Twitter's new
snap-and-share video service, Vine, has forced users to break the first
rule of iFilm making: never shoot vertical videos.
Of course, Vine's videos appear as a square, so you could argue it doesn't really matter. But after years of comment shaming and PSAs to break novice video shooters of this deplorable habit, will Vine reverse all the progress made?
How To Use Vine
Sign In
You can sign into Vine using your Twitter account or email address.
Allow Access
If you choose to sign in via Twitter, you'll be prompted to give the app access to your Twitter account.
Sign Up
Vine will pull in your name, profile picture,
and bio from Twitter to create your profile. You can edit that
information if you'd like your Vine profile to be a little different
than your profile on Twitter.
Mirroring Twitter
When linked, your profile on Vine includes the same information as your profile on Twitter.
Get a Walk-Through
On screen prompts will walk you through the process of creating your first Vine.
Pick and Choose
The green bar at the top of the screen shows you how much of the 6-second time allotment you've already used up.
Share the Experience
Once you're done shooting a video you're
prompted to add a caption or location information to the video, as well
as specify where you'd like to share it.
View Your Timeline
Finished Vines show up on a timeline, similar to Instagram's interface.
Check it Out
You can browse through Editor's Picks, Vines that are popular now, and all Vines on the service.
Explore
Vines can be explored by topic. So you can check out Vines from NYC, Sports, or even Pet videos.
Autoplay
Videos on the timeline autoplay when they're displayed on your screen.
Add Your Friends
Just because you're following someone on
Twitter doesn't mean you'll automatically be following them on Vine. The
service works independently of Twitter, so you'll have to follow (and
be followed by) everyone again. The service will, however, pull in a
list of your Twitter or Facebook friends on Vine to make that process a
little easier.
Sarah writes: I
keep getting a message that says I don’t have enough available storage
to back up my iPhone 4S. I have the free 5 GB account and only 1.5 GB
available. I am truly not a geek who saves everything. Any suggestions as to where I might look what is consuming GB?
Hi Sarah! You’d be surprised how easy it is to bust over your free 5
GB iCloud storage limit, even when you’re not backing up reams of
documents, podcasts, or other app data on your iPhone (or iPad).
What’s the culprit? Well, I have my suspicions.
First, though, let me show you how to check exactly what’s hogging all the storage space in your iCloud account.
You
can check how much iCloud space your various apps are using, or even
turn off iCloud Backup for a given app by flipping the “On/Off” switch.
Here’s what you do…
Tap Settings, iCloud, then scroll down the page and tap the Storage and Backup button.
Next, under the Storage heading, tap Manage Storage, then tap the
entry for your iPhone (“Sarah’s iPhone,” for example) in the Backups
section.
The next screen should detail everything you need to know about your
latest iCloud backup, including when it was performed, the total amount
of space it’s using, and how much iCloud storage each of your
individual apps is taking—or hogging, as the case may be. The list of
apps should start with your Camera Roll, then proceed according to
iCloud storage size.
So, what’s most likely to be hogging all your iCloud backup space? My guess: snapshots and videos.
Unless you regularly (and manually) delete images from your iPhone’s
Camera Roll, the photos and videos you take will gradually pile up until
they’re taking up several gigabytes of storage space—both on your
iPhone itself and in your iCloud backup.
Videos, in particular, can take up a gargantuan amount of storage space.
(Note: Keep in mind that your Photo Stream images don’t count against your 5 GB of free iCloud storage.)
Another likely suspect: podcasts, which (on my iPhone, anyway) can
hog several hundred megabytes of storage—or even more, if you’re a video
podcast fan.
Running out of iCloud Backup space? One option: buy more storage.
Running out of iCloud Backup space? One option: buy more storage.
Once you’ve ID’d your iCloud backup hogs, you’ve got a few options for reclaiming (or getting more) storage space:
Buy more iCloud storage: The first 5 GB of iCloud
storage is free; after that, you’ll have to pony up. You can get a total
of 10 GB of iCloud storage for $20 a year, 20 GB of storage for $40 a
year, or 50 GB for $100/year. To buy more storage straight from your
iPhone, tap Settings, iCloud, Storage & Backup, then tap the Change
Storage Plan button.
Trim data from your apps: So, did you discover that
your Camera Roll has ballooned to a few gigabytes in size? You can
always start deleting photos and videos manually, or you could sync your
iPhone images with iPhoto or your Windows PC and then delete everything
off your camera roll at once (Settings, General, Usage, Photos &
Camera, then swipe the Camera Roll entry and tap the red Delete button).
Or, got too many podcasts? Try deleting old episodes from your Podcasts
app.
Deactivate iCloud Backup for specific apps: You can
always exclude a particular app from iCloud Backup if you don’t feel
the need to keep a secure copy of its data. Go back to the screen that
details how much space each app is using in iCloud, then flip the switch
for any app you wish (including Camera Roll) from “On” to “Off.” Don’t
forget, though, that if you switch off iCloud Backup for a given app,
its data may be lost forever if something bad happens to your iPhone.
Hope that helps, Sarah. Still have questions? Let me know!
Bonus
Is iCloud still refusing to back up your iPhone even after you’ve trimmed your Camera Roll and/or app data?
Try this: delete your latest (and massive, most likely) iCloud Backup file to clear enough space in your iCloud account.
Go back to the screen with all your iCloud Backup details, scroll down to the bottom, then tap the Delete Backup button.
Now, return to the first Storage & Backup screen, scroll down, and tap the Back Up Now button.
Living on the digital edge where typing is almost an everyday
necessity, learning the ways of proper keyboard usage are crucial. Not
only are you able to be more productive and get things done quicker with
a keyboard, typing faster can enable you to keep up with your brain;
that little voice in your head that has great ideas might only last for a
few seconds before it’s forgotten.
In this article, we’ll give you 5 tips to get you started typing faster and proper. Some of the tips are quite obvious ones, but we’ll provide you with a few apps to help you practice and learn faster.
1. Get Rid Of Bad Habits
Getting rid of your bad typing habits is probably the hardest thing
to do. You’ve probably been using the same typing method since you
started using a keyboard, right down to where you place your palms. If
you’re an FPS (First Person Shooter) gamer you’re probably used to
placing your left hand on the WASD keys, and may have stronger fingers
on your left hand than your right (speaking from experience here).
Others may type only with two fingers, hovering over ten (or more)
keys each, always having to keep their eyes on the keyboard to get the
right keys. Although you might be typing fast with only half of the
needed fingers, you have to put down your foot (or your hands) and break
that habit immediately.
2. Use All 10 Fingers
The next step is to relearn the correct finger placement on the keyboard. If you take a closer look at your keyboard, you’ll notice raised bumps on each of the F key and J key. This is to help you find the correct finger placement without having to look at the keyboard.
Ideally, your index fingers should rest on the F and J keys and the other fingers will fall into place naturally.
In the picture below, you’ll notice color-coded areas showing the
keys covered by each finger. You’ll notice that the middle fingers and
ring fingers are used for only a few keys on the keyboard, while your
index fingers cover the middle section of the keyboard. Navigational,
punctuation and function keys are controlled mostly by the little
finger.
If this confuses you, head over to websites like the TypingClub or Typing Web
where they take you through each step to familiarize yourself with the
keyboard. Some of their exercises only involve 2 fingers and as you go
through their program, you’ll slowly master the way of faster and proper
keyboard typing.
3. Learn To Touch Type
Next up: Touch typing. It’s when you type without having to look at the keyboard. In fact, for seasoned typists, looking at the keyboard actually slows them down.
To get there takes practice, and we’re not talking about hours here.
It could be weeks before you condition your fingers to take control of
the keys ‘they’ are responsible for. Even if it slows you down, do not
revert to how you used to type.
Now, try typing sentences without looking at the keyboard, and try to
remember the position of each letter. If you have to sneak a peek at
the keyboard, you can, but give the same word or sentence another run,
this time without looking at the keyboard. It takes a while but if you
are determined, it gets easier every day.
Eventually, you will know where each key is and from then on, it’s just a matter of picking up in terms of speed.
4. Navigate With Basic Keyboard Shortcuts
It’s no surprise why Windows and Mac OS
have many keyboard shortcuts. Since both your hands are already on the
keyboard, why spend time using a mouse to navigate? You don’t have to
remember every shortcut, just the more common ones.
Common shortcuts below are mostly used in word processing programs:
Shortcuts
Descriptions
Ctrl + C
Copy
Ctrl + X
Cut
Ctrl + V
Paste
Ctrl + Z
Undo
Ctrl + S
Save
Ctrl + F
Search for word
Ctrl + A
Highlight everything
Shift + Left Arrow or Right Arrow
Hightlight next letter
Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow or Right Arrow
Highlight next word
Ctrl + Left Arrow or Right Arrow
Navigate text cursor to next word without highlight
Home
Go to beginning of line
End
Go to end of line
Page up
Scroll up
Page Down
Scroll down
You can also use shortcut keys while browsing the web. Here are some shortcuts you could use to navigate in web browsers.
Shortcuts
Descriptions
Ctrl + Tab
Switch to next tab
Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Switch to previous tab
Ctrl + T
Open new tab
Ctrl + W
Close current tab
Ctrl + Shift + T
Open previously closed tab
Ctrl + R
refresh current webpage
Ctrl + N
Open new web browser window
Backspace
Go back one page
Shift + Backspace
Go forward one page
Finally, here are some common keyboard shortcuts for more general (Windows) navigation.
Shortcuts
Descriptions
Alt + Tab
Switch to next opened window
Alt + Shift + Tab
Switch to previous opened window
Alt + F4
Close current window
Using these shortcut keys will require the little finger a lot as many of the modifier keys like Ctrl, Alt and Shift are closest to your little finger.
5. Practice With Apps
Practicing typing on a keyboard need not be stressful (although it
may feel like it at times). You can practice with a lot of typing games.
Here are a few websites where you can learn how to conquer the keyboard
and have fun at the same time.
TypeRacer is a simple and fun game where each player is represented
by a car. You’ll be given a passage of text from a book or lyrics to a
song, you then type it out to move your car in a ‘race’ with other
players. Whoever finishes typing the passage first wins.
Typing Maniac is a Facebook game that will get you addicted as you
can compete with friends to see who can earn the most points. As words
appear on your screen, type them out to make them go away before too
many land on the ground and cause you to lose the game! Earn points and
get a better score if you achieve each level without missing or
misspelling a word.
Keybr generates readable random words where some words are spelt
incorrectly to help you remember common letter combinations better
rather than typing random letters. It’ll give you statistics to tell you
which area of the keyboard you are weaker in. It also offers words in
different languages as well as different keyboard layouts.
The exercises in this site get you comfortable with the finger
placement by repeatedly asking you to type those letters with the
correct finger. It is also offered in different languages.
Learn typing is a basic looking website that has a ton of explanation
good for beginners learning to touch type. Once you’ve gone through the
basics, there are also more advanced exercises which you can do.
If your Android device is missing or stolen, stay calm and take a breather. We’ve got 5 great anti-theft apps that can help you get your smartphone back or at least keep your sensitive data safe from identity theft.
Some of these apps have features that can help you track down your
missing phone by triggering it to ring off the hook, send its GPS
location to your email or when worse comes to worst, allow you to wipe
your data from the missing smartphone remotely. Not enough? Snap a photo
of the perpetrator or record their audio with your phone’s microphone.
Yes, these apps can do that and more.
But remember that only some of them can be installed after the phone is lost.
The rest of them are preventive measures, meaning you should already
have them before something bad happens to your device. With that out of
the way, let’s go get your phone back.
[Free] Where’s My Droid is a pure Find my Phone app to help you
locate your phone. When your smartphone goes missing, sending a code via
text will make the phone ring (even when set in silent mode) while
another text code sends you the GPS coordinates of the phone.
Alternatively, you can remotely control your phone by connecting it to the Commander option,
a web-based interface. Where’s My Droid also offers a Pro version which
lets you take pictures with the camera (you might be able to take a
snapshot of the perpetrator), remote lock the phone rendering it
impenetrable or remote wipe the app to save your data from misuse.
[Free] If you had not install any tracking app before your Android device was stolen or misplaced, Plan B will be a lifesaver. Plan B is an Android app from Lookout Labs which locates your smartphone using cell towers and GPS, then sends the location of your smartphone to your Gmail Inbox.
In some smartphones, Plan B can enable the GPS on the phone then update you with its location every 10 minutes.
For phones with no such support, you can text ‘location’ from another
phone, and details of the missing phone’s location will be sent to your
email. In the absence of a data connection, the software will send its
location via SMS instead.
[Free] This app is not only perfect for finding your lost phone, it
will also torment the thief (something which we’re sure they fully
deserve). You can activate (via SMS or the Web) the alarm to ring with a
flashing screen, enable and disable the GPS, data and Wi-Fi connection,
remote wipe the SD card, and get their latest call list.
Although it’s a free app, the app lets you take pictures from the smartphone camera (front and rear) and make your phone speak using text-to-speech.
Once the SIM card is changed, you will be informed via email. This app
can be used even after you have lost your smartphone due to its remote
install feature and is hidden from the launcher to prevent
uninstallation.
[Free to download; Pro: $2.99/mth] This has all the regulars, remote
lock and wipe, SMS activation, ring alert even in silent mode, hide from
view mode, and GPS-enabling feature. You can also retrieve the most
recent call logs – and it works even without a SIM card plugged in.
The Pro account (monthly subscription) lets you track the movements of the stolen smartphone with a history map
so you know where your device is heading. You can also get protection
for multiple devices, and receive notification for when it leaves a
pre-selected fenced-in area (good for keeping watch on your little
ones).
[Free] Here’s a simple anti-theft device which lets you locate your phone via GPS, track changes made to the SIM card and view the pictures that have been taken by the smartphone all through the Web. Here’s some news coverage on how the app actually helped a user get his stolen phone (and the car it was in) back.
More Anti-theft Apps
Didn’t like any of the above? Here are a few more anti-theft apps, some with the added protection against viruses that you might pick up while surfing the Web.
[Free; Pro: 2.99 euros] Cerberus has all the works, remote alarm
trigger, tracking via GPS, remote wipe of the SD card as well as the
internal storage, remote lock of the phone, plus alerts of a SIM change.
You can also record audio from the microphone. The free version lasts
for a week, while the Pro version lets you use it for up to 5 devices
under the same account.
[Free] To use Prey Anti-Theft you have to get it installed before the
phone goes missing. To find your lost phone, you can activate Prey via
SMS with the words "GO PREY" in all caps then log into the Control Panel
via the Web to mark the device as ‘Missing’. You can then receive
notices of where your phone is. The app is hidden and can only be uninstalled with a password.
[$0.99] Find My Phone is a simple app that lets you track down your
phone via GPS. Just text "findme" to start tracking and "ringaloud" to
make it start ringing. You can text from a friend’s phone or from free online SMS services.
[Free; Premium: $2.99/month] You can find your lost phone on Google
Maps, sound a loud alarm (even from silent mode) and lock your phone
remotely with this app. In the event that your phone has run out of battery, it will notify you of its last known location. Also has an automated backup and restore function which can be accessed from the website.
[Free to download; $30 a year to keep] Here’s the award-winning
software that will keep your smartphone safe from the inside out. It
comes as a 7-day free trial but to keep it on your phone, it’s a
$30/year subscription. For that sum, you get the regular anti-theft
protection, antivirus protection, plus data backup and restore
functions.
[$4.95] This one has plenty of anti-theft protection, with remote
block, remote wipe and device-tracking capabilities via GPS, Wi-Fi and
Google Maps even if your SIM card has been replaced. Unwanted or unknown
calls and text messages can also be blocked, and it lets you hide certain information from friends and family who borrow your phone for use.
[Free; Pro $29.99] This software can give you total protection for all your devices.
Lost devices can be located on a map, and the Pro version gives you a
scream alarm to help you find your missing device. A nifty trick it has
is that the phone is automatically locked once the SIM card is removed.
It also backs up your data whch can be easily restored.
[Free] Besides protecting your devices from virus attacks, it also
can locate your lost or stolen phone via Google Maps and lock your
device to protect your privacy via a text message. If your phone or
tablet is stolen or missing, you can also set a lock screen message to help the locator find you and make your device ring even when it’s on silent mode.
[Free] The anti-theft feature for this antivirus is actually a hidden
component which can be remotely controlled via SMS commands sent from
another phone or through the Web. You can log into Web controls to perform mobile tracking and/or give your phone commands.
Windows has released the new Windows 8 OS with a new interface that
is marking Microsoft’s shifting focus from clicks to touch. The new
Windows 8 is much faster than previous versions but after decades of
seeing only your folders on the desktop, are you ready to embrace the
new tile-filled UI, that is the Metro Start screen? We figure you might
need help customizing the new UI for personal comfort.
In this quick-tip, we’ll get you started with some of the changes
made to Windows 8 then show you basic configurations you can do to
customize your Metro Start page.
Breaking the Ice with Windows 8
Some of the differences you will notice on Windows 8 are that many
apps can only run when you are logged on with your Windows Live ID, and
that Internet Explorer can be run in two different modes. The ‘Settings
page’ also has gotten a new interface – I think we’ll start with this
one.
1. Windows Metro Start Page
When you are on any page, or running any app, you can simply hover
your mouse over the right side of the screen, to reach your Charms menu,
that bar that seems to be playing hide-and-seek with you. You can find
your shortcuts to the ‘Start’ page, ‘Devices’, ‘Setting’, ‘Share’ and
‘Search’ there. Alternatively, Windows key+ C will also open the charms
menu.
If you hover your mouse to the left side of your screen, a preview
bar will show you the apps you have running at the moment, as well as
the Start page.
2. Log in with Windows Live ID
To get access to most apps on Windows 8, you will need to log in to
your Windows using your Live ID. If you haven’t done so, you will get
this error when you try to open an app.
To register your Live ID, hover your mouse to the right of the screen to reach your charms menu, and then click ‘Settings’.
Then click on the ‘More PC Settings’ bar at the bottom.
On the settings page, go to the ‘Users’ tab on the left and click on ‘Add a user’.
A new page will appear. Simply enter your Live ID and click ‘Next’ to complete the process.
When you have added your Live ID, simply log out from your Windows and log in again with the new user ID
With Live ID access, you can now use all apps available on your
Windows 8. Also, you will be able to utilize SkyDrive and download more
apps from the Windows App Store.
Customizing Metro Start Screen
Your Metro Start page is now the main page on Windows 8, and you have
the ability to customize the look and feel of the page to your
preference.
1. Personalize Metro Start Screen
To change the look of your Metro Start page, hover over the Charms
menu on the right and go to the Settings page. Once you’re in, go to
‘Personalize’.
On this page, you can change your Lock screen, or click on the top menu to change the look of your Start screen.
You can also go to ‘Account picture’ to upload or change your account picture or avatar.
2. Tile Grouping
All tiles that are available on your Start screen can be grouped
according to its class or category. For example, you may want to group
your tiles under categories like ‘Social’, ‘Utilities’, ‘Internet’ and
‘Games’. To start grouping tiles, simply hold your mouse down on any
tile and drag it to another position or group.
You can also create a new group by dragging the tile to an empty space; a new group will be created automatically.
To customize the look, you can also change the size of each tile, to
have it appear as a rectangle or square. Simply right click on the tile,
and select ‘Larger’ to turn the square to a rectangle.
3. Naming the Tile group
Each group of tiles can be renamed so it will be easier to remember.
To start naming, point your mouse at the bottom right hand corner of the
screen and click on the small magnifier icon. Your Metro Start page
will be scaled down.
Now right click on any group of tile you want to label, and you will
see an option appear at the bottom of the screen. Click on ‘Name group’
and enter any name you prefer for the group of tiles.
4. adding and removing apps to Metro Start screen
To remove any tile from your Start screen, simply right click on the tile and click on ‘Unpin from Start’.
To add a new tile (app shortcut) to the start screen, hover your mouse to the Charm menu and click on Search.
Now you are in a page where all apps are listed. Right click on any
app to see the options and click on ‘Pin to Start’ to add the shortcut
as a tile on your Start screen.
Visiting the Windows (App) Store
With Windows 8, it’s easier now to make your Windows fun. From the
Start page, click on the Store tile to start purchasing new apps or
download free ones.
Once you are in the Storefront, scroll left and right to look for any
app you like, then choose to purchase or download for free.
Conclusion
With some basic changes, you can already customize your Metro Start
screen to follow your preference. Although not much options are offered,
soon enough when the product is launched, I’m pretty sure there will be
more tips and tricks to better customization.
Getting Around (and About) the New Windows 8 UI
Sarah writes: I
keep getting a message that says I don’t have enough available storage
to back up my iPhone 4S. I have the free 5 GB account and only 1.5 GB
available. 
Some of these apps have features that can help you track down your
missing phone by triggering it to ring off the hook, send its GPS
location to your email or when worse comes to worst, allow you to wipe
your data from the missing smartphone remotely. Not enough? Snap a photo
of the perpetrator or record their audio with your phone’s microphone.
Yes, these apps can do that and more.
Alternatively, you can remotely control your phone by connecting it to the Commander option,
a web-based interface. Where’s My Droid also offers a Pro version which
lets you take pictures with the camera (you might be able to take a
snapshot of the perpetrator), remote lock the phone rendering it
impenetrable or remote wipe the app to save your data from misuse.
In some smartphones, Plan B can enable the GPS on the phone then update you with its location every 10 minutes.
For phones with no such support, you can text ‘location’ from another
phone, and details of the missing phone’s location will be sent to your
email. In the absence of a data connection, the software will send its
location via SMS instead.
Although it’s a free app, the app lets you take pictures from the smartphone camera (front and rear) and make your phone speak using text-to-speech.
Once the SIM card is changed, you will be informed via email. This app
can be used even after you have lost your smartphone due to its remote
install feature and is hidden from the launcher to prevent
uninstallation.
In this quick-tip, we’ll get you started with some of the changes
made to Windows 8 then show you basic configurations you can do to
customize your Metro Start page.
To register your Live ID, hover your mouse to the right of the screen to reach your charms menu, and then click ‘Settings’.
Then click on the ‘More PC Settings’ bar at the bottom.
On the settings page, go to the ‘Users’ tab on the left and click on ‘Add a user’.
A new page will appear. Simply enter your Live ID and click ‘Next’ to complete the process.
When you have added your Live ID, simply log out from your Windows and log in again with the new user ID
With Live ID access, you can now use all apps available on your
Windows 8. Also, you will be able to utilize SkyDrive and download more
apps from the Windows App Store.
On this page, you can change your Lock screen, or click on the top menu to change the look of your Start screen.
You can also go to ‘Account picture’ to upload or change your account picture or avatar.
You can also create a new group by dragging the tile to an empty space; a new group will be created automatically.
To customize the look, you can also change the size of each tile, to
have it appear as a rectangle or square. Simply right click on the tile,
and select ‘Larger’ to turn the square to a rectangle.
Now right click on any group of tile you want to label, and you will
see an option appear at the bottom of the screen. Click on ‘Name group’
and enter any name you prefer for the group of tiles.
To add a new tile (app shortcut) to the start screen, hover your mouse to the Charm menu and click on Search.
Now you are in a page where all apps are listed. Right click on any
app to see the options and click on ‘Pin to Start’ to add the shortcut
as a tile on your Start screen.
Once you are in the Storefront, scroll left and right to look for any
app you like, then choose to purchase or download for free.