled at any time by toggling the feature on. For the average Mac user, this can be an incredibly useful feature, but while this undoubtedly has significant conveniences, using a single login and password for multiple events is not necessarily recommended in all environments, and many advanced users in high security situations will find this feature inappropriate for their usage.

Enable iCloud Password Login and Unlock Mac with OS X

Using an iCloud password for logging into and unlocking a Mac requires a modern version of OS X that has iCloud configured, and the Mac must have internet access to set this up:

1. Go to the  Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” from the dropdown menu
2. Choose the “Users & Groups” panel and select the primary Mac login from the left side, this is the account you will associate the Apple ID / iCloud password for unlocking and using 
   
3. Click the “Change Password” button next to the users name
4. At the prompt “Would you like to change the password for “User Name”, or begin using your iCloud password to log in and unlock this Mac? You will only need to remember one password if you use your iCloud password to log in to this Mac.” – choose “Use iCloud Password…” 
   
5. Enter the old password, then login with the iCloud account (your Apple ID) and the associated password, choosing “Use iCloud Password” to set this as the login for the Mac
   
6. Close out of System Preferences when finished

The next time you’re at a login screen, either after system reboot, on network logins, at Fast User Switching login, a locked Mac screen, authenticating the root user, authenticating for administrative purposes, or just about any other imaginable situation where you’d be unlocking a Mac with a login screen in OS X, you’ll now use the Apple ID and iCloud password to login to the Mac.

Effectively, your Apple ID becomes your user name and the iCloud password becomes your login password. Once this is configured, you” use that iCloud Password to login & unlock Mac OS X.

 While this does reduce the total number of logins and passwords necessary to remember, one potential issue with using the iCloud password for unlocking the Mac is that if you happen if you course if you lost your Apple ID password and login details, you’d need to recover it before being able to login to the Mac, as the Apple ID would no longer be able to function as a backup password in a forgotten password situation, which is something you can do when you have a separate password configured for logging into OS X and for the general Apple ID and iCloud experience.

If you decide you don’t want to use the iCloud password for your own unlocking and logging in purposes, you can still set it as a valid network login option for not only your own user account, but for other iCloud users with an Apple ID as well.

red:Osxdaily 

Released, iOS 8.3 Beta 4 to Developer and Public Beta to Users

Apple has released the fourth beta release of iOS 8.3 to those registered with the iOS developer program, or who are participating in the iOS Public Beta. The build is versioned as 12F5061 and is available now for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

The simplest way to install iOS 8.3 beta 4 is through the Over-the-Air software update mechanism on the iOS device. This is accessible through Settings > General > Software Update. As always, back up the device before updating system software, this is particularly important when that iOS software is a beta version. Additionally, it is not advised to run beta software on a primary device.

The new beta build IPSW can also be downloaded from the iOS Dev Center for those registered with Apple.

iOS 8.3 continues to focus on improvements, bug fixes, and feature enhancements, and the version is expected to include new diverse Emoji icons, wireless CarPlay connectivity, Apple Pay improvements, new languages for Siri, and Google 2-factor authentication support.

While this is the fourth beta of iOS 8.3 overall, this is the second release available to Public Beta users of iOS. There is no known timeline for iOS 8.3 being released to the general public, but one could reasonably expect a final version to arrive before Apple Watch debuts.

Separately, Apple has also made Xcode 6.3 beta 4 available to iOS developers.

red:Osxdaily 

Released OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite Beta 5, anyone dare testing it?

Apple has released a fifth beta version of OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 to those participating in the OS X
Public Beta program, or registered in the Mac Developer program. The new build arrives as build number 14D113c and continues to include a focus on the new Photos app for OS X, along with other bug fixes and feature improvements.

The new beta version is available to download now from the software update mechanism of the Mac App Store, refreshing the Updates tab should reveal the download if it’s not seen immediately.

An update to the Yosemite Recovery drive is also available with the OS X 10.10.3 beta 5 download.

There is no known timeline for OS X 10.10.3 to debut, though Apple has stated that the Photos app will be available sometime in “early 2015″. With that said, the beta release schedule is clearing picking up steam, and it’s quite likely that we’ll see a public release of OS X 10.10.3 sooner than later. Apple typically goes through multiple beta versions before unveiling a final build to the public.

The new OS X Photos app will replace iPhoto for Mac, the app looks and feels quite similar to the Photos app experience in iOS that many users have become accustomed to.

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AOKP KitKat nightlies now available

Earlier today we reported on Paranoid Android’s first release of its AOSPA4+ ROM, but that’s not the only custom ROM bringing out some Android KitKat goodness over the holiday week.

On Christmas day AOKP released its first nightly builds of Android 4.4.2 for all newer Nexus devices, the Galaxy Nexus and quite a few popular handsets including the Galaxy S4, GS3, HTC One and Xperia T and V.

Not all of the officially supported AOKP devices have seen the release of nightlies yet, but at least the biggest hitters are covered and we imagine more devices will be added in the weeks to come.

Keep in mind that nightly builds aren’t for everyone. If you are looking for a completely stable Android experience with no need for additional troubleshooting, you probably should wait for a more stable release. It’s also important to note that installing the AOKP nightly ROM will require a full data wipe.

To download the ROM for yourself or for installation instructions, be sure to head on over the AOKP blog.

red:Androidauthority

Download now KitKat-based Paranoid Android AOSPA4+ ROM

On Christmas Eve, the Paranoid Android team took the wraps off their very first release of its AOSPA4+ ROM, which of course features Android 4.4 KitKat onboard.

The ROM itself seems to work very well, but keep in mind that this is an early release and therefore is missing quite a few PA features such as Halo, Pie and the Hybrid engine. Of course we can expect these features to be added back into the mix in future ROM releases.

Here’s a full change-log of all the features contained in the current ROM release:

Initial Release – AOSPA 4.0 Beta <2013-12-24>

• Built-in SuperSu
• Advanced Power Menu
• Enhanced Volume Buttons
• Enhanced Volume Controls
• Global Immersive Mode Toggle
• Notification LED Light Controls
• Actionable Status Bar Date/Time
• Keyguard Quick Unlock [standard]
• Disable full screen keyboard [standard]
• Basic file browser (Documents <from Omni>)
• Exposed Google’s Native App Privacy Controls
• Recent/Clear All Button Combo (context aware)
• Screenshot Delete Added to Screenshot Notification
• Optional Lock Screen Transparency (blur effect WIP)
• Optional Status Bar Battery Icons (mirrored in quick settings)
• Quick Settings 2.0 (edit tiles from within the pull down panel)

As for device support, the ROM will work with the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2012/2013) and the Nexus 10. The PA team plans to release a build for the Oppo N1 in the near future as well.

For more details on the latest PA ROM, you’ll want to head here. To download the ROM for yourself, be sure to head to their official download portal.

Well it's good news for android developer..

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Oppo Find 7 with a resolution of 1440×2560

Just like we saw with the Oppo N1, Oppo has begun the process of slowly releasing new information about its upcoming Find 7 handset via a series of teasers meant to bring both attention and improved international brand recognition to the still relatively unknown manufacturer.

In an earlier teaser, Oppo revealed the Find 7 would be one of the world’s first handsets with a 1440×2560 (aka 2k) resolution. Now the company has unveiled the device’s screen size: it will be 5.5-inches with a ppi of 538.

The teaser also says the handset will be a 5.5-inch handset with the “feel” of a device with a 5-inch display, which may indicate that Oppo is following LG’s example with the G2 and moving things around so they can put a bigger display in less space — though keep in mind that’s just speculation on our part.

Aside from the screen size and resolution, we know very little else about the handset. Turning to the rumor mill however, the Find 7 could reportedly feature a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU, 3GB RAM, a 13MP shooter, an Adreno 450 GPU and a 4000 mAh battery. Of course these specs have yet to be confirmed, so take them with a grain of salt.

As for when we’ll see the Oppo Find 7 officially announced, that’s harder to say. More than likely though, Oppo will continue the teasing for at least a few more weeks, and will take the wraps off the FInd 7 completely sometime in early-2014.

With $599, Oppo N1 CyanogenMod Edition ready to market

As expected the Cyanogenmod-powered Oppo N1 has arrived, available for the same $599 price tag as the standard N1, but featuring custom packaging, a CyanogenMod phone case, the O-Click remote shutter, some Cyanogenmod stickers and – of course – CyanogenMod 10.2! If that’s not enough for you, the shipping is also included for free.

Aside from the unique packaging and default installation of CM10.2, there’s not much difference between the standard N1 and the CM Edition. Spec-wise we are still looking at a 5.9-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 600 CPU and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB storage, rear touch panel, a rotating 13MP camera and a 3600mAh battery.

As an extra bonus for those that like to tinker, CyanogenMod Inc has also released the source code and factory images for the Oppo N1 CM Edition.

So should you pick up the CM Edition or the regular version of the handset? Honestly, it really depends on what type of experience you’re looking for out of the box.

If you’re a fan of Cyanogenmod and looking for a pre-installed experience with a few extras, you can’t go wrong here. Then again, if you’re more of the DIY-type, you could always snag the standard Oppo N1 and flash the upcoming official Oppo N1 CyanogenMod ROM.

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