Do Not Disturb mode on Android can be handy if you’re in a meeting, at a movie, or anywhere else where your phone needs to not be a distraction for a little while, but the real value is found in Do Not Disturb’s automatic rules. Basically, you can tell Android when not to bother you—like at night while you’re sleeping, for example—as well as who can bother you if they must....
If you share an Android device with other people, it can be tough to keep your account separate from theirs. Fortunately, Android supports multiple user profiles, allowing users to share devices without fear of encroaching on each other. What Are User Profiles on Android? If you have (or have ever used) a shared Windows PC, then you may already be familiar with the concept here. Everyone has their own login, complete with their own apps and settings....
The headers (numbered rows and lettered columns) in Excel worksheets make it easy to view and reference your data. However, there may be times when the headers are distracting and you don’t want them to display. They are easy to hide and we’ll show you how. Open the Excel workbook containing the worksheet on which you want to hide the headers. You can activate the worksheet you want by clicking the appropriate tab at the bottom of the Excel window, but you don’t have to....
Let’s face it: iTunes is not great. Even though it got a little better with iTunes 12, it has since devolved into another slow mess of mostly useless features. You can use your iOS device without iTunes or, even better, use a good iTunes alternative. But if you need to keep iTunes installed and just don’t want it to automatically open and sync when you plug your iOS device in, here’s how to make it happen....
Ever want to watch a video on your phone or tablet without wasting its storage space? Or maybe you just need to view a file your friend gave you. Most modern Android devices support standard USB drives, so you can plug in a flash drive just like you would on a computer. Modern versions of Android have improved support for external storage devices, but on some older devices, this process may require rooting....
Instagram has three different account types: Personal, Business, and Creator. Which one you should use depends on how you plan to use the “gram.” What Is an Instagram Personal Account? An Instagram Personal Account is the regular account that everyone gets by default. If you have an Instagram account and you haven’t done anything to deliberately change it, you have a Personal Account. We’ll look at the advantages of Professional Accounts in a moment, but there is one big advantage for Personal Accounts: You can set them to private....
Babes in Toyland Play Video The nursery rhyme that inspired the plot of Babes in Toyland is basically nonsense, and it doesn’t actually have much to do with Christmas. Still, both the Laurel and Hardy (1934) and Annette Funicello (1961) versions of the toy-based story feature family-friendly comedy which has made them holiday favorites. Adults marvel at the bizarre storytelling and surreal imagery, while kids enjoy the silly characters. RELATED: 10 Christmas Horror Movies to Watch for a Spooky Holiday...
Nova Launcher is an unofficial fan favorite for Android power users, and with good reason—it’s chock-full of nifty customization features to help users make Android look how they want. But it’s also full of useful time-saving features that can make your life easier. Here are five of our favorites. RELATED: How to Install Nova Launcher for a More Powerful, Customizable Android Home Screen Make Your Home Screen Icons Do Double Duty with Swipe Actions We’ve actually already gone in detail with this one, but it’s so useful it’s absolutely worth mentioning again....
New computers have now been coming with USB 3.0 ports for years. But just how much faster is USB 3.0? Will you see a big speed improvement if you upgrade your old USB 2.0 flash drives? USB 3.0 devices are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports. They’ll function normally, but only at USB 2.0 speeds. The only downside is that USB 3.0 devices are still a bit more expensive....
The Router Lottery Before we look at the different things you can do with the USB port on your router, it’s important to understand that just because your router has a USB port doesn’t mean that you can use the port for every function we’re listing below. It will depend on which features the router manufacturer has chosen to implement. Some types of USB features require more powerful hardware than an inexpensive router will have, so manufacturers don’t implement it....
With an estimated 10 billion billion ants on the planet, the problem is far more common than you might think. Prevention is the Best Strategy Ants will scout your house looking for two things: food and water. Since your computer hopefully isn’t a source of moisture, food is likely to be the main driver of an ant problem. Laptops and keyboards in particular can trap crumbs between the keys. Spilling a sugary or alcoholic drink near or on a keyboard can also be an issue since you’re unlikely to remove all of the liquid without a full disassembly (you could try putting the keyboard in a dishwasher too)....
Warning: Electricity and water do not mix! You could cause yourself serious harm or further damage your computer. Before touching the laptop, make sure your hands and the area (or button) you’re touching are completely dry. Power Off Now! For those of you who skipped the intro, turn off your laptop and remove the power cable immediately. The fastest way to do this is on most models is to press and hold the power button until the screen goes dark....
The Weather Channel is a great way to keep up to date with what’s happening around the world, both weather and news-wise. This channel alters you to upcoming weather and more. fuboTV fuboTV is an excellent live TV service that brings The Weather Channel right to your smartphone, tablet, or smart TV. This streaming service offers a 7-day free trial so that you can try it out without handing over any money....
If you are going to reformat a hard-drive, is there anything that would ‘improve’ write performance afterward or is it something that you should not even worry about? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s questions. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Chris Bannister (Flickr). The Question SuperUser reader Brettetete wants to know if filling a hard-drive with zeroes would improve write performance:...
Few people noticed at the time, but Microsoft added a new feature to Windows 8 that allows manufacturers to infect the UEFI firmware with crapware. Windows will continue installing and resurrecting this junk software even after you perform a clean-install. This feature continues to be present on Windows 10, and it’s absolutely mystifying why Microsoft would give PC manufacturers so much power. It highlights the importance of buying PCs from the Microsoft Store — even performing a clean install may not get rid of all the preinstalled bloatware....
Internet access in some of British Columbia, Canada was unexpectedly shut down on June 7, lasting for “more than eight hours,” according to CTV News. NetBlocks, which tracks network disruptions and shutdowns worldwide, also identified a drop in internet access in BC during that time. The cause of the incident was later identified as a beaver — yes, a beaver. The affected fiber optic line was strung along poles owned by the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, and when BC Hydro crews investigated the outage, they found beaver chew marks at the bottom of a tree that fell down on the lines....
Android has a massive security bug in a component known as “Stagefright.” Just receiving a malicious MMS message could result in your phone being compromised. It’s surprising we haven’t seen a worm spreading from phone to phone like worms did in the early Windows XP days — all the ingredients are here. It’s actually a bit worse than it sounds. The media has largely focused on the MMS attack method, but even MP4 videos embedded in web pages or apps could compromise your phone or tablet....
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is probably the best Android phone available right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. There are things that can easily be added to improve not only the look of TouchWiz, but also the functionality. Good Lock, an app from Samsung, does just that, giving users a way to easily tweak the notification tray, quick settings panel, and recents menu–not to mention get a more stock Android-like appearance....
What Is a Gaming Keyboard? A gaming keyboard is a sturdy, high-performance keyboard that’s well-designed for gaming. Equipped with satisfying RGB lights behind the keys, these keyboards are usually mechanical, which means they’re the easiest to type with. You barely have to apply any pressure for keys to register, allowing you to type faster and without fatigue. They also have extra keys, called macro keys, which you can program to perform certain actions in games or use as shortcuts....
The Pixel Tablet was first shown off back in May, but we only had a quick glance and a vague release of sometime in 2023. Google still doesn’t have a more specific timeline for the tablet’s arrival, but the company did talk about the tablet a bit more. It has a smooth rounded design that fits in with the Pixel phones, complete with a “nano-ceramic finish.” There’s one camera on the front, and one camera on the back, but Google wasn’t ready to talk details about those quite yet....
