If you have a smartphone but haven't explored the camera options, this episode is for you. Maybe you think that a smartphone can't take good pictures? We took all the pictures from our Europe vacation with either an iPhone or an Android. Take a look and see what you think. In this encore episode we start with how to take a photo, take a selfie, take a video, then we show how to set focus and exposure, turn the flash on/off, take a panorama and more. This episode was recorded live on Sunday, February 12, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: Finding Apps on your Phone.
Beginner’s Lesson: Photography Essentials.
Closing Tip: Valentines Day Photo Frames
Geeks on Tour members: get your class notes here. You might want to print them out and then join with some friends to take the class. Just play the parts of interest to you by using the timeline links in the class notes, pause the video and experiment on your own device. Then take the review questions at the end and see how you did.
NEW!! Facebook Live event to field Q&As about this episode.We will be live on Thursday, 10/19 at 5pm Central. RSVP here.
This episode of What Does This Button Do was streamed live on Sep 20, 2015.
Are the icons on your homescreens scattered all over the place? Would you like them to be organized according to how you use them? Or would you like them to be simply alphabetical. Whatever you like, your screens are completely customizeable, this encore episode will show you how. Quick Tip: Google Photos Auto Edit, App: Roadtrippers Geeks on Tour members: get your class notes here. You might want to print them out and then join with some friends to take the class. Just play the parts of interest to you by using the timeline links in the class notes, pause the video and experiment on your own device. Then take the review questions at the end and see how you did.
This episode of What Does This Button Do was streamed live on March 27, 2016.
LongPress on a touch screen is like a Right-Click. LongPress means the same thing as Touch and Hold. It’s not pushing on the screen, just touch the screen then leave your finger touching the screen and see if something happens. In this encore episode, you will learn a lot of tricks on both Android and iOS devices using LongPress. From getting special characters on your keyboard, to copy/paste, to saving places on a map and more. Geeks on Tour members: get your class notes here.
Tip o Week: Airplane Mode to Test whether an App uses Data
Beginner’s Lesson: How to “Right-Click” on your Smartphone
App o week: Drippler
When you touch the screen and hold your finger there, we call that a ______________.
To get the emoji keyboard, do what?
T/F: Everything you can do on a computer with Right-Click can be done on a phone.
To copy text, you must select it first, you do this by _____________________.
Long pressing on a Map will do what? _________________________
Long pressing on an iPhone’s home button will do what? _______________________
This episode was streamed live on July 30, 2017. We webcast from our camper van in Syracuse, NY.Geeks on Tour members can view the Show Notes here.
We are teaching this topic because someone entered Gmail into the suggestion box (see link at right.) They probably wanted a whole class on how to use Gmail :-) We don’t have time to do that here, but we do think everyone should understand these 2 important concepts: Universal Inbox, and Device Independence. If your current system does both of these things then you’re golden! If not, we recommend using Gmail. If you do want to learn all about using Gmail, we recommend theGmail Help Center, andSteve Dotto’s Youtube videos on Gmail.
This episode was streamed live on December 4, 2016.
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You see these funny looking square codes everywhere. If you learn how to scan them with your smartphone (Android or iPhone) you can see what's behind the codes here.
This encore episode will teach you how to do it!
Geeks on Tour members: get your class notes here. Note: due to a current glitch after adding security to the site, you will need to be logged in first, then click the link.
This week’s quick tip: using Snapseed to edit out unwanted parts of a photo
This week’s app: RVillage: Connect with other RVers wherever you are.
Our connection for this episode was not the best, it gets a little blurry. Here is a direct link to the short video #453 on QR codes
This episode was streamed live on 6/25/17. We just returned from a month of wandering in Europe and we couldn't have done it without our smartphones. Where to go? What to do? Where to stay? How to get there? How to speak the language? What to eat? We usually use our Smartphones for Maps, Photos, and Social Networking while traveling in an RV in the US. Smartphones are invaluable when traveling in Europe. We used them for everything from managing currencies, translating languages, traveling by rail, and finding amazing lodging accommodations. You have to be connected. Let us show you how we did it. And ... check out our photo album from traveling in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Berlin. We'll be sharing our photo taking, editing, and organizing secrets in next episode. (spoiler: it's all about Google Photos!)
This episode was streamed live on February 7, 2016. This month, while we've been visiting beautiful places in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia - it has been so important to keep our phones charged! We don't want to miss any of those photos! This episode is about understanding what is using your battery and how to keep it going longer. You will learn how to find out what is using your battery and what external batteries we recommend.
It's your choice to use your battery less, or get more batteries! You'll learn both in this encore episode of What Does This Button Do?
Tip of the day: Android Touch Key Lights, iPhone Flashlight
This episode was streamed live on May 14, 2017. We webcast from our home studio in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Geeks on Tour members can view the Show Notes here. Ron Brown, the director of the Silveridge Computer Club, joins us to give us his presentation on Chromebook - The Seniors Computer. He lays out the 4 S's of Chromebooks:
Simplicity
Security
Save Money
Speed
Mr. and Mrs. Geek own 2 Chromebooks and are using them more and more. Chris is taking her Chromebook on their trip to Europe rather than her laptop.
This episode was streamed live on April 30, 2017. We webcast from the conference center at River Plantation RV park in Sevierville, TN. We were there for a SKP ACRE rally, so we presented in front of a live studio audience! Geeks on Tour members can view the Show Notes here.
Why do we think Google Photos is so great? This episode demonstrates the 7 features that are Chris' favorites. We also give a tip and an App of the week, and we're in front of a Live Studio Audience!
This episode was streamed live on April 9, 2017. To be
notified when we are live, subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the
little bell for notifications.
We've seen several people recently struggling with the fact
that they can't use their phone properly because they've forgotten the password
to their primary account. This episode demonstrates why the account and
password are so important and the steps you can take to ensure that you can
recover your account when (not IF!) you forget your password.
We also have the normal beginning Tip and ending App:
Quick Tips: Viewing Websites on Smartphones
Beginner’s Lesson: Forgot your Password? How to Recover your
Account.
App of the Week: NPR One
For Geeks on Tour Members only: Here's your Show Notes We
recommend printing them out, then watch the show with friends and LEARN!
This episode was streamed live on April 2, 2017. To be notified when we are live, subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the little bell for notifications. It is not as beginning as most of our shows because Google Maps has added several cool new features and we want to show you some! We demonstrate 5 tips using Google Maps on both the Android and the iPhone, including a new feature rolling out just this week called Share Your Location and Share your Trip. We still have the normal beginning Tip and ending App:
Quick Tips: Deleting multiple photos
Beginner’s Lesson: Google Maps Tips and Tricks
App of the Week: The Weather Channel: Wind Speed Maps
This episode streamed live on May 1, 2016. We are currently in our motorhome traveling from Florida to Arizona.
What do people mean when they say, “The Cloud”? What is the difference between upload, download, and synchronize. Do you need to backup your phone to your computer when you’re using all cloud-based services? These questions and more are discussed in this episode of “What Does This Button Do?” Show Notes available for Geeks on tour Members.
This episode was recorded live on Sunday, February 12, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: Finding Apps on your Phone. Stop hunting and just use Search. Both iOS and Android have a feature to search for apps on your phone or tablet.
Beginner’s Lesson: Photography Essentials. We start with how to take a photo, take a selfie, take a video. Then we show how to set focus and exposure, turn flash on/off, take a panorama. An advanced tip on iOS is about Live Photos and how to capture one frame. On Android we show Photospheres.
This episode was recorded live on Sunday, February 5, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: How to Prevent your Facebook Profile from Being Cloned All you have to do is change a setting to make your friend list private and the bad guys can't clone your account and try to contact your friends.
Beginner’s Lesson: Apple vs Android, which is Better? Mike Wendland is our guest for this show. Mike is a veteran journalist whose video “PC Mike” reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. He has owned just about every Apple device ever made. You're going to be surprised by what he has to say on our topic today!
Closing App: Smart Receipts No need to hold on to those important receipts, just snap a photo, enter an amount and category all the work will be done for you.
This episode was live on Sunday, January 29, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: How to Find a Lost Phone Both iPhone and Android have a feature to Find your lost phone. It must be turned on!
Beginner’s Lesson: Chromecast Why settle for watching photos and movies on that little, bitty screen when you can watch it on the Big screen TV? The Chromecast device is only $35 - lots cheaper than digital photo frames! It's easy, we'll show you how.
Closing App: Google Trusted Contacts Personal safety app to send your current location to Trusted Contacts.
This episode was live on Sunday, January 22, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: Highlights from past shows at TheButtonShow.com
Beginner’s Lesson: Grab Bag of Tips, including: 2-Step Verification, iPhone emoji keyboard, Finding your AppleID, Take a picture with Vol button on phone or earbuds, Save Photo from Text message
We had a little technical difficulty with this episode and had to cut out a portion with echo. So we made a video for one tip that was cut, how to save a photo received in a text message.
Review Questions:
The best technique to keep your email account safe and secure is to turn on what? _______________________________
The volume button on your phone can double as a ________________________
To find the username for your AppleID go to Settings, then: a. Control Center b. Touch ID c. iTunes & App Store
To find the username for your Google account on Android go to Settings, then: a. Accounts b. Security c. Lock Screen
To save a photo received by text message takes two steps. The first step is: ____________________
An emoji is _____________________________
If a saved photo does not show up in Google Photos, check your settings under a. Permissions b. Device Folders c. Assistant
This episode was live on Sunday, January 15, 2017. To be notified of live shows, subscribe to our YouTube channel and be sure to click the bell for notifications.
Opening Tip: Viewing Pictures - Year at a Glance - with Google Photos
Beginner’s Lesson: Internet Connections as you Travel
We didn't do a live show this week, so we searched thru our archives for something useful and came up with Episode 28 which originally streamed live on January 25, 2015. There are some really useful tips and the Beginner's Lesson is just as valid today as it was then. In fact, by watching it I learned some things I had forgotten! After watching it, how did you do with the review questions? Leave us comments ok? The show starts with some talk and videos of where we were at the time in Quartzsite AZ. To see the original videos, click here. To skip the opening, go to the 6min 40 second point.
Quick Tips: Icon Glossary, Emailing your Lat/Lon location.
Review Questions:
1.To Browse to a website, you need a browser: Name 2
2.You can have several websites open at one time in different _________.
3.How can you go directly to a website rather than getting search results?
4.How can you save a website as an icon on your home screen – like an app?
5.Bookmarks are most useful for websites that you use All the time? Or Occasionally? Continue your Education with Geeks on Tour by subscribing to our Newsletters!
