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Apple's decision to completely rewrite its iWork suite of apps way back in 2013 brought with it numerous changes to the overall feature set of those programs. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are still being updated frequently, bringing back features that had been removed, and introducing some new functionality.

In this episode, Don takes a look at the new features added since his last look back in 2019.

With the advent of Voice Control in macOS Catalina and its further refinement in Big Sur, it's now possible to not only use hands-free dictation but also fully edit and format your text. In this episode, Don takes you through using basic keyboard dictation commands before pulling the curtain on the full power of Voice Control.

This week's tip show takes another look at Apple Mail in Big Sur and explores some of the new features and enhancements to the existing functionality of the app.

In the third and final part of this deep dive into Microsoft Teams, Lee moves away from basic messaging, communications and file sharing and into some of the different applications and integrations that can be made with the software. He shows you how applications like OneNote and Microsoft Planner can be used in a Teams environment, and how you can configure third-party applications using Trello as an example. The series concludes with a look at Teams on iOS.

In this video, Lee continues his detailed walkthrough of Microsoft Teams. Building on the foundations that were laid in Part 1, the core elements of Teams are covered, namely Calls, File Management and Meetings. You learn how to send and receive calls, share your screen or an individual application, as well as upload and edit files. Lee also shows you how to schedule and join meetings from both Teams and Outlook. 

With so many of us working remotely, we are now using tools and adopting practices that are oftentimes new to us. One service that has proved to be very popular in businesses and communities alike is Microsoft Teams. Teams allows you to communicate, collaborate on files and socialise with your friends, colleagues and loved ones even when you can't be with them.

In the first part of this series, Lee walks you through the different Teams pricing plans and shows the interface for the first time. You also learn how to set up and modify new Teams and Channels, as well as posting conversations and announcements.

In this week's show, Allison takes you on a detailed exploration of a popular messaging app, Telegram.

Telegram is a cross-platform and secure messaging service that works with Apple devices as well as Android, Linux, and Windows. It supports end-to-end encryption with private chats and allows you to set timeouts on messages so they disappear on both ends. It's got a superb search engine, and fun features like stickers and the ability to conduct polls inside group messages.

There are plenty of email clients out there for using existing email services in different ways. Invariably, these include plugins or kludges to enhance the original email service to work in a slightly different way.

HEY isn't an email client. It's a brand new email service that has been designed from the ground up to overhaul what email is and how it's used. Most people would agree that if you've had an email account for a while, things can get out of control, and it's so easy to end up in a complete mess. HEY provides the tools required to take control of your email and even make it a delight to use.

In this week's tutorial, Don takes you through the steps of setting up a free trial account with HEY, setting up mail forwarding from Apple Mail, and then screening your email to tame the deluge.

You'll never believe how much fun can be had with email!

In this tutorial, Rosemary introduces you to Taskheat, a flowchart-friendly project management system that uses flowcharts. This approach allows you to quickly create a series of tasks and connect them together as you see fit, much like organizing your ideas using a mind map program.

Rose also shows you what Taskheat looks like on both iPhone and iPad, discusses its similarities and differences, and goes over the import and export options this useful app offers.

Rosemary shows you in this week's tip how to retrieve tasks using the custom OmniFocus actions in Shortcuts. You also learn how to install and use Omni Automation plugins.

In this video, Lee walks you through an application that he uses daily to manage meetings in his role as a Project and Programme Manager: iMeetingX.

Meetings can be a huge drain on both energy and finances, so this application helps to keep them organised and productive. You learn how to use iMeetingX to set up your project, set up document templates for Invitations, minutes and event tracking. Lee also goes over how to schedule meetings, send out minutes, assign tasks and decisions, and archive meetings for future reference.

This week, Allison takes you on a tour of xkpasswd, a web app that helps you create long, strong, and yet memorable and easy-to-type passwords. It comes with several presets such as one for creating Apple ID passwords that are easy to type on an iOS keyboard. You can tailor this flexible password generator's settings to your exact specifications.

Even if you currently use a password manager, there are some passwords you have to frequently type or even speak to your Apple TV remote. Make those passwords easier to say and to type by using xkpasswd to create them.

Creating and managing passwords is an important aspect of online life today. With the many data breaches issues and passwords being exposed, having a solid system that can manage all of your passwords while making them easily accessible is something we all should implement. 1Password is a password management system that helps you create, store, and access your passwords, as well as other sensitive information such as credit cards, passports, and even wills, trusts, and other important documents.

This is all stored in an encrypted database that stays in sync with all of your devices. Once you've created a master password, you can open what 1Password calls your vaults to access all your stored information.

This week, Todd walks through the setup and installation of the application on the Mac, and shows you its many useful features which make managing sensitive information a lot more flexible and secure.

Micro.blog is an independent and unique microblog and podcasting community created with privacy and safety in mind. It supports IndieWeb standards and gives you several options to host your blog and other content while making sure you keep control of it.

Rosemary gives you a tour of the various features that make Micro.blog a unique alternative to other social platforms and introduces you to some apps for Mac and iOS so you can get a native experience on your devices.

Whilst we have a fantastic messaging app with Apple Messages, it's not always easy to chat or transfer files to non-Apple devices.

Step forward WhatsApp Messenger.

This free app and service is owned by Facebook and boasts over 2 billion users worldwide. It's never been easier to share chats, photos, videos, documents even location data with individuals or even better, with groups of people. You can even video conference with multiple people from your phone without worrying what device they have. WhatsApp Messenger is available for both iOS and Android although we only cover the iOS version in this show. In addition, you can also install WhatsApp Desktop on the Mac or PC, and access all of your WhatsApp chats and media from your computer.

In this video tutorial, Don takes you through setting up and using WhatsApp along with its many features.

In the second part of his Fantastical two-part series, Lee looks at some at some of the more advanced features that version 3 of the calendar application has to offer, such as Time Zone support, Invitee Availability and Weather. You also learn about template creation and get a tour of the configuration options within Fantastical's Preferences.

Zoom is an extremely popular video conferencing application, that is used by the British government for press conferences, as well as by schools, universities, and businesses around the world.

In this special tip show, Rosemary shows you how to configure Zoom and quickly host your first meeting, even before creating an account. She then goes on to show you many of its great features including the ability to schedule recurring meetings, create templates that make hosting the same type of meeting or webinar more efficient, how to use the built-in chat, and much, much more. You also learn the many settings Zoom offers to customize your experience.

Some privacy-sensitive issues where Zoom installed a local server on your Mac, or the iOS app sending data to Facebook, have both been resolved and should no longer be a concern for users.

In the first video of a two-part series, Lee starts to take a deep dive into the new version of Fantastical, by Flexibits. Fantastical 3 has added a lot of premium features and in this screencast, you learn how to get started with the application on all platforms. First by understanding the new licensing model, installing the app, and adding calendar accounts.

Lee also goes over creating and editing new events, adding calendars within an account, how to create Calendar Sets, as well as subscribing to external calendars that focus on your key interests.

There are a plethora of cloud-based services available, but most are expensive and hosted on corporate infrastructure.

Synology has introduced Synology Drive, a potential replacement for many cloud-based services, all hosted on your personal Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. Sync files between your Mac, backup data to your NAS and access files from your mobile devices. Free yourself from ongoing monthly costs and rest easy knowing that your files and folders are stored on your own personal hardware. Accessible from your local network or via the internet using web apps, desktop apps, and mobile apps.

In this second part, Don takes you through using the iOS Synology Drive App and shows you some more advanced features such as setting up a Team Folder and using an alias to directly access the web app.

There are a plethora of cloud-based services available, but most are expensive and hosted on corporate infrastructure. Synology have introduced Synology Drive, a potential replacement for many cloud-based services, all hosted on your personal Network-attached Storage (NAS) device. Sync files between your Mac, backup data to your NAS and access files from your mobile devices. Free yourself from ongoing monthly costs and rest easy knowing that your files and folders are stored on your own personal hardware. Accessible from your local network or via the internet using Synology's web apps, as well as desktop and mobile apps. In this first of two parts, Don takes you through the basic setting up Synology Drive and demonstrates how to sync using the Synology Drive Client on the Mac.