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How to stop Firefox from blocking mixed content

<div class="stname arttitletxt" style="font-size:1.75em;line-height:28px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;float:left;margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 5px 10px"> </div><div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"> <div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px">Firefox 23 added a new feature that automatically blocks mixed content. Mixed content comes into play when browsing secure websites. (i.e. websites with "https"), when the webpage doesn't serve everything on the https protocol but serves some images on http. Normally, this isn't really the big issue. However, if you are concerned about security and especially tracking, then you might want to prevent this happening. Firefox understands that and automatically blocks mixed content. When browsing a secure website displaying mixed content, you might view something like this.  Firefox - Mixed Content Blocking  As you note in the URL, browsing WordPress.org is likely to throw up this warning. This is because Firefox automatically blocks all active content like scripts that aren't also served on the https protocol.  Hitting "Disable Protection on This Page" will fix it for the particular page. However, it won't respect this on other sites. If you're like me, this isn't a helpful feature but rather a pain! And, you'll want to disable this.  Here's how you do it.  Firefox has two parameters that control the blocking of content. These are:  security.mixed_content.block_active_content (default is true) security.mixed_content.block_display_content (default is false)  These default settings will block scripts but not images, which means you'll still be able to see most pages normally. If you want to change any of these settings, just open up a new tab and hit "about:config". Once you click through the warning, you'll be presented with the entire list of parameters that control Firefox.  Simply search for "mixed_content" and you'll see the above two parameters.  Firefox - Mixed Content Parameters  In order to toggle the settings just double-click "block_active_content".  Firefox - Mixed Content Parameter updated  You'll note that the Status will change to "user set". Reload the page again and you'll notice that the scripts aren't blocked anymore. </div></div>

How to stop Firefox from blocking mixed content

Firefox 23 added a new feature that automatically blocks mixed content. Mixed content comes into play when browsing secure websites. (i....

4:42 pm

How to find your missing phone

Oh boy, now you've done it. Not only are you supremely hungover from last night's rager, but your phone is nowhere to be found. Could you have left it at the bar, in a cab, in the gutter somewhere? Who knows! But don't panic, there's a host of apps that do. Here's how to find your phone when it goes missing.  <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> While there's no guarantee you'll recover your device, these tips and apps will put you in the best position to get back what you lost. Or, if it comes to it, to make sure no one can get at the information that's on there.  Android Device Manager Doesn't matter if your phone is lost behind the couch or somewhere in Tahiti, your most direct option for finding a lost Android phone is Google's newly introduced Android Device Manager (ADM) feature. Essentially an Android version of the iOS Find My iPhone service, ADM allows users to locate, track, ping, and, if need be, remotely wipe their devices-all from a web browser.  The ping feature will ring the phone at maximum volume, even if it is set to vibrate or silent. If you figure you've dropped it somewhere outside of your immediate vicinity, log on to the ADM dashboard to see its location, anywhere in the world, to within a 22-meter radius. And if you discover you can't retrieve or recover the phone, ADM allows you to remotely wipe the device's contents (you will have to enable Factory Resets prior to losing the phone though). Plus, it's completely free and likely already installed.  The one shortcoming? ADM does not offer a means of remotely locking your phone. Ring and full-on self-destruct are your only options.  Bit Defender Anti-Theft If you'd like a middle ground between doing nothing and obliterating everything on your phone from afar, take a look at BitDefender's Anti-Theft app. It allows you to locate and erase your phone, as ADM does, but throws in a remote lock as well. This keeps your phone secure against the prying eyes and wandering fingers until you pick it up.  What's more, Bit Defender can only be uninstalled by authorized users. If someone tries to bypass that by swapping SIM cards, BD will text the new number to a phone of your choosing, force the phone to answer your call, and then remotely wipe the phone via SMS command. Once you get the thief on the line, you should probably yell something to the effect of, "IF I CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE WILL" just before sending the self-destruct text. Drama! Excitement! Destruction!  These extra features don't come free; you have to pony up an annual subscription of $4. But given that the full anti-theft service extends to all your devices-laptops, phones, and tablets alike-that four bucks is a good investment.  Lookout Another solid freemium option is Lookout Security & Antivirus by Lookout Mobile Security. This total security suite protects your phone against loss or theft as well as provides continuous protection against a variety of nasty bits of online code.  For $3 a month (or $30 annually), you get the antivirus service, backup and restore features to save and reload your Google contacts, photos, and call history, and a swath of sneaky anti-theft options. In addition to the standard map-based location, tracking and forced ringing features, Lookout also offers Signal Flare, which saves the phone's last known location when the battery dies, and the Lock Cam, which emails you a picture of anyone that incorrectly enters the lock screen combo three times.  Plan B Bit Defender's a great choice, but what if you've lost your phone without installing it beforehand? There's always Plan B.  Plan B is a remotely installed, barebones tracker app. First, open a browser window and log on to Google Play. Install the app onto your phone via Play, wait ten minutes for it to download and install, then text "locate" to your number from another phone. The app will triangulate its position based on Wi-Fi and GPS signals and send you a single email if it's sitting still, or continuously for a duration of 10 minutes if the device is on the move. You just have to keep texting "locate" until you catch up with it (and hope that the battery's still going).  Find My iPhone The original lost phone tracking service for iOS is still your best option. This free app locates and tracks your lost or stolen Apple devices-not just iPhones but iPads and MacBooks as well-not to mention ringing the unit, displaying a message for whoever finds it, and remotely lock or wipe the device altogether. The app is free on iTunes.  GadgetTrak For a little more advanced protection, GadgetTrak offers remotely activated GPS location tracking, push notifications to trick a thief into giving away his position, and the ability to use your lost phone's camera to take a picture of whomever took it from the comfort of your home. It'll cost you $4, but that's peanuts compared to a brand new phone.  I Can't Find My Phone Not every lost phone situation requires a full-on app assault to resolve; it's just as often a matter of tracking down which pile of clothes your handset is hiding under. Open ICantFindMyPhone.com in a new browser window, enter your phone number into the text field, and the site will automatically ring your mobile. Just pray you didn't leave it in silent mode. Where's My Cell Phone performs a similar function as well. Both are platform agnostic.  MissingPhones.org This one's a little bit more of a long shot, but there is, in fact, a universal lost and found for smartphones. If you know your lost phone's IMEI (often found on the back of your device or on its battery, or dial *#06# to have it sent to you), you can register it here and hope that the kind stranger who finds it knows what MissingPhones.org is. And while it's a bit of a hail mary, it's not like it's any less effective than the last real-life lost and found you've rummaged through.  An ounce of prevention However useful these apps and services are, your best chances for success will come before you even lose your phone in the first place.  Connecting people: Put your contact information somewhere on your phone that's easily accessible. Whether it's your email address engraved on the back (your resale value takes a hit) or putting it on your lockscreen (which doesn't do much if your battery dies) or both, you improve the odds of getting your phone back tremendously if you just give whoever finds it the means to get in touch.  Use a drunk phone: Have an old handset laying around? Have a friend who's about to ditch theirs for an upgrade? Don't throw it out. Instead, keep it around for nights you might be more, er, primed to lose your phone, and put the SIM from your day to day device-the one you care about-into the beater. That way your friends can still reach you at your number on a wild night out, and losing it won't be (as much of) a hassle.  Get registered: While it's not as much help right now, by November the national stolen phone registry will be up and running. Carriers will coordinate with the government both to track phones reported as stolen, and to deny them voice/data access. While it might not get your phone back, it'll at least increase your odds-and make sure that the thief doesn't use your smartphone to steal your personal info or identity. There unfortunately is no singular, perfect solution for recovering your phone. The apps and techniques described above will give you a fighting chance for recovery, though. Until then, keep your phone close and don't leave the bar without it.</div> </div>

How to find your missing phone

Oh boy, now you've done it. Not only are you supremely hungover from last night's rager, but your phone is nowhere to be found. Coul...

4:40 pm

How to create customized version of Android

<div class="stname arttitletxt" style="font-size:1.75em;line-height:28px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;float:left;margin:0px;padding:10px 0px 5px 10px">Traditionally, if you want to really customize your Android experience, you have to root your phone and flash a new ROM -- essentially a whole new version of Android -- that has the features you want.</div> <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> If you don't want to go that far, or you only want to tweak specific parts of Android, you have another option: It's called the Xposed Framework, and you can use it to customize your phone from top to bottom, all without flashing a new ROM.  Getting started: What the Xposed Framework is, and what you'll needThe Xposed Framework is a series of modules that allow you to control different aspects of your Android phone, all the way down to the system level. Instead of just installing apps to get features you want, or flashing a ROM, Xposed's modules give you the power to customize your phone -- and the apps you have installed-in a bunch of small ways. You can make ROM-style changes (like changing the font size and style, customizing the lock screen or launcher, modifying system text, and so on) without actually having to install a whole new ROM to get them.  Imagine it: You can run stock Android, and then craft the perfect OS for you using the Xposed Framework and its modules. That way you get all of the great parts of your favorite ROM without the bloat or other rolled-in apps you don't want. Ready? Here's what you'll need:  The latest version of the Xposed Framework A rooted Android phone running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later (although there is an experimental build for Gingerbread) That's all, you'll need. Of course, you'll also need some Xposed modules once you have the framework installed, but we'll get to those a little later.  How to Install the Xposed Framework and Modules Before you do anything, make sure to back up your phone first. If everything blows up, you'll have a backup you can revert to before you try again (or walk away like nothing happened). If you're already rooted (and you'll need to be to install the Xposed Framework), we still think Titanium Backup is your best choice for a backup utility.  After you're backed up, head over to the Xposed Framework thread at the XDA Developer Forums. The latest version of the Xposed Installer is always posted there, and since Xposed isn't available at Google Play, you'll need to sideload it. You can visit on your phone directly, or download the APK (application file) and add to Dropbox or another storage service that you can access on your phone.  * Open the Xposed Installer APK on your phone, and install it. * Launch the Xposed Installer, then tap "Framework." * Tap "Install/Update." * After the actual framework is installed, reboot your device. When it comes back up, the framework will be active, and you're ready to go! Keep the Xposed installer around -- you'll need it to install modules you'll download later, and you can always use it to update the Xposed Framework if there's a new version. You can always re-download it later if you lose it, but it's good to keep on your phone.  Xposed modules come in the form of APKs, so installing them works the same way as regular apps. Some modules are actually available on Google Play, so you won't need to sideload them, but you should be ready to sideload the ones you're interested in. To install a module:  * Download and launch its APK file on your phone (or install it directly from the Play Store). * Open the Xposed Installer and tap "Modules." * Check the checkbox next to each module you'd like to enable (you can enable more than one at once, so if you download a bunch, you can turn them all on at the same time). * Reboot your device. When it comes back up, the modules will be active. * As long as your device fits the criteria, installing the framework and adding modules is a quick and simple process, and you get a ton of customization out of it for your time and effort. Of course, your phone will need to be rooted, but of all the steps involved, that's probably the most difficult part.  Seven useful Xposed modules to tryOnce you have the Xposed Framework installed, it's time to give a few modules a try. Like we mentioned, the Xposed Framework is a foundation upon which modules can build. Modules can give you an incredible degree of control over your device. The official Xposed module repository is a good place to start looking, as is this thread at XDA forums full of great modules developed by the community.  Remember, modules are like apps: They're individually supported (or not so) by the developer who wrote them, so you should make sure the developer is accessible if you have problems, especially if it's a module you know you'll come to rely on every day. Here are a few of our favorites you can install to get started:  Wanam Xposed tweaks your phone's visuals Wanam Xposed is a module that offers a ton of visual tweaks and feature updates. For example, Wanam gives you the ability to record calls, changes your volume buttons into music playback controls (even in apps that don't normally support it), adds reboot options like recovery and hotboot to the power menu, the option to enable or disable volume increasing ringtones, and more.  If it's visual controls you want, Wanam Xposed comes with a full color wheel to change the colors of system text across all apps or status bar text. You can also tweak text size across the system. For example, you can make the battery display larger so you can actually see it, or change the size and font of the lock screen clock to suit you. You can also enable the camera on calls, push Hangouts calls to cellular if you're on Wi-Fi, and more. It's a great starter module, if only because it has a massive number of hacks and tweaks you can play with. If you have a Samsung phone, you can use it to get faster PIN unlock on your device, thanks to this tutorial at WonderHowTo.  XHaloFloatingWindow brings Paranoid Android's Halo to any phone One of the cool things about the Paranoid Android ROM is its Halo pop-up, floating launcher that you can use to jump across apps, to open contacts, or open settings, no matter what app you're in. XHaloFloatingWindow brings that functionality to any device, as long as you have the Xposed Framework installed. You won't get the whole experience, but you can use it for notifications, shortcuts, and any other apps you have installed that work well with Paranoid Android's Halo.  MoDaCo toolkit unlocks location-restricted apps The MoDaCo Toolkit comes is another all-in-one tweaking toolkit that has a ton of options and tweaks you can play with, but it's also designed with some special tweaks in mind for the HTC One, your favourite Android phone. Once installed, MoDaCo can do things like force Amazon MP3 to behave like it's in the United States (which will get you around pesky location restrictions), disable Google Play app disabling based on location, allow you to rotate your phone in all directions (even if your device doesn't like being upside down), lets you hide the battery status meter when you don't want to see it, and more.  If you have an HTC One, you'll also get the option to make your status bar transparent, enable ADB with a secure lock screen, wake your device with the volume keys, add a Blinkfeed icon in the launcher so you can get to it even if you're using a third-party launcher, hide Kid Mode when you long-press the power button, and more.  Flashify makes backups a snap Once installed, Flashify can make boot and recovery images without having to boot into recovery first. Just fire up the app, take your snapshot, and you're done. You can also flash ZIP files from inside the app, which is useful if you've gotten your hands on something like a ZIP of Google Now, for example, and want to install it without hassle. Flashify also supports backups and recovery to and from Dropbox. Flashify is free, but you're limited to three flashes per day in the free version. If you want to unlock as many as you like, you'll need to pony up a few bucks via in-app payment. There's also a thread at XDA Developers full of information if you'd like to learn more about it.  XPrivacy gives you complete control over app permissions XPrivacy gives you control over all of the permissions each app on your phone asks for. We've explained why Android apps ask for the permissions they want, but XPrivacy gives you granular control. Once installed, you can view all of your apps and their permissions individually, or filter them based on permissions required. From there, you can approve or deny permissions, or feed an app fake data. If an app wants location, XPrivacy will give it purposefully incorrect location data. If an app wants access to your contacts list, XPrivacy will step in and give it an empty list.  Of course, if the app needs location to give you the weather, or wants your contact list so it can schedule appointments with your friends, it's not a great idea, but XPrivacy does give you the option, and it can be useful for apps that want location data for what seems to be no reason, or just forces you to hand over contact details just to log in. There's an XPrivacy Installer at Google Play if you don't want to sideload it from the XDA thread (since the app itself has been removed from Google Play). If you really like XPrivacy, you can drop $4 on the pro version, which includes crowd-sourced restrictions you can tell XPrivacy to implement for you automatically. That means if you install an app on the list, XPrivacy will automatically protect your data without stopping the app from working.  Tweakbox optimizes your status barTweakbox is a collection of hacks and customization options that let you customize the status bar indicator, change the status bar background colour and appearance, and includes a few other goodies like vibrating when there's a call waiting, a setting to make your ringtone slowly increase in volume as it rings, and more. Tweakbox works best on Samsung devices, and if you have one of the phones the developer has optimized it for, you can even do things like call recording. Check the forum thread for more details, and keep in mind that the dev has stopped actively maintaining Tweakbox, so while some of its customizations are useful, if they don't work for you, they aren't going to.  XBlast tools gives your phone a personal touch XBlast is a collection of personalization tools that largely let you control the way you interact with your phone, and how it looks and operates. If you want your phone to say "Good morning, Mr Bond" every time you unlock it, this is the module for you. You can customize the clock size and text, add flavour text to the lock screen or the status bar, add your own fonts for other apps to use, make the notifications bar transparent (or at least translucent), customize specific contacts with colors and fonts so you can pick them out easily, change all of the colors for battery, Wi-Fi, and mobile data signal in the status bar, and more. Most of XBlast's features are visual, so if you want to enter your tricked out homescreen in to be one of our featured home screens, this can help you do it.  Again, these modules are just a few you should check out if you're getting started. If you have a specific device and want modules designed to enhance your type of phone, the XDA collection thread will give you some options to get started. With a little time and some experimentation, you'll have your Android phone looking and working just the way you want, without ever flashing a ROM. Plus, since all of these tweaks are easy to turn on and off, if you get tired of them, you don't have to flash a ROM to get rid of them-just deactivate the module in question and go about your business.  That's the real beauty of the Xposed Framework. It's relatively low risk, and remarkably high reward when it comes to personalizing your device, and you can always back out of your changes if you don't like what you see or find something that works better.</div> </div>

How to create customized version of Android

Traditionally, if you want to really customize your Android experience, you have to root your phone and flash a new ROM -- essentially a who...

10:10 am

How to manage space on Windows Phone 8

One of the main challenges of owning a smartphone is making sure you don't run out of space for photos, music, video or apps. Recent updates to Windows Phone 8 have made storage space management easier than ever. <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> Whether you're a music fan who rarely removes their earphones, or someone who loves to snap photos, eventually you're going to run out of space on your Windows Phone. The same goes for regular gamers (especially those playing the Xbox Live titles which are usually more sophisticated and as such take up more storage space) and anyone who uses their phone for podcasts and watching or recording video. There are various ways to monitor data use and remove files from a Windows Phone. Before deletion, of course, you should ensure that you have your data synced to your PC or to the cloud (using SkyDrive, for instance) before you lose something you might regret later on... Monitoring Storage Usage Before you delete any data from your Windows Phone, you should check how much space you have on the device, and consider how much you will need. There are two good ways to see how much space you have left on your device. First, and an option open to all Windows 8 users, is to install the My Windows Phone app and sync your phone with it. Once open, look for the bar across the bottom of the window and tap Details to see more. Meanwhile you can also check remaining space on your phone. All Windows Phone 8 users can open Settings > Phone storage to see a mobile version of the information displayed in the Windows Phone Sync Tool. However, if you use a Nokia phone and have the Amber update, then you'll also have the Storage Check option available to you in the Settings menu. As well as displaying your data use in an attractive ring graph, a swipe to will open the Details page where information about specific data types is displayed. Delete files via Windows Explorer When you know what data you want to remove, there are several approaches you can take. The first is by connecting your phone to your computer via USB and opening Windows Explorer. You should see your device listed in the left-hand pane (complete with a small Windows Phone icon). Select this to open the browsable files in Windows Explorer, where you can copy, paste and delete files in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Ringtones and Videos folder. Use the Windows Phone tool to delete files The Windows Phone Sync Tool can also be used to delete files, although this can be time consuming. In Windows 8, with the phone synced and the app open, tap the Photos or Music tiles, depending on which type of data you want to delete. In the next screen, tap and hold a tile to be deleted. The context menu across the foot of the screen will appear, inviting you Delete the item. You can also use Select All to prepare for bulk media deletion. Windows 7 users have a different interface for the sync tool. Here, all you need to do is select from Music, Photos, Videos or Podcasts and click the box or select a range of files you wish to remove, clicking Delete when you're done. Delete files with the Windows Phone Storage Check tool Owners of the Nokia Lumia 920 and above have the advantage of the Storage Check tool, a new feature of the summer 2013 Amber update for Nokia Windows Phone 8 handsets, as mentioned above. Using this tool, you can easily delete temporary files from your phone. These can be discarded by opening the utility, swiping to Details and tapping the Clear button under Temporary files. Further data can be removed by opening Settings > Applications and selecting Internet Explorer. Here, use the Delete history option to discard temporary Internet files and web history. Finally, if you want to make more space by removing apps, you can delete these from the apps list. Tap and hold the app you want to remove and select Uninstall from the menu. There is, of course, one other way to remove data from your Windows Phone - the nuclear option of reverting to factory settings, which can be achieved via Settings > About > Reset your phone. If you want to clear your personal data and media files from your phone - perhaps to sell it on - then this is the option for you. As you've seen above, however, there are three simple ways to manage storage and delete data on your Windows Phone. If you have any comments or questions, please share them below.</div></div>

How to manage space on Windows Phone 8

One of the main challenges of owning a smartphone is making sure you don't run out of space for photos, music, video or apps. Recent upd...

10:07 am

Selling your smartphone? Here are some must-dos

While most phones, in general, are pretty good at securely removing your data when you're done with the device. There are still some measures you need to take to protect yourself before you pass the handset off, though. <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> What everyone should do No matter what type of smartphone you use, there are a few basic things you should check outside of wiping your phone: * Remove your sim card: While most of the data that you store is kept on your internal storage or microSD card, it's still possible for contacts or call logs to be kept on your sim card. The person you're selling it to has no need for this, so always be sure to remove it. * Remove your microSD card: Similarly, if your phone has a microSD card, chances are you don't really want or need to give it away. To truly ensure that the data on your micro SD card is secure, keep it to yourself. * Erase and format your SD card: If you absolutely have to include your microSD card with your phone, then you'll at least want to erase and format it. You can usually do this via the Settings app. You can also do it by connecting it to a PC, but if you format it with the wrong file system for your phone, it might not recognize the card. Again, though, the best way to secure your data is to keep your card. Assuming you've taken care of all this, the only thing that's left should be your device's internal storage. iOS and Android have slightly different ways of handling this, but both are mostly straightforward. How to securely wipe your phone For the rest of this, we're going to talk about how to secure your internal storage, but first it's worth explaining a bit about how flash memory works. As you're probably aware with normal platter hard drives, data isn't really erased when you delete something. The internal flash memory in your smartphone isn't quite the same. Because it's not a magnetic storage medium, the methods used to recover data on an old hard drive won't be the same as tools to pull from your phone. Among other things, this means that while rewriting data seven times is a standard method for erasing magnetic media, it won't do much to make your data more secure. That being said, for most of the average user's needs, your phone already has the tools built in to securely erase your phone's data. If you carry military secrets around on your unprotected Galaxy S4, well.. for starters, you probably shouldn't. But if you do, you should probably consult someone with a PhD in something before you lose your phone in a bar. Everyone else may continue. iOS: Use the default erase setting For iOS users, your job is pretty simple. The iPhone has built-in options that securely erase your phone. On old phones, it goes through a long secure erase process, but on the iPhone 3GS and iOS 3.0, Apple moved to hardware encryption on its phones. From that point on, all data you store on the internal storage (which, aside from anything on the sim card, is everything) is automatically encrypted. Your phone uses a device-specific key that's never stored anywhere but your handset. When supported iOS devices wipe your phone, what's really happening is that the hardware-specific encryption key is securely wiped. Everything else on your phone is left an unintelligible mess, even if someone were to use a fancy forensics lab to physically examine the memory chips which 99% of you will probably never have to deal with. So what do you need to do to securely erase your phone? Just head to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings. That's it. On any iPhone including or following the iPhone 3GS (as well as all iPads and any iPod Touch 3rd generation and later), this will use the hardware encryption method described above. It will be very fast, yet still leave your data secure. For any older devices, the process will actually take a lot longer, as iOS will overwrite all of your data with random information to prevent it from being read later. Either way, though, this should be as secure of a wipe as you can get. Android: Encrypt your phone, then erase Android phones are set up a little differently from iPhones (shocker, I know), and they vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, in general the default options are mostly secure. We talked with Android security researcher and Elite Recognized Developer on XDA jcase and he gave us a few pointers in the right direction. Unlike the iPhone, Android encryption is not done on a hardware level. For starters, this means if you want to have your phone encrypted, you'll need to enable it manually in Settings. This process will take a while and, from then on, you'll need to enter a PIN when you first boot your phone (not to be confused with your lock screen PIN). It can also cause some slight performance decreases, so keep that in mind. This process also can't be reversed without wiping your phone, so consider carefully before you commit. Now, on Android, you have two options for wiping your phone: you can either do a factory reset (located in different places depending on your phone, but should be under something like "Backup & reset") which will wipe everything you've ever stored in any user-accessible area of storage. For most people, this will be enough to ensure that no one will be able to access data you've ever stored. How effective a basic wipe is can depend on how well the manufacturer implemented its factory wipe. When we spoke to jcase, he said that some manufacturers' methods can still leave behind recoverable data. Additionally, if you root your phone and use a custom recovery, wiping via the recovery might not do everything properly. While, ideally, you shouldn't have to overwrite your phone to erase data using a factory reset, if you're unsure or want to be extra safe, encrypting your phone (usually found in Settings under "Security") before wiping it can provide some reassurance. Just be aware that it may be redundant on certain phones. Still, better safe than sorry. Of course, the last line of defense before you sell your phone is to vet your buyer. If you're using a CDMA device, be sure to deactivate your phone with your carrier before handing it off. And while you're at it, make sure you've taken care of your phone and are selling it for as much as possible.</div> </div>

Selling your smartphone? Here are some must-dos

While most phones, in general, are pretty good at securely removing your data when you're done with the device. There are still some mea...

10:03 am

Google Now, Siri not working? Here are a few tips

If used properly, Siri (Or Google Now, or any other voice assistant) can be incredibly helpful. The problem is that you need to know how to speak to them and they rarely come with instruction manuals. In some cases this is just getting used to what you can say, but you can also improve the chances it'll understand you with a few simple tricks. Here's what you can do. <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> Speak quickly without long pauses Voice assistants aren't people so you can't talk to them like they are. While you can typically use natural language like "show me my calendar for tomorrow" as opposed to something more robotic like "show calendar for October 12 2013," you still want to keep your sentences short and to the point. So, quit stalling mid-sentence, asking multiple questions at once, or saying please and thank you. You also want to speak quickly. It's a natural tendency to speak to your voice recognition apps in the same way you would a puppy: slow and methodically. But as we've pointed out before, it's actually best to speak quickly. Speak naturally and clearly, but don't strain to enunciate your words or speak incredibly slowly. Correct it when it makes a mistake You can also correct some things they get wrong to improve their understanding of you. On Android, you just need to add in an entry for a phonetic name so it pronounces it correctly. Head into Menu > Edit, and scroll down to Add Another Field to choose a phonetic name. With Siri, you have a couple options for this. You can tap any part of the speech bubble and type a correction so it learns what you're saying, or for improperly spoken names say, "That's not how you pronounce 'name'" and then follow the instructions. Learn all the correct commands <img class="gwt-Image" src="http://m.timesofindia.com/photo/24142122.cms" style="width: 288px; height: 208px;"> Each type of speech recognition software has its own set of commands and the quicker you learn those commands the better it'll understand what you want. Once you know what you can ask, you'll be able to do things a lot quicker.  We've shown you a few of these commands. If you're using an Apple device, this list of Siri commands is plenty to get you started, and this Google Voice list is just a small sample of everything Google Now can do. The trick is learning what you can say to your voice assistant and how to say it. When you get the hang of it, they're a lot easier to use and they'll understand you more often.  Get the hang of using punctuation While communicating with the assistant part of a virtual assistant is tough enough as it is, using the dictation function is even trickier if you don't know what you're doing. Thankfully, once you learn a few basic commands it's pretty easy. For most dictation software, you only need to know a few different basic commands: * "All caps" turns everything into capital letters. * "Cap" capitalizes the word you speak next. * Get punctuation by just saying it, "comma," "period," "exclamation point" all work how you'd expect. You can also dictate emoticons by just saying things like "smiley" or "winkey" on the iPhone. On Android, you can do the same thing, but you need to add "face," so say "smiley face," or "winkey face." It's a little awkward at first, but after you get used to it your dictation software will understand you a lot better. Use a mic when you can <img class="gwt-Image" src="http://m.timesofindia.com/photo/24142221.cms" style="width: 288px; height: 208px;"> Finally, one of the reasons that your voice assistant of choice might not understand is the simple fact that it might not be hearing you correctly. If you're in a noisy place or it's just not picking up your audio correctly it's not going to know what you want it to do. If a mic's not around, just hold the phone's mic close to your mouth. That's really it. Voice assistants like Siri and Google Now exist on servers so they're constantly being updated (which is also why you'll get faster results over Wi-Fi) to work better. Even still, provided you speak clearly and know what to say, they work really well.</div> </div>

Google Now, Siri not working? Here are a few tips

If used properly, Siri (Or Google Now, or any other voice assistant) can be incredibly helpful. The problem is that you need to know how to ...

9:59 am

11 tips to fix dead USB port

Did you plug a USB drive into your computer yesterday, but today it doesn't show up? Yet that drive works in the other USB ports on your computer. The problem may be the port! This is one of those computer issues that happens so rarely, we tend to blame the USB drive itself; just plug it in somewhere else and carry on.  <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> However, USB devices are still on the rise in popularity and show no signs of slowing down. USB flash drives, USB chargers for your phone, USB to connect your iPod, USB coffee warmers, USB is everywhere! So you NEED all your ports working. Here's what you can do to check out your USB port and some tips on fixing it.  Physical examination The first thing that you want to do is to see if the USB port is physically damaged. A simple test is to put your USB Flash Drive into the port and see if it wiggles up and down really easily. Be gentle doing this! You don't want to create a hardware problem if you don't already have one. If you're not sure how sturdy the USB port should be, do the same thing in a port that you know works and compare the two. If it is definitely loose, you'll probably want to move right to the end of this article where we talk about dealing with USB port hardware issues. If not, follow the steps we have here.  Restart computer Before you get carried away with Device Manager, try the old tech support standby - turn it off and turn it on again. Sometimes that works by forcing the operating system to scan for hardware, like the USB port, and makes it work again. If that doesn't work, then it's time to get into Device Manager.  Check Device Manager You can launch the Device Manager in a few different ways, but here's the quickest one: Click on the Start menu and type devmgmt.msc then hit Enter. Device Manager should start up right away. You'll see the following window: *Device Manager: Device Manager shows all the categories of devices that can be installed in your computer. At this point in time, you want to look at the Universal Serial Bus controllers entries. Click on the arrow head to expand the selection. You will see something like the window below:  *USB controllers: This might not make much sense to you, but there is some useful information here. See where it says Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller? That is the specific type of USB Host Controller for my computer. The key words are USB Host Controller. Find those in your Device Manager. If you cannot find any, this may be our problem.  Click on the Scan for hardware changes button in the toolbar. You can see it highlighted in the image below. This will force your computer to check all of your hardware again. If you're lucky, this will pick up the USB port, and you'll see a USB Host Controller in the list. If not, then the problem isn't fixed yet.  *Scan for hardware changes: From here, things get a little tougher. You'll still be working in Device Manager for now. If you are working with a desktop computer, with your mouse and keyboard plugged into USB ports, you may need to manually force a restart with the following steps. Uninstalling the USB Host Controllers will disable your USB devices.  Under the Universal Serial Bus controllers heading, you will right-click on the first USB Host Controller. That will bring up a small menu like this one:  *Uninstall USB host controllers: Click on Uninstall. Repeat that process for any remaining USB Host Controller. Now restart the computer. This will force the computer to poll for these controllers and, hopefully, pick up the one that isn't responding.  While you're in the Device Manager, did it seem like there were an awful lot of devices installed that might no longer be in your computer? Sometimes the drivers stay lingering on your computer, long after the device is gone. This is a good time to clean those out, and we have just the article on easily removing old drivers from Windows.  Did that work for you? No? Let's go deeper then.  *Disable Selective Suspend feature:The USB Selective Suspend Feature is a power saving setting in Windows. What it does is suspend power being sent to a USB device, in order to save battery life of the computer. This is a good feature in theory, but on rare occasions the feature does not wake up the USB Device. If that's the case, then it would appear that your port is dead. You can disable the USB Selective Suspend Feature through a registry key. It's a good idea to do this on any computer that always has power to it, such as a server or desktop computer. You might not want to do this with your laptop, but if you do, you'll be able to turn it on again easily.  To get to the Registry Editor, click on Start and then enter regedit in the Search box and hit your Enter key. The Registry Editor window will open. It looks like this, if you haven't seen it before:  *Registry Editor: Navigate to the Disable Selective Suspend key by clicking on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM, then Current Control Set, then services, then USB. Where it says Disable Selective Suspend in the right-hand window, right-click and click Modify. In the Value Data field enter the number 1. This will disable the selective suspend feature and power will go to your USB ports constantly.  If the USB key doesn't exist in your registry, it's easy to create it. Just navigate to the services key, and in the toolbar click on Edit > New > Key. Call it USB.  *Edit New Key: In the USB key, right-click in the right-hand window. You'll only have the New option. Click on that and select DWORD (32-bit) Value. It may just be called DWORD Value on your system. Name the new value Disable Selective Suspend. Just like above, right-click and click Modify. In the Value Data field enter the number  1. There! You have disabled the selective suspend feature. You may need to restart your computer for the setting to be applied.  This is a good time to mention that if you ever feel the need to block your USB ports from working, there is a tool to help with that. It's called USB Manager and we have a short article on how it works.  Is your dead USB port working now? No? Then you might well consider that the USB port is physically damaged.  *Fix damaged hardware: If it's still not working, it may very well be a hardware issue. USB ports are pretty fragile and USB Flash Drives can act as levers on them, wreaking havoc on the electrical connectors inside. This is seen very often in laptops, where the user will pack up the laptop and not disconnect the USB Flash Drive. It can usually be fixed.  The takeaway There are several ways to try to repair your USB port. Hopefully, it's just operating system or driver related as that's the easiest and cheapest fix. Don't dismay if it is a hardware problem - those can be fixed fairly simply and inexpensively too. The point is, it can be fixed.</div> </div>

11 tips to fix dead USB port

Did you plug a USB drive into your computer yesterday, but today it doesn't show up? Yet that drive works in the other USB ports on your...

9:55 am

How to eliminate wireless 'dead zones'

We take take Wi-Fi for granted, but it's not magic — it's radio waves. These radio waves can be interfered with or obstructed, producing wireless "dead zones" or "dead spots." Wireless signals won't penetrate these dead zones, so wireless devices won't receive a Wi-Fi signal within them.  <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> Wireless dead zones are easy to locate if you stroll around your house, apartment, or office. Once you've found them, you can experiment with a variety of solutions and fix whatever is causing the problem.  What is a Wireless Dead Zone?  A dead zone is simply an area within your house, apartment, office, or any other area that's supposed to be covered by Wi-Fi; but it doesn't work there — devices aren't able to connect to the network. If you take a device into a dead zone — maybe you're using a smartphone or tablet and walk into a room where there's a dead zone — the Wi-Fi will stop working and you won't receive a signal.  What Causes Wireless Dead Zones?  Anything that interferes with Wi-Fi radio waves can produce a dead zone. If you have a large house or office and have your wireless router in one corner of the building, there may be a dead zone in the opposite corner of the building where the Wi-Fi signal can't reach.  Most houses were built before Wi-Fi was developed, so they may be constructed in ways that interfere with Wi-Fi. Old houses may have thick plaster walls that contain chicken wire for support, and this metal wiring can block Wi-Fi signals. Large metal objects like file cabinets or metal walls may also block Wi-Fi signals.  Other devices may also interfere with Wi-Fi signals — we've seen old cordless phones interfere with Wi-Fi signals when used and a microwave oven block Wi-Fi signals when running. Baby monitors, wireless security systems, wireless sound systems — these are all types of devices that have been known to cause problems.  If you're in an area dense with wireless networks, such as an apartment block where every unit has its own wireless router, your Wi-Fi coverage may also be hurt by interference. If your nearby neighbors have their Wi-Fi networks configured on the same wireless channel as yours, this may result in interference, reducing your network's signal strength, possibly producing dead zones.  How to Detect Wireless Dead Zones  Let's be honest, you don't really need fancy software to identify dead zones. Just pick up your smartphone or another wireless device, connect to your wireless network, and walk around your house, apartment, or office. Pay attention to the Wi-Fi signal indicator on your smartphone. If signal strength drops to zero, you've found a dead zone. If it drops to a very low level, that may also be a concern — unreliable signal strength may result in lower speeds and some devices may not be able to connect on the fringes of your Wi-Fi network. Different devices have different tolerances for low signal strength.  Remember that the Wi-Fi indicator doesn't update immediately, so don't sprint while holding your phone. Walk slowly and pause in areas where you might conceivably use Wi-Fi.smartphone-wifi-signal-strengthOf course, you can also use software to help detect wireless dead zones. On Android, the free Wifi Analyzer app will show you more detailed information about the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. Open the app, select the Signal meter screen, and pick your Wi-Fi network. Walk around with the app open and you'll see the signal strength change as you move from location to location.  Apple doesn't allow third-party apps to access this information on iOS, so iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users can't use an app for more detailed information — they'll have to pay attention to their device's standard Wi-Fi indicator.  If you have a Windows or Mac laptop, you could also use inSSIDer to measure your Wi-fi signal strength, but be careful while walking around with your laptop and staring at its screen the whole time.  How to Fix Wireless Dead Zones  Now that you've figured out exactly where your wireless dead zones are, you'll probably want to eliminate them. Here are some tips for patching up your Wi-Fi coverage.  Reposition Your Router: If your router is in one corner of your house, apartment, or office and there's a dead zone in the opposite corner of your building, try moving the router to a more central location in the middle of your house, apartment, or office.  Adjust Your Router's Antenna:Ensure your wireless router's antenna is up and pointing vertically. If it's pointing horizontally, you won't get the same amount of coverage.Identify and Reposition Obstructions: If your Wi-Fi router is sitting next to a metal file cabinet, that's going to reduce your signal strength. Try rearranging your place for ideal signal strength. If there's a metal file cabinet, microwave oven, aquarium, or anything else that seems to be obstructing the signal from your router and producing a dead zone, move the obstruction (or your router) and see if that eliminates the dead zone.  Switch to the Least-Congested Wireless Channel: Use a tool like Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android or inSSIDer for Windows or Mac to identify the least congested wireless channel for your Wi-Fi network, then change the setting on your router to reduce interference from other wireless networks.  Set Up a Wireless Repeater: If none of the above tips help, you could set up a wireless repeater to extend your coverage over a larger area. This may be essential in large houses or offices.  Use a Wired Connection: You could also consider setting up wired Ethernet cables. For example, let's say you have good wireless coverage throughout most of your house, but you can't seem to get a Wi-Fi signal in your bedroom — maybe you have that metal chicken wire in your walls. You could run an Ethernet cable from your router to your bedroom, or use a pair of powerline adapters if you're not so keen on seeing stray cables in the corridor (a good choice is the $65 TP-LINK TL-PA511 KIT AV500 Powerline Gigabit Adapter Starter Kit), then set up another wireless router in the room. You'd then have wireless internet access in the previously barren room.  Whether or not you have wireless dead zones will depend on your router, its positioning, your neighbors, what your building's walls are made out of, the size of your coverage area, the types of electronic devices you have, and where everything is positioned. There's a lot that can cause problems, but trial and error can help you pin down the culprit. </div></div>

How to eliminate wireless 'dead zones'

We take take Wi-Fi for granted, but it's not magic — it's radio waves. These radio waves can be interfered with or obstructed, produ...

9:52 am

PC not recognizing your USB drive? Here's what to do

External drives — either USB flash drives or external hard drives — should be easy to use. In some cases, you may connect your drive to a Windows PC or another device with a USB port and find that it's not recognized. This problem can be caused by partition issues on your external drive, using the wrong file system, dead USB ports, driver issues in Windows, or other problems. In a worst case scenario, the drive itself may simply be dead.  <div class="storycontent_outer" style="font-size:0.91em;line-height:20px;font-family:georgia;margin:0px;padding:1px 5px"><div class="storycontent" style="font-size:16px;line-height:normal;margin:0px;padding:5px"> The steps below will be the same for both USB flash drives and larger external hard drives, which work similarly.  Does the drive show up in disk management? First, let's check whether Windows detects the drive when you plug it in. Plug your removable drive into your computer. If it's an external hard drive, you may have to flip a power switch on the hard drive to activate it. Some heavy-duty removable hard drives may even have to be plugged in with a separate power cable before they'll work.  Next, open the Disk Management tool. To do so, press Windows Key + R, type diskmgmt.msc into the Run dialog, and press Enter.  You should see your external drive listed in the Disk Management window. Even if it doesn't appear in your Computer window because it doesn't contain any partitions, it should show up here.  If you do see the drive here, you can continue to the last section where we'll format it properly so Windows or your other devices can access and recognize it.If you don't see the drive here, continue to the next section where we'll try to determine why your drive isn't recognized.  Making Windows recognize the drive  If Windows doesn't see your drive at all, it's possible there's a hardware issue with your computer's USB port, a driver problem with your Windows computer, or you may just have a dead drive.  First, unplug the drive from your USB port and try plugging it into another USB port on your computer. If it works in one USB port but not another, you may have a dead USB port. If you've plugged the drive into a USB hub, try connecting it to the computer instead. Some USB hubs won't provide enough power for your external drive to function.  If the drive doesn't show up in Disk Management even after you skip the USB hub and connect it to another USB port on your computer, it's tough to know for certain whether the drive itself is bad or the computer is having a problem. If you have another computer nearby, try plugging the drive in there to check whether it's detected. If the drive doesn't work on any computer you plug it into — be sure to check whether it appears in the computer's Disk Management window — the drive itself is likely dead and will need to be replaced.  If the drive does work on other computers — or you don't have another computer around to test this with — Windows may be having a driver problem with the drive. You can check for this using the Device Manager.  To open it, press Windows Key + R, type "devmgmt.msc" into the Run dialog, and press Enter.  Look under Disk drives and check for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark next to them. If you see a yellow exclamation mark, you have a driver problem. Right-click the device with a yellow exclamation mark, select Properties, and look at the error message. This error message can help you fix the problem — you may want to perform a Google search for the error message you find.  Such problems can be tricky to fix. If the problem started recently, you may want to run System Restore. You may want to use the Update Driver button to install an updated driver, use the Roll Back Driver button to revert any changes, or use the Uninstall button to uninstall the device from your system and hope that Windows will reinstall the driver and configure it correctly when you reconnect the drive.  Partitioning and formatting the drive  We can use the Windows Disk Management tool to fix partition and file system issues with the drive. If you see that the drive is unpartitioned and is full of "unallocated space," you'll want to create a new partition on it. This will allow Windows and other operating systems to use it.  To do so, right-click inside the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume, and go through the wizard to create a new partition.  If your drive is partitioned and you still can't see it, ensure you've set a drive letter so you can access it in Windows. This should happen automatically, but if you've manually unset the drive letter, the drive may not show up and be accessible in Windows.  To do this, right-click the removable drive's partition, select Change Drive Letter and Paths, and add a drive letter. For example, add the letter G: and the removable drive will be accessible at drive G.  If the drive does appear to be partitioned, it may be partitioned with the wrong file system. For example, you may have formatted the drive with the ext4 file system from Linux or the HFS Plus file system from a Mac. Windows can't read these file systems. Reformat the drive with the newer NTFS file system or older FAT32 file system so Windows will be able to recognize it.  To reformat a partition, right-click it, select Format, and select your desired file system.  Note that this will erase all the files on your drive, so you'll want to copy any important files off of it first — for example, if you formatted the drive on a Linux or Mac computer, take it back to a computer running Linux or Mac and copy your important files off of it before continuing.  If you can't access the drive from another device, such as a DVD player, smart TV, game console, or media center device, it may be formatted as NTFS. Many devices, even Microsoft's own Xbox 360, can't read the Windows NTFS file system. They can only access drives formatted with the older FAT32 file system. To fix this problem, simply reformat the NTFS partition as FAT32. The drive should then be recognized by other devices when you connect it to them.  Note that this process will erase the files on your external drive. Copy the files off the drive to back them up first, if necessary.format-removable-drive-as-fat32Following this process should solve most of the disk recognition issues you'll encounter. If a drive isn't recognized by any computer you connect it to and never shows up in the Disk Management window, it's probably dead.</div> </div>

PC not recognizing your USB drive? Here's what to do

External drives — either USB flash drives or external hard drives — should be easy to use. In some cases, you may connect your drive to a Wi...

9:38 am