Apple

How can I use MMS on an iPhone on T-Mobile?

Episode 942

Annette from Tustin, CA
Apple iPhone 5

Annette bought a new iPhone 5 and she can't send pics to her friends running Android through text messages. Leo says that since Annette is using an iPhone on T-Mobile, the phone isn't configured right for iMessages, is getting confused and won't default to MMS. Here's a technote from T-Mobile. There's also a youtube video that will walk her through it called How To Fix MMS on iOS 6/6.0.1 iPhone 5/4S/4/3Gs Tmobile.

Should I buy a new Mac Mini?

Episode 942

Denise from Valencia, CA
Apple Mac Mini

Denise called yesterday with a USB issue on her old Mac Mini. She's also getting other issues that cause the Mac Mini to shut down and a repair will cost her $400. Should she just buy a new one?

Leo says that based on what Denise told him yesterday, the real issue is that the multiple drives she has are drawing too much power from USB and the data bus is overloaded. That's the issue and the Genius at Apple probably gave Denise bad advice. Then again, he had access to the hardware and Leo doesn't.

How can I install Windows on my Mac Mini?

Episode 941

Peter from Brooklyn, NY
Apple Mac Mini

Peter just bought a MacMini and would like to run a dual boot OS setup with both OS X and Windows. Leo says he can do that with Boot Camp. To use Windows 8, he'll have to have updated drivers and there are many articles on the web on how to do it. Can he install Windows via USB key? Leo says yes, he can also just download the ISO to his USB key and point to it, and the Mac Mini will install it.

How can I get my Mac Mini to work better with multiple hard drives?

Episode 941

Denise from Santa Clarita, CA

When her old Mac Mini started acting up when connecting multiple hard drives, Denise was encouraged by an Apple Genius to buy a new one. So she did and now she'd like to set it up properly with Time Machine, external hard drives, the works. Leo says buying a new computer to solve an external hard drive connection wasn't really the right solution. Connecting all drives into a common USB bus would make any drive unreliable.

Why is my Mac Mini taking so long to boot up? (Part 2)

Episode 940

Chris from Pittsburgh, PA
Apple Mac Mini

Chris is wondering whether or not the USB external drive connected to his Mac Mini is causing it to boot up so slow. Leo says it probably is, and he recommends choosing StartUp disk in the settings so it'll boot up directly by the SSD. He should also try disconnecting the USB drives before booting up. The Mac Mini may be scanning the drives to mount them first when booting up.

How can I load eBooks onto a Kindle without an Internet connection? (Part 1)

Episode 940

Chris from Pittsburgh, PA
Amazon Kindle PaperWhite

The Kindle doesn't use WiFi. The older Kindle's use wireless via Sprint that is always on and available forever. He could also email PDFs of eBooks to the owner's Kindle address and it'll be converted and downloaded to the Kindle. It is possible to install eBooks via USB connection, though. He needs to convert the books to the MOBI format, and there are a number of good free programs like Calibre. They'll also need to associate the Kindle to an existing account, which will happen when he turns on the Kindle for the first time.

Should I get the Macbook Air or Macbook Pro?

Episode 939

Michelle from California
Macbook Pro with Retina display

Leo says to take her time and play with both. The benefit of the MacBook Air is that it's very light weight and compact. It's a tad slower than the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro shines because it has the retina display now which makes the image stunningly beautiful. If Michele is going to be doing a lot of traveling, then the Macbook Air would be the way to go.

A Look Back at 2012

Episode 939

Microsoft Surface

There were three new iPads (the iPad 3 in March, the iPad 4 in October, and the iPad Mini). iOS 6 dumped Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps, which was a huge failure. Samsung took off with the Galaxy SIII and Note I/II. 3D went over like a lead balloon in televisions. So much so that TV manufacturers stopped including glasses with purchases. Facebook broke a billion regular users, and celebrated by buying Instagram while their IPO tanked on the first day.

How can I unlock the Sprint iPhone 5?

Pronav from New York, NY

Episode 938

Pronav bought an iPhone 5 on Sprint, but hears that Verizon iPhone’s comes unlocked. Would the Sprint iPhone 5 be unlocked as well, since it’s the same phone? Leo says no. Verizon chose on their own to unlock the iPhones that come through them. Leo believes that going forward, this will likely become the norm though. Will he be able to use his Sprint phone on another service when his contract is over? An eager rep at Verizon may be able to do it by unlocking it with software.