How To

Customize BlinkFeed for HTC One

For the HTC One, HTC designed a news feed widget called BlinkFeed that pulls in top stories from around the Web, as well as social feeds, such as Twitter and Facebook. It's a good-looking piece of software, and for better or worse, HTC makes it your default home screen on the HTC One.

But if you're less than thrilled by BlinkFeed, I'll show you how to better customize the stories that it pulls in, or even remove it from your home screen.

First off, tap the home button to make sure you're at the top of … Read more

Home networking explained, part 6: Keep your network secure

Editors' note: This post is part of an ongoing series. For the other parts, check out the related stories section below.

If you were concerned after reading CNET's recent report that most home routers can be easily hacked, I don't blame you. The study did sound ominous, but the good news is that your network is likely far less susceptible than the report suggests. And more importantly, there are things you can do to make sure it's secure.

Two things are vital to keeping your network safe: proper settings and prudence. The first step is easy; you … Read more

Making the change from iPhone to Android as easy as possible

Is iOS starting to feel a bit stale for your taste? It's something I'm hearing more and more as I talk to iOS users, or former iOS users. With some amazing Android phones hitting the market, it's tough not to get caught checking out the competition -- or even feeling a bit compelled to make the jump to Android.

But before you make the change, there are some kinks that need to be worked out to make the process go as smoothly as possible. You likely have contacts, a calendar, photos, and music that you'll want … Read more

How to add your own Flickr photos to Yahoo Weather

If you have used the new Yahoo Weather app for any amount of time, then you've seen the beautiful photos it displays to match a location, time of day, and current conditions. If you have a Flickr account, you can add your own photos to be considered for the app. And you can upload directly from your iPhone, using the Flickr app. Here's how:

Launch the Flickr app and tap the More button (the one with the blue and pink dots) in the lower-right corner.

Next, tap Search. From the Search screen, tap the Groups button below the … Read more

Getting started with the Yahoo Weather app

It's not often you come across a new app that deserves consideration for a spot on your iPhone's home screen, but the new Yahoo Weather for most likely will have people giving your current weather apps the boot. I use a mix of the stock iPhone weather app and The Weather Channel app, but will now turn to the Yahoo Weather app first.

The most interesting feature of the Yahoo Weather app is its integration with Yahoo-owned Flickr. It features Flickr photos to match not only the location you are looking at, but also the time of day … Read more

Track down a lost BlackBerry 10 device with BlackBerry Protect

One of the first things you should do on your brand-new BlackBerry 10 device after going through the initial setup process is to enable BlackBerry Protect. The free service offered by BlackBerry will allow you to locate a lost or stolen BlackBerry 10 device.

To enable the free service, go to Settings and tap on BlackBerry Protect.

The service will be turned off by default, but only requires you to slide the switch to the right to enable it. You'll need to be signed into your BlackBerry ID on the device. If you need a BlackBerry ID, you can … Read more

Getting started with Twitter Music

Thursday morning Twitter finally revealed its new music service (branded #music) for all to see and use. The new service will allow Twitter users to see which songs and artists are currently trending on the social network. So what is Twitter Music, and how does it work? Let's take a look.

How you access Twitter Music

Currently, there are two options to use Twitter Music. You can access it through the Web site at music.twitter.com or by downloading the free iPhone app. Android users are once again left out in the cold by Twitter, at least for … Read more

How to unfollow a Facebook post using the mobile app

You can unfollow a Facebook post from the Web site with little effort, but unfollowing a post from your mobile device takes some work.

Unfollowing a post on Facebook allows you to comment on friend or family members post, perhaps a birth announcement or a promotion, and not be bombarded with alerts from the 50 other comments on the post all saying "congrats" or "woohoo." After you've done your social-media duty, do you really care what everyone else has to say? Take a look at this how-to for unfollowing posts on Facebook if this is … Read more

How to add multiple accounts to the new Outlook.com for Android

When Outlook.com was initially released, there were a couple of ways to access it on your Android phone. Microsoft then released an official Outlook.com Android app, but it was really just a rebranded version of the old Hotmail app.

Yesterday, Microsoft released a new version of the Outlook.com app with a completely new interface that's more consistent with Outlook.com for the Web. It has a great new look and some new features, but the ability to add multiple accounts is somewhat hidden. Here's how you can add multiple accounts to the new Outlook.com for Android app:… Read more