Join this former Twitter skeptic as he determines what makes a Twitter profile good OK, guys, I'm going to have to be honest. I was a little intimidated when I found out I'd be writing an article like this. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that I was just shedding my Twitter skepticism. As I used Twitter more, the more I realized Twitter is actually pretty cool and has its uses....
Don't like the IM app on your phone? Check out these replacements! So maybe the standard messaging app that came on your phone isn't the best. You may think it's a bit clunky or doesn't pack a lot of punch when it comes to features. Luckily, we can replace those with other messaging apps. Most of them will bring some different design elements to the table, as well as additional...
Google enables couch potatoes everywhere to keep doing their thing I can be one lazy bag of bones sometimes. My roommates and I are in our apartment living room, and one of us gets the urge to listen to Joe Walsh singing "Life's Been Good" (hey, we may be college kids, but we do like the classics). My roommate's PlayStation 3 is already on, so I fire up my phone and beam the song to...
Google Now cards can offer a lot of information at a glance. This is how to make them work for you. Google Now is much more than a Siri- or Cortana-like virtual assistant. It has cards that can let you receive a lot of information and process it quickly. They show up when they're needed, and they have very practical uses. For example, I'm a very forgetful person. With that being the...
The new tab window on Chrome for Android helps you get more from your web browsing experience If there's one thing I love about Chrome, Google's web browser, it's that it can provide pretty seamless transitions between my desktop and mobile web browsing experiences. If I have to leave my apartment before I finish reading an article, no problem. Chrome can sync the pages I have open on...
You can request for websites to not keep track of your activity when using Chrome When you browse the Internet, the sites you visit pick up bits of information about you and your online habits. Some information, like websites you've visited, may be shared with third parties. Those third parties may use the information for advertising or gathering reporting statistics. You can request...
Gmail is an effective tool that helps us keep in touch with the world Oh, Gmail, I still remember when I first heard of you. I was still a young lad at the time, but I remember hoping for an invitation to join the service. It seemed like it was an invitation-only beta, or not open to the public, for such a long time. As I waited for my invitation to get an account, I watched numbers...
You can protect your privacy and cover your tracks by clearing your browsing data in Chrome for Android We've all been here: A friend asks to borrow your phone (or just steals it), and you start to sweat, fully aware of what's lurking there in your browser history. What if they see that you're secretly addicted to looking up random cat facts? What if they discover whatever other...
Google Wallet makes it easy to use your bank account to pay — here's how to set it up Google Wallet, as our very own Phil says, "was born from the idea that it should be easy to pay for things with your phone." Google Wallet does make that pretty easy, especially when you have your bank account linked to it. I think of Google Wallet as acting like a debit or credit card sometimes, at...
This skeptic is beginning to like and use Twitter more, but why? Let me start with a little confession: I've been a little bit of a skeptic when it comes to the "microblogging" platform Twitter. I think I just saw it as a social media platform much lamer than the likes of Facebook or Google+. After all, what can you do with a measly 140 characters, right? I'm coming around, though,...
You can use Chrome to save data, and this is how you get that going Unfortunately, I am on a limited data plan with my carrier. I know that most of you are probably in the same boat. And on limited data plans, data saved is data earned. Many popular music streaming apps have made it possible to save data by storing music on our devices. Google also makes it possible for us to save data...
Google Play Books gives power to the people to upload their own books One feature I'm discovering on Google Play Books that I really enjoy is that I get to upload my own files, which I can then read within the Google Play Books app. Just keep in mind that the files should be of the PDF and/or EPUB varieties. The files you upload should also be DRM-free. DRMs are things that allow...
Google Play Books makes it easy to save books to your device, as well as remove and delete them As the name suggests, Google Play Books lets you purchase and read books on your Android device. In the sense that it turns your device into an eReader, you might say it's similar to a Kindle or a Nook. Google's actually made it pretty easy to manage your library. You can buy and save new...
This is how to change the streaming quality of YouTube videos on your Android device There are several reasons you may want to change the streaming quality of YouTube videos. You may want to downgrade the video quality because you want to cut down on the amount of data watching the video consumes. Or you may want to upgrade the video quality because you want to see more detail. Just...
YouTube is a great place to 'broadcast yourself' — and it's super easy to get started! Lots can happen when you're out and about, and you may not want to wait until you're around a computer to share it with the whole world. YouTube has been part of Google since 2006. With that being the case, it would make sense that Google would make it as easy as possible to sign in and share videos...
You may want to limit contact with some Twitter accounts. This is how to do it. We know that there might be situations in which you would want to limit contact with certain people or groups on Twitter. Whatever the reason, there are ways to go about doing so. First, you can mute users. This will prevent their tweets from showing up in your timeline. If you want to prevent somebody from...
Google Play Books can make any Android device a great eReader, but how do you use it? Sure, Kindles and Nooks have (relatively) long been forces to reckon with in the digital book arena, but Google Play Books allows you to enjoy your favorite page turners on so many more Android devices. But how to get started? How do you buy and add books to your library? How do you even go about...
Google Wallet can do some pretty cool things, like store your loyalty cards — and we're here to go through the process with you Imagine you're at the store — one of those stores that gives you some kind of financial incentive to carry around a loyalty card. But, in your frantic rush out the door, you forgot that little piece of plastic. Sure, maybe you could enter your phone number to...
20 million yearly travelers will now have high speed broadband inside the Chunnel Looks like EE and Vodafone are set to unleash some speed in the Channel Tunnel, a transportation mode that turns the trip from the UK to France into a 35-minute jaunt. Vodafone and EE's networks will consist of LTE (or, as EE creatively calls it, "4GEE"), 3G and 2G. Services should be up by this summer....
$50 kit to be available in June It seems like a lot of different companies are getting in on the smartphone-controlled device game. ARCHOS announced its own series of home regulation devices earlier today. Belkin has its own thing along the same lines. Although it's not exactly home automation, Tailor Toys LLC will have a smartphone-controlled device all its own to show off at CES next...