How to Print from your iPad

With more people using an iPad as their main or sole computer, How do I print from my iPad? is becoming a more common question. For many folks, the simplest answer is:  Don't bother – just email your file from your iPad to your computer. You'll have the full power of your computer to adjust paper sizes, quality, quantity, etc.

But if that response feels like a cop-out here are three more direct methods.

iPad Office Workflow - 1 (Dropbox)

Using an iPad in office environment requires developing a workflow. A common initial application is to be able to review documents on your iPad, rather than printing them. But how do you get the documents onto your iPad?

Rogue Amoeba Airfoil: Send any audio to Apple TV

When I hit a webpage with an audio clip – Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil app $25, makes it trivial to route this audio wirelessly from my laptop to my Apple TV 2  $99, and play the sound through my TV's sound system. Yes, iTunes' AirPlay does the same thing for free but only for audio from iTunes.

OS X Tip: Display Dashboard Widgets on your Desktop

I find the OS X Dashboard weather widget handy, and I've enabled it to display permanently on my Desktop, so I don't have to enter/exit Dashboard mode in order to see it. You can do this for any widget:

TeamViewer.com: Simple, Secure Remote Desktop Support

If you've ever been asked for computer help over the phone you know how frustrating it can be both to yourself and to the person you're helping. Remote access to their desktop eliminates these frustrations and can lead to speedy problem diagnosis and resolution.

Bluetooth Mouse: Logitech V470

I prefer Bluetooth wireless mice as there is no wireless dongle to get lost, tie up a USB port, or get caught on my laptop sleeve. The Logitech V470 Bluetooth mouse   $40 is my current favourite:

OS X Keyboard shortcuts in Safari

John Gruber's 4-Nov-2010 post Going Flash-Free on Mac OS X, and How to Cheat When You Need It, described a strategy for disabling Flash on OS X, and then using Google Chrome, which has its own self-contained Flash Player, as needed.

John detailed how to use OS X's Keyboard preference pane to create a keyboard shortcut to quickly open the current Safari webpage in Chrome. Over the following week I noticed that, while selecting from Safari's menu: Develop > Open Page With… > Google Chrome always worked, my keyboard shortcut was not reliable.

Faster MacBook Sleep

On several occasions I've closed the lid on my MacBook Pro and dropped it into my backpack only to open it later and find it either toasty or worse, completely dead. It either hadn't gone to sleep properly or the lid had opened in transit, waking it.

How to avoid updating Camera+ 1.2.1, to retain volume shutter

NB: Nov 16 2011 Update at end of article. On my iPhone 4, I love TapTapTap Camera+ 2.0 app's faster startup and new features, but I love Camera+ 1.2.1's VolumeSnap shutter button feature more. Repurposing the volume button to a shutter release allows me to hold my iPhone 4 steadier, with both hands like a real camera, when composing and taking pictures.