Clean Your Smartphone to Avoid COVID-19 and Other Viruses

Our phones are dirty – seven times dirtier than your toilet dirty. That’s nasty. 

And now that the coronavirus (COVID-19), has become a threat to many Americans, it’s important to keep your phone clean. COVID-19 can survive on some surfaces – including your phone – for up to nine days. But that’s not the only germs you should be concerned about.

Your phone goes into the bathroom with you, sits on the table at restaurants, on the seat beside you on the train or bus, so it’s no surprise it’s covered in bacteria – in fact, fecal matter can be found on 1 out of every 6 smartphones. In a separate study, researchers found  that “Mobile phones have become veritable reservoirs of pathogens as they touch faces, ears, lips, and hands of different users of different health conditions.” 

And if you really want to get the heebie-jeebies, a study by the University of Arizona found an average office desk – your smartphone’s home for about 40 hours a week – has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat. Think about it – the office restrooms are cleaned regularly – when was the last time you disinfected your desk, keyboard, mouse, chair…

The good news is that cleaning your phone can be simple and inexpensive but you do need to be careful. Common household cleaners may kill the bacteria, but some may also damage your phone. 

AVOID:

  • Window cleaner, kitchen cleaner, vinegar and rubbing alcohol – Some newer phones have a protective water and oil resistant coating – oleophobic (oil-repellant) and hydrophobic (water-repellent) – that can wear down over time. Never use harsh, abrasive cleaners like Bar Keepers Friend, Windex, or even vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Though they may not scratch the screen, it will certainly erode the protective coating and shorten the device’s lifespan.
  • Paper towels – Even a good quality paper towel can leave debris and scratches on your phone as it shreds while you’re wiping down your device.
  • Compressed air – Though your phone cases may be durable, blowing compressed air into the portals can cause serious damage, especially to your mic. Some phone manufacturers like Apple specifically warn consumers not to use compressed air.
  • Dish soap and hand soap – Because both have to be used with water, and because we know water and electronics are generally a no-no, most manufacturers warn consumers to keep the two far from one another. Even for phones that are water-resistant, though they can be rinsed, water will usually get into the ports meaning you can’t charge until they dry out or you run the risk of frying the electronics. 
  • Disinfectant wipes – Clorox and other disinfectant wipes typically contain alcohol that will strip off the oleophobic (oil-repellant) and hydrophobic (water-repellent) coatings.

USE: 

  • The safest and most effective way to clean your device’s screen is with a microfiber cloth. If the screen is especially dirty, use distilled water to dampen the microfiber cloth – never pour, squirt, drip, or any other liquid related verb, water directly on the screen. Obviously use the same method for the sides and back of the screen. You can also use
  • Swipe Wipes are microfibre cloths that stick to the back of your phone and remove smudges, fingerprints, germs, and bacteria. 
  • Whoosh Screen Clean Wipes are designed to remove makeup from your phone’s screen. They’re odor-free, antimicrobial, and promise to make phones 99.9% cleaner than 
  • Scotch Tape – Yep – good old Scotch Tape is ideal for removing sand, lint, and grit from the crevices of your device. For the really tiny spaces like speaker holes, use a toothpick or vacuum out the debris with a small crevice tool
  • If you’re really concerned about the number of germs on your device, consider Phone Soap, a UV light that promises to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria. They’re not cheap, but if for individuals with compromised immune systems, in particular, they’re worth it.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Apple Pay

Set Up Apple Pay on Your iOS Device

By Tracey Dowdy 

Since it was introduced back in 2014, Apple Pay now dominates the mobile payments space in the U.S., surpassing even Starbucks. It’s taken a minute for the app to become so widely used – according to a report from Co-Op Financial Services found that as of January 2019, just 12% of Apple Pay users were based in the U.S., with 88% elsewhere. 

If you’re not familiar or if you’re unsure if it’s secure, understand that Apple Pay is basically a digital wallet on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac. It enables you to securely pay in restaurants, make purchases when online shopping or in retail stores, and make in-app purchases. You can even use it to send and receive money to friends and family through Messages. Since it’s introduction, Apple has added support for transit cards as well as loyalty cards.

And, even though there’s an image of your credit card in Apple’s digital Wallet, your card number is not stored on your phone or on Apple’s servers. Apple Pay uses a user-specific device number as well as a unique transaction code to process your payments and protect your private information. It’s actually faster and more secure than typing in the password for your debit card or swiping your credit card at checkout.

If you’re interested in setting up Apple Pay on any of your Apple devices, CNET has a great How To Use Apple Pay video that walks you through how to add credit and debit cards to Apple Pay, configure settings and use Apple Pay both in stores and online. Or, follow these simple steps to get started. It’s easier than you may think. 

Add a credit or debit card

  • In Wallet, tap +. You will be asked to sign in with your Apple ID.
  • Choose one of the following:
    • Add a new card: Position your iPhone so that your card appears in the frame, or enter the card details manually.
    • Add your previous cards: Select the card associated with your Apple ID, cards you use with Apple Pay on your other devices, or cards that you removed. Tap Continue, then enter the CVV number of each card.

You may be able to add your card from the app of the bank or card issuer.

 Next, set the default card and rearrange your cards.

Note: the first card you add to Wallet becomes your default card for payments. To set a different card as the default, move it to the front of the stack.

  • In Wallet, choose your default card.
  • Touch and hold the card, then drag it to the front of the stack.
  • To reposition another card, touch and hold it, then drag it to a new location.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Google Maps New Transit Tool

By Tracey Dowdy

Once upon a time – well, 2005 to be exact – Google revolutionized the way we interact with maps when they introduced Google Maps. To celebrate its 15th birthday, they’ve taken user feedback and implemented updates and features that make it an even more integral part of your life. 

Though it started out as a simple navigation tool, each update brought a more robust service that allows users to find restaurants, gas stations, and even EV charging stations along your route. The latest update will be especially useful for commuters using public transit with displays of how hot/crowded a route may be as well as if there is normally security present. The update also makes several tools you had to hunt for in previous versions more easily accessible. Don’t worry if you don’t have the new version yet. Google tends to push out app updates slowly over a period of days and weeks. 

In the updated Explore tab, you can see events happening around you and discover places to eat, shop, and other activities.

The Commute feature from previous versions of Maps has also been upgraded. Here, you can get step-by-step instructions here for your trip whether traveling by car, public transit, on foot, or by bike. You can see how crowded your bus or train is, plus access real-time rider-supplied information regarding accessibility features, temperature, if there is a women’s-only section or carriage, and if there is security is present.

In previous iterations, places stored in Saved were buried deep in the navigation menu up in the upper left-hand corner. Now, you can find those places under the Saved tab at the bottom of the Maps app.

The Contribute tab, previously called Your Contributions, allows users to share reviews and photos of places you’ve visited, suggest edits to the map, add photos, business reviews, and even add a missing place on the map. Plus, users who join Google’s Local Guides program can earn points for contributions, and those points help you reach higher levels of the Local Guides program. At Level 4, you unlock your first Local Guides badge and higher levels lead to special perks and early access to Google features and rewards like a free six-month subscription to Google One.

This new Updates tab is similar to the For you tab. It allows users to see what’s happening in your area, with guidance from locals and from publications such as Surface and The Infatuation.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

 

Tuesday, February 18: Experiencing the Best of Boston

EXPERIENCING THE BEST OF BOSTON

When: Tuesday, February 18, 2020
3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
12:00 – 1:00 pm PT
The city that kicked off a revolution with a giant tea party is loved by locals and is a celebrated tourist destination. If you’ve ever lived in Boston, been to Boston, or one day hope to visit Boston, you won’t want to miss the #UltimateGuideBoston Twitter Chat at 3 pm ET on Tuesday, February 18.
Join host Dana Freeman (@DanaHFreeman) and the team as we create the Ultimate City Guide by exploring everything to see, do and eat in this amazing city!
RSVP and attend the chat for a chance to win a brand new iPad or a smartphone wireless charger!
ALSO be sure to enter
Verizon’s #UltimateGuideBoston Instagram #Contest
for a chance to win a $500 cash prize
AND a $300 Verizon gift card!
Here are the official rules

(Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com (subject line: UltimateCityGuide) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: https://bit.ly/2SGi4Ri
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#UltimateCityGuide) on Tuesday, February 18 between 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced 

Thursday, February 13: Navigating Your Future with 5G

NAVIGATING YOUR FUTURE WITH 5G

When: Thursday, February 13, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 pm ET
6:00 – 7:00 pm PT
Thanks to the roll-out of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, the future is finally here! This ground-breaking technology is poised to transform our lives – now!
Join host Marv Dorner (@BeBizzy) and the #5GBuiltRight team as they assist you in navigating your future with 5G. We will be exploring this exciting next-generation technology and discussing how it will impact the way we live, work and play!
RSVP and attend the chat for a chance to win a Wireless Bluetooth Speaker or one of TWO Wireless Smartphone Chargers!

(Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com (subject line: 5GBuiltRight) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: https://bit.ly/2uz2zlZ
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#5GBuiltRight) on Thursday, February 13 between 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced 

Books for Teens – Black History Month

By Tracey Dowdy

February is Black History Month. Although we should celebrate the accomplishments of people of color here in America as well as around the world every day, this is an opportunity for you to educate yourself and your children about black scientists, musicians, authors, educators, innovators, and heroes who helped shape this country. 

These books are a great place to start. 

No list would be complete without Michelle Obama’s autobiographical memoir, Becoming, that follows her journey from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to becoming America’s first African American First Lady. With over 7,000 positive reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Amazon, it’s a book that will both inspire and challenge you. 

Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys, described Nic Stone’s novel first novel “Dear Martin” as “Raw and gripping.” The story follows Justyce, a black teenage boy, who goes on a journey of discovering the hardships of being a black male growing up in Atlanta. The story takes an unflinching look at racism and how black men are treated by society solely because of the color of their skin. 

Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie first popped up on my radar when I saw it on former president Barak Obama’s past summer reading list. The story chronicles two Nigerians trying to make their way in the U.S. and the UK while raising questions of race and what it means to belong. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is probably best known for her TED talk on the danger of a single story, but she also appeared on Beyonce’s song “Flawless.” She’s the author of many other works such as her essay “We Should All Be Feminists.” 

The title of Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, stems from his birth to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was illegal in South Africa and punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Noah’s mother kept him mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life in order to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, seize him and take him away. His stories are by turns hilarious, heartwrenching, and make the reader think deeply about class, culture, and the racial tensions that transcend international borders. 

Black Enough” by Ibi Zoboi is a collection of mesmerizing short stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America. Stories range from kids who’ve been told they are “acting white” to those who are marginalized for being mixed race. It’s an honest look at the complexities that come with racial identity in contemporary American culture.

In “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, sixteen-year-old Starr moves between the poor neighborhood where she lives and the posh suburban prep school she attends. When Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her unarmed childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer, things escalate quickly when his death becomes a national headline. The story could be pulled from real-life headlines and will break your heart and make you pause the next time a tragedy like this makes the news. 

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Apple Maps

Apple Maps Tips and Tools

By Tracey Dowdy

My early experiences with Apple Maps was less than impressive. From sending me to a disused grocery store parking lot instead of a funeral home and directing me the wrong way down one-way streets, I dumped the app and turned to Waze and Apple Maps for directions. 

Apple has made multiple improvements since then, and its latest redesign finally gives Google Maps a run for its money.

Share your ETA

As of iOS 13.1, Apple lets you share your estimated time of arrival through Apple Maps, iMessage or text when you’re using Apple Maps navigation. 

  • Open Apple Maps and get turn-by-turn directions to the location. 
  • When viewing the directions, swipe up from the bottom of the area that displays your arrival time and shows the end button.
  • Tap Share ETA. 
  • Select the contact or contacts with whom you want to share.

Apple Maps will be used to share your location, route, and ETA, if your iPhone is running iOS 13.1 or newer, and you’re sharing your ETA with someone with an iPhone on iOS 13.1 or newer. However, if you share your ETA with a non-iPhone user or someone running an older version of iOS on their Apple device, a message will be sent. Plus, if you run into traffic or another delay that extends your trip more than five minutes, the app will send an update with an adjusted ETA. 

Maps are more detailed

Apple has worked hard to improve Maps and the new design features “better road coverage, pedestrian data, more precise addresses, and detailed land cover.” The updated, more detailed maps were included in iOS13.1 – no need to update manually.  

Apple Maps now features Look Around, similar to Google’s Street View. It uses photos to show you exactly what a location looks like in person and allows you to move around the city streets. Currently, Look Around is that only available in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Oahu, Houston, and Los Angeles, though Apple plans to add more cities in the future.

The good news is that even if you don’t live in one of the supported cities you can still check out Look Around to see it in practice. 

  • Open Apple Maps and zoom in on a city that has Look Around. 
  • Zoom in to a specific area, or until you see a pair of binoculars show up in the top-right corner of the map.
  • Select binoculars.

When the window opens, expand Look Around to full-screen mode by tapping on the double-arrow icon. 

Once the window is open you can swipe around to change the direction of the photo, tap on the street to move further down the block. You can tap on the name of a business to zoom in on its address, hours, phone number and website, just like in Google Maps. 

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

 

 

 

Tuesday, February 11: The Best of Seattle

EXPERIENCING THE BEST OF SEATTLE

When: Tuesday, February 11, 2020
3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
12:00 – 1:00 pm PT
The city that gave us Starbucks coffee and Jimi Hendrix is loved by locals and is a popular tourist destination. If you’ve ever lived in Seattle, been to Seattle, or one day hope to visit Seattle, you won’t want to miss the #UltimateGuideSeattle Twitter Chat at 3 pm ET on Tuesday, February 11.
Join hosts Chris Staudinger and Tawny Clark (@CaptainandClark) and the team as we explore everything to see, do and eat in this amazing city…and create the Ultimate City Guide!
RSVP and attend the chat for a chance to win a brand new iPad or a smartphone wireless charger!
ALSO be sure to enter
Verizon’s #UltinmateGuideSeattle Instagram #Contest
for a chance to win a $500 cash prize
AND a $300 Verizon gift card!
Here are the official rules

(Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com (subject line: UltimateCityGuide) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: https://bit.ly/2S2L6vd
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#UltimateCityGuide) on Tuesday, February 11 between 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced 

Best Websites for Home Renovations

By Tracey Dowdy

If you’ve ever looked around your house and thought, “This space would be so much more functional without that wall,” or, “This tiny bedroom is perfect for my dream closet,” you’re not alone. Homeowners and landlords in the U.S. spent $424 billion on home improvements in 2017, according to Improving America’s Housing 2019, a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies analysis of government data. The survey draws from the Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey, which measures the number of households planning home renovations and their associated costs. (American Housing Survey data for 2018 and 2019 isn’t yet available.)

America’s favorite renovations aren’t massive renovations like you see on shows like Fixer Upper, but minor improvements that make a big impact — like replacing floors or fixtures. These simple changes often boost the home’s resale value for those planning to flip or move on. There’s a lot to consider before tackling a home improvement project, and it’s wise to think through potential problems before you start. 

These websites can help you get a better perspective on the scope of the project, how much it could cost, and what the finished product will look like. 

Porch’s slogan is “Love your home. For moving and improving and everything in between.” From the home page, you can search for anything from contractors, plumbers, or a handyman to pool installation or carpet stretching by your zip code, get quotes from movers, and see popular projects in your area. That’s a particularly handy feature if you’re looking to see what others in your neighborhood with the same style home or floor plan have done. For jobs Porch doesn’t do, they’ll even get you quotes from independent professionals in the area.

Long before Fixer Upper and Property Brothers, there was Bob Vila’s This Old House. You can search for projects A – Z – well, A – Y – attics to yards, watch step by step instructional videos, be inspired by Project or Idea Houses, or become an Insider with access to commercial-free streaming of over 1,000 episodes, opportunities to meet the cast, participate in live online Q&As with TOH experts, and access special deals and discounts.

DIY Network is the home of “I don’t have the budget for a contractor and want to try it myself,” offering practical advice and helping you plan your projects by budget. Get your inspiration from TV shows, Editors Picks, or search the archives for specific projects. 

From the network that introduced us all to shiplap, HGTV Remodels is perfect for figuring out what’s actually doable as opposed to the projects that will send you and your partner to couples therapy or bankruptcy court. With ideas ranging from how to update your fireplace or home technology to choosing a new addition’s foundation, it’s a one-stop-shop. 

Houzz.com is your go-to for inspiration whether you’re contemplating big changes like a full kitchen remodel or little changes like deciding which paint color is best for your tiny powder room.  With hundreds of photos and examples from other DIY-ers, you can see examples, shop for products, and contact local professionals who can help you get started and see you through to the end.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.