Important - This Blog is shutting down (sort of)

When I started this blog earlier this year I never thought it would have gotten this big with so many persons visiting it on a daily basis from all over the world.  The main purpose of the blog was to help persons empower themselves in becoming more tech-savvy or adept - it was just a small local project, but oh how it has grown.

Today i'd like to inform all the followers and readers of this blog of its move to a better home.  Note I am NOT killing the blog, I will continue my project of trying to empower persons through my posts, just not on this site anymore.  This post will be the final post here.

www.jervisdabreo.com/thetechcorner/

I would now like to take the opportunity to invite you to visit the NEW WEBSITE.  Feel free to subscribe to it, to share your thoughts and comments there - let your friends know about it, especially if it has proven helpful to you.

Jervis Dabreo

BIOS Explained

Your Computer system’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is firmware that is stored in a chip on your motherboard which is responsible for handling basic system start-up — In essence, it gets your computer’s hardware ready so that the operating system can be loaded.  Some persons sees it as being a small operating system in its own right.

It is important to understand that the BIOS runs before the operating system runs, and handles the basic tasks of recognizing and configuring  the various pieces of hardware you have installed, from RAM to optical drive.  It means if you have a bad or faulty BIOS, you have a dead computer.

Tweak your computer's BIOS for faster Windows startup

When you power on your computer (desktop or laptop), there are several checks/tests that are performed by the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) before the OS (Operating System) is allowed to load.  By simply changing a few of the settings in the BIOS you can speed up these initial start-up checks/tests which will result in your computer system starting much faster.

How you would access the BIOS utility varies from computer to computer especially along motherboard brand names, but the most common keystrokes are Delete (Del), F1, or F10 - The keyboard key MUST be pressed at the first sign of life on your screen after pushing the power button on the computer. 

Once in the BIOS utility you will see a menu with a variety of choices.  Here are the choices/options that you can tweak to ensure for a faster system start-up (they tend to be in the Advanced BIOS section):

• Quick Power On Self Test (POST) -  The POST check for the presence of the essential components such as RAM, a video card, basic input device etc., enabling this option will make your system runs a shortened POST rather than the normal, lengthy one.
• Change Your Boot Device Order/Priority - If you change the boot order so that your BIOS checks the hard drive first rather than the CD/DVD or USB drive it will speed up your start-up time.
• Disable the Floppy Drive - Who uses these nowadays? When it is enabled your system spends a few extra seconds looking for and checking the floppy drive - a pointless task if you ask me considering the fact that you most like do not use your floppy drive IF you still have one.
• Disable Boot Delay - Some computer systems allow you to delay booting for a few seconds after you turn on your system to allow the hard drive a chance to start spinning.  Based on the speed and efficiency of modern hard drives, you most likely do not need to have this boot delay option enabled if the option is present. WARNING - If you run into problems after disabling the option please be sure to re-enable it.

Facebook Scam - Protect Yourself

In the last few days I have received several invitations to modify my Facebook profile color (maybe you have too).

Luckily for me, I have no problem with the blue-look of Facebook and so I simply ignored them, that is until this morning when I received over twenty (20) new invitations - this means that several more of my Facebook contacts have fallen victims to one of the latest Facebook scams.

I am now going to share two links to two websites that contains all the information you need to know about the scam.  Please read the article there and when you're done go to Facebook and change your login credentials or password.

1. Facecrooks
2. Allfacebook

For those of you who will not follow the links above, then know this - the whole change Facebook profile color thing IS a SCAM.  You CANNOT change the Facebook Profile Color and your account has been compromised if you did accept the invitation and gave permission to the scammers.  Now go change your Facebook password.

Fix for Android Play Store to access paid apps catelog

Recently I have noticed that on some Android devices where the official Google Play Store app was sideloaded (because the device did not get Google's nod of approval or in the case of the Kindle Fire, for example, Amazon chose not to include it on their device) that the only apps that are accessible are from the Free Apps category.

In searching for a solution I came across a nice little app - (which is NOT available from the Play Store by the way (smile)).  Drum roll please - enter Market Enabler.

The app is described as being an Android Paid Apps Market Enabler and does exactly what it say - it allows you to access paid apps from the Play Store (not for free unfortunately).

I should mention here that in order to get the app installed on your device you will WILL have to enable the  Allow Installation of Applications From unknown sources option on your Android device since the app must be sideloaded...(see here for more details) AND in order for it to actually work your device MUST BE ROOTED.

7 Reasons why you should root your device

Yesterday I explained what rooting a device is all about, today i'm going to give you seven (7) reasons why you should consider rooting your device:

1. You will finally be able to backup your device - without root access you will only be able to back up your personal files/data, with root access you'll be able to backup the entire device - system files as well as your personal stuff.
2. You will be able to flash or install custom ROMs - these custom ROMs tend to offer better optimizations as well as possibly better battery life/usage for your device and most of them look pretty cool with features that your stock ROM may not have.  
3. You will be able to flash newer versions of Android onto your older device - There are devices that are currently running Android 4.0 because they were rooted and flashed with newer ROMs while their "unrooted" counterparts are still stuck on Android 2.3.7 waiting on their carrier or device manufacturer to release an official update (which may never come).
4. You will be able to remove the bloatware system apps that the device comes with - i.e carrier or manufacturer apps that ties you to their network or brand.  You WILL ONLY be able to remove system apps when the device is rooted.
5. You will be able to unlock features of the hardware which are not available by default for example, the ability to tether or internet sharing (I got that one on my HTC 7 Surround some time back) or you can even overclock your processor.
6. You will be able to gain access to the Google Play store - For certain devices such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook HD tablets, you will need to be rooted (in most cases) in order to install and use the official Google Play Store.
7. You will be able to install any app on your device - this includes apps that are “blocked”  based on region restrictions (use this to beat that), apps that have been “banned” from the official app store, and even alternatives app stores.

I would have already outlined the two (2) major issues associated with rooting your device in yesterday's post...see here.

Rooting Explained

Is your smart-device device rooted?  Are you going to be rooting your new smartphone or Kindle Fire HD any time soon?  Exactly what is rooting a device all about?

Rooting is a term that is more associated with Android devices than any other mobile operating system and can be likened to jail-breaking an Apple device (iPhone, iPad etc.) to a certain extent, but what is it?

Well, when you buy a smartphone or tablet (we'll be focusing more on Android), there are certain things you're allowed to do and a whole lot more that is locked away to protect the device from you "breaking" it by tampering with files and settings that the manufacturer believes you should just let be and while they may be right to a certain extent, these restriction will also keep you from doing "simple, fun things" like backing up your device or changing the boot-animation or even deleting some of the bloatware apps that the device comes with.  This is where rooting comes in:

Rooting is a form of software hacking which is done to your device in order to obtain access to system files.

When a device is rooted, the user and certain apps (like Titanium backup for Android) gets to interact with the very core or "root" files of the OS which naturally gives the user the power to now change whatever he/she wants as far as the software is concerned (referred to as having superuser permission).  The user  can now write, modify, or change system files - this is NOT ALLOWED without rooting.

Two things you should know before taking the plunge:

1. Rooting your device will most likely void your device's factory and/or service provider warranty which means should something go wrong with the device you'll be on your own.
2. If the rooting process is not completed correctly it could damage the core software or OS on the device which can cause the device to not boot up for instance - soft brick. 

NB: Rooting does not alter your hardware in any way - if your device does not have a front-facing camera for instance, rooting it will not magically make one appear.

You should also consider reading my posts on the bootloader and on flashing.

Tech Myth - CPU speed decreases over time

Does your CPU's speed decrease over time?

The answer to this question is both NO and YES, but more NO than YES.  Let me explain:

Your CPU (Central Processing Unit) which is also refereed to as the "brains" of your computer system is responsible for doing all the tasks you throw at it and was designed to operate within a certain range of processing speed and temperature.  The more tasks you give the CPU to do the faster it works and naturally the more heat is generated - this, of course will  require more cooling to keep it within its operational temperature range.

Now, once the temperature is properly regulated i.e the CPU is being properly cooled, it will continue working within its processing speed's range for all of its days, which tend to end when you decide to throw it out for a new one and NOT because it "grounded" to a halt.  So it's speed DOES NOT DECREASE.

On the other hand, the thermal paste which lies between the CPU and the cooling system (heat-sink and fan) over time loses its effectiveness (becoming hard, dry and even flaky in some instances), when this happens, if the paste is not replaced, the cooling system gets compromised resulting in the CPU having to run at the lower end of its processing speed range to avoid overheating and possibly destroying itself - this tend to account for the perceived slowing down of the CPU over time even though in truth and fact a CPU's speed IS its speed for all time.

NB:  In most cases the CPU in a computer system will still be fully functional when that system is thrown out.   It's components like the motherboard and other integrated devices that may require a system replacement.  There are times though, when as with all things man-made a CPU will fail, but that's just the result of mass-production and manufacturer's error unless you have a serious motherboard or electrical problem.

Google Nexus Explained

Nexus X, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10...what are all these about?  What are Nexus devices?

Well, as i'm sure you know by now (from maybe reading my blog...smile) the Android operating system which powers some of the coolest smart mobile devices on this planet is developed by Google.  Now Android is open source which, to quote Wikipedia "...allows the software to be freely modified and distributed by device manufacturers, wireless carriers and enthusiast developers."

It is mainly this open source nature of Android (with a few other minor things) that has made it the mobile OS of choice for manufactures and persons alike who want the ability to completely customize or modify the OS without having to worry about breaking any laws (to a certain extent), but this great attribute of Google's Android is also one of it's major flaws.  How so you ask?

It's all quite simple really.  The more the various device manufacturers and mobile carriers change the OS to suit themselves by adding custom user interfaces, blocking certain features etc. the more the OS moves away from being what its developer, Google, had created in it's purest form - this is where Nexus comes in.

The Collins English Dictionary defines the word Nexus as "a means of connection between members of a group or things in a series" and this is exactly what Google had in mind when they decided to give their line of mobile devices the Nexus name (apart from it sounding futuristic and really cool).

You should know that Nexus devices are not made wholly by Google, instead Google works along with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner (so far they've used HTC, Samsung, Asus & LG).  The result is a device that offers the Android OS in it's purest form to consumers - just the way it was developed by Google, bridging the gap between the original and the various flavors available.

Nexus devices tend to be buttery smooth in handling the OS, free from manufacturer and mobile carriers bloatware and are the first in line for future updates of Android straight from Google.

So far there have been four (4) Nexus smartphones (The Nexus One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus or Nexus X and the latest - the Nexus 4) and two (2) Nexus tablets (The Nexus 7 which has a 7-inch screen and the Nexus 10 with a 10-inch screen).

Want a tablet? Get the Kindle HD 8.9 NOW

Have you been thinking about getting a tablet for the holiday?  Now i'm not talking about prescription medication instead i'm talking about getting one of those cool gadgets that you can carry around with you that would allow you to check your emails, get your daily dose of social media, watch a few videos on the go and so much more.  Well, today just might be the day to purchase what I consider to be one of the BEST deals available right now - The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

Amazon is currently selling the tablet at a $50 discount, so instead of paying the $299 you can now have one for $249.  All you need to do is head on over to Amazon's website, hit up the link for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and you'll be given a discount code (which is used at checkout to adjust the price).

If I was in the market for a new tablet, this is the one i'd be getting - definitely.  The specs are great and although I must admit I hate the Amazon's Android user interface, that can always be replaced with a bit of modification (rooting, custom ROM etc.) later.

I guess Christmas has come early this year...ho ho ho....

Modern-Tech Jargon Buster - Apps. What are apps?

Is there an app for that?
This is one of the questions often asked by persons wanting more from their smartphone/tablet.  You see most persons understand that in order to turn their smart-devices into useful tools they need to have "apps" for the different tasks they wish to perform or complete, but what most persons may not be able to explain is exactly what are apps?

In simple terms the word app is short for application, which are the instructions that tells your device what to do or how to behave.  These days though, the word app is used almost exclusively when referring to    applications or programs that are designed to run on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, but it is not wrong to call the programs installed on your desktop computer app either.

What are cookies?

Do you remember when the correct answer to the title of this post (what are cookies?) would have been "small sweet cakes, typically round, flat, and crisp?"

Information/computer technology has added so many new words, terms, phrases and even new meaning to old words to our vocabulary that these days if you're not careful you could easily find yourself being completely lost in conversations where you know all the words being used, just not the modern interpretation.

So what is a cookie as far as technology is concerned?

Well, in simple terms a cookie can be thought of as an identification card for an Internet user which allows a website that you would have visited some time before to recognize you whenever you return to that site using the same computer and browser.

In more technical terms, a cookie is a small text-based file which is generated by a web server (the computer that operates a website) and stored on your computer's hard drive through your Internet browser which allows a website to recognize you as a returning visitor whenever you decide to revisit that particular website from the same computer, using the same browser.

Now, on the positive or good side cookies are necessary as they:

• help to speed up the load time of the webpages you revisit
• allows the website to remember what you would have placed in your shopping cart last time around for example
• remembers the personal information that you may have entered so you won't have to re-enter it among other things.  

On the negative side cookies can also be used as malware or spyware to:

• track you and your browsing habits
• flood your browser with ads and popup and your email with spam
• gather your personal information which can then be sold to other companies or third party individuals

It's important to note that for every website you visit, once it uses cookies, a cookie is placed on your computer's hard drive and while they are small files, they, over time will account for quite a bit of space.  For the malicious cookies, this is where common sense, anti-spyware and other internet security software comes into play. See here.

For more information on cookies you can check out this link.
For information on how to delete cookies see here.

Portable devices and security

As the tech-world moves more and more away from being tied to a desk and embraces portable computing, so too the population of persons owning smart-devices (smartphones and tablets) is growing and this is a good things since it now means that more work can get done while we're in transit between home and workplace or anywhere for that matter, but there is a risk involved - that of security.

What would happen to your personal information or company's information should you lose your smart device?  If your smartphone or tablet was stolen would you be be able to comfortably say that your personal data is well protected from the thief?  Many persons would spend "top dollar" to own a smart-device, but few take the time to sit and protect the content of the said device.  How about you?  Is your information, files, credit card information, email credentials etc protected?

Here are three (3) simple ways you can protect your data:

1. Lock or password protect your device - ALL smart-devices come with a feature to lock or password protect the device from being used.  I must admit that some are much better than others based on the operating system you're using, but even then, it's better to have a little protection than no protection at all.  If the device has data encryption as a security feature, USE IT!
2. Pay attention to the apps or software you install on your device and the sort of permissions they request upon installation especially if you're using apps that are from sources outside of the official "app stores" of the various mobile operating systems (side-loading)
3. Physical access restriction - this should have possibly been the first one on the list.  You cannot afford to be careless with your device - DO NOT just leave it lying around.

I'm sure you may have other things that persons can do to protect their devices and their contents, so please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

How to unlock "godmode" in Window 7

The average computer has many, many different control settings for all the different things that it can do.  Sure, most of  these control settings do require administrative privilege to be used, but even for system administrators they can be a bit of a bother to find because of how they're "scattered" about.  Luckily, Microsoft decided to include a feature called "godmode" with it's Windows 7 operating system.

"Godmode" is a "one-stop location" for all the administrator tools, settings and control options available for the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system - It is sort of like a super control panel for the OS.

Here's how you go about unlocking godmode:

1. Right mouse click on an empty space on your desktop (it can be any where you like and not just the desktop)
2. From the popup menu go to New and click on Folder
3. When the New Folder is created  copy and paste the following text as the folder's name:  GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
4. Hit Enter on the keyboard and you're done, you have now unlocked "godmode" on your computer. 

Warning:  Some of the tools or options DO require some technical know-how to use correctly, so if you're not sure what a particular option or control does it is best to either leave it alone or to find out what it does first before interfering with it.

The NEW Website is coming...

It launches on 12-12-12 at 12:12 PM (I thought it a cool date and time...lol)

https://www.facebook.com/JaDabreo

Be one of the first one to experience it

Android, Widgets and Performance

Having too many widgets on the start screen or home screen of your Android device (smartphone or tablet) will result in a slight decrease in speed and responsiveness when you return to the start screen from say, within an application.

This slow down or lag (small though it might be on devices with faster processors)  is due to the fact that the state of the home-screen is kept in memory (RAM) when you navigate away from it to ensure that you're able to get back there as fast as possible without it having to be reloaded every time.  Sure, this is a good thing, but you will also understand why having lots of widgets there will lead to the slight drop in performance as widgets do take up quite a bit of memory to function.

If you're the proud owner of an android device you can give this a try - navigate away from your home screen with all your widgets active then return home, now remove the widgets and repeat the same action.

Please share your experience in the comment section below.

Easy ways to backup your data

I have already covered the "why you should backup your data" as well as some of the things you should and should not do when it comes to having a backup that makes sense.  In this post I am going to explain the "how to backup your data" in as simple terms as possible.

Firstly, there is no one way to create a backup of your data.  There are several program available on the market as well as there are features built into the various operating systems that we use that will facilitate the process.  True, some are a bit complicated (these I will leave out), but there are some very simple ways of protecting your data from hard drive failure or data corruption as a result of virus or malware presence on your computer.

Secondly, there are a host of different places where you can store the backup.  You can use DVDs, flash drives, external hard drives or cloud storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Skydrive or iCloud (for the Apple fans out there) See this post.

Now lets get down to business:

For Backing up just your documents, music, videos, picture etc.

• You can simply COPY and PASTE or "burn" (if you're using DVDs) the files from your hard drive to the external storage source.  DO NOT STORE THE BACKUP ON THE SAME DRIVE AS THE ORIGINAL FILES.
• You can sign up for anyone of the FREE cloud-based services mentioned above (I prefer Dropbox and Skydrive, but they're all good), install the client on your computer (this would be explained when you sign up) and simply place the files in the sync folder.  This is my preferred mode of backup for my files since I will be able to access them wherever I go once I have Internet access.  See this post
• You can install any of the following FREE programs, follow their simple instructions and create your backup within minutes: Backup Maker,  FBackup, Genie Timeline Free 2012 or Toucan (for the more advanced power-users) 

For a complete system backup (operating system + your personal files)

• If you're using Microsoft Windows Vista or 7 you can click on start and type backup. The "backup your computer" option will appear, hit enter or click on it to start the backup wizard.  The instructions are pretty easy to follow from there on out. 
• Based on the brand of computer you own, it may have come with some sort of custom-backup tool or program installed, you can use that too or you can go out and buy backup software (See here before spending your money), but bearing in mind that I promised to keep this simple, I thought it best to focus on the good, free programs that you can use.

Are you a guinea pig?

Early adopters in the tech world ARE guinea pig - I am talking about the persons who are first in line to have the newest gadgets and gizmos.

The reality of the matter is this - with anything tech and new, there will be bugs present at the time of launch (even the "great" Apple have had its share of woes...uh, where am I?  My "iMap" is not working).  True, some products tend to have more bugs than working features (or so it may seem) and yes, this is not what you paid for, but the truth is no matter how much testing is done in the labs of the manufacturers and carriers the real world test will still expose bugs and other annoyances that were missed.

Let me say here that I am not suggesting we all sit around and wait until the product has been on the market for 6 months or so before purchasing (we will just end up being 6 months old guinea pigs), I am simply alerting persons of the fact that you should be aware that your brand new gadget may very well have issues that would leave you very frustrated and even close to the point of losing your sanity (did someone say Nokia 920 or HTC 8X owners?).

The good thing is that most companies would prefer to not have the bad publicity and so would do almost everything in their power to get you smiling again, even if it is lying to you about the exact cause of the problem.  So hang in there - even guinea pigs will have their day.

What would you like to see on this blog?

What would you like to see on this blog?

Please comment your topics, ideas, thoughts or suggestions in the comment section below.

Help me to help you.

Have you backed up your work recently?

You will never understand the importance of a backup of your digital work until your hard drive fails and there isn't one to fall back on.

It does not matter whether your computer is one day old or ten years old, the hard drive containing all your precious digital work can fail at any time.
Sure, sometimes there are tell-tale signs of its imminent "death", but then again there are times when that hard drive will just "die" without giving any warning - these are the times you should be prepared for.  This brings me to the "question of the hour" - if your hard drive fails right now just how much "stuff" would you lose?

Here are a few key things to consider:

1. Do not backup your data on the same hard drive as the original copy - now this might have you saying "duh", but truth be told, there are many persons who do just that.  Few persons seem to understand that a partitioned-drive is a single drive and if that hard drive fails you will be losing all the partitions containing all your data.
2. Your backup should be as up-to-date as possible - if you would not like to lose what you just stored then you should update your backup immediately.
3. It is always smart to not have the backup in the same physical location as the original - if the backup and the original are in your carrying bag for instance, and the bag was stolen your backup would not make any sense since it too will be gone.

It does not matter whether you decide to use a flash-drive, DVDs, a cloud service or an external hard drive to backup your important information, what really matters is you having a backup to fall back on when you need it.  Now go backup your data/information.

PLEASE TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT BACKING UP THEIR DATA TODAY!!

How to get the home screens on your Nexus 7 to rotate

On most android tablets with gyroscopes the home screens rotates from landscape to portrait and vice versa based on how you hold or orient the device, sadly this does not happen on the Google Nexus 7 right-out-the-box because Google decided to put the android phone user interface on the tablet instead the of tablet user interface.

Can this be “fixed”?  Sure.  There are quite a few ways you can go about getting the home screens to rotate; from tweaking system codes (on rooted Nexus 7s) to installing third-party apps.  One such app is Rotate.  It is available in the Google Play Store so you can take it for a spin if you like and leave your comments or experience after using it in the comment section below.

NB: There is an option towards the middle of the pull down menu at the top of your home screen with a lock and circular arrows which you can tap on to unlock or lock the rotation of running apps, it does not enabled home screens rotation.

Nook HD or Kindle Fire HD?

So black Friday is here and you have finally decided to spend a few bucks and treat yourself to a new 7-inch tablet, but you're not sure whether you should get the new Nook HD or the Kindle Fire HD.

Well, here's what you should know before deciding who gets your money:

Battery Life:  Kindle Fire HD wins
The Kindle Fire has a slightly bigger battery which gives an estimated two (2) hours more of continuous usage.

Weight: Nook wins
The Nook HD is slightly lighter (79 grams)

Screen:  Nook HD wins
The Nook HD has a higher resolution display of 1440 x 900 (243 PPI) while the Kindle Fire HD is set at 1280 x 800 (216 PPI).  See here.

Processor: Nook HD wins
The Nook HD is slightly faster but I do not think you'll be able to notice the difference anyway

Memory/RAM is the same on both devices (1GB)

Storage: You get to call this one
The Kindle Fire HD starts at 16GB while the Nook HD starts at 8GB BUT the Nook allows you to use a microsd card to add more storage space while the Kindle Fire HD does not.

Camera: Kindle Fire HD wins
The Kindle Fire HD has a front facing camera while the Nook HD does not.  This means you will be able to Skype/video chat and take pictures with the Kindle Fire HD but won't be able to do so with the Nook HD.

Conclusion:
I see the Kindle Fire HD as the better buy (and it is a sweet little device once you get the Play Store loaded on it), but the Nook HD would make sense too if you owned one before since you most likely would have amassed quite a collection of books from Barnes and Noble's store which would be useless if you bought a Kindle Fire HD.  For me, the lack of a camera on the Nook HD leaves me with no choice but to recommend the Kindle Fire HD as the better buy of the two.

What is the bootloader on my phone or tablet?

Google's Android as an operating system (OS) is loads of fun for persons (like myself) who love tweaking or modifying things.  Running on the right hardware the latest versions of Android (ICS and Jelly Beans) can be tweaked into doing some pretty awesome things, there is just one small problem - you will have to unlock your device's bootloader first.

So what is the bootloader?  And why is it locked in the first place?

Well, the bootloader is the device-specific instructions or software that runs on your device before the operating system loads or kicks in.  To truly understand its purpose you need to understand how your smart device works at its core level.  So here goes:

Similar to how a desktop/laptop computer's hard-drive work, your smart device's storage is divided into several partitions or sections. One partition holds the OS files, another holds the apps you have downloaded and installed along with your documents, pictures etc., and others exists to do more behind-the scenes things.  It is therefore the job of the bootloader to secure these partitions giving you full permission to some while denying access to others in order to protect the system from you interfering with things that could possibly lead to you bricking the device.

A bootloader that is locked does not give you permission to interfere with or change the core or system software that the device comes with.  This means you will not be able to:

1. Change the operating system or flash custom ROMs
2. Remove the bloatware that is bundled with the device
3. Or backup your device  

The device may also have the ability to do much more than it is allowed to do (based on the hardware under the hood), but you won't be able to unleash it true potential unless you're able to unlock the bootloader.

I must hasten to say here that it is in the best interest of the manufacturer of the device to lock the bootloader, that way they will not have to support or cover under warranty devices (phones and tablets) that were hacked to run modified software among other things.  See here.

Unlocking the bootloader of your device is the first step (not the only step) in the direction of freeing your device and getting it to do what YOU want it to do.  Are there risks involved?  YES!  You can end up bricking your device if you do not know what you're doing or if do not follow the instructions and guidelines laid down for unlocking  the bootloader on your device.

Why you should lock your WiFi - Funny story

A good friend of mine called me a few days ago with a problem that I hadn't seen or heard of in quite some time - he could not access his WiFi connection (no, this is not the problem, read on).

I figured it might have been a simple glitch with his Internet router/modem so I asked him to reset it (power off and then back on) while I waited on the other end of the telephone.

After a few minutes the told me the router/modem was back up and there was Internet access (because his desktop was connected and had just received a Facebook message), but his Android tablet still was not connecting to the WiFi even though the device was "seeing" the signal.  He said it kept asking him to enter the WiFi password, something he never had to do before because his WiFi was open (requiring no password to connect to and use).

Well it got me thinking and so after some careful "pondering" I sent him to the desktop so I could have him check what was going on with the router/modem.  I gave him the IP address he should enter into his favorite browser (he is a Mozilla Firefox guy), he did that and told me it was requesting a password so I gave him the default password and guess what - the password was not accepted (now this was the problem).

Apparently someone more tech-savvy than him (he said young persons were always using his WiFi, but he is okay with that) had decided to "hijack" his router.  They had set a WiFi password and had changed the access credentials for the router/modem, basically locking him out of his very own service.  Man, did I have a good laugh (this is a perfect April 1st prank to pull is what I was thinking) anyway, joke aside there is a serous lesson to be learnt here:  protect your Internet connection.

If you do not know how to do it yourself ask or pay someone to do it for you.  I did get him to follow a few "simple" steps to rectify the problem, but man, did I have a good laugh all the way to the end.

Tech-conspiracy: How they take your money from you

If you bought it then you should be able to do whatever you want with it, right?  Wrong!  Most gadget-making companies will disagree with you (from Apple to Zte).  Sure, you bought it and you will be able to use it, but they will try their best to ensure that you can only do as much as they want you to do with it.

You see they need to ensure that you are not able to do so much with the device or love it so much that you would not want to go out and buy the "newer" version in the next six (6) months.

These companies know that they need to keep you coming back for more and the only way to achieve that is by "giving" you a device that you would feel less than happy with in the next few months.  The funny thing though is this; if you were able to unlock its full potential, you'd be happy and satisfied with it for the next year and a half or even longer.

Case in point; What is wrong with the Apple iPad 3?  Why should I even consider an iPad 4 if I owned an iPad?.  It is all about getting you dissatisfied enough that you'd be willing to give up your hard-earned cash for something that you really do not need to buy (unless you're a tech-junkie that insist on  having all the latest gadgets).

So can your free your device or gadget from the shackles of it's manufacturer or your mobile carrier?  Yes!  Most definitely, but it will require a bit of "hackery" to accomplish that with two of the "paths to freedom" being:

1. Unlocking the bootloader of your device
2. Rooting the device

DPI, PPI, Resolution - Know your screen

DPI (Dots Per Inch) originally referred to the resolution of printers, meaning the amount of dots per inch of paper that the printer was capable of achieving in order to form the texts or images that were printed. Of course the higher the DPI, the better the quality of the texts and images. To save ink however, a low DPI is often chosen (through the printer properties setting) for things such as draft copies or the normal paperwork.

Today DPI is also used to refer to the number of pixels that are present per inch of display screen (even though the more technically correct term is "PPI" or pixels per inch).

Just as with printers, the higher the DPI or PPI of your display screen, the better, clearer and more life-like the images will appear.  For example, a display screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels (264 PPI pixel density) has approximately 3.1 million pixels on the screen (Apple iPad 4), while a screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels (132 PPI pixel density) will have about 786,000 pixels (Apple iPad 1).

I should warn you here that even though the more "pleasurable to the eye" would be the screen with the higher resolution (DPI/PPI), having more pixels also requires more battery power, more memory and more CPU processing power among other things, so when shopping for that smartphone or tablet do not just go for the higher resolution screen with the greater DPI, pay attention to the "size" of the battery, the amount of RAM/memory and the type of processor that is "under the hood" or you might find yourself with a great screen on a device that tests your patience to the boundaries of insanity.

Protect your computer - Read the options

Some time ago (in one of my earlier posts) I explained the importance of paying attention to the options that you're presented with when installing software, especially "free" software since most of them tend to come bundled with add-ons and sometimes even malware/spyware which can cause your computer to not perform as well as it was or should be performing.

Today I want to stress this point again - read the options carefully!

If you are presented with a normal/typical/recommended option as well as a custom/advanced option, ALWAYS choose the latter of the two.  True, you may not be an advanced user (in your mind), but in most cases you do not need to be.  Choosing the custom/advanced option will however, allow you to say yeah or nay to the "crapware" that they would have placed on your system had you gone with the so-called "normal" option.

Take the images below for example; If I had decided to go ahead with the recommended option, I would have ended up installing a toolbar that I definitely do not want and changing my browser's homepage.  In choosing the Custom Installation option I was able to un-check those two "undesirable" options and install just the software I wanted.

You would have paid a "pretty penny" for your computer, you therefore owe it to yourself to protect that investment as best as you possibly can - READ THE OPTIONS!!

Modern-Tech Jargon Buster - Flash or Flashing

"When I get home i'll FLASH the new ROM."

The term Flash (flashing) is used to describe the installation of a ROM or Operating System (OS) onto a smartphone or tablet (mainly android-based devices).

This tend to be a very delicate process since a bad flash or power failure during the flashing process can result in you bricking your device (something that can happen even to the best among us). Of course being able to flash a ROM onto your device may often require an unlocked bootloader and root access in some instances (these will be explained in subsequent posts).

What are ARM based processors

Smartphones and tables are taking over and are quickly replacing laptops, netbooks and PDAs as the gadgets of  choice for persons on the move, but what makes them tick?
What is it that enables these gadgets to be so powerful, slim and light-weight with such great battery life?

Well, operating system aside, it's all about the processor or CPU - the ARM-based processor to be exact.

So what are ARM-based processor?

An ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) processor is a very compact processor (it is often soldered onto the motherboard) that has a very low operating temperature and uses very little power while doing quite a bit of work (this is my simplified definition).

It means that unlike Intel and AMD power hungry x86 (desktop and laptop) processors, ARM-based processors can be placed in smaller devices with smaller batteries and perform pretty good without having any need for heat-sinks and/or cooling fans or having to be constantly plugged in to a charging source.

It's important to note that up until recently Intel had not shown any big interest in developing ARM-type processors, but all this is changing now - Intel is now determined to be on the inside of these mobile gadgets.

Modern-Tech Jargon Buster - ROM

ROM - (used to be a hardware term for Read Only Memory) - Nowadays it is also used to refer to the software or files that make up the Operating System of your smartphone or tablet.

The operating system (OS) is the files or instructions that allows the hardware to work and you to be able to interact or use the device among other things.  If there isn't an OS loaded on the device the device would be as useful as a stone.

You may sometimes hear persons say, "I have a new Android 4.0 ROM to try out."  They simply mean that they have a new (version of a particular) operating system to try out on their device.  For instance they may have Android 2.3.7 installed and is planning on installing Android 4.0.

It is important to note that although there are a few devices in the "tech-wild" that are currently able to have more than one different OS installed on them or dual-boot (I love my Hp Touchpad) , the normal thing is to have just one particular OS on any given device.  For example, you may have Android or IOS or Microsoft Windows 7.x etc.

You should also bear in mind that not all newer versions of a particular OS may be compatible with the older device you have, for instance, you will not be able to install Blackberry OS 7 on a device that was shipped with version 4.x.

Tech Myth - Airport X-Ray scanner vs your data

Will you be travelling for the Christmas (or whatever you call it) holiday?
If you will be travelling, I would imagine that you will be taking your tablet, smartphone, laptop etc. with you, so here is a tech myth that may interest you if you're planning on flying to your destination;

Back in the days of camera with film (a long, long, long time ago), passing your bag through an airport X-Ray machine resulted in your undeveloped pictures getting severely messed up on the film or even being wiped from the film.  Now you fast-forward to the flash-storage era and persons are still living with that "film-related" phobia.

So what is the truth?

Straight and simple - Flash storage brought an end to the airport x-ray scanners wiping or corrupting your data.  You can rest assured that your laptop is safe too.

Here is the "why";
Airport X-Ray machines primarily use electromagnetic energy, unlike the magnetic energy of the walk- through metal detectors (these you should be concerned about), so your gadgets are completely safe in the basket on the conveyor belt along with your keys, flash drives, wallet and packet of chewing gum.

So there you have it - this myth is busted.  Your data will live to fight another day.

How to easily Convert your drive from FAT32 to NTFS

Gone are the days of 128MB, 512MB or even 2GB flashdrives.
These days the average flashdrive size among most of my friends is 8GB.  Same so, the average size of the external hard drives being carried around is about 250GB.  Now what this means is that more and more persons are now able to (or should be able to) carry pretty big files around with them, be it HD videos or image files.

So what is the problem?

Well, very few persons with these "big" storage devices bother to convert them from the FAT32 format that they come with to the NTFS format that will allow for the storing of files that are over 4GB in size.

Let me break that down; the way most of these drives come (the file system) would not allow you to store any file that is bigger than 4GB, so in order to save that 6GB 1080p Bluray movie to the device you will need to change it's file format from FAT32 to NTFS, something which normally requires formatting the device which deleets everything that is on the device.  But there is another way: use Convert.exe

• Step 1 - Click on start in Windows 7 and type cmd - this finds the command prompt. 
• Step 2 - Hit enter
• Step 3 - Type convert x: /fs:ntfs (where x is the actual drive letter of the drive you wish to convert)
• Step 4 - Hit enter
• Step 5 - Be patient, it may take a while

NB: While this method theoretically will not destroy your data, I strongly recommend that you backup your files first.

I dropped my phone in water. What should I do?

Sure there are worst things that could happen to you, but dropping your precious smartphone in a pool of water is right up there with the most painful of them.

Now, I know there is no shortage of information on the Internet when it comes to finding out what you should do if you find yourself in this sort of unfortunate situation, still I thought it best to throw in my "two pence" as well.  So here goes:

• Step 1. Disconnect or remove the battery Immediately - this is the most crucial step.  DO NOT try to power up the device if it is off as this will most likely damage the internal circuits of the phone beyond repair.  Keep in mind that the battery has to be dried off as well.
• Step 2. Remove the SIM card and memory cards from the device if present.  If they are wet dry them off with a soft piece of cloth.
• Step 3. Dry off the phone thoroughly and quickly - AVOID HEAT, this means NO to blow dryers, heat lamps, ovens and even direct sunlight, which can melt or even warp certain delicate part and connectors in the phone.  Compressed air is not a good idea either as this will only assist in "pushing" the water into areas that might not have been exposed to it.  The best practice would be to open up the device if possible and brush (you can use a soft toothbrush...it works) the motherboard/circuit board and connectors (not the screen) with a bit of alcohol, now unto a very important step
• Step 4. Submerge the phone (if you were able to open it and you should, leave the parts disassembled) in a desiccant such as silica gel or even better (because you most likely will have some in the kitchen), in a bag of uncooked rice (enough to completely cover the phone).  This will help to remove any traces of water from the phone.  You can leave it there for at least a day.
• Step 5. Check for evidence of the presence of moisture, if none is visible ONLY THEN should you attempt to power on the phone else repeat step 4.  

Windows 7 Keyboard Tips - Quick launch

As i'm sure you are aware of by now, you can pin your favorite programs in Microsoft Windows 7 to the Taskbar

Once you've done that you can then access or launch them quickly by pressing the Windows Key + A Number - The number you choose will have to correspond to the position of the item as it is pinned on the Taskbar with number 1 being closest to the Start menu button.

NB: The number pad (numbers on the right side of the standard qwerty keyboard) does NOT work.  you will have to use the numbers under the function keys (F1, F2, etc.).

How to control or access a computer remotely

Over the years I have found myself having to assist many persons in fixing certain computer problems (software-related mostly) over the telephone.

The problem with using the telephone to solve a computer problem or troubleshoot is that you're still going to have to depend on the person on the other end to do what needs to be done - something that can be very frustrating at times.  This is why i'd like to introduce you to my Remote Access software of choice.  Hopefully, for those of you who find yourselves in these sort of situations, the program will help - Teamviewer.

Now, Teamviewer is not the only software of its kind out there and it may not be the very best either, but there are a few things that I love about it:

1. It is free
2. It is a relatively light program that can be run without having to install any files on your computer
3. Set up is very easy
4. The client has control and can determine when to cut you off
5. Along with no. 4, you can also set up Teamviewer so that it cannot be shut down, giving you complete access to the remote computer (a feature which is great for computer labs).
6. It is available for Android and IOS, so you can even have access on the go if you own a device running any of those operating systems.
7. You can actually use the software to show someone how to do or use a particular bit of software or how to get something done on their computer outside of fixing a problem (remote tutoring).

Sure there are a few sore points, but I do not think they're even worth mentioning when you compare them against the great things that this program has going for it.  Give it a try today...Teamviewer.

Shutting down your computer may be killing your hard drive

How often do you turn your computer on and off in a day?

Are you aware that you may very well be shortening the life of your hard drive (the traditional hard drive, NOT SSD) if you're one of the many persons who choose to turn on and off their computer several times during a day?

It is true that shutting down your computer will reduce you electricity bill and the total overall spinning of the drive thus reducing wear and tear and extend it’s life. However, there is also a flip side to this, you see since it takes a while for a traditional hard drive to get up to normal, operational spinning speed, you stopping and then starting again and again can also cause some serious problems since the most wear and tear on a traditional spinning hard drive occurs at "spin-up" or during the start up of the drive.

NB: Turning the computer on and off once or twice in a day is not a problem, but four, five, six or even more times will cause your hard drive to fail long before it should, keeping in mind that other variable can also contribute to a hard drive failing.

DVD Drive not showing up in Windows 8

Let me say firstly that I am enjoying Microsoft Windows 8 Pro.  Sure, the extra mouse click and the lack of synchronization of the browser between the Desktop view and the "metro" view is a pain in the neck, but i'm getting along just fine (and you may too after a while).

Now for the problem.  When I installed Microsoft Windows 8 Pro on my desktop a few days ago I used the optical drive (DVD-RW) to do so, only to realize now that the drive is no longer showing up in My Computer (did not notice that before this morning).

I checked the Device Manager and realized that the drive was not even registered there.  I re-scanned the system for new hardware, but to no avail.  Finally (as a last resort) I swapped out the drive for a different one but still the problem remained.  It was only after a bit of "googling" I was able to find a solution.

It appears as though the problem originates from the Registry and so to get the drive showing again involves a small edit being done.  So here goes:

1. From the Start Screen (Metro Screen) type CMD
2. Right mouse click on the Command Prompt (cmd) when it shows up (Top left corner of screen)
3. At the bottom of the screen choose Run as administrator from the options listed
4. Copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt: reg.exe add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Controller0" /f /v EnumDevice1 /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000001
5. Hit Enter on your keyboard
6. Reboot your computer

This method worked for me.  Please let me know if it worked for you as well in the comment section.

Should I dismount or eject my flashdrive?

Not too long ago a good friend of mine came looking for a particular computer program.  The idea was to place the setup file on her flashdrive, so I inserted the USB drive into my computer and copied the file from my flashdrvie to hers.

Once the operation was complete I then proceeded to remove the drive from the computer - she almost had a heart attack.  She wanted to know if I was trying to spoil her flashdrive and questioned me as to why I had not ejected it the "proper way".

Well, i'm sure several of you may be interested in the "why" behind my action so here goes:

When you choose to dismount/eject a USB drive or device via the option in the system tray of your Microsoft Windows-based computer, the operating system ensures that all the data waiting to be stored or written to the drive is stored and the operation completed before taking the drive offline.

Now on OS X (for the Apple fans out there), something called write caching is used to speed up file transferring operations, therefore it is a very good idea or practice to always dismount the flashdrvie before removing it from the computer, even if it appears to be idle as evident by no blinking activity light on the drive.

On Microsoft Windows-based computers (all the version we now use) on the other hand, write caching is not enabled by default for USB devices so you can safely unplug or remove the drive without having to necessarily dismount it first.
WARNING - You need to ensure that there are no files being transferred to or from the device before pulling it out.  You can use the activity light on your flashdrive as a guide.

NB:  I am NOT RECOMMENDING that you remove your flashdrives this way, but know that you can and the drive and your data will be just fine once you heed my earlier warning (in RED above).

Windows 8 Pro - My Take

So it took all of roughly 20 minutes to perform a clean installation of Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit on a desktop with a Pentium Dual Core CPU, 2GB RAM and an 80 GB hard drive which to me was very impressive considering the amount of time it normally takes to install Windows XP, Vista or even Windows 7. Oh, and I did not have to go searching for any drivers for any of the hardware components installed on the system. Now how cool is that?

Next came the initial setup which was quite simple and straight forward; changing the wallpaper, logon information, profile picture and getting my social accounts set up (Emails, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook) took about 10 minutes

Now I must admit that the Windows 8 Store is lacking a bit in apps when compared to what i'm accustom to with Window Phone 7 (i'm going to leave the Android Play Store out of this one), but i'm sure this would be remedied before too long once Windows 8 picks up momentum (fingers crossed).  And then I got to wondering, "would the software I have installed on Windows 7 work on Windows 8?"

Well, I haven't found one that hasn't worked so far and i've installed quite a few of the old programs I have including a copy of Microsoft Office 2007.

Of course being a huge Google Chrome fan, I had to install it and once I did and signed in with my Google credentials I was right at home for all my web browsing needs (Chrome simply synced all my stuff)

Now for the annoying stuff:

1. Desktop users may be better of sticking with Windows 7.  Sure Windows 8 is nice, but to experience the fun it seems as though a touchscreen is needed (this is my opinion at least). It seems as though i'm almost totally dependent on the scroll wheel of my mouse in the "Metro"/Start/Tile Mode, now if only I had a touch screen...you get my point?
2. The Charms and recently opened apps bars are not as responsive as I would like them to be (not sure if they can be tweaked)
3. The browser does not sync when you switch from Start/Tile Mode to Desktop Mode which is a bummer as well as the facts that desktop software won't run in the new interface or vice versa.  It's like having two completely different operating systems in one operating system.  Now, it's not that I don't like it, but I can only imagine the confusion this will cause for the not-so-tech-savvy persons out there.
4. A few simple functions (from earlier versions of Windows) now seems to be an extra mouse click away - like shutting down. The option is now tucked away in Settings, although you can just CTRL + ALT + DEL and find it in the bottom right hand corner of your screen, but still...come on man.  And where is the command prompt?  UPDATE: Found it!  From the charms bar you can simply search for all the "old" included programs from earlier versions of Windows, but it still is an extra click away.

Final-ish Verdict (until i've spent more time with Microsoft Windows 8 Pro):

• It's NOT for desktop users and even for persons with laptops it seems as though the touch screen really is necessary to fully enjoy and appreciate the new OS.  
• The learning curve (to me) is not as gentle as it was for persons moving from Windows XP to Windows Vista or 7 so be warned.
• Do I like it?  YES, I do.  Do I love it?  NO, not without having a touch screen.
• So should you go out and buy a brand new, shiny windows 8 desktop computer?  No!  It may make more sense to get a good Windows 7 system (you can always upgrade to Windows 8 later which would most likely cost less than having to downgrade to Windows 7 from Windows 8)
• Finally, I hope Santa Claus remember to get me a Microsoft Surface for Christmas...i'm smiling already.

Update: Seems Logitech may have been able to bridge the great divide between not having a touch screen on a desktop with Microsoft Windows 8 and being able to use it as if it had one (of course that's an additional price you'd have to pay).  

Check out the following links:

Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650

Logitech Touch Mouse T620

Logitech Zone Touch Mouse T400