How To

Currently, all iOS devices come with the Mobile Safari search provider set to Google. For most users Google works, and the thought of changing it will never cross their mind. For others who prefer to use Bing and Yahoo, changing the default search engine is preferred. This simple guide will show you how to change the default search engine on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. … Read more

The camera shutter on the Droid X is loud. Candid photos of animals or sleeping babies are more challenging with a loud shutter. Unfortunately, there's no way to permanently turn off the shutter sound. You can however, silence the shutter, as needed. Here's how:

First method: Press the Power/Lock Key until the Phone options box appears, then select Silent mode. This method is good if you are already using your Droid X and want to use your camera silently.

Second method: Press the Volume Down Key until the ringer volume is at the lowest setting. This method … Read more

When you accidentally call someone from your phone, they may hear background noise in your house, or a conversation they shouldn't be privy to. Even worse, it could be an international number that is extremely expensive to call! Here are three tips to help you prevent pocket-dialing from your Android phone.

1. Install an app that confirms calls before you make them. It is unlikely that you will select someone to call and manage to hit the Call button in the confirmation window. There are many choices for this style of app, in this example Call Confirm … Read more

Most iPhone and iPad users already know what it's like to be in the middle of an intense game of Angry Birds only to have a friend start sending instant messages, thus creating countless popups from push alerts, interrupting gameplay. The way iOS currently handles push alerts can be a real annoyance.

This simple guide will show you how to take control of the push alerts on your iOS device, allowing you to decide what applications are important enough to interrupt what you are doing with a text alert.… Read more

The Android Market offers plenty of great apps, but using your device to scan through them all can be a pain, unless you already know exactly what you want and it's got a name that's easy to type on a teensy keyboard. Google recently added some sweet new options to its Web-based Android Market that make life much easier for those of us who are always looking for the next big thing.

If you've never used the Market on the Web before, you'll need to register your devices first. It's easy if you've already … Read more

Changing your wallpaper on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch is a great way to customize the look of your device. Starting with iOS 4, Apple allowed users to set their lock screen wallpaper, as well as the wallpaper of the home screen. This simple guide will show you how to set one or both of these wallpapers.

… Read more

Google Books has great tools for keeping track of things you've read, are reading, or want to read. However, it can be a cumbersome task to add each book to the virtual bookshelf individually. So instead of spending countless minutes keying in numbers, follow these steps so you can easily scan and add all your books at once:

1. Install Barcode2File from the Android Market.

2. Open the app and press the Scan barcode button to start collecting a list of ISBNs from the books (one list at a time).

3. Once you're finished scanning, press … Read more

Whether you're in transit, waiting in line at the DMV, or between appointments, mobile browsing can be a sanity saver. It's not all disposable entertainment, of course, as sometimes you stumble onto a page you want to investigate later on your laptop or desktop machine. It's not that hard to e-mail yourself a link and open it later, but there's a better way. Android2Cloud lets you send links directly to the Chrome browser running on a particular machine, saving you time and making you more likely to actually follow up. Here's how to get started:… Read more

Another three-day weekend is upon us--time to disconnect, get out into the wilderness, and leave all those gadgets behind. Well, except for your smartphone, of course. These days, for me at least, an Android device is more valuable than a Swiss Army knife, even in backcountry areas where there's no hope of a finding a single bar of roaming service. But you'll need to do a little bit of preparation and hit the Android Market before you go. Here's my list of key tips and apps to turn your Android device into a digital command center for all you long-weekend warriors. … Read more