"If there is an app for that"

How to Set Philips Hue Lights to Slowly Fade Out on Your iPhone

October 12, 2016 by macjeff

After the first week of setting up Philips Hue lights in my bedroom, I was fantasizing about an ability to have them slowly fade out at night. I thought perhaps it could signal me to start getting nice and sleepy for bed. Well, it turns out this is totally possible and fairly easy to set up — and the end result is pure relaxation.

If you haven’t bought the Philips Hue lights, then you can get started by buying the starter kit on Amazon which comes with 2 bulbs + Hue Bridge hub. All you need is the free Philips Hue app for iPhone and of course some working Hue lights to control. You can set the amount of time it takes to fade, what time they begin to fade, and even have the lights fade in as well. Here’s how.

How to Fade Out Philips Hue Lights

Open the Philips Hue app to view your list of connected lights or organized rooms. In the bottom navigation bar, tap the Routines tab.

You’ll see three presets: Home & Away, Wake up, and Go to sleep. For our purposes, tap the “Go to sleep” one. If for whatever reason you want your lights to fade out even if you are not going to sleep, you can still select this preset.

Tap the + icon at the bottom right to begin a new “Go to sleep” routine. By default, this routine will change the color temperature of your lights to a warmer hue and gradually fade them out for the amount of time you specify. This only affects lights that are already turned on at the time the routine begins. Additionally, if you don’t have Hue lights that support color temperature, your white bulbs will just fade out without changing color.

Select the time you want the fade out to begin as well as the days that this routine should be active. Then tap Fade out to choose the amount of time you want the lights to fade out for. You can choose either 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes.

Tap Where? to select up to four rooms where you want this routine to take place, or choose Home for your entire residence. Finally, tap Save at the top right to complete your fade out routine.

Create Your Own Custom Routine

If you want different amounts of time to fade out your lights or don’t want the warmer hue, you should create your own routine instead of using the “Go to sleep” preset.

To do this, tap “My routines” on the main Routines tab. Press the + icon to begin crafting yours. Once again, you need to pick a time for the fade out to begin and the days this goes into effect.

However, you now have options for both types of fade. You can have these lights go on instantly at the specified time, or fade in/out for a period of time. Tap Fade to choose a period of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 minutes or instant. If all the lights in the room are on, the effect works as a fade-out. If they’re all off, the effect works to fade them in.

Lastly, select either your entire Home or the individual rooms where this routine applies and tap Save.

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 10/11/2016

October 11, 2016 by macjeff

Shadow Bug , Camtinerary , Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop - Personal and more

iPhone:

You must first install the free companion software on your home computer. Splashtop will then be able to automatically discover and connect as long as you’re on the same Wi-Fi network. Once connected, you’ll be able to access and view files on your computer, watch videos, play games, and listen to music remotely.

Universal:

Armed with only his katanas, Shadow Bug must overcome an endless stream of monsters and take the forest back. You’re able to move by tapping on either side of the screen. Tap on an enemy to fly through the air and slice them to bits. Each level requires you to move quickly, solve puzzles, and dispose of as many enemies as possible in order to earn a perfect rating.

Camtinerary helps you discover the best places to visit during your travels. It features a list of hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions from Yelp, Foursquare, Expedia, Michelin, and TripAdvisor. You’re able to build your own trip from scratch, or you can browse through a growing library of itineraries shared by other users. The community itineraries encompass everything from vacations to treasure hunts. If you already know your way around town, create an itinerary and share it with the community.

BrainWave Hangover Relief offers advanced brainwave entrainment therapy. You’re able to select from daytime and evening programs, and choose a soothing background sound to accompany them. Then hit play and allow the app to sync your brainwaves to the deeply relaxing low frequency alpha and theta waves. The app also allows you to adjust the signal intensity and save your settings for later use.

You must first install the free companion software on your home computer. Splashtop will then be able to automatically discover and connect as long as you’re on the same Wi-Fi network. Once connected, you’ll be able to access and view files on your computer, watch videos, play games, and listen to music remotely.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

Facebook targets Slack, Google Apps and others with new Workplace for iPhone app

October 11, 2016 by macjeff

Facebook yesterday announced a new Workplace mobile app which it has used to run its own company “for many years”. Available at no charge from the App Store, Workplace for iPhone (formerly known as Facebook at Work) is now available to any company or organization that wants to use it. In a nutshell, Workplace puts the best of Facebook at your fingertips, while adding some notable productivity features businesses may like.

For starters, Workplace users get to enjoy traditional Facebook features such as News Feed, Live, Reactions, Search, Trending posts and the ability to create and share in Groups or via chat.

“This means you can chat with a colleague across the world in real time, host a virtual brainstorm in a Group, or follow along with your CEO’s presentation on Facebook Live,” writes the social networking behemoth.

Another unique Workplace feature: Multi-Company Groups.

These are shared spaces that allow employees from different organizations to work together (Multi-Company Groups will be rolling out to all Workplace customers in the coming weeks).

Facebook has also partnered with Deloitte and other technology and professional service organizations on the Workplace Partner Program to help other companies get started with Workplace.

Unlike Google Apps for Work, Workplace users only pay for accounts that are actively using the product. Pricing starts at $3 per month for up to a 1,000 monthly active users and drops to $2 or just $1 per month as the number of monthly active users grows.

A free three-month trial period is available.

“We think you should use Workplace because you love it, so we don’t lock you into a long-term contract,“ writes Facebook.

Workplace-only features include a dashboard with analytics and integrations with Single Sign-On, plus support for identity providers that allow companies to more easily integrate Workplace with their existing IT systems.

The company said it had begun testing a version of Facebook for the workplace with a few major organizations over a year ago. More than a thousand organizations around the world are now using the Workplace app, according to the company.

So far, users have created nearly 100,000 groups. The top five countries using Workplace are India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and France.

Your business can sign up for Workplace at workplace.fb.com. More information is available on the official Facebook Page at facebook.com/workplace.

Download Workplace by Facebook for free from the App Store.

Source: Facebook

Facebook launches standalone Events for iPhone app

October 10, 2016 by macjeff

Events, one of the more popular features on Facebook, this past weekend received its own standalone app that could replace Eventbrite, Sunrise, Fantastical and other calendar software on your iPhone.

Events for iPhone, a free download from the App Store, lets you RSVP to your friends’ events, find interesting things to do in your area that match your interests, manage your calendar and more.

Other features of Events include the ability to see your latest events activity and quickly get to event info, check out events your friends have recently responded to, receive updates from hosts among other features.

You can search for nearby events using an interactive map and filter based on time and event category and get event recommendations based on what’s popular with your friends, things you’ve been to in the past and Pages you like.

Of course, the app works seamlessly with Facebook and integrates with existing calendars from your device, allowing you to see all of your plans in one place right alongside your Facebook events.

Because it integrates with Facebook Events, your friends will see what you’re interested in and what you’ve invited them to, even if they don’t have the app, right on Facebook.

An Android edition of Events will be coming soon, promised the firm.

The app is currently limited to United States users, but you can work around this restriction by setting your device’s regional settings to “United States”. You will also need to create a US App Store account to download the app.

Grab Facebook Events at no charge from the App Store.

Source: Facebook

8 great iPhone and iPad games to get you in the Halloween spirit

October 10, 2016 by macjeff

It’s October, and that means Halloween is just around the corner!

Keeping everyone in the spooky spirit of Halloween, we’ve got a list of fun and thrilling games you can download from the App Store and play on your iPhone or iPad to prepare yourself for the onslaught of zombies and monsters that are sure to be ringing your doorbell this year.

The best Halloween games for iOS for 2016

Zombie Highway 2

It’s hard to go through a Halloween season without playing Zombie Highway 2, a personal favorite of mine.

It’ll have you driving a car through the middle of a zombie apocalypse with tilt controls, all while trying to kill off all the zombies that will try to attach themselves to your speeding vehicle. You can slam them up against obstacles, or you can shoot at them with high-powered guns and weapons from inside your car.

As you advance, the zombies become stronger and more whacks or shots are required to get them off of your car. You need to act quickly, or else they’ll topple your car over at highway speeds and then eat your brains.

You can pick up Zombie Highway 2 from the App Store for free.

Stupid Zombies 3

Anyone who enjoys themselves some physics or geometry will love this game.

In Stupid Zombies 3, you will shoot at zombies and the bullets will bounce off of walls and travel in straight lines. They’ll come back around to take out more zombies after they hit a wall, but you have to line them up just right to tackle as many zombies as possible within the allotted ammunition that you’re given.

Moreover, you can also shoot at things that can explode, such as gas cans, and these will do more damage to the zombies around them in the hard to reach places.

This game can be a mind bender, but it’s absolutely fun to play. You can download Stupid Zombies 3 from the App Store for free.

Slender Rising

Halloween isn’t spooky without the thrill factor, and Slender Man is one of the highest adrenaline-pumping games we’re aware of.

In Slender Rising, which is a pretty good remake of the popular Slender Man PC game, you look around a map for notes and collect them. As you collect more of them, Slender Man finds it easier to find you. You need to look away from him and get away, or he will drive you insane.

The goal is to find all of the notes without going insane, and trust us, it gets really hard as you collect more notes. Remember not to look at Slender Man for too long!

You can download Slender Rising from the App Store for $2.99.

Minigore 2: Zombies

Minigore 2: Zombies is another personal favorite of mine where you are being attacked by an onslaught of mini monsters.

Your goal is to take out as many as possible and to stay alive as long as possible. You’re given a weapon and can constantly switch out for new weapons as they become available throughout the game.

By shooting down your foes, you collect gold and a potential new high score. If you get bitten by too many monsters, your health eventually drops until the point where you’re considered dead, and at that point, it’s game over.

You can download Minigore 2 from the App Store for $1.99.

Plants vs. Zombies 2

This one’s a classic, and I think I’d be hard pressed to find anyone reading this article that’s never heard of the Plants vs. Zombies series.

In this game, you’re essentially trying to create a wall of plants that can take out an army of zombies who are trying to make their way into your house. The plants are going to shoot seeds at, explode on, or create a barrier between you and the zombies.

Once you make it through a wave of zombies without letting any of them into your house, you will move on to the next level. As you advance, you unlock new plants, as well as new zombies, both of which have new abilities.

You can download Plants vs. Zombies 2 for free from the App Store.

Cabin Escape: Alice’s Story

Moving away from zombies and monsters for a minute, Cabin Escape: Alice’s Story is another great game that’s sure to test your mental capacity.

In this game, you are tasked with trying to escape from a cabin that you’ve been locked inside of. The only way out is to use the clues you’re given to solve the various puzzles scattered throughout.

If you’re into these mind-bending games, this is a highly-rated one that will definitely help you through your day when you get bored.

You can download Cabin Escape: Alice’s Story for free from the App Store.

Zombieville USA 2

Whenever I talk about zombie games, it’s hard not to mention one of my personal favorites: Zombieville USA 2.

In this game, you’re essentially trying to survive a zombie apocalypse by shooting down zombies and looting them to earn rewards. You can also loot mailboxes, trashcans, and more as you look for more cash to unlock bigger and better guns.

The goal is to make it to the end where your comrades are waiting for you, typically by helicopter. You want to make it there before dying so you can get to the next level.

You can download Zombieville USA 2 from the App Store for just $0.99.

Zombie Gunship: Gun Down Zombies

Zombie Gunship: Gun Down Zombies is another fun one for the preparers out there who want to gun down all of the zombies who threaten human life as we know it.

In this game, you are working from the skies to exterminate the brain-hungry monsters. Using infrared vision, you’re going to be carefully targeting them to provide support for your ground troops and remaining survivors.

A thrilling game indeed that provides decent graphics and hours of gameplay.

You can download Zombie Gunship: Gun Down Zombies from the App Store for free.

Will you be trying any of these games out this Halloween season? And if so, which has been your favorite? Share in the comments!