Category Archives: tips & tricks

fixed : Medisana PM100 BT not connecting to VitaDock+.app

Posted on by
2

Question :

I just bought the Medisana PM100 Connect (PM100 with Bluetooth) oximeter to measure my blood oxygen saturation level (like the new AppleWatch), which can help to find if I am having a pneumonia (good to know in these COVID-19 Corona times).

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER : even if an oximeter like this measures a 98% blood oxygen saturation level, you can still have Covid-19 Corona virus… it’s just that not having pneumonia makes you somewhat less contagious for others and makes having Covid-19 less problematic on yourself.

I especially bought the Bluetooth version to sync all measurements to my iPhone using the VitaDock+.app (and ultimately to the Apple Health.app). But when I open the VitaDock+.app and click on Devices (top-right), then on the next page scroll down to Health-PulseOximeter, then on the next page click Setup Device and switch the PM100 on, the Bluetooth scanner keeps scanning and finally reports not having found any new devices…

Multiple tries didn’t help… restarting the VitaDock+.app didn’t help… restarting my iPhone didn’t help… switching Bluetooth off and back on didn’t help…

Nothing seems to solve this, what can I do to fix this ?

 

Answer :

You will run into this problem if you have version 2.7.8 (or earlier) of VitaDock+.app and this is fixed in version 2.7.9 and newer.

Check which version of the VitaDock+.app you have by opening the app on your iPhone and clicking on the ‘circle with 3 lines’ icon top-right, at the bottom of the popup window the version number is listed.

So, the solution is very simple : just upgrade to the latest version of the app.

If you run into any problems trying to upgrade the VitaDock+.app just delete the app from your iPhone and reinstall it.

NOTE : If you already have the new version of the software installed and you are still running into connection or syncing problems, try the simple solution in this post “fixed : Medisana Oximeter sync hangs at 8%”

That’s it – enjoy 😉

 

fixed : quick slideshow of a folder of pictures

Posted on by
Reply

Question :
Someone sent me a bunch of photos that I need to review. I have them in a folder, but I don’t want to import them into Photos.app, Keynote or PowerPoint or even Preview.app to have a look at them and select the most important ones.

Is there any option or simple app to do this ?

 

Answer :

Yes there is, there is an option for this in macOS (and OSX) called Quick Look. In previous versions of OSX and Mac OSX the Quick Look option was visible in any Finder window as a ‘button with an eye icon on it’, in macOS it is slightly hidden in the pulldown menu that opens when you click the ‘button with a sprocket (gear) icon on it’.

There’s even a shortcut for this :

  • open a Finder window
  • open the folder with the photos in it
  • select the photos you want to review (hold the CMD-key while picking photos one-by-one, hold the SHIFT-key to select multiple photos in a row, or press the CMD + A key combo to select all photos)
  • then press the SPACEBAR to view all selected photos as a slideshow
  • or press the ALT + SPACE key combo to view all selected photos as a full screen slideshow
  • note : the file names are shown with each photo, so if you need to review and select photos you will know which photos you have chosen

That’s it.

enjoy 😉

 

 

fixed : “iPad could not be activated” error on old iPad with empty SIM-slot (or iPad showing “black screen with time only” error)

Posted on by
Reply

Question :

I have an old iPad that I want to give to my children, but when I switch it on, there’s only a black screen showing the current time (not sure if it’s actually the correct time).

I left the iPad alone for some time, and when I switched it on again, I get an “iPad could not be activated” error.

Now, whenever I switch on the iPad, I either get the “iPad could not be activated” error or I get the black screen displaying the time only… I can’t figure out a way to get anything els from it…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

For some unknown reason this problem appears on old iPads with an empty SIM-card slot. To get your iPad working again, follow these steps :

  • make sure the iPad is charged at least 20%
  • take the SIM card tray (holder) out of the iPad
  • vacuum the SIM card slot using a vacuum cleaner
  • if you have one, put a SIM-card in the tray (even if it’s an old inactive SIM-card), if not leave the tray empty
  • put the SIM card tray back into the iPad
  • reset the iPad by pressing the Home-button and the ON/OFF-switch at the same time
  • press both buttons until the white Apple-logo appears
  • then release the ON/OFF-button, but keep pressing the Home-button
  • when you keep the Home-button pressed long enough, you will get a “connect to iTunes” message
  • when an error message (or anything else) appears, repeat the reset
  • plug your iPad’s USB-cable into a Mac (or PC) that has iTunes on it
    • a newer Mac with Apple Music app might also work, but iTunes will probably work easier since this is an old iPad…
    • if you don’t have a Mac, you can probably use a PC with iTunes for Windows also (this wasn’t tested though…)
  • in iTunes you will get a message that the software on the iPad needs to be updated, click OK to go ahead
  • make sure your Mac (or PC) is connected to the internet, so it can download the update
  • this will take quite a long time 
  • you will only see an “iPad recovery mode” screen in iTunes, with no indication of progress
  • on your iPad you will see the Apple logo and an empty progress bar
  • if you do not touch anything long enough, the progress bar will suddenly start moving after 10 or 15 minutes (maybe longer)
  • wait for the progress bar to complete and disappear 
  • then you will get an “entry code protection” error in iTunes
  • open your iPad with the screen unlock code
  • on the bottom of the “Choose a Wi-Fi Network” page that automatically opens, you will now see a “connect to iTunes” option, select that
  • if your iPad is recognized correctly now, you’re okay
  • else, redo the entire procedure and choose “Erase” instead of “Repair” (“Recover”)
    • note : if you need to choose “Erase” you will loose all content that was on the iPad (the only way to get your content back after that is to import it from your iCloud backup or iTunes backup – if you ever made one manually or automatically)
  • follow the instructions and you will also be guided through instructions import a backup (if you have made any previously)

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : “the file couldn’t be opened because you don’t have permission to view it“ error in Preview.app when trying to open a JPG-file

Posted on by
2

Question :

I am trying to open a JPG-picture in Preview.app, but I get this error : “the file couldn’t be opened because you don’t have permission to view it“

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

It isn’t clear why you get this error message, but the way to fix it is rather simple :

  • first, Quit the Preview.app if it is open :
    • press the [CMD]+[Q] key-combo on your keyboard
  • then reopen the Preview.app
  • then Force Quit the Preview.app :
    • press the [CMD]+[ALT]+[ESC] key-combo on your keyboard
    • when the new window opens, select Preview (the app) from the scroll-list
    • then click on the Force Quit button (bottom-right)
  • then reopen the Preview.app
  • now, the JPG files should open in Preview.app without a problem

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : how to duplicate a calendar event on iPhone (or iPad)

Posted on by
2

Question :

I am used to arranging my Calendar events mainly on my Mac, because I think I have more options there tan on my iPhone and iPad. But at this moment I do not have my Mac at hand and I want to duplicate (or copy-paste) a calendar event that is already in my Calendar to another date… but there doesn’t appear to be a simple button to do so…

Is there really no way to duplicate a calendar event on an iPhone/iPad ?

 

Answer :

Yes, there is an option built into iOS/iPadOS to do so, but it’s not as straight forward as you might like :

  • open the Calendar app
  • go to the calendar event you want to duplicate (or copy-paste)
  • click on it, so the Event Details page will open
  • then click on Edit (top-right), so the Edit Event page will open
  • then click on the tiltle of your event, so the red cursor line appears
  • then click-and-hold on the title of your event again, and when you release the pop-up options will appear in black, then choose Select All
  • the title of your event will now be entirely highlighted in red, and slightly different pop-up options will appear in black, this time choose Copy
  • then click Cancel (top-left)
  • then click on the date (in red) top-left
  • in Calendar-roll page, scroll to the date where you want to place the duplicate calendar event
  • then click + (the red plus-sign top-right), so a New Event page will open
  • click-and-hold on Title (in grey), and when you release the pop-up options will appear in black, then choose Paste
  • now, the event name will be pasted, and the Location-line will be pushed downward to make way for a Suggeted Event
  • click on the Suggested Event and all the additional settings of the original event will be filled out (put differently : you now have a duplicate of the original event)
  • now, adjust all details, like date, time, calendar, alerts, etc. to your liking
  • when ready, click Add (top-right in red)

That’s it… you now have a copy-pasted (and edited) the original event !

enjoy 😉

fixed : Sony miniDV cam “for InfoLithium battery only” error

Posted on by
Reply

Question :

I was planning to review some old miniDV videotapes to see if there was anything interesting on them that I might want to import into my Mac and edit it. However, when I plugged the battery onto my Sony PC1E miniDV camera, I immediately got a blue screen and an error saying “For InfoLITHIUM Battery only”, which is weird because the battery is an original Sony InfoLithium one…

So I plugged in the power cable and connected the power adapter to my Sony miniDV cam… but now I got even weirder : again, I can into the “For InfoLITHIUM Battery only” error… that’s impossible !?! this time it isn’t even a battery that’s connected, it’s the original power cable…

Is my Sony miniDV cam broken  ? (beyond repair maybe ?) Is it possible to fix this ?

 

Answer :

Even though your first reaction might be that your battery or maybe even your Sony miniDV cam is broken beyond repair… you are probably in luck if you haven’t used your Sony miniDV cam for a while and you get the “For InfoLITHIUM Battery only” error message… in that case, the solution is simple most of the time :

you probably got this error message because of the battery contact surface of your cam, your battery or your power adapter is greased or slightly corroded… so just clean it with a cleaning foam or cleaning fluid that is suited for use on electronic devices :

a good option is Multi Foam cleaning foamer by C-Inco, but others that are suited for use on computers and electronics should do as well :

D.RECT Cleaning Foam 400ml   buy it on Amazon UK / Amazon DE

CRC 1 VisiClear Foam Cleaner 6.9oz buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

LogiLink RP0012 Foam Cleaner 400ml   buy it on Amazon DE

Weicon Cleaning Foam 400ml   buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Directions for use :

  • unplug the power adapter from the wall power
  • take the bottle of foam cleaner and shake well
  • then, spay foam on the contact area of the battery on the cam
  • then, spray foam on the contact area of the battery itself
  • then, spray foam onto the contact area of the power adapter
  • then leave it to dry
  • when all foam has dried, reconnect the battery or power adapter
  • then switch on your camera

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : USB-C memorystick for iPad Pro

Posted on by
Reply

Question :

I have an iPad Pro 2018 with a USB-C port, and I found out that I can connect a regular USB-stick using a USB-to-USB-C-adapter and then browse and use all files on the USB-stick from within the Folders.app on my iPad Pro. That’s great !

Now, since I only have USB-C ports on both my MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro,  I was wondering : are there any good USB-C memory sticks available for an affordable price ?

 

Answer :

The answer is simple : Yes, there are USB-C memorysticks that work great.

We have tested this one, that is both USB-C and USB compatible, that makes it even more versatile :

Topesel USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon UK / Amazon DE

And there are several alternatives (that we didn’t test) :

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB-C : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Verbatim Store&Go USB-C Flash Drive : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Kenix on-the-go USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Kootion USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Meco Eleverde USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

Meco Eleverde 2-in-1 USB-C Memory Stick : buy it on Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon DE

enjoy 😉