8 More Hidden iOS 7 Features

 

Apple's iOS 7 hit the iPhone and iPad last month and packed the new release with not only a brand new design, but lots of new gestures, feature and capabilities. We've already discussed some of our favorite things in iOS 7, as well as some of our gripes and along the way have managed to learn a new trick or two.

Thanks to your feedback — and some additional sleuthing — we've got even more hidden iOS 7 features that you might not have run across.

See also: 8 Great Hidden Features in iOS 7

Some of these features are nice to have, and others — like some of the keyboard shortcuts — really make iOS 7 a more productive experience.

1. Controlling Control Center

Control Center is awesome. In fact, it's far and away one of our favorite iOS 7 features. The problem is, it can be easy to accidentally pull up Control Center if you are furiously scrolling through a list in an app or in certain games.
Fortunately, Apple has made it easy to disable Control Center inside of apps.
Do do this, just go to Settings > Control Center and then toggle "Access Within Apps" on or off. If you toggle it off, you can't pull Control Center up inside of apps, but can still access it on the home screen.

2. Auto Focus With Shutter Button (iPhone 5S Only)

The new iPhone 5S has a lot of slick features, including the ability to activate auto-focus without touching the screen. Just briefly press the volume up button and the familiar auto-focus square will appear.
Sadly, this only works on the iPhone 5S (at least as far as our tests go), but it's one of those tricks that makes the iPhone that much more like a regular point and shoot camera.

3. Burst Mode for Photo Buttons (All Devices)

One photo feature that isn't limited to the iPhone 5S is the ability to take consecutive shots by hitting the volume up or down button in the camera app. Press and hold and prepare to fill your camera with dozens of consecutive shots.
To be clear, this isn't the same feature as Burst Mode on the iPhone 5S — that feature not only takes more snaps, iOS 7 gives you a neat way to select what shots you want to keep. Still, this is great for anyone who wants to take lots of photos at once.

4. Access .com by Long-Pressing "." Key

My personal biggest gripe with iOS 7 was the death of the ".com" button inside Safari. I love the new omnibar for search and URL entry (or return to the omnibar if we're being historically accurate), but I hate not having access to .com.
It turns out, you CAN access that button! Simply press and hold the "." key and a .com, .net., .us and .edu selection pops up. How great is that!
Macworld goes into even more depth of secrets of the iOS 7 keyboard, and I thank them for this tip!

5. Quick Apostrophe on iPad Keyboard

Speaking of keyboard tips, in iOS 7 on the iPad, you can quickly access the apostrophe key by pressing and holding the comma button. It's much easier to use the correct form of "it's" when typing.
OK, our bad. This one isn't actually new to iOS 7. It was just new to me. Still, enjoy!

6. Peek in Messages and Mail

This is a hidden feature you've probably stumbled upon. As we've discussed, iOS 7 is considerably more gesture-driven than previous versions of iOS. One of the cool features Apple has enabled is the ability to swipe forward and backwards in its messaging apps.
If you're on an email message in the mail app or viewing a conversation in iMessage, you can slightly swipe to your right to reveal a peek at the message list below.
BlackBerry 10 fans might notice that this is similar to the way the peek and flow gestures works on the Z10,

7. Create New Events On Date or Times in iMessage

One of my favorite features in OS X is the smart way you can create appointments or calendar entries based on text inside an email or on a web page. Now, more of that functionality is in iOS 7.
Inside iMessages, typing something such as "Dinner with Dan at 7 on Thursday" will underline "7 on Thursday." Tap the underline text and you can create a calendar event with that subject.

8. Look at Most Visited Areas

This one might cross the creepy line, but we think it's pretty slick. You can view a map of your most recently visited areas by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services (scroll all the way down to see System Services) > Frequent Locations
When this is on, you can view your location history on a map. You can also opt to use frequent locations to improve Apple Maps. This is neat because iOS 7 will learn your location patterns and offer better predictive ideas of how long it will take to get to your next appointment.

Got Any More Hidden Features or Tips? Let Us Know

Even after almost a month with iOS 7, we're still discovering new and fun tricks and hidden extras. Have we missed one of your favorite new features? Let us know in the comments.

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Unlock Password Protected Memory Card

ow To Unlock The Password Protected Memory Card For Your Mobile Phone

when one my friend forgot the password of his memory card of his mobile phone and he have some very important data in the memory card which he want to recover, he tried almost everything then he lost hope and then asked the mobile phone company to find the way to recover the data from the memory card.
But you don’t worry if you are having the same problem…as now there is a much simple and easy way out.

Requirement: You need a file explorer like FExplorer which you can download from here.

How to Unlock MMC card:

Method 1:

Insert card into your phone but don’t access it through phone.
Run FExplorer and Open the path C:\system.
You will find a file called mmcstore ,rename the file mmcstore.txt
Copy that file(mmcstore.txt) to your pc and open that file in notepad.
You will find your password in that file.

Method 2:

Applicable to all nokia phones which are s60 2nd or s60 3rd edition series phones.check out here.
If you still have any problem in finding your password for your memory card ,leave a comment here.

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Buying Tips For Mobile Phone

 * You may already have a budget in mind as to how much you would like to spend. Mobile Phones range from Rs. 2,500 onwards in India and Pakistan. The size and features affect the price.

TALK TIME

* Now come to the talk time, The talk time of the mobile phone is the number of minutes you can talk with a fully charged standard battery. The talk time with a standard battery varies between 100 minutes to 750 minutes. Approximately 700 mAh will be able to give you a talk time of 4 to 6 hours. A longer talk time allows you to go without recharging the batteries for longer.

BATTERY TYPE

* There are 3 types of batteries available in the Indian and Pakistan market.

LITHIIUM POLYMER AND LITHIUM IONNICKEL METAL HYDRITE Slimmer larger power capacity. Heavier and less power capacity Does not discharge when phone is switched off Discharges when the battery is not in use Can be recharged without capacity reducing Battery's capacity reduces over time due to frequent recharging. More expensive More economical if your usage is low Phone cost- Rs. 3, 000 to Rs. 50,000Phones cost- Rs. 4, 000 to Rs. 7,000

PHONE SIZE

* This defines the size of the phone. There are two mobile phones categories we have on the web site: Small (Palm Size) and Medium Size.

SMALL (PALM SIZE) MEDIUM SIZE
Easy to carry, keep in a pocket or in a purse

Rs. 3,095 to 40,099
Larger and bulkier than small phones ..........

Rs. 3,895 to Rs. 45, 675

If you are concerned about the size of your mobile phone, and need to carry it in your top pocket, you would prefer a Small Size phone.

OTHER FEATURES

* FEATURE WHAT IS IT? WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU Dual Band

*

A switch that allows you to switch between transmissions that are adopted by different countriesYou cannot use a phone in a country where your GSM is not supported. If you are global traveler and would like to use your handset in different countries, you would need a phone with a dual band.Enhanced Full Rate Speech (EFR) Reduces the amount of background noise that gets transmitted along with your voice when you talk on the phone. If you live in a noise-polluted city, this feature is a must. General Packet Radio Service Allows you to be continuously connected to higher capacity Internet-based services You can use all the Internet applications like web browsing, email, chat, telnet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) over the mobile network. Inbuilt Answering Machine Allows you to record a personal message, which automatically answers calls that you were unable to receive and allows the caller to leave a verbal message for you. You can retrieve these voice messages at your convenience. Infrared Port Enables wireless connections between the computer and the mobile phone devices You can use IR to send and receive phone book entries (business cards) and reminder notes. Internal Antenna and BatteryAn in-built antenna and battery in the handset.Makes the phone more compact and also gives the handset a very sleek and elegant look Internal Vibrating Alert This feature can be programmed to physically vibrate when a call is received. Useful when you receive calls in places where you can't keep the ringer on. For e.g. in a theatre, or in an important conference / meeting. Multimedia Messaging ServiceAllows you to send and receive rich media messages comprising of text, sounds, images and video to and from MMS capable handsets. MMS will add colourful images, animations and sound clips to your messages.PDA EnabledCan do some functions of a PDA such as organising dates/contacts, memos, etc.Enables you to carry out the functions of a PDA as well.Picture MessagingIt is a graphic that can be used with a short message or used to replace a short message.A creative way of communicating with your friends.Short Message Services With this service you can send and receive text messages to or from other mobile phone users This is very useful when you need to send information to a person who is unable to answer your call or communicate with another mobile phone user. Voice Dial A voice recognition system that allows you to dial a telephone number stored in your phone memory by just saying the person's name.Voice dial is very convenient and useful in places where you cannot see the key pad or while driving. It also assists speedy dialing of telephone numbers

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Phone Memory To MMC

 How To Transfer Or Move All Your Messages From Your S60 Phone Memory To Memory Card Easily

easily transfer any of your messages already residing in the phone memory causing your phone to process various operations at a slow speed due to the memory usage by the sms messages.
I have illustrated the entire procedure to move your sms messages in single with a four step below.

How to do it:

Make sure that Messaging memory is set to Phone Memory (Messages -> Settings -> Other -> Memory -> Phone memory).
With FExplorer, go to E:\System\Mail and delete the whole dir. Not just the content, the whole dir.
Go to Messages -> Settings -> Other -> Memory and select “MMC”
Now you will be prompted if you would like to copy the messages to your “new” location.
If you found some problem in implementing the steps listed below leave a comment here i will be glad to help you.

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Unlock Memory Card

How To Unlock And Hack Memory Card When You Forget Your Memory Card Password

Some times it happens that you forgot the password of your memory card and you have lots of your important data in your phone.

So there are two types of methods for recovering the password of your memory card with the help of nokia phone.

For Nokia s60 1st and 2nd edition phones.

1. First Install FExplorer in your phone memory.
2. Got to drive C: , you will find a file called mmcstore
3. Send it to your pc directly and open it in notepad or rename the file.
4. At the end of the file you will find your password.
For Nokia S60 3rd Phones, Nokia N-Series and Nokia E-Series
There is almost no way yet known to hack the memory card password in case of these types of phone but there is a way to do it some of the s60 3rd edition phones and almost all the E-series phones.
The remote lock option in E-Series phone allws you to unlock your phone by sending a sms.
The only thing you have to do is to activate this feature by going to Tools | Settings | Security | Phone and SIM | Allow remote lock menu. The password of your memory card will be your remote lock message.

So you have to just send a sms containing your remote lock message that will automatically change your memory card passsword.
If you have any queries in following the above procedure leave a comment here.

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Computer application buying tip

Purchasing a software application or program can be a big consideration, especially when purchasing advanced and usually expensive programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. When considering purchasing these programs it is important that you or your staff be familiar with the program and are sure it's going to be capable of what you need it to do.

On this page we've listed different considerations to think about before buying a computer software application

 Competition

Before buying any application make sure there is not a competing program that may be cheaper or even free. If available and something that's capable of doing what you want it to do this could save you hundreds of dollars.

A good example of such a program is OpenOffice and Corel WordPerfect that would be a competitor to Microsoft Word. Both programs are an excellent choice for a word processor but can be a considerable price difference. In the case of OpenOffice, it's 100% free.

Documentation

Make sure proper documentation is included. Many programs today will include on-line documentation that is more than sufficient. However, it is also useful to obtain a manual or user guide for the software program or application.

Licenses

If you are a company who plans on having software programs used by its employees (more than one person), you need to consider licensing options. It is required that for each computer a product is installed onto that it have a software license. If a company purchases the program and shares it with all its employees without the proper licensing, this would be illegal and can cause your company to face a criminal lawsuit.

Price

Look at your overall price and shop around. Because a software price can change often, you can sometimes save hundreds of dollars on expensive software. If possible, do not purchase directly through the company; many times, the company's price doubles a retailers price.

Be cautious of OEM software. Many resellers will sell a program as OEM, which requires you buy a computer or motherboard. OEM software is software that is included with large manufacturers' computers and only includes either just a CD or a slim manual and CD. This is not what you would find at a retail store. This option is not a bad option, it is only important that you are aware of what you are getting.

Package

Look at the overall software package. How many CDs or diskettes are included, what inserts and documentation is included, and is there any bonus or extra software included?

Media

Today, the majority of software is included on CDs and DVDs. When looking at a program, make sure you have an acceptable drive that's able to read the media, While not common today, an example of why this is important is it's better to receive one CD instead of 32 floppy diskettes

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Desktop buying tips

Desktop Computer

Purchasing a home or business computer can be a big and sometimes costly decision. Below is a listing of helpful suggestions on what to look for and what to ask when purchasing a new computer.

New vs. refurbished or used

If you are looking to save money buying a used or refurbished computer can save you money. A refurbished computer is a computer that has been returned to the company has been checked out as good but cannot be sold again as new. All major computer manufacturers have a refurbished section showing all their available refurbished products. Buying one of these computers instead of a new computer can save you hundreds of dollars.

In addition to refurbished computers individuals and companies for various reasons also sell their used computers. When buying these look out for the following.

• Verify it has no physical damage by inspecting the ports as well as the inside and the outside of the case.
• Make sure you pay for what you are getting. See the scam section below for additional details.
• Make sure computer comes with any CD's for the operating systems or programs that are promised to be installed.
• Realize that many computer manufacturers will not transfer the computer warranty from the old user to you.

Mac vs. PC

The decision between buying a Macintosh and PC computer running Microsoft Windows is always a heated debate. See our Mac vs. PC document for a list of advantages and disadvantages of both of these systems if you're still not decided.

What to look for

When purchasing a computer it is likely that you are going to have a general idea of what you may like in the computer or how you would like to configure the computer. Below is a listing of the various components likely to be found in a computer and recommendations and tips when considering any of the below components.

Case

The case or chassis is often overlooked when buying a new computer. Below are some things to think about regarding the case.

1. Do you want a desktop or tower case?
2. Will the case fit on top of or below your desk?
3. Will the drives be accessible or will they be positioned the way you want them to be positioned?
4. Does the case support the standards of motherboards, for example, the ATX motherboard standard? This is important if you want to upgrade the computer in the future.

• Case buying tips page.

CD media

Most newer computers today have an included disc burner in the computer. If you want to make your own CD's or DVD's make sure the computer supports it.

• Standard CD-ROM buying tips
• CD-R or CD-RW buying tips
• DVD buying tips

Hard drive

The hard drive will be the destination of all your files and information. Make sure you get a hard drive with plenty of available space and runs at speeds that don't slow the overall computer down.

• Hard drive buying tips

Memory

Memory is one of the more important purchasing decisions on a computer. The more memory in the computer, the more efficient the computer is capable of running.

• Memory buying tips

Modem

Depending on how you plan on connecting to the Internet the Modem may not be that important of a buying decision. Most users today are using broadband Internet, which does not require a modem. However, if this is not available in your area make sure your computer includes a modem.

• Modem buying tips

Network card

Almost all computers today have a network card or network option on the motherboard. The network card allows you to share files between computers in your home and connect to a broadband Internet connection.

• Network card buying tips

Processor

The computer processor is and will always be one of the most important considerations when purchasing a computer. Today, with multiple CPU/Processor manufacturers, it may be more confusing as well as more cost efficient to look at all options for computer processors.

• CPU and processor buying tips

Sound card

Today, the standard sound cards that are included with a computer are sufficient for almost all computer users. However, if you plan on doing sound editing or mixing make sure to look at the sound cards capabilities.

• Sound card buying tips

Video card

For computer gaming the video card has become one of the most important factors behind memory and processor. If you plan on gaming with your computer make sure your video card GPU and video memory meets the requirements.

• Video card buying tips

Brand of computer

There is no such thing as a computer manufacturer who has a perfect history with all its users. Therefore when it comes to recommending one brand over another it would be impossible for us to say who's better than the other. Instead we'd suggest relying off the below considerations.

Add-ons

All computer manufacturers give you the option to buy additional accessories when buying a new computer. Keep the below in mind before buying these add-ons.

• Make sure your buying accessories you actually need. For example, almost all new computers will include a keyboard and mouse. Also, if you're upgrading from an older computer many of your older peripherals and accessories may be compatible with the new computer.
• If you're buying your computer online, check elsewhere. Many accessories available through the computer manufacturer are sold at a premium price.

Documentation

Most manufacturers today are reducing the amount of documentation included with their computer and substituting that documentation for online documentation. Make sure the documentation found online appears to be sufficient and that software and driver downloads are available if needed.

Hardware

As mentioned in the above what to look for section, make sure the hardware included with your computer meets your needs.

Return

If the computer is purchased at a local retail store, can the computer be returned if unsatisfactory to that store or does it have to be sent to the computer manufacturer? If the computer is purchased online or through a mail order can it be returned if unsatisfactory?

Service

1.  Is the service onsite, meaning a technician will come to your location to replace or fix a bad component. If the service is onsite, is it for the complete time of the warranty?
2. If onsite is not offered, what is and for how long?
3. Can the computer be taken to a local service center? If yes, what is the closest authorized service center?
4. What is the time frame the service takes to occur? For example, if the computer has a bad component, what is the time it takes for a technician to come onsite and replace that component, or if sent in how long does it take? Finally, if that time frame is not acceptable, what is the company willing to do, for example, are they willing to provide you with a loaned computer.

Software

1. Does the software include Microsoft Office or Corel Suite? These packages allow you to have a word processor and a spreadsheet. For the most users this should be an important consideration.
2. Is it the full versions of the software or is the software a demo, trial, or shareware? Many companies will include programs that will expire after 30-90 days and require you to purchase the full program.

Support

While you can always contact Computer Hope for support, manufacturer support is also an important consideration as if an issue arises with the computer you must be able to contact a support representative.

1. Is support open 24 hours, 7 days a week? If not, what are the hours?
2. Is support open on holidays? If not, what days are they closed?
3. What support options are available? Phone? E-mail? Web? Chat?

Upgrade

While this option may not be considered at first when purchasing a computer, it is an important consideration. When purchasing a computer make sure the hardware you may want to upgrade can be upgraded. Common upgrades for most users today include: Memory, Video card, and Sound Card.

Warranty

Finally, does the computer manufacturer offer a warranty? How long is the warranty? Does the warranty cover both hardware and software issues? 

We highly recommend that a computer only be considered if it has at least an one-year warranty. Many cheap computers only come with a 90-day warranty. Meaning if a part goes bad, you pay for the part as well as the service. This may not be an issue for users who just need a cheap computer and are willing to replace parts and service the computer themselves.

Scams

Unfortunately, like anything, it is possible to be tricked or for computer companies to scam you. Watch out for the below common scams.

1. Make sure you pay for what you are getting - A common tactic is to overclock the processor, memory, or other component. This can be done by anyone with a little computer knowledge. For example, you may buy a 733MHz processor but instead get a 500MHz.
   
   To determine the processor speed, open the computer and look at the processor itself. Do not look at the processor through a software program or through BIOS as these values can be changed or tricked.
   
2. Legal software - When purchasing a computer, make sure it was legal purchased and the CD or other disc and its CD-KEY is included. Many end-users or small computer companies who build or sell computers may not provide you with legal copies of the software, which is illegal and may leave you with a fine or the inability to get updates.

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Backup Of Your Phone Or Laptop Battery

 Increase And Regain The Original Backup Of Your Phone Or LAPTOP Battery

receiving a lot of mails from some readers asking on how to deal with the weak battery problems of their laptops and mobile phones.

As day by day their mobile and laptop batteries are becoming more and more weak so the backup time of the battery decrease gradually.
Why Battery Backup Time Drops ?

This occurs mainly due to the rough usage and improper charging of the battery at multiple times for a very short interval or also due to the extensive charging of the battery for a long interval of time.
How To regain the original increased backup time for your laptop and phone batteries.
1. Firstly drain your phone or laptop battery completely until the device gets shutdown due to battery.
2. Now simply charge your battery for a fixed time according to the manuals provided with it at the time of purchase.
3. Repeat the step 1 and step 2 for about 2 times a day fro 3-4 days.
If you really do the steps given above you will noticeably see a change in the backup time of your battery of phone or laptop.
Leave your feedbacks as comments after applying the steps on your device.
[tags] longer battery backup , battery tweaks , increase backup

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Computer CD buying tips

Purchasing a CD-ROM drive is a relatively easy task but can involve some considerations when purchasing.

Technology

Before considering purchasing a CD-ROM, it is also good consider the other available options.

CD-R - CD-R, or CD Recordable, drives allow you to do everything that a standard CD-ROM is capable of doing with the added ability of creating your own CDs. An excellent solution for anyone that is in need of a CD-ROM and backup solution. Tips on buying these drives can be found on our CD-R and CD-RW buying tips page.

CD-RW - Like a CD-R drive, a CD-RW, or CD Read/Write, drive allows you to do everything that a standard CD-ROM is capable of, as well as read and write to a CD-RW disc thousands of times instead of once like a CD-R drive. While a little more expensive, this is another great solution for backups. Tips on buying these drives can be found on our CD-R and CD-RW buying tips page.

DVD - DVD, or Digital Versatile (video) Disc, allows a computer to not only do everything that a standard CD-ROM drive is capable of doing, but at the same time is capable of reading DVD Discs and DVD movies. For users who plan on playing games or watching movies on their computers, this is an excellent addition. Tips on buying these drives can be found on our DVD buying tips page.

Interface

The first and foremost important consideration when purchasing a CD-ROM is the interface that the CD-ROM utilizes, such as IDE, SCSI, USB, Parallel or PC-Card.

IDE/EIDE The most commonly used interface with IBM computers, IDE/EIDE/ATAPI interface is found on all IBM compatible motherboards. This interface allows for a total of four devices to be connected.

When considering purchasing an IDE/EIDE/ATAPI CD-ROM drive it is important to verify that you have the available connections for the device.

SCSI The only method with Apple computers and commonly used interface with IBM computers, the SCSI interface allows for a total of seven devices to be connected to the computer and is a faster solution than the IDE/EIDE interface.

If you are user of an IBM compatible computer, it is important that you ensure your computer has a SCSI interface already present in the computer. If not present, you need to install a SCSI card before being able to install a SCSI CD-ROM drive.

USB The USB interface allows a user to install a device and supports up to 127 devices.

Before you can install a USB CD-ROM drive, it is important for both IBM and Macintosh users to verify that a USB port is present on the computer. If not present, an interface card needs to be installed.

Parallel Solution available for PC computers, Parallel CD-ROM drives allow users that may not have the available resources or may have a portable computer to connect a CD-ROM drive.

PC-Card (PCMCIA) Excellent solution for users utilizing an older laptop that does not have a CD-ROM drive to connect a CD-ROM drive to their computer.

Transfer rates

Transfer rates can sometimes be a misleading when looking at purchasing a CD-ROM drive. The transfer rate of a CD-ROM drive is how fast a CD-ROM drive may be able to access the data from a CD. This speed is only going to be noticeable when installing a program or copying large amounts of data from a CD.

Price range

For a CD-ROM drive, not to be confused with a CD-R, CD-RW or DVD drive, the price can vary depending upon the speed and the interface the CD-ROM drive uses.

Standard IDE/SCSI CD-ROM Drive: $50.00 - $200.00
Parallel CD-ROM Drive: $150.00 - $300.00
PC Card and PCMCIA CD-ROM Drive: $100.00 - $300.00

Ready to buy

Once you have reviewed the appropriate information and believe that you are ready to make a purchase of a computer CD-ROM, ensure that the source that you plan on purchasing the CD-ROM from is a reputable source and you have reviewed our section on what to look out for when purchasing over the Internet.

Computer Hope is ready to setup and help you with issues you may encounter during the purchase and installation of your CD-ROM, regardless if you purchase through us or another vendor.

To help support Computer Hope, you can purchase directly through our well-known associate, Amazon. Click the below browse button to begin browsing through the CD-ROM section.

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33 Exclusive tips and tricks for iOS 7

Whether it’s the first time you’ve picked up an iPad or the seventeenth time you’ve pulled out your iPhone today, there are probably still some iOS 7 features and functionality that you’re not familiar with. Don’t sweat it: We’re here to help. We’ve collected some of our favorite and most useful tips and compiled them here, just for you.

Make iOS 7 look nicer

There are several settings you can change to make iOS 7 easier on the eyes.

1. Make the text larger and bolder: As nice as the thinner version of the Helvetica Neue font is in iOS 7, it’s not always the easiest to read. If you’re having trouble reading text on your iPhone or iPad, just go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Larger Text to increase the default font size on your device. You can make that font size even larger in apps that support it by enabling Larger Accessibility Sizes. And if you want Helvetica Neue to show up just a bit bolder, visit Settings > General > Accessibility and enable the Bold Text slider. (Note: You will have to restart your iPhone when you enable Bold Text.)
2. Buttons, buttons, everywhere: iOS 7 has ditched most of the traditional buttons present in past versions of Apple’s mobile software, but if you’re jonesing for that old familiar arrow shape, you can enable it via Settings > General > Accessibility > Button Shapes.
3. Contrast is key: Some of us like white text on light backgrounds, but others find it causes headaches and hurts their eyes. If you’re part of that latter group, there are several options for your viewing pleasure under Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast.
If you want to increase the text and background contrast for features like Control Center and Notification Center, turn on the Reduce Transparency option.
If you wish to darken the highlight colors found in an app’s menu and tab bar (the pink color of the Music app, for instance), toggle the Darken Colors switch.
And if you’d like to darken the white backgrounds found in apps like Settings, the Reduce White Point screen brings the pure white coloration down to a more ocularly-friendly light grey.

On the map

4. Turn-by-turn walking directions: We’ve long had the ability to do turn-by-turn directions for driving, but iOS 7 also adds the ability to get those same prompted directions when you’re on foot. Just tap the Directions button in the top left hand corner, select the Walking icon at the top of the screen, enter your destination, and tap Route. Siri will guide you to your destination, alerting you by voice when it’s time to make a turn.
5. Prefer walking directions: Say you’re on vacation and don’t have a car: Wouldn’t it be useful if you didn’t have to remind Maps that you want those walking directions every time you put in a location? Easy enough: Just go to Settings > Maps and scroll down to the Preferred Directions section. There you’ll be able to choose between Driving and Walking. Now, when you launch Maps, it’ll give you pedestrian-friendly directions by default.

Apple's free Find My Friends app lets you set geofences on friends so you can be notified when they leave or arrive at a location.

6. Notify you about your friends’ location: Apple’s free Find My Friends app can be super useful at times, such as when you’re meeting up with a friend. You can even use the app to automatically tell your friend when you’re heading out—or be notified when your friend is arriving someplace—all thanks to geofences.
Just launch the Find My Friends app, select the friend you want to be notified about and tap the More… button in the toolbar. At the bottom of the contact card, choose either Notify Me or Notify [your friend’s name]. You’ll be prompted to choose whether the notification will show up when you arrive at or leave a place, as well as specifying the location (and even how big a radius from that location will trigger the notification). If you choose to notify your friend about your location, you can also send a message immediately.
7. Ask Siri to notify you about your friends’ location: If setting up those geofences is a little too cumbersome, you can ask Siri to handle it for you. Just trigger the virtual assistant and say, for example, “Notify me when John leaves his current location.”
8. Geofencing in Reminders: Not only can you can set geofences on people, you can also place them on locations. Using the Reminders app, you can have a notification sent to you when you’re arriving at or leaving a location. Just create a reminder, tap the ‘i’ button next to it, and choose “Remind me at a location.” Under the Location sub-menu, search for a contact, place name, or specific address; as with Find My Friends, you can even specify the size of the radius around the location, just in case you want to be reminded to get cookies when you’re even remotely near the supermarket.

Master your photos

Accidentally take 88 burst mode photos when one or two would do fine? You can weed them out in the Camera Roll.

9. Save your favorite Burst Mode images (iPhone 5s): The iPhone 5s’s Burst Mode is an excellent way to ensure that you capture fast-moving action, but you also don’t want to take up lots of space with photo duplicates. After you’ve captured an image in Burst Mode by pressing and holding down the shutter button for a few seconds, you can tap the Camera Roll to view your images.
Your burst appears as a single photo in the album, represented by what iOS 7 thinks is the best photo of the bunch. You can go back and look through the full burst collection, however, by tapping the Favorites button; select the photo (or photos) you’d like to showcase by tapping on them and pressing Done. From there, you can choose to keep the entire burst for future perusal, or delete all the images you chose not to select.
10. Enable automatic HDR (iPhone 5s): Back in 2010, iOS 4.1 added the High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature to its Camera app, which allowed you to take a photo of a subject with both sharp light and deep shadow and have it render as evenly lit. But HDR took longer to shoot than the average image, which for most people meant manually turning it on whenever you wanted to capture that perfect sunset.
With iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s, however, you can turn on automatic HDR mode: In normal light, your iPhone will shoot a regular photo; in situations with multiple light patterns, however, your device will automatically recognize that an HDR photo might be best and attempt to capture that, instead. (As always, the iPhone always takes two photos–the untouched one and the HDR version; you can save both to your Camera Roll if you wish by going to Settings > Photos & Camera > Keep Normal Photo.)
11. Put permanent filters on your camera: Both the iPhone and iPad offer front and back hardware cameras, and on the software side, fun filters for Photo and Square modes to make your pictures more interesting.
If you like having a specific filter on images, you can set either Square or Photo mode to always launch with the image manipulation of your choice. Personally, I have iOS 7’s Square mode set to the Noir filter, as I like Apple’s black and white correction more than, say, Instagram’s.
To set the filter, all you have to do is tap the Filter button in the Camera app while in the mode of your choice. Switch to another mode and you’ll once again have a clean slate, but return to your original mode and your filter of choice remains.
12. Share your Photo Stream with others (and let them add images, too): When Shared Photo Streams first launched with iOS 6, they let you share groups of images with any of your friends for liking and comments, but your buddies couldn’t add images or video of their own.
iOS 7 has changed all that, letting you open up your Shared Photo Streams to anyone you deem fit for posting. Now, when you create a shared stream, viewing it presents you with two tabs: Photos and People. Tap the People section to access your stream’s settings; there, you can turn on or off the Subscribers Can Post toggle. (You can also choose to create a public website, add or delete friends to your stream, and show notifications for the stream.)
13. Use iMovie to create slo-mo clips: iPhone 5s owners can make slow-motion clips to their heart’s content thanks to iOS 7’s 120FPS slo-mo mode in the Camera app. But older iPhone owners can get in on some of that fun, too—they just need to download iMovie.
After you’ve filmed something, open iMovie and create a new project with your clip. Next, separate your clip into three segments by swiping down on the film strip: the intro normal-speed segment, a slow-motion segment, and the ending normal-speed segment. Finally, tap on the middle segment, choose Speed, and drag the slider toward the Tortoise icon. Voilà: easy in-and-out slow-motion.

Phone it in

You can see a list of all the numbers and contacts you've blocked in Settings > Phone > Blocked.

14. Block annoying calls: We haven’t solved the problem of email spam, but telemarketing can be slightly less annoying with a new feature of iOS 7: call blocking. You can choose to not receive calls from a specific number or contact by tapping the ‘i’ button next to that entry in the Recents or Voicemail sections of the Phone app, scrolling down, and choosing Block this Caller. (It also works on any contact card in the Phone or Contacts app.) Note that by doing so you also won’t receive text messages/iMessages or FaceTime calls from that number or contact. If you’ve blocked someone in error, you can edit the no-call list under Settings > Phone > Blocked.
15. Make FaceTime Audio calls for cheap: Calling plans are pretty cheap these days, but if you’re looking to pare down, you can make FaceTime Audio calls over Wi-Fi or cellular data networks. Just make sure you’ve enabled FaceTime in the Settings app, then find an entry in the Contacts or Phone app and tap the phone icon next to FaceTime. You’ll immediately launch into an audio-only FaceTime call, though you can switch over to a video call at any point by tapping the FaceTime button. You can even add a FaceTime Audio call to your Phone app’s Favorites by tapping Add to Favorite on any contact card, and then selecting FaceTime Audio.

Adding a conference code or extension to a number lets you dial it automatically just by tapping the button that appears in the bottom left.

16. Enter a phone conference code at a tap: Many of us have had to dial either hard-to-remember extensions or conference room codes at some point. If you find yourself making those calls frequently, you can simplify the process. Go to the Keypad section of the Phone app and enter the phone number you dial; then, at the end, tap and hold the pound key until it turns into a semicolon. Now enter the passcode or extension, and then add the whole shebang to a new or existing contact record. Next time you dial that contact or number, you’ll see a small button in the bottom left that says “Dial” with the code you entered; tap that to have it entered on the keypad automatically.

Talk to Siri

17. Speak your settings: Siri’s become a bit smarter across the board in iOS 7, and one of those IQ improvements deals with controlling your settings. You can ask Siri to turn Bluetooth on or off, open a specific Settings pane, and even turn on Airplane Mode—though Apple’s voice assistant gets a little snarky if you ask for that last one.

There's lots to talk to Siri about in iOS 7.

18. Make Siri better understand your friends’ names: If you heard it spoken out loud, my little sister’s name is a pretty standard one—“Caitlin.” Unfortunately, that’s not how my parents chose to spell it; instead, her contact card reads “Caetlyn.” In iOS 6, Siri had a bit of trouble with that, expecting me to either pronounce her name “Keet-lan” or use the nickname I’d given her. Thanks to Siri’s new pronunciation engine, though, my phone can be a little smarter about her contact card—along with any of yours.
Just say “Learn how to pronounce [name]’s name” and Siri will comply, first asking you for your pronunciation of the first and last name, then providing you with several pronunciation options.
19. Talk and talk and talk and talk to Siri: Raise your digital hand if you’ve ever run into this situation when talking to Siri:
“Remind me to—” “What would you like me to remind you?”
Siri may be there for us, but sometimes, she’s just not listening as closely as she should be. If you have iOS 7.1 installed, however, you can hold down the Home button to make Siri listen as long as you like—she won’t stop until you lift your finger. Helpful for recording the entirety of messages and reminders; even more helpful when you just need someone to talk to—even if that someone is digital.

Navigate the jungle of Safari

From Safari’s Settings you can assign any folder from your bookmarks as Favorites, which show up when you load a blank tab.

20. Playing Favorites: In iOS 7 there’s a new bookmarks section called Favorites; on the iPad, this is used to populate the Favorites Bar in Safari, but on both the iPad and iPhone, it also determines which bookmarks pop up when you’re in a blank tab. You can make Favorites work for you by going to Settings > Safari > Favorites, where you can select any folder in your Bookmarks as your Favorites. Now when you open a blank tab in Safari, you’ll see those specific sites are just a tap away.
21. View saved passwords and credit card info: Whether or not you have iCloud Keychain syncing password information between your iOS devices and/or Macs, you can have Safari on your iOS device save your usernames, passwords, and credits cards locally. In both cases, you can take a look at the information under Settings > Safari > Passwords & AutoFill. In both cases, you’ll have to enter your device’s passcode—sorry, no Touch ID here—to view the full credit card number or password; it’s yet another reason to choose a strong passcode, as though you needed one these days. Both sections let you remove entries, but the Credit Cards section will also let you add a new card right from Settings.

Mail call

Tapping Edit on Mail's main screen lets you add several special mailboxes, including Flagged messages, Attachments, and To or CC.

22. Search all mailboxes: Searching Mail in iOS 6 could be a drag, especially since you could only search the mailbox you were currently viewing. In iOS 7, it’s a bit easier: When you enter a search term, pull down on the search results, and you’ll reveal a toggle that lets you choose between searching only the current mailbox or all mailboxes.
23. Undo trash/moved/junked messages: We’ve all done it: accidentally deleted or moved a message we didn’t mean to. Yes, you could go all the way out of the account and then into the Trash and move it back to your inbox, but here’s a much faster way: Give your iOS device a shake and you should see an Undo dialog box pop up. Tap Undo to put your messages back where they belong.
24. Smarter mailboxes: While we still don’t have true, customizable Smart Mailboxes in iOS 7, there are a bunch of handy specialized mailboxes that you can add to your main Mail screen. Just tap Edit and scroll down to see a list of options, including your VIP mailbox, flagged messages, those that have attachments, and even one containing just those messages which have you in the To: or CC fields. Select any to show them (or deselect those ones you want hidden); you can also rearrange them by tapping and dragging them into the order you want. When you’re finished, just tap Done at the top of the screen.

Messages

25. Check the time: As you go through your conversation in the Messages app, you might spot the occasional timestamp between conversations. But sometimes you want to know exactly when a certain text appeared. Messages offers just this feature in iOS 7—all you have to do is swipe and hold left on a conversation to expose a set of timestamps for every text you and your friends have sent.

What time was that message sent? Swipe left, and you can find out.

26. Send that text onward or banish it from existence: In prior versions of iOS, you could delete text messages from your phone or forward them on via the Edit button. In iOS 7, that button is gone; instead, to forward or delete a text, you must first tap and hold on it. Tap the More pop-up, and circles appear to the left of your messages, with the current one selected. It’s up to you whether you want to delete or forward a single text, or select multiple messages.

Miscellaneous

iOS 7's AirDrop feature is handy not only for sharing photos, but also websites, videos, map locations, and almost anything else you can share.

27. Send everything with AirDrop: One of the most powerful, if under-appreciated, features of iOS 7 is AirDrop. Most people think of it only as a way to send pictures, but in truth anything that you can text or email you can probably send via AirDrop. For example: Got a bunch of friends meeting at a location? Fire up Maps, search for your location, tap Share, and AirDrop it to everybody present at once. It doesn’t require a Wi-Fi network, or even that you know the other person’s contact info. Just make sure that the recipients have AirDrop set to Everyone or Contacts Only in Control Center.
28. Short names in Messages and Mail: Have too many Dans in your Messages app? You can make their names show up as “First initial, last name” thanks to iOS 7’s new Short Names feature. To enable it, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Short Name and turn on the Short Name toggle on that screen. You can choose from the aforementioned First Initial & Last Name setting, or pick First Name & Last Initial, First Name Only, or Last Name Only. You can additionally opt for your device to Prefer Nicknames, if they’ve been set in a contact record.
29. Monitor what cellular data your apps use: It’s easier than you might think for your device to gulp up cellular data, especially when on speedy LTE networks. To avoid running up expensive overage charges, you can view how much data each app is using by going to Settings > Cellular and scrolling through the app list. Under each program’s name, you’ll find how much data it’s been using—to the right, there’s a toggle for disabling cellular data for that app.
Scroll all the way to the bottom and you can also check how much your system services (Personal Hotspot, Exchange Accounts, Messaging services, and the like) are using, along with a button to reset these numbers to zero and start counting all over again.
30. Disable Background App Refresh for certain apps: Is your battery lagging in iOS 7? You might be the victim of too many apps using the operating system’s Background App Refresh feature. For apps like your Mail client, it’s important to be able to grab new data even if that program isn’t running in the foreground; other apps like Facebook might not need such extravagances.
To disable Background App Refresh on an app-by-app basis, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. From there, you can turn off the feature altogether or individually disable just the offending apps.

31. Find the Compass’s hidden features: Not only is iOS 7’s Compass app a thing of beauty, it has some neat functions hidden away. One such function: compass headings. If you know you have to head 340° North, for instance, you can tap the screen once to set a compass heading; whenever you deviate from that path, a red bar appears along the side of the compass from your heading start point. To clear it, tap once more.
Swipe left, and you’ll find a second app inside Compass: a level. Though not as accurate as a traditional bubble-level, it’s still a useful tool in a pinch—and if you’re looking to distract yourself from playing Threes, try leveling your phone while you hold it in your hand like a game controller.
32. Customize Notification Center’s Today pane: Swipe down from the top of your device’s screen and you’ll visit Notification Center, iOS 7’s repository for your alerts. In addition to a list of your current notifications, this pane also offers a Today view, which provides you with the current date, a list of birthdays, the weather, calendar data, reminders, stocks, and a preview of your next day. You can choose which of those features actually appear by visiting Settings > Notification Center and toggling features in the Today section on or off.
33. Tips and tricks with Touch ID (iPhone 5s): If you have an iPhone 5s, you’re probably pretty familiar with the device’s fingerprint scanner. Here are a few ways to make it even better.
If you’re having trouble getting Touch ID to recognize your print, try scanning the same print multiple times, or deleting the original print and starting over. Because Touch ID is constantly attempting to refine your print, it can occasionally get confused and its data can degrade.
In addition, if you can’t remember which finger it was that you scanned in, visit Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and put your finger on the Touch ID reader; the appropriate print under the Fingerprints section should highlight in grey.

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Stolen Mobile Phones Keep It Safe

Lost and stolen mobile phones keep it safe and know what to do if you lose it


If you lose your mobile phone, or have it stolen, not only do you have to deal with the inconvenience of not having your phone, but you could be paying for someone else?s calls!

PREVENTION

Prevention is better than cure.

Reduce your phone?s appeal to thieves and assist in its recovery if it is lost or stolen:

1) Treat your phone as you would any valuable item: Even if you got your handset as a $0 upfront deal?, this does not reflect its true cost. Handsets are expensive - they can cost more than $1000.

* Be discrete. Keep your mobile on you. Never put it down in a public place or leave it unattended.
* Switch to vibrate mode in circumstances where a ring tone might attract the attention of a thief.

2) Use your phone?s security features: Your phone has security features which you can use to stop others using your phone for example, you can set a Personal Identification Number (PIN) number which must be entered before anyone can use the phone. Read your handset User Guide to find out what features your phone has and use them. Even if your phone isn?t stolen, someone might be tempted to borrow your phone and make a few expensive calls without your knowledge.

3) Name it: Some form of personal identification on your phone can deter the would-be thief. Consider engraving your initials on your phone and the battery, and ? if you have one also including your driver?s license number.

4) Know your IMEI: Every mobile phone has a unique 15-digit electronic serial number, known as the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. Record your phone?s IMEI number and keep it in a safe place in case your phone is lost or stolen. You can check your IMEI number by dialing *#06#.

5) Insurance: Don?t assume your phone is covered in your (or your parent?s) home contents insurance. Check and consider insuring it separately, if necessary. Remember that even if you got the phone for ‘$0 upfront?, this doesn?t mean it was free it means the cost was absorbed in the overall contract price. You may not be able to get a replacement phone for $0 upfront.

LOST OR STOLEN

If your phone is lost or stolen:

6) Notify your network carrier AND the police immediately in the event of loss or theft. Tell them your IMEI number and any other identifying features on your phone (e.g. engraved initials). Your carrier can use this number to block your phone from all networks once you report the phone lost or stolen, making it useless to any thief. Importantly, this also ensures you?re not paying for any calls made by the thief. If the handset is subsequently found, the IMEI block can be easily removed as long as you can prove you?re the original, rightful owner of the phone

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Laptop buying tip

Purchasing a home or business laptop can be a much more confusing and sometimes frightening experience as most users today have some experience with a desktop computer but not as many have experience with a laptop, what is properly known as a portable computer. Portable computers are an excellent solution for anyone who needs to be portable and have all of their information on a small computer. Below is a listing of help and tips when considering to purchase a laptop computer. 

What to look for

When purchasing a computer, it is likely that you are going to have a general idea of what you may like in the computer or how you would like to configure the computer. Below is a listing of the various components likely to be found in a computer, and recommendations and tips when considering any of the below components.

Battery usage

Determine how long the battery is expected to last under normal use. Many manufacturers will indicate a battery usage time but this may be at the lowest possible settings; ensure that the manufacturer clarifies what the standard battery usage life is when using the portable computer in all power modes.

Display

All portable computers come with a display. While it is almost always possible to hook up an external monitor when traveling with the laptop, the display is an important consideration. When looking at the display, ensure it is large enough for your needs. A very easy method of reducing the cost of the laptop is to reduce the size of the screen, unless price is an important consideration we highly suggest that you purchase a laptop with at least a 12" or lager LCD and recommend an LCD size of 14"

Complete buying tip information on Flat Panel or LCD solutions can be found on our flat panel buying tips page.

Drives

Drives are sometimes overlooked when considering a portable computer but can be an important consideration. Portable computers can come with various drive configurations, for example:

• One drive bay where the CD-ROM and the Floppy drive are interchangeable. For users who utilize the floppy drive often, this may be an issue; however, for other users who do not utilize the floppy, this may be a more appropriate solution as the computer will be lighter and thinner with one drive bay.
• Two drive bay portable computers have a floppy solution as well as CD-ROM solutions. These computers will be a less expensive computer when compared to the other solutions; however, it is the always the heaviest of all the solutions.
• No drive bay portable computers allow for a laptop to be extremely light and utilize external drives instead of internal. Pay close attention to the price of these laptops; while it may appear to be a portable solution, many manufacturers will charge you an additional price for the external drives, which will eventually be needed.

Finally, some users may also want to consider different media solutions. For example, many laptops allow for a standard floppy drive or an LS120 drive. The LS120 drive can read floppy diskettes and at the same time be used as a backup storage device as it can store up to 120MB on a LS120 diskette. Additionally, consider the option of a DVD* or CD-RW drive as opposed to a CD-ROM drive.

*If you are considering a DVD solution, verify if the DVD comes with hardware or software decoding. Hardware decoding for laptops is accomplished by using a PCMCIA card and will add onto the overall price of the laptop.

Hard drive

Hard drives have and always will be an important consideration to think about when purchasing a new portable computer. Like a standard computer, the hard drive will be the destination of all your files and information, and if that drive is to become full, that drive must be replaced or another external drive needs to be added to the computer. When looking at the space of the hard drive, always get the maximum size hard drive, considering you will eventually always run out of space. 

Complete buying tip information on hard drives can be found on our hard drive buying tips page.

Lock

Does the portable computer include any locking system? If yes, what locking system is included? This can be important for users who are on the road.

Memory

Memory is and has always been an important consideration when looking at purchasing a computer. Determine the amount of memory included in the computer as well as verify if that memory can be upgraded in the future. The more memory the computer has, the more efficient the computer is capable or running.

Complete buying tip information on computer memory can be found on our memory buying tips page.

Modem

If a modem is required, ensure that a modem is included with the portable computer. In addition, verify if the modem is an internal or PC-CARD (PCMCIA) modem as you may require all the available PC-CARD slots in the future. PC-CARD modems are type II that for most computers akkiws for an additional type II to be connected. 

Complete buying tips and information on modems can be found on our modem buying tips page.

Network Card

If a network connection is required, ensure that a network card is included with the portable computer. In addition, verify if the network card is an internal or PC-CARD (PCMCIA) network card as you may require all the available PC-CARD slots in the future. Network PC-CARDs are type II that for most computers allows for an additional type II to be connected. 

Complete buying tips and information on network cards can be found on our network card buying tips page.

Processor

The computer processor is and will always be an important consideration when purchasing a computer. Today, with multiple CPU/Processor manufacturers, it may be more confusing as well as more cost efficient to look at the different processors available.

Complete buying tips and information on computer processors can be found on our CPU buying tips page.

Sound card

Sound cards are important when looking at purchasing a computer; however, the majority of all computer users will find that most standard sound cards will suit their needs. However, some users may enjoy purchasing more advanced sounds cards that will increase the amount of speakers that can be used and in some games and programs and the sound quality and capabilities.

When looking at the sound aspect of a portable computer, many laptops do not have sufficient sound and will require external speakers or headphones. Ensure that the sound quality meets your needs.

Weight

Weight is another important consideration when considering a portable as the computer will be carried; the lighter the portable computer, the more easy it will be to carry.

Video card

Video cards are becoming an extremely important factor when purchasing a computer. While this may surprise some, a video card can make or break a computer when it comes to playing games on the computer. Most games today require additional video memory as well as special video modes such as OpenGL. With a video card with little video memory or without these modes, the computer will be unable to play these games. In addition, the advances in video cards can dramatically increase the user enjoyment of the game being played.

Complete buying tips and information on video cards can be found on our video card buying tips page.

Brand of computer

When looking at purchasing any brand of portable computer you will hear good and bad stories. Regardless if the story is good or bad, these stories are always based on the experience of that user. While it may be true that the user had a bad or terrible experience with that computer, all computer manufacturers have had users who have had a bad experience and there is no such thing as a bad or perfect computer manufacturer. Below is a listing of various things to consider when purchasing a computer, and in some cases, how to tell the good from the bad and help allow you to purchase the portable computer that will suit your needs.

Add-ons

Some computer manufacturers may try to sell additional add-ons when purchasing a portable computer. Unless you have done your research on the additional add-on, do not consider the add-on. While in some cases it may be beneficial to get a printer, scanner, camera or PC Cards with a computer, you may be paying premium for the additional add-on, or in the case of the printer, you may have to pay premium on the ink in the future. Do you research, ensure that if you get an additional hardware or add-ons that the hardware will suit your needs and that it does not end up being something that is not going to be used. 

Free add-ons? Some computer companies may entice you into purchasing a computer by giving you free add-ons. These add-ons may be advertised as free, however, ensure or ask if the add-on price is not just being added to the overall computer price.

Documentation

While most manufacturers today are reducing the amount of documentation included with their computers, an excellent question, especially if the computer is being purchased by a new computer user, is "what documentation is included with the computer?"

All computer manufacturers will include some paper documentation or paper inserts; however, does this information include documentation about upgrading the computer in the future? How to connect the cables to the computer? Documentation on how to use the software such as the additional included software?

Note: It is important to distinguish between paper documentation and on-line documentation. On-line documentation, which is being found more today, is information that is either locally on the computer or can be accessed via the Internet. If the information is available over the Internet, see how that information looks and if it suits your needs before purchasing the computer.

Location

We use location to describe different topics. First, what is the location of where the computer is purchased: If the computer is purchased at a local retail store, can the computer be returned to that store if unsatisfactory? If the computer is purchased through mail order or directly through the computer manufacturer or reseller, where can the computer be returned if unsatisfactory?

Second, can the store location of where the computer was purchased service the computer? If not where is the closest location to where the computer can be serviced?

Third, if the computer is purchased directly from the computer manufacturer and is shipped through mail, how is it shipped? What is the time period for the computer to arrive to your destination? What happens if the computer is damaged during shipping?

Refurbished

Refurbished is a term used to describe a computer or a hardware device or component in a computer that has been used; however, it has been looked at and determined to be in working order. However, because the product has been used or purchased, it cannot be sold as new.

Refurbished computers have a lower price and are a good deal for users looking for a better deal. However, compare the price of the refurbished computer to a new computer as well as to review all of the tips on this page as all the same rules, tricks, and tips still apply.

Service

Service is an important consideration to look at when looking to purchase a computer, new or used. The service is how many companies describe the repair of a computer if it or a component within it is to become broken. Below is a listing of recommended services.

1. Is the service onsite, meaning a technician will come to your location to replace or fix a bad component. If the service is onsite, is it for the complete time of the warranty?
2. If onsite is not offered, what is and for how long?
3. Can the computer be taken to a local service center? If yes, what is the closest authorized service center?
4. What is the time frame the service takes to occur? For example, if the computer has a bad component, what is the time it takes for a technician to come onsite and replace that component, or what is the time it takes to have the computer sent in to be fixed? Finally, if that time frame is not accomplished, what is the company willing to do? Would they be willing to provide you with a loaned computer?
5. Because the computer is a portable computer, is International Service available? This allows users who may be in a different country to have their computer fixed in that country.

Software

Software, for many computer users especially new users, is thought to be an important consideration when purchasing a new computer. Granted there is software that we highly recommend looking for when purchasing a computer, such as word processor or spread sheet program, some computer companies may over hype the software package. Below is a listing of what to look for when looking at the software included with a computer.

1. Does the software include Microsoft Office or Corel Suite? These packages allow you to have a word processor and a spread sheet. For the majority of all users, this should be an important consideration.
2. Is the software full versions of the software or is the software demo programs or shareware programs?

Support

While you can always contact Computer Hope for support, manufacturer support for most users is another important consideration, as if an issue arises with the computer, you must be able to be able to contact a support representative. Things to consider when looking at the support options of a computer are shown below.

1. Is support open 24 hours, 7 days a week? If not, what are the hours?
2. Is support open on holidays? If not, what days are it closed?
3. What support options are available? Phone? E-mail? Web? Chat?

Upgrade

While this option may not be considered at first when purchasing a computer, it is an important consideration. Below is a listing of different options to look for when looking to upgrade a portable computer.

1. What can be upgraded in the computer? RAM? CPU? Hard Drive? If available to upgrade, what are the maximum amounts or is it specified within documentation provided with the computer?
2. Are the upgrades something that the end-user can do or does it require a service center to install?

Warranty

Finally, what warranty is offered by the computer manufacturer? How long is the warranty? Does the warranty cover both hardware and software issues? 

Warranty can cause frustrations for most users. We highly recommend that a computer only be considered if it has at least a one-year warranty. Many cheap computers only come with a 90 day warranty; meaning if a part goes bad, you pay for the part as well as the service. This may not be an issue for users who just need a cheap computer and are willing to replace parts and service the computer.

Scams

Unfortunately, like anything, it is possible to be tricked or for computer companies to scam you. Below is a listing of what to look for when purchasing a computer.

Get what you pay for

Make sure you are paying for what you get. It has been known that computer companies may list a processor being a specific speed but may actually have a different speed into the computer. This, unfortunately, can be very easy as any user can 'over clock' a processor, making it appear as one speed but in reality being a completely different speed. For example, you may buy a 733MHz processor but instead get a 500MHz.

To determine the processor speed, open the computer and look at the processor itself. Do not look at the processor through a software program or through BIOS as these values can be changed or tricked.

Legal software

When purchasing a computer, ensure it comes with legal software. Many end-users or small computer companies who build or sell computers may not provide you with legal copies of the software, which is illegal. Verify that the software that came with your computer is on a standard CD and not a burnt CD. A burnt or home-made CD will be a different looking CD and have a gold or green bottom. Ensure that if the software requires a license or registration number that it was included with the computer. An example of software that includes these certificates is Microsoft Office and Windows

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