The Ultimate Mobile Mac User's Survival Guide

Get Smart: Mobile Mac Know-How

Being appropriately equipped is only half the battle when it comes to leading a productive existence as an itinerate Machead. These pointers will put you on the right track to staying connected, keeping your hardware and precious data out of thieving paws, and even turning your iPhone into a MacBook replacement.

INTERNET, INTERNET EVERYWHERE

We urbanites are spoiled, rarely venturing somewhere that doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Here’s how to keep that Wi-Fi icon in your menubar up and at ’em--and what your alternatives are when Wi-Fi can’t be found.

Let JiWire’s iPhone app use your current location to find all hotspots or specify your location by city, state, or zip code.

Hi, Wi-Fi.

A device like Kensington’s WiFi Finder Plus starts you off on the right foot by sniffing out accessible wireless networks within range. But if you’d rather do your Wi-Fi sniffing for free, surf to JiWire’s Wi-Fi hotspot directory before you leave home. (JiWire also has a free iPhone app called Wi-Fi Finder in the App Store that uses the iPhone 3G’s built-in GPS or the iPod touch’s Wi-Fi triangulation capability to find hotspots near you. A second free JiWire app, Free Global Wi-Fi, is useful for international travelers.)

Let JiWire’s iPhone app use your current location to find all hotspots or specify your location by city, state, or zip code.

Depending on what you need Wi-Fi access for, it’s probably smart to consider subscribing to a paid hotspot service like T-Mobile, which is on the pricey side ($5.99 for a 24-hour pass or $29.99 a month for unlimited access).

Boingo Wireless starts at $9.95 a month and offers subscribers their pick of 100,000 hotspots worldwide, including 20,000 Marriott, Hilton, and other hotel chains, 500-plus airports, 14,000 McDonald’s, and 70,000 cafés and coffee shops (including Starbucks). Boingo essentially aggregates nationwide Wi-Fi services like AT&T, Wayport, iBahn, and T-Mobile, giving you access to them all for much less than you’d pay to join just one of them. For those determined to replace their laptops with an iPhone, Boingo offers Wi-Fi unlimited access for mobile devices for $7.95 a month.

Of course, your MacBook’s AirPort can detect Wi-Fi networks automatically--clicking on the AirPort icon in the menubar shows you what your options are. While we wouldn’t normally recommend siphoning off strangers’ unsecured Wi-Fi networks--particularly if you’re sending proprietary info to others via email, and certainly not if you’re logging on to websites that ask for a username and password or other personal data--the number of unsecured networks we run across continues to boggle our minds. In other words, if you absolutely must have an Internet connection to browse the Web or send innocuous work or personal email--Hi Joe, I’ve arrived in Toronto. Call my cell on Monday so we can connect.--we don’t feel guilty suggesting that you seize the opportunity to use the free connection. Just don’t make it a habit.

Wi-Fi isn’t your only wireless Internet option--it’s just the most common, and most commonly free or affordable wireless Internet standard in many parts of the world. If you must be guaranteed a wireless connection even when Wi-Fi is spotty, nonexistent, or--gasp--blocked, a 3G wireless cellular modem and accompanying data service makes sense. (Many of these devices use EV-DO, which operates over the existing cellular network, rather than using the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard, so this option requires network coverage, but it’s a pretty good bet that, unless you’re stuck on a remote mountaintop somewhere--or in a cave--you’ll likely be able to connect.) Sierra Wireless makes the most varied line of compact EV-DO wireless modems--most of which plug into your to your ’Book via USB, and Sprint offers a range of monthly data services.

If you have a 3G, Bluetooth-enabled cell phone other than an iPhone--we’re sorry--you can draft your phone into service as a wireless modem. In order for this to work, though, you probably need to be paying for a cellular data plan on your phone service from a carrier like Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T.

Until Apple releases the iPhone 3.0 software this summer, there’s no good solution available at press time for tethering your iPhone to your ’Book to allow both devices to share a Wi-Fi connection. The one tethering app that made it to the App Store, NetShare ($9.99), was pulled after only a day or two on sale, so only those lucky enough to install it during that small window of opportunity can enjoy its benefits. Apple announced that tethering is one of the features of the forthcoming iPhone 3.0 software, but didn’t elaborate much beyond that at the March 17 iPhone 3.0 announcement event, except to mention that the iPhone’s cellular carriers (AT&T here in the U.S.) need to be onboard too.

Calling Captain Bluetooth.

Using a Bluetooth mobile phone as a wireless modem with your MacBook will require you to run special software provided by your wireless service provider in order to use the network, so check with your carrier to see if your phone supports broadband dial-up networking. Non-3G phones can still use dial-up networking the old-fashioned way: Obtain a dial-in number from your Internet service provider, then, on your Mac, open the Bluetooth dial-up networking controls under System Preferences > Network > Bluetooth. With your Bluetooth phone paired with your Mac, enter the dial-in number and your account name and password, and then click Connect. Of course, most carriers require you to subscribe to their broadband data service in order to use your Mac on the network, so you may still have to pay extra for the ability to use the connection.

iPhone 3G users have a second option: Since you’re already paying for wireless data service on top of your voice plan, you can purchase a 3G wireless USB modem from AT&T (such as the USBConnect 881), along with the Nova Media app launch2net for OS X ($41.93) and, using the SIM card already in your iPhone, you can essentially siphon your iPhone’s 3G data capabilities into the USB modem and connect to the Internet with your MacBook that way.

Mac-to-Mac Connection. Occasionally, it’s not so much an Internet connection you need as a peer-to-peer connection to another person’s Mac. This might arise if, say, you’re a creative pro who needs to share a large Illustrator or Photoshop file with a client or colleague. If it happens that you’re in the same room as that person and his or her Mac (preferably a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or iMac--a Mac Pro will only work if it’s got the optional AirPort card installed), you can use your own ’Book’s built-in Wi-Fi to create a wireless connection to that person’s Mac to share the files that way.

Share files with another Mac by creating your own wireless network. Thanks, AirPort!

Once file sharing is enabled, you can move files between Macs as if you’re moving them around on your own hard drive.

To create a computer-to-computer network, click the AirPort icon in the menubar and select Create Network. By default, the network will bear the name of your Mac, but you can change the name to anything you like. You can also check the box next to Enable Encryption (Using WEP) and designate a password to make your network private. Once other machines join your network, you can use file sharing to transfer files between them.

You can even share files with a PC by checking the Share Files and Folders Using SMB option.

To enable file sharing from a Mac running Leopard, go to System Preferences > Sharing and check the box next to File Sharing. Then select Options and check “Share files and folders using AFP.” To make your files accessible to Windows users, check “Share files and folders using SMB” and be sure to select an account from your Mac to enable sharing from. You can share the data on an external hard drive by clicking the plus sign under the Shared Folders box in the main Sharing pane. Then browse to the drive you’d like to share and click Add.

OUTWIT THIEVES

Most thieves aren’t the brightest bulbs, so it doesn’t take that much to outwit them at their nefarious game. A little bit of street smarts combined with the right antitheft gear will keep your ’Book safe from bad-doers.

The Kensington ComboSaver Combination Portable Notebook Lock comes in fire-engine red and business-basic gray, so you can secure your MacBook in style.

Lock, Stock, NO Smoking MacBook.

Avoid that grueling “woulda, coulda, shoulda” moment after discovering a missing MacBook by investing in a cable lock. Kensington makes the best in the biz. Kensington lock slots appear in all MacBooks except the Air, and there’s no easier-to-use portable option than the ComboSaver Combination Portable Notebook Lock ($24.99). The plastic-coated steel cable comes in a handy coil formation that extends to 6 feet, allowing you to lock your ’Book to the leg of a chair or table that’s bolted down so you can, say, get up to grab your mocha when your name is called, without worrying that some sticky-fingers will walk off with your Mac. The combination lock is slender in profile--a nice complement to the thinner unibody MacBooks--but still easy to read. And best of all for people like us with way too much data floating around in our heads, if you register your lock after purchase, you can retrieve the combination online if you forget it.

There are other means of physically securing your MacBook too, short of barricading it--and yourself--inside a state-of-the-art safe room.

PacSafe’s newest theft-resistant CamSafe bag.

We like the design variety offered by PacSafe’s ever-expanding line of security-minded shoulder bags and backpacks. PacSafe started with laptop bags like the CentroSafe backpack and messenger bag line ($159.99 and up) and has expanded its slashproof offerings to camera bags, toiletry pouches, money belts, and more. PacSafe’s differentiator is a stainless steel mesh liner called eXoMesh that keeps thieves from slashing through the ripstop nylon or other bag material to get to your valuables. Many PacSafe bags feature locking zippers too.

Get Your ’Book Back.

If, despite your best efforts, your ’Book takes a walk without you, there are ways you can recover it--provided you’ve planned ahead by protecting yourself in advance with one of these laptop-recovery services.

Computrace LoJack for Laptops Premium. Starting at $59.99 a year, this security service installs a piece of software on your MacBook that communicates daily with Computrace’s servers so the company can keep track of your ’Book’s whereabouts. In case of theft, you report it to Computrace, which then goes to work to track your ’Book’s location using its IP address the next time thieves try to go online. The Premium service includes a way to effectively delete your key data if your Mac is lifted, so that thieves can’t access it, though it remains safely accessible to you, even if your laptop is not recovered.

GadgetTrak MacTrak. Starting at $24.95 a year, GadgetTrak’s MacTrak service employs a variety of means--including Wi-Fi positioning, Mac OS X’s built-in security features, and even your ‘Book’s iSight camera, to locate your MacBook after theft and help you get the info you need to get it back, while keeping and/or keep your data out of the wrong hands.

Orbicule Undercover 3. For $49, Undercover works similarly to MacTrak, locating a stolen MacBook using Wi-Fi location and other security features built in to Leopard. If recovery is unsuccessful, you’ll at least get revenge on the thieving you-know-what: Undercover will simulate a hardware failure by gradually making the ’Book’s screen go darker until it becomes unusable, even if the Mac isn’t online. Burn!

THE TINIEST MACBOOK: YOUR iPHONE

Apple is working on making the iPhone a true laptop replacement--especially with the forthcoming 3.0 software release, which will provide the long-awaited cut-and-paste function so key to editing a text document with the iPhone’s minuscule onscreen keyboard. But even before you have a chance to upgrade your iPhone or iPod touch’s OS, you can turn your device into a pocket-sized Mac that can help you stay connected and get work done on the go. Granted, you won’t be writing long passages of the Great American Novel, but you can at least read and store documents--and in some cases, keep notes on projects, thanks to a few handy iPhone apps like Google Mobile and Evernote, as well as and Mobile Safari access to Zoho Office docs.

Store, View, and Share Documents.

Sharing files on the iPhone is almost a no-brainer, especially images--but you don’t need us to tell you that. For viewing, sharing, and storing work-related files—MS Office docs, PDFs, and so on--Readdle Docs ($9.99 in the App Store) makes it even simpler. All file transfers between a computer and the iPhone are made through a remote Internet server as a go-between. This works over Wi-Fi, 3G, or EDGE, and Readdle provides 512MB of free storage space. You don’t even need special client software on your Mac, uploading files instead through a Web browser. But if you’re uncomfortable leaving sensitive documents on Readdle’s servers, you can keep them on your MobileMe iDisk, or any other server that supports WebDAV, a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote Web servers.

“Seeding” docs by creating them on your iPhone in izoho.com is a start—and can prevent those million-dollar ideas from disappearing into thin air.

Meanwhile, if you already use Google Docs (free) or Zoho Office (free), you can get to your documents created in either a Web-based environment on your iPhone through the Google Mobile iPhone app (free in the App Store) and www.izoho.com in Mobile Safari, respectively. When you install Google Mobile, just tap Apps to bring up instant access to Google Docs--plus Gmail, Calendar, Reader, News, Talk (instant messaging), News, Notebook, and GOOG-411--which launches in Mobile Safari. There, you can edit existing Google Docs documents, though for long text files or spreadsheets, it’s not the most seamless experience. Using izoho.com in Mobile Safari, you can view--but not edit--Zoho documents and create new docs, though without cut-and-paste, it’s a tedious process. Still, it’s better than nothing.

Evernote makes creating a new note so fast that you don’t have any excuses for letting those flashes of inspiration get away.

Keep Track of your bits ’n’ Pieces. Speaking of creating new documents, one thing the iPhone is good at is helping you track ideas and info you come across in the course of the day, whether you’re out and about or holed up in your office working away. The best helper tool for this is the Evernote iPhone app (free in the App Store), a companion to Evernote’s free Web-based service. In addition to making your existing Evernote notes available on your iPhone, the app lets you add new notes--pictures you snap with your iPhone’s camera, voice notes, text, or photos sent to your iPhone or iPod touch via email. It’s especially handy for recording late-night inspirations or arresting scenes you come across in the course of a day. Plus, Evernote searches for visible text in your photo notes, so if you take pictures of text with your iPhone, you can search for words that appear in that text.