How to Print Office for the iPad Documents

As you probably know, Microsoft Office Apps for the iPad are now available for downloading. The Apps are free but to edit or create documents you’ll need a Microsoft OneDrive account. Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are nicely done Apps for the iPad but there is one feature that didn’t make it into the first edition. That’s printing. Yep, there is no native way to print from the Apps themselves. After some hemming and hawing about the fact that we don’t print as much as we used to, Microsoft did admit that this will probably be an included feature in a future update.

So, what do you do if you need to print an Office document from your iPad. Well, the answer to that is to find an App that will do that for you. There are any number of Apps that will let you print from your iPad, but I’m going to focus on two of them that offer two different solutions for how to print Office for the iPad documents.
The first is called Printer Pro and it is made by Readdle. The App itself costs $6.99 although there is a free Lite version that you can download to see if it will work with your printer so you don’t have to pay the freight to find out. Printer Pro works with any Apps that you might create documents in and it works much like most iOS users would expect.
To use Printer Pro, download the App and then select Add Printer to add your printer to the list.

Again, there is a Lite version that you can use to test to see if your printer works correctly. If you download and use the Lite version the paid version will import your installed printers from that version.
Once you create a document in a Microsoft Office App it is saved to your OneDrive account. Open the OneDrive App and select and open the document. Once you’re in the document go to the lower left corner of the screen and select the three circles on the bottom task bar.

This will give you the option to Move or Rename your document or Open in Another App. Choose Open in Another App. This opens a small window that you can scroll through to see which Apps you can open your document in. Scroll until you find Printer Pro and select it. Your document will open in Printer Pro.

There are several printer options you can choose from and you can also choose which printer you wish to output your document to. Once you’ve set your options hit the big blue Print button and your document should arrive in your printer’s output tray.
Another alternative is called ThinPrint Cloud Printer. After setting ThinPrint Cloud Printer up the procedure to print is as described above, but the setup is quite different

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3 Reasons You Shouldn’t like to Buy A Cheap Phone

There you are at the carrier store looking for a new phone to get, since your previous two-year contract is up and you’re ready to sign another to get your discounted phone. A lot of the new devices you see are about $200, but there are a couple that are free! They don’t look as cool as the more-expensive ones, but you want to save money. That’s a bad idea.
You can get a lot of smartphones for free after signing a new two-year contract, while other models will usually cost around $200-$250. These cheaper smartphones are still decent, but when you take advantage of a deal for a cheaper phone, you’re not really saving a whole lot of money when you factor in how much you’ll pay over the period of a two-year contract. This is why it’s optimal to buy the best phone that money can buy when you enter into a two-year contract with a carrier.

Cheaper Phones Aren’t the Best Deal

Sure, it’s easy to think that by going for the cheaper phone that costs only $100 compared to the flagship device that sells for $200, you’re saving a ton of cash. When only looking at up-front costs, this is correct; you’re saving a lot of money by going for the cheaper option.
However, when you go into a carrier store and are looking at new phones, you need to think long term. You’ll be signing a two-year contract, so you need to think about the next two years.

Your up-front cost for your phone are only a fraction of what you’ll spend on the monthly service charges over two years. For example, if you spend $70 per month for phone service, that adds up to nearly $1,700 over the course of two years. When pondering that, do you think that saving a bit of cash and going with the cheaper phone was really a smart idea? Saving $100 on a cheaper phone is pointless when you’ll spend almost $2,000 over two years.

You’ll Get Sick of Your Cheaper Phone More Quickly

Most cheaper phones that you’ll see in carrier stores are often older models and are under-powered compared to today’s standards. These phones are usually a year old, which is a long time in smartphone world. They might keep up with your needs today, but two years from now, these phones will be too old to keep up.
Plus, the features on these cheaper phones will become obsolete much quicker than the newer phones that cost just a bit more. This means that you’ll most likely get sick of that cheaper phone you bought a lot more quickly than if you spent just a bit more and got the latest handset model.
In the end, if you settle for a cheaper phone, you’ll have to deal with it for two years and most likely won’t be happy before the first year is even up.

Cheaper Phones Rarely Get Software Updates and Support

Perhaps one of the biggest downsides to buying an older phone is that they will no longer get software updates and support from the manufacturer before your two-year contract expires. Phone manufacturers and carriers alike are notorious for this; they’ll release a new device, but within a year, they’ll release a newer device, and that older model will no longer receive updates or support.
iPhones usually lose support and the ability to update after about three years, but Android phones are more of a loose cannon these days. By opting for the latest smartphone on the store shelf, you’ll pretty much be guaranteeing that you’ll get updates and support through your two-year contract.

What You Should Do

Buying the latest and greatest smartphone is your best bet, as it will last you for a long time — or at least longer than what a cheaper phone would offer.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t take advantage of deals and pay as little as possible for a new smartphone, but make sure the deals are for good phones that will last awhile. Just in last few months we’ve seen incredible deals for the iPhone 5s, with Walmart having it as low as $119 on-contract at one point, with Best Buy going as low as $125. Best Buy even had the iPhone 5s for $1 if you traded in an older iPhone, which isn’t a bad deal at all.

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Facebook Will Buy Internet At $54 Trillion! Really? Posted by Nida Zaidi on 3/14/2014

The name Facebook is not new to anyone, it is today’s most famous online social networking website or service that came from a idiom for the encyclopedia which was handed over to some of the students of some American university. The founder of Facebook is Mark Zuckerberg in collaboration with the colleagues named Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. It is due to its immense success that now it is considered as worlds 5^th most successful startup company of all times in terms of its market capitalization, in terms of its revenue generation and the speed of its growth. After a chain of great successes, Facebook is now again ready to surprise its users by making its largest requisition.

Facebook – As the most powerful requisition company

The value of Facebook in 2014 has reached up to the limits of 104 billion dollars and its market capitalization has mounted to 134 billion dollars. Today it is being said that Facebook is in complete preparation to make its net move and the biggest purchase ever. It is according to the news given by TechCrunch and CNBC that Facebook is in collaboration with the authorities in order to buy the drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace for $60 million to which they will make utilizations as a vehicle to help make user that the use of internet is even and completely spread all over the world.

This is though a very strong acquisition for Facebook, buying a drone manufacturer like that, but most remarkably the major focus is to buy the purchaser technology corporations and apps along with the establishments including WhatsApp and Instagram but according to the initial reports of the outlets it is being said that the purchase will attend internet.org which will be considered as an initiative that has been launched by the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that is meant for bringing the entire world close by means of internet.

The Real Story

It is being supposed that Facebook will buy the Titan Aerospace, makers of near-orbital, solar-powered drones that are supposed to fly continuously for five years without having to land on earth any time soon. The prices which are being set for the acquisition is supposed to be around 60 million dollars and form the understanding of critics, Facebook is attentive in making the most of these such high flying drones to cover up those parts of the world who are in dire need of an internet connection in the areas.
The commencement of this project will start from Africa and major parts of it which are without the access of a decent internet connection. The company is thinking about building around eleven thousands of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), specifically the “Solara 60″ model. An example of such models can be easily seen on YouTube and other sites which will explain how these drones can be considered as atmospheric satellites that are made-up to carry out the conduction of the operations of an orbital satellite system but are much cheaper in price and are more modified than the other ones.

Titan Aerospace-As a gigantic company

These drone models are supposed to fly so high which is as much as around 65 thousand feet which is far more effective in working as a satellite device with much less operating costs, making them cost effective and also what their company calls them “atmospheric parking”. The models of such drones are considered to carry up around 100 kg of the entire equipment.

It has been claimed recently by TechCrunch that Facebook is showing interest in buying some of these solar powered devices or drones which are allowed to remain into the space for about five years without causing any hindrance in the hope that they can effortlessly be improved to provide great internet connection in the areas which are in calamitous need for an internet admittance.

What to Expect Out of This Acquisitions?

According to the owners of Facebook it is very easy to take those people for granted which have complete access to the internet connection but only 2.7 billion people in the world are lucky to have such resources and others are un-able to stay connected to the world. The major objective of this project is to connect everyone right now but with the aid of some melodramatic changes possible.

The plan might be a little eccentric than it seems but if Facebook can convince the authorities to use Titan’s drones to do such experimenting on the internet then it is possible for them to get deeply and entirely hooked up in to the world of social media and services which will help them turn into a money-spinning lifetime user. Facebook is playing the long game here actually and hopefully everyone will have access to an affordable internet connection in the coming times which will help them join acquaintance economy and gain more procurement influence.
So this is really interesting to see Facebook growing with such a great pace.
Share your views,

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iPad mini with Retina Display Review

Last week, Apple released the iOS 7.1 update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, an update the replaced iOS 7.0.6 as the company’s latest iOS 7 update. After spending a week with the iOS 7.1 update on the iPad mini with Retina Display, it’s time to take a look at how the update is performing on Apple’s latest tablet.
In November, Apple released the iOS 7.1 update into the beta program. Per usual, the company did not say when it would release the update though reports soon pegged the update’s public release for 2014 rather than 2013. January and February went by and iPhone and iPad owners, particularly those dealing with iOS 7 problems began to grow weary.

Apple finally delivered the update last week, just a short time after reports pegged the update’s arrival as imminent. As expected, the update is available to all iOS 7 devices including the aging iPhone 4 and iPad 2. For owners of those two devices, iOS 7.1 figures to be the last major iOS update.
That isn’t the case for a device like the iPad mini with Retina Display. Instead, for owners of Apple’s latest tablet, iOS 7.1 serves as the first major iOS update.

Prior to the arrival of iOS 7.1, we heard from a number of iPad mini with Retina Display users, including our own Warner Crocker, who were dealing a issues inside iOS 7.0.6 and below. Most of those users complained about springboard issues wherein the device would randomly reboot itself. Apple promised a fix for the problem and the iOS 7.1 update came with the supposed remedy on board. But did it actually fix the problem?
We take a look at that and more in our final review of the iOS 7.1 update for the iPad mini with Retina Display.

iOS 7.1 Performance

Last Monday, I took the plunge and installed iOS 7.1 on my iPad mini with Retina Display. I say plunge because iOS updates always have the potential to deliver a poor experience. And while I didn’t expect iOS 7.1 to deliver one, I have faith in Apple’s beta process, I’ll always remain skeptical.
For a week now, I’ve used iOS 7.1 on Apple’s latest tablet. During that week, I’ve received a ton of questions and comments about the update and its performance. Many friends, family and readers are wondering exactly how the update is performing on the 7.9-inch slate and whether it’s worth installing. It seems that I’m not the only one aware of the risks involved when it comes to installing new software updates.
My first impressions of the iOS 7.1 update for iPad mini with Retina Display were good, but how is the update holding up after a week? Let’s take a look.

Speed

iOS 7.0 on the iPad mini with Retina Display was fast, much faster than it was on the iPad 3. iOS 7.1 is faster than iOS 7.0 thanks to changes Apple made to transitions and animations.
As I pointed out in my iOS 7.1 review for iPad Air, the change is not as noticeable as it is on a device like the iPhone 5, but there is definitely some added zip. Folders appear quicker and the time between tapping on an app and it popping up full screen is much shorter. It just cuts down on a lot of that extra time that iOS 7 used to take.
Overall, it just feels a lot more crisp, a lot more fluid than iOS 7.0 and I think that this change alone makes the upgrade to iOS 7.1 worth it for iPad mini with Retina users. It’s subtle, so don’t expect a dramatic different, but again it’s something that I’ve come to appreciate over the last week.

Apps

Since the arrival of iOS 7.1, I’ve heard complaints about broken applications. Many of those complaints center around Facebook, one of the App Store’s most popular pieces of software. iPad owners say that the app now refuses to open and even after re-installing the app, it fails to work.
I haven’t seen Facebook crash in iOS 7.1 nor have I had issues with any other applications inside iOS 7.1. Apps, including Apple’s stock iOS apps, appear to be stable and I have yet to run into any random crashes. It seems that I’m not alone.

According to a new report from performance monitoring firm Crittercism, app crashes are down with iOS 7 on the whole. My app experience with iOS 7 has been solid and nothing has changed with iOS 7.1.
Those that are dealing with problems should try uninstalling the application. If the problem persists, get in touch with the developer.

Battery Life

Tests performed by ArsTechnica suggest that battery life hasn’t changed after iOS 7.1. My experience on my iPad mini with Retina Display lines up with the site’s analysis.
I haven’t noticeable any visible drop in battery life and there certainly isn’t any abnormal battery drain on board. The device still offers up a massive charge that’s hard to get through in a day.
As I’ve said before, battery life is going to vary from user to user. We all have different habits and different software on board. iOS battery life tends to stay the same for most people after an update but if for some reason you’re experiencing bad battery life, be sure to check out our iOS 7.1 battery life tips and this one easy fix that might solve all of your issues.
If nothing works, bring the device to Apple because there is a good chance that it’s not the software that’s affecting the iPad mini with Retina Display.

Connectivity

Wi-Fi and 4G LTE on AT&T’s network remain strong on iOS 7.1. Unlike some people, I haven’t run into any issues in iOS 7 and the upgrade to iOS 7.1 hasn’t changed a thing. My signals are strong and I don’t expect that to change as we move forward.

Bugs & Problems

I did not run into the springboard crash issue on my iPad mini with Retina Display though I have heard, from colleagues and friends, that the issue has been taken care of in iOS 7.1. What I can say is that I haven’t experienced any trouble since installing the iOS 7.1 update. The tablet remains stable. I haven’t bumped into any other major bugs or issues either. iOS 7.1 seems to be extremely stable.
There does appear to be another security issue inside iOS though all we iPad mini with Retina Display owners can do is sit back and wait for Apple to address the problem with a future update.

iOS 7.1 Features

iOS 7.1 also brings some other changes to iPad mini with Retina Display owners, two of which I have found to be extremely useful on the iPad mini with Retina.
The first, the change to the calendar app. In iOS 7.1, Apple added an easy way to display events in the month view. It’s an extremely small change but it’s one that I, and many others, appreciate.
Apple also made a necessary change to Siri. It’s not going to turn me into a regular Siri user but the fact that I can now hold down the home button and give Siri orders without her interrupting me is a big improvement. Siri will no longer respond until after you let go of the home button. It’s a small but much needed change.

Should You Install iOS 7.1?

If this review makes the iOS 7.1 update sound like a fantastic update, it’s because it is. iOS 7.1 is a solid, all-around piece of software that kills off bugs and doesn’t seem to bring any major ones of its own to the table. While it doesn’t offer any major battery life improvements, it does bring improved performance refinements to the look of iOS 7.

At this point, only those who are thinking about jailbreaking their iPad mini with Retina should avoid iOS 7.1. Others would be wise to take the plunge along with me.

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HTC One Review

The HTC One M8 is arguably the best Android available right now and an excellent choice for both new and seasoned smartphone users.  The HTC One M8′s excellent design, outstanding camera app and smart Android customizations earn this smartphone a Gotta Be Mobile Editors’ Choice Award. We confidently recommend the HTC One M8 to Android shoppers, but have some reservations about its camera. Read on for our full HTC One M8 review.
The HTC One M8 was announced on March 25 and went on sale immediately at Verizon Wireless stores for $199 with a two-year contract. It’s available from other carriers in the United States starting April 10.  It looks similar to last year’s HTC One M7, but it is taller and has several noteworthy enhancements. What sets the HTC One M8 apart from other Android devices is its superb build quality and aluminum exterior.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, the HTC One M8 design is superior to the iPhone 5s in many ways. I still recommend the iPhone 5s to most people, but the HTC One is a strong contender. The HTC One M8′s camera app is awesome, but the camera produces muddy photos – a deal-breaker for a lot of people that use their phones as their only cameras.
I carry the iPhone 5s as my primary smartphone and the HTC One M8 is now my secondary device, serving as a mobile hotspot, Google Glass companion and entertainment device. I have a drawer full of Android devices and the HTC One M8 is by far my favorite. You can read my previous article about why the HTC One M8 is probably the only Android device I’m going to buy this year.
The HTC One doesn’t have as many software features as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 and it doesn’t have anything close to the iPhone’s ecosystem, but it might be the right smartphone for you. Read the rest of our HTC One review to learn why.

Read: 8 Ways the HTC One Beats the iPhone 5s

HTC One M8 Design

HTC’s knocked it out of the park with the new HTC One’s design. It is almost completely made out of metal, which means it’s solid and feels like a premium gadget. It’s available in Glacial Silver, Gunmetal Gray and Amber Gold. I opted for the silver version because I like that it blends in with all of my Apple devices and natural aluminum finishes are usually the most durable. Speaking of Apple, it’d be very easy to confuse the HTC One M8 as an Apple device. If Apple suddenly got in the business of producing Android phones, they’d probably sell something like the HTC One M8.


The HTC One M8′s gorgeous 5-inch display make it a much better device for watching videos. The iPhone 5s has a 4-inch display, which doesn’t sound a whole lot smaller than that, but the HTC One M8′s display has 56% more surface area. The HTC One M8 features full 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and simply looks fantastic, especially with brightness cranked up all the way. One of the downsides of the bigger screen and overall dimensions is that it is difficult to hold with one hand. The rounded edges and smooth metal finish makes the phone downright slippery and easy to drop.
The HTC One’s dual front-facing cameras are significantly louder than the single speaker on the bottom edge of the iPhone 5s. The stereo speakers actually produce enough separation that I could clearly hear the left and right stereo channels when watching movies.  That’s a much better experiencing than when I have to cup my hand around the iPhone 5s’s speaker so I can barely hear a movie’s dialogue.


There’s an easily accessible microSD card slot that can boost the HTC One M8′s capacity from the built-in 32GB to up to 160GB with a 128GB microSD card.  That means you don’t have to pay big bucks to get a decent amount of storage and you can swap in more (or bigger) microSD card if your needs ever change. With the iPhone 5s, you’re stuck with as little as 16GB of storage and there’s no way to expand.
HTC One M8 Battery Life
One of my chief complaints about Android devices over the past few years is lackluster battery life. I always ended up having to plug in my previous Android devices by the early afternoon or playing with settings to stretch battery life. I’m happy to report that the HTC One M8 can easily make it through a day of regular use without trying. Google’s recently improved how Android manages battery life and HTC’s helped the cause by stuffing the new HTC One M8 with a 2,600 mAh battery, which is about 15% more than last year’s model.

As I write this review, it’s 9pm and  my HTC One M8 has 50% of its battery charge remaining.  I unplugged it at 8am, just before I left to drive my son to school. I used the HTC One M8 to take about a dozen photos and a short video of him at school. About an hour later I paired the phone with my Google Glass and uploaded some videos to Facebook using the phone’s 4G connection. A little while later I used Chrome to read some news articles for about 15 minutes, before firing up Google Maps to navigate to a repair shop to get new tires for my car. I used the HTC One M8 to make several short phone calls in the early afternoon. During a late lunch I launched Google Play and watched about 30 minutes of a movie I bought on Google Play. I used the phone to try out different apps and functions repeatedly until 9PM, which is when I took the screenshot above. I’m certain the HTC One would have more like 60% remaining if I enabled automatic brightness rather than keeping it on maximum brightness all day.
The usage scenario I described above is pretty typical of the average user and the battery performance is more than adequate for that. On Sunday I used the device much more heavily to take photos and videos of my family at a festival in San Francisco almost non-stop for two hours. The battery was drained to 20% by 3PM. While the HTC One has good battery life, you’ll have to recharge if you have its screen on all day, just like you’ll need to with any smartphone with its standard battery.
Based on my experience so far, it’s reasonable to expect the HTC One M8′s battery to last two or three full days if you use the device sparingly and dim the screen as much as possible. That’s not a very good way to use a mobile device, but the point is that you can stretch battery life in case you’re stuck somewhere without a charger.
One thing to note about the HTC’s battery life claims of 20 hours of talk time and 496 hours of standby time is that the ratings are for 3G connections. In the United States, wireless carriers sell the HTC One M8 with 4G LTE turned on by default. While you could switch off 4G LTE to conserve battery life, 3G connections are too slow to stream video or quickly load web pages.
HTC DotView Case
HTC sells the Dot View case along with the HTC One M8. It’s interesting because the dots on the front cover are transparent, allowing the user to see basic info, such as the current time and caller ID for incoming calls without opening the cover. The cover is touch-enabled, which means users can tap and swipe the same gestures with the Dot View cover closed as they can directly on the display.

The downside of the Dot View case is that it takes too much effort to actually keep the case open. There’s too much resistance when the cover is open and folded against the back of the phone. The cover doesn’t contour to the phone’s shape, creating about a quarter-inch gap between the cover and the right edge of the phone. Another thing I don’t like about the Dot View case is that it almost completely hides the HTC One M8′s beautiful design with bland plastic. It’d be nice if HTC could make the cover more flexible and introduce a case with a transparent back to fix these issues.
HTC One Camera
The HTC One M8 is my new favorite way to shoot family outings thanks to its killer Zoe shooting mode and Highlights video builder. The device also has some fantastic photo and video features, but the phone’s camera isn’t all that great at taking plain old still photos.

The back of the HTC One M8 has not one, but two cameras set up in an array that HTC calls this the Duo Camera system. It allows for some interesting 3D effects and helps blur backgrounds.
Rather than trying to capture more megapixels like the iPhone 5s (8 MP) or Galaxy S5 (16MP), theUltraPixel Camera’s 4MP sensor has larger pixels. That might sound a little confusing, but it’s like using four big buckets to catch rainwater rather than eight or sixteen little buckets. This strategy doesn’t work well in the HTC One however and the competitive devices can capture cleaner photos pretty consistently. Photos shot with the HTC One M8 look good on the device’s own display, but look soft and mushy on larger displays, such as my Mac’s. The images aren’t terrible by any measure, but there are better options if photo quality is important to you.

The HTC One Camera app is outstanding thanks to a clean layout and options that are easy to use. Video and continuous photos can be shot with a single tap in Zoe Camera mode. This is a fantastic way to capture the perfect shot without forcing people to pose like statues. The standard Camera mode captures depth information using the smaller of the two cameras on the back of the phone. Dual Capture mode captures two photos at the same time, overlaying a selfie with whatever you’re looking at.

Above is an example of a picture shot with the HTC One M8 in standard picture mode. The tourists milling around the fountain are distracting and take away from the mermaids in the middle of the frame. 

A quick tap on the UFocus editing tool blurs the background. The depth information captured by the second camera allows users to tap any part of the frame and refocus on it. This kind of look typically requires a bulky DSLR camera.

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7 Things to Do Before Installing iOS 7.1

iOS in the Car, now known as CarPlay, is official and it will be heading to iOS 7 users in the near future, likely on board Apple’s iOS 7.1 update. With it now official, and release date rumors pointing to March, an iOS 7.1 release date is in sight and there are some things that iPad and iPhone owners should do to prepare for its arrival.
Since November, the iOS 7.1 update has remained inside of Apple’s developer program. We’ve seen five iOS 7.1 beta releases, releases that have pointed to many of the features that will be on board Apple’s brand new update.
iOS 7.1 figures to be a pretty big change from iOS 7 in that it delivers not only bug fixes but it will bring cosmetic changes as well. The Power Off screen looks completely different and Apple has made some other design changes in an effort to unify the look and feel of its new iOS 7 update. It’s also rumored to be coming with features for the car, something that Apple announced back at WWDC, but something that has yet to arrive.

Today, iOS in the Car arrived as CarPlay. Apple says that the feature will become available to iOS 7 users with Lighting ports though it’s careful not to say how or when.

All signs point to iOS 7.1 and numerous reports have pegged the update’s release for March. A specific date hasn’t been nailed down but it looks like it may arrive before the middle of the month.
Apple doesn’t announce iOS x.1 release dates ahead of time which makes it a difficult update to prepare for but now that it’s on the horizon, it’s a good time to start prepping your iPhone or iPad for its release.
Here, we offer some tips and tricks to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners ahead of the iOS 7.1 release date.

Clean Up Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

The first thing that recommend iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users do ahead of the iOS 7.1 release is clean up their software.
Over the past few months, many iPhone and iPad users have likely downloaded applications or music or other files that they simply don’t use any more. Now is a great time to get rid of those applications and files that aren’t used any more. It will get rid of any clutter and also free up some valuable storage space.

16GB iPhone and iPad owners in particular might want to think about doing this because iOS updates require a ton of free space when pulled Over-the-Air. Those without several GB’s of free storage will not be able to download and install the update and will instead have to install through iTunes.
Obviously, we recommend keeping iOS clean and tidy year round but some clean up right before a major iOS update is always a good idea.

Make Sure Your Device is Charged

Before the iOS 7.1 update arrives for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, users will want to ensure that their device is charged. Users will likely need to have a minimum of 50% when installing the software, if not plugged into a power source.

Those who know they won’t have a power source readily available will need to make sure that the device is charged and ready before installing iOS 7.1 when it arrives. iPhone and iPad owners who do have access to a Lightning or 30-pin dock connector simply need to plug a device in and the update should download and install without a problem.

Update Your Apps

In addition to cleaning up your iOS software, now is a great time to update applications. While developers have done a good job keeping applications stable in iOS 7, there is always a chance that something will break once iOS 7.1 arrives. By updating and keeping applications updated, it decreases the risk of encountering problems.

We also recommend keeping an eye out for information from developers. Often times, they will communicate vital information to their users after an update is released.
We don’t expect there to be a widespread plague of broken iOS applications but we do recommend updating just to be safe

Backup Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

iOS 7.1 has been in a beta for months and thus, it should come with a ton of bug fixes rather than a ton of bugs. However, there is always a chance that something could go horribly wrong after installing the software. We’ve seen it with just about every single iOS update in the past.
Before installing iOS 7.1, users will want to backup all of their files so that if anything goes wrong, the data can be retrieved with ease. This is particularly crucial considering iOS 7.1 is going to much larger than a typical incremental iOS update and there is a chance that some things won’t be agreeable with the software.

To do this, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners will want to go into iTunes and make a backup. The backup process begins after you plug your device into a computer. If it doesn’t happen automatically, you can force a backup to occur.
Then, simply go into iTunes, right click on your device, and select Back Up. It’s going to take some time for the process to complete, particularly for those that have a ton of content on their device, but it’s worth doing ahead of the iOS 7.1 release date.

Get the Latest Version of iTunes

Future iOS 7.1 users are going to want to download the latest version of iTunes ahead of the iOS 7.1 release date.
Right now, the current version is iTunes 11.1.5 and that could be the version of iTunes that is available when iOS 7.1 arrives. It’s possible that Apple will release another version between now and its release date but right now, that’s the version iPhone and iPad owners want.
There are two ways to get the latest version of iTunes. The first is to get it through Apple’s website. There, users will need to download the proper version and install it on a desktop or laptop.
The second way is to manually check for an update. Go to iTunes – Check for Updates… or head to the Mac App Store if using a Mac. For Windows users, head to Help – Check for Updates within iTunes. Those that don’t have the latest version should be prompted to download the latest when opening iTunes.

iOS 7.1 Jailbreak Tips

We still don’t know what’s going to happen with iOS 7.1 and the current iOS 7 jailbreak. At the moment, things look grim given that Apple apparently plugged up the exploits used by the jailbreak. That said, there is a good chance that we won’t see an iOS 7.1 jailbreak made available on day one.
Those who do want to jailbreak their device might want to install iOS 7.0.6 or lower now and jailbreak. The Evasi0n 7 jailbreak is compatible with all versions of iOS 7.0. There is a chance that an iOS 7.1 jailbreak will be released but those that want to be sure probably want to consider installing it now.

Those who are currently using the jailbreak will want to keep an eye on what the jailbreak team says before and after the iOS 7.1 update arrives. MuscleNerd is a good person to keep an eye.
While we can’t say what’s going to happen for sure, those who are using the jailbreak will want to ignore the iOS 7.1 download or install prompt until the jailbreak team makes an announcement.

Talk with IT

iOS updates, like OS X updates, tend to cause problems with Enterprise software. While we still don’t know if iOS 7.1 will introduce any nasty issues of its own, it’s a good idea to check in with the IT department at your company right now, ahead of the iOS 7.1 update.

There is a chance that they might have a recommendation ahead of the iOS 7.1 release. Often times, that advice is to avoid the update until they are able to confirm that it’s working with third-party software. It is possible that your IT department is using the iOS 7.1 beta to test apps and services that users need. This probably won’t be the case everywhere but it’s certainly worth it to check.
iOS 7.1 is rumored to be making enterprise deployment easier so perhaps Enterprise users won’t be dealing with the usual post-iOS update headaches for much longer.

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How to Block Websites on Facebook

If you can’t stand seeing another BuzzFeed post on Facebook the website offers a new tool to block websites on Facebook from the news feed with a few clicks.
Any Facebook user will tell you that there is at least one friend who is constantly posting links to the same political website, left or right, that no one else wants to see and get dragged into a conversation that will lead to nothing but frustration.

You can now hide articles on Facebook.

If you want to clean up your Facebook news feed and keep articles from a specific website off your feed you can now do this. It is not a perfect solution as some posts will not show a Hide all option, and depending how a user shares a link it may still slip through, but here is how to clean up your Facebook news feed.

How to Block Websites from Facebook

Perhaps one of the nicest parts about the Hide all from option on Facebook is that it works in the Facebook app on iPhone and Android as well as on the website. Given how much time many users spend on Facebook on their phone, this is great to see.
While scrolling through the Facebook news feed, if you see a post from a website that you don’t want to see anymore you can tap to hide all from that website.
Tap on the small arrow in the upper right of a post. This is in the same spot on iPhone, Android and on the web.

Tap or click here to get started.

If Facebook detects the website used in post there will be an option to “Hide all from website name.”

Tap on Hide all to get started.

When asked if you are sure you want to hide posts from website name, click or tap on hide.

Click or tap hide to complete the process.

It is possible to click undo to change the block immediately and Facebook will also ask why you don’t want to see articles from that website. Users can tell Facebook if it is annoying or not interesting, that it shouldn’t be on Facebook or that it’s spam. After the initial block it is not clear where users can unblock a site from their Facebook news feed.
This does not appear to work when someone shares a status from another person or from a page. In order to block those users will need to unfollow the individual using the same drop down. This does not unfriend the person, but it will keep all of their updates off your news feed. It would be good to see an option to block shared links here as well.

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How to Install an SSD in a Laptop

Installing a solid-state drive (SSD) in a laptop or desktop computer is one of the best upgrades you can do for your computer. Boot times will improve and applications will load a lot faster than if you were using just a regular hard drive.
I recently upgraded my mother’s laptop to an SSD and decided to document the journey along the way in an effort to pass along the knowledge to those wanting to perform such an upgrade on their own laptops. It’s quite easy to do and should only take you around 10-15 minutes to install. Plus, the only tool you’ll need is a Phillips screwdriver.
For this tutorial, I’m using an older HP dv6000 series laptop. A lot of newer laptops might be harder to open up to mess around with, but many laptops still allow easy access to the hard drive bay.

Instructions

The first thing you want to do before breaking open a laptop is removing the battery. If your laptop has an internal battery that you can’t remove, there might be a small connector that you can access and disconnect when you pop off the bottom plastic shell. If not, don’t worry too much about it.

Next, look for a small symbol on the bottom of the laptop; it usually looks like a stack of pancakes. The symbol should also be next to a pair of screw terminals, which are the screws you want to remove in order to gain access to the hard drive on the inside. For this laptop, there are two screws we’ll need to remove. Let’s do that now.

After the screws are out, we can lift up the plate and take it off, revealing the hard drive.

Most laptop hard drives will have a plastic tab that you can pull on in order to get it out of its socket. If so, simply just grab onto it and slowly pull it out.

Once it’s out, the hard drive will be encased in a thin metal casing where it’s attached with two screws on each side. Remove the four screws to take off that casing.
There also might be an adapter connected to the SATA ports on the hard drive. This HP laptop had one, so I simply just removed it from the hard drive and attached it to the SSD.

Go ahead and also install that metal casing on your SSD and secure with those four screws.

Now it’s time to install the SSD in your laptop. Everything you’ve done with the SSD has simply been in the reverse order of removing the hard drive, so simply lay the SSD inside of the socket, making sure that the SATA connection lines up with the connection inside of the socket. Then simply just lay down the SSD until it fits snugly inside.

Take the plastic plate and put it back on, securing it with the two screws that you removed first back in the beginning of the tutorial.

Insert the battery or plug it back in, and you’ll be all set. Of course, you’ll have to re-install Windows or restore from a backup, but that’s as simple as putting in the install disc and following the on-screen instructions, but you now have an SSD installed and should look forward to a much faster computer as a result.

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How to Install iOS 7.1

This guide will show users how to install iOS 7.1 on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. iOS 7.1 is a free update for any device running iOS 7 or patched versions of iOS 7.
We will show users how to prepare for the iOS 7.1 update and how to install the iOS 7.1 update on supported Apple products. It is a good idea to perform the iOS 7.1 update when at home to avoid ending up with an unusable iPhone if something goes wrong. This is a very slim chance for major issues when performing the iOS 7.1 upgrade, but it is a good idea to avoid doing it at work or while mobile.
The iOS 7.1 release arrived Monday March 10th at 1PM eastern as an over the air update that users can download to the iPhone or iPad directly and as a download that users can apply in iTunes.

Prepare for the iOS 7.1 Update

The iOS 7.1 update is available to install right now, but before you hit download you should take a few steps to make sure things go smoothly. We have a list of 7 things to do before you install iOS 7.1, which is recommended reading.
The biggest steps are to backup the iPhone or iPad and to check with IT if you are using a work issued iPhone or iPad to make sure that there are no issues with custom and work specific software and apps.

How Long Does the iOS 7.1 Update Take

There is no single answer to how long the iOS 7.1 update takes to install, but in our experience the update installs and completes in about 15 to 20 minutes. On one of the test iPhones in at Gotta Be Mobile the update is still going after 40 minutes, but this appears to be an outlier. We suggest users plan on at least 30 minutes to download and install iOS 7.1, but it could take longer so unless you have time to spare it is best to wait until you can dedicate the right amount of time.

How to Install iOS 7.1

There is no need to plug in to the computer to upgrade to iOS 7.1 update, though it is an option if the iPhone or iPad does not see any updates available.
The most important thing to remember before starting to install iOS 7.1 is that during the actual installation process you can not use the iPhone or iPad in any way. This means you will not be able to surf the web, use email, make a phone call or send a message. You can perform these activities while downloading the update, but when the phone reboots to install iOS 7.1 you will not be able to use the phone for a period of 10 to 15 minutes.

Open Settings to start the iOS 7.1 update.

1. Open the Settings App. On the home screen of the iPhone you should see a Settings icon which will allow you to open the main settings page.

How to install iOS 7.1

Next tap on General and then on Software Update. On this screen the iPhone or iPad will search for an update. It may take a minute or two to find that there is an iOS 7.1 update available.

Tap on Download and Install to start installing iOS 7.1

2. Tap on Download and Install. Once found tap on the Download and Install button at the bottom of the screen. this will start the update. On our devices the size of the iOS 7.1 update ranged from 265MB to 1.4GB. You will need to download this update over a WiFi network and will need at least 50% power to download and install iOS 7.1.

Wait for the iOS 7.1 download to complete before installation starts.

3. After tapping Download and Install wait while the iOS 7.1 update downloads. This can take 15 to 30 minutes depending on your connection speed, demand on Apple’s servers and other factors. During this time you can continue to use the iPhone or iPad, but be prepared for a pop up letting you know that iOS 7.1 is ready to install.

You will see this screen at least once before the iOS 7.1 update is finished.

4. Wait for the Install to complete. When the iPhone or iPad reboots to install iOS 7.1 you will see a small Apple icon on the screen and a progress bar under it. This may complete twice before the device is ready to use. When the iPhone or iPad reboots to the lock screen the iOS 7.1 update is complete and the device is ready to use.

How to Install iOS 7.1 in iTunes

If you cannot update to iOS 7.1 through the settings and an over the air update you will need to plug into iTunes. This will install the same iOS 7.1 file, so either way will get you the new iOS 7.1 features and fixes. If you run into trouble, plug the iPhone into a computer and open iTunes.
If needed allow the iPhone or iPad to complete a backup and sync. When this is done, click on the iPhone icon in the upper right. On this screen you should see an option to Check for Update. Click that.

You can use iTunes to install iOS 7.1.

iTunes should find the iOS 7.1 update and prompt the user to download and install iOS 7.1 for the iPhone or iPad. This process will take about 15 to 30 minutes on average, though it could take a bit longer. Plan to leave the iPhone or iPad connected until the update is complete.

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How to Find Command Prompt in Windows 8.1

Windows has gotten more stable and user-friendly over the years. Every command, nearly every single one is directly available to users through Windows Explorer, the interface users are used to seeing on a daily basis. When you’re browsing your hard drive or even looking at a System information menu, all of that is Windows Explorer. However, Windows didn’t always look this way, it used to be that PC users needed to dive into a screen that stripped away all of the user interfaces that we enjoy today and just type out operations for what they’d like to do. In Windows 8.1 it’s called the Command Prompt.
Here’s how to find the Command Prompt in Windows 8.1.
Go to the Start Screen by pressing the Windows key on your device’s keyboard. Tablet and 2-in-1 users can also press the Windows button directly underneath their device’s display.

Place your mouse pointer in the top-right corner of your screen to reveal the Charms Bar then click or Search. Touch users should place their finger on the right side of their display and swipe to the left to reveal the Charms Bar then tap on Search.

Type Command Prompt into the search box located in the fly out menu on the right. Make sure you’ve correctly typed the phrase into the search box and the press enter or search. Touch users should tap the search box and then type Command Prompt using their device’s on screen keyboard.

It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t use the Command Prompt interface unless you know exactly what you’re doing, know how to send through commands or you’re speaking with a trained member of support that’s slowly walking you through the entire process. Entering commands isn’t as simple as pointing and clicking on-screen elements. Spelling must be exact and characters must be exact.

While Command Prompt can be accessed from tablets and traditional PCs like notebooks and desktops alike, it’s a good idea to find a keyboard if you’re planning to use the Command Prompt on your tablet. Otherwise, typing in each command could take a while.
Windows 8.1 is available for free to all Windows 8 users, just head to the Windows Store app to download and install it. Be warned, the download and installation process does take some time.

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