Bradley lives in Chattanooga, TN where he manages Apple devices for a private school.
Tips, feedback, corrections and questions can be sent to Bradley@9to5mac.com.
March 1
Starling Home Hub adds two way audio support for Nest Cameras through HomeKit
While Nest products are quite popular, they do lack native HomeKit support. I reviewed the Starling Home Hub a few weeks back, and I’ve found it to be a very reliable way to add HomeKit support to all of Nest’s product lineup.
From the dawn of the smartphone to now, we’ve seen a transformation from mobile communication to truly a pocket computer. As apps became more sophisticated, we had something that allowed us to be notified of almost anything at any time. This obviously led to a problem where we couldn’t distinguish from a text message from our spouse or a breaking news alert from Yahoo Sports. As Apple continued to develop the iPhone, we got features like Do Not Disturb and Do Not Disturb While Driving. As we look ahead to iOS 14, Apple needs a serious expansion of the iPhone Do Not Disturb functionality.
February 29
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Jamf, the standard in Apple management. Learn more at Jamf.com/9to5mac.
Cloud computing is a term thrown around by everyone in today’s enterprise IT environment. For the next few weeks, I want to discuss what cloud computing is, why it’s beneficial for organizations of all sizes, how to build an Apple-focused organization around the cloud, and my experiences.
February 28
Since I started building out my HomeKit home, one of the areas I haven’t touched is my garage doors. I had investigated various adaptors over the years, but I have an off-brand garage door opener that never seemed to be on the compatibility list. I recently came across a model that did work with my particular opener, so I was thrilled to be able to pick it up and get it installed. I’ve had the iSmartGate Pro garage door opener installed for the past few weeks, and I couldn’t be happier with it. If you are looking for a HomeKit garage door opener, read on to see how to it works, and how I am using it. expand full story
February 24
9to5Mac is launching a brand new podcast in March called Apple @ Work. On this podcast, we will look at how businesses and schools use Apple products and related technologies and services to get their work done.
February 23
2020 is the tenth anniversary of the iPad, so there has been a lot of discussion around the best app along with ways to get the most out of the platform and be more productive. However, the Mac is still a great place to work, play, and learn. If you are picking up your first Mac, upgrading from an old one, or just looking to become more efficient, I want to run through some of my essential Mac apps that I am using this year.
February 22
In the past month, I upgraded my Plex server from the 2017 version of the Nvidia Shield to an 8th generation Intel NUC, and I couldn’t be happier. As I was setting it up, I couldn’t help but wonder: why hasn’t Apple made a product like this? Would it be useful in the enterprise? Could it be called the Mac Mini Air? expand full story
February 21
I’ve been using HomeKit for many years, and one of the things I can’t stop buying is outlet switches. In my house, we tend to use lamps a lot more than overhead lights, so when paired with LED bulbs, they make for an energy-efficient way to shine light in hour home. Over the years, I’ve tried multiple HomeKit compatible outlets, and I’ve finally found one that feels like it was made for HomeKit, and it’s thankfully, the least expensive one I’ve tried. Are you looking for the best HomeKit outlet? Read on to find out more. expand full story
February 20
HomeCam 2.0 brings enhanced viewing of HomeKit cameras on iOS, Apple Watch, and Apple TV
Video in the HomeKit ecosystem has come a long way in recent years. As we finished up 2019, we started seeing a rollout of HomeKit Secure Video. As we head into 2020, we’re waiting on a new Doorbell from abode and a new HomeKit Secure Video only option from Eve. As someone who has a lot of devices in the Home app, video cameras can easily get buried. If you have a number of HomeKit cameras, you’ll want to check out HomeCam.
February 16
Over the years, I’ve dabbled with using Spotify instead of Apple Music. Both platforms offer users access to millions of songs and offer a wealth of personalization options. The one thing that has always kept me coming back and sticking with Apple Music is iCloud Music Library. iCloud Music Library is a feature that allows you to upload your own music and have it live right alongside your Apple Music content. It’s a feature that I use frequently, and it’s something Spotify can’t match expand full story
February 15
As someone who’s been managing iPads and Macs for a long time, I know there are a lot of “nooks” where settings are in various mobile device management systems. I’ve learned a lot of things through trial and error as the platforms have evolved, but that isn’t useful for new technicians. A new book was recently published that I feel is essential for anyone who works with Apple products in the enterprise. I just finished reading Apple Device Management: A Unified Theory of Managing Macs, iPads, iPhones, and AppleTVs, and I think it’s going to become the handbook for Apple device management. expand full story
February 14
One of the common questions I get is people asking about HomeKit vs. Amazon Alexa. All of these people have iPhones, but they are starting to dabble in the smart home market, so it can be confusing to see the Home app, but then see “works with Alexa” when browsing on Amazon.com. Once you get invested in a platform, it can be difficult and costly to change. So what’s the best smart home platform to get started with in 2020? expand full story
February 13
Growing up, I was a video game junkie. I played games in all my free time. My first game system was the NES, and the final one I personally owned was the PS2 and original Xbox. I even worked at EBGames (I still don’t accept the EBGames/GameStop merger). I have fond memories of playing Halo at LAN parties, the first time I played Madden online, and being scared to death of Resident Evil 1 when I was in the 6th grade. Once I got married and had kids, I just didn’t have the free time that I had before. Now that my kids are old enough to play games, I’ve been following the industry a bit more, and I just spent a few hours with the Microsoft Project xCloud for iOS preview that we wrote about yesterday. expand full story
February 10
Spike Email for Mac adds new dark mode with HTML newsletter conversion
Spike Email is a popular email app for iOS, macOS, and the web. Spike Email looks similar to an app like iMessage or Facebook Messenger. So many of my emails are short messages (almost like text messages), and Spike builds a design that helps make you more efficient. It strips away like headers, signatures, etc. and helps you focus on just the content. If you are using Spike Email for Mac, read on to learn about a new feature.
February 9
When I was in my early 20s, I worked for an independent telephone company in Ringgold, GA. One of the projects I worked on was building a home and business security product. I ended up working with customers in a sales role after we got the product up and running. I say all that to make that point that I am somewhat of a veteran in the home security industry. I’ve sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of Honeywell alarm systems. I know which systems can be easily monitored by other companies. I know the benefits of wired vs. wireless systems as well. In my current home, the builder had a DSC system installed by a local alarm company that I’ve been using since we moved in back in 2013. Over the years, I’ve upgraded my home to include many smart home aspects. Still, the security system is something I hadn’t touched until I read about the abode system with HomeKit integration. Is abode the best home security system for Apple users? Let’s dig into it my review of the abode iota alarm system. expand full story
February 8
I am in the midst of my third year of teaching coding at my school to nine and ten years old students, and I made a significant change this year after reflecting over the last two cycles. As I began lesson planning over Christmas break, I made a list of what I liked about Swift Playgrounds and what I didn’t like. As I began to think through it, I realized that what I didn’t like about Learn to Code 1 in Swift Playgrounds was how quickly the difficulty went up. By class five, students who didn’t naturally “get” the concepts of coding began to become frustrated. As I went to search for some different curriculum, I ended up on Code.org for coding curriculum due to its ability to create classes and monitor progress through our Clever portal integration.
February 7
As someone who loves technology, it’s easy to get excited about new things. I love to tinker with the latest gadgets, but I know for those who aren’t into this stuff, that seems like a nightmare. My wife couldn’t care less about technology. As long as it makes her life easier, she’s content. She wants it to work. Right after Christmas, I purchased the August Smart Lock Pro (at a huge discount thanks to the 9to5Toys iPhone app). After a week of having it, my wife’s comment to me was “it’s a game-changer.” expand full story
February 3
SAP reports massive growth in Apple deployment, nearly 26k total with 82% running Catalina
SAP has been one of the biggest proponents of running Apple products in the enterprise over the past few years and we’ve reported on their partnerships with Apple and Jamf. Today, SAP has announced some exciting news for those who are proponents of Apple in the enterprise.
February 2
Aurora is a fun new color picker for Mac and iOS to help designers and web developers
While I was on Reddit (using the excellent Apollo for iOS) this weekend, I came across a fun new application that I am glad I now have. It’s called Aurora. Aurora is a simple color picker for macOS and iOS.
When I moved into my house almost seven years ago, HomeKit hadn’t even been announced yet. What was available at the time was a Nest Thermostat. A friend of mine had one, and he was raving out their energy savings. I had one pre-installed when our main HVAC unit was installed. I eventually added another one to our upstairs unit, and have been very happy with them.
