For years I have helped my clients keep their user names and passwords organized in an Excel spreadsheet or Word document. When we only had one computer this was a fine method and served my clients well. Nowadays with smartphones and tablets people want a way to keep their user names and passwords on all their devices. Yes, there are ways to open that spreadsheet or document on other devices but there is an even better way. Dashlane is a service for $20/year that will sync your user names and passwords on all your devices (and it is free if you only need it on one device and not synced). Install the program on your computer, visit every website you go to, and Dashlane will ask to save the login information for you. Then when you install the smartphone or tablet app all your user names and passwords will be there.
- Go to www.dashlane.com to download it on your Mac or Windows computer.
- Go to the App Store on your iPhone or iPad and search for Dashlane to install it on those devices.
- Go to the Play Store on Android and search for Dashlane to install it on those devices.
Make one "Master Password" that you will never forget and let Dashlane remember all the rest. Dashlane can also help create tough, nonsense passwords and remember them for you so each website can have its own password.
David Pogue on Dashlane: http://goo.gl/shfKH
David Pogue addresses concerns with Dashlane: http://goo.gl/fuxCv
Opening Office Documents on iPads and iPhones
To open Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on iOS devices I have been telling people that Microsoft still had not released Office for iOS and the best alternative was Smart Office, an app you can download for $10 on these devices.
SmartOffice: http://goo.gl/Ndlbg
Microsoft has finally released Office for iOS but it is part of their $100 per year subscription service Office 365. It includes Office for up to 5 devices (computers, smartphones, tablets so you always get the latest version of
Office when it comes out) and the version for iOS.
So now you have two choices for Office on your iPad and iPhone. And to get documents onto the iPad/iPhone from the computer use either Dropbox or
SkyDrive (which is Microsoft's version of Dropbox). Both programs create a new folder on your computer and any file you put there instantly shows up on your iPad/iPhone when you install the app for Dropbox or SkyDrive. Since I am an Office 365 subscriber I tend to lean towards SkyDrive but I have also used Dropbox for years so there is no reason why you could not try both to see which one you like best.
iCloud vs. iTunes Backups for your iPads and iPhones
If your free 5 GB of iCloud backup is full (remember both your iPhone and iPad are using the same available space), you can either buy more space from Apple for a yearly fee or turn off iCloud backup and just backup to your computer instead. Here are some details about what is and is not being backup to iCloud:
You get 5 GB of free iCloud storage for:
- Photos and videos in the Camera Roll
- Device settings (for example: Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts)
- App data
- Home screen and app organization
- Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS)
- Ringtones
- Visual Voicemails
The following items are not backed up to iCloud. You can sync these items with a computer using iTunes (computer backup will take care of this):
- Music, movies and TV shows not purchased from the iTunes Store
- Podcasts and audio books
- Photos that were originally synced from your computer
iCloud Backup and restore overview: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4859 To purchase more iCloud space on the iPhone:
- On the iPhone touch Settings
- Slide your finger up the screen and touch iCloud
- Slide your finger up the screen and touch Storage & Backup
- Touch Change Storage Plan and follow the onscreen instructions
Info on iCloud Storage upgrades and downgrades:
To stop iCloud backup and backup to your computer instead (this must be done on both the iPhone and iPad):
- Connect your iPhone (iPad) to your computer with the sync cable (it is the same cable you use to charge, just remove from plug)
- Open iTunes on your computer and wait for your iPhone (iPad) to show up under Devices on the left and click on it.
- In the Backup box it will show that iCloud is checked for backup. Click your mouse in the circle next to "This Computer". (Optional: Check the box next to "Encrypt iPhone backup")
- Click the Sync (or Apply) button bottom right.
So how do you decide if you want iCloud backup or computer backup?
iCloud backup is convenient because you don't have to remember to connect with the cable to the computer. On the other hand computer backup backs up everything and iCloud backup does not. So consider cost, convenience and thoroughness. And there is no reason why you could not do both, just not at the same time. Connect your iOS device and in iTunes select which type of backup you prefer and change it from time to time so you can have both.
