Bradley has worked at K-12 independent schools for much of the last 20 years, serving as the head of the information technology department and leading classroom technology integration. He’s well-versed in enterprise Wi-Fi, macOS and iOS system management, school technology, and SaaS tools.
For many years after the introduction of the iPad, it was released like clockwork in the Spring. Since the K–12 buying season is also in the Spring, it was a perfect time for schools to make bulk purchases of the iPad. Now that Apple has shifted the iPad release schedule to the fall, schools are left buying devices that will be replaced by the time they’re in students’ hands.
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Philips Hue is the gold standard of HomeKit bulbs, and I am delighted with the ones I own. They’re bright, rarely need to be rebooted to fix a disconnection, and offer many color combinations. On the other hand, they’re somewhat expensive since it requires a purchase of a hub. If you want a low-cost way to switch over to HomeKit bulbs, check out these two options.
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Stitcher has been around for a very long time in the podcast market, but many people aren’t aware of how big their platform has become. They are number three in terms of market share next to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Today, they are announcing a brand new app experience is coming very soon.
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Snagit is one of the most used tools on my Mac. For years, I had struggled with tools like Skitch and other screenshot tools that seemed to be abandoned. Today, Snagit 2021 is now available with a number of nice enhancements.
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2020’s word of the year might be Zoom. Since March, it’s an app that I’ve launched every day of the week for work. It’s become an essential part of their day for teachers if they are doing 100% virtual learning or even hybrid learning. If you’re a teacher who uses Zoom, you’re going to want to check out Attendant for Zoom.
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Over the summer, my school did a significant remodeling project, and as a result of it, I moved into a brand new office. One of the ways I decided to make it my own was to begin adding HomeKit products. Of course, I started with a HomePod as my HomeKit hub, and the very first product I added next was the VOCOlinc light strips.
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In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Reilly Chase from HostiFi to talk about the new Ubiquiti Access product, UniFi Protect, and more.
Microsoft’s Active Directory was the centerpiece of every enterprise’s IT strategy for many years. From Exchange to the shared drive, to a centralized login system, AD was everything. We’ve all of a sudden realized in 2020 that AD is not everything. It’s still a crucial part of IT strategy for many organizations, but it’s no longer the only strategy. For cloud-first companies, many of them aren’t even deploying an active directory infrastructure. Apple is, indirectly, the cause of active directory moving from a requirement to a choice.
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Now that it’s fall here in the US, my family is spending a lot of time outdoors at night. After bracing through the 90 degree days of August and the first half of September, we’re undoubtedly enjoying the cooler 70 degree days. One of my favorite things to do at night is come out to the screened porch and read something from Apple Books, listen to an audiobook on Prologue, or even watch some TV. One of the recent addition to my HomeKit setup is the Eve Flare, and it’s been a perfect addition to our porch.
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Edison Mail has had a busy year with the release of the new OnMail email service, and with their latest release, the app is gaining a new feature for iOS 14. Like many other email apps, it’s now possible to set it as the default email client on iOS once you update to the latest version from the App Store.
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Chipolo is a popular item tracker for attaching to keys, wallets, etc. I reviewed the original Chipolo ONE back in January, and I’ve been using it ever since. I love its two-year replaceable battery, and subscription-free out of range alerts. Today, they’ve just released a new version of the Chipolo ONE that’s made from plastic waste collected from the oceans.
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When I deployed the 2020 MacBook Air to the teachers at my school earlier this year, it became immediately apparent that everything was better on this computer versus our previous ones except for one thing: the camera. For whatever reason, the 2020 MacBook Air webcam is considerably worse than the webcam on our old ones from 2017. Because our teachers were doing so much with virtual learning, I got several complaints, and I wanted a cheap option for teachers to upgrade their camera. We settled on the Papalook PA552, and it’s a great low-cost option for a webcam upgrade.
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Since the iPad was released, it’s been a premier tool for young children. Thanks to a wealth of preschool apps, durable case options, and familiar interface, it’s been popular for schools and parents alike.
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HomeKit adds many benefits to a home, but oftentimes, it can handle mounting products on the wall, above the door, or even swapping out a doorbell. There are plenty of HomeKit projects that work well in apartments or homes you are renting, though. Read on to find out the best HomeKit products for apartments and rentals.
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Spike is a streamlined email client that aims to feel more like iMessage instead of a traditional email client. It removes the introductions and signatures to focus just on the actual message. It includes a streamlined user interface along with adding in features like notes with collaboration, tasks, and a built-in calendar. Its latest update added the ability to mark it as the default email app on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.
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Osmo, the popular iPad accessory to schools and at-home learning, has just released a new curriculum called Math Wizard that’s aimed at kids 6-8 years old to experience math through hands-on narrative- and adventure-driven games, where kids learn math skills using real-world objects that seen by the iPad app.
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During VJUNC, Jamf announced the acquisition of Mondada, the creator of Kinobi and Kinobi Pro. They provide solutions in patch management for the Apple products in the enterprise.
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At its Virtual Jamf Nation User Conference, Jamf took the wraps off Jamf Connect 2.0. Jamf purchased NoMAD back in 2018 to help integrate Jamf, and Jamf Connect 2.0 is a complete rebuild of the platform.
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If a pandemic hadn’t shut down the world, the Jamf Nation User Conference (JNUC 2020) would be San Diego this year, and I’d be enjoying some of the best weather on the planet. It did, and therefore the conference went virtual like so many others. At the keynote today, CEO Dean Hager highlighted a number of key enhancements Jamf made to their platform in response to COVID-19.
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In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by DataJAR to talk about trends in the enterprise relating to macOS and iOS updates.
Device supervision is a crucial aspect of managing Apple in the enterprise, but it’s essential to understand what it’s good for, what its limits are, and how to ensure you get a deployment started on the right foot.
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The HomeKit doorbell market has turned into somewhat of a joke. Countless companies have announced support for them in the future, but very few have delivered it. Currently, Yobi and Robin ProLine are the only two options that are shipping. Countless others have announced upcoming products or upcoming firmware updates for existing products to add HomeKit compatibility, but very few companies have. The Yobi doorbell is a great option, but it lacks a way to record. Robin is a nice product, but it’s costly and requires power over ethernet to operate. What if I told you the most economical HomeKit doorbell was Nest?
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Ubiquiti has officially taken the wraps off its new UniFi Access product that is aimed at reimagining door access control.
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NetNewsWire has gone through many owners in its history, but it’s back in the rightful hands of Brent Simmons, and it’s seeing rapid development on macOS and iOS thanks to a team of open source supporters. NetNewsWire 5.1 for Mac is now available with many requested features.
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