A USB drive for faster transfer of mobile files

People using Android devices know it's not easy to move files from their phone or tablet to a PC. Now, a special USB drive will make the task simpler. 

At present, you need an internet connection throughout to move files from Android to PC, a task that involves e-mailing the file or uploading it to a cloud storage site like Dropbox or Google Drive. 

Next you open the e-mail and download the attachment, or get the file from the cloud server. And finally you open the file on your computer. 

Now this task can be achieved even without a internet connection. Thanks to Leef's Bridge 3.0 flash drive, which provides a flexible, if not smooth, alternative. The drive comes with both full-sized and micro USB connectors. 

Housed in a black plastic slide-and-lock tray, each connector is exposed by pressing on a centre button and pushing forward or backward, reported Wired.com. 

Plug it in and you can stream or copy content to and from your Android phone, tablet, PC, or Mac. It's easy. 

The drive itself is designed for Android devices with Jelly Bean 4.1 or higher, Mac OS X or later, Windows XP (SP3) and later, as well as Linux Kernal 2.6 or later computers. 

But it does have its own set of problems. 

The Leef Bridge is supposedly compatible with some 40 Android phones and 16 tablets. Some of these devices can read and write data from Leef drives with their Android operating system, but most require the assistance of third-party file management apps available in the Google Play store. 

Since there is no intuitive design, it may take you some effort to figure out how to find the files you want to transfer, and once found, how to actually move them from one device to the other. 

So while the Leef Bridge 3.0 itself works well, users still need to overcome the clumsiness of the file manager apps the drive typically needs to operate.

Use WhatsApp on Android? Your chats are not so secure

NEW DELHI: If you use WhatsApp on an Android phone, you should be careful about what you talk about or share on the instant messaging app. Using a few scripts and a rogue app, anyone can peer into your chat logs and see what you talk about with your friends. 

A Dutch security consultant has found that WhatsApp chat logs saved on the SD card of an Android phone can be read by other apps because of the way Android allows sharing of data between apps.

"The WhatsApp database is saved on the SD card which can be read by any Android application if the user allows it to access the SD card. And since majority of the people allows everything on their Android device, this is not much of a problem," Bas Bosschert wrote on his blog.

"What do we need to steal someone's WhatsApp database? First we need a place to store the database," Bosschert explained. "Next thing we need is an Android application which uploads the WhatsApp database to the website."

When an Android application is installed, whether from the Play store or through an APK file, which is an installer file for Android phones and can be downloaded from various sources, the app requests for permissions to use network and SD card etc.

To explain his hack, Bosschert set up a web server and then created an Android application that required several special permissions on a user's phone. But because Android OS allows applications to access various parts of the phone - this is why users can conveniently share almost everything through any app on Android phone - Bosschert's app had no difficulty gaining access to WhatsApp data.

Bosschert wrote that the code that allows his application to access WhatsApp data and then upload it to his web server can be added to a popular Android app by a rogue developer to fool users and steal WhatsApp chat logs.

The older versions of WhatsApp were so insecure that they didn't even encrypt their data stored on SD card. The data from older versions of whatsApp could be read by anyone once it was uploaded on the web server. Even the data from newer version of WhatsApp, which uses encryption, can be accessed with ease.

"The WhatsAppp database is a SQLite3 database which can be converted to Excel for easier access. Lately WhatsApp is using encryption to encrypt the database, so it can no longer be opened by SQLite. But we can simply decrypt this database using a simple python script. This script converts the crypted database to a plain SQLite3 database," wrote Bosschert. "We can conclude that every application can read the WhatsApp database and it is also possible to read the chats from the encrypted databases."

Bosschert joked, "Facebook didn't need to buy WhatsApp to read your chats."

The security issue apparently doesn't exist on iPhones or Windows Phone devices because on these smartphones, apps have limited access to storage and other phone hardware. The more flexible access to phone hardware allows Android apps to talk to each other and helps a user quickly share content between apps. This is very convenient compared to what is possible on iPhone or Windows Phone, where it is difficult to share content between apps. But it also exposes data to rogue apps.

Google says that it keeps an eye on apps inside its Play store and removes apps if they pose any security risks. But this doesn't negate the fact that theoretically it is possible for a rogue app to do more damage on Android because of the open nature of the OS compared to iOS, which uses silos. Google also advises people against installing apps that don't come through Play store. By default Android phones are set to not install apps downloaded outside the Play store.

Source : timesofindia.com

9 Ways to Improve the Performance of Android Tablet

Is your Android tablet not performing as fast as it used to? Just like a personal computer, your tablet’s system will eventually run slower due to the memory shortage and stored files. But the good news is, you can maintain the fast performance of your tablet by knowing the right things to do.

You are probably using your tablet for a lot of things. I used my Android for playing games and browsing. I like its portability and functionality. But I too had experienced my tablet running slower which concerns me. I did my own research on how I can optimize my tablet’s performance which I will be sharing with you right now.

1. Remove Applications You Don’t Need

Every time you download an application on your tablet, it takes up memory. So, if you have several applications that you don’t really use, uninstall them. This will free up memory in your storage which leads to the faster performance of your tablet.

2. Close Applications

Tablets run slower when there are numerous applications running in the background. After using an application, close it. This way, your tablet’s system will have more memory to run your other applications.

3. Avoid Heavy Applications

Different applications have different sizes. Before downloading, look at the file size and determine if it’s worth downloading. Keep in mind that applications cannot be transferred to an external SD card so everything is stored in the tablet’s internal memory.

4. Stay Away from Live Wallpapers

True, those live wallpapers are beautiful and entertaining but you may notice that it makes your tablet run slower. It’s always running in the background even if you’re running an application already. It’s best to stick with regular wallpapers as this can save battery life too.

5. Turn off Maps

The moment you open your tablet, your map application will be active especially if you’re always connected to the internet. If you have GPS on your tablet, that’s worse. Not only will this suck the life out of your battery, but it will reduce your tablet’s performance. How? The tablet’s system will cut out on your tablet’s performance to make your tablet last longer.

6. Stop Animations

Just like live wallpapers, animations are eye candies. These things look great but you have no idea how it can reduce your computer’s performance. Deactivate animations in your tablet settings. You’ll really notice the difference.

7. Remove Unnecessary Widgets

I often see Android business phones and tablets with a bunch of widgets running. Widgets can be helpful but remove the unnecessary ones. Just keep the widgets you cannot live without and remove the rest. Those widgets take up memory.

8. A Habit to Kill

Make it a habit to kill applications that you are not using. In case you forgot to close them, download an application that can kill all running applications with one click. This will free up memory in an instant.

9. Use Application Cleaner/Manager

Such an application is what every Android tablet must have. An application cleaner can delete file cache, browser history and other unnecessary files. It can also assist with the removal of applications. Regularly clean and manager your tablet as this will greatly improve its performance.

These nine tips are tried and tested. I’ve done them myself and I’m happy with the improvement of my Android tablet’s performance. I’m glad that I didn’t need to buy a tablet with higher specs. I hope these tips can greatly help you out. If you’re a business person and you need a tablet that runs fast, these proven tips will not fail you.

Courtesy : http://bnjho.blogspot.in/

11 Printer Tips and Tricks

Printers are a useful bit of technology and as computers have advanced and become everyday objects, so have the printers that we use with them. Nearly everyone owns or uses a printer regularly, and if you have one then you’ll know how expensive they can be to run, not just that but the problems and errors can sometimes drive you to insanity. So to help you with your printer we’ve put together a short list of some printer tips and tricks.

1. You may or may not have heard of drivers depending on how much you know about computers. A driver is basically a piece of software that operates and controls a device that is connected to your computer, in this case a printer. If you have lost the driver disk for your printer and need it to re-install the driver then don’t worry, most of the manufacturers have archives of their drivers on their websites, you will probably end up getting a newer version of the driver this way too.
2. On some printers you can print out a test page without even going through your computers print interface. It varies depending on the model, for example on the Photosmart C3180 if you hold down the ‘x’ button and the colour button then a test page will print. Have a look through you printers manual and see if your printer has this feature.
3. If you ever have any problems or errors when it comes to printing (in most cases everyone who owns a printer has had some sort of problem at some stage), then try rebooting both your printer and computer, check all the wires that connect your PC and printer and provide them with power are plugged in correctly and if all else fails then update/re-install your driver.
4. Ink can sometimes dry up and cause small blockages within the print-heads nozzles, this can lead to your prints being streaky and faded. If this happens to you, you can buy cleaning cartridges that will clean the print-heads within a inkjet printer, they will break up and remove any ink that has dried inside the nozzles within the print-head.
5. Web sites, emails and other documents often have ads and other clutter that you generally don’t want to print. PrintFriendly.com allows you to make any web page or document print friendly by getting rid of the unneeded clutter, saving you a lot of ink and money in the long run. There are also some installable alternatives, but personally I find using PrintFriendly.com the easiest/quickest way of getting rid of clutter.
6. When buying a new printer, always check the ink cartridge prices before you buy. It is common to buy a printer that is extremely cheap only to find out that the ink costs more than the printer did. It is this razor and blade style business model that a lot of the printer manufacturers use to make their money (they sell the main product for very little and make up the money in the consumables), it’s a clever business model, but it drives the customers insane.
7. If you can buy re-manufactured ink cartridges or can get them re-filled professionally then do so. Re-manufactued/re-filled/compatible cartridges do not void the printers warranty and as long as you check for reviews of the company you are buying from first then you should get similar or the same print quality for a lot less.
8. If you have a laser jet printer, and your toner cartridge is beginning to show signs of running out (streaks and lighter print outs), take out your toner cartridge and shake it lightly, the same way you probably had when first inserting your cartridge. This should redistribute the toner dust that is left inside and will hopefully let you print out a few more pages before it totally runs out.
9. If you are wanting to save money, then try changing to the print quality to ‘draft’ or ‘grey-scale’ in your printer settings to save ink and print double-sided (also called duplex printing) if your printer allows it, to save paper.
10. If your ink cartridge dries up and as a result isn’t printing well then try dipping the print-head on the cartridge (this only applies to the cartridges that come with the print-head built-in) into some warm/hot water for a few seconds, this should break up the dried ink. After doing so dab the print-head on some tissue paper, if you get a solid line of ink then dry the cartridge off and place it back in the printer.
11. If your printer tells you, you are running low on ink, but you still are getting good quality prints with no streaks or fading, then carry on printing as you will probably still get a few more pages from it. The estimation of how many pages your cartridge will print is just that, an estimation, more than often you will get more prints that it says.

10 Uncommon Basic Computer User Tips

There are thousands of basic computer tips on this website alone, however in this article I am going to narrow it down to only the top 10 tips. These computer tips will be extremely handy for the newbie computer user.

#1. Shut Down The Right Way

Learn how to shutdown your computer correctly. This is very important and is often taken for granted. If you do not shut down the computer correctly it can cause an endless amount of problems. When a computer is shut down suddenly, and without warning, the computer is usually in the middle of an operation. The main problem is that if an operation is interrupted it usually remains unfinished and leaves stray or corrupt files lingering on your computer. 

The same applies when you want to remove a USB flash drive from your computer. You must do this correctly to ensure that the computer has in fact finished with the USB stick. If you remove the USB during a file transfer you might corrupt the USB drive and it’s contents.

#2. Know Where Your Files Are Being Saved

Know where to store your files the files that you create. You should not save files just anywhere on your computer. Everything you save or create should go into your documents folder in Windows XP, Vista and Seven. The Windows XP documents also has other folders in it such as my pictures and my music. On Windows Vista you need to save your files in your username section. For example my username is Mitz. This folder has documents, pictures, music, and so on in it.

To get to your pictures, documents and more, simply click on the start menu at the bottom right of your screen.

You should not save files in C: drive or even in C:Program Files. 

#3. Install All Software To The Default Location

Install programs to the correct location on C: drive. This is an easy task, as all program , by default, get installed in C:Program Files. Unfortunately  sometimes people presume they need to choose where to install a program and change the default destination.

#4. Don’t Mess With IT

Do not change default settings. “If it is not broke, don’t fix it.” People touch things they are not supposed to and cause problems. Most of the time if you just use your computer, and not fiddle with its settings, then your computer will run smoothly and without problems.

#5. Get Rid Of Trial Programs

Uninstall nagging trial programs and unused programs in the correct way.  It is important to know how to do certain tasks correctly, and removing programs is one of them. Too many people think that if they remove the desktop icon, then the program has been deleted also. This is not true. Each program has files scattered in different locations on your computer hard drive. These need to be removed by correctly and thoroughly.

#6. Take Some Lessons

Complete a computer basics course. It will save you money on repairs in the end. People can easily rip you off when repairing computers. I have seen people get charged $100 for a tech guy pressing CTRL ALT DEL on the keyboard to bypass the password login section on Windows XP. The customer nearly had a heart attack when she had forgotten her password again, bought the computer to me, watch me start it and press those three keys to get in.

I used to repair computers and I have seen and heard about a lot of rip off’s.

#7. Take Computer Maintenance Seriously

Learn how to perform computer maintenance and stick to a schedule. There are also some free programs that will help you keep you computer running smoothly.

#8. If You Need Antivirus – GET IT NOW!

Buy an Antivirus program if you plan to be on the internet. Don’t skimp on this one. Getting a virus can crash your entire computer and even damage hardware components. It is not worth risking your computers health by skimping on a an Antivirus program. Free Antivirus programs are OK in some circumstances, however they cannot protect you when you get hit by a serious virus. 

#9. Keep Updated

Perform regular updates. This is a great basic computer tip that is often overlooked. This includes downloading and installing Windows updates and Antivirus definition updates. They are both as important as each other. Firstly Windows updates usually contain necessary patches and updates that keep your computer up to date and ready for almost anything. Without these updates, your computer could be vulnerable to attacks and also prone to problems with programs. The updates are there to keep your computer up with the times, not to spy on you, as some people might think. Also updating your virus definitions is a vital process and needs to be performed to keep your computer safe. If you do not update your virus definitions, your virus checker will only be looking for outdated viruses, not the newly developed ones.

#10. Backup or Risk Losing Files

Backup your files. The best thing to do with your files is to store them on a separate partition or hard drive to the operating system. For example if you had C: drive and D: drive you should have Windows installed on C: drive and your saved files D: drive. This way if your computer crashes then the files will still be safe…But this does not mean you do not have to backup important files. You should have two copies of any important files and they should be stored in different locations. For example if you saved a group of photos in C:/users/mitz/pictures you should not store the second copy on C: drive. You could backup the file to an external hard drive or even a disc.

100 Keyboard Shortcuts

100 Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts (Microsoft Windows)

1. CTRL+C (Copy)

2. CTRL+X (Cut)  

3. CTRL+V (Paste) 

4. CTRL+Z (Undo)

5. DELETE (Delete)

6. SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)

7. CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

8. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

9. F2 key (Rename the selected item)

10. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

11. CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

12. CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)

13. CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

14. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text) SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)

15. CTRL+A (Select all)

16. F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)

17. ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

18. ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

19. ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

20. ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)

21. CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents opensimultaneously)

22. ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

23. ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)

24. F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

25. F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

26. SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

27. ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

28. CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)

29. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu) Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

30. F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)

31. RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

32. LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

33. F5 key (Update the active window)

34. BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer) 35. ESC (Cancel the current task)

36. SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

Dialog Box - Keyboard Shortcuts

1. CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)

2. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)

3. TAB (Move forward through the options)

4. SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)

5. ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)

6. ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)

7. SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)

8. Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)

9. F1 key (Display Help)

10. F4 key (Display the items in the active list)

11. BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)    

Source :  http://sapost.blogspot.in/

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)

2. Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

3. Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

4. Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)

5. Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

6. Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

7. Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)

8. CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)

9. Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)

10. Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)

11. Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)

12. Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

13. Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

14. Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)

15. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)

16. Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)

17. SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)

18. NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)

19. Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

20. Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

21. END (Display the bottom of the active window)

22. HOME (Display the top of the active window)

23. NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)

24. NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)

MMC Console keyboard shortcuts

1. SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)

2. F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)

3. F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)

4. CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)

5. CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)

6. ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)

7. F2 key (Rename the selected item)

8. CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

Remote Desktop Connection Navigation

1. CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)

2. ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)

3. ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)

4. ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)

5. ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)

6. CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)

7. ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)

8. CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

9. CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

Source :  http://sapost.blogspot.in/

Microsoft Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

1. CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)

2. CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)

3. CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)

4. CTRL+H (Open the History bar)

5. CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)

6. CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)

7. CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)

8. CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box,the same as CTRL+L)

9. CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)

10. CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)

11. CTRL+W (Close the current window) share with others...

Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

So, have you learned to love Windows 8 yet? Maybe yes, maybe no, but here are some keyboard shortcuts that you might like to include in your use of it. Don't forget the Windows key has the little windows flag on it.

Keyboard Shortcut	Action
Windows key	Go to the Start screen or toggle between the Start screen and your previous location
Windows-C	Open the Charms bar
Windows-D	Show the Desktop
Windows-E	Open File Explorer
Windows-F	Go to Files in the Search charm
Windows-H	Go to the Share charm
Windows-I	Go to the Settings charm
Windows-K	Go to the Devices charm
Windows-L	Lock the computer
Windows-M	Minimize all windows (only on the Desktop)
Windows-O	Lock/Unlock the screen orientation
Windows-Q	Go to Apps in the Search charm
Windows-R	Launch the Run box
Windows-T	Put the focus on the taskbar and cycle through your running Desktop apps
Windows-U	Open the Ease of Access Center
Windows-V	Cycle through your notifications
Windows-W	Go to Settings in the Search charm
Windows-X	Open a menu of tools for power users
Windows-Z	Launch the App bar (or make it disappear if it's already showing)
Windows-1 through 9	Go to the app in the corresponding position on the taskbar (Desktop only)
Windows-, (comma)	Peek at the Desktop (on Desktop only)
Windows-spacebar	Switch the input language and keyboard layout (launch Narrator)
Windows-Home	Minimize non-active Desktop apps
Windows-Page Up	Move Start screen to left monitor
Windows-Page Down	Move Start screen to right monitor
Windows-up arrow	Maximize a Desktop app
Windows-down arrow	Restore/minimize a Desktop app
Windows-F1	Run Windows Help and Support
Windows + +	Launch Magnifier and zoom in
Windows + -	Zoom out
Windows + Tab	Switch between running apps

Courtesy : http://sapost.blogspot.in/