I am an iPad/iPhone app junkie. I’ve admitted this before. So — more apps this week. Free, of course.
Vintage Radio Lite has over 1000 vintage radio shows available for download. Download time is fast! They have everything from Abbott and Costello to Inner Sanctum and The Hermit’s Cave. Most are from the 1930’s thru the 1950’s. Oldies but goodies.
Netflix (iPad only) — If you have a Netflix account and an iPad, you need this app. Instantly watch streaming movies and TV shows on your iPad. And yes, they also have an app that will work on your desktop or laptop computer, too.
Audible — If you have an Audible account, this free app can be used to download audiobooks directly to your iPhone/touch or iPad, bypassing iTunes completely. If you download your books this way, you must also use the app to listen to them, but seriously, it does a nice job. So far, you'll still need to buy your audiobooks through a web browser, but with the app, you can still access your library when you are away from your main computer. It even lets you add bookmarks and notes. Note: While this worked great for a couple of days, it seems to have gone wonky on me today. I think it's a problem with their server, as I've had files disappear from both my iPod touch and my iPad, and the only thing showing is my NY Times subscription. Proceed with caution.
Update — Problem solved. For the record, I had a log-in problem a few days ago when they switched me from a beta test group back to a regular account. Seems they finally got around to resetting my password yesterday. Once I reset it, all was well again.
ABC Player — Missed the final episode of Lost? Need a Castle fix? Grab this one. You have to put up with limited commercials, but it’s either that or pay the iTunes Store for your own copy. They also have an ABC News app, but I’m not crazy about the design. It's a bit clunky, especially when compared to this app.
Finally, I think I’ve mentioned it before, but WJR AM also has it’s own live streaming app. All MacGroup friends and family needs to download this one to listen to our own Friday columnist, Calvin Carson when he does his weekly Saturday stints on The Internet Advisor.
When it comes to calling tech support one of the biggest frustrations for most people is waiting on hold! People therefore go out of their way NOT to call support. They look for any other means of getting an answer first and only call support as a last resort. What if you didn't have to wait on hold? Better yet, what if they called you at a time that was convenient for you?
Last week I had to call AppleCare
It had been so long since I called AppleCare that I had forgotten the number and since I was already on my computer at the time, I just went to support.apple.com to look the number up. I actually found something better than the phone number. I clicked the Speak to an Expert link in the lower left corner of the page. This page walked me through setting up a support call and if it's during a busy time for AppleCare, you can have them call you back at a time that works best for you! IT WORKS! I set up a time and they guarantee to call you back within a 15 minute window of your time slot. So for example, if you setup 3:30 PM, they will call you back between 3:30 and 3:45 PM. Sure enough, my phone rang pretty much right at the time I scheduled. Also since you enter details about the problem you're wanting help on when you setup the call, they can just read it right then and there without you have to start from scratch explaining the issue.
I actually didn't get my issue resolved during that first call, so I had to talk with them again and this time since it was in the evening an option showed up to have them call me immediately. As soon as I entered my phone number and hit submit, the phone started ringing! Whoa! Now that's service!
So the next time you need to talk with AppleCare, do it when it works best for you with a prompt call when you want the call to happen! Just head over to www.apple.com/support/expert/
What about the rest of the world?
Unfortunately not all companies have a system that will call you when there is someone available to talk with. However, you can get the next best thing by downloading the FREE LucyPhone App for your iPhone. This App allows you to dial a toll-free number (many of the popular ones are built-in) and get in the queue. Once you're in, you can hang up and LucyPhone will continue to monitor the call until a human comes on the line. Then LucyPhone will dial you back at the number you specify. Pretty slick.
Get LucyPhone here from the 
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