Chatting, Texting And Instant Messaging – How Things Have Changed

I remember back in old days (90s and 20s), we use MIRC in order to make friends on Internet and to chat with strangers. In the same era MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AIM and many other chat messengers were rocking and people were literary hooked up. I use to share my messenger’s friend list with my best friends, in order to check it out that the person on the other end is a male or female (Crazy things were happening in the old days).

After the launch of iPhone and especially Android phones, things have changed a lot. People are more using mobile apps in order to chat with people, than old PC messengers. The only famous messenger which still exists and is in great use on PC as well as on Mobile is SKYPE, but this is also because Microsoft bought it, clubbed its msn messenger service with it and it has some extra things which we will talk about later.

How Mobile Texting Apps Works When it comes to chatting, the concept of having an Online ID doesn’t exist anymore, or should I say that it’s not in demand anymore, because a Mobile number is what everyone is interested in now. Instead of sharing the online IDs of strangers, now people share the mobile numbers of other boys/girls with their friends, so they can also chat with them on the Mobile apps. Once you install a texting app, it will check who is using the same mobile app from your contacts list and will then add those people who are using the app automatically in your friends list.

There are some apps which don't require any mobile number at all, instead it just asks you to create a login on the app and then the app suggests you people based on your desires (like age, gender, location etc.). Since things have changed a lot, that’s why the Chatting and Instant Messaging terminology has been replaced with Texting. Now people use mobile apps to text their loved ones / strangers, share videos, audios, pictures, locations etc. But to do that, you ofcourse need an active internet connection either via Wi-Fi or a Mobile network (2g, 3g or 4g).

Mobile Texting Apps In Every Mobile

There are tons of mobile apps on iPhone and Android which you can use to talk to your friends or strangers. The selection of an app depends on your liking, purpose, and ofcourse the person to whom you want to talk to, should have the same app installed in his/her mobile as well. It’s not necessary to use only 1 app to talk to anyone, but it depends how and why you want to communicate. For example there are certain apps which you can use to share 7 seconds of video only, there are apps which you can use to chat with group of people by sharing pictures only. Well there are also apps which you can use to do all the things like voice calls, video calls, texting, share pictures etc. So it all depends on your personal preferences and the purpose behind it.

Are These Apps Only For Teenage Boys / Girls

Many people have a misconception that these texting apps are only for teenage boys or girls. These apps have nothing to do with age at all, so wonder why anyone can even think like that. There are tons of usages of such texting apps, and you should think out of the box to make it useful for you. It depends on a person how he wants to use it. It’s like saying that Internet is full of x-rated websites, no one will deny that but it depends how you uses it and for what purpose.

Drawbacks Of Mobile Texting Apps

I know many people who simply keep themselves away from all of these texting apps. To some extent, I do understand the reasons behind it, which are as follows:

1. Unnecessary messages from all the people in the mobile contacts.

2. Once you install a texting app, all the other people from your contacts expect you to be available all the time and reply them.

3. The beep sound of continuous text messages can irritate anyone.

4. People want some privacy and these texting apps are best at destroying it.

5. Day and Night if people send jokes and useless messages to you, it can really frustrate anyone.

6. It's an addiction and consumes lot of time.

Last Thoughts

There are ways to overcome these drawbacks and use a texting app to make it useful for you. As already said above that there are tons of apps which you can select from in order to talk to your loved ones (or strangers), but certainly there are some apps which are highly recognized and millions of users are using it for some reason. Which apps are those and which is the best will be discussed in the future posts.

Please share how you talk to your loved ones (or even with strangers) and which app you think is the best. Don’t forget to leave your Comments / Suggestions.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

Why Do I Need Antivirus And Other Security Softwares In My PC

We all love our computers and we love to do lots of Internet browsing on it. But don’t forget, every love story has a villain in it, and this one is full of enemies and we name them as VIRUSES.

I have been using computers for almost last 20 years and have a professional experience of 11 years, but believe it or not, the most difficult part of my work experience is to explain anyone about the importance of computer security. I just don't get it why people take it so lightly and don't pay attention to it. And the best part which I love the most is, when they will call or ask me silly questions like "I Wonder Why My PC Is So Slow or I Am Not Able To Browse Internet At All, Please HELP".

Excuses For Not Installing The Security Tools or Because Of Lack Of Knowledge

This above example is a typical problem which I see with every second person. After years of experience I realized that what the root cause of such thing is, it’s the following excuses which you all give when it comes to security.

* Why Do I Need An Antivirus Program
* I Don't Download Anything In My Pc
* I Rarely Use Internet On It
* I Only Check Emails
* I Don't Open Useless or Unknown Websites
* There Is Nothing On My PC Which A Hacker Needs.
* Antivirus Software Makes My PC Slow

Whenever I tell people to install good Antivirus software and other security tools in their PCs, these are the typical responses from most of the people which I get it. In the beginning whenever I hear such things from anyone, I simply stare at their faces for a minute or two in a state of shock, but later on I got use to it.

An Internet Connection Is An Open Invitation to All the Bad Guys On Internet

One thing which you all should understand, at least now, that once you are connected to Internet, you are entering to a NO GO Zone. Doesn't matter what you do on Internet, threat is always there. Infact, as soon you open your browser, all the viruses, malwares, trojans, key trackers etc are after you.

You will often hear news that a website got hacked by the hackers and all the visitors of that website are vulnerable to that virus. Bad people on Internet are smart now days and they know their ways to harm normal people like you. Once a website becomes vulnerable, hackers install malicious scripts on the websites which runs in the background and as soon you open that website, the scripts quietly runs in the background which either try to download something secretly in your browser or simply track your activity.

Only Antivirus Software Is Not Enough To Protect Your PC From Internet Attacks

Well here is another truth of life for you, having a good Antivirus software installed in your PC is not enough in order to protect you from all the attacks of the Internet. You need other tools as well like Antispyware, Firewall, Malware / Trojan softwares, Web Scanning etc. Buying a Laptop / PC is one thing and to keep yourself protected is another. You need to learn all the techniques in order to keep your data and yourself secured from the Bad guys on Internet.

It's Not Necessary To Use Paid Softwares

I don't want to go into debate, but according to my experience and what I suggest to everyone, you can make yourself secured with the help of free versions of the softwares. Although paid softwares do have an extra edge, but with the help of free softwares also you can make sure that you are in good hands. It's a misconception that there are only paid softwares on Internet which can protect us, it's not true.

It's Difficult To Learn All About Security Tools

Now this is one thing which I advise to all the people who use Internet, please spend some time to learn about the things which keeps you safe on Internet. Lack of knowledge can cause you lot of unknown problems and later can make your life miserable. So it's a high time to learn about these security tools and use them intelligently. And guess what, most of these tools doesn't even require 24x7 your attention. You simply have to install and run them once in a week at least, to make sure that everything is ok. Rest these tools will do their job on their own.

Last Thoughts

As I already said above, having a Laptop is one thing and using it is another. You may think that there is nothing on your PC which a hacker needs, that's why it's better not to waste time on installing the security products on it. But believe it or not, hackers are not after your money only, a simple email address and its details can do wonders for them. They just need a reason to get into anyone's PC and rest they make sure that you play along with it unknowingly. So it’s better not to act as dumb person and make yourself protected against all kind of malicious attacks.

In the next post we will talk about the tools which you should use in order to safeguard your PC and I will guide you step by step, so that you can learn about these tools easily. Please do leave your comments and suggestions at below box commenting section.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"
Raheel Ahmed Khan
System Engineer
send2raheel@yahoo.com
send2raheel@engineer.com
sirraheel@gmail.com
send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot
http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

Windows Slowness Because Of Low Hard Disk Space

People complaining about slowness of Windows is kinda normal thing now, but what we all don’t understand is the reason behind it. Most of the time in such situation, we blame viruses for it, but it’s not always because of them Windows perform slow. There can be various reasons behind this thing, and one of the core reasons can be lack of hard disk space.

Why Low Hard Disk Space Can Cause Problems In Windows

Every software installed in Windows, consumes some amount of space when you open it. By space I mean, it generates temporary files and some other system files which help them to run properly. In order to create such files, they need space in hard disk. If the hard disk doesn’t have enough space for such files, then these softwares will perform slow, often hangs and can cause system freeze as well.

It has a simple logic behind it and that’s what we all have to be aware of. There is nothing geeky about this thing which makes it difficult for you to understand it. Now the next step is to know how to avoid low hard disk space.

Things To Take Care of

There are three things which I recommend in order to avoid slowness because of low disk space. 

1. Make sure each partition in your Hard disk have atleast 1GB of free space all the time (to be on the safe side, I recommend to have atleast 3GB of free space). Especially the partition where you have installed Windows in it (most of the time it’s C drive) should have 3 GB of free space all the time (this is my recommendation only). The partition where Windows is installed needs more space because, Windows system files grow fast as time passes by and for that it needs plenty of space.

2. Unknowingly most of us save all of our music, videos, pictures, docs etc in C drive only. This practice should not be followed and try to avoid saving anything in C drive atleast (or in the drive where Windows is installed), so that you won’t face problem of low hard disk space especially in the partition where already Windows operating system is installed.

3. Most of us also install each and every software in the system partition (C drive) only. Following such practice makes the System Partition (C drive) very critical and that’s why it often face low disk space problem. From now on, try to install the softwares in the other partitions (other than the system partition), because as already said above, these softwares also generates temporary files which consumes space in hard disk. 

Last Thoughts

Although this looks like a small thing to troubleshoot, but believe me, I have seen many people facing this problem and they just wonder how to solve this issue once and for all. Don’t take temporary decisions by moving some of the files from here and there in order to create space in Hard disk. Create a plan in order to solve such problem and then stick to it.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/

10 Self Improvement Activities

In this article you will also find out how to use your energy effectively, what is the quickest way to achieve personal growth and how to excel in every activity.

1st Self Improvement Activity:

Use your energy on important things If you want to succeed in life, you should not waste your energy on activities that do not bring any benefits.

Such useless activities include surfing the internet without any purpose, watching TV, worrying and wasting money.

When you are involved in such activities, you have no or little energy left for activities that can create a better future. It is worth prioritising and accomplishing important tasks first, and then if you still have enough energy, you may decide to do the unimportant.

2nd Self Improvement Activity: 

Focus on one task at a time If you want to get perfect results, you should only concentrate on one activity. This way all your energy will go into it and you will accomplish it perfectly.

If you waste your energy on several things at the same time, you will get average results because you will divide your energy between the activities.

3rd Self Improvement Activity: 

Control your thinking To avoid chaos in your mind resulting in chaos in the outside world, you should try to observe your thoughts. Once you start doing that, you will notice how many negative thoughts you get daily.

By observing negative thinking you will be able to emotionally disengage from it. As a result, negative thinking will affect you less and you will notice that your days are getting more peaceful and positive.

4th Self Improvement Activity: 

Get organised When you live in an organised manner, you do not suffer from stress and your life is peaceful and balanced.

To start living this way, you should start planning your day in advance. This will eliminate any stress caused by being late to a meeting or forgetting to complete some task.

You should also live in tidiness because by keeping your home clean you also keep your mental state clear and peaceful. Such mental state will benefit you in many ways, including improved memory and less negativity.

5th Self Improvement Activity: 

Live in the present Although this self improvement activity may seem strange to you, it is a very important activity that many ignore. The majority of people do not live in the present. They either dwell on their past or daydream about the future. They seem to forget the most important time of all – the present.

You should enjoy every present moment because your current state of mind always manifests in the outside world, creating your future accordingly.

Therefore if your main mood is very positive, you will experience only happy days. However, if you dwell on negative thoughts, you are sure to encounter many obstacles and misfortunes in the present and days to come.

6th Self Improvement Activity: 

Complete each task in a perfect manner Whenever you are working on some project, try to accomplish it in the best way possible. Always ask yourself 'Is this project turned out as perfect as it could possibly be?' If the answer is no, try to correct or add something to it until there is nothing that you can improve.

This way you will make sure that each single task you accomplish is done in an excellent manner. By doing this you will create successful future because you cannot possibly fail if you only get perfect results.

Also, when you entirely focus on one task excluding everything else, you will notice that you start enjoying the task. If you concentrate on the task but still do not enjoy it, that means that you probably see the task as a means to an end rather than the process.

You should start focusing on the process itself to find enjoyment in the task. Such enjoyment will fuel motivation and you will accomplish everything quicker and better.

If you enjoy your work, you will put only positive energy into it. As a result, your completed tasks will bring you success.

7th Self Improvement Activity: 

Challenge yourself Nothing develops you more than challenges. Challenges force you to shift your comfort zone, experience new situations and make you grow. Without challenges life would be very boring and depressing.

Challenges are necessary for every human being who is seeking quality life. Only through trial and error you realise who you really are, which activities you like and what preferences you have.

You can easily measure the success of a person by the amount of challenges s/he had.

8th Self Improvement Activity: Read personal development books

There is nothing more important than searching information about self improvement. Without reading any self improvement books or articles you cannot improve yourself.

9th Self Improvement Activity: 

Socialize only with positive people Positive people can inspire, empower and make you happy. It is so much worth to be at least once in a while with positive people rather than constantly spend time with negative friends or relatives.

If you spend your days with, for example, lazy people, you may notice that you are becoming lazy.

If all your friends' main qualities are negative, try to avoid all of them. This way you will not be affected in a negative way and after some time will start attracting positive people.

10th Self Improvement Activity: 

Exercise Daily exercise develops determination, focus and patience. It improves your health and strengthens your body. It makes you more active, positive and invincible.

People who exercise every day are always perceived as strong-willed and disciplined.

Conclusion

These personal improvement activities are sure to put you on the track to success. I hope that you will apply the steps in this article and, as a result, will greatly improve the quality of your life.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

How to Protect your Files from Other Network Users by Disabling Admin Shares

Is your office computer connected to a network? Do you have important files on your computer that are considered confidential and should not be seen or accessed by just anyone? If you answered yes to both questions, then you should read this article because it is meant for you. You may have a computer security problem that you may not even be aware of.

Do you know what an administrative share is? In the simplest terms, it is an automatic share that is created when Windows is installed on a computer. For a standalone PC, that shouldn’t be a real cause for concern but for a computer connected to a network, it’s dangerous. It can be dangerous because the shares created don’t only share a file or a folder; it shares the whole drive. In fact, it does the same thing for every partition on your computer. If, for example, you have drives C: and D: as existing partitions on your computer at the time you installed Windows XP Professional or Windows 7, you can be sure that your partitions were automatically shared. Most users are not even aware of this and this is where the problem lies.

With administrative shares, anyone who has an administrator level account on your computer can access all your files from another computer on the network. Normally, the only person who would have such an account would be the administrator of the network. That is acceptable but what if someone else at the office somehow got the login credentials to the administrator account? That person can rummage through all your files and access sensitive data. That same person can copy your files, view e-mail messages from an e-mail storage or even worse, delete important files. Find out how to fix this in the following sections.

Finding out if your Windows operating system created administrative shares

1.    Right-click on My Computer on the desktop and select Manage

2.    After the Computer Management console loads, expand Shared Folders

3.    Select Shares

4.    Look at the right side and see if your partitions are shared. It is easy to spot because it will look something like C$ or D$ which is dependent on your computer’s drive letters

If you find one or all of your partitions there, then you’ve got administrative shares. You should seriously consider disabling it to secure your computer.

Loading the Registry Editor

The best way to do this is to change a value in the registry. Follow the steps below to load the Registry Editor.

1.    Press the Start button

2.    Select Run

3.    Type Regedit in the dialog box

4.    Select Ok and the Registry Editor loads afterwards

Disabling administrative shares

In this task, we need to go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer

\Parameters

To get there, please follow the steps below.

1.             Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

2.             Expand System

3.             Expand CurrentControlSet

4.             Expand Services

5.             Expand LanManServer

6.             Select Parameters

7.             Look for the REG_DWORD entry named AutoShareWks

8.             Double-click on it and change the value to 0

In case the entry AutoShareWks does not exist, do the following:

1.    Right-click on the right side of the editor

2.    Select New, then DWORD

3.    Type AutoShareWks as the name of the entry

4.    Check that the value is 0

5.    Close the editor

6.    Reboot the computer

After rebooting, go back to the Computer Management console and check the shares again. It should now look something like the picture below.

That is all there is to it. Your files are now safe from other network users.

Against Virtualization

In today's IT infrastructure when Virtualization is the hot topic, more and more organisations large and small are looking to investigate the pro's and con's of Virtualization.

Virtualization technology has been around for years in one form or another and has improved significantly in what it offers the consumer.  But is it necessary? Should you be doing it?

What I will try to do here is provide you with a rundown of the pro's and con's of server Virtualization.

Let's start off with the con's because I always like to end on a positive note :)

Virtualization Technologies

There are a number of different vendors providing hypervisor type technology, the major players being Citrix, VMWare and Microsoft.  It can often be difficult to identify the differences between each product and why it is better than the other.  It can also be costly to move from one technology to another if you have already invested.  Whilst your network can consist of a number of different vendor technologies it is often not cost effective to maintain them so choosing the right vendor and sticking to them is essential.  On a plus side, the entry level hypervisors from most vendors are free allowing you to try the technologies out before you invest.

Storage

iSCSI, FC, DAS, NAS; all acronyms associated with storage (yes there are many more) but which type of storage do you choose?  Or do you use a mixture of them all?  Again depending on which expert you talk to, different technologies will be recommended.  In reality, they are all have their plusses and minuses and to a large extent, depends on what you will be running on them.  If you have a cluster of highly available virtual hosts then you will probably be looking at some sort of Network Attached Storage (NAS), which can be very costly.

Staff Training

You may have already invested in your IT Staff or you may hire consultant services, either way an investment in Virtualization technology could well mean further investment in either your own staff or 3rd party support.  If you plan to virtualize, you will need to ensure that someone is able to support your configuration.

Software Support

Many software vendors may tell you that their software is not supported in a virtual environment - this is happening less these days but it does still happen.  It will more than likely work because the OS is exactly the same.  What happens if something goes wrong with this software? Who carries the can?

All eggs in one basket

I must admit that it took me a while to let go of the stacks of physical servers in my data centres and take a hold of Virtualization. And I am willing to bet I am not the only one.  A lot of IT Managers/IT Consultants don't like the idea of a single server (or small cluster) running their entire network.  What if it fails? How do you bring it back online?  At least if you have physical servers and one of them fails the rest are still working.  This is where high availability comes in and the cost associated with it.

Cost

To get all the benefits and a highly available network and staff/consultants that can support it along with all the required hardware and storage can be very expensive.  It is also a minefield choosing the right vendor.  If you are running multiple Virtual Servers you will also need to invest in further licenses for those servers.

Now let's look at the Pro's and there are just as many of those as there are Con's.

Energy Cost Savings

Most CEO's these days have Green ICT somewhere on the agenda, normally near the top.  Not just because they want to reduce their carbon footprint but because they want to save on the ever rising energy costs.  Virtualization means we don't need as many physical servers.  This by itself means less electricity used.  As a by-product of having fewer servers, they produce less heat, which means less air-conditioning - another energy cost saving.

Reduced Maintenance Costs

By having fewer physical servers we also reduce the amount of physical space they require and benefit from reduced cost maintenance agreements (most Tier 1 Server vendors charge for their extended warranty based on physical machines).  We will also need less air-conditioning units and this will require less servicing as it won't be used as heavily.

Shared Resources

Whilst cost of shared storage(SAN) is high, it could also be argued that you are investing in this only once and you will share it with all your servers.   This is also true of other hardware, CPU & RAM for example.   You buy a single server with 48GB of RAM and 2 Quad Core Xeon CPU's and with the right technology, the software will manage these resources for you and distribute them as needed, making sure the virtual servers you have are getting the resources they need when they need them and giving them back to the pool when they don't.

Flexibility

Virtualization provides us with the flexibility to separate our server roles without investing in more physical servers.  Whereas if there was not a physical server to install our newly found SQL database application it would end up on another server that wasn't doing much.  With virtualization we can quickly deploy a new virtual server and install our application here (as a side note - this could also be a disadvantage as we could end up with a single server running many different Virtual Servers unnecessarily).

Virtualization is suitable for all sorts of business sizes.  Even a small business with a single physical server running Small Business Server is a candidate.  What if you want to run a piece of client/server software that will not run on Small Business Server?  Segregating server roles can be an advantage no matter what the size of your infrastructure.

There are many other pro's and con's to Virtualization mainly based around the technologies themselves.  Hopefully you have gained some insight here as to what to look for if you are thinking about virtualization.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

How to Set Up an Ad Hoc Network on Windows Platforms

Anyone who has ever had a frustrating time finding an Internet connection has probably come across the option to create an ad hoc network. What does this mean? Ad hoc networks create a temporary wireless connection between computers or devices so that files or Internet connection can be shared. They are an excellent option when a router and established wireless network are unavailable. If your normal wireless network is experiencing problems, creating a temporary ad hoc network is a good solution until your regular connection is restored.  It is also possible to connect the computers without an external wireless connection. This option would be used to share files between the machines.

1. From the Start menu, select “Connect to” and then “Set up a connection or network.” You can also access this menu from the Control Panel.

2. Choose “Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network.” If you would like to control the number of users or the network’s security, you can require networked computers to have a password in order to access the ad hoc network.

3.  Connect other devices to the ad hoc network. On the remaining computers or devices connecting to the ad hoc network, click on “View available wireless connections” from the network options.

4. Select the recently created ad hoc network from the list of available networks.Click the “Connect” option. It will appear in the same list as other wireless networks. If necessary, enter the password or other security information.

If prompted to enter a network key, type the same key as was used on the first computer.

At this stage, the connection should be complete and you should see it indicated on your taskbar.

Note: Ad hoc networks are automatically deleted when the person who set up the network disconnects or after everyone using the network disconnects.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com/

4 Things That Are Killing Your Android Battery

Consumers have accepted that moving from a camera phone to an Android phone allows them to do more but not without sacrifices. It's true that your smartphone needs a charge more often than your old Nokia, especially with its bigger screen. However, you might preserve more battery life once you determine which behind-the-scenes culprits are eating away your charge. Don't buy a bulky, extended battery before checking out these things that frequently drain your battery.

That Fancy Live Wallpaper

Smartphones let you do more than the camera phones of the past, and live wallpapers are one of those new capabilities. Many users enjoy a variety of animations in the background of their phones, but they don't realize that live wallpapers are going to make phones die more quickly. Your best bet is to use a static wallpaper and change it up frequently if you have a short attention span. Otherwise, check if any of your live wallpapers has options that slow the animation, which is easier on your battery.

Facebook, Twitter and the Like

Any app with push notifications will drain your battery. Social networking isn't the only type of app at work here, either. Email and RSS feed apps also drain your battery. Turn off push notifications if you really don't need them; otherwise, lower the frequency at which your phone checks them. Do you really need new tweets every two minutes? Your phone will thank you if you set push notifications to an hour or less. With that in mind, stop opening your Facebook app every five seconds. You'll survive without it.

Screen Usage

Few factors compromise the life of your battery more than that gigantic screen you've got going on. Sure, your old camera phone might have lasted you three or five days on a single charge, but the screen was half the size of any Android phone and less powerful to boot. Try these tricks to get more out of your battery life:

Turn down the brightness on your phone from the “Settings” screen. Your phone automatically reduces brightness if it has a power-save mode. Specific apps, like Handcent, also give you options for screen brightness.

Lower screen timeout duration. Let your phone shut down after 30 seconds instead of ten minutes. You'll be glad you did.

Unused Radios

Your Droid Razr, Evo 4G LTE, or One X all have something in common: they contain devices known as radios to connect to different frequencies. There's one for the cell network, another for Wi-Fi, a radio for Bluetooth, and even GPS might have its own radio. Keeping these enabled when you're not using them makes you charge your cell more than necessary. Pull down that quick settings screen or open your settings and turn off whatever you're not using. Most apps will notify you if you need to turn it back on, anyway.

Have you found any surprising battery killers on your phone?

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

Android Lock Screens: Choosing the One That Works Best for You

For most people, a smart phone or tablet is a lifeline to the rest of the world. It keeps things like contacts, notes, text messages, to-do list, photos, and personal information at your fingertips. Unfortunately, all of that accessibility means that anyone who happens to get their hands on your phone also has access to your most sensitive information. If you have links or apps to your things like your bank account, email, or work information, this could spell disaster for your personal and financial information.

Luckily, Android devices come with several built-in options for keeping your information out of prying hands, even if they do manage to snag your phone or tablet. Accessing these security options from the home screen is simple. Start at Device Settings, and then select Location and Security. From there, you can tap on Set Up Screen Lock. You’re now ready to choose from the different ways you want to lock your phone.

Before choosing your method for locking your device, you’ll want to decide how long your screen is accessible before the screen lock sets in. The options vary from immediately upon the screen shutting down to 20 minutes later. If you don’t keep a lot of personal info on your phone, or if you send a receive a lot of calls, tweets and text messages, you might want to go with a longer lock time to avoid having to constantly input your pin or password. On the other hand, if your phone is full of sensitive information, you might want to engage the lock screen immediately. Most people fall somewhere in between, and roughly 5 minutes is usually ideal. Next, you can select the way you want to unlock your phone.

Password Lock Screen

If you’re looking for a lock screen with the highest level of security, the password option is what you want. Android passwords work just like the passwords you already have in place in your email, Twitter, banking and Facebook accounts. You have the option of using letters, numbers and special characters. Your password must be between four and sixteen characters long, and is case sensitive.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to enter your password every single time you need to get to your apps, texts and phone messages. The longer the password, the more hassle – but the higher the security. This is a good option for those with a lot of personal or sensitive information stored on their phone.

PIN

A good middle-of-the-road option for your lock screen is the personal identification number, or PIN. Similar to your ATM card, your device PIN is a series of four to sixteen digits that must be entered in a specific order. Unlike the password option, a PIN lock screen only lets you use numerical digits to create your code. Of course, the longer the PIN, the more difficult for a third party to guess it. But like a password, longer PIN numbers are also more of an inconvenience when you want to reply to an email or text message.

Pattern Lock

The final option for your Android lock screen is the pattern lock. This method is one that Android brought to the device market a few years ago. Instead of entering a PIN or password, the pattern lock allows you to make a pattern on your screen using a grid of connecting dots. This is certainly the fastest way to get to your information, and because there are no numbers or letters involved, it can make it quite difficult for someone to guess your code. A word of caution, though – if you use the pattern lock, ensure that you keep your screen clean and change your screen protector fairly often. Otherwise, your finger smudges can give away your password to someone who happens to get their hands on your phone.

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