How To

Chances are, you've been there: a boring meeting or social event that you're desperately seeking an escape from. The person or people you're talking with won't take the hint that you're not interested. You hope someone will call so you can have a pretend conversation about needing to be somewhere else right away. Or maybe you're wishing for a text that demands your immediate attention. Whatever the situation, you can now plan your own escape routes with this Android app. Here's how:

Step 1: Install Log Me. Once installed, run the app.

Step … Read more

WanderPlayer is the name given to a set of apps that you install on your computer and also your mobile device. These pieces of software work together to allow communication and create a gaming controller. The app is free and works for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Step 1: Head over to www.wanderplayer.com in your browser of choice. Click on the Download button on the right side of the window (Mac users can click "Not using Windows" to see a Mac download option).

Step 2: Once the first download is started, options to download the mobile … Read more

Yesterday, I wrote about Luminance, a streamlined-yet-versatile photo editor that I think iPad users in particular will like. Paint FX ($1.99) is a bit more complicated, but for the slightly steeper learning curve, you gain the ability to edit only select areas of a photo.

To get started, tap the load/share button in the upper-left corner to load a photo from your Camera Roll, Photo Stream, or iPhoto (if you have your iDevice set up to sync some portion of your iPhoto library). You can also grab a photo from Facebook. This button also lets you save photos to your Camera Roll or share them via Facebook, e-mail, or the Paint FX community page.… Read more

Please bear with me while I explain the process for accessing a message draft that you just started, but had to save in order to check something else in the Mail app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Take a deep breath.

First, assuming you have more than one e-mail account (I have four on my iPhone) and you are starting in the "All Inboxes" window, you'll have to tap "Mailboxes" in the upper-left corner. Then, scroll down to the Accounts section and select the proper account for your draft. Now, tap the "… Read more

It's that time of year again: tax season. For many of us, the constant visits to the IRS Where's My Refund site are in full swing, checking to see when our refund is going to be deposited into our bank account.

Early last year the IRS released a mobile app, allowing people to track their refund status while on the go.

From the mobile app users can track the status of their refund, view videos on the IRS YouTube channel, request old tax records, and contact the IRS directly with any questions.

To track the status of your … Read more

Before iOS 5, the only way to snap a photo with your iPhone was to tap the onscreen shutter button--always a somewhat awkward maneuver. But with iOS 5, Apple transformed the volume-up button into a shutter release, thereby making iPhone photography feel a bit more natural.

Just one problem: when you flip your phone around so the volume-up button is facing, well, up, you end up with upside-down photos and videos.

Sort of. As many Windows users have discovered, images captured using the volume-up button often appear upside down when viewed using traditional methods like Windows Explorer and Windows Media … Read more

When snapping photos with an iPhone, applying a quick Instagram filter or choosing a Hipstomatic film is about all the photo editing I can stand to perform. With its larger display, however, the iPad is a much more suitable photo-editing tool. And for only 99 cents, Luminance (99 cents) provides a great number of editing tools organized in a streamlined way. (Truth be told, Luminance is a universal app, but for this post, I used the app on an iPad 2.)

To get started, tap the + button in the upper-right corner to either take a photo or choose a photo … Read more

The new update to the Twitter app for Android and iOS returns the swipe shortcut feature that lets you to swipe a tweet to get shortcuts for reply, retweet, star, profile, and sharing. The shortcuts let you perform those actions without having to leave your timeline.

If you're not familiar with the swipe shortcut, here's a quick tip on how to use it.

From your timeline, simply swipe your finger horizontally across a tweet. This will make the shortcut bar appear, letting you reply, retweet, star, view profile, or share.

Once you've performed an action, the shortcut … Read more

Google recently updated the iOS app for Google+, giving people the ability to instantly upload photos and videos to their Google+ accounts. The initial setup process is easy, only requiring you to opt in or out upon initial launch of the new update; there are more settings that you can tweak and customize.

You can find the Instant Upload settings under Settings in the Google+ app. Tap on "When to upload."

Here you can turn Instant Upload on or off, as well as set the preferred network for uploading both photos and videos. The default settings are Wi-Fi … Read more