Increase Battery Life on Android Mobile Phones

Anyone who has a smartphone knows that battery life is an issue. At the moment, the smartphone industry tends to favor performance over battery life when developing specifications for their new devices. To be perfectly honest, I am all for this. I would argue that it's better to have a zippy phone that acts quickly when I need it to rather than a slow, less sleek device that can withstand a few days of use without charging.

This is probably because I've mastered getting what I need from my phone while using the smallest amount of battery resources possible. Getting the best battery life from your phone can be somewhat complicated because everyone has a different opinion on what you should use and which (if any) features you should sacrifice to conserve battery. Fortunately, I have a simple method that works for every Android phone I've ever encountered.

Display Screen

As a universal fact across all phones, the biggest drain on your battery is your display screen. Personally, I've found the auto-brightness control to work extremely well. To adjust to auto-brightness, go to  
SettingsàDisplay settingsàBrightness, and then just check Automatic brightness. It dims the brightness when you're in darker rooms (as it doesn't need to compete against other light sources and glare), but will really up the brightness if you're outside so that your phone is actually usable. However, if I'm really trying to conserve battery, I will turn off auto-brightness and set the brightness to very low (around 25%).

Also, be sure that you don't have an extremely long timeout (inactivity time before your screen automatically shuts off) as this will drain your battery. I personally just prefer shutting the screen off manually by pressing the power button rather than waiting for a timeout; this way my phone won't timeout on me when I am just reading something on it.

Live Wallpapers
Live wallpapers have a considerable impact on your battery life. Not using them is always a good idea if you want the best time from your battery.

Close Unnecessary Applications
If your phone has some applications running that you are not currently using, you should close them from the Task manager to avoid putting unwanted pressure on your phone which in turn will cause your battery to drain quickly.

Reduce Volume of speakers
Lowering volume of your phone's speakers can also have noticeable improvements in your phone's battery life.

The Power Control Widget

If you have a fairly recent phone (anything running Android 2.1 or higher), you are already blessed with a completely awesome "Power control" widget. If your phone does not have this widget, you could always download one from the Play store. This is a must for your home-screen. With this widget, you can enable and disable WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Auto-sync in addition to adjusting brightness levels between auto, low, medium, and high.

The only thing this widget left me wanting was the ability to enable and disable mobile wireless networks(3G and/or 4G network). Some phones allow you to do this by pulling down the "status bar" at the top of your phone (where notifications, battery life, and signal are) and selecting or unselecting "Mobile data." Other phones allow you to control mobile wireless networks by holding down the power button. Worst case scenario, you can adjust it in "Settings."

Now, when to enable and disable these features, all boils down to preference. I only use Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS as I need it; otherwise it's off. If you have a WiFi connection available, it's generally better for your battery to use it rather than using your mobile wireless network (especially if you get poor signal for your mobile wireless).

Increase A Laptop's Battery Life [How To]

When you’re constantly on the move and rely on your laptop to perform when you most need it, you need to be sure that your battery won’t suddenly drain on you, leaving you in the lurch. If this sounds like a situation that you frequently find yourself in, perhaps you should look at upgrading to a laptop battery with a longer life. But if that step sounds a bit drastic, there may be a few things that you can do to prolong your battery’s power, when you don’t have access to a mains supply.

Turn down the brightness of your screen

Most modern laptops allow you to control the brightness of the screen. As you might expect, the brighter the screen, the more power is required. Dim the screen and you could find that your battery lasts a lot longer.

Shut down programs that aren’t being used

It’s often the case that you’ll have a number of programs running, yet you’re only using one or two of them. Although you might not see them running, they could be running in the background, adding to your CPU load, and consuming more energy. Shut down the programs not in use and save energy. If you’re unsure about programs running in the background, simply open the task manager.

Clean the battery contacts

You should clean the connection points on your laptop’s battery every now and then. Dampen a cloth with alcohol and use it to clean the points. Clean points mean that electric current can pass through efficiently, meaning you save on wasted power.

Use the CD/DVD drive sparingly

CD and DVD drives use a substantial amount of energy to operate. If possible, opt to use the hard drive instead, as this requires less energy.

Defragment your hard drive regularly

If you regularly defragment your hard drive, it will operate more efficiently. The more efficiently your hard drive operates, the less demand is placed on the battery, meaning you will get more life out of it! As an additional advantage, this will also help in speeding up your computer.

Do not use wireless networks

If you are not in need of a wireless connection, it is better to turn off the wireless receiver on your laptop as it puts unnecessary strain on your battery. Most laptops have an easy to locate switch to turn off wireless networks.

Disable unnecessary visual effects

Your computer requires computing power to show all those stunning visual effects. More computing means more battery consumed. Hence, if you want your battery to last longer, it is advisable to preferably turn off or at least tone down those visual effects.

Change Power scheme

Changing your power scheme to Power Saver makes your computer adjust its settings to use power minimally and give you extended battery life. Most operating systems allow you to change power schemes.

Regularly clean the air vents and keep your laptop cool

Your laptop will operate far more efficiently at lower temperatures. If your air vents are clogged up with dirt and dust, the machine cannot be cooled efficiently. By regularly checking that air can pass freely through the vents, you can be sure that your laptop remains as cool as possible. You can use a brush or a lightly dampened cloth to remove any dust or dirt. For even better cooling, you can try a laptop cooling pad.

Refrain from using external devices

External devices, such as external hard drives, iPods, and even your mouse can put unnecessary strain on your battery. If it isn’t absolutely crucial that you use these external devices, shut them down and disconnect them entirely to save on battery usage.

Only multitask when absolutely necessary

Performing multiple tasks at any one time, for example listening to music whilst downloading files and creating Word documents, will again put unnecessary strain on your computer. When battery power is scarce, don’t over-work your laptop and drain the battery too quickly.

How to Buy a Digital Camera: Complete Guide

It’s not difficult to get lost in a sea of digital camera choices. Certain digital cameras are meant for professional photography while the rest are sufficient for capturing still life no matter where you’re at. We have brought the main digital cameras to your screen for viewing which would best suit your needs or work well as a gift.

Photos of distant galaxies like this are made possible due to the latest developments in the camera industry.

Digital SLR Cameras
Should you have a limitless budget and have the desire for professional grade photos, the SLR cameras are perfect for you. They have the look of old-school 35mm cameras, the power to snap photos from afar with perfect definition and offer the option to remove the lens giving you the ability to use multiple lenses with different focal lengths and light sensitivity. They primarily come with 18mm or 36mm sensors for high-grade low light performance. These are definitely top-notch and not for the faint of heart. They are best for professional photographers, photophiles, paparazzi or trips to the mountains.

Point And Shoot Digital Cameras
Most current digital cameras will fall under this main category, although many types do exist. Point and shoot devices are small, compact and have megapixel ranges from 4MP all the way up to 12MP with some brands ranging higher. Below are the main types of point and shoot cameras that you could potentially choose from:

1. Compact digital cameras: These cameras are meant for normal use, such as toting along to birthday parties or taking Christmas pictures. Kodak, Canon and Sony have excellent compact digital camera selections with variances in megapixel sizes ranging from 5.0MP to as high as 18MP. Compact cameras range in size from 20mm thick down to a credit card sized device.
2. Bridge Cameras: With a close resemblance to a digital SLR camera, these are slightly larger than your compact models of point and shoot cameras. They have live previews to show you what you’ll be snapping, autofocus using a contrast detection mechanism, and offer long-range camera shots in a range somewhere between the SLR and compact digital camera.
3. Super Zoom: These cameras are strikingly similar to their compact digital brothers yet come with 10x optical zoom options which allow far away shots to become extremely close. Some can control the inevitable camera shake through image stabilization software pre-installed.

What To Look For When Digital Camera Hunting

When shopping for digital cameras with foreign verbiage that tends to fluster us all, stick with the simple questions and follow this layman’s guide to seeking your next camera within your budget. Don’t try to understand what the salesman is saying about words you’ve never heard of and just tell him you’re looking for the following traits in your camera:

Image Quality
Most people are fooled into thinking the larger the megapixel of camera, the better off your images will be. ‘Megapixels’ (MP) are a measurement of amount of data captured and have little to nothing to do with image quality. Therefore, keep this simple rule of thumb when trying to ascertain what image quality is: 3-4MP cameras are perfect for 8 x 10 photos and 8MP cameras are great for 10 x 12 pictures. The quality will be lifelike should you stick with this rule. If you just want to send your buddy a funny picture through email every now and then, 2MP will work just fine.

Light-Friendly
The brighter the LCD screen is on your camera, the better it will appear in bright sunlight or other bright lighting scenarios. LCD Screen at the back of the camera should also have a decent size so that you can properly view photos before taking them.

Computer Connectivity
If you find a camera that doesn’t have the proper USB port or cable to connect your camera to the computer for adding them to Facebook or an online album, run. Any decent digital camera should have at the very least, the standard USB port and, for moving many large pictures at once, look on the box for USB 2.0 which simply means it’s a better cable with faster transfer rates.

Other Great Perks To Find

Along with having great lenses and thin sizes, people who aren’t acclimated to digital cameras should stick with the basics as stated above. Along with those, the following perks are nice for the beginner to novice user:

1. Find the digital camera that has instructions in paper form. Kind of hard to put a CD in while out in the wilderness, no?
2. For those who get easily flustered, find a camera that has the minimal number of large buttons so you can focus and shoot quickly without finding a tiny button between two other buttons.
3. Internal memory storage would be great – most cameras come with Micro SD cards which hold 2-4GB worth of pictures (about 4000 large ones in total) with the ability to buy larger ones for relatively low prices. Simply take the SD card out, hand to a Walgreens or Wal-Mart associate and get your pictures developed.
4. A digital camera that comes with Ni-Cad batteries and a charger is a treat; most will come with standard AAA batteries which can be upgraded to Energizer Max or the likes.

Cost is relative to the features you want. Obviously, the more bells and whistles you require, the higher the price tag. Simply gauge what you and your family need for regular use, bring this guide with you to find the best value for your money and you’ll be well on your way to snapping pictures right out of the box with brilliant results.

Lock a Folder With Password Using Free Folder Protector

All of us have some files and folders that we consider private. They can be anything from our business documents to pictures of friends and family. These are files that we don't want other people using our computer to know about. As Windows offers no way to protect our private information, most of us get in awkward situations when these files are discovered by unwanted people.

Surely, you can store this information in a hidden folder. The only problem is that anyone can easily search the contents of a hidden folder using Windows Search itself.

The only viable solution is storing this content in a password protected folder so that only those people knowing the password of the folder can access it. There are many folder locking programs available online but the problem is that most of the good ones are paid. Even if you do manage to get a good free one, you will be looked at suspiciously when people see a folder locker in the list of your installed programs.

If you too find yourself in a similar situation, you can try Folder Protector, a password protector for Windows folders that is not only free but is also portable meaning that it does not need to be installed. Just click on the exe file and the program will start running. I have created this program based on suggestions and feature requests that I have received by email over the last two years.

Folder Protector

Folder Protector offers each user a protected folder that can only be opened by entering the password in FolderProtector. Unlike most security programs, Folder Protector is small in size (nearly 58KB) and does not show the folder that it is protecting. This gives an additional advantage that people who don't know the password do not have a target to try and hack their way into. As the software is portable, you can hide it or even delete it after protecting your folder and no one will have a clue that it was used. Then whenever you need to access protected files, you can re-download the program from this page, enter the password and access your protected files.

Download Folder Protector

Download for Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Download for Windows XP

This program uses a simple method to lock files and should not be used to protect truly sensitive information. It is best to encrypt that kind of information.

How to use Folder Protector?
When you run Folder Protector for the first time, the program will ask you for a password that you want to use. Enter a password that you can remember as this will be the password to your protected folder.

After entering the password, the program will open a folder named SecuredFILES. This is your protected folder. You can add all your private files in this folder. This folder is located at the Desktop. After adding all your files, you may close this folder. 

Then, you can use the menu in the program to lock your folder. To lock the folder, type lock as your action. After successfully locking the folder, FolderProtector will display that the folder is locked.

Unlocking the protected folder is easy. Just type unlock as your action. Then the program will ask you to enter your password. Upon successfully entering the password, the program will display the contents of your protected folder.

Changing the Password: Just type change as your action. The program will ask you for your current password. Upon successful entry of the current password, the program will ask for your new password and change it instantly.

Acknowledgment: This software has been made possible only through the suggestions of readers of this blog, especially Ernell Albert Galido for his idea of using a menu based interface.

Windows Compatibility: This program has been successfully tested on Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Support and Development
I will continue to develop this software further. So, your suggestions are invited. If you face any problem while using this software, you can use our support page and expect a quick reply.

7 Wi-Fi Tweaks to Increase Your Speed

Chances are if you have a wireless internet connection at your home, you have had some trouble with the speed of the connection at least once before. That being said, a slow wireless connection can be frustrating to deal with. You are probably paying good money to your internet service provider, so slow speed is something you should not have to deal with, right? Well, the truth is wireless speed can be affected by a number of things. Luckily there are some Wi-Fi tweaks you can try that should help boost your speed and get you rolling in no time.

1. Reposition Your Router

The position of your wireless router plays a major role in the speed and strength of your wireless connection. If you are having trouble, you should try to reposition your router in a centrally located area, where the signal can equally reach each wireless device in your house. If your router is near an outside wall, try to move it closer to the middle of your house. Routers that are placed near outside walls can send some of the signal outside, which can risk your wireless connection’s strength and speed.

2. Purchase a Wireless Signal Repeater

Adding a wireless signal repeater to your home network can greatly increase the speed of your connection. A repeater works by extending your signal without having to add any additional wires. All you have to do is simply place the wireless repeater in a location that is between your router and your wireless device(s). It will instantly boost the wireless signal that is sent from the router to your devices, meaning faster speeds for you.

3. Install a New Antenna

Most wireless routers come standard with an omnidirectional antenna, meaning it broadcasts the wireless signal in a circular radius to reach various places in your home. If your router is in a perfectly centered location between all of your wireless devices, this is probably fine. But if your router isn’t perfectly centered among devices, you should think about replacing the existing antenna with a stronger one, known as a high-gain antenna. You can usually remove your old antenna and replace it with one of these stronger antennas to boost your signal strength, therefore increasing the speed of your connection. Another perk of a high-gain antenna is its ability to focus the wireless signal in any direction you prefer.

4. Use One Brand of Equipment

You may not think that using different brands of equipment can reduce the speed of your wireless connection, but in reality it can. If you use different brands of equipment, your components may not work as efficiently. This is because many manufacturers of wireless networking equipment pre-install enhancements in all of their products. These enhancements can boost speed, but will only work if products from the same manufacturer are used simultaneously. If you are using various brands of equipment and your speed is suffering, this is definitely worth a try.

5. Reduce Frequency Interference

Many household electronics, such as cordless telephones and baby monitors, run at the same frequency as wireless routers. This means that these electronic devices can interfere with the wireless signal that is being broadcast from your router, which can affect the speed and performance of your connection. Check the box of your router to see what frequency it runs at, and try to avoid using other electronic devices that operate at the same frequency. You can also try to change the channel on your router to avoid frequency interference.

6. Check for Firmware or Driver Updates Regularly

The manufacturers of wireless routers and network adapters often release firmware or driver updates that can improve the function of your wireless connection. You can find and download these updates at the manufacturers’ websites. Updates are usually done to fix issues, add features, and strengthen your equipment’s performance. Check for these updates on a regular basis to make sure your firmware and drivers are always kept up to date.

7. Secure Your Wireless Network

If your network is not properly secured, neighbors could be using your signal. This can reduce the speed of your connection because you are in a sort, sharing the wireless signal. Set up secure passwords and some sort of wireless encryption that will prevent anyone else from accessing your wireless network. All of these Wi-Fi tweaks can greatly boost the speed of your wireless connection. If one of them does not seem to do the trick, try another or even a multitude of options. It may take a little time and patience, but once you figure out what works to speed up your connection, you will be happy you put forth the effort.

YouTube Tricks, Tips & Secret Features You Might Have Missed

YouTube, the extremely popular video sharing website averaging more than 3 billion page views per day needs no introduction to its fans who spend a considerable amount of their time watching and sharing videos on it. While most of these users know every nook and corner of this website, there are some features that are hidden deep within, in a manner that only few of the most experienced users seem to know about them. This article contains some such features, tips and tricks.

YouTube MySpeed 
Are YouTube videos taking too much time to load on your internet connection? Visit the YouTube MySpeed page to find your video streaming speed and compare it with the average speed of your ISP, your city, your state, your country and the world.

YouTube Disco
YouTube is all set to replace your music players with YouTube Disco. This music discovery project allows you to find the videos of your choice, create a list of them and then easily watch them without having the need to choose a new video after the one you are watching is finished.

YouTube Editor
Do you edit your videos before uploading them to YouTube? Now, you don't need to because it lets you to do all of that online with YouTube Editor; well not all of that but it at least lets you combine, trim and rotate videos. The best part about YouTube Editor is that it allows you to find copyright free music that you can add to your videos. It also offers some comparably advanced features like stabilizing shaky videos and inserting transitions.

YouTube TV
YouTube lets you watch the videos of your choice but have you ever wanted to just sit back and enjoy watching videos just like you watch television? If you have, then YouTube TV can be of help. YouTube TV plays high quality full screen videos tailored to your choices (if you are signed in to your Google account). If you are not signed in, you can choose a category to watch videos from, watch featured videos and even search for the video of your choice. You can then connect your TV to your computer to seamlessly enjoy TV, YouTube style.

YouTube Leanback

Set default video playback quality
Are you annoyed at manually changing the quality of every YouTube video you watch? Now you don't need to, because YouTube has an option that automatically lets you select the quality of videos you see. If you have a slow connection, you can select the option of never playing high quality videos. You can also select the option of showing captions and annotations automatically.

Watch Videos blocked in your country with a URL trick
If the URL of the video that is blocked in your country is youtube.com/watch?v={video-id}, you can access it by going to youtube.com/v/{video-id}. As an additional advantage, you will be able to view the video at the full size of your browser window.

Link to a specific time in a video
If you want to link to a video at a specific time, you can add #t=XXs to the URL where XX is a variable which represents the number of seconds after which the video will start.

Play videos in slow motion
Press the space bar while a video is being played to play it in slow motion.

YouTube Live
Ever wanted to broadcast your videos live on the internet? YouTube Live lets you do just that. YouTube Live supports larger production than Hangouts on Air. However, to broadcast videos live, your channel must be in good standing.

Broadcast live events on YouTube

Create a feed of almost anything on YouTube
Just go to the YouTube Data API page and build a custom feed for yourself. However, there is a problem with the URI generated for specific categories as "{http://gdata.youtube.com/ schemas/ 2007/ categories.cat}" is also added to it. Remove this and the URI is good to go.

Find out what is popular on YouTube
Want to find the best videos on YouTube? Use Popular on Youtube channel to find what other users are watching, discussing and favoring. You can select a particular category to determine the best videos in that particular category. You also have the option to play all the videos that are popular right now.

Legally Watch Full Length Movies and TV Shows on YouTube
YouTube has a dedicated page to allow users to watch full-length ad supported movies for free. Movies are classified based on their genre and are offered in full HD quality. Movies are uploaded by the creators for the purpose of creating another source of revenue for themselves as Google gives them a portion of the advertising revenue. A similar page exists for TV shows. These two pages are country specific and may or may not be available in your country.

YouTube Easter eggs

For Star Wars and Star Trek fansIf you are a Star Wars fan, then there is some good news for you. YouTube has an easter egg just for you guys. Search YouTube for "use the force, Luke" to warp your screen. Star Trek fans need not be disappointed as there is an easter egg for them as well. Searching YouTube for "Beam me up, Scotty" reveals it.

YouTube Snakes Easter egg
You can play the classic Snakes game while watching any video in your browser. Just pause a video, hold the left arrow key for 2 seconds and while still holding it, press the Up arrow key. This only works in the new YouTube player on videos played on YouTube.com.

do the Harlem shakeSearch YouTube for "do the Harlem shake" and the entire page will shake violently with the song "Harlem Shake" by Baauer being played in the background.