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Android app: Pinpoint battery-draining apps and settings (Battery Doctor)

Android app: Pinpoint battery-draining apps and settings (Battery Doctor)

by ben patterson | Mar 27, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones, tablets

So, the battery in my Android phone was sitting at a decent 59-percent capacity, but it was draining at a steady clip; indeed, I had less than 12 hours left before it went kaput. In a few taps, though, I learned that I could squeeze another two hours of life out of...
Mac tip: 6 easy ways to tidy up your desktop

Mac tip: 6 easy ways to tidy up your desktop

by ben patterson | Mar 26, 2014 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Got a jumble of icons cluttering your Mac’s desktop? Are the icons themselves too big—or too small? Wish they would just arrange themselves? Read on for six ways to whip your messy Mac desktop into shape, starting with… 1. Arrange your icons automatically Want...
iOS 7 tip: 5 tasks that Siri does better than your fingertips can

iOS 7 tip: 5 tasks that Siri does better than your fingertips can

by ben patterson | Mar 25, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones, tablets

OK, I admit it: I used to roll my eyes whenever the subject of Siri came up. Sure, it’s neat that Siri can answer questions like “Do I need an umbrella today?” and “Who was Benjamin Franklin?”, but that gets old pretty fast. And no way am...
Email tip: How do I get email on my Mac to sync with my iPad?

Email tip: How do I get email on my Mac to sync with my iPad?

by ben patterson | Mar 24, 2014 | apps, desktops, how-tos, laptops

Charles writes: Ben, how do I sync email between a Mac and my iPad? I delete email from my Mac and they still appear in the inbox on my iPad. Hi Charles! Well, the answer to that question depends on the type of email account you’re using—and yes, things may get...
iOS tip: How to color-code your Calendar events

iOS tip: How to color-code your Calendar events

by ben patterson | Mar 19, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones, tablets

Maria writes: Ben, love your site! I have a question. How do you color-code events in iOS 7.1 Calendar on my iPhone? You had mentioned you can color-code events but there weren’t any links for additional information. Hi Maria! Great question, and sorry for not...
Windows tip: Right-click a taskbar button for a time-saving “jump list”

Windows tip: Right-click a taskbar button for a time-saving “jump list”

by ben patterson | Mar 18, 2014 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

So, you may already know that “pinning” a Windows program to the desktop taskbar lets you launch your favorite apps with a single click. What you may not know, however, is that you can save even more time by right-clicking (rather than left-clicking) the...
iOS 7.1 tip: 4 handy ways to view your Calendar events

iOS 7.1 tip: 4 handy ways to view your Calendar events

by ben patterson | Mar 17, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones

Still confused by Apple’s all-new Calendar app for iOS 7? I know I still am .. and just as I was getting used to it, here comes iOS 7.1, complete with a slew of additional Calendar changes. One of the biggest complaints I originally heard about the new Calendar...
Android tip: Do you need an antivirus app for your Android phone?

Android tip: Do you need an antivirus app for your Android phone?

by ben patterson | Mar 13, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones, security, tablets

Roger writes: My dad just got an Android phone, and is wondering whether he should install antivirus software. Is this something you’d recommend? Hi Roger! So, there’s little doubt that more and more security threats—particularly innocuous-looking apps...
Mac tip: Keep font sizes in Safari from getting too small

Mac tip: Keep font sizes in Safari from getting too small

by ben patterson | Mar 12, 2014 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Belinda writes: I have a MacBook Air, almost one year old. Recently I switched from Mozilla Firefox to Safari. When I did that on some sites the fonts are really small. So I use Command + and – to make the fonts larger or smaller. But when I close the site out...
iOS app: Create simple photo collages on your iPhone or iPad (Pic Stitch)

iOS app: Create simple photo collages on your iPhone or iPad (Pic Stitch)

by ben patterson | Mar 11, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones, tablets

Ever see those nifty-looking photo collages that all the cool kids are posting on Facebook and Instagram? They’re actually pretty easy to create, and you can make them directly on your iPhone or iPad. Plenty of photo collage apps are available in the App Store,...
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