Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 5th Edition


Book Description

Manage your schedule more effectively using Calendar and Reminders! Version 5.0, updated November 16, 2023 Learn how to unlock the full potential of Apple’s Calendar and Reminders! This book helps you get the most out of these two apps, showing you how to customize them, sync data across devices, and share meeting invitations and reminder lists. You’ll also learn how to use Siri as a shortcut and how to fix common problems.n In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple’s Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. This book was originally written by veteran Mac journalist and editor Scholle McFarland, and the fifth edition was revised by Glenn Fleishman, with complete coverage of macOS 14 Sonoma, macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 17/iPadOS 17, iOS 16/iPadOS 16, and watchOS 10 (and considerably more information about using these apps on an iPhone or iPad than in previous editions). Scholle and Glenn guide you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that Calendar lets you set an alert that factors in public transportation schedules and time to get to your starting point, so you can leave early enough to catch the train, bus, tram, or ferry you need—and any connections—and arrive at your event on time? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you’ve reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you’ve never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you’ve already been using Calendar and Reminders, you’ll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. Learn how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: • Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars • Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates • Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event • Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them • Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders, including powerful new smart lists • Organize reminder lists into categories and optionally view them in columns • Designate a list as a grocery list, so that items auto-sort into supermarket departments • Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place • Tag entries for better searching and organizing in Reminders • Use Siri to save time when creating events or reminders • Easily check events and reminders on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod • Troubleshoot common problems in Calendar and Reminders • Share calendars and reminders using iCloud Family Sharing, and assign reminders to a specific person • Sort reminders on your Mac • Print a calendar (to paper or PDF) • Embed video links in Calendar events for quick launching




Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 3rd Edition


Book Description

Manage your schedule more effectively using Calendar and Reminders! Version 3.0, updated January 26, 2021 Learn how to unlock the full potential of Apple's Calendar and Reminders! In Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, Mac expert Scholle McFarland helps you get the most out of these apps, showing you how to customize them, sync data across devices, and share meeting invitations and reminder lists. You'll also learn how to use Siri as a shortcut, and how to fix common problems. In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple's Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. In this book, veteran Mac journalist and editor Scholle McFarland will guide you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that in Calendar you can set an alert for when you need to leave for an event, based on the travel time calculated using the location you entered for the event? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you've reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you've never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you've already been using Calendar and Reminders, you'll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. This fully revised third edition is now fully up to date with Big Sur and iOS 14/iPadOS 14, and it has been expanded with new topics and additional tips. Let Scholle walk you through how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place Use Siri to save ti ...




Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 2nd Edition


Book Description

In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple's Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. In this book, veteran Mac journalist and editor Scholle McFarland will guide you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that in Calendar you can set an alert for when you need to leave for an event, based on the travel time calculated using the location you entered for the event? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you've reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you've never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you've already been using Calendar and Reminders, you'll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. This fully revised second edition is now fully up to date with Catalina and iOS 13/iPadOS 13, and it has been expanded with new topics and lots of additional tips. Let Scholle walk you through how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place Use Siri to save time when creating events or reminders Use Siri Shortcuts to automate common tasks with Calendar and Reminders Easily check events and reminders on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch Troubleshoot common problems in Calendar and Reminders Share calendars and reminders using iCloud Family Sharing Sort reminders on your Mac Print a calendar (to paper or PDF).




Take Control of Calendar and Reminders


Book Description

Learn how to unlock the full potential of Apple's Calendar and Reminders! "Take Control of Calendar and Reminders" helps you get the most out of these apps, showing you how to customize them, sync data across devices, and share meeting invitations and reminder lists. You'll also learn how to use Siri as a shortcut and how to fix common problems.







Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, 1st Edition


Book Description

Manage your schedule more effectively using Calendar and Reminders! In the days before personal computers and mobile devices, we had to rely on paper calendars and to-do lists to help us organize our time and activities. Now, we have powerful tools, like Apple's Calendar and Reminders, that are much more responsive to our needs. Put an event on your schedule, invite others to join, or set yourself an alarm (or more than one). Or, keep a list of to-do items, add to it and view it on all your Apple devices, and share your list with family or friends. In this book, veteran Mac journalist and editor Scholle McFarland will guide you through getting to know these incredibly helpful apps, including lesser-known (but handy) features. For example, did you know that in Calendar you can set an alert for when you need to leave for an event, based on the travel time calculated using the location you entered for the event? Or that Reminders can prompt you to do something not only at a certain time, but also once you've reached a specific destination, like the grocery store? If you've never taken the opportunity to explore Calendar and Reminders, this book will show you how to make them an important part of your daily routine. If you've already been using Calendar and Reminders, you'll learn how to use them more effectively, troubleshoot common problems, and delve deeper into their capabilities. Whip your schedule into shape and tame your to-do lists with Take Control of Calendar and Reminders! Let Scholle walk you through how to get the best out of Calendar and Reminders, including how to: Customize Calendar to your liking, from setting time zones, to color coding specific calendars Create events, making them repeat at regular intervals or on certain dates Set up notifications and alerts, so you never miss an event Invite people to events, or share your calendar with them Create, manage, and share lists in Reminders Set alarms in Reminders at a certain time or a certain place Use Siri to save time when creating events or reminders Easily check events and reminders on your Mac, iPhone, or Apple Watch Troubleshoot common problems in Calendar and Reminders Share calendars and reminders using iCloud Family Sharing.




Take Control of Your Productivity


Book Description

Increase Productivity and Reduce Stress! Version 1.1, updated 03/25/2020 Being productive is never as simple as putting items on a calendar or to do list and checking them off. Most of us struggle with too much to do, too little time, and only a vague idea of how to plan each day so we can achieve the best results with the least stress. If that sounds like you (and especially if you’ve tried a bunch of productivity systems and found them lacking), Jeff Porten’s expert guidance may be just what you need. As a professional technology consultant and an early adopter of both hardware and software, Jeff has tried nearly every productivity management system out there, and experimented with dozens of implementation styles. He brings his decades of experience to this book, helping you create a customized strategy that’s ideal for your needs, and—crucially—avoid common mistakes. Whether you’re a productivity junkie or someone who has struggled for years with a cobbled-together, informal task-management system, this book will help you get a much better grip on your personal and business time. In this book, you’ll: • Review the principles of successful planning—whether for immediate projects or for long-term and someday goals. • Understand your natural working style and preferences, including comfortable habits that may not be productive but that you don’t want to change, and create a more effective workflow that fits you. • Discover the best ways to think about projects, tasks, events, due dates, flags, contexts, and more. • Choose a task-management app that’s appropriate for your needs, no matter what devices and operating systems you use, and that integrates with your calendar, reminders, notes, and the apps you use to actually do things. • Develop a step-by-step process for tracking all your events and tasks and ensuring that everything happens in the right order. • Transition from an old system to your new system without worrying that anything will fall through the cracks. • Learn exactly how to keep track of all the things you need to remember throughout the day. • Improve your time-estimation skills when planning how long future tasks and projects will take. • Solve the problem of “10-minute tasks” that become all-day projects because they have a dozen things you discover you need to do first. • Get better at managing other people (and their expectations of you). • Review how well your productivity system has worked over time, using feedback loops and suggested best practices to continually improve your workflow. • Fail successfully! If something goes wrong—from a derailing large project to a life-changing crisis—learn how to recover gracefully and improve your system the next time around. • Know when and how to make changes to meet any new needs you have, and to ensure that what you do every Tuesday at 2 PM contributes to your overarching goals and most important roles in life. Although many of the examples in the book refer to Mac productivity tools, the advice is platform-neutral. The book contains tips applicable to any combination of operating systems, and a companion webpage provides additional details on apps running on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web.




Take Control of Siri, 2nd Edition


Book Description

Make the most of Apple’s digital assistant! Version 2.0, published December 22, 2020 When it comes to using your Apple devices, Siri is increasingly the hands-free, time-saving, and fun technology that ties everything together. Whether you want to ask a question, make a call, find your iPhone, or set a timer—not only can Siri do it, but it usually offers the fastest way. This book explores how to get the most out of Siri on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, and HomePod. Siri, Apple's voice-controlled digital assistant, has been around since 2011, when it debuted on the iPhone. But since then, it has become vastly more powerful and useful, and has spread across Apple's entire ecosystem—it now runs on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod. Siri can listen and speak in a wide range of languages and accents, perform a long list of helpful day-to-day tasks, and keep you entertained in the process. Although Siri is easy to use, it's so multitalented that you might easily overlook some of its best features. In this book, former Macworld editor Scholle McFarland takes you deep into Siri's capabilities. You'll learn tons of tips and tricks about making the most of Siri. Discover how Siri can increase your efficiency and productivity, lend a hand when you're in the car or out for a jog, and even make it simpler to play music or find movies and TV shows to watch. Among many other things, this book teaches you: • What hardware and software you need to use Siri • How to change Siri's language and voice • Ways to personalize Siri by telling it about yourself, your contacts, and more • The numerous ways to activate Siri (by touch or by voice) • How to use Siri with AirPods, wired earbuds, or third-party headphones • What to do if the wrong device answers your "Hey Siri" request • How to ask Siri about sports, math and conversions, time, food, health, movies, people, stocks, the weather, jokes, real-world sounds, and random facts • Tips for asking Siri follow-up questions • How to control music (on any device, with or without an Apple Music subscription) • Techniques for using Siri to get directions, set reminders and appointments, send messages and email, and take notes • Ways to use Siri to search for files on your Mac • What Siri can and can't do for you on an Apple TV or HomePod • How to make and use Shortcuts for use with Siri on an iOS/iPadOS device or Apple Watch • How to get your HomePod to recognize different people's voices • Everything you need to know about your privacy where Siri is involved Plus bonus videos! Since Siri is an audio-based, interactive tool, there are some things that are more readily demonstrated than written about. So Scholle has put together a series of videos that illustrate techniques from her book, allowing you to see and hear exactly what happens as you use Siri. Whether you're new to Siri or a seasoned pro, you're sure to find lots of tricks and suggestions in this book to improve your experience of using Siri.




Take Control of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17


Book Description

Teach your iPhone or iPad new tricks Version 1.2, published April 3, 2024 Josh Centers is back with his tenth book on Apple's mobile operating systems. This guide for users of iPhones and iPads explores the new features and interface changes in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. It also covers iOS and iPadOS basics, such as working with the Lock screen, Control Center, and Home screen, and using built-in apps like Camera, Messages, and Siri.n Whether you're upgrading an iPhone or iPad to Apple's latest mobile operating systems or trying to master the obscure ins and outs of your device, Take Control of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is here to help. As he has done since 2014, Josh Centers explores what's new and different in this year's releases, including Contact Posters, improved autocorrect and predictive text, interactive Home screen widgets, accessibility improvements, offline maps, animated video reactions, and much more. In addition, the book includes information about many basic iPhone and iPad features, even if they haven't changed recently. Although this book is not intended as a comprehensive guide to everything an iPhone or iPad can do, it's suitable for beginners and long-time iOS/iPadOS users alike. Among the many topics covered in the book are: • A complete list of what’s new in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 • How to create and use Contact Posters • Working with interactive Home screen widgets • Using Live Speech and Personal Voice to assist in communication • Adding animated reactions to video calls • How to use new features in apps like Find My, Freeform, Health, Home, Notes, Reminders, and Safari • Downloading maps for offline use • Information on what each of the built-in apps does • How to use and customize the Lock screen, Control Center, and Home screen • Creating and using Focus modes for enhanced "Do Not Disturb" settings • Using Handoff to start tasks on one device and then continue them on another • How to search with Spotlight • Making the most of Siri for getting information and performing tasks • Working with keyboards (built-in and external) for text editing, emojis, and more • Sharing almost any content with others in a variety of ways • Special iPad-exclusive features (including Stage Manager on iPads with Apple M-series chips) • How to communicate using Apple's Messages app • Using the built-in Camera app for photos and videos • Configuring your device's accessibility features, including Live Captions for real-time transcriptions of audio




Take Control of Ventura


Book Description

Meet the latest version of macOS Version 1.2, updated May 11, 2023 macOS 13 Ventura brings important new usability, security, and convenience features to your Mac. Learn how to upgrade your Mac from an earlier version of macOS, find your way around the new system, and make use of the interesting new capabilities such as Stage Manager, Passkeys, and even a way to use your iPhone as a webcam. macOS 13 Ventura may look a lot like its predecessor, macOS 12 Monterey, but it packs a lot of useful new features (along with some potentially confusing user interface choices). Joe Kissell once again provides a complete guide to the upgrade process, as well as an in-depth look at what's new. While Stage Manager provides yet another way to manage your windows, apps like Mail and Messages finally offer solutions to longstanding irritations, Continuity Camera learns some fancy new tricks, and macOS offers even more options to manage your privacy and security. Take Control of Ventura walks you through all these changes. This book teaches you things like: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Ventura • Steps you should take before upgrading • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • Adapting to the sometimes-confusing new System Settings app, which replaces System Preferences • Managing windows and apps with Stage Manager • New Mail features—undo sending a message, schedule a message, follow up on messages awaiting replies, and more • Editing or unsending messages in the Messages app • Using new Safari 16 features, such as shared tab groups and editable suggested passwords • Understanding passkeys, which promise to replace passwords in many places—eventually • How to share a Photos library with family and friends • Using Continuity Camera to turn your iPhone into a webcam • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements, new features in Focus and Dictation, and expanded Live Text capabilities • How to use the brand-new Weather app • Improvements to bundled apps, including FaceTime, Maps, Notes, Reminders, and more