note

The notification panel in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a convenient feature that allows you to quickly toggle key settings, like Bluetooth, GPS, Airplane mode, and so on. If your Galaxy Note 2 has been updated to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, you can now customize the notification panel, except on the AT&T variant. If you have an AT&T Galaxy Note 2, we have third party app suggestions for you at the end of this post.

To customize the notification panel, go to Settings > Display > Notification panel. You'll see one check box … Read more

Verizon subscribers who own the Galaxy Note 2 may find a major update waiting for them the next time they power up their phone.

Rolling out on Friday, the latest update from Verizon graces the large-screen phone with Android 4.1.2 along with several security patches from Google. The update also brings improvements to such apps and features as VZ Navigator, SMS text messaging, Verizon's Backup Assistant Plus, ISIS Mobile Wallet, Exchange Active Sync, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Galaxy Note 2 users will now be able to use the Multi Window View to juggle more apps, such as YouTube, … Read more

Google Keep wants to be the app that you dump all your little notes and big thoughts into, and Google introduced a Keep Chrome Web app version on Thursday.

To install it, you must use the link above, as it's not yet available by searching the Chrome Web Store.

Like Keep in Google Drive and Keep for Android, it lets you write notes in a stripped-down interface that lacks all but the most basic features. In addition to standard note-taking, you can change the text color or insert an image.

Keep for Chrome launches in its own window, and … Read more

The development of new chips that deliver zippier performance, smoother gaming, faster Web surfing, and longer-lasting battery life will soon make their way into new Android tablets. While the chips themselves -- and the high-end tablets that will house them -- have yet to be released, we have it on good authority that they'll deliver on their promise.

Gaming is an increasingly popular way tablet owners are spending time with their devices, and chip makers are paying attention. The gaming experience on Android tablets has improved in just the last year, and it's bound to only get faster, … Read more

This How To isn't about lock-screen widgets. Yes, they are exciting. And yes, they bring additional functionality to your lock screen -- but unfortunately, a lot of people have not had their devices updated to Android 4.2 as of yet. If you have, check out Jason Cipriani's post on how to set up lock-screen widgets.

Instead, let's work with the wonderful world of TouchWiz that comes preloaded on your Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note 2. TouchWiz, in short, is a home replacement for Android (think Facebook Home), that adds proprietary theming and options. … Read more

Using a tablet as an e-reader can save you money and lighten your load while on the go. Unfortunately, a lot of tablets aren't optimized for reading text for long periods of time (like e-books, RSS feeds, or just long Web posts) and may cause mild eyestrain. Luckily, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a feature to help solve this issue: Reading Mode.

However, Reading Mode isn't turned on for all of your apps by tapping on the icon in the notification panel. Why doesn't this mode work in all apps by default? No idea, but fixing … Read more

There's something about the plastic nature of Samsung's phones that make them slightly less attractive.

To me, that is.

I know that there are millions to whom it doesn't make a difference. There are even many, no doubt, who believe -- in some idiosyncratic way -- that plastic says now, rather than, oh, six months ago.

Some of these people are 13 years old.

However, not all of these people work for Samsung. Indeed, the SamMobile blog last week revealed that it had heard whispers from South Korea that some at Samsung believe plastic isn't quite … Read more

Efficient Sticky Notes has been a go-to recommendation for a free sticky notes app, but shareware upgrades are available: Efficient Sticky Notes Pro and Efficient Sticky Notes Pro Portable. They're basically identical, including their modest price, except the portable version can run from a USB drive, and all its "stuff" is inside its program folder instead of roaming throughout Windows. Both versions of Efficient Sticky Notes Pro do everything the free version does and more, including the ability to add attachments to notes. We tried Efficient Sticky Notes Pro Portable Edition in Windows 7.

Instead of skipping … Read more

The Google Play store offers many useful apps that can help users increase productivity on the go. ColorNote for Android is a rather simple yet amazing application that takes sticky notes to a whole new level. It allows the user to create notes, lists, and calendar events and stick them to their home screen.

Download and installation of ColorNote for Android seems instant. Once the program opens, a red highlighted box directs the user to create their first note. Further use of this app is very intuitive and users should find it very easy to create, edit, and post several … Read more