Computers and hardware

How to use Send to Kindle for Firefox

Send to Kindle for Firefox is an extension by Amazon that allows you to send Web content to your Kindle. Previously only available for Chrome, it's a nice way to queue up long Web articles for offline reading. It also formats the content for easier reading, sans ads, menus, and other distractions. Here's how to use Send to Kindle for Firefox.

After you've installed Send to Kindle for Firefox, the Kindle button will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the Firefox toolbar. Left-click on it to bring up the options box.

The "Send to Kindle&… Read more

Add an e-mail to the OS X Reminders app for easy follow-up

Did you know you can add an e-mail from OS X Mountain Lion's Mail app to the Reminders app with little effort? Instead of launching Reminders and typing in information you feel is important, you can use this quick shortcut to not only create a reminder, but link to the exact message you'll need later.

To add an e-mail to the Reminders app, you simply drag and drop it either directly into a Reminders list, or to the Reminders app icon in your Mac's dock. You'll need to click and drag from the header section of … Read more

How to add emoji icons to file names in OS X

Emoticons have become some of the most commonly used symbols when communicating using computers and cell phones. Starting with combinations of text characters, smilies evolved into emoticons with the development of Unicode fonts that include complementary images for common smilies. For instance, applications like iMessage and iChat in OS X will make use of emoticons, automatically substituting an image of a smiling face from an emoticon font if you enter the ":)" text for a standard smile.

If there are other emoticons you often use, then you can use the system preferences to set up your own global text … Read more

How to use the Microsoft Surface touch screen and keyboard

The Microsoft Surface is more computer than tablet. If you favor keyboards, that's a good thing. But the Surface has a lot to offer touch screen fans as well.

Like a tablet, you tap and slide your fingers on the Surface touch screen to open apps and access settings. Like a PC, you can enter keystroke shortcuts on the Surface Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboards to reach those same programs and system options.

Get the best of both the tablet and computer worlds by using these handy screen gestures and keystroke combinations for the Surface. (Note that the … Read more

How to add administrative tools to the Windows 8 Start screen

In Windows 7, power users could display administrative tools on the Start menu. Now that Windows 8 has done away with the Start menu, you might be wondering where they went. If you happen to know the name of the tool you want to use, you can just search for it from the Start screen. If, however, you prefer to see them as tiles, here's how to get them onto your Start screen:

1. Hit the Win+I shortcut to bring up the Settings charm, then select Tiles.

2. Move the slider under "Show administrative tools" to … Read more

How to check the battery condition in OS X

If you have a laptop system, then it helps to ensure the battery is working properly, since as with any system, over time and use the battery will begin to lose its charging capabilities and give you less and less running time. To compensate for the gradual loss in charging capability, it may help to regularly calibrate your battery to ensure its charge is accurately reported to the system, but this will not give you any indication of the battery's overall health.

To check the condition of your battery, first go to the Energy Saver system preferences and check … Read more

How to change the OS X system language

Like most operating systems, OS X supports multiple languages, with full character sets and fonts for practically every language. In addition, there is full localization for a number of these languages, so you can have the system display menus and other system features in the language of your choice.

To do this, open the Language & Text system preferences, and in the Language tab drag the language you would prefer to the top of the list. After a restart, your system and applications will use that language, if they include localization support for it. Be aware of that qualifier because … Read more

How to keep your devices charged up during a blackout

The night Hurricane Sandy hit New York, I had no reason to believe the power in Manhattan would go out. After all, Hurricane Irene the year before had left the lights on here, even if big swaths of NYC's outer boroughs and suburbs lost power.

But, almost as an afterthought, I pulled out a bulky Dell laptop I had sitting around (just visible in the bottom left of the photo above) and plugged it in to charge its internal battery, just to have as many charged-up devices on hand as possible. Of course, the lights did go out in … Read more

Add three helpful Gmail mouse gestures with Chrome extension

Aside from cut, copy, and paste, I'm not much of a keyboard shortcut guy. I've tried at various points over the years to remember key combos that promise to make me more effective during the workday, but they rarely stick. I tend to rely on a touch pad or mouse as my navigation guide, which is why I was excited to discover a Chrome extension aptly titled, Gmail Mouse Gestures.

With only three gestures, this Chrome extension will not overwhelm you with its offerings. Though limited, the gestures provide shortcuts for three common functions when reading an e-mail: … Read more