Ok, so 2 days ago, a friend of mine had her iPhone 4 stolen. She was in a Starbucks, got up from her table to leave, threw out her empty coffee cup, walked outside about 20 feet, and quickly realized that she forgot her iPhone. She looked in through the window at the table where she was just sitting and saw that her iPhone was already gone! Crazy.

I helped her look for it EVERYWHERE! In the trash, under all of the tables, in the corner, in the guy’s bag who had sat down at the same table where she was sitting…nada!

So we went through the options:

• Did she subscribe to MobileMe? –> Nope!
• Had she backed up her iPhone via iTunes? –> ‘Fraid not! Never did. Not even once.
• Did she have insurance on her iPhone? –> Ummm…nope!

Unfortunately, she had not prepared for such a situation because she lives and hangs out in a really nice area of town. But, alas…this is LA! However, in her defense, one of the workers at that Starbucks who has worked there for a while said something gets stolen from a customer there maybe once or twice a year. So it just so happened that she was one of those two! Not cool.

But because that unfortunate incident happened, you guys benefit, because I’m going to hook you up with some info that will help you protect your iPhone (and your other iOS devices), or at the very least, protect your data, in case this happens, which hopefully it won’t!

Back it up!

First off, you MUST MUST MUST backup your phone. It’s super easy. All you have to do is hook up your iPhone to your computer via USB. Use the same cord you use to charge it, but take off the adapter that allows it to plug into the wall so you can plug that end into the USB port of your computer.

Then, select the music, movies, etc. that you want on your iPhone by clicking on the corresponding tabs at the top of iTunes, and putting check marks in the boxes next to the items that you want to put on your iPhone. Then click APPLY in the bottom right corner of iTunes. Let it do its thing (sync/copy the files), and then you’re done! Every time it syncs, it will backup your iPhone’s data, unless you tell it not to in the Preferences of iTunes.

Here, watch this for a visual:

OK. Cool. So now you have all of the data on your iPhone backed up, including SMS, photos, call history, music, email…everything. Nice. That way, if you don’t happen to get your iPhone back because the guy that took it is just too large for you to handle, then you can at least get another iPhone, sync it to your computer, put all of your data that was on your old iPhone onto the new one, and get your life back. However, you can always go to the cops and have them take on the large one who took your phone.

How to Use “Find My iPhone”

After you back up your iPhone, you want to register for the “Find My iPhone” service.

But first, before we do that, watch this video so you have a visual of how “Find My iPhone” works:

Isn’t that a cool service? And the best part? If you have an iPhone 4, an iPad, or a 4th generation iPod Touch, it’s FREE! Apple is so cool to us customers.

So, let’s get your iPhone registered right now.

First, you’ll need to download and install the “Find My iPhone” app, if you haven’t already.

To do this, just click on the App Store app on your iPhone, click on the “Search” tab at the bottom of the screen, and then type in “Find My iPhone” (no quotes) in the search field at the top of the screen. The icon for it should pop up (it’s the same one as the green circle that’s in the main image for this blog post). Just click on it to go to the page for that app, and then click “Install”.

Once you have “Find My iPhone” installed on your iPhone, follow the steps below.

Step 1:

Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 4.2. The way to check is go to SETTINGS>GENERAL>ABOUT>and look at the number next to VERSION. If you have that version or higher, great. Let’s keep going.

If you don’t, then update your iPhone OS simply by connecting your iPhone to your Mac or PC and follow the onscreen instructions in iTunes (open iTunes if it doesn’t open automatically when you connect your iPhone to your computer).

If you’re creating a free account for the first time, you’ll need an iPhone 4.

Step 2:

Go to SETTINGS>MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS

Step 3:

Click on ADD ACCOUNT>MOBILEME

Step 4

Enter your Apple ID and Password.

If you already have an account with the iTunes store, or you’ve bought something from Apple’s online store, then you already have an Apple ID.

If you don’t have one, then click “Create Apple ID” at the bottom of the screen and follow the prompts.

If you’re a MobileMe subscriber already, then simply enter your .me or .mac email address and password.

Step 5

Verify your account.

If it says “Not Verified” under your MobileMe account, go to your email inbox and look for a message from Apple that was just sent to you. Open the email, click the Verify Now link, and sign in with your new Apple ID that you just created.

If you don’t see an email from Apple in your inbox, then click on your MobileMe account, and click “Resend Verification Email.”

Step 6

Go back to the MobileMe screen and turn on “Find My iPhone.” When the “Find My iPhone” message pops up, click ALLOW.

Step 7

Give it a shot! Open up the “Find My iPhone” app that you download and log in. You should be able to see your phone listed, and also be able to locate it. You can also use it to locate other phones that are registered with this service. All you have to do is log in with their Apple ID with the app.

You can also log into www.me.com with your Apple ID, instead of using the app, and do the same thing.

A reader wrote in and asked it this worked on an iPhone 3G or 3GS. So I did some research, and according this post on Lifehacker.com, it does!

You just need to use a qualifying iOS device, meaning a 2010 or later iOS device, to set it up. Use a friend’s if you don’t happen to have one, because you can delete their device from your account after you set up your device on the service.

Simply follow the steps above with either your or a friend’s 2010 iOS device using YOUR Apple ID. Once the newer iOS device is registered with your Apple ID, follow the same steps above with your iPhone 3G or 3GS, also using your Apple ID.

Test the locating of your device with the service by using the app on the newer iOS device (or on any other iOS device with the free Find My iPhone app, which they can download from the app store if they don’t have it), or by logging into www.me.com.

After you confirm that the 3G or 3GS works, if the newer iOS device is not yours or you don’t want it attached to your Apple ID, on the newer iOS device, delete your MobileMe account (SETTINGS > MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS > MobileMe account > Delete Account). If you do want to keep it attached, just leave it alone.

After that, you should be good to go!

Update: I just tested it and this does work.

• Your iOS device needs to be ON in order for you to be able to locate it, so KEEP YOUR BATTERY CHARGED (that was another factor against my friend in the story above…the phone had only 7% on it, so when we tried to call it, it went to straight to voicemail, which means it was off)
• If you’re trying to locate an iPod Touch or iPad, since the service cannot use cell triangulation, your iOS device will need to be connected to a wifi network in order for it to be found, because the service locates the device by locating the router that is broadcasting the wireless signal that your iOS device is currently on
• You can prompt your iOS device to pop up a message that tells people your device is lost, and you would appreciate it if they returned it. Your message will pop up with a loud sound that will sound, even if the sound is turned off. And no one will be able to turn the sound off.
• If you don’t think you’re going to be able to retrieve it, you can remotely wipe your iPhone of all of your data just by logging into www.me.com and selecting that service. Apple’s got your back!

• iPhone is not on or currently not connected to a data network (Edge, 3G or Wi-Fi)
• iPad or iPod Touch is currently off or not connected to a Wi-Fi network
• “Push” is not enabled in (SETTINGS > MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS > FETCH DATA)
• You tried to initiate a remote wipe of the phone (wiping all of the data remotely; you would only do this if you lost it or if it were stolen, and you did not think you would ever get it back)
• You have multiple MobileMe accounts on the iPhone
• The date isn’t right on your iPhone
• The device’s iOS version is not up to date (or at least iOS 4.2; SETTINGS>GENERAL>ABOUT>VERSION)
• Your MobileMe account is not configured correctly in your iOS device (try deleting it and adding it again; see steps on how to do this above)
• The “Find My iPhone” service is not on (SETTINGS > MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS > Your MobileMe Account > Make sure “Find My iPhone” is ON)
• Your iPhone is in and out of service (doesn’t have a strong signal)
• Location Services is not enabled (SETTINGS > GENERAL)
• You’re living in a country where Apple does not offer this service
• If it says, “Location not available,” (it might even say “Message pending” underneath “Location not available”) and you’ve gone through and tried all of the above troubleshooting items, then try deleting the MobileMe account (SETTINGS > MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS > MobileMe account > Delete Account), and then add it back in, BUT…TURN OFF “Find My iPhone” BEFORE you save it. AFTER you save the new account, THEN go back in and TURN ON “Find My iPhone.” That’s what finally fixed it for me.

Have you heard of Google+?

You can find it here: http://plus.google.com.

It’s Google’s version of Facebook and Twitter, combined into one, and it’s actually pretty cool.

It allows you to share photos, videos, have unlimited text in your status updates, and other features that are similar to Facebook and Twitter (sans the unlimited text in the status updates).

Here is Google’s overview of its new social network:

The Google+ Project: A quick look
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnJ5Bl4kLI[/youtube]

The Google+ Project: Explore Settings
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnv1Mbj1jKw[/youtube]
Aside from the similarities it has to Facebook and Twitter, there are some very unique features that Google has come up with…

HANGOUTS

One really cool feature G+ has that Facebook and Twitter do not is called “Hangouts.” This is where you can have a group video conference call of up to 10 people! That’s pretty sweet. And a buddy of mine said the quality is great.

Facebook has rolled out video calling via Skype, although it does not support group chat yet. So G+ definitely has 1 up, or should I say 10 up, on Facebook on this one!

The Google+ Project: Hangouts
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tku1vJeuzH4&NR=1[/youtube]

The Google+ Project: Explore Hangouts
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN38vHZjWXw[/youtube]
CIRCLES

Circles allows you to put people you know in certain groups. So you can have your family in one Circle, your co-workers in another Circle, your business contacts in another Circle, your clients in another Circle, and maybe people you’re “following” (a la Twitter) in another Circle (more on the “following” concept later).

This allows you to group your contacts, which is very helpful, as you’ll see.

For example, clicking your family Circle allows you to only view the status updates of people in your family. Likewise, if you want to check out what your co-workers are talking about, you can click on your co-workers circle.

SHARE YOUR CONTENT WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE IN YOUR NETWORK

G+ also allows you to do another cool thing, which you can’t really do in Facebook. You can, but it is a bit clunky, and you have to go through a lot more hoops to share your content with groups of people, especially in the initial setup of it.

In Google+, you can easily share your status updates, which includes photos, videos, links, etc., with just certain Circles of yours, or with just one Circle, or with just one person, or with just certain people.

So if you have pictures from your family outing that you only want your family to see, then simply opt to only share it with your family Circle. That’s yet another feature which Facebook definitely needs to make easier to use if they want to be able to compete with G+.

CAN I SHARE MY CONTENT WITH EVERYONE, EVEN THOSE NOT IN MY CIRCLES?

If you want to share a status update (or picture or link or video, etc) with anyone and everyone, including those who aren’t even in your circles or who you even know, then you can select to share whatever you’re sharing with the ‘Public.’

Google definitely nailed it with Circles.

The Google+ Project: Circles
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMZP-oyOII[/youtube]

The Google+ Project: Explore Circles
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocPeAdpe_A8[/youtube]

SPARKS

There is also a feature called “Sparks.” This is where you can create streams of news articles, videos, pictures, etc., that are being shared on the Internet and organize them by topic.

So if you want to see all of the news that’s being shared a lot related to the upcoming iPhone 5, you can do that.

And if you want to see all of the news that’s being shared related to raw food recipes, you can do that as well.

It’s a great way to sift through information overload, because the articles, videos, and blog posts that are being shared by many many people are obviously of high quality.

The Google+ Project: Sparks
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRkAdTflltc[/youtube]

The Google+ Project: Explore Sparks
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoAl4JXhQo[/youtube]

MOBILE

Google+ now has an app for both Android phones and the iPhone. They both have the following features: Stream (it’s like your homepage on Facebook where you see all of the postings of whatever Circle you’ve selected, or you can select to see them all), Huddle, Photos, Profile, Circles. The only difference right now between the Android App and the iPhone app is the Android app has the INSTANT UPLOAD feature (see below). Both are great apps and work very well. Very stable so far, as expected from Google.

INSTANT UPLOAD

This is a feature specifically for Android smart phones at the moment. There is an iPhone app for G+ now, however, it does not have this feature.

Instant Upload allows you to upload every picture and video you take with your Android smart phone to a private photo album in your G+ account. This way, all you have to do is decide who to share it with once it’s uploaded.

It takes the hassle of syncing your phone with your computer to get the photos and videos from your phone on to your computer, then uploading them from your computer to the Internet…out of the equation. This feature does all of that for you automatically.

The Google+ Project: Instant Upload
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y_xKVSRAy8[/youtube]

HUDDLE

Huddle is a cool way to be able to group text with your friends (or group instant message if you prefer that term).

In Huddle, which is a feature in both the Android and iPhone G+ app, you can all text in the same conversation so everyone in the group can see everyone else’s texts. It’s great for organizing a night out on the town, or for setting up a mastermind meeting.

The Google+ Project: Huddle
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA22daAstNg[/youtube]

MORE GOOGLE +1 BUTTON LOVE FOR YOUR WEBSITE (HUGE!)

Here’s a BIG reason to join G+ if you have a website. First, you’ll need to add the Google +1 Button to your website. Then, every time you share a link to a blog post that you made, or a new web page that you created, you can share it on G+ and get some more +1 love from your friends, colleagues and followers.

On G+, it’s as easy to +1 a link as it is to “Like” a link on Facebook. This will help increase the ranking of your website in Google, which will push it higher up in the search results.

And if things go the way the industry says it’s going to go (they’re saying that Google is going to place a lot more weight on the number of +1’s a page/website has in determining the page rank), then this is going to be a HUGE game changer, especially if you have 100,000 people “following” you on G+ whom you’re sharing your website links to, which is a great lead-in to my last topic on G+.

Google Business: Introducing the +1 Button
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RyY2-ofP4g[/youtube]

And if you want a more indepth look at the +1 button. Check out the video below. I watched the first five minutes, and it definitely seems like a worth while watch if you really want a good understanding of what the +1 button is, and what it can do for your website. Plus it only has 1 dislike (probably from a Facebook fan), so it must be good.

Google I/O 2011: An introduction to the +1 button
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl3c79n_wRg[/youtube]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN PEOPLE CAN “FOLLOW” ME ON GOOGLE+?

This is where Google+ acts like Twitter. Yes, people can follow your posts just like they can on Twitter, and you don’t have to approve them for them to be able to follow you. They can just follow you (you can block them if you want, though). They can put you in any of their Circles that they wish. They can even put you in more than one Circle (Friends Circle and Business Circle, for example).

The thing that is different from Twitter is that when someone follows you, their posts are put into a stream of yours called “Incoming.” So if you want to see the posts of people who are following you, all you have to do is click on your “Incoming” stream and voila! You get to see what your followers are up to.

WANT AN INVITE?

So now that you have a pretty good idea what Google+ is about, do you want an invite so you can check it out? With products like Google+, you can only do so much research before you realize that you actually have to experience it to really know it.

So if you want an invite so you can experience Google+, send me an email with “Google+ Invite Request” in the subject line, and I’ll send one right over to you. Please note that I can only send out a certain amount per day. So if you don’t get an invite on the same day, be patient. I will get to you within a few days after you request it.

Have any comments, opinions or experiences with Google+? Think it’s a Facebook or Twitter killer? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

Match.com: #1 Dating Site – View Pics for Free

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I just found this video on YouTube. Apparently Skype uploaded it to their YouTube channel, but didn’t realize that it was public, and quickly privatized it. But not before a fan recorded the video (unfortunately, without audio) and threw it back up on YouTube. So I figured I would let you guys get a sneak peak of the Official Skype app for the iPad 2!

Enjoy!

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Ever have a need to know if a phone number is a land line or a cell phone number? Or maybe you want to know it’s location? Well, there’s an app for that. Kidding. I’m sure there is, but there’s a website for that as well.

Here it is:

www.reversenumberdatabase.com

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