Free or a small fee: Libby and Bookbub help make reading easier for me again

My reading has really dropped off since the pandemic. Perhaps that has happened to you as well. I’ve tried various ways to read more, but two things I’ve recently adopted that have helped me read more are the Libby app and the Bookbub site.

The Libby app in conjunction with a library card from the Toronto Public Library gives me access to thousands of ebooks for free. Not to mention audiobooks, magazines and more. That wide access combined with the easy of use features of the app means I am more likely to find something I want to read and then read it once I find it. I now enjoy going to the library again, even if the library comes through my iPad. (You can use Libby on your phone and even through your web browser, but I find the experience through my iPad is the best of them all.)

While Libby provides a massive amount of things to read, there are still times when I want something they don’t have. That’s where Bookbub comes in. I’ve subscribed to Bookbub’s service and several times a week it emails me a list of low cost ebooks to sample and then purchase. When you sign up, you tell it the subject areas you are interested in and then it proceeds to send you emails with a list of books you might like. I’ve already bought several which I then read using the Apple Books app. It also provides access to books for Google Books, the Kindle, and the Kobo, if you are not an Apple user.

For more on the Libby app, go here or here. For more on Bookbub, go here.

Happy reading!

My Top 20 tools: iPhone apps edition (2026)

Previously I wrote about my top 10 desktop tools. Here’s what I would say are the top 20 tools (apps) I use on my iPhone. I use far more apps than I do desktop tools these days. I suspect others are like that too.

NYTimes: Every day I wake up and check the news. And while I might use apps for CBC News, the BBC, or The Star (Toronto news), the NYTimes is the one I depend on. Besides its great content, I believe it is the one of the best apps out there.
Instagram and Bluesky: besides the news, these are the two social media sites I check when I wake up now. I gave up Facebook ages ago. Twitter died to me when Musk took over. And Threads I lost interest in. But Instagram allows me to keep up with what my friends and favorites are up to, and Bluesky lets me track the news in a different way. Also I use Bluesky as a logging journal in a way. Often when I don’t know what to blog about, I’ll use my posts on Bluesky as inspiration.
Slack: another app I check first thing. It’s indispensable for work communication, especially when I am on the go. Email still lives, but Slack has taken over much of its functionality I find.
Simplenote and Joplin: I mainly create and update notes using these two tools on my desktop and limit my use of the apps for reading only, but occasionally I will take notes on my phone.
Workflowy: what is true for Simplenote and Joplin is also true for Workflowy. I refer to it often on my phone. In addition, when I am doing my todo list in the Workflowy app, I will cross off todos there.
Google Drive: this app gets me the information I need that isn’t in the note taking apps like Simplenote. I hit it up frequently throughout the week.
Jetpack: each day I like to check on how this blog is doing and Jetpack is the app that lets me do that. I can also use it to do an occasional post on this or other WordPress blogs I have, or approve people’s comments on a post.
Airline Apps: if I am flying somewhere, airline apps are a must. They just make travel easier, from providing my itinerary, to guiding me through the airport, to alerting me when it is time to board. Travelling without airline apps would be that much harder without the apps.
Fitbit and Wyze: if you have scales from these two companies as I have, then the apps that go with the scale are a must. Same is true for other devices that they make, like the Fitbit fitness trackers.
Habit List: a great app to track your habits. It’s simple to use but it provides many good features. Recommended.
TOwaste: it’s easy to lose track of what goes on the curb when. This app helps me with that. (Yes I do have many tracking apps! Maybe too many!)
Spotify: Spotify is my radio. What can I say? I like music and Spotify is my source of music these days, even though I have a ton of CDs around the house.
Libby: one of my favorite apps. I still read physical books, but I do much of my reading of library books using Libby. I especially love reading magazines with Libby on my iPad. It is fantastic for that.
Instacart: I joke that Instacart is my favorite app. I really use it many times a week. I use it when I can’t sleep. I get it to help me find the best deals on groceries. I use it to find rare products. I should write a separate post on just all the ways I use it. It’s the best.
Hue: my own personal light switch. I have around a dozen Hue devices from Philips in my house and the Hue app controls them all. It’s excellent.
Scotiabank: my banking app. I can’t say if there are better banking apps. I will say I use it daily.
Feedly: there are other ways of keeping track of other people’s blogs and RSS feeds, but I find Feedly the best. And there are still plenty of good RSS feeds to read, so I try and use this one at least once a week.
Authenticator apps: I make an effort to use two factor authentication whenever I can. Authenticator apps make that happen.
Pushover: I have remote devices I want to send me notifications occasionally. I use Pushover as a service to manage those notifications. For instance my Ubuntu server sends out an “alive and well” message every day by calling the Pushover api. The message in that api call gets transmitted to the Pushover app on my phone. If I set up a VM in the cloud, I will sometimes use pushover to get updates on that VM. It’s a fine service and a fine app.
Apple apps: Almost too many to mention. They aren’t necessarily fun, but they are all highly functional and important. I’d be lost without default Apple apps like Maps, Calendar, Clock, Message, Mail, Photos, Health, Fitness, and Books.

Things better on the iPad than my iPhone

Apple released it’s latest iPad (Pro) recently and whenever this happens people debate the value of the iPad in general and ask questions like: is the iPad worth it?

I used to ask myself that question too. After all, between my iPhone and my Macbook, I thought I had all the computing technology I needed. But in the last year I got a new iPad — not even the latest and greatest — and I have to say that the iPad just does certain things better than either one. It’s especially better than my iPhone for:

Streaming video: Disney, Netflix, YouTube and more are all much better than my iPhone.
The library app Libby is much better, especially with the magazine section
The news sites like the New York Times and Washington Post are great on the iPad
Instacart: I can see more options when I order from it
Shopping sites like Zara and Uniqlo are better too for the same reason
X and other social media sites look great on my iPad, but not threads or Instagram because of some design ideas Meta has that are wrong.

And what I like about the iPad over my Macbook is a) there is no work apps on it so I don’t get distracted by work b) I can recline with the iPad (I don’t like doing that with the Macbook…it’s just no comfortable).

That’s just a start of my list. I’ll keep updating this list for anyone debating getting an iPad.

How to Download Apps on Your Old iPad and iPhone in 2022

If you happen to have an old iPad and you are thinking of using it, you will find this post of interest.

Like you, I have a very old iPad. It still works fine. However, one of the problems with old iPads is that Apple limits them in terms of upgrading the iPads operating system (iOS). My device cannot upgrade past iOS 9.

The problem with having an older version of iOS is this: if you try and download apps for it from the App Store, you will get message after message saying this application needs a later iOS to download. There are a few apps that you can still download directly, but not many, and not the common ones you likely use and want.

There is a work around for this problem. (I found out about it through the video below.) First, you download the apps you want on a iOS device that has a new OS. I did this on my iPhone. Then you go to your old iPad and look for apps you purchased. Voila, the app you just downloaded is there. NOW, when you try to download it, the App Store will say you don’t have the right iOS, BUT it will ask if you want to download a backlevelled version. You say YES and now you have the app running on your iPad.

This will only work for apps that have been around for a long time. So I was able to download apps like Twitter and CNN, but not Disney+. Still you can get quite a few apps downloaded that way, and suddenly mine (and soon your) iPad is much more useful.

For more on this, watch the video.

Thanks, Jishan.

How to keep an eye out for unwanted App Store subscriptions

App Store subscriptions can add up financially if you are not careful. They are also easier to sign up for than you might think. It can be especially bad if your kids have the ability to download apps on iPhones or iPads; kids will not even be aware they are signing up for subscriptions. (Heck, that is also true of adults.)

To check on and cancel subscriptions, follow this guide: How to Cancel App Store Subscriptions – MacRumors

If this saves you any money, let me know! 🙂

Some brief thoughts on the 10th anniversary of the iPad

It’s odd how people perceive the iPad after a decade. From what I read, the view overall seems negative. Even smart analysts like Stratechery call it “tragic”.

I can see why reviewers see that. They had an expectation of what the device could be, and lament that it never became that. That is one way to perceive it.

I think there are two different and better ways to view it. One way is seeing the iPad as a secondary device. The iPad will be always secondary to the iPhone, just as the Touch will always be secondary to the iPhone. The iPhone is the premier Apple device, and all other devices do and even should be secondary to it. The iPhone sits at the center, and the Watch and the Airpods and the other devices sit outside of that.

Another way of looking at it is that perhaps the MacBook, the iPhone, Apple TV and the iPad will merge over time. Perhaps in the future there will be no separate MacBook and iPhone. Instead there will be a Display, a Keyboard or UI of some form, and and a Network Device. Underneath it all will be software that brings them all together. That’s my long term expectation.

The iPad is a great device. It’s not the iPhone, and it’s not a Mac. It does what Apple needs it to do right now, and it will continue to do so over time.

Can you replace a Mac with an iPad?

According to this iPad vs. Mac: Is a tablet better than a laptop for school and work? in The Washington Post, not yet.

I agree with that assessment. I think there will be a time soon when you can, but not this year. Read the piece before you try to go solo with a tablet.

Dealing with an iPad saying “iCloud Backup This iPad hasnt been backed up in 5 weeks”

If you get a message on you iPad saying “iCloud Backup This iPad hasn’t been backed up in 5 weeks”, then doing what that link says might help. Try it first.

If it doesn’t — and it didn’t for me — try this. I connected my iPad to my computer. I started iTunes. I did a backup to iCloud. I then did a restore from iCloud. The problem went away.

P.S. Thanks for reading this. If you have found it useful and you’d like to say thanks by buying me a coffee, you can do so here. Thanks! That’s awesome!

My new favourite app for beating procrastination and getting things done (GTD) is 30/30

My new favourite app for beating procrastination is the 30/30 app from the good folks at binary hammer. I often find I get distracted from the list of things I have to do. With the 30/30 app, I can create a simple list of tasks, each with an amount of time to do them in. Once I start the list, the app shows me how much time I have to complete each item on the list. I can add if I want, or if I finish early, I can check it off (and the task moves down to the Completed section below the line). The result: I am better able to focus on the task list I have to do.

The app works on the iPad and the iPhone. The interface is superb. And it’s free! I highly recommend it.

For more on the app, you can go to the binary hammer web site (link above) or you can go here: 30/30 on the App Store on iTunes

‘Notability’ is App of the Week and is free this week. You should get it.

I just started using Notability in the last few weeks on my iPad and I love it. It allows me to quickly and easily capture notes while I am interviewing clients or jotting down ideas during work. I can type in text or I can use a stylus and draw/scribble my notes and drawings. I can also take photos of things and then scribble on them. I can capture audio if I want too. There’s alot of ways to capture information.

Once I capture the info, I can either leave it on my iPad, email it to myself, or use any number of cloud services (e.g., Dropbox) to save the output. The output can be PDF, RTF or other formats.

It’s a great app, and I didn’t hesitate to pay the $2.99 for it. But now it is free, there is no reason for you not to download a copy and try it. I bet you will love it.

For more info, check out the iPad App Store or read more about it here: ‘Notability’ Named App of the Week, Available for Free – Mac Rumors