Apple Maps users in Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan can look forward to a big upgrade in the mapping data and experiences that they will have access to soon according to a new report.

Apple continues to roll out an updated Maps experience in multiple countries with three more reportedly already undergoing testing of what will surely be a big upgrade over what those users have been using to date.

The Apple Maps experience has improved dramatically in recent years and the upgrades will be particularly noticeable for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users in those countries.

Coming soon

Apple's testing of the new Maps expansion into Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan was spotted by Justin O’Beirne, someone who has become the go-to source of information relating to Apple's mapping software.

"On May 2, 2022, Apple began publicly testing its next expansion: Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan," O'Beirne said on his website. "This is the nineteenth time Apple has expanded its new map data since its public launch in September 2018."

That September 2018 launch brought with it a number of improvements that were designed to close the gap between Apple Maps and Google Maps. Those changes include Flyover, a feature that gives people the chance to fly over some of the world's most famous landmarks. Look Around was another addition and one that will be immediately familiar to fans of Google Maps' Street View.

It isn't yet clear exactly which features will make their way to Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan and their various towns and cities — not all features are available in all areas where the new maps are available.

With Apple currently testing the new maps in those countries it's thought that the full launch will likely be at some point in June 2023. Apple will very likely share full details of which features are available once the upgrade is live, too.

I'm a textbook extrovert. I leave social gatherings recharged and full of energy, but a day at home alone leaves me drained and exhausted. Yet I've been working remotely for most of the last decade, which goes against the fiber of my being. How do I survive working from home without losing my marbles? I've gathered some tips over the years that might help if you find yourself in my situation.

Prepare to work at home

Every remote worker is different, as I've discovered from speaking with my colleagues around the world. Some of us need a bit of a push to focus at home where there are so many distractions. Others need reminders to stop working and find a work-life balance. I tend to fall into the former camp, but if I don't build some kind of distraction into my day, I'll lose my mind. The key is finding the right kind of distraction: one that buoys your spirits without taking too much time away from work.

Regardless of your work style, a schedule is extremely helpful. Having a set time to work, a set time to socialize, and a set time to put aside work for the day can help both unfocused and too-focused remote workers.

I know the internet loves to joke about the joy of working in your pajamas (or less), but I don't recommend it. Get up and get showered and dressed every day. Yes, you can certainly dress a bit more comfortably/casually than you would in an office, but getting yourself presentable every day goes a long way towards preparing yourself mentally for work.

Your physical space is important; you need to have a workspace that works for you. Whether you need a desk with multiple monitors, a treadmill desk, a comfy couch and lap desk, or some combination of spaces, it's got to suit you and the work that you do. It may take some experimenting to find what works for you. But getting your workspace right is essential to being able to work from home happily.

Online relationships

It's likely your office has some system in place for work chat. Yes, it's primarily for work communications, but it's also the modern/remote version of the water cooler. It's an opportunity to get to know your co-workers and socialize with them. You don't want to go overboard, of course, socializing all day, but if you'd normally spend a few minutes a few times a day at the IRL water cooler, why not do the same in work chat?

While getting out of the house is ideal, it's not always feasible. Explore your outside-of-work interests online with an online community such as Reddit. There is literally a group or groups for any interest you can imagine, and so very much more. I've fallen down the Reddit rabbit hole more than once (after work hours of course!)

Take an online class or two. Whether you want to further your career, explore a change in career, or just delve into personal interests, there is a wealth of online learning to be had. Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy are good resources to check out.

While I'm not a gamer myself, many of my colleagues are. Getting involved in an online gaming community is a great way to get social without leaving the house. Discord is a popular voice and text chat service for gamers. It's secure, free, and works on just about any device.

Call your mother. Seriously, your long-distance loved ones, whether friends or family, would love a phone call, FaceTime, or Skype call from you. I have a standing "phone date" with my mom every week in addition to our more regular emails and texts.

Now get out and do something

If at all possible, seriously, make it a priority to get out of the house every day. Do you have a dog that needs walking rain or shine? Do you have beautiful nature or an urban landscape to explore? Go for a walk, every workday if you can. If the weather is less than ideal where you live, join a gym, or check to see if your local mall opens early for "mall-walkers." Even if you're just running errands, going outside and getting some fresh air and talking to human beings is helpful.

Tend your real-life relationships. Make time to reach out and meet a friend for a cup of coffee, lunch, workout, stroll, shopping session, happy hour, sporting event, or whatever you and your friends like to do. If you have friends that work remotely, perhaps you can work together sometimes, whether you work for the same company or not. My spouse also works partly at home, and we love to travel. Sometimes we take long working "vacations" with our laptops, just for a change of scenery. Put some time and effort into those existing relationships, as they are more valuable than ever for remote workers lacking office mates.

Make new contacts and friends. Meetup is helpful for finding local groups to join. You'll find groups of every flavor and interest, including remote worker groups. Perhaps you can make new acquaintances, meet up for lunch, coffee, or co-working. Meetup is also a way to explore your non-work interests for after-hours activities, whether it's indie films or ultimate frisbee, or just about anything you can imagine.

Be an integral part of your community. Do volunteer work, whether it's joining an organization you believe in, or shoveling snow from a neighbor's sidewalk. If you have a religious affiliation, consider getting involved at a house of worship or religious group. Join something, such as a band, a sports league, a women's group, a men's group, or a club. If you have kids, volunteer at their school and/or help with their extra-curricular teams. Anything that anchors you and helps you feel a sense of belonging where you live will be helpful.

If time permits, get yourself a side hustle that feeds your extrovert soul. In addition to my work at iMore, I have two separate after-school teaching jobs which I love. If you can't commit to a second job, think about more short-term gigs. I work as a movie extra occasionally, when I have the opportunity.

Be kind to yourself

Self-care is more important than ever. Be excellent to yourself. Take the time to indulge in life's luxuries that make you feel good. Take good care of your health, both physical and mental. Fuel your body with regular and nourishing meals. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Stay hydrated. Exercise daily. And be patient with yourself: if you're new to working remotely, it may take some time to get into the groove and find the balance that works best for you.

Sheet masks have been popular in places like Korea for years, but it wasn't until 2017 that the fad really began attracting the following it has in North America, but once the hype picked up, it didn't slow down!

Now, whether you're someone who loves everything to do with skincare, someone who's been dealing with skin issues, or someone who is simply looking for the next best thing in beauty tech, the FOREO UFO (say that 10 times fast) might be a product worth peeking at…

The UFO works to merge beauty and tech, giving you the results of a 20-30 minute-long sheet mask in around 30 seconds by using it's 360-degree smart mask treatment. The UFO combines and features Hyper-Infusion Technology (heating + cooling + T-Sonic pulsations) and LED light therapy.

The best part? FOREO UFO is controlled by an app that delivers you treatment routines and measures your skincare needs day to day.

As someone who worked at Sephora for 2 years, FOREO has often been a leader when it comes to skincare and hygiene — its LUNA and LUNA 2 devices, which are used to deep-clean the skin while you wash with your regular cleanser, were the closest thing I saw to actually kicking the cult classic Clarisonic's best-selling butt.

While the LUNA was a Sephora exclusive, it's not quite clear the UFO will follow the same path, but if you are interested, you could always join the other 8,000 people and back this project on KickStarter, which has already raised over $1 million.

Let's be honest: breakups suck.

Like, they really, really suck.

Recently my boyfriend and I of six years went our separate ways (to quote Queen Beyoncé, "BOY, BYE") and I spent a good chunk of time crying and eating chocolate in between packing up boxes at my apartment.

But you know what else I spent a lot of time doing? Deleting and hiding pictures of my ex's dumb, stupid face on my iPhone's Camera Roll and my MacBook's Photos.

Now I say "NO MORE TORTURE: there's got to be a better way than scrolling through every single image and manually erasing that colossal POS from your life!"

And there is!

Here's how you can hide your putrid ex in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac #BOYBYE.

• How to hide your ex in Photos on iPhone and iPad
• How to hide your ex in Photos on Mac

How to hide your ex in Photos on iPhone and iPad

One thing that your iPhone and iPad does is search and compile every single image of your ex into something called a People Album. While this function isn't always 100% accurate, this smart album does a particularly fantastic job of keeping track of your ex's stupid, ugly face.

Note that the following method only hides photos of your ex and doesn't delete them from your iPhone or iPad. You'll have to go through and manually delete them all to do that.

If you're thinking of making a smart album and grouping all your ex's images in there, you won't have much luck with that either: using the People album (on your iPad, iPhone, and Mac) is your quickest way to hide photos of your ex.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the Albums tab.
3. Tap the People album.

4. Tap Select in the upper right corner of the screen.
5. Select the People profile you want to remove.

6. Tap Remove in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Tap Remove from People Album to confirm that you want to remove the entire profile from the People album.

Warning: You can't create a new People profile on your iPhone or iPad (though you can do so on the Mac), so carefully consider whether you want to remove that profile.

How to hide your ex in Photos on Mac

Similar to the iPhone and iPad photo features, you can use the People album to track down your ex's face and delete it's pure misery off of your Mac.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click on the People album in the sidebar under Library.
3. Select the profile you want to remove (don't double-click on it).
4. Right or Control-click on the profile.
5. Click on Remove this Person.

That profile will ... poof ... disappear from the People album, and yet again you'll be singing "BOY, BYE" at the top of your lungs.

How have you erased your ex?

Have you been successful with deleting Mr. or Mrs. Mistake from your life?

Let us know how you've erased your ex from your photos in the comments below!

DIY projects can be incredibly rewarding, but they can also be stressful. There's nothing quite as blood-pressure-raising as hitting a snag in a project that brings everything to a screeching halt. Unsnagging your project can involve anything from spending hours searching the internet for answers (have you ever looked at electrical wiring diagrams on the internet? They're terribly confusing!), to calling in a costly professional to finish up where you left off. It's infuriating and a little disheartening.

So you can imagine my giddy surprise when I happened across DIYZ (pronounced DEE - EYE - WISE), a DIY project app that lets you video chat with a professional whilst you DIY away!

• Free - Download Now

Navigating the DIYZ app

The DIYZ app features loads of DIY tutorials that are jam-packed with photos, videos, and step-by-step guides. You simply scroll or search through the various projects and tap on one you'd like to complete. The folks at DIYZ told me they're ramping up to release new projects regularly. Each of the How-Tos is broken up into an overview, a step-by-step guide, and a list of supplies you'll need.

The overview gives you a basic description of the project you're looking to complete as well as a difficulty rating, the time it'll take you to complete the project (with a comparison of how long it'd take a pro), and a relative estimate for how much it'll cost you.

The step-by-step guide features photos, videos, and passages of text to walk you through the project — simply swipe between steps as you complete them.

One of my favorite details of the app is the Shop tab, which gives you the option to buy the necessary tools and supplies for each specific project from within the app. Just tap Shop in the toolbar at the top of the project and peruse the list to find and purchase the tools and supplies you need.

I'd like to phone a friend professional!

Hypothetical time! Let's say you open the cabinet underneath your bathroom sink and you're greeted by a large puddle of water. You check the necessary areas and determine you need to replace the water supply line. You launch the DIYZ app and find the tutorial for replacing the water supply line — what a coincidence! You gather all your tools and supplies and say the necessary prayers, and have at it. Everything's going great until you attempt to attach the supply line to the shut-off valve and discover it doesn't seem to fit. You could call a plumber in to finish the job, but it's going to cost you. You could also spend the rest of the day traipsing through internet forums looking for an answer, but you'll be stuck with a leaky sink the entire time.

Pro-tip: Don't do either of those things. Tap the little yellow hard-hat-wearing character at the bottom of the project page and tap Chat Now. You'll be able to video chat with a professional who can walk you through the process and get your project back on track!

Oh! And here's the best part: While the app is still in its early days, video calling is free. You can hold a live video call with a trained, insurance-carrying professional (general contractor) and it won't cost you a dime! DIYZ plans to roll out pricing in the future, so now's the time to get in all those DIY projects you've been ignoring.

Also, get this: I had a chance to speak with some folks from DIYZ at CES 2017 and they told me you should feel free to video call for any sort of home improvement/DIY project — even if it's not a project listed in the app! I don't know about you, but I'm going to be talking the ear off some of these professionals as I tackle random DIY projects around the house.

Let me know how it goes!

If you decide to check out DIYZ and get the chance to speak with a professional, I'd love to hear your story (and the deets of your home improvement project)! Shoot me a message over on Twitter or in the comments below.

The beauty industry is a billion-dollar beast – this is nothing new – but amongst the most recently released, longest-lasting liquid lipsticks, mascara formulas, and groundbreaking contouring palettes, there's a plethora of tech that's pouring out of the pores of the beauty industry.

Whether you were at CES and had the chance to see some of the tech just as it's budding in the makeup universe or visited your local Sephora lately to try out the Color IQ from Pantone, there's a lot of room for gadgets and gizmos alongside your brushes and Beauty Blenders this year.

Here are some of the best pieces of beauty tech that are coming in 2017 for beauty lovers and glam gurus alike!

• Nurugo Derma
• Withings Hair Coach
• O'2 Nails
• iDerma Facial Beautification System
• Dyson Supersonic
• Moist Sense II Hydrometer

Nurugo Derma

If you're someone who's super obsessed with monitoring your pore size, moisture levels, dryness, and the overall quality of your skin, then take a peek at the skincare game-changing Nurugo Derma.

The Nurugo itself is just a teeny-tiny UV camera that attaches directly to your phone, and from there, all you have to do is hold up the device to your face and start scanning. In a couple of seconds, a full report will appear on your phone screen, giving you a breakdown of your skin's status and quality.

Right now, all the Nurugo can do is scan your skin and tell you what's working and what doesn't, but in the future, the device will be able to recommend specific moisturizers, oils, and toners based on your skin-type and give it the help it really needs!

See at Nurugo

Withings Hair Coach

While some may argue that a smart hairbrush is a silly waste of money, the Withings Hair Coach has a few strong points as to why it's such an awesome beauty product (and subsequently why it won a CES innovation award this year!).

Designed through a collaboration between Kérastase and L'Oréal, the Withings Hair Coach allows users to get a full hair diagnosis by simply brushing through their luscious locks.

In fact, the Withings gives back a hair health analysis, straight to your phone, that measures dryness, damage, breakage, and tangling, while recommending a specialized routine and products for your hair style. You are even able to track your hair's health over time, meaning that if you dye your hair or bleach it, you can see how your hair's quality is affected by outside products.

The downside of this hairbrush? It's not out until fall of 2017, and it's like $200.

See at Withings

O'2 Nails

Imagine a world without nail polish: No more messing up your wet nails by accidentally running your fingers through your hair; no more having to almost pee your pants because you can't go to the bathroom because your nails are still drying; and no more tedious painting and struggles with nail art.

Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, right?

Well with O'2 Nails, all you need is your iPhone, the portable O'2 Nails box, a high-quality picture, and a lot of creativity!

O'2 Nails claims that each cartridge of ink can paint and print up to 800 nails, but that depends on the intricacy of the design and the size of the nail.

The printer itself is set to sell around $780, but it's unfortunately not available for online order yet, so your dreams of having the Sistine Chapel on your middle fingers are just that — dreams (for now).

iDerma Facial Beautification System

If you've ever gotten a facial or looked into getting a facial from a professional spa, you'll know how insanely pricey they can be. Being able to give yourself a spa-quality facial at home is ideal, but unless you have deep enough pockets to pick up buckets and buckets of GlamGlow from Sephora every month, it's hard to keep on top of your facial routine.

That's why I was so pumped to see iDerma unveil its Facial Beautification System, which is designed to give users all the benefits of a high-priced photofacial at home!

The system – which combines over 140 red and infrared LED light therapy lights – works by covering the entire face & targeting troubled areas on the skin to reverse and improve the visible signs of aging by stimulating deeper cell regeneration. The goal? To leave skin refreshed, clear, and feeling tight and toned like a facial at a spa.

While it's important to note that the iDerma Facial Beautification System is still an Indiegogo campaign (that's surpassed its goal already), it's worth it to mention that it's been spoken about highly by fashion mags like GQ, Vogue, and Allure, making it a beauty product to keep your eye on in 2017.

See at Indiegogo

Dyson Supersonic

If there's one company that knows how to make truly beautiful, futuristic, insanely high-quality products, it's Dyson – but you don't typically think about the brand when it comes to beauty. Well, at least not until the Dyson Supersonic was unveiled — AKA the most modern and functional hairdryer to ever grace the market!

The Dyson Supersonic actually shouldn't even be qualified as a hair dryer. It was completely redesigned — the motor is one quarter the size of a standard hair dryer motor, and the weight has been redistributed in the handle for more comfortable blow-drying and styling.

The Supersonic took over 4 years and 103 engineers to develop, and in the process of testing what type of airflow and temperature adjustments work best with human hair, the company actually created a global hair tress shortage.

All in all, the Dyson Supersonic is a truly remarkable beauty product, with easy magnetic attachments and settings that are simple to use for anyone of any styling skill level. The only downside? The price tag. While most hair dryers may set you back $60 bucks, this sleek machine will cost you around $400.

See at Dyson

Moist Sense II Hydrometer

If you're someone who suffers from chronic dry skin, struggles with eczema, or just has a hard time keeping your skin moisturized throughout the winter months or while you're traveling, then keeping a Moist Sense II Hydrometer in your makeup bag could be a savior for your skin.

The Moist Sense uses precise sensors to check your skin's moisture level anywhere on the body. All you have to do is hold the Moist Sense on your skin, give it a second or two, and you'll get a 0-99 moisture rating in an instant.

If you get a reading between 0-50, then the corneal layer of your skin lacks moisture, meaning that your skin is super dry and that dead cells may have accumulated on it. If you get a reading between 50-99, then your skin has a healthy amount of moisture, and your skincare routine is probably on the right track to keeping things happy and healthy!

You can pick up one of these little guys online for around $130, but if you wanted to try it out before picking it up, give your local Sephora a call! The infamous black and white beauty store has started rolling these out in it skincare sections so employees can help accurately put together a moisturizer, mask, toner, and cleaner regimen for their customers!

See at Natural Healthy Concepts

How are you incorporating tech into your beauty routine?

Is there a makeup product that's changed your life recently? How about one that runs on batteries or has to be plugged in?

Let u know your biggest tech-y makeup secrets in the comments below!

Counting days and pairs of socks so that I can get through the trip — pretty standard stuff. Packing that suitcase hasn't changed a lot for me in the last 20 years.

But as I pack to go on a week-long trip with my family next week, it struck me: I may be a whiz at packing clothes and bathroom supplies, but I am a huge ball of stress when it comes to packing my technology. What gadgets are in my bag — and what's loaded on those gadgets — is the thing that consumes me in the days before I take a big trip.

Loading media for vacation

The new "packing for vacation" is loading media on your devices for vacation. Too often, vacation destinations suffer from slow, unreliable, or nonexistent Internet, so it's usually wise for the tech savvy traveler to load up on stuff (especially huge media files) before you go. If you're flying, you've also got your time on the airplane to think about, since that's not a place you're going to find high-speed Internet.

It used to be that I'd make sure that my music library was synced to my iPod or iPhone. These days, I'm an Apple Music user, but the same rule applies: While I'm still on fast Wi-Fi at home, I'll be sure to download favorite albums and playlists for offline listening. (I generally always carry many hours of podcasts around with me, but if I'm feeling short on those, I'll switch to Overcast and download another half-dozen episodes of Hello from the Magic Tavern.

Packing video is trickier than audio, but it's a lot less tricky than it used to be. Yes, I still have to sync some non-DRM movies and TV shows from my Mac via iTunes, but I've also got a lot of stuff that I bought on iTunes that I can download directly from the cloud. What's made this entire category more convenient is that now both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video allow you to download shows for offline viewing. (Netflix doesn't offer everything for offline download, but a large selection — including many of Netflix's originals — are available.)

Next up is deciding how I'm going to watch video when I get to my destination. If it's all on my iPad Pro's 12.9-inch screen, all I need to do is pack a headphone splitter. But for this particular trip, we'll be staying at least some of the time at a rented house with a big flat-screen TV. If anyone's going to provide entertainment for Movie Night, it'll probably be me — so I'll need to figure out how to do that.

I could pack my Apple TV; even if all I'm doing is using AirPlay to play movies from my iPad, it might be worth it. I've got an Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is a pretty great little device but doesn't support AirPlay — so I could only bring it if I had a great deal of confidence in the speed of the Internet at the house. (I don't.) I could also bring an Apple HDMI-to-Lightning adapter and just connect my iPad to the TV to play videos. That's probably the easiest approach, so it's likely to be what I'll do. I'll also probably pack an HDMI cable too... just in case.

Reading is easier: I'll download a few books to my Kindle and a bunch of comics to my iPad — both purchased ones via Comixology and 12 offline issues from Marvel Unlimited.

How extreme is my vacation?

Another decision point I make before any trip is the question of how much work I'll be doing — and what kind. These days, very few of us are able to entirely unplug and do no work when we take a vacation. I'm trying very hard for this vacation to not partake in any major work, which requires that I do a whole lot of it in advance. A So here's my plan: For this trip, I'm not going to bring a Mac. I'll bring my iPad Pro and an external keyboard just in case I need to write something; I'm even loading a podcast onto my iPad Pro for me to edit on my flight — strangely enough, there is no better place to edit a podcast than on an airplane!

You need to take the tools with you that you might require when you're there. For a lot of people, that still includes a Mac. Sometimes it does for me, too. But I think I can do without, at least for a week.

Plugs and dongles and chargers

My HDMI-to-Lightning adapter won't be the only one I bring with me on my trip. There are four people in my family and seven iOS devices among us; that means charging — and lots of it. I currently have a compact travel power brick that includes two USB ports along with three standard power plugs; in the past, I've considered buying one of those gadgets that's just a bunch of USB ports for us to charge all our devices with, though I haven't yet picked one up.

Fortunately, our iPad chargers can charge our iPhones — so I don't anticipate bringing seven charging cables. We should be able to get by with four, more or less. I'm sure we'll make it work — but it's always a consideration when I'm packing for every trip. The family's not happy if our devices have no charge.

These days, of course, I also need to remember to bring my Lightning-to-headphone adapter, just in case I want to listen to music with wired headphones on my iPhone 7. (I may bring my AirPods with me on the trip, but I'd rather use my in-ear headphones on the airplane, just for their sound-blocking properties.)

As I write this, I've got about 36 hours until my plane takes off. Not a single swimsuit has been stuffed in a suitcase yet, but on the tech side, I'm already preparing. Once I've got my movies loaded and my Lightning cables stowed, counting out pairs of underwear will be no trouble at all.

Say goodbye to Tinder with a dating app so elite, there's a screening process and a waitlist of over 100,000 people chomping at the bit to connect with their perfect partner. The app is called The League, and it's caused a bit of commotion online from both supporters and naysayers.

What is The League?

The app's founder and Stanford University graduate, Amanda Bradford, created the app as a sort of "Tinder for elites", which means not just anyone who's single can join – there's an intensive screening process, or 'advanced screening algorithm' (which the app refuses to disclose) that users have to go through in order to be considered at all.

Can anyone (try to) join?

Even though the private beta was only recently available in San Francisco and New York, The League has started its expansion to other cities, including Los Angeles, with plans to eventually move across North America.

What happens if I get accepted?

Once your profile is accepted, The League makes your dating experience as easy as pie. The app promises no voyeurs, no games, no noise, no fake profiles, the ability to hide your profile from friends and coworkers, and more. But while the appeal of stress-free dating is unbelievably attractive, some people are heated knowing they probably won't be allowed to make a profile.

In January, a senior student from Stanford University spotted an internship opportunity from The League and took the opportunity to voice her opinion on the app online:

But Bradford clapped back quickly at all the hate for her app:

It's not clear when The League will be available in more than the current three cities, but if you're itching to join another dating app in the meantime, check out [OkCupid](https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/okcupid-dating/id338701294?mt=8&at=10l3Vy&ct=UUimUdUnU38038's app, Hinge, or HowAboutWe – we promise there's no screening process involved.

P.S., if you're looking to apply for an internship position, a few are actually still available. As Bradford concludes in her response to the Stanford student:

We're geeks. We get it. Our phones, be they Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, or Windows Phone, are among the most important things in our lives. We use them for everything, all the time. But in some situations our phones can get in the way, like on a first date. So, from one geek to another, I'm going to share ten basic tips on how to keep your smartphone from ruining a potentially great new relationship... by keeping it in your pants!

Here are the bullet points, watch the video for the details!

1. Don't use your phone during a first date. Your attention should be on the person you're with, not the device in your hand.
2. Turn your ringer off. Turn vibration off. Turn notifications off. Go into bedside mode, do not disturb mode, or whatever it takes to keep your phone quiet.
3. Turning your phone away isn't as good as putting it away. Really, it has to be out of sight to be out of mind.
4. If you're expecting an emergency call, be upfront about it. Knowing really is half the battle.
5. $#!+ happens. If you forget to turn your phone off and it goes off, apologize, put it away, and get back to your date.
6. If your date leaves the area, that's not an excuse to jump back to your phone. If you do decide to text your friend, make sure you don't get caught.
7. And don't post anything to a public social network your date might see, especially not without their consent.
8. If your date leaves their phone behind, that's also not an invitation to start snooping. Take a deep breath and leave their phone alone.
9. Pay attention to your date. Keep eye contact. Use their name. Make sure they feel like the most important person in the room.
10. Know when to break the rules. If your date wants a picture, to bump phones for contacts, to set up a second date, then do it!

There they are, my tips for how to have a great, phone-free first date. I'd love to hear your tips too, so hit up the comments and tell me what you think! (Especially if you have any juicy phone-related dating stories to share!!)

Floorplans is a powerful iPad app that lets you create floor plans on the go. It features an easy-to-use and intuitive interface that allows you draw walls, add furniture, and more.

Creating a floor plan is a breeze: simply draw the walls with your finger and add furniture with a tap of a button. You can also make detailed adjustments to item you add to your floor plan including dimensions, finishes, and flipping horizontally and vertically. This is awesome for people who are using Floorplans to help redecorate their home.

As you work on your floor plan, you can zoom in and see great detail. All the measurements will also be automatically calculated and added to the floor plan.

In addition to furniture and structural item, Floorplans lets you add labels, name rooms, and add flooring to individual rooms. Unfortunately, if you have an open-concept design, simply designate "entry ways" to split up rooms with different flooring. Though, if your entry ways aren't between walls, you're out of luck and can't separate the rooms. This is difficult for open-concept kitchens since you can't have an entry way between wall and counter.

In addition to creating new floor plans from scratch, you can also import and covert PDF and JPG files into Floorplans to be edited and manipulated with the app. It will also calibrate the dimensions of imported floor plans.

The good

• Import existing files from PDF or JPG, including sketches
• Calibrate dimensions of imported floor plans
• Create new floor plans from scratch
• Draw angled and curved walls
• Add furniture and structural elements
• Edit dimensions of items
• Export as PDF, JPG, and Floorplans native format
• AirPrint support
• iCloud sync
• Dropbox support

The bad

• Not enough items (no bathroom counter with two sinks, for example)
• Entry ways must be placed between walls.
• Can't specify which items are on top when stacking items

The bottom line

I go through phases of obsession with HGTV, and that's what prompted me to download Floorplans. I've had a blast designing my dream home with it and can see how professional designers would find Floorplans to be a valuable asset.

• $9.99 - Download now

Pocket Cycle for iPhone and iPad is an app designed to help women track their menstrual cycles and sync the information with their partner's device. It features a very simple interface that displays all the important dates related to your cycle in a simple color-coded dial.

The main screen screen of Pocket Cycle is a dial with 28 colored dots (unless you changed your cycle length to something other than 28 days). Each dot represents a day in your cycle with the dot at the top center representing day 1. Red dots are period days, green dots are fertile days, the blue dot is ovulation day, and gray dots are "normal" days. The large dot represents the day you're currently at.

If you need to adjust what day you are in your cycle , just spin the dial to the correct dot and tap save. You can also tap the button in the center of the dial to recalibrate. I really like the idea of simply turning the dial, however, this causes previous months to change to match the cycle length you've assigned. This is a huge flaw that needs to be addressed since most women don't have perfectly regular cycles. Past cycles need to be remained unchanged.

Pocket Cycle includes a calendar that predicts your future cycles. This can be helpful for planning vacations and events if you want to avoid certain activities while on your period.

Pocket Cycle also includes alarms for when your period and fertile days are expected to start and end, as well as reminders to take birth control. Pocket Cycle includes discrete text with these reminders, but you can also edit them to say anything you want. Pocket Cycle also allows you to add custom alarms.

When syncing with a partner, Pocket Cycle doesn't simply keep the apps identical; it only keeps the dials in sync. Reminders are kept separate and a partner is not allowed to change a dial and recalibrate cycles; he can only view it.

The good

• Simple, easy to use design
• Period days in red, fertile days in green, ovulation day in blue
• Simply turn dial to recalibrate if early or late
• View upcoming cycles on calendar
• Receive reminders when for period start and end dates, fertile days, to take birth control, or any custom alert you wish
• Edit the text of reminders
• Partner doesn't share reminders with you, but can create his own
• Partner can't edit cycle
• Optional 4 digit passcode

The bad

• Doesn't keep track of past cycles

The bottom line

If you're looking for a simple, visual way to share your cycle information with a partner, Pocket Cycle is a great choice. It's easy to use, looks nice, and saves you from having awkward conversations about where you are in your cycle.

• $0.99 - Download now

Craftsy for iPhone and iPad is an app that allows you to learn new crafts and fine tune current ones with video guides on everything from quilting, cake decorating, stitching, food crafts, jewelry making, and more. The idea is that you find a craft or topic that interests you and then you enroll in that course. You'll then have access to video content and instructions including what you'll need for as long as you want, whenever you want.

Once you sign in to Craftsy, you'll have access to all the guides and how to's currently offered. Some classes are free while others you'll have to buy via an in-app purchase. The iPhone version has a pullout navigation menu on the left hand side that will show you all the categories you have to pick from, the enrolled classes you've already subscribed to, and more. The iPad version is a little different but operates in pretty much the same way. The only difference is the navigation which is all located on the main page via a horizontal scroll bar.

If you subscribe to a course on your iPhone, it will sync to your Craftsy account and be available on your iPad as well. Tapping on any course you've enrolled in will bring up the overview screen. From here you can view the different sections of the lesson as well as forward and go back to any sections you'd like to watch again. Once you've paid for a class, you aren't limited to how many times you can watch or view that course.

There is also a section within Craftsy that shows you course materials and what you'll need to complete all the lessons. This is a good place to start if you've enrolled in a course that requires a lot of supplies to be purchased. You can easily make a list or just pull up the materials list while shopping at your local craft store for easy reference. Craftsy also gives you the option to share any lesson on Twitter, Facebook, or via email so if you stumble across something that you think a friend would find interesting, sharing it with them is only a tap away.

For the most part, how detailed and broken down lessons are will really depend on how much time the creator put into that lesson. This is one thing I'd watch for before actually enrolling in a paid course. All classes have a free video preview and a biography on the author that is worth taking a look at before committing to a purchase. Craftsy also gives you the ability to accumulate points in order to earn free classes. Things such as completing a profile, buying courses, and some other random tasks can earn you points that you can use to buy courses.

The good

• Videos are all high quality and for the most part, all videos are high quality
• Unlimited playback of any courses you've ever purchased
• You can watch courses you've purchased on your iPhone, iPad, or computer
• Formats are easy to read and broken down to even the littlest specifics making it hard to miss a beat

The bad

• Not a lot of info on paid classes given before you have to commit to a purchase
• Paid classes can be quite expensive in some instances

The bottom line

If you enjoy the kinds of crafts that Craftsy features, it's a great find. While the paid classes can range from $10 all the way up to $40, it may be worth it to those who would rather learn on their own than paying for classes they'll have to attend regularly.

Craftsy will be most ideal for people who like to learn at their own pace and don't want to be responsible for attending a course regularly. Busy individuals who can't commit to a craft class will find even more value in having courses and guides at their fingertips when it's convenient for them.

• Free - Download Now

Counting down to an important or exciting date like Christmas, you baby's due date, or the iPhone 5 launch? Then Can't Wait is for you! Can't Wait is an iPhone and iPad app that has a single purpose -- to keep track of the number of days until or since important dates in your life.

There are two main screen views in Can't Wait: a list of all your events and each event's individual page. When adding an event to your list, you select one of 10 colors, give it a title, indicate whether it's and event you "can't wait" for (countdown) or an "unforgettable" event that's already passed (count up), and select that date.

The Events screen will show the list of all your events. Shown with each event is the number of days until or since the event and it's title, date, and color. You can sort the list by nearest, farthest, name, or color. You can also swipe to delete individual events or tap the little arrow to the right of an event to edit its information.

If you close the Events page, you'll be take to the individual screens for your events. Each event's page is very minimal and shows only the numbers of days, the event name, and the associated color. The numbers are displayed nice and huge and for coundown timers, the event name is in a small font at the top, and for past events, the names are at the bottom. If you tap the Twitter icon in the lower left of the screen, you can send out a Tweet that shares the info on that screen. For example: "5 more days until iPhone 5 launch". Unfortunately, Facebook integration has not been added, yet.

On thing I've noticed about Can't Wait is that it counts down different than I would. For example, if it's currently Tuesday, I would say that there are 3 more days until Friday. Can't Wait says there is 2 days. I'm not sure if this is cultural thing, because I have encountered other apps the have similar countdown methods. I think there should at least be an option to pick if you want "0 days" to mean the day before a date or the date itself.

The good

• Count down number of days until a specific date (like the launch of the iPhone 5)
• Count up the number of days passed since an important date (like your wedding date)
• Gorgeous UI
• 10 colors
• Share to Twitter
• Universal for iPhone and iPad

The bad

• Some colors are associated with a bolder font giving the illusion that those dates are more important
• Countdown considers the day before the event as 0 days instead of 1 day
• Can't share to Facebook (hopefully that changes with new Facebook integration in iOS 6

The bottom line

Can't Wait is an extremely simple app -- which is precisely what makes it so great. It's clear that a lot of effort went into the overall design with the pastel colors and beautiful, yet, minimalistic UI. The folks at Romly have found the perfect balance between design and function with Can't Wait.

$0.99 - Download Now

About to embark on a much needed, well deserved vacation and wondering how to find lodging close by? Hotels, motels, beds and breakfast places, the Google Maps app can help you easily locate tons of possibilities. Follow on after the break and we'll show you how!

Let say you are planning a trip to San Francisco and need to find places to stay that are closest to the airport.

1. Where will you be? - Instead of using iOS's location services in the Maps App, type in the city name in the search field.
   

2. Refine the details - Once the Google Maps App resolves the city name and drops a pin, you can then type the word "Airport" in the search field (in case you don't recall the name). I know that Berkeley is the airport I'm heading to, so next I pinch and zoom to the pin for Berkeley Airport.

3. Search!- search for "Hotel" to find a hotel that is nearest to the Airport. I've chosen La Quinta Inn Berkeley.
   

4. More info - Click the info chevron and select if you want to call them direct or visit their website to make a reservation.

5. You can finally click the "Directions to Here" button at the bottom of the info page and select if you are driving, taking public transit or walking with estimated time it takes to get there.

Any other great vacation planning tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks to Master from the iPhone Live chatroom for the tip!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

iPod nano fashion? I was more than excited when Steve Jobs announced the new iPod nano. Not because I am a huge music lover but because of the multitude of different ways that I could use it. This new iPod nano is a tech geek girls fashion dream come true.

Follow along after the break to see just some of the ways I've been accessorizing with the new iPod nano, and how well it's been working out.

iPod nano hair clip

This may be more of a dream than a reality. I found that if you use the iPod nano all alone in your hair it is prone to slipping out. If you are going to put it in your hair it is much more secure if you attach it to a hair elastic. It was already slipping out before I even began to walk around. I think if Apple has added a bit of rubber to the edges of the clip it would be much more secure. Steve why did you let me down!

iPod nano pony tail clip

Wearing the iPod nano in your hair is quite cute but lacks the functionality of being able to actually see the new 1.5-inch screen. If you already have a playlist playing and are comfortable using the headset remote buttons to play, pause, and change, its ok but still not ideal. It was quite secure though. You could even go jogging and have them stay in place.

iPod nano watch

The iPod nano is just screaming to be used as a watch. It is the perfect size and with a multitude of different functions it may be the first in a new smart watch generation. Get real iOS and and App Store onto this bad boy and there'd be no stopping us. For the band I use a tight fitting bracelet which is not too thick. This way the clasp on the iPod Nano is able to fully close. I also really liked attaching the iPod nano to my hair elastic. It was quite secure and comfortable.

iPod nano earring

Yes the new iPod nano are very capable of being used as earrings. It is easy to use some two part epoxy and attach a loop and then a regular fishhook earring holder. It is a bit heavy for an earring (though I have worn heavier). It would also present the same issue of not being able to easily change your application or music. For the picture I just clipped the nano right onto my ear, this was not the most comfortable of ways to wear it, however, nor was it very secure.

iPod nano necklace

This is one of my favourite ways to wear the iPod nano. It makes a beautiful show piece and is very user friendly. It is also very beautiful and when I go around people just think it is another piece of jewelry. Then I turn it on and everyone is left in awe.

And more...?

I am sure that I have just covered the tip of the iceberg with some cool new ways to wear your iPod Nano. If you have any other cool new ideas, comment away!