Do you use Yahoo Mail?  Do you like classic but Yahoo made you switch?  Here’s a work around that will get you back your classic interface.  I’ve seen posts regarding disabling javascript as well as changing resolutions, but that just seems like too much work for me.  Instead, there is a much simpler method.

Get Classic Back

1. Sign into Yahoo Mail normally.  You’ll get the “new” interface, which is what you don’t want. 
2. After you sign in, now you can go here: http://us.mc1811.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?ymv=0 to get the Classic interface.  As you’ve already signed in, it passes the necessary credentials of the session over to the page that deals with classic.
3. (Optional) You can easily create a shortcut on your desktop to the Classic link and voila! You now have Classic back.  Please note though that messaging services within mail have been disabled in Classic earlier this month.

Big?  Yes.  Expensive?  VERY.  Do you need a 128GB iPad?  Mmm…probably not.  After reading ZDNet’s article about the new 128GB iPad, I have to agree with Matt Baxter-Reynolds – It’s not for you…well…unless you area person that wants the highest premium gadget on the market, or you are a crazy power user that needs EVERYTHING cached onto the iPad.  What surprised me however was his mention that most business deal only with the 32GB Wi-Fi model of the iPad…which I recently just purchased.  Thinking about my older iPad 1st Generation, I never did use all of the memory although I did come close several times with an earlier version of NavFree GPS USA + Street View which used to download ALL states rather than allowing me to simply download only the state of Texas which I needed.  That was probably my largest app ever downloaded – around 2GB.  I’ve found that almost everything I need done is clouded.  I keep my comic books and other PDF books on my iPhone and I transfer files between my 32GB iPhone 3Gs and 32GB iPad 4th Gen. via GoodReader thereby effectively increasing my offline storage capabilities.  Chances are, with so much newfound space, the problem of clutter will only arise thereby making the device less usable.  My suggestion about the 128GB iPad?  Keep away from it, unless you want to keep your video collection, music collection, and everything else on your iPad – which, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of a tablet as now, you’ll need to search through EVERYTHING including your many, many, pages of apps.  Besides, how much music does one have time to listen too?  Do you really have to have 95 days of music queued up?

Keep things simple…iPad 128GB…you aren’t the droid I’m looking for…move along, move along.

Recently, I’ve run into so many game apps that just plain outright crash as I get into the later parts of game.  This was truly annoying.  What’s wrong with the developers these days?  Why are they creating games that just kick you off when you get past the learning curve and start to truly enjoy a game?  Then it dawned on me.  I was still using a first generation iPad.  Sure, Apple dropped support for them when iOS 6 came out, but they DID support devices like the iPhone 3Gs still – and isn’t that even older.  Well, I recently traded in my iPad (1st generation) 3G 16GB for an iPad (4th generation) 32GB.  The difference was night and day.

Read on past the jump to see why a newer iPad may just be your answer to app crashes.

Apps that previously would always crash even though it was the only app open finally stopped after I got a newer iPad.  What’s the difference?  Why does mom’s iPad 2 still work flawlessly even though it’s only a year newer than my iPad (1st Gen)?   The answer lies in RAM.  No, you cannot open up your iPad and install more RAM…sadly the only way to get more RAM is by replacing the iPad itself.  Let’s compare the technical specifications between iPads and see why the iPad 2 should be the entry level unit for today.

These specs were taken from Wikipedia for the keyword “iPad”.

Woah!  Did you see that?  The iPad 1st Generation only has 256MB!  That’s HALF of the iPad 2/Mini which sports 512MB of RAM.  Of course, there are CPU and GPU differences as well…however those would relate to just how fast a worker can work.  The RAM is how much space a worker actually HAS to work.  So by running apps that are very RAM intensive, even a single app can and does cause the older iPad to crash.  Of course, much of your standard fare and business apps don’t use resources that heavily.  Hence they run fine and it’s the games that get you into trouble.  Especially some of those that are “unlimited” in approach such as “No Zombies Allowed” where you can keep on building new buildings until….well…your device runs out of memory!  As interesting a concept as it is to have “unlimited” gameplay, I would much rather developers created boundaries and be mindful of the various devices that people will be running their app on.  Create richer gameplay…but don’t leave it open for the customer to run your app into the ground – especially in the unintentional endgame.

With that said, for newcomers into the iPad world, please DO NOT get the iPad (1st Generation) – unless you get it for a bargain price and will only be using it for basic business style apps (including TeamViewer), internet, email, etc.  To date, I’ve found that Newegg.com and Micro Center offer the best possible prices on iPads.

Happy almost 2013! (At least here in the GMT –6 time zone of Dallas, TX.)  Wow, has it been a month.  Free games from EA via iTunes redeemable codes, Star Bucks free app codes, lots of freebies…what did we add to the device and actually use?  Well, I did add Lemonade Tycoon, but it was quickly shadowed by a game I’ve been totally hooked on this month.  This game is what Farmville should’ve been and was the most polished if not one of the most polished games I’ve seen for the iPad.  Read on past the jump to see what’s on the iPad including a little bit about HayDay, my new favorite game!

What’s on the iPad?

tjchan

1. Garfield’s Diner Hawaii HD – Game *
2. IceAgeVillage – Game ****
3. Quick Sale – Business ****
4. Team Viewer – Utility ****
6. Google Voice – Utility ***
7. Battle Nations – Game – * (Lost interest in this game…it’s still on the iPad but it’s dormant.)
8. Streetfood Tycoon – Game ** (Lost interest in this game…it’s still on the iPad but it’s dormant.)
9. Gizmonauts – Game – * (Lost interest in this game…it’s still on the iPad but it’s dormant.)
10. Kindle – Book Viewer (Wait until you see what books are out there for FREE…and plenty more on the paid side!)
11. HayDay – Game – NEW!
12. Gmail – Communication - NEW!
13. Chrome – Communication - NEW!

With the coming of Chrome and Gmail (which is my email service of choice for both personal and business uses), I will be dropping the use use of Safari as well as Mail.  I use Gmail as a POP client to my other mail accounts and thus everything is routed there.

kawc

1. Scrabble – Game ****
2. IceAgeVillage – Game ***
3. NetFlix – Entertainment ****
4. OverDrive – Book Viewer ****
5. CardShark Collection – Game ****
6. HayDay – Game – NEW!

* = Additional months on list.  (Ex. a single * means it’s been on the list for 2 months).

So what game was I talking about that’s got me hooked like a fish – hook, line, and sinker?  It’s HAYDAY!  This game has it all when it comes to farming – it’s easy to use, it’s social, and well….I probably could go on and on, but I have a boat that needs to fill and a farm that needs my attention so I’ll be heading off again to play!  I’ll tell you guys more about it later….sometime next year in 2013!  Hahahaha.  While you wait, check out the video trailer.  If you want to join in the farming action, my Game Center ID is: itjchan.  See you on the farm!

Windows 8 has arrived!  Some hate it, some love it.  Personally, I am an advocate for it.  There may be some computers still for sale with Windows 7 preloaded, but the majority now will be loaded with Windows 8.  Some people have been scratching their heads as to how to use this OS when they are first greeted by the new Start screen.  Did you want a manual for that?  Read on past the jump for information on where to get a decent manual…ahem…errr..e-Book.  It’s available free…and only for a very limited time!

Do you have a Kindle?  If so, then you are set.  If you have an Android or iOS device, you can go download the Kindle app.  If you are using a PC or a Mac, Amazon’s got you covered too.

Now that you have the reader, go get your book:  The How-To Geek Guide to Windows 8.  Enjoy!  Make sure it still is free with a price of $0.00 before “purchasing” it.  It should be listed like the photo below:

From the book Description:

Learn Everything About Windows 8 the Easy Way
The How-To Geek Guide to Windows 8 is the book that’s easy enough for anybody to understand,
but covers everything in such detail that serious geeks will find it useful as well.
Microsoft has completely revamped the look and feel of its Windows operating system,
and you’re going to need a guide to help you understand what’s new, different,
and how you can tweak Windows 8 for what you need.

Hello again, JAMMers!  Here’s the next segment to What’s on the iPad – November 2012…granted it’s already December but let’s look at why certain apps got cut at the chopping block.  The commonality among all three of them?  THEY CRASH!  You can try closing all the programs and then even restarting your iPad, these little suckers have crashed so many times that yes, the settlements, villages, and towns that I’ve created will receive the wrath of my fury fully poured out – DELETION!!

The Tribez was on my iPad for 2 months, this fun game finally got the axe when I found elements that were found to be offensive for some with a Christian upbringing.  These elements which include witchcraft with the introduction of the Shaman Shops, as well as the building of idols disturbed me.  The last straw which pushed me over to trash the game was when I started facing frequent game crashes.  Overall I found the game to be enjoyable although I did find it weird that all the characters have the same face.  The music was excellent and added that “island touch” that was needed to the game.  The game contains different zones…from frigid places to locked locations such as Ancestor’s Atoll.  Unlike the trailer, everyone has the same face – but they wear different hats depending on the job they do.  Goodbye crashing app!

Kingdoms and Lords (“Kingdoms” in the app store), a game by Gameloft, is similar to The Tribez in that it has you rule and build a kingdom.  Unlike The Tribez, Kingdoms has a combat element similar to  Zynga’s Empires and Allies.  I found the game to be fun but again was unhappy of the elements of witchcraft and sorcery coming from “spell” cards.  As usual though, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when the game started to frequently crash.  What made Kingdoms so special was the training of your units where you can customize “talents” for your soldiers.  Using a system similar to rock, paper, and scissors, each unit is weak or strong against another type of unit.  It is imperative that you not only choose the proper units, but also have strategy in placement of the units as well as attack priorities.  This game can be an annoyance similar to Zynga as much can be done only with the help of friends which either result in getting what you need if you have other Facebook friends that play this game, or you’ll end up annoying everyone on your Facebook list.

Cosmic Colony, another Gameloft game (just like Kindgoms and IceAgeVillage) plays essentially on the same style of building some sort of settlement.  Unlike Kingdoms, no strategic combat is involved.  Unique to this game is the mini-game of defending your colony from pirates by “swiping” the enemy while making sure not to destroy bombs.  Gold is awarded for each pirate killed as well as a bonus should you get a perfect score.  This game was fun and clean.  The plot storylines are cute and it is fun zooming in to watch your citizens.  Cosmic Colony has a wonderful crafting system which works a bit like a slot machine.  Family safe, this is a game I’d play again should they fix the crashing issues.

And that folks, wraps up the executions!  The primary problem is crashing.  The secondary being undesired content in the game – this of course would be suitable for some people, but not for me.  Have a great night as we’ll be showing you some new games which caught our attention….some being extremely fun…and did I mention free?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Who’s up for some turkey?  This month, I’ve gotten totally hooked on several games.  Garfield’s Diner Hawaii HD of which I can’t seem to put down and has completely gobbled much of my time.  Stay tuned as mini-reviews over the new titles that made the list as well as mini-reviews of why some games got dropped from the list!  On a side note, I had no idea they sell Turkey iPad cases (pictured above)….this one you can get from Speck over at birdorable.com.

tjchan

1. Garfield’s Diner Hawaii HD – Game – NEW!
2. IceAgeVillage – Game ***
3. Quick Sale – Business ***
4. Team Viewer – Utility ***
6. Google Voice – Utility **
7. Battle Nations – Game – NEW!
8. Streetfood Tycoon – Game – NEW!
9. Gizmonauts – Game – NEW!

Of course, I also have the standard fare of Mail, Contacts, Safari, and Calendar in use.

kawc

1. Scrabble – Game ***
2. IceAgeVillage – Game **
3. NetFlix – Entertainment ***
4. OverDrive – Book Viewer ***
5. CardShark Collection – Game ***

* = Additional months on list.  (Ex. a single * means it’s been on the list for 2 months).

How cluttered is your desk?  I know my desk is already pretty cluttered.  I keep a Logitech G35 headset on a joystick when it’s not in use…

But what if there was a better way to get things done.  Just in time for the holidays, you can simplify, detangle, and de-clutter your life with the Just Mobile HeadStand.  This precision engineeered aluminum stand will keep your prized headphones on display – and within easy reach.  At the base of the stand it has a dual-layered base so that you can wind up the cord onto the stand.

This simple and elegant solution is sure to turn some heads.  Give the gift that will aid in organization at a price that will certainly sound as good as your headphones – $49.95 (plus shipping).

The Just Mobile HeadStand is available directly from Just Mobile.

Read past the jump and let’s look at how we can get a document signed and returned.

First, let’s download that PDF contract from our email….

Tap and hold on the PDF letter to open up the menu shown below….

Select “Open In…” to get some more choices.  Tap “GoodReader”.

This will open the PDF file in GoodReader.  Now we’ll select the squiggly tool…

Choose “Save to this file”.  The original copy will stay safely still in your email.

Pinch to zoom in.  You can select your style of line as well as color.  Now sign your document…this is best done with a stylus and not your finger (for this example though I’ll use my finger).

Now we’ll save, by tapping the save button which now should be lit up as we’ve made some changes.  All that remains is to tap the export button and choose “E-Mail File”.  We will want to send it with “Flatten annotations” so that our signature will be merged into the document.

You’ll be sent back to mail with a new mail with your signed document attached and ready to be sent!  Viola!  That wasn’t hard was it?

Good reader is available from the Apple App Store for $4.99 and is available for iPhone or iPad (sold individually).

This post is cross-posted with the Applegram Online – the online newsletter of the Apple Corps. of Dallas.

Want to run Windows software on your Mac and Linux computer without Windows?  With this commercial flavor of Wine (Windows emulation), you’ll be able to run a plethora of Windows programs.  Register today and you’ll get an email in a week with instructions on converting the trial over to a full fledged 1 year supported license.

Register for a free copy of CrossOver here: http://flock.codeweavers.com/

If you happen to be in Hurricane Sandy and cannot make the giveaway, they are making a special giveaway for you at: http://sandy.codeweavers.com/ until ConEd get the lights back on and the trains start running again.