Tools to help students make the grade
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Monday, September 29, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Cutting cable? Which streaming service is best? by Kim Komando
I hear from so many folks about how much they want to cut the cord
and their big cable
bills. One of the strengths - and weaknesses - of
cutting the cord is the range of options you have for making it happen.
For instance, I gave you a tip recently on 3 ways to get free HDTV, movies, sports and more - click here to read it if you missed it.
Free is good, but at some point to get the shows you want, you'll
probably end up paying for a streaming video service like Netflix or
Hulu. The upside is that, individually, these services cost almost
nothing compared to cable.
For convenience, you might want to drop some money on a streaming video gadget, though. Click here to find...
New keyboard apps you'll love to use with your phone or tablet by Kim Komando
Smartphones have made our lives so much easier in many ways, but the
on-screen
keyboard can drive you up the wall, especially if you need to
write anything longer than a Tweet. Most smartphone keyboards have tiny
letters and little room for error for adult-sized fingers.
Even the most careful writers can end up with embarrassing spelling
mistakes. And you don't want to rely on auto-correct to fix them -
usually it just makes things worse.
While there have long been apps to replace the standard keyboard on
Android gadgets, the new iPhone software, iOS 8, allows the use of
alternate keyboards for the first time.
They use cool ideas, new designs and predictive text algorithms...
Learn how crooks attack using public Wi-Fi by Kim Komando
Hackers will do just about anything to get their hands on your
personal information. More and more hackers are taking to the streets
and using the real world to attack their victims digitally.
One of the best ways for hackers to invade your computer is by using
local wireless networks. If you're a gadget fanatic like me, then you're
almost always looking for a nearby Wi-Fi hotspot to save on your smartphone's or tablet's data plan.
Criminals know this and have many routes to exploit almost everyone's
dependence on free, public Wi-Fi networks that you can find almost
anywhere. Like I said, I'm always on the hunt for a new Wi-Fi hotspot.
I'm also security conscious, though, and I've...
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
iPhone 6 Plus Display is the best there is (well, almost) by Mark Hachman
Galaxy Note 4 apparently
edged out the recent Apple iPhone 6 Plus in terms of display quality,
even though the analyst reviewing it basically called Apple’s displays
the best he’s seen to date.
Samsung’s recent
In a report released Monday, DisplayMate’s Raymond Soneira—who does nothing more than test smartphone displays, by the way—called the iPhone 6 Plus display the
“best performing smartphone LCD display that we have ever tested,”
Soneira wrote. “The iPhone 6 Plus has raised the bar for top LCD display
performance up by a notch,” he added.
High praise indeed for the iPhone 6 Plus. But that doesn’t make the
iPhone 6’s display the best, period—an odd little...
How to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 8 to iOS 7 by Christopher Breen
As you’re more than aware, iOS 8 is out and it’s packed with a lot of
great features. But suppose you’ve updated from iOS 7 to the latest
version of iOS and aren’t entirely pleased with it. Perhaps you have an
older iPad or iPhone and find it runs more slowly, or your favorite apps
don’t behave well with it.
For the time being, you can revert to iOS 7, but you probably won’t be
able to for long. In order to install an older version of iOS, Apple
must continue to authorize it (something it calls “signing”). Generally,
Apple stops signing older versions of iOS within days of the newest
version shipping. As I write this, it’s still possible. But it may not
be in the very near future,...
iPhone 6 pocket problems: Some buyers report that sitting down bends phones by Caitlin McGarry
The iPhone 6 Plus is a sizable phone, so large that it doesn’t fit in
smaller pockets. But some buyers are finding a problem other than the
fit: When they
sit down for extended periods of time with the 6 Plus in their front
pocket, the 5.5-inch phone bends ever so slightly.
The reports first surfaced on the MacRumors forums,
where a handful of users have posted
photos of their phones’ bent aluminum bodies. The original poster
pocketed his 6 Plus for about 18 hours one day, mostly sitting, and
provided photo
evidence of his space gray phone’s resulting curvature.
hanzoh/MacRumors forums
A MacRumors forum member reported that sitting for about 18 hours resulted in a...
Use an iPad Power Adapter to Charge Your iPhone 6 Faster by Thorin Klosowski
If
you're looking to boost the charging speed of your new iPhone 6 or 6
Plus, the folks
over at iLounge found that the new iPhone models can
take a 2.1 amp charge—like what you'll find in iPad chargers—to recharge
a bit faster.
According
to some preliminary tests, iLounge found that both models can charge
faster using a 2.1A supply, even though they ship with a 1A power
supply. Forum members over at MacRumors found similar results.
Assuming the new iPhone models can actually take in the full 2.1A
charge, this makes sense, since the added juice can actually be used to
charge quicker, unlike on older iPhone models that'll only take the 1A
regardless of which adapter you use....
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
How to double your free OneDrive storage to 30GB by Brad Chacos
Good news, OneDrive users: A mere three months after Microsoft doubled the free storage tier from 7GB to 15GB, the company's ready to double your gratis storage space yet again—but only if you act quickly.
Playing off the social media whirlwind raging around iOS 8's need for 5GB-plus of hard drive space—forcing
many iPhone users to delete apps and media in order to
upgrade—Microsoft announced it will double OneDrive users' free storage
capacity to a whopping 30GB if you enable the option to automatically
back up your phone's photos to OneDrive by the end of September. (iCloud
offers 5GB of free storage, in comparison.)
Further reading: Microsoft's OneDrive: Your ultimate...
Monday, September 22, 2014
Urgent: New crucial steps to wipe your smartphone or tablet by Kim Komando
Have you recently upgraded your computer, smartphone or tablet? You might be wondering what to do with your old one, besides letting it sit in a closet or drawer.
Whether you sell it, recycle it, give it to charity or use it as a doorstop, there's one thing you must, absolutely, without a doubt, do first. I'm talking about wiping out your personal information.
Reminder: Check your gadget's DVD drive, USB port or card reader to make sure you haven't left any discs, flash drives or memory cards behind.
Whether it's passwords, tax documents, contacts, personal photos, home videos or anything else sensitive, you don't want it falling into the wrong hands. You don't just want to delete it either.
Deleted...
5 tips to extend your smartphone or tablet's battery by Kim Komando
Take a picture. Send a text. Play a game. Check email. Make a call. Get directions. Then, all this threatens to stop cold in an instant.
A smartphone or tablet's low battery warning is the only warning that most people take seriously. A dead battery doesn't have to happen to you. Turning off a few features and changing some settings can give your gadget's battery life a dramatic boost.
1. Let there be (less) light
One of the biggest battery drains is your gadget's screen, especially for larger smartphones. The longer the screen is on and the brighter it is, the faster your battery goes. That makes sense. Something has to power those pixels.
Android, iOS and Windows Phone automatically adjust...
Saturday, September 20, 2014
How to easily convert your old DVDs into digital files you can watch anywhere by Annabel Halpert
You
spent years collecting your favorite movies on DVD, and now what? If
you’re like most Americans, those bulky boxes of discs are either
sitting in a box in the closet or gathering dust on a shelf. The advent
of the digital age has liberated your music collection by making it easy
to rip CDs for playback on your smartphone --wouldn’t you like to have
the same experience with your movies?
Fortunately, turning your
DVD-based movies into high-quality digital files that you can play
anywhere is now easier than ever. All you need is your Mac, a
SuperDrive, and a copy of Aiseesoft Mac Video Converter Ultimate.
Video Converter Ultimate lets you
pop in a DVD and rip the contents to...
8 essential browser Tips & Tricks by Kim Komando
The Web browser is a funny thing. It's one of the most-used computer
programs, but many people don't really understand it. That's why in the
past I've tackled common browser myths and misconceptions.
Today, I'm helping you get the most out of your browser with a few
simple tricks that you really need to know. Your friends and family
probably want to know these as well, so be sure to click the Share
button.
Choose your home page
What's the first thing you see when your browser starts up? If you're
using Internet Explorer, it's probably MSN's website. Chrome loads up a
modified Google page and Firefox has its own start page.
But if you then type in an address or...
Got an iPhone 6? Do these 10 things first by Susie Ochs
It’s here! Your iPhone is here! Did you hug the UPS man? Thing Zero to do as you rip it out of the box is to not drop it, whatever you do. (Did you see that poor Australian kid? Ouch. Well, at least it didn’t shatter on him.)
We’ve got a fully comprehensive setup guide if you need step-by-step assistance—think of this as the Cliffs Notes version. These are the 10 things you should do first.
1. Back up your old phone
I forgot to do this first, so once I’d turned my new iPhone on and it
asked if I wanted a new phone or a restored backup, I had to sadly put
the phone down and pick up my suddenly small-and-sad-seeming iPhone 5c.
iTunes is the fastest way to do a backup, so tether...
Why Is My Internet Suddenly So Slow? by Adam Dachis
Dear Lifehacker,
I
have a fast internet connection, but it doesn't always earn the title.
Sometimes I get half the speed I pay for during certain times of the
day. Other times my upstream connection barely works. I've done all
the usual modem resetting tech support always requires but I still have
the problem. Any ideas?
Sincerely,
Sporadically Sluggish
Dear SS,
Yes,
I have a lot of ideas! Internet connections slow down for a variety of
reasons. Sometimes the fault belongs to your internet service provider
(ISP) and sometimes you're the culprit. It may be a little bit of
both. Let's take a look at some common causes of internet slowdown and
get to the bottom of this.
It's...
