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iPhone alerts, badges, and banners—what’s the difference?

iPhone alerts, badges, and banners—what’s the difference?

by ben patterson | Jan 22, 2014 | how-tos, phones, tablets

Your iPhone and/or iPad has several different ways of notifying you about a new text message, calendar event, a friend’s Facebook update … well, the list goes on. Sometimes, you’ll get a little iPhone alert and a banner appears briefly at the top of...
Mac OS X: All the basics, plus 40 must-know tips & how-tos

Mac OS X: All the basics, plus 40 must-know tips & how-tos

by ben patterson | Jan 21, 2014 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Need a little help figuring out your new iMac or MacBook? You’ve come to the right place. Check out our updated survival guide for the basics on Mac OS X, including details on the latest “Mavericks” features, illustrated guides for updating and...
Windows tip: 3 ways to take charge of your mouse buttons

Windows tip: 3 ways to take charge of your mouse buttons

by ben patterson | Jan 16, 2014 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Ever wish you could right-click with the left mouse button, double-click a bit more slowly, or highlight some text without straining your finger tendons? Do a little digging into your Windows system settings and you’ll find a trio of settings that could make...
Android tip: Find out which version of Android is installed on your phone

Android tip: Find out which version of Android is installed on your phone

by ben patterson | Jan 15, 2014 | how-tos, phones, tablets

Ray writes: Hi Ben—just bought a Samsung Galaxy Golden phone, do you know what version of Android it uses? Thanks and regards. Hi Ray! A quick Google search reveals that the new Galaxy Golden (a flip-style Android phone on sale now in South Korea, but apparently not...
iOS 7 tip: See a list of every photo and video in a message thread

iOS 7 tip: See a list of every photo and video in a message thread

by ben patterson | Jan 13, 2014 | how-tos, phones, tablets

So, you know all the pictures and video clips sitting in the various text-message threads on your iPhone and/or iPad? Well, for one thing, they’re probably (and quietly) gobbling up a lot of precious storage space. And here’s another thing: The snapshots...
Android tip: Set an “out of office” message with the Gmail app

Android tip: Set an “out of office” message with the Gmail app

by ben patterson | Jan 2, 2014 | apps, how-tos, phones

So, your bags are packed, you’re in the airport and you’re about to step on a plane heading for someplace warm, and then it hits you: you forgot to activate an “out of office” message for your email account. Well, if you’re using Gmail,...
iOS 7 tip: Hide the “Newsstand” app in a folder (finally!)

iOS 7 tip: Hide the “Newsstand” app in a folder (finally!)

by ben patterson | Dec 30, 2013 | apps, how-tos, phones, tablets

The much-maligned “Newsstand”—you know, the home for various magazines and newspapers sold through Apple’s App Store—is a bit like a party crasher who plunks down on your sofa and refuses to budge. Debuting on the home screens of iPhone and iPad more...
Pinterest tip: How to download an archive of your Pinterest boards

Pinterest tip: How to download an archive of your Pinterest boards

by ben patterson | Dec 17, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, social networks

Cindy writes: Ben, can you do this  – download an archive of your Pinterest boards? I am terrified that all the hard work I have done on [my boards] will float off one day into cyberspace. Hi Cindy! Well, bad news first: Unlike Google and Facebook, Pinterest...
Google tip: Download a giant archive of all your Google data

Google tip: Download a giant archive of all your Google data

by ben patterson | Dec 12, 2013 | how-tos, online services, security, the cloud

So, how long have you been using Google? A few years? Ten? A dozen? (In my case, more than a dozen—yikes!) And in all that time, how many Gmail messages, contacts, calendar events, YouTube videos, and more have you saved, sent, uploaded and otherwise stored on its...
3 gotta-try iPad gestures that’ll let you zip around your apps with ease

3 gotta-try iPad gestures that’ll let you zip around your apps with ease

by ben patterson | Dec 11, 2013 | how-tos, tablets

[Updated 3/8/2018] I’m sure you already know all about pinching and swiping on your iPad, but have you tried a four-finger swipe yet—or a five-finger pinch, for that matter? Zoom around your iPad apps and home screen with help from these three handy single- and...
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