customization

When Microsoft released Office 2013 some Word and Outlook users were unpleasantly surprised to find the AutoCorrect options removed from the right-click (context) menu of Word 2013 and WordMail for Outlook 2013.

On its TechNet site, Microsoft explains that the change was made to streamline the right-click menus in those programs. (Scroll to the end of the long list of changes made to Office 2013 to find "Contents of spelling error context menu" in the Word section.)

In Outlook 2003/2007, you can access suggested spellings and AutoCorrect options for misspelled words by clicking the lightning-bolt icon that … Read more

Safari Reader offers a great way to focus on content found on Web sites without being distracted by flashing ads, polls, and other distractions commonly found online. If you like the default reader but would still like to see some improvements and more customization options, then CustomReader for Mac might help you feel more at home.

This browser extension keeps it neat and simple in both installation and user interface. The first thing we noticed was that the CustomReader for Mac doesn't feature the black semitransparent background found in the Safari Reader, so you definitely won't be distracted … Read more

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has customized its Predator drones, originally built for overseas military operations, to carry out at-home surveillance tasks that have civil libertarians worried: identifying civilians carrying guns and tracking their cell phones, government documents show.

The documents provide more details about the surveillance capabilities of the department's unmanned Predator B drones, which are primarily used to patrol the United States' northern and southern borders but have been pressed into service on behalf of a growing number of law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Texas Rangers, and local police. … Read more

T-Mobile USA managed to grab more customers last quarter, but that achievement didn't translate into higher revenue.

For the fourth quarter, the company saw a net gain of 61,000 customers, compared with a net loss of 526,000 customers a year earlier. The overall news, however, was mixed.

The number of prepaid customers grew for the sixth quarter in a row, with 166,000 additions last quarter. But the number of contract customers dropped by 515,000, compared with a drop of 492,000 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Total revenue for the quarter reached $4.9 … Read more

Google removed the ability to display a custom background image on your Google Search homepage. However, there's a Chrome extension that can help you regain your little slice of customization.

Aside from allowing you to change the background image, the extension will let you do some other neat things, too. You can remove the Google logo, search and lucky buttons, footer, and promotional links.

Head to the Google Chrome Web Store and install the Custom Google Background extension.

After installing the extension, you can select where you'd like to use an image from. You can also … Read more

"What was Microsoft thinking?"

That's the standard reaction of longtime Windows users to their first experience with the latest version of the operating system. No Start button? No way to shut down so-called Windows apps (the ones run from the new Start screen rather than the desktop)? No "are you sure you want to delete" warning?

The best thing about Windows 8 is that the OS gives users more options than ever. You can do with Windows 8 everything you could with previous versions, and then some. The learning curve for Windows 8 isn't … Read more

Most of the time, if something tries to be good at two things it ends up being not-so-good at either one.

Microsoft's Surface can be used like a laptop or like a touch-screen tablet. You can also switch between the Metro touch interface and the conventional Windows desktop, which was designed with a hardware keyboard in mind.

One of the downsides of the Surface as a tablet is Metro's learning curve. Pinching, swiping, and tapping are all part of opening apps, files, and settings in Metro. Unfortunately, it isn't always clear where an application's settings are … Read more

1964 Ears makes custom-molded, in-ear headphones, just like Ultimate Ears, JH Audio, and Westone, but 1964 Ears is a relative newcomer. It has to try harder than the more established brands, so 1964 Ears offers a wider array of customizable features and service options than the others. Prices start a little lower, at $350 for the 1964-D, and $650 for the top-of-the-line model I'm reviewing here today, the 1964-V6. That's significantly less expensive than the established brands' flagships.

1964 Ears can also "remold" your old universal-fit balanced-armature headphones, like a Shure or Etymotic pair, and make … Read more

I've been listening to Jerry Harvey's custom-molded in-ear headphones for years. The very first one, the UE10, was a game changer; in 2006 it was the best sounding in-ear headphone I'd heard. Now with his new Freqphase JH13 and JH16 in-ears, Harvey's done it again. The performance gains in clarity, detail, resolution, and stereo imaging are huge -- the adrenaline-pumping sound of the music you love over a set of Harvey's headphones can't be matched by any other in-ear 'phones.

Years before he made headphones, Harvey mixed stage monitor sound for Kiss, Van Halen, … Read more