iTurf AppsiTurf Apps

Evernote – What do you want to see?

hiawathaturf — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:18:08 +0000

iTurfapps is planning a series of Evernote posts. I have given several talks on Evernote over the last couples years. I often field questions about Evernote. Which is great, keep them coming. I love talking about this great app. However, I don’t always know what people want to see or hear about.

So, I am wondering what you would like to see in the series?

Such as:

- Evernote Set Up

- Equipment

- Workflows for notes

- Notebooks

- Templates

Let us know anything you would like to see about using Evernote.

Please comment below.

Thank you

Bob

bob@iturfapps.com

Instant Sharing Between Mac and iOS

hiawathaturf — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:00:21 +0000

We are often asked…What’s a good way to get files from my Mac to my iPad or iPhone?

Instashare makes sharing files and photos from a Mac very easy to an iOS device and visa versa. Photostream is nice and all, but you have to open iPhoto to sync the stream. Documents and most any file type for that matter are easy to transfer to iOS as well. There is plenty of cloud based services out there to share documents. Dropbox, Box.net, iCloud and the like. Instashare is just a little easier. In fact its drop dead simple.

To use Instashare download the iOS and Mac apps. The desktop app is a Mac only Beta version. To move files between devices it’s as simple as opening the app on the Mac and any iOS device. On the Mac just drag and drop the file onto the Instashare app window. You will then be presented with the available iOS devices. The same basic process is applied to moving files from iOS to Mac.

The only knock, while iOS allows apps to access the camera roll, the same is not the case for documents. Therefore, documents can only be transferred from Mac to iOS.

A PC version of the desktop app is not available at this time, but apps for Windows and Android are in the works by the developer.

Instashare from TwoManShow

Free- iTunes A $.99 in app purchase is available for an add free version.

Beta- Instashare for Mac app

Email ever get stuck?

Jason VanBuskirk — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:44:22 +0000

Have you ever typed a lengthy email on your iPhone or iPad, hit send, and then…and then…and then…the wheel keeps spinning and nothing happens? So you exit out of the document, reopen mail, and notice that there’s one document in your outbox. So you open the document and still nothing happens. Well, short of explaining many of the other trouble shooting tips that can be tried here, I’ll share with you the trick I found. I simply turned airplane mode on so that the server would stop trying to pull data. Opened mail so all data would be at rest and then turned airplane mode off. Reopened mail and, voilà, the lengthy email sent! Hope this helps if you’ve ever run into this small snag with iOS mail!

-Jason VanBuskirk

Onward and Upward!

Greensuper — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 01:05:22 +0000

In January, I discussed in a post titled The Round Pegs in the Square Holes, that the iTurf Apps team was official. Yes, we are now a team and things have never been better! Myself, Bob Porter of Hiawatha Golf Club and Jason VanBuskirk of Stow Acres Country Club make up the team at iTurf Apps.

The last several months, the three of us have been quite busy conversing with many of you via, phone, email, twitter, etc about your use of technology. It has been great to talk with all of you and assist in the ways we can; we truly love doing it. The Golf Industry Show raised the bar once more for the team. From our engagements at the Golf Industry Show to subsequent events following.

With the bar raised once more, we are in the process of putting several additions together for you. We have had strong interest in the many Google Docs we have created and we hear you. We have also been asked to create several tutorial videos for how-to’s on several apps. Expansion to other devices has also been discussed. We are in high gear at the moment creating a way to properly share our Google Docs. We are also evaluating applications and devices to add to our how-to library in the very near future.

To assist us, we have created a very brief survey for you to complete. Trust us, it is brief and will go a long way into helping us help you! And in the spirit of your demand for Google Docs…our survey uses just that! There is also an incentive. Each person that completes the survey will be entered to win the $50 iTurf Apps Visa gift card we are giving away. Below is the survey and your time in completing this is great appreciated.

Get ready! More things coming soon!

Your iTurf Apps team.

On a mobile device? Click here!

Google Tips from the field…

Jason VanBuskirk — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 05:19:38 +0000

Thanks to the team at GCSAA.tv for coming to my property in July. This short segment is a quick glimpse on how we utilize technology in the Turf Department at Stow Acres. If I can be of any assistance to you, please contact me at @uriturf or jason@iturfapps.com. Thanks! Hope you enjoy!

-Jason VanBuskirk, Superintendent

Child-proofing your iOS device…

Jason VanBuskirk — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 05:53:45 +0000

If you have young kids, then I’m sure you’ve experienced the moment when you open up your iPad after your child has been playing with it, and you’re missing an important app. Yes, you can download the app again for free, but most of the data that was stored in the app is now gone. Well, then there is the suggestion of restoring the iPad from an iCloud backup to retrieve lost data. Seems like a lot of work. Well, you can child-proof your iPad to avoid this exact dilemma. Go into General Settings: Restrictions. Turn Restrictions on and choose a specific passcode that is easy to remember. Once you are in there, disable Deleting Apps. This will prohibit your child from holding down an app icon and deleting the app accidentally. Yes, you will have to go into General Settings: Restrictions to enable Deleting Apps, but it is far better than losing apps or information

Another neat trick is Guided Access. This feature can be found in General Settings: Accessibility. If you turn Guided Access on, then you will have to enter another passcode.

Go into an app that you would like or need the person to use. Once in the app, triple tap the home button. The on screen instructions ask you to circle portions of the screen that you would like to make “off limits”. If the person using your iPad tries to exit the app, they need to enter your passcode. This feature is convenient if you only want your child to use certain features of an app or if you only allow them to use one app at a time. This feature is also convenient in the work environment if your iPad is being used for data entry by multiple people or it is on display showcasing only one particular app for use or instruction. Notice the gray along the top of the screen prohibits the user from accessing the browser but still use the current page.

Hopefully these tips will help protect your iPad from your curious kids or your curious colleagues!

-Jason VanBuskirk

Is the Google Chromebook for real?

Jason VanBuskirk — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:03:43 +0000

I’ll start off by stating that this is a post reviewing and comparing Google’s Chromebook to Apple’s iPad. The Chromebook hit the market in June 2011 and it was way overpriced. At $500, the Chromebook was a neat idea but it could only operate online internet browsing and web-based document processing. No Windows software or anything similar. Still a neat idea. Samsung and Acer became its biggest supporters and created the hardware for the operating system. Fast forward to 2013. HP and Lenovo have started creating machines to operate Google’s Chrome OS. The OS is 100% Google Chrome. In fact, it’s look is very similar to a Windows OS. It’s not so much an OS as its just a browser that allows for everything to be operated through Google Chrome. A Google account is needed, but if you are familiar with the latest and greatest that Google has to offer, then this might be your machine. For only $199 (Acer model) and $249 (Samsung model), this “Chromebook” offers quite a bit for the price. If you need a cheap substitute at home or in the shop to browse the web, answer emails, or manage your Google Drive account, then this price tag is a bit more affordable than a base model iPad. However, it does not have many of the same functionalities that an iPad has.

The Chromebook is a laptop, not a tablet. It does not have touch screen technology. The only apps that you can grab for it are in the Chrome store. It does not have the same support that you receive with Apple Care. Unless you are connected to a wifi connection or upgrade to a 3G version for $50, the Chromebook doesn’t really allow for much. Google Drive does allow for offline editing however, and once connected, all changes will be uploaded to your Drive. But, the Chromebook does have some great features for the price. The Chromebook’s wifi connection is fast, it’s battery life is similar to an iPad, and it’s laptop functionality will out compete an iPad because it has a full sized keyboard (unless your iPad has an external keyboard). It’s extremely lightweight. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to play with Samsung’s version for a while. I’m an Apple freak, but I’m also a Google freak (strictly for their online Drive). This machine was neat. It is a very good device and especially good for the price, but…

In conclusion, it was pretty awesome using a device solely dedicated to everything Google, but I would miss may iPad way too much, and in fact, I am still be willing to spend the extra $250 just to have everything an iPad has to offer. Once you go Mac, it’s hard to go back!

Please click here to read a very detailed review from the professionals at TUAW.com if you are not totally convinced.

-Jason VanBuskirk

Google Forms Refreshed!

Jason VanBuskirk — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:00 +0000

If you are familiar with Google Drive, then you are probably familiar with the Google Forms feature. Google Forms was originally created for non-profits and school systems as a free database type software. It provides a very clean format to create a form for all types of data collection at the maintenance facility. Please refer to this past post for the use of Google Forms.

Last week, Google Forms received a refreshing new look. It allows for more meticulous form creation, allows for the form to refer to a specific sheet in a workbook, and will even save the form entries to a CSV file rather than creating a separate spreadsheet. For a more detailed explanation from the real creators, please refer to this posting on the Official Google Enterprise Blog.

Golf course maintenance operations have been dying for this type of free software for years. The true beauty of it is that it sits in a cloud for quick backup and storage, you’re able to share and collaborate with the click of a button, and you have the ability to have all of your data at your fingertips right on your ipad.

Last week at GIS, I gave a talk on Google Drive, but I spoke about Google Forms for most of the time. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I have also included a PDF version of the slides from my presentation. Talk soon!

-Jason VanBuskirk

Google Drive GIS

Exchange Bug causing Battery Issues in iOS 6.1

hiawathaturf — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:07:13 +0000

Have you been experiencing battery drain issues on your iOS device running software version 6.1? Myself and Bill are seeing the battery drain fairly quickly thru the day on our iPhone 5′s. Today I came across an article by Cult of Mac talking about an iOS bug cause battery drain while using an Exchange account. I will be trying this temporary fix today!

Apple: iOS 6.1 Exchange Bug Will Be Patched, Here’s A Temporary Fix

by Cult of Mac’s Killian Bell

#GIS13 Overview…

Jason VanBuskirk — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:01:13 +0000

It was our first GIS as a team at iTurf Apps, and we felt that it was a very successful one. We weren’t pushing product or trying to get folks to latch on to a new piece of technology; in fact, we were simply trying to build our name outside of twitterverse. A name that, we hope, most would associate with technology and turf. We were fortunate enough to setup camp in the Test Drive Technology booth and utilize all of the devices that the GCSAA IT team, Bill Brown, and Florentine helped orchestrate. The booth was stocked with iMacs, iPads, iPad minis, an AR Drone II, and a few computers showcasing Windows 8. At the end of 30 minute talk, a raffle was drawn to giveaway an iPad, an AR Drone, an iPod, or iPod nano. I’m still convinced that this is why the booth was so busy especially around the talk schedule. However, the talks that were put on by our team were pretty awesome! Bill lead us off with a fantastic demonstration of flying an AR Drone with his iPad mini. Bob highlighted the paperless office and how it is actually possible on many levels with today’s technology and the many apps that are available. I discussed the simplicity and efficiencies of Google Drive for the Superintendent. Together, we had a great variety at the tech booth and just in the short discussions that were had on the floor with participants, we know that we made an impact. All three of us really love what we do as Superintendents and technology freaks. Just like on the trade show floor, do not hesitate to contact us with any questions either via email or twitter (@iturfapps). If you didn’t make it to our talks, or you did and would like more information, please contact me at jason@iturfapps.com and I will pass along the necessary information. Thanks for your support!

-Jason VanBuskirk

Google Drive GIS