Add a PC Settings shortcut to your Windows 8 desktop

<h1 itemprop="name" style="margin:0px 0px 12px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-weight:500"><font face="facitweb, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:25px;line-height:28px">I</span></font><span style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7em">f you're new to Windows 8 (or Windows 8.1), you're no doubt battling the learning curve. And some areas aren't as intuitive as they could be, like trying to navigate your way to the PC Settings menu.</span><br> </h1><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">In fact, Microsoft seems to make this extra-confusing. You may know that you can bring up the Charms Bar and click Settings (or even use the<strong style>Windows-i</strong> keyboard shortcut), but you won't see PC Settings in the list of options up top or in the icons near the bottom.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">As it happens, the option is hiding in plain sight; look below the aforementioned icons and you'll see the option <em style>Change PC Settings</em>. Why Microsoft stuck it down there instead of in the main list, I have no idea.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="383" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/pc-settings-100058155-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">The PC Settings menu. Getting there isn't half the fun.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want an easier way to access PC Settings, one that doesn't require venturing into the Charms Bar or remembering a keystroke, the folks at 7Tutorials have an answer: <a href="http://www.7tutorials.com/download-desktop-shortcut-pc-settings-windows-8" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">a desktop shortcut to PC Settings</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Simply download the Zip file, then extract it to the Windows desktop. Alternately, you can extract it elsewhere and create a shortcut that sits on the desktop. Or even in the taskbar if you prefer.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It's a small convenience, to be sure, but also a nice one for folks who make routine visits to PC Settings and want a faster, easier way to do so</p></span>

Add a PC Settings shortcut to your Windows 8 desktop

I f you're new to Windows 8 (or Windows 8.1), you're no doubt battling the learning curve. And some areas aren't as intuitive as...

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Add a PC Settings shortcut to your Windows 8 desktop

<h1 itemprop="name" style="margin:0px 0px 12px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-weight:500"><font face="facitweb, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:25px;line-height:28px">I</span></font><span style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7em">f you're new to Windows 8 (or Windows 8.1), you're no doubt battling the learning curve. And some areas aren't as intuitive as they could be, like trying to navigate your way to the PC Settings menu.</span><br> </h1><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">In fact, Microsoft seems to make this extra-confusing. You may know that you can bring up the Charms Bar and click Settings (or even use the<strong style>Windows-i</strong> keyboard shortcut), but you won't see PC Settings in the list of options up top or in the icons near the bottom.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">As it happens, the option is hiding in plain sight; look below the aforementioned icons and you'll see the option <em style>Change PC Settings</em>. Why Microsoft stuck it down there instead of in the main list, I have no idea.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="383" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/pc-settings-100058155-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">The PC Settings menu. Getting there isn't half the fun.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want an easier way to access PC Settings, one that doesn't require venturing into the Charms Bar or remembering a keystroke, the folks at 7Tutorials have an answer: <a href="http://www.7tutorials.com/download-desktop-shortcut-pc-settings-windows-8" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">a desktop shortcut to PC Settings</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Simply download the Zip file, then extract it to the Windows desktop. Alternately, you can extract it elsewhere and create a shortcut that sits on the desktop. Or even in the taskbar if you prefer.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It's a small convenience, to be sure, but also a nice one for folks who make routine visits to PC Settings and want a faster, easier way to do so</p></span>

Add a PC Settings shortcut to your Windows 8 desktop

I f you're new to Windows 8 (or Windows 8.1), you're no doubt battling the learning curve. And some areas aren't as intuitive as...

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How to change your email signature on your smartphone

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="galleryImage imgId100056960 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/10/android_email-100056960-gallery.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.techhive.com/category/phones" style="color:rgb(215,114,39);float:left;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Does the world really need to know that every email you write was "Sent from my HTC One™ X, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone"? Probably not. Aside from turning you into a free marketing tool, it will give your friends fodder to tease you over your your choice of handset or carrier. Plus, it makes you look like a noob that doesn't have control over their email. These annoying signatures are easy to change, though, if you know where to look.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Changing the signature in iOS's Mail app</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> On iOS, go to the Settings app, tap<em style>Mail, Contacts Calendars</em>, scroll down, then tap <em style>Signature</em>. Once there, you can change your email signature, and choose whether you want a different signature for every email account you have (tap <em style>Per Account</em>) or One Signature to Rule Them All (<em style>All Accounts</em>). In my case, I modified the stock iPhone email signature to serve as a warning about the inevitable typos.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="589" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/change_signature_ios-100056958-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">You can use your email signature yo warn your friends of wayward fingers.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Once you're done, tap the back button or close out of the Settings app.</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">On Android</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Android typically comes with two mail apps: a general email app that will work with lots of different mail services (aptly named "Email") and one for Google's own Gmail service. The two apps are very similar to one another, and the process of changing your email signature is the same for both apps.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To start, open either the Email app or Gmail app, depending on which one you want to change. Next, tap the<em style>More</em> button in the toolbar. It's represented by three dots: in Gmail, it's in the upper right; in Email, it's in the lower right. Next, select <em style>Settings</em>from the menu that appears.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">On the Settings screen, tap the email address whose signature you want to change, and on the following screen, scroll down and tap<em style>Signature</em>. Enter the signature you want to use with that account, then tap <em style>OK</em>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="364" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/change_signature_android-100056959-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Editing an email signature on Android.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you have multple email accounts you want to append signatures to, go back to the main Settings screen by tapping the Back button in the upper left corner of the screen. Select another email address from the list, and repeat the process</p> </span>

How to change your email signature on your smartphone

Does the world really need to know that every email you write was "Sent from my HTC One™ X, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone"? Prob...

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How to change your email signature on your smartphone

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="galleryImage imgId100056960 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/10/android_email-100056960-gallery.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.techhive.com/category/phones" style="color:rgb(215,114,39);float:left;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Does the world really need to know that every email you write was "Sent from my HTC One™ X, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone"? Probably not. Aside from turning you into a free marketing tool, it will give your friends fodder to tease you over your your choice of handset or carrier. Plus, it makes you look like a noob that doesn't have control over their email. These annoying signatures are easy to change, though, if you know where to look.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Changing the signature in iOS's Mail app</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> On iOS, go to the Settings app, tap<em style>Mail, Contacts Calendars</em>, scroll down, then tap <em style>Signature</em>. Once there, you can change your email signature, and choose whether you want a different signature for every email account you have (tap <em style>Per Account</em>) or One Signature to Rule Them All (<em style>All Accounts</em>). In my case, I modified the stock iPhone email signature to serve as a warning about the inevitable typos.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="589" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/change_signature_ios-100056958-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">You can use your email signature yo warn your friends of wayward fingers.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Once you're done, tap the back button or close out of the Settings app.</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">On Android</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Android typically comes with two mail apps: a general email app that will work with lots of different mail services (aptly named "Email") and one for Google's own Gmail service. The two apps are very similar to one another, and the process of changing your email signature is the same for both apps.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To start, open either the Email app or Gmail app, depending on which one you want to change. Next, tap the<em style>More</em> button in the toolbar. It's represented by three dots: in Gmail, it's in the upper right; in Email, it's in the lower right. Next, select <em style>Settings</em>from the menu that appears.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">On the Settings screen, tap the email address whose signature you want to change, and on the following screen, scroll down and tap<em style>Signature</em>. Enter the signature you want to use with that account, then tap <em style>OK</em>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="364" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/change_signature_android-100056959-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Editing an email signature on Android.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you have multple email accounts you want to append signatures to, go back to the main Settings screen by tapping the Back button in the upper left corner of the screen. Select another email address from the list, and repeat the process</p> </span>

How to change your email signature on your smartphone

Does the world really need to know that every email you write was "Sent from my HTC One™ X, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone"? Prob...

Read more »

Actually, you do need to share your passwords

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img alt="fire" class="largeImage imgId100022344 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt4.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/01/password_580-100022344-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/security" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px">No one stays healthy forever. At some point, your loved ones will need access to all of your accounts. You can make that job easier for them.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">No reader questions today. Instead, I'm answering a question that someone<em style>should </em>ask: In our password-protected digital world, how do you prepare for that inevitable day when you die or otherwise become incapacitated?</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">This is no small problem. When you're gone, or have otherwise lost the ability to remember or communicate, loved ones will need access to your email, contacts, bank accounts, and more. Without your pre-planned help, this can be quite a challenge.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>[Email your tech questions to</strong><a href="mailto:answer@pcworld.com" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><strong style>answer@pcworld.com</strong></a><strong style>.]</strong></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you don't believe me, check out Google's page for <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14300?hl=en" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Accessing a deceased person's mail</a>. You have to gather up and snail-mail several items, including the death certificate (each official copy of which comes with a price). Part 2 of the process "will require you to get additional legal documents, including an order from a U.S. court and/or additional materials."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It would be a lot easier if someone you trust had your Google password--and other important passwords, as well.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">One solution is to print out a hard copy of your passwords and store it in a safe deposit box. But you'd have to repeat the process every time you change a password. Not so good.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's a better one:</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Pick someone who you really trust. Your spouse is an obvious choice. Or a very close friend or relative. It could even be your lawyer or accountant. For brevity's sake, I'll refer to this person as your <em style>executor</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You'll need a password manager--a program on your PC that allows you to store your passwords in an encrypted database. You should have a password manager anyway, as I explained in<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040921/manage-passwords-and-not-just-on-the-web.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Manage passwords, and not just on the Web</a>; I also recommend a couple of them in that article.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Your executor will need a password manager, as well, although it doesn't have to be the same one.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Give your executor a few key passwords--those for your Windows and mobile logons, your email account, and, of course, your password manager. Make sure they store these passwords safely in their own encrypted password manager.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If your relationship with the executor is personal rather than professional, add their key passwords to your manager, as well.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> I've done that with my wife. Her Password Safe database contains a section called <em style>Lincoln.</em> Mine contains one named <em style>Madeline.</em></p><em style><img alt="" border="0" height="409" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/09/1007-madeline-100056060-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="556"></em><em style></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> And, of course, when you change these few key passwords, make sure to put the new ones in the other person's password manager</p></span>

Actually, you do need to share your passwords

No one stays healthy forever. At some point, your loved ones will need access to all of your accounts. You can make that job easier for th...

Read more »

Actually, you do need to share your passwords

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img alt="fire" class="largeImage imgId100022344 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt4.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/01/password_580-100022344-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/security" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px">No one stays healthy forever. At some point, your loved ones will need access to all of your accounts. You can make that job easier for them.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">No reader questions today. Instead, I'm answering a question that someone<em style>should </em>ask: In our password-protected digital world, how do you prepare for that inevitable day when you die or otherwise become incapacitated?</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">This is no small problem. When you're gone, or have otherwise lost the ability to remember or communicate, loved ones will need access to your email, contacts, bank accounts, and more. Without your pre-planned help, this can be quite a challenge.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>[Email your tech questions to</strong><a href="mailto:answer@pcworld.com" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><strong style>answer@pcworld.com</strong></a><strong style>.]</strong></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you don't believe me, check out Google's page for <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14300?hl=en" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Accessing a deceased person's mail</a>. You have to gather up and snail-mail several items, including the death certificate (each official copy of which comes with a price). Part 2 of the process "will require you to get additional legal documents, including an order from a U.S. court and/or additional materials."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It would be a lot easier if someone you trust had your Google password--and other important passwords, as well.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">One solution is to print out a hard copy of your passwords and store it in a safe deposit box. But you'd have to repeat the process every time you change a password. Not so good.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's a better one:</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Pick someone who you really trust. Your spouse is an obvious choice. Or a very close friend or relative. It could even be your lawyer or accountant. For brevity's sake, I'll refer to this person as your <em style>executor</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You'll need a password manager--a program on your PC that allows you to store your passwords in an encrypted database. You should have a password manager anyway, as I explained in<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040921/manage-passwords-and-not-just-on-the-web.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Manage passwords, and not just on the Web</a>; I also recommend a couple of them in that article.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Your executor will need a password manager, as well, although it doesn't have to be the same one.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Give your executor a few key passwords--those for your Windows and mobile logons, your email account, and, of course, your password manager. Make sure they store these passwords safely in their own encrypted password manager.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If your relationship with the executor is personal rather than professional, add their key passwords to your manager, as well.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> I've done that with my wife. Her Password Safe database contains a section called <em style>Lincoln.</em> Mine contains one named <em style>Madeline.</em></p><em style><img alt="" border="0" height="409" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/09/1007-madeline-100056060-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="556"></em><em style></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> And, of course, when you change these few key passwords, make sure to put the new ones in the other person's password manager</p></span>

Actually, you do need to share your passwords

No one stays healthy forever. At some point, your loved ones will need access to all of your accounts. You can make that job easier for th...

Read more »

Turn your tablet into a guilt-free digital babysitter

<h1 itemprop="name" style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 12px;line-height:1.13;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:25px;font-weight:500"><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Anyone with a child knows the drill: You can hardly take your phone out of your pocket or sit down on the couch with your tablet without their grubby little hands reaching for it. Kids </span><em style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">love</em><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> </span><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">our new touch-enabled computing world, and to be honest, tablets can be great tools for kids. The devices' size and their touch-centric interfaces seem tailor-made for little people who don't have fully developed motor skills.</span><br> </h1><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:22px"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But most tablets aren't made for kids. They're delicate electronics, and they provide full Internet access and a wealth of apps and content that are at best incomprehensible to—and at worst totally inappropriate for—young minds. Fortunately, making your tablet safe to hand over to your toddler is, if you'll pardon the pun, child's play.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Use parental controls</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">iOS 6 and later come with a suite of parental controls that let you limit the sorts of apps and settings your children can access on your iPad.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To turn on parental controls on iOS, open the Settings app, tap <em style>General</em>, and then tap <em style>Restrictions</em>. Tap<em style>Enable Restrictions</em>, and iOS will ask you to set a passcode, which you'll need to enter to change any Restrictions settings in the future. Enter a four-digit passcode of your choosing and confirm it when prompted.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">With iOS's Restrictions settings, you can prevent your kids from opening apps above a certain age rating; disable Safari, the camera, and FaceTime (among other things); prevent explicit songs and videos from playing; and modify privacy settings for various aspects of iOS.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Android 4.2 and later include a user-profiles feature that, much like user accounts on your computer, lets everyone who uses the tablet have a separate profile. Android 4.3 improved upon this feature by adding a restricted profile type, which lets you lock down—at least to some extent—the apps your kids can access.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To create a restricted account, select your owner account on your tablet and unlock it. Next, open the Settings app, select <em style>Users</em>, and then tap <em style>Add user or profile</em>. Android will ask what kind of profile you want to create. Select <em style>Restricted profile</em>, and from there you'll be able to specify which apps you want to prevent your child from accessing.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Load it up with the right apps</h2><img alt="" border="0" height="352" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/kid_friendly_apps-100058101-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">The App Store's Kids section comes packed with apps that don't require screening on your part.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Once you prevent your kids from accessing the wrong apps, you'll want to make sure that they have plenty of the right apps to occupy themselves with. The App Store has an entire section dedicated to kid-friendly apps, such as nonviolent games, educational apps, app-ified kids' books, and more.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The App Store's Kids section also highlights apps that may appeal to certain age groups: For example, it provides suggestions for ages 5 and under, as well as for ages 6 through 8, and 9 through 11. You may also want to check the Games section, as well as the Entertainment and Education sections.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Apple supplies a recommended age rating for each app: Those rated 4+, for example, are free of objectionable material.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/content_rating-100058103-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="181" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/content_rating-100058103-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Look for the Content Rating for each app in the Google Play Store.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Google Play doesn't offer a dedicated childrens' app section, so your best bet is to focus on apps in the store's Education, Entertainment, and Games categories, and to look for age-appropriate titles. Pay close attention to the Content Rating, which you can find under 'Additional information' on each app's information page. If you have young children, focus on titles with a Content Rating of 'Everyone'.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Get a case...just in case</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You do want your iPad to stay in one piece, right? If so, a durable case is a must. In general, you'll want a case that can provide some protection against the inevitable drops and bumps, so look for one that can absorb some shock—a rubber or silicone case can help.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Second, look for a case with a screen protector or fold-over cover. (Have you <em style>seen</em> your kid's hands lately?) Cases that use snaps to stay closed aren't ideal for young children—instead, choose one that either uses a magnet (on the iPad 2 or later) to stay closed or employs Velcro strips.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="448" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/iguy-100058105-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">IMAGE: SPECK PRODUCTS</small><strong style>Hi, iGuy!</strong> Speck's iGuy might be the friendliest-looking iPad case around.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Kid-specific cases exist, too. One such case is the <a href="http://www.speckproducts.com/iguy-for-ipad.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">iGuy from Speck Products</a>. This heavy-duty anthropomorphic rubber case for iPads comes complete with legs that it can stand on, as well as arms that double as grabbable handles.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://www.goballisticcase.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ballistic</a> is another company whose cases are worth a look: Its ruggedized tablet and smartphone cases come with shock-absorbent corners that can help prevent damage in case your tablet takes an untimely spill.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Don't forget the soap</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Lastly, be prepared to find peanut butter and jelly smeared all over your tablet's touchscreen. When you need to clean your tablet, avoid anything containing alcohol or harsh detergents, as those substances could damage the screen's coating. Instead, stick with a damp, lint-free cloth. You might also be able to get away with a mild dish-soap-and-water solution instead of plain water—I've used that without any obvious ill effects—but not all makers sanction using soap on electronics.</p> </span>

Turn your tablet into a guilt-free digital babysitter

Anyone with a child knows the drill: You can hardly take your phone out of your pocket or sit down on the couch with your tablet without the...

Read more »

Turn your tablet into a guilt-free digital babysitter

<h1 itemprop="name" style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 12px;line-height:1.13;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:25px;font-weight:500"><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Anyone with a child knows the drill: You can hardly take your phone out of your pocket or sit down on the couch with your tablet without their grubby little hands reaching for it. Kids </span><em style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">love</em><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> </span><span style="line-height:1.7em;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px">our new touch-enabled computing world, and to be honest, tablets can be great tools for kids. The devices' size and their touch-centric interfaces seem tailor-made for little people who don't have fully developed motor skills.</span><br> </h1><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;line-height:22px"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But most tablets aren't made for kids. They're delicate electronics, and they provide full Internet access and a wealth of apps and content that are at best incomprehensible to—and at worst totally inappropriate for—young minds. Fortunately, making your tablet safe to hand over to your toddler is, if you'll pardon the pun, child's play.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Use parental controls</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">iOS 6 and later come with a suite of parental controls that let you limit the sorts of apps and settings your children can access on your iPad.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To turn on parental controls on iOS, open the Settings app, tap <em style>General</em>, and then tap <em style>Restrictions</em>. Tap<em style>Enable Restrictions</em>, and iOS will ask you to set a passcode, which you'll need to enter to change any Restrictions settings in the future. Enter a four-digit passcode of your choosing and confirm it when prompted.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">With iOS's Restrictions settings, you can prevent your kids from opening apps above a certain age rating; disable Safari, the camera, and FaceTime (among other things); prevent explicit songs and videos from playing; and modify privacy settings for various aspects of iOS.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Android 4.2 and later include a user-profiles feature that, much like user accounts on your computer, lets everyone who uses the tablet have a separate profile. Android 4.3 improved upon this feature by adding a restricted profile type, which lets you lock down—at least to some extent—the apps your kids can access.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To create a restricted account, select your owner account on your tablet and unlock it. Next, open the Settings app, select <em style>Users</em>, and then tap <em style>Add user or profile</em>. Android will ask what kind of profile you want to create. Select <em style>Restricted profile</em>, and from there you'll be able to specify which apps you want to prevent your child from accessing.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Load it up with the right apps</h2><img alt="" border="0" height="352" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/kid_friendly_apps-100058101-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">The App Store's Kids section comes packed with apps that don't require screening on your part.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Once you prevent your kids from accessing the wrong apps, you'll want to make sure that they have plenty of the right apps to occupy themselves with. The App Store has an entire section dedicated to kid-friendly apps, such as nonviolent games, educational apps, app-ified kids' books, and more.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The App Store's Kids section also highlights apps that may appeal to certain age groups: For example, it provides suggestions for ages 5 and under, as well as for ages 6 through 8, and 9 through 11. You may also want to check the Games section, as well as the Entertainment and Education sections.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Apple supplies a recommended age rating for each app: Those rated 4+, for example, are free of objectionable material.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/content_rating-100058103-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="181" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/content_rating-100058103-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Look for the Content Rating for each app in the Google Play Store.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Google Play doesn't offer a dedicated childrens' app section, so your best bet is to focus on apps in the store's Education, Entertainment, and Games categories, and to look for age-appropriate titles. Pay close attention to the Content Rating, which you can find under 'Additional information' on each app's information page. If you have young children, focus on titles with a Content Rating of 'Everyone'.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Get a case...just in case</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You do want your iPad to stay in one piece, right? If so, a durable case is a must. In general, you'll want a case that can provide some protection against the inevitable drops and bumps, so look for one that can absorb some shock—a rubber or silicone case can help.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Second, look for a case with a screen protector or fold-over cover. (Have you <em style>seen</em> your kid's hands lately?) Cases that use snaps to stay closed aren't ideal for young children—instead, choose one that either uses a magnet (on the iPad 2 or later) to stay closed or employs Velcro strips.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="448" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/iguy-100058105-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">IMAGE: SPECK PRODUCTS</small><strong style>Hi, iGuy!</strong> Speck's iGuy might be the friendliest-looking iPad case around.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Kid-specific cases exist, too. One such case is the <a href="http://www.speckproducts.com/iguy-for-ipad.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">iGuy from Speck Products</a>. This heavy-duty anthropomorphic rubber case for iPads comes complete with legs that it can stand on, as well as arms that double as grabbable handles.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://www.goballisticcase.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ballistic</a> is another company whose cases are worth a look: Its ruggedized tablet and smartphone cases come with shock-absorbent corners that can help prevent damage in case your tablet takes an untimely spill.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Don't forget the soap</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Lastly, be prepared to find peanut butter and jelly smeared all over your tablet's touchscreen. When you need to clean your tablet, avoid anything containing alcohol or harsh detergents, as those substances could damage the screen's coating. Instead, stick with a damp, lint-free cloth. You might also be able to get away with a mild dish-soap-and-water solution instead of plain water—I've used that without any obvious ill effects—but not all makers sanction using soap on electronics.</p> </span>

Turn your tablet into a guilt-free digital babysitter

Anyone with a child knows the drill: You can hardly take your phone out of your pocket or sit down on the couch with your tablet without the...

Read more »

WhatsApp Pushes Past 400 Million Monthly Users

WhatsApp -- the little messaging system that could -- announced today that it had surpassed a major user base milestone, topping 400 million monthly users, and active ones at that.<br><br>That number is double what WhatsApp reported in April, establishing WhatsApp as not just one of the most rapidly growing services on the Internet, but also as a viable competitor to text messaging services as we know them. To put that user base into perspective, the company notes that it is now processing 32 billion received messages and 500 billion photos every day. One survey notes that WhatsApp's weekly usage rate -- at 44 percent of all smartphone users polled -- now outpaces usage of Facebook's messaging system, at just 35 percent.<br> <br>WhatsApp, like many similar services, uses the Internet to let users send and receive messages (from text to photos to video), taking the standard phone carriers' SMS and MMS services out of the equation. Founded in 2009 by former Yahoo! employees, the service is now available on every major smartphone operating system and has near-universal compatibility across mobile handset hardware.<br> <br>The company makes money by charging a pittance -- 99 cents per year with the first year totally free -- to users. With 400 million active users, well, you can do the math on how much the company could ultimately be pulling in… and WhatsApp says it has barely even started to think about how to monetize the company.<br> <br>What's next for WhatsApp will depend largely on how its competitors react and whether they prosper. There are plenty of them (Wikipedia lists 17 that are compatible with Android alone), and nearly all are as heavily focused on accumulating new users as WhatsApp is. Last month, Snapchat, which focuses on short-term messages that vanish after a few seconds, turned down a reported $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook. Also last month, Japanese competitor Line announced that its similar app had surpassed 300 million registered users. Alternative messaging systems are booming -- even Instagram has added a direct messaging system to its popular photo-sharing service -- but in the end, it's likely that the market will consolidate into a small pool of viable players.<br> <br>The way things are going, it's likely WhatsApp is going to be one of the more permanent fixtures in the market. Unless, of course, people tire of messaging altogether they way they did with voice calls.

WhatsApp Pushes Past 400 Million Monthly Users

WhatsApp -- the little messaging system that could -- announced today that it had surpassed a major user base milestone, topping 400 million...

Read more »