Android Cool Tricks

Android Cool Tricks

By Unknown   20:18   No comments:

Android is pretty cool. There are things you can do with an Android phone that iOS and Windows Phone users can only dream about. With a little imagination the possibilities are nearly infinite. Since there are so many different things you can do with an Android phone it’s inevitable to be unaware of some basic tricks. We’ve compiled a list of seven cool tricks that every Android user should know.

1. Do a Google search from anywhere

One of the best things about having an Android device is the tight integration of Google services. In the latest versions of the Google Search app for Android they have enabled users to do searches from anywhere. All you have to do is turn on your phone and say “Ok, Google.” It’s fast and super handy when you want to quickly find something. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Google Search app
2. Go to Settings > Voice
3. Go to “Ok Google Detection”
4. Enable “From any screen”
5. Train the app to recognize your voice

2. Make your phone snappy with faster animations

One of the most common complaints about Android is “lagginess.” For whatever reason Google has never been able to get Android on the same buttery smooth level as iOS or even Windows Phone. In the last few versions they have made some serious improvements, but if you still feel like your phone is a little laggy there is a trick for speeding things up. Google has hidden some secret developer options inside the Settings. Inside the secret developer options is settings for animation and transition speed. Here’s how to speed things up.

1. Open Settings > About phone
2. Scroll down and tap on “Build number” 7 times
3. Now go back to Settings and you should see new “Developer options”
4. Adjust the window and transition animation scales to .5x or turn them off completely

3. Locate and wipe your lost phone

Losing your phone is one of the worst things that can happen. These devices contain sensitive information and private data. If your phone falls into the wrong hands it could put you in a world of trouble. There are apps you can download to help in the event of a lost phone, but in order for them to work you need to have them installed before something bad happens. Luckily there is a built-in way to find your lost phone and even wipe all of your personal data.

1. Double-check to make sure Android Device Manager is installed
2. Go to google.com/android/devicemanager
3. Select your phone from the menu
4. Now you can see the location, ring it, lock it, or erase it

4. Scrub through songs on lockscreen

When you’re playing music on your phone the lockscreen gets taken over with beautiful album art and media controls. These controls allow you to go back, play/pause, or skip to the next song without having to fully unlock the device. However, that’s not all you can do with those buttons. A little known feature is the ability to scrub through a song from the lockscreen. It’s stupidly easy to do, but not an obvious feature.

1. With music playing, long-press on the media control buttons
2. Scrub through the song with the newly present bar

5. Put widgets on the lockscreen

Widgets have long been a selling point of Android, and remain to be a unique feature of the OS. Most people love to deck out their homescreen with widgets, but you don’t have to stop there. Ever since Android 4.—— the lockscreen can also be a place for widgets. This gives users quick access to pertinent information without even unlocking the device. Lockscreen widgets are not turned on by default. Here’s how to do it.

1. Go to Settings > Security
2. Tap “Enable widgets”
3. Go to the lockscreen and swipe to the left screen
4. Tap the [+] button and choose a widget

6. Save battery in the GPS settings

If you don’t rely on location data a lot you could be saving some precious battery life. Android has a built-in setting that allows you to determine how you want your phone to find your location. There are three different modes: high accuracy, battery saving, and device only. This trick isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t care about location it’s a nice way to save some juice.

1. Go to Settings > Location
2. Tap on “Mode”
3. Select your desired location mode

7. Change what app launches with the home button shortcut

On devices with software buttons you can launch Google Search by swiping up on the home button. Some devices with hardware buttons allow you to do this with a long-press on the home button. An app called Home Button Launcher allows you to use this gesture to launch any app you would like. This gives you quick access to your favorite apps from anywhere on the phone. Here’s how to do it.

1. Download Home Button Launcher from Google Play
2. Swipe up or long press the home button
3. Tap Home Button Launcher and make it default
4. Tap the menu icon and select “Add”
5. Choose all the app you wish to appear in the shortcut

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Mobile Phone secret codes

Mobile Phone secret codes

By Unknown   21:05   No comments:

                                                                                              Samsung Secret Codes

Software version: *#9999#
IMEI number: *#06#
Serial number: *#0001#
Battery status- Memory capacity : *#9998*246#
Debug screen: *#9998*324# - *#8999*324#
LCD kontrast: *#9998*523#


LG Secret Codes

LG all models test mode: Type 2945#*# on the main screen.
2945*#01*# Secret menu for LG
IMEI (ALL): *#06#
IMEI and SW (LG 510): *#07#
Software version (LG B1200): *8375#
Recount cheksum (LG B1200): *6861#
Factory test (B1200): #PWR 668
Simlock menu (LG B1200): 1945#*5101#
Simlock menu (LG 510W, 5200): 2945#*5101#
Simlock menu (LG 7020, 7010): 2945#*70001#


Motorola Secret Codes

IMEI number:
*#06#
Code to lock keys. Press together *7
Note: [] (pause) means the * key held in until box appears.
Select phone line - (use this to write things below the provider name):
[] [] [] 0 0 8 [] 1 []
Add phonebook to main menu:
[] [] [] 1 0 5 [] 1 []

Nokia Secret Codes

*#06# for checking the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity).
*#7780# reset to factory settings.
*#67705646# This will clear the LCD display(o).
*#0000# To view software version.
*#2820# Bluetooth device address.
*#746025625# Sim clock allowed status.
*#62209526# - Display the MAC address of the WLAN adapter. This is available only in
the newer devices that supports WLAN.

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How to Set Up a Virtual Private Network with Windows

How to Set Up a Virtual Private Network with Windows

By Unknown   21:47   No comments:

Imagine you are on business overseas working to secure a new account with an offshore supplier. This is a big meeting for you and your company. If you clinch the deal, you are in line for a big promotion. The morning of the presentation, you turn on your laptop and discover your hard drive has crashed. Panicking, you call your office to request an electronic copy of your presentation, but because of the time difference, your call goes unanswered.

However, if you knew how to set up a virtual private network (VPN), you could access the file from any computer in the world! A VPN allows you to connect to a computer from anywhere in the world and access the files.

Steps:

1.  Open your web browser and go to www.whatismyip.com. Write down the IP address. You will need it to configure the client.

2. Click the Start button and click Run.

3. Type control and hit Enter.

4. Click Network and Internet Connections.

5. Click Network Connections.

6. Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.

7. The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.

8. Choose Set up an advanced connection, the last element on the list. ClickNext.

9. Choose Accept incoming connections. Click Next.

10. You will see the Devices for Incoming Connections screen. Do not select anything on this screen. Click Next.

11. Select Allow virtual private connections. Click Next.

12. Select to whom you want to give access. Click Next. If a user is not listed, you will have to add an account. See “Related Wikihows” for more information.

13. Do not change anything on the Networking Software screen. Click Next.

That’s it! Your computer is now set up to allow for VPNs. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Now you can enjoy the free VPN services.

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IP Address ipv4 Explained

IP Address ipv4 Explained

By Unknown   20:44   No comments:

Every station on a PSN (packet switched network) that is based on the TCP/IP
protocol (your computer is one, for example. Yes, we're referring to a host
that is connected to the net) must have an IP address, so it can be identified,
and information can be relayed and routed to it in an orderly fashion.



An IP address consists of a 32 bit logical address. The address is divided
into two fields:



1) The network address:


Assigned by InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center).
In fact most ISPs (internet service providers) purchase a number of addresses
and assign them individually.



2) The host address:


An address that identifies the single nodes throughout the network. It can be assigned
by the network manager, by using protocols for it such as DHCP, or the workstation itself.



[The IP networking protocol is a logically routed protocol, meaning that address 192.43.54.2
will be on the same physical wire as address 192.43.54.3 (of course this is not always true. It depends on the

subnet mask of the network, but all of that can fill a text of its own)


IP address structure:


   ---.---.---.---

   ^             ^
   |             |
network    |    host

Every " --- " = 8 bits.
The first bits ===> network address
The last bits  ===> host address.
with 8 bits you can present from 0-255 . (binary=(2 to the power of 8)-1)

Example:
11000010.01011010.00011111.01001010 (binary)
194.90.31.74 (decimal)
IP address CLASSES :
We can classify IP addreses to 5 groups. You can distinguish them by comparing the "High Order" bits (the first four bits on the
left of the address):

type  | model  | target | MSB |addr.range    |bit number| max.stations|
     |        | groups |     |              |net./hosts|             |
------|--------|--------|-----|--------------|----------|-------------|
 A   |N.h.h.h | ALL    |  0  | 1.0.0.0      |   24/7   | 16,777,214  |
     |        | ACCEPT |     |    to        |          |             |
     |        | HUGE   |     | 127.0.0.0    |          |             |
     |        | CORPS  |     |              |          |             |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
     |N.N.h.h | TO ALL | 10  | 128.1.00     | 16/14    | 65,543      |
 B   |        | LARGE  |     |    to        |          |             |
     |        | CORPS  |     | 191.254.00   |          |             |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
     |N.N.N.h |TO ALOT | 110 | 192.0.1.0    | 8/22     |  254        |
 C   |        |OF      |     |    to        |          |             |
     |        |SMALL   |     | 223.225.254  |          |             |
     |        |CORPS   |     |              |          |             |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
D    | NONE   |MULTI-CA|1110 | 224.0.0.0     | NOT FOR |   UNKNOWN   |
     |        |ST ADDR.|     |    to         | USUAL   |             |
     |        |RFC-1112|     |239.255.255.255| USE     |             |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
E    | NOT FOR|EXPERIME|1,1,1,1| 240.0.0.0     |NOT FOR|  NOT FOR USE|
     |  USE   |NTAL    |       |   to          |USE    |             |
     |        |ADDR.   |       |254.255.255.255|       |             |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

N=NETWORK , h=HOST .



Notice the address range 127.X.X.X.
These addresses are assigned to internal use to the network device, and are
used as an application tool only. For example: 127.0.0.1, the most common one,
is called the loopback address - everything sent here goes directly back to
you, without even traveling out on the wire.
Also, some IPs are reserved for VPNs - Virtual Private Networks. These are
local area networks over wide area networks that use the Internet Protocol to
communicate, and each computer inside the network is assigned with an IP
address. So, suppose a certain computer wants to send a data packet to
another host on the network with the IP 'x', but there's also another host on
the Internet that has the same IP - what happens now? So this is why you
cannot use these and other forms of reserved IPs on the Internet.

EXTRA:

Distinguishing different groups:

You have to compare the first byte on the left in the address as follows:




Type |    First byte  | MSB
    |    in decimal  |
----------------------------
A    | 1-127          | 0
----------------------------
B    | 128-191        | 10
----------------------------
C    | 192-223        | 110
----------------------------
D    | 224-239        | 1110
----------------------------
E    | 240-254        | 1111
----------------------------


NOTES: Yes, we know, we've left A LOT of things unexplained in this text.
With time, we will write more tutorials to cover these and other subjects. So
in the meantime, I suggest that you go to http://blacksun.box.sk, find the
tutorials page and see if there's anything else that's interesting to you.
And remember - we also have a message board, so if you have any questions,
feel free to post them there.


weird shit (newbie note):

1) Multicast: (copied from RFC 1112)
  IP multicasting is the transmission of an IP datagram to a "host
  group", a set of zero or more hosts identified by a single IP
  destination address.  A multicast datagram is delivered to all
  members of its destination host group with the same "best-efforts"
  reliability as regular unicast IP datagrams, i.e., the datagram is
  not guaranteed to arrive intact at all members of the destination
  group or in the same order relative to other datagrams.

  The membership of a host group is dynamic; that is, hosts may join
  and leave groups at any time.  There is no restriction on the
  location or number of members in a host group.  A host may be a
  member of more than one group at a time.  A host need not be a member
  of a group to send datagrams to it.

  A host group may be permanent or transient.  A permanent group has a
  well-known, administratively assigned IP address.  It is the address,
  not the membership of the group, that is permanent; at any time a
  permanent group may have any number of members, even zero.  Those IP
  multicast addresses that are not reserved for permanent groups are
  available for dynamic assignment to transient groups which exist only
  as long as they have members.

  Internetwork forwarding of IP multicast datagrams(ip packets)is handled by
  "multicast routers" which may be co-resident with, or separate from,
  internet gateways.  A host transmits an IP multicast datagram as a
  local network multicast which reaches all immediately-neighboring
  members of the destination host group.  If the datagram has an IP
  time-to-live greater than 1, the multicast router(s) attached to the
  local network take responsibility for forwarding it towards all other
  networks that have members of the destination group.  On those other
  member networks that are reachable within the IP time-to-live, an
  attached multicast router completes delivery by transmitting the
  datagram(ip packet) as a local multicast.

  *if you do not understand the above do not worry, it is complicated and dry
  but reread it and read it again get a dictionary if it helps.
  Hacking is not easy.

2) MSB: Most Significent Bit:
  In set numbers the first number on the left is the most important because it
  holds the highest value as opposed to the LSB=> least significent bit, it
  always holds the the smallest value.

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Bluetooth Technology explained

Bluetooth Technology explained

By Unknown   01:51   No comments:

Bluetooth wireless technology (IEEE 802.15.1) is a short-range communications technology originally intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The key features of Bluetooth technology are threefold: robustness, low power, and low cost. Bluetooth has been designed in a uniform way. This way it enables a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other by using the Bluetooth wireless communication protocol. The Bluetooth technology has achieved global acceptance in such a way that any Bluetooth-enabled electronic device, almost everywhere in the world, is able to connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices in its proximity. Bluetooth-enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. Each device can simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single piconet. Each device can also belong to several piconets simultaneously. Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth-enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity. One of the main strengths of the Bluetooth wireless technology is the ability to handle data and voice transmissions simultaneously. This enables users to use a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing, fax capabilities, synchronizing PDA’s, laptops, and mobile phone applications to name a few.
An important aspect of this thesis is about the scalability of Bluetooth broadcasting. Since scalability can sometimes be a rather vague concept, we give a short explanation of the term. An important aspect of software products is how they are able to cope with growth. For example, how does the system handle an increase in users or data traffic? This property of a software system is usually referred to as scalability. A more detailed specification of the concept is given by André Bondi, who defines it as follows: ‘Scalability is a desirable attribute of a network, system, or process. The concept connotes the ability of a system to accommodate an increasing number of elements or objects, to process growing volumes of work gracefully, and/or to be susceptible to enlargement.’ Whenever a system meets these requirements we can say that thesystem scales. In this thesis scalability comes down to the question if the system is capable of dealing with large groups of users equipped with Bluetooth enabled devices capable of receiving simple text messages.

Passive Broadcasting

The first type of business deals with broadcasting from a central location, which we will call passive broadcasting. Most of these companies sell both the hardware and software to enable this. For example, BlueCasting by Filter WorldWide, one of the major players in the market which made the news in August 2005 when they distributed merchandise for the British pop band Coldplay, offers a product family divided into four types of systems. They offer solutions for small retail shops, one-off events such as music festivals, and even larger areas such as airports and train stations. The latest descendant in the family is a system that provides an interactive touchscreen allowing users to interact directly with the system. BlueCasting is an example of a product that comes with both hardware (one or more BlueCast Servers) and software (BlueCast Campaign Management System) which is used to provide remote setup, maintenance and reporting.
Besides this type of companies, i.e. the ones that are selling the total package, other companies have dedicated themselves to providing just the hardware. An example is BlueGiga. According to their website their BlueGiga Access Servers are used by more than 350 Bluetooth Marketing companies in more than 65 countries. They sell two lines of products: Bluetooth Modules and Bluetooth Access Servers. The modules are described as ‘completely integrated, certified, high-performance Radio Frequency products including all needed Bluetooth profiles’. Access Servers are sold in the form of Access Points (up to 7 connections) and Access Servers (up to 21 connections). Besides this they also sell the BlueGiga Solution Manager (BSM). This is a web-based remote management and monitoring platform for BlueGiga Access Servers that can be used to simultaneously upgrade, monitor and configure a large number of BlueGiga Access Servers, instead of configuring each device one-by-one.

Bluetooth Core System Architecture :

The transceiver operates in the globally unlicensed ISM band at 2.4 GHz. The bit rateis 1 Megabit per second and can be boosted to 2 or 3 Mb/s with Enhanced Data Rate[EDR]. The 79 channels in the band are ordered from channel number 0-78 and arespaced 1 MHz beginning at 2402 GHz. Bluetooth-enabled devices that arecommunicating share a radio channel and are synchronized to a common clock andfrequency hopping pattern. Frequency hopping is used to make the protocol morerobust to interference from other devices operating in the same band. The physicalchannel is sub-divided into time units known as slots. Data is transmitted betweenBluetooth-enabled devices in packets. These packets are situated in the slots. Packetscan fill one or more consecutive slots, allowing larger data chunks to be transmitted ifthe circumstances admit this. Bluetooth is primarily designed for low power consumption and affordability and hasa relatively short range (1, 10 or 100 meters). It makes use of low-cost transceivermicrochips that are embedded in each device.

The Bluetooth Baseband is the part of the Bluetooth system that specifies or implements the medium access and physical layer procedures between Bluetooth devices. Several devices can be joined together in what is called a piconet. One device owns the clock and the frequency hopping pattern and is called the master. Two or more piconets can be joined in what is called a scatternet. To form a scatternet, some units, called gateways, belong to different piconets. Such a unit can be a slave unit in more than one piconet but can act as a master in only one. Besides this, it can transmit and receive data in only one piconet at a time. To visualize this, imagine the following. You are on the phone with a friend, using your Bluetooth headset, while at the same time you are uploading pictures from your computer to your phone. Your phone now acts as a gateway, being the master in the piconet with your headset and slave in the one with your computer.

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Make Your PC FASTER,,,, Guaranteed..!!!

Make Your PC FASTER,,,, Guaranteed..!!!

By Unknown   01:49   No comments:

1. First, run a scandisk or checkdisk. Let Windows fix any errors.

2. Run a disk cleanup utility...this will flush your temporary internet folder, trash can, temp system files, etc.

3. Delete any garbage files or data...if possible, run a Duplicate File Finder program.

4. Run Defrag on all partitions (NOTE: run this after you have deleted all trash and excess files!)

5. Run a registry cleaner utility and delete or get rid of any orphaned entries in that registry.

6. Check your existing swap file for it's size and location (*will explain location later in the post). If you have a lot of ram (i.e. 1 gig and over) set this swap file to something small, like 250 mb. The reason is that this will force Windows to load more into memory, resulting in faster performance (note: some games and applications actually require a certain sized swap file so check your applications performance after making a size adjustment for any error messages.)

7. Under XP, you can tell Windows to use Classic Style on your desktop, - this will remove the neat single click and internet-style desktop but for lower end systems this will improve performance in other areas, such as gaming and multi-tasking.

8. Run msconfig and under start up and only keep the programs that are essential to load in the tray icon (and hence stay resident in memory). Unchecked anything else non-essential, like an ATI or Nvidia control panel, QuickTime utility, Real Audio, etc.

9. Upgrade drivers! Check for the latest BIOS, video, motherboard, sound, etc drivers from the manufacturers. Alot of my friends had chipsets on their motherboard that had advanced disk management capabilities or AGP port settings but the drivers weren't loaded for them so they were never being used. A simple upgrade realized a noticeable difference. For instance, they didn't have the latest driver for their AGP port so it was set to 1x, instead of being used at 4x!

10. (OK, so this won't speed up your PC but it could save you alot of time and trouble later on!) After making all these improvements, make a working backup! I use Ghost, but for XP users you can also use System Restore...

-FOR ADVANCED USERS-

1. Take a look under the hood (for IDE owners). How are your IDE devices configured? If you have more than 1 hard drive, put the master hard drive on the primary IDE channel and the secondary hard drive on the secondary IDE channel (most motherboards have two IDE channels).

2. Place all CDROM drives, DVD readers etc. on the secondary IDE channel (or SCSI bus, etc). This will reduce I/O contention with your master hard drive which should have your OS and apps installed...

3. Remember when I mentioned the location of the swap file? OK, if you have 2 hard drives and you have one on the primary IDE channel and the other on the secondary IDE channel, move the swap file to a partition ON THE SECOND hard drive (on the secondary IDE channel). This will greatly improve system performance as the PC can write to the swap file while loading and running OS and system commands without I/O contention on the primary IDE channel!

4. Take a look under the hood (for SCSI owners) What kind of SCSI do you have? If it's the newer Ultra 160/320 etc cards then guess what? Any devices placed on the same bus will automatically default to the slowest drive on the chain...this means that if you have say, an Ultra 160 SCSI card, and it has an Ultra 160 drive (capable of transferring 160 mb/sec) on the same chain as a SCSI cdrom drive (capable of only 40 mb/sec) then the whole bus slows down to the 40 mb/sec speed...use different chains for the slower devices and maximize those hard drives!

5. Run a utility like WCPUID and check the settings...is your CPU/front speed bus/AGP port running as fast as they should be? If not, check your drivers and BIOS configuration options. Also, are all of your chip set features enabled? If not, then enable them! (usually done in your BIOS!)

6. Dig in to the BIOS...check settings like boot order, for example...is it checking the floppy first? Change this! Select your order to reflect the hard drive first, then CD, then floppy for a noticeable boot time improvement. Also disable any non-used on board peripherals...for instance, - does your motherboard come with an on-board NIC card? Guess what, if you don't use that NIC card and it is enabled it will eat up valuable CPU cycles and can be detrimental to your systems' performance. DISABLE THAT MUTHA! Also, see if you can play with memory timing and CPU clock frequencies (NOTE! This is for expert users only!) Set these timings to "Aggressive" and see what happens in your games and apps...Also, check to see what your video aperture is set to. If you have a video card with 128 megs of on-board memory, your aperture should be set to this amount too. Read the BIOS owner manual for further non-general performance tricks or improvements! Do you have the latest BIOS firmware version?

7. Under hardware properties, check to see that everything is working properly, and fix any hardware contention issues. You'll see the dreaded yellow exclamation point (!) beside any hardware component that is not working correctly.

8. Evaluate the potential for system/hardware upgrades...usually, the best bang for the buck is adding memory so buy all that you can afford (don't go much above 512 megs for Win 98 or ME). If you have a motherboard with an 8x - capable AGP port but you are using an older 4x video card, consider upgrading to an 8x card. You get the idea here...

9. Quit using software pigs like Norton system utilities, etc. These place files everywhere and can be a real system resource hog on lower end PCs.

10. Did I mention to make a good backup? Do it now! Also, while you're at it, run a good virus program with the latest definitions.

There are more options to make your system faster, such as overclocking, etc. but (just about) everything I've mentioned in this tech post costs you nothing and will result in faster system performance! Good luck and if you have any questions on how to do anything mentioned here, ask a knowledgeable friend or consult a book, - don't mess up something trying to do something you are not sure of!

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