Tutorial: The beginner's guide to iMessage in iOS 5

One of the big new features in iOS 5 – the latest update to your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad's operating system – is iMessage, which lets you send free messages to any other iOS 5 device, provided you have a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

Better still, if you have more than one device, your messages (largely) get synchronised between them.

On the iPhone, iMessage works seamlessly alongside regular SMS and MMS messages.

If you've got a data connection and your recipient has iMessage too, your message will be sent this way, and appears in blue on the screen. If you don't have a data connection, or your friend has a non-Apple phone, your message will be sent as a regular SMS or MMS, appearing in green.

You can receive iMessages using your phone number (if you have an iPhone) or any email addresses that you link to your iMessage account. iMessages use data networks and only work on iOS devices, and SMS messages use the phone networks.

Wi-Fi-only iPads and iPod touches can text iPhones with iMessage-linked phone numbers, but the phone needs a data connection to receive them.

If you're abroad with Data Roaming switched off when not on a Wi-Fi network, you won't receive the message, even though it was directed to your phone number. Furthermore, only iMessages sync between devices: SMS texts remain on your iPhone only, as do any iMessages sent to your phone number.

With this in mind, it's best to tell people to use your iMessage email address instead, which gives you the most flexibility.

Set up your email addresses for iMessage

1. Enable iMessage

If you haven't already, tap Settings > Messages to switch on iMessage. You have to sign in with your Apple ID, but you can later remove this address if, say, you want to set your children up with iMessage on your Apple ID.

2. Add more addresses

Tap Receive At > Add Another Email and tap in the email address you'd like to receive iMessages at. Add as many as you want, so long as they're not already tied to an Apple ID. When you press Return, 'Verifying' will appear.

3. Check your email

Now check your email inbox. You'll receive an email with a link in it to prove you own that address. Click Verify Now, then enter your Apple ID and password on the web page, and you're all set to receive iMessages.

Start sending free messages

1. Change your Caller ID

In Settings > Messages > Receive At is a Caller ID option. It's best to use an email address rather than your phone number, to enable syncing between iPhones and other iOS devices. Use the same Caller ID on all devices.

2. Toggle Read Receipts

In Settings > Messages is a Send Read Receipts toggle. If you set this to On, anyone who sends you an iMessage will see when you've read it. It's marked as read when you tap into the Messages app and view it there.

3. Add your recipient

To send someone an iMessage, you need to know the address they use. The easiest way to send them is to add the recipient to your Contacts app. Tap it, then tap +, and type in the person's details. Tap Done when you're ready.

4. Compose your message

Tap Home, then Messages. Tap the compose message icon to write a message, then start typing the person's name. Their full name and address should appear. Tap it, then tap in the text field below to write your message. Tap Send when ready.

5. iMessage or SMS?

If you sent the message as an iMessage, it appears in blue. If you sent it from an iPhone and it's gone as an SMS, it'll be green – but your iPhone may try to deliver as an iMessage first, then retry as an SMS if it's unsuccessful.

6. Has it got there?

If your message went as an iMessage, you'll be able to see if it's been delivered. Look for confirmation in small writing just below the message bubble. If someone's enabled Read Receipts, you'll see when they read it.

Send MMS messages for free, too!

1. Send a picture

Tap the Camera button next to the text field to add an image to a message. Take a new photo or send one from your Camera Roll. Tap the image, then tap Choose to add it to your message. A thumbnail appears with the text.

2. How it appears

Images take longer to send because of their size, and appear in a separate speech bubble on your and the recipient's devices. They're free to send as iMessages, provided you don't exceed your data allowance.

3. Disable MMS

If iMessage isn't available, your iPhone could attempt to send your picture message as an SMS or costlier MMS. To prevent this, tap Home, then tap Settings > Messages and toggle 'Send As SMS' and/or 'MMS Messaging' to Off.

Tutorial: 10 Siri tips and tricks: do more with iPhone 4S

10 Siri tips and tricks

Siri is a digital assistant that's currently only available on the iPhone 4S. Siri is designed to understands what you say and get the right meaning from the instructions that you give it.

Using Siri you can dictate, send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls and plenty more - it'll even tell you the weather.

But its effectiveness can be patchy unless you give it the right commands. So we've put together our top tips and tricks to get more from Apple's digital assistant.

brightcove : 1251309561001

1. Dictate to Siri

Why type when you can speak?

Commands and questions aren't the only ways to put Siri to work. Wherever you can type a long passage of text, tap the microphone key (left of the spacebar) to dictate instead. Siri listens for a bit longer in this mode. Tap the Done button when you're finished. If it stops listening prematurely, just tap the mic key to continue. If you forgot something, move the text cursor to the correct spot, tap the mic and Siri will insert text at that specific point.

2. Fix mistakes

Correct Siri when it gets it wrong

By now, you'll know that Siri doesn't always get things right. It's particularly sensitive to slurred or mumbled words. Sometimes, Siri will recognise that it probably didn't understand what you said and underline those words and phrases in blue. Tap them to see likely alternatives. Any word, not just those underlined, can be tapped to type over it; or tap the mic key to dictate a replacement for what's selected instead of repeating everything.

3. Add grammar

Punctuate your dictation

Siri doesn't make assumptions about punctuation and grammar, but it recognises commands for inserting new paragraphs, commas, full stops and many other grammatical constructs. Sadly, these aren't recognised when composing emails outside of Mail. Work around this by starting to compose a message, but provide only the recipient and subject. Next, tap the message to open it in Mail. The text cursor will be in the body, so tap the mic key to start dictating. In this mode, Siri responds to grammatical instructions. See http://tinyurl.com/646sr44 for more.

4. Set relationships

Personalise the conversation

In the Contacts app, find your record and edit it. Swipe all the way to the bottom of the form, add a field and pick Related People from the list. Tap the left side of the field that appears on the form and you'll be presented with a list of relationships. Siri recognises these connections to you, allowing it to understand personalised requests, such as "Send a message to my boss to say the train has broken down so I'll be late." You can even establish these relationships with spoken commands, such as "My father is...".

5. Arrange to meet

Let Siri find your friends for you on the map

You were planning on a quiet weekend, but a friend just called encouraging you to meet them at a cool new place they've found. They don't have to send their location using the Maps app to show you where it's at, provided you've already linked up with Apple's Find My Friends app (Free). When you ask Siri where that person is, it retrieves the information from the app and shows their location on a map, along with an approximation of the address so you can pop over and be there in no time.

6. Schedule events

Organise your diary

Setting up calendar events is one of Siri's most useful features, but its scheduling abilities are more sophisticated than that. You can check your availability with phrases like "Do I have anything on my calendar next July?" and "What does my day look like next Friday?"

If you don't check your schedule, Siri will warn you about any potential overlaps that might exist. It only explicitly asks if you still want to add the new event. However, it will take into account the context for further spoken commands, so you can tell it: "Change the time." Alternatively, if it's the existing event that you want to change, commit the new one to your calendar, then say something like: "Change my 5pm meeting to 4pm."

7. Add to an email

Pick up where you left off

You might want to add something to a note or email after Siri stops listening. Say "Add" to append where you left off. If you are using the Home button or raise-to-speak method to talk to Siri, you can't use instructions like "new paragraph". Nor can you tell it where to add text. To overcome this, tap the preview to open the item in its corresponding app. Use the mic button to give further dictation. It will be inserted at the cursor's position.

8. Get social with Siri

This tip works with Twitter too

Siri can't interact with Facebook directly, but you can set things up to post status updates just by speaking. On the Facebook website, in Account settings, click Mobile on the left and follow the instructions to set up text messaging. Create a new contact on your iPhone with 'Facebook' as its name and set its mobile number to the text messaging one Facebook provides. Now you can tell Siri to "Send a message to Facebook".

9. Make lists

Add to pre-existing reminders

Although Siri can't create new lists in the Reminders app, it can add to existing ones as things spring to mind. Say something like: "Add passport renewal to my holiday list", substituting the list's name followed explicitly with 'list' to give context. Be wary of including the word 'list' in a list's name; Thankfully, if it recognises you're adding to a list but isn't sure which one, it'll prompt you to choose from those available.

10. Security

Prevent tricksters and strangers from using Siri

You can prevent access to your apps and information by locking your iPhone with a passcode. Still, Siri can answer questions, reassign relationships and, most worrying of all, send messages without you entering it.

You can turn off access to Siri when the phone is locked to stop practical jokes by your friends – or strangers if your phone is lost. In the Settings app, go to General > Passcode Lock, enter the code, then flick the Siri switch to off. Siri remains accessible when the phone is unlocked.

Tutorial: How to set up iCloud on your Mac

How to set up iCloud on your Mac

There's been a lot of fanfare about iCloud, Apple's free online storage system.

It doesn't just allow you to back up your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch; iCloud keeps your vital data in sync between multiple devices, be they Macs, Windows PCs, iPhones, iPads or iPod touches.

Designed to ensure you've always got your important stuff with you, it works seamlessly with many of your Mac's built-in apps, including Mail, iCal and Safari. Even if you only have a single Mac, it's worth setting it up to use iCloud, so that you've got an online backup of your data.

We're going to show you how to set it up on your Mac. Then we'll show how to use Find My Mac, a key feature that enables you to pinpoint your Mac's location, should it go astray.

iCloud can keep a range of things in sync for you. These include your emails, notes, contacts, calendars, Safari bookmarks, documents and data from compatible apps, and your photo stream. You can decide which of these things you'd like to keep synchronised.

What it doesn't do is back up much of the contents of your Mac's hard drive: you'll still need to use your Time Machine or online backup system to take care of that.

iCloud is free, but you do need to be running OS X Lion to use it, so if you haven't already upgraded, now's a great time to do so. Get it from the Mac App Store, or order a USB drive with it on from www.apple.com/uk/store. And to use it on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, these devices will need to be on iOS 5: plug your device into your Mac, open iTunes, click it in the left column, then click Check for Update on the right.

You'll need an Apple ID to use iCloud (the same you use for iTunes or App Store downloads). If you don't have one, set one up in the iCloud System Preferences pane (step 2).

How to set up iCloud on your Mac

01. Check you're up to date

You need to be running the latest version of OS X Lion to take advantage of iCloud. Choose About This Mac from the Apple menu: if it says you're on version 10.7.2 or later, you're good to go. If it's 10.7.1 or 10.7, click Software Update… to get the newest version.

02. Enable iCloud

All your important iCloud settings are in Apple > System Preferences > iCloud. Type your Apple ID and password into the boxes and click Sign In. You can't fine-tune things at this stage: we suggest you tick both boxes, but you can always manually add or remove elements later.

03. Allow location use

If you're using Google Sync, this has to be switched off. If you're happy with this, click OK. You'll now need to authorise Find My Mac to access the location of the computer. Go ahead and click Allow, and you'll be taken to the main iCloud settings screen.

04. Fine-tune things

You can now turn sync services on and off. Tick or untick the boxes as you wish. You may see an exclamation symbol next to the Find My Mac entry: if so, click More…. In our case, we needed to enable Wake for network access in Energy Saver.

05. Buy more storage

You get 5GB of free iCloud storage. But as you add more things to it, you may find the capacity bar at the bottom filling up. To buy more storage, click Manage…, then Buy More Storage…. An additional 10GB costs £14 a year, 20GB is £28, while 50GB is £70 per annum.

How to find a lost Mac

01. Sign into iCloud.com

Provided you've set up Find My Mac as above and it's connected to the internet, you'll be able to pinpoint where it is in the world. On the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, download the Find my iPhone app. On a Mac or PC, go to www.icloud.com and click Sign In.

02. See it on a map

Type in your Apple ID and password and press Return. Then click Find My iPhone: a map will load with your registered devices shown as pins. To see where a device is, click its name in the panel on the left. If it can't be located, you'll be shown when and where it was last sighted.

03. Remotely control it

If you're concerned your Mac has fallen into the wrong hands, or have simply misplaced it, click the 'i' next to its name on the map to see your options. You can make it play a sound, send a message to appear on its screen, or you can remotely lock or wipe it.

Tutorial: Using multiple Windows desktops with Dexpot

Using multiple Windows desktops: Steps 1-8

Multiple Windows desktops don't have to mean multiple computers. Dexpot emulates features built in to Linux operating systems and OS X, and splits your machine up into a number of distinct workspaces.

You might do your accounts on one, your art on another, your filing on a third. However you choose to use them, you'll be more efficient than before.

This method keeps all your windows and applications separate and neat, but doesn't restrict you. Just as with real desks, you're free to take work from one and put it on another, or move one out of the room if you find you don't really need that much space.

Using multiple Windows desktops with Dexpot will make your life so much easier, you'll wonder why you didn't give it a try sooner.

1. Run the installer

First, double-click the Dexpot install package to get things started, and click 'Yes' if the User Account Control window appears. Click 'OK' to select English as your language, then the installation wizard will start. Remember to close any other programs you have open to make sure the installation process goes smoothly.

2. Complete the wizard

The wizard makes installation a breeze. Click 'Next', click 'I accept' on the licence agreement page, then click the check box to confirm that you'll be using Dexpot for private purposes. Click 'Next' twice, select 'Do not install Internet Explorer 9' (unless you want to for some masochistic reason) then click 'Install'.

3. Your first run

Once the files have been installed, click 'Finish' and Dexpot will run automatically. It might look like nothing has happened, but on Windows 7 you should be able to see a blue Dexpot icon with a number 1 on it – click it once and you'll see the set of four independent desktops that are installed by default.

4. Activate SevenDex

During our tests, we discovered that restarting made that fancy icon disappear. So restart your PC, run Dexpot, and see if it comes back. If not, check the system tray, right-click the blue 'Dexpot' icon, click 'Settings', select 'Plugins and extras', and then check the box next to 'SevenDex' to switch it back on.

5. Alternative switcher

You don't have to use SevenDex to flit between your litany of desktops – indeed, you can't if you're running Windows XP or Windows Vista. The alternative is nestling in that tray icon we used earlier – right-click it, then click Desktop Manager to bring up a custom overlaid desktop switcher. You'll need to use this in the following steps if you can't access SevenDex.

6. Switching desktops

It's time for a quick test of Dexpot's functionality: click on the taskbar icon, then the second desktop in the set. You'll see the number on the Dexpot icon change to '2' to indicate you're now on Desktop 2. Run any program – your web browser, for example – then click the Dexpot icon and switch back to the first desktop. The browser, and its taskbar icon, has disappeared.

7. Moving programs

Only it hasn't really disappeared. That's sort of the point of multiple desktops. Click the icon, then click desktop 2 andyou'll see that your browser is still open, it's just filed on the second screen. To quickly move it to the first desktop, just hold down [Alt]and [Shift], and press the number key that corresponds to the desktop you want the window to go to.

8. Quick switching

Clicking icons to jump between desktops can be a bit clumsy. The default keyboard shortcut for quick movement is [Alt] and [x], where x is the number of the desktop you wish to switch to. You can hit [Windows]+[W] to bring up a handy visual desktop switcher, or [Windows]+[Q] to hunt down a particular application among all of your active desktops. We find the latter shortcut particularly handy.

Using multiple Windows desktops: Steps 9-16

9. Background information

Time to add some flair to your desktops and personalise each one. First, let's tell Dexpot that we want to look after each background individually. Right-click the icon, click on 'Configure desktops', select the desktop on the left that you want to personalise, then click the Background tab. Click 'Browse', then agree to enabling background configuration by choosing 'Yes'.

10. Choose your wallpaper

Now you need to dig out the background you want to use. You can use something from your Pictures folder, or hunt down the Windows default backgrounds – you'll find them in C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper. Repeat the process for each of your desktops for a unique look. It might help to use textures or images appropriate to different tasks.

11. See everything

It's quite possible to get a bit lost if you're using many desktops at once. The full-screen preview is a useful tool for getting an overall view of what's going on. Press [Windows] and [F3] at the same time to bring up a fancy grid showing you the current contents of all your current desktops. Now you just need to click on one of the desktops to bring it to the front.

12. More desktops

Four desktops not enough? Fine! You can have up to 20 desktops running at any one time, or reduce the number if it suits you. Right-click the Dexpot icon, left-click on 'Settings', then make sure 'General' is selected on the left. The number of desktops can be chosen in the uppermost box. While it's certainly possible to run 20 desktops, it can get a little draining on the hardware, so choose carefully.

13. Using the cube

Stay in the Settings window, click 'Plugins and settings', then tick the box next to DexCube. This implements a cool plug-in that pretties up the way your desktops switch – try moving left and right between your desktops using [Ctrl] and [Alt] and arrow keys to see the fancy 3D effect in action. Yes, Linux users have had this sort of thing for years so it's not new, but it's still rather nice.

14. Taskbar tweaking

If you're using Windows 7, you can make the most of empty space on your taskbar to display a quick at-a-glance preview of your desktops, complete with representations of the open windows. In the same Settings menu as before, just switch on Taskbar Pager – click and drag icons on it to move them between desktops.

15. Find a window

The problem with all these desktops is that organisation can go too far, and things can go missing. Hit [Windows]+[F2] to bring up the Window Catalogue, right-click on the desktop name at the top, then click All desktops to show all your open windows – click the one you want to go immediately to its desktop. OS X users will recognise this as a clever facsimile of Exposé.

16. Make the most of your multiple desktops

So, you've set up multiple desktops, you've made them look good, and you've found numerous ways to manage them, from taskbar switching to keyboard shortcuts. Dexpot has a host more features to explore, but now it's up to you to poke around and find out what more it can do. We'll give you a clue: it can do a lot more.