In the early days of Android, gaining root access was a complicated process, involving around a dozen steps and patience enough to test even the most serene of ascetic monks. Nowadays, not only do you not need a saffron-colored robe, it's much simpler: There's an app for that.
However, do note that rooting your phone voids your warranty, and the process is risky even in this streamlined form: there is still a chance that you can brick your phone and render it permanently inoperable.
That being said, also note that these are general instructions. There might be device-specific … Read more
Android doesn't offer a native backup service, so it's easy to ignore the need to do so. But don't wait until it's too late to start thinking about backing up your phone. Many of us rely on our phone cameras to snap day-to-day photos of our lives and save text messages to have some of the most important conversations. So before a thief swipes that phone, or a spilled cup of coffee bricks it, follow these tips:
Google has your back. Go to Settings > Privacy, and make sure that "Back up my settings" … Read more
The TripAdvisor app for the iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod Touch added a new feature this week, introducing a touch of "augmented reality" via the devices' cameras.
Live View lets travelers explore the travel site's more than 45 million user reviews of restaurants, attractions, hotels, and such superimposed over what app users see through the mobile device's camera.
As its designers describe "...if a traveler is standing outside a restaurant, they can simply point their mobile device's camera at it and TripAdvisor ratings and reviews of that establishment will automatically be displayed on the screen."
I tried it out after downloading the update from the App Store and discovered a poorly reviewed nail salon and Thai massage joint near me here in Los Angeles that might be a seedy brothel. I doubt that's what the app designers had in mind for most travelers to discover, but all the bangs and whistles work. … Read more
The Samsung laptop keylogger scare turns out to have been just that--a bad scare. That doesn't mean it's not a good idea to know how to remove a keylogger if you think somebody is recording your keystrokes. In this video, we show you how to check for one, and how to remove it using Security Task Manager.
At some point you've probably heard about AirPlay, a wireless streaming feature found on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or any Mac or Windows PC running iTunes. While some features had been available for years under the AirTunes moniker, Apple rolled out the AirPlay name and an expanded feature list in the fall of 2010. With the arrival of iOS 4.3, AirPlay has been further enhanced, and--perhaps most significantly--third-party consumer electronics manufacturers are adding it to their products.
Apple sums up the technology like this on its regularly updated "Using AirPlay" page, which has some troubleshooting tips.
With AirPlay, you can wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to Apple TV (2nd generation) and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express. You can also wirelessly stream videos and music from your computer to Apple TV (2nd generation) and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express.
That pretty much tells you what it's all about, but here's a closer look at what you need to know about AirPlay and some tips for getting the most out of it.
Only a limited number of products are currently AirPlay-compatible: Right now, only a handful of products offer AirPlay compatibility (see slideshow, below) and they tend to be fairly expensive. The exception is the Apple TV, which only costs $99, and Apple's AirPort Express (also $99 list). The majority of early AirPlay products are speaker systems, plus a few AV receivers that offer built-in AirPlay support.
You can build a quick-and-dirty Web site using any number of services--but not many of them fit in your pocket. New app Zapd lets you create a simple, attractive site with just a few taps. It's easy to use, surprisingly fun, and totally free.
To get started, you choose one of 20 basic but visually pleasing themes for your site. Then you give it a title and start adding elements: text, photo, or link.
Photos can be snapped on the fly using your iPhone/iPod camera or imported from an existing album. As for links, you have to enter … Read more
Hello, world! Today it's your Backup Day. World Backup Day is a new idea promoted by a small team of Redditors, and it's a good idea. You can never be too careful when it comes to backing up.
By the way, this is about your data, and not calling your buddies over for help in a hostile situation, which is not really my area of expertise. So let's talk backups!
Basically it means putting your data in multiple places so that if something happens to one place (let's say you forget your laptop on the top of your car and subsequently back over it), that important PowerPoint presentation you've been working on isn't lost.
Backing up is much easier than you might think. For example, if you've been working on an important essay, you can just e-mail it once in a while to your mom or to yourself. Just make sure you use an online free e-mail service, such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or all of them. This goes for photos as well. If you remember to e-mail them to your mom when you have new ones (and she'll probably appreciate that very much), chances are she'll save them for you on her computer, and even if not, they are still in the Sent Items folder of your online e-mail account in case you have lost the originals.
Obviously, e-mailing can only handle a relatively small amount of data and you'll have to remember to do that manually. If you have many files that need backing up, you'll want something more robust. This is when a backup plan is necessary.
Online backup Similar to e-mailing, an online backup plan provides you with a certain amount of storage space that you can access over the Internet, aka "the cloud." And no, your data is not flying in the sky, it's stored and managed on one or multiple servers located in different parts of the world. There are many online backup services, such as Amazon S3, McAfee, Mozy, or even Comcast. … Read more
Before you purchase e-books from vendors like Amazon or from the iBookstore, see what your local library has to offer. With a library card and a free application, Overdrive Media Console, you can download free e-books and audiobooks to your iPhone (and any other iOS device), BlackBerry, Android device, or computer.
Remember, though, that most libraries might only carry a few copies of each title, so be ready to wait your turn. Additionally, most books have a loaning period of 7 to 14 days, so there's no room for procrastinating here.
Editors' note, 10:44 a.m. PT on March 31: Samsung has been cleared of the keylogger allegations. Read the details in CNET's follow-up story.
A security researcher revealed today that he had purchased two new laptops from Samsung, and discovered both of them to be infected with the StarLogger (download) keystroke-recording program. While there's very little that can be done about keystrokes already recorded, checking your own laptop for such software is actually quite simple--if you're familiar with mucking about in your system directories and Registry.
Note that the researcher only reported StarLogger on two models, a Samsung R525 and a Samsung R540--and that Samsung subsequently said that he was mistaken. CNET examined another new Samsung laptop, the Samsung Series 9, and did not find a keylogger installed.
Because it's a keylogger, most often used for spying on employees and children, StarLogger cannot be accessed from your Start menu. (Or at least, it shouldn't be accessible there. If it is, whoever installed it did a poor job.)
The easiest way to find StarLogger is to look for its Registry key, which is used to load it when Windows is started. To see if this has occurred, open a command prompt and type "Run Regedit". Then go to the Menu bar, select Edit and then Find. You want to search for "winsl", without the quotes. If it's installed, you should see a Registry key that looks like this:
You can also look for the following files on your hard drive, although keyloggers are designed to hide themselves. Open Windows Explorer, and then hit the Alt key to bring up the Menu bar. Go to Tools, Folder Options, and View. Under Advanced Settings, you'll see an option for Hidden Files and Folders. Make sure that Show is checked.
If you have StarLogger, its files will be located in your Windows root directory, in a subdirectory labeled "SL". A list of files you can expect to see is below: … Read more
Before you tweet a photo of your delicious, homemade dish, check your settings--your phone might be embedding coordinates in your photos, leaving your location open to prying eyes.
Using the built-in GPS, phone camera applications can embed the latitude and longitude of a location in photos. Coordinates aren't shown in your photo library, but if you post a geotagged pic online, someone with an evil motive can easily extract the photo's EXIF data and find out where you live, eat, or hang out.
Creepy, right? This is a big security risk, especially for parents who post photos of … Read more
What's the #1 music streaming-app for iOS? Who wins in an iPhone v. S4 faceoff? We've got it covered with iPhone news, rumors, app recommendations, and more.
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