by Steve Sorbo | Jul 1, 2024 | Uncategorized
Long ago, to get ready for a trip, we’d mostly make sure we had our plane tickets, books and magazines to read, and a snack. Prepping for travel in today’s tech-heavy world comes with a new set of tasks, most of which shouldn’t be left to the last minute.
Identify Devices, Chargers, and Cables to Bring
Resist the temptation to bring every piece of tech you have. Do you really need your iPad and MacBook Air if you’re not planning to work on vacation? Is a point-and-shoot camera worthwhile if you take most of your photos with your iPhone?
Once you’ve selected your preferred devices, think about charging. At a minimum, you’ll need chargers for all your devices every night. You may not find many power outlets or be able to access them easily, so a compact power strip is often helpful, especially if it comes with USB Type-A and USB-C ports. Multi-device wireless chargers can also reduce the number of wall chargers and cables. If you’re traveling abroad, a power adapter is essential—you can find units that support multiple devices.
Make sure to pack the right charging cables for your devices. Increasingly, that means USB-C cables, but remember that most public charging ports in airplanes and hotels will still be USB Type A, so bring an appropriate cable or adapter for such situations.
Portable battery packs can be a lifesaver, such as for late-night transit navigation after you’ve run down your iPhone’s battery taking photos and videos during the day. Unless the battery pack has integrated cables, ensure that you carry the right cables with you every day.
Prep Updates, Backups, Apps, and Entertainment
We always encourage staying up to date on operating system updates for security reasons. It’s especially important to update before leaving on a trip where you may be in less secure situations. Don’t leave those updates for the night before you leave! The device you’re updating won’t be usable while the update installs, which may be stressful, and in the rare case where something goes wrong, you’ll need extra time to recover. Always update your devices and apps at least a few days before leaving.
It’s also important to make backups before you leave. It’s easy for a device to be damaged, lost, or stolen while you’re traveling, and a backup is essential for recovery. For Macs, make sure your Time Machine and other local backups are current. For iPhones and iPads, iCloud backups are best while traveling because you can continue to back up while away, and if you have to replace a lost iPhone on the road, you can restore from your iCloud backup wherever you are.
You may find a new set of apps helpful on your trip, and some may be essential for checking in for flights, going through customs, and more. If you’re flying, configure your airline’s app to know about your flight and add your boarding passes to Apple’s Wallet app. Paper copies of travel documents are worthwhile in the event of your iPhone being damaged, lost, or stolen. Travel guides for specific locations and itinerary planners like TripIt may also be helpful, though you can also track your travel and itinerary in Notes, which you can share with fellow travelers. An app like Flighty can help you track your flights and better react to delays.
Even if you prefer Apple Maps or Google Maps, having the other available when you travel is worth it. One or the other may work better in certain places or with certain types of navigation, like city transit. Connectivity isn’t always guaranteed while traveling, so download maps ahead of time in both Apple Maps and Google Maps.
If you’re heading to a country where you don’t speak the language, make sure you can quickly access Apple’s Translate app. Also get Google Translate so you can find out which you prefer. Both translate text you enter, text you focus on with the camera, and the contents of conversations.
It’s always best to load enough ebooks, podcasts, and videos on your iPhone or iPad so you don’t run out of something to do during downtime when there’s no connectivity. With ebooks, if you’re not already using Libby to access your public library, give it a try. It’s easy to download episodes in most podcast apps. And nearly all streaming apps like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix allow downloading. That said, leave plenty of free space for taking photos and videos on your travels.
Investigate Cellular Connectivity Options
Cellular Internet access isn’t usually an issue when you travel within your home country as long as you don’t have a data cap. But when traveling internationally, you need to plan for how you’ll get cell service. Your carrier may have an international roaming plan, but those are often massively overpriced. Instead, look to an international roaming provider such as Airalo, Airhub, and Nomad.
Factors to consider when choosing an international roaming provider include the provider’s network coverage at your destination, how much data you’ll need, whether you’ll also need voice and SMS support, the duration of your trip, and whether your iPhone supports eSIM technology.
Protect Tech You Leave Home
Don’t forget the tech you’re leaving behind. Shut down your Macs and unplug anything not protected by an uninterruptible power supply. That way, a power surge or lightning strike won’t hurt anything.
Unplug your Time Machine and other local backup drives and hide them in a secure location—you don’t want to lose both your Mac and your backups in the event of a burglary.
If you use HomeKit, set up automations to turn lights on and off to make it seem like you’re home. Make sure you can remotely access home monitoring systems like security cameras. Consider a motion sensor like the Kini to report on doors or items that shouldn’t move (unauthorized access) or should move regularly (a scheduled pet sitter).
We know that can sound like a lot, but you want to avoid the aggravation of arriving at your destination only to discover that you forgot a necessary cable or can’t get Internet access. An excellent way to remember everything is to use an app like Packing Pro, which lets you develop (and reuse) lists of items and tasks.
Have a great trip!
(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Diamond Dogs)
Social Media: Planning a vacation this summer? A little tech prep can help ensure that your devices don’t let you down while you’re away. We have advice for what to bring, essential apps, and more.
by Steve Sorbo | Jul 1, 2024 | Uncategorized
Although most Mac users rely on Apple’s Safari for Web browsing, plenty of people prefer Google Chrome for its cross-platform compatibility, massive collection of extensions, and tight integration with the Google ecosystem. Chrome is by far the most popular browser in the world, with about 65% of the market, compared to Safari’s 18%. Still others opt for alternative browsers based on the same open-source Chromium engine, such as Arc, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi.
Unfortunately, Chrome’s dominance makes it a target for attackers in two ways. First, attackers may attempt to find vulnerabilities that would let them steal data or compromise credentials. Second, although Google reviews extensions submitted to the Chrome Web Store, researchers have discovered malicious extensions with millions of downloads. To keep your copy of Chrome secure, we recommend two things: relaunch the browser regularly and be careful with extensions.
Relaunch Chrome to Install Updates
Google Chrome and all the other Chromium-based browsers update themselves automatically. Sort of. While the browser is running, it downloads the latest update but doesn’t install it until you quit and relaunch. Since both macOS and most apps are highly reliable, many people go weeks or even months without relaunching, leaving Chrome vulnerable to recent security exploits. You can check if you’re running the latest version or need to install an update by choosing Chrome > About Google Chrome. (Some extensions, like 1Password, even refuse to run when an update is required.)
In other words, it’s important that you quit and relaunch Chrome and any other Chromium browsers regularly—we recommend a weekly schedule to match Google’s schedule for security updates. There’s no need to worry about losing your open tabs as long as you set Chrome to “Continue where you left off” in Chrome > Settings > On Startup. All the Chromium-based browsers have a similar setting. (While we’re on the topic, remember that it’s also a good idea to restart your Mac occasionally!)
There is one exception among the alternative browsers: Arc. Its developers have figured out how to download and install updates automatically. The feature is still being rolled out to all users, but when enabled, it installs updates when the Mac wakes from sleep rather than forcing the user to quit and relaunch.
Be Careful with Chrome Extensions
Chrome extensions can be both a blessing and a curse. There are vastly more Chrome extensions than Safari extensions, so Chrome and the Chromium browsers enjoy added features that Safari lacks. On the downside, in 2023, researchers discovered dozens of malicious extensions with tens of millions of combined downloads. Google has removed all of them, but many had been on the Chrome Web Store for 6 months or more.
There are over 100,000 extensions in the Chrome Web Store, so while malicious extensions are real, most extensions are legitimate. But if Google can miss them for months or years, how can you reduce the chances of installing something evil? Here’s what we do:
- Reduce the number of extensions you install: The fewer extensions you install, the less likely one is to be malicious or cause other problems. Regularly uninstall any extensions you don’t use from Window > Extensions (the location may vary slightly in the Chromium browsers).
- Only install from the Chrome Web Store: Stick to extensions that have at least gone through Google’s reviews for the Chrome Web Store and avoid direct downloads for extensions.
- Read reviews before installing: Although reviews are no guarantee, if you see people complaining about unusual behavior, that may be a clue that the extension is doing something sketchy.
- Evaluate extension metadata: In general, avoid extensions that aren’t used by many people, that don’t have many reviews, or that aren’t updated frequently. Those aren’t guaranteed signals of a malicious extension but may be a hint to be cautious.
- Review permissions before installing: When you click the Add to Chrome button in the Chrome Web Store, a prompt explains what permissions will be granted to the extension. If they seem unnecessarily broad, cancel the installation.
Don’t stress too much about this. Maintaining good Chrome security comes down to relaunching the browser once a week and being careful about which extensions you use—it’s easy.
(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/ArtemisDiana)
Social Media: If you use Google Chrome or another Chromium browser instead of Safari, you can stay secure by following two simple rules regarding updates and extensions.
by Steve Sorbo | Jul 1, 2024 | Uncategorized
In the early days of the Internet, when most people connected via slow modems, saving bandwidth was a big deal. You could watch images load on Web pages, and you’d have to wait to download a large email attachment before the rest of your email would appear. For most people, in most situations, bandwidth isn’t nearly as big of a deal anymore. The average Internet download speed in the US is nearly 250 megabits per second, such that most Web pages load instantly, email just appears, and we think nothing of having multiple video streams playing at once.
All that’s by way of saying that you don’t have to shrink images that you share in email or Messages in most cases, and doing so can cause problems for recipients. The most common issues people run into are images being too small or fuzzy to see, not matching the dimensions needed for a website, or being too low quality to save for posterity.
There are exceptions. Smaller or lower quality images may make sense when sending or receiving in rural areas with slow Internet connections, places with no Wi-Fi and tenuous cell service, and remote locations with only satellite Internet. In those cases, you’ll either realize that messages are taking a long time to send or hear from the other party that it’s a problem. But, most of the time, it’s best to send actual size images, so let’s look at how you ensure that.
Sending Actual Size Images in Email
How do you ensure you’re not sending downsized images in email? In Mail on Apple’s devices, the details vary slightly depending on which device you are using, but in each case, you want to use the Actual Size option. Neither Gmail nor Outlook suffers from this problem. Here’s what you need to know for each of these email clients:
- Mail on the Mac: When you drop an image into a Mail message, an Image Size menu specifies the size at which it will be sent. Small resizes the longest side to 320 pixels, Medium to 640, and Large to 1280. Actual Size sends the original image, which is what you want. The Image Size menu remembers its setting, so if you send one image in a smaller size, you probably want to reset it to Actual Size for the next one. If you attach multiple images in a single message, they’ll all be resized similarly.
- Mail on the iPad: On the iPad, when you add an image to a message, you’ll see a note in the header information that says something like “Images: 2.9 MB.” Tap anywhere in the header to reveal extra header fields, including an Image Size line with options for the different sizes. Small and Medium work as on the Mac, resizing the longest side to 320 and 640 pixels, and Actual Size sends the original, which is generally what you want. However, Large resizes the image to half the size of the original if appropriate or leaves it alone if not. Multiple images will be resized to the selected size.
- Mail on the iPhone: Because of the iPhone’s smaller screen size, Mail on the iPhone asks how to resize the image(s) after you tap the send button. The results are the same as on the iPad, described above.
- Gmail on the Web: You don’t need to do anything when sending images in Gmail to prevent them from being resized. Although Gmail lets you visibly resize an image with handles and offers Small, Best Fit, and Original options when you click, none of them change the file size or resolution of the image being sent. Only some receiving email apps (including Gmail and Outlook, but not Mail) will display the sent size. Regardless of the visible size, opening an attached image reveals that it’s the original. Note that Gmail has a 25 MB limit on attachments and may refuse to send a message with more than that or may resize images to make them fit. If you need to send an image at a particular size using Gmail, resize it before attaching—see below for a tip on how to do that.
- Outlook on the Mac: You can visibly resize images sent in Outlook on the Mac, but doing so affects only the displayed size, not the file size or resolution of the attached image. Email clients receiving an Outlook-resized image may do so at the sent size, but opening it reveals that it’s the original image. If you need to send an image at a smaller size, resize it before sending—read below for help.
Avoiding Lower-Quality Images in Messages
Although it may seem confusing, keeping images from being resized in email is pretty straightforward. Ensuring that you send full-quality images in Messages is trickier because there are multiple variables in play:
- Turn off Low Quality Image Mode: Make sure you turn off Settings > Messages > Low Quality Image Mode on the iPhone and iPad. (The Mac has no comparable setting.) This mode downsizes images sent via iMessage (blue bubble conversations), making them smaller and lower quality. Only turn it on if it’s paramount that you save bandwidth due to a slow connection or data cap.
- Avoid sending via SMS/MMS: There’s no need for Low Quality Image Mode for messages sent via SMS (green bubble conversations) because the MMS technology used to send images for SMS conversations has size limits that vary by carrier, usually between 500 KB and 3.5 MB. Messages automatically resizes and compresses images to fit within carrier limits. You have no control over this process, which is likely to be unpredictable. If you need to send someone a full-quality image, use email instead of SMS. Happily, in iOS 18, Messages will support the RCS standard that allows full-quality images.
- Prefer high-speed connections: Although Apple doesn’t document anything along these lines, some suggest that Messages may reduce image size or quality when using slow networks. If you (or your recipient) experience issues while using weak cellular connectivity, try again when connected to the Internet via high-speed Wi-Fi.
Bonus Tip: How to Resize an Image Manually
Let’s flip the problem around. Say you use Gmail or Outlook and need to send an image with specific dimensions or a smaller file size than the original. How do you do that easily? Preview! That’s right, Apple’s Preview works well for resizing images and shrinking file sizes.
To resize an image you have open in Preview, choose Tools > Adjust Size and enter the desired width or height into the appropriate field. As long as Scale Proportionally is selected, Preview will automatically set the other dimension to resize the image proportionally. You can choose other units, but pixels is generally best. Preview even reports on the resulting size at the bottom. After you click OK, save the image.
What if you want to reduce an image’s file size without changing its dimensions? With the image open in Preview, choose File > Export, choose JPEG from the Format menu, and move the Quality slider to the left to increase the JPEG compression. Preview reports on the new file size each time you move the slider. You’ll want to export a few tests to determine the best combination of file size and quality.
Generally speaking, changing an image’s dimensions is a better way to reduce file size than increasing compression.
But really, in most cases, just send the original image.
(Featured image by Adam Engst)
Social Media: It’s frustrating to receive a small or fuzzy image via email or Messages. There’s no need for it in most cases, and we explain how you can be sure you’re sending full-size images.
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