Google search turns 15, gets a makeover

The largest search engine in the world is getting a few updates, the company announced on Thursday. Google tied the news to its 15th birthday and held the announcement in the original Google Garage.

The overall design has been updated and borrows the "card" look from Google Now, lumping relevant information into rectangles and carousels and placing it above any links to websites.

Answers will now be "richer" and include comparisons, filters and sorting. For example, if you ask Google to compare two foods, it will return a chart of their nutritional values. There are new results for song and music searches, and push notifications will soon come to the Google iOS app.

The company is continuing to focus heavily on voice search, improving its conversational skills on the Web and in search apps.

"We believe that voice will be fundamental to building interactions with future devices that we will see," said Amit Singhal, Google's senior vice president of search. Devices such as smartwatches and Google Glass forgo traditional input devices in favor of voice interactions.

No corporate birthday party is complete without a trip down memory lane and balloons and birthday cake, both of which were also present at the event.

In September 1998, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin started their company in Susan Wojcicki's home garage in Menlo Park. The space remains largely unchanged and still has the same sky blue carpet Wojcicki had installed as a perk to persuade Brin and Page to rent the space.

Wojcicki, now a senior vice president at Google, kicked off the event.

"Even though a lot of thing are different at Google, the core is still the same," she said, citing the company's commitment to improving search, being a global company and thinking big.

The original Google was indexing pages on the Internet, returning links to 10 Web pages that had a high probability of containing information that matched a query. The system was imperfect, easily flummoxed by synonyms, misspelled words and sites that gamed the system.

Over the years, Google has launched various changes to the search engine to improve results.

It added spell check, grasped the concept of synonyms and rolled out auto-complete. In 2007, it moved on from just links and started including other types of relevant content such as images, news articles and maps as part of its "universal search." A subtle update happened in 2010. Google Instant shaved fractions of seconds off each Google search by predicting your search terms as you type them.

"Google gives me back an hour of my life every month," said Singhal of Google Instant. "That's not small, that's huge."

More recent changes have focused on how Google understands information. The Knowledge Graph debuted in 2012 and connects search terms with real objects, places and people.

Now the company is indexing information. Instead of the top 10 pages about Picasso, you will get information on the painter directly from Google at the top of your search results, including background, images of famous paintings and related artists.

People who use Google might not notice one of the bigger changes. The company has updated its under-the-hood search algorithms to something called "Hummingbird," which will affect 90% of searches worldwide. The changes will make a difference in how results are ranked.

"Finding relationships between concepts is a very, very hard problem. And you have to balance the meaning of what that query is looking for with what the document is saying," said Singhal.

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Windows Live Folders – Coming Soon

Microsoft is coming up with a new online service called Windows Live Folders, which is in the early beta testing stages now. According to the features listed on the site, for each folder you create, you choose who has access to it. Add new folders, rename them, or change who has access at any time.
The features:

• 500 MB of free online storage, available from any computer with Internet access.
• Create personal, shared, and public folders — you decide who has access to each folder.
• Folders work well on any Windows or Macintosh computer with Firefox 1.5 or higher, or Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

It is currently under limited beta abd is expected to open up for more beta accounts soon.
I tried to signup, this is what I got in response:

Sorry, this beta service isn’t accepting new participants right now. However, you can use other people’s folders if they give you permission. To find out when space becomes available for you to join this beta, sign up for the mailing list or visit the team blog.

Watch this space or the Windows Live Folders team blog for more information on this.
If you are lucky enough to try it already, please let us know your feedback in comments here.

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Facebook launches Internet.org Initiative To Connect The Unconnected World

Facebook announced that it has partnered with Samsung,Nokia, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera and Qualcomm to launch a project called Internet.org, to make the worldwide web available to two-thirds of the planet still not connected to the Internet with internet access via cheaper devices, better business models and better infrastructure.According to Facebook, only 2.7 billion people — just over a third of the world’s population — around the world currently have access to the Internet. And, the goal of Internet.org is to connect the remaining five billion people and provide the same opportunities enjoyed by those in the connected third of the world.

“There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy,” Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, said in a statement. “Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford it.”
Improving the global economy is certainly a laudable goal, although Facebook stands to benefit from this, too.
The Internet.org website is currently live and provides an overview of its mission and goals, and in coming weeks, it is expected to feature interviews with technology leaders and experts, along with the latest news on the project’s progress.
Few months earlier Cisco released the infographic below: “What Will The World Look Like When We Connect The Unconnected, Internet Of Everything“.

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BURN A CD WITHOUT SOFTWARE.

In win. 98, Me, 2000, often a software is used to burn a CD, but Windows XP comes with a builtin CD copy feature. If you are using a system which has not any burning software don’t worry. With the help of windows XP feature, you can write some data or any music files to a CD/DVD or erase it also.

 Main Requirement.

Before you erase or write a CD you need to enable the CD-R features n windows XP. For this purpose:

• Double click on “My Computer”
• Right click on CD Drive and select “Properties”.
• Select the last option “Recording”
• Select by clicking “Enable CD recording on this drive”
• Also select Fastest for quick writing speed.
• And at last click “Ok”
• You’re done. Now the windows XP is ready to write or erase any CD/DVD.

Method to Format the Disk.  

You are using the CD for writing purpose, make sure that disk is blank. You might need to format it before use. For this purpose

• Insert a Rewritable CD/DVD into the drive.
• Double click on “My Computer”
• Open CD-Rom drive.
• Windows opens that shows the contents of the CD, on the left panel click on the menu. “Erase this CD-RW”.
• On the windows “CD writing wizard” click “Next”
• The wizard starts to erase or format the CD.
• After complete process, the wizard will disappear.
• You should confirm that windows don’t show any files on the CD,
• It is complete now. You’re done.

Method to Burn a CD on XP without any software.  

• At first insert a formatted CD (CD-R) disc into the CD drive.
• Double click on “My Computer”
• Select the files & folders and press “Ctrl + c” to copy.
• Double click on CD Rom drive and press “Ctrl + v” to paste.
• You will see as temporary files/folders at this time.
• Select “Write these files to CD” on the left panel.
•  The window “CD Writing Wizard” appears.
• Window shows default name of CD but you can change the CD name if you wish, then click “Next”
• The “CD Writing Wizard” starts to write files to the CD.

After the successful completion of the CD Writing process, the wizard will disappear and the CD Rom ejects CD automatically.

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DEDICATED TO MY FRIENDS...

Naatkall Nammai
Kadandhu Sendraalum…
Ninaivugall Nammai
Vittu Pirindhu Selvadhillai…!!!
Enrum Ungall Natpin Ninaivugaludan…
Ungall Nannban.

Vittu Koduppadhu
Mattum Natpalla
Exam-mil
Bittu Koduppadhudhan
Unmaiyana NATPU!!!

Neeril kulithaalum,
Neruppil Erindaalum,
Thangam niram maaraadhu.
Adhupol nee arugil irundaalum,
Tholaivil irundaalum,
Endrume en natpu maaraadhu.

Singaththai Yaaralum
Konja Mudiyaadhu…
Nam Natpai Yaaralum
Minja Mudiyaadhu!

Nam natpai oviyamai varaya ninaithaen…
Aaanaal mudiyavillai.
Yen Theriyuma?
Rojavai Varaindhu Vidalaam.
Adhan vaasathai eppadi varaiya mudiyum?

Karai illam kadal illai,
Raagam illamal paadal illai,
Uyir illamal udal illai,
Kadhal illamal manithan illai,
Un natpu illamal naan illai...

Thookkam enn kangalai thazhuvugiradhu, Aanaal
Thonginaal nee en kanavil varuvaaye!
Unnai kanavil kooda kaanavendam endrudhaan,
Kangalai moodamale kazhigiradhu en iravu!
Aanal Irulil kooda enn mun thondri,
azhavaikkiradhu unn Kangalum adhil theriyum throgamum!

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How to boost internet speed by 20% without any software

Increase internet speed by 20% without any software –

Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc. By unreserving this bandwidth, you can make your internet connection faster. By 20%. The steps to do so are –

1. Click Start then Run and type "gpedit.msc" without quotes.

2. Then go to Local Computer Policy>Computer Configuration>Administrative Templetes>Network>QoS Packet Scheduler. Click on QoS Packet Scheduler. In the right side , find Limit Reservable Bandwidth and double click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth.

3. It will say it is not configured but the truth is under the ‘Explain’ tab. Select ‘Enable’ and set reservable bandwidth to zero.

4. Click on ‘Apply’ and your internet speed will boost up by 20%.

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Create a unique Facebook profile picture

At the top of your Facebook profile, you'll see the five most recent pictures containing a picture of you. You can use this section of your profile to make a more unique and original profile picture by extending the main profile picture into these recent pictures. As can be seen in the picture to the right, this profile takes a larger image and spreads it from the profile picture into the recent pictures across the top.

This can be accomplished using the free Pic Scatter online tool. With this tool, you can upload any picture and adjust the picture to be shown in the profile section, the top five images, and even the wall.

Notice When using this technique any time you or a friend tags you in a photo it will be posted in the top section of your profile ruining this effect. To keep this effect, hide any new photo by clicking the x that appears when hovering the mouse in the top right-corner of the picture.

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Top 10 computer mouse tips everyone should know

Most computer users don't take full advantage of the computer Mouse. Below are computer mouse tips and secrets that help you get the full potential of your computer mouse and increase your overall productivity while on the computer.

Shift key and mouse click

Many text editors and programs allow you to highlight all or portions of text using the Shift key and the mouse. For example, place the cursor at the beginning of a paragraph in a text editor, hold down the Shift key and click at the end of the paragraph to highlight the full paragraph.

Bonus tip: Holding down the Alt key while dragging and highlighting text in a text editor will allow you to selectively highlight text. This can be useful if your paragraph or other text is in a column.

Take full advantage of the scroll wheel

Today, everyone is familiar with a mouse wheels ability to scroll up and down on a page. However, this wheel can also do so much more, below are just a few examples.

• The mouse wheel is not just a wheel, it can also be used as a button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. This can be used to open a web page in a tab by clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.
• Holding down the shift key while scrolling up or down in a Internet browser will quickly go back and forward between web pages.
• Zoom in and Out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the Ctrl key and scrolling up to zoom in and down to zoom out.
• Move forward and backwards while browsing the Internet by holding down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back and scrolling up goes forward.
• Some mouse wheels can be pushed left or right to also move back and forward on a web page.

Select with double and triple click

Any word can be selected by double-clicking the word. If you want to highlight the whole paragraph, click the mouse button three times on any text in the paragraph.

Tip: If you double-click you can also double-click and then drag your mouse to select one word at a time.

Use the right-click

Take full advantage of the right-click any time you highlight text or wish to view the properties of an object. For example, if you highlight a file or text, you can right-click that highlighted item copy it and then right-click anywhere else to paste it.

Tip: If you right-click on any file or text and drag it while continuing to hold the right button, when you let go you will be given the option to move or copy that file or text. This saves you the extra step of having to right-click where you want to paste the item.

Tip: While in a browser pressing and holding Ctrl while clicking on any link will open that link in a new tab.

Ctrl key and mouse click or highlight

While holding down the Ctrl key you can left-click to select multiple objects or highlight multiple sections of text. For example, in Microsoft Windows you could hold down the Ctrl key and click to select multiple files at once. If you wanted to highlight different parts of a paragraph or web page, you could also hold down the Ctrl key and select each section you wanted to copy.

Tip: Mozilla Firefox users can also hold down the Ctrl key and individually click on each cell in a table they wish to copy or drag their mouse down a row to select just that row or text without selecting any of the other text in that table.

Use the mouse side buttons

Many new computer mice have buttons on the side of the mouse. These buttons can be programmed to do anything, however, by default the left-thumb button can be used to go back on a web page. This makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable since you do not need to move the mouse cursor to the browser back arrow button in order to go back a page.

Use the Windows Snap To feature

Take full advantage of the Windows mouse Snap To feature, which will automatically move your mouse to buttons that appear in a dialog box. For example, if you delete a file or close a window you may get a prompt asking you if you are sure you want to perform the task. With the Snap To feature enabled, the mouse cursor automatically moves to the Ok button, so all you will have to do is click the mouse button if you agree. This saves you the time of having to move the mouse cursor over to the Ok button and then click Ok. To enable this feature open the Mouse properties under the Windows Control Panel and check the Snap To check box under the Pointer Options tab.

Tip: While changing this feature we also suggest looking at other available options in the Mouse settings. For example, increasing the Motion speed can also help increase your productivity while using the mouse.

Manage the open window with the mouse

Double-click the top title bar of any window to maximize a window or if it is already maximized resize it to a window. You can also double-click the icon for the window in the top-left corner of the window to close that window.

Move the mouse with your keyboard

Instead of using the mouse that came with your computer you can also enable Windows to use the number pad as a mouse.

Customize your mouse

Finally, if you have a mouse with more than two buttons, installing the included mouse software will allow you to customize the mouse even more. For example, if you don't use the side buttons to move back and forth in a web page change it to something you do more often, such as switching between open windows or opening the calculator.

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Top 10 unknown Google tricks

Below is a list of our top ten Google tricks many people who use Google don't know about.

Definitions

Pull up the definition of the word by typing define followed by the word you want the definition for. For example, typing: define bravura would display the definition of that word.

Local search

Visit Google Local enter the area you want to search and the keyword of the place you want to find. For example, typing: restaurant at the above link would display local restaurants.

Phone number lookup

Enter a full phone number with area code to display the name and address associated with that phone number.

Find weather and movies

Type "weather" or "movies" followed by a zip code or city and state to display current weather conditions or movie theaters in your area. For example, typing weather 84101 gives you the current weather conditions for Salt Lake City, UT and the next four days. Typing movies 84101 would give you a link for show times for movies in that area.

Track airline flight and packages

Enter the airline and flight number to display the status of an airline flight and it's arrival time. For example, type: delta 123 to display this flight information if available.

Google can also give a direct link to package tracking information if you enter a UPS, FedEx or USPS tracking number.

Translate

Translate text, a full web page, or search by using the Google Language Tools.

Pages linked to you

See what other web pages are linking to your website or blog by typing link: followed by your URL. For example, typing link: http://letwelearnit.blogspot.in displays all pages linking to Computer Hope.

Find PDF results only

Add fileType: to your search to display results that only match a certain file type. For example, if you wanted to display PDF results only type: "dell xps" fileType:pdf -- this is a great way to find online manuals.

Calculator

Use the Google Search engine as a calculator by typing a math problem in the search. For example, typing:100 + 200 would display results as 300.

Stocks

Quickly get to a stock quote price, chart, and related links by typing the stock symbol in Google. For example, typing: msft will display the stock information for Microsoft.

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Hack WIFI PASSWORD

Step 1 : Install CommView for WiFi . It doesnt matter whether you install it in VoIP mode or Standard mode . I used VoIP . It automatically installs the necessary drivers . Allow it to install .Note :- You will not be able to connect to any Network using WiFi when using CommView .

Step 2 : Click on the PLAY ICON in the Left First
Step 3 : (Choosing the Network (a) ) : A new window should pop up now. Click on the START SCANNING button
Step 4 : (Choosing the Network (b) ) : Click on the WiFi network you want to hack in the Right Coulumn and Click on CAPTURE.
Step 5 : (Capturing the Packets) : The windows should close now and you should see that CommView has started Capturing Packets .
Step 6 : (Saving the Packets ) : Now that the Packets are getting captured you need to Save them. Click on Settings->Options->Memory Usage Change Maximum Packets in buffer to 20000.
Click on the LOGGING Tab .

Check AUTO-SAVING
In the Maximum Directory Size : 5000
Average Log File Size : 50

Now CommView will automatically Start Saving packets in the .ncp format at a size of 20MB each in the specified directory .

Step 7 : ( Concatenating the Logs ) : Since you are capturing a lot of logs you will need to concatenate them into once file . To do this go to Logging and click on CONCATENATE LOGS Choose all the files that have been saved in your specified folder and Concatenate them .Now you will have one .ncf file .

Step 8 : (Converting .ncf to .cap ) : Now that you have one file with all the packets you need to Convert it into .cap file for AIRCRACK to crack .

Click on File->Log Viewer->Load Commview Logs-> Choose the .ncf file. Now File->Export->Wireshark/TCP dump format .

Aircrack Part :Now for the Second Part Cracking this is very simple . Just open the Aircrack Folder->Bin->Aircrack-ng GUI.exe Choose the .cap file and you should be able to do the others .

Try it and Share your Comments

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Get 1000+ Free Back Links For your Sites all DOFOLLOW

Normal sites charge more than $20 but in this website  http://freebacklinktool.com you will get free 1000+ DOFOLLO backlinks.now increases your website traffic with this website. Enjoy

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use free Hello tune trick for AIRTEL

This Is Not A trick But Can be Used As a Trick or Free Hellotune
1.Keep Your Balance 2 rupees or 3 rupees(it will deducted for HelloTune)
2.First U call 578785 for activate the hello tune. Then it will deduct your balance and hello tune will be activated instantly for days.
3.After 6 days it can be deactivated so u should change ur Tune everyday by doing.
4.Sms required Song or song Name by message.
5.Sms Tune name/film name to 543215(u can change ur hellotune for unlimitted times a day).
6.The Hellotune will be stay everyday with you.
7.It should be noted that if u Recharge Your sim it will be deducted. so deactivate hellotune By Dialing *121# before Every recharge.
8.If u want A series Of Random(up to 15 songs) songs then just Go the Link below through OPERA.
https://www.airtel.in/airtellive/home

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How to make Desktop Icons Transparent

we are going to show you how to make your desktop Icon transparent. So follow the below Steps…

1)First of all go to Control Panel

2)In Control Panel open System

3)Now in that System Properties go to “Advance“ Tab.

4)In Performance area click on Settings

5)Now in Performance Option window Check “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop” from the list below custom; then Click on Apply and then OK.

DONE!!!

Thank You...

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Exclusive Floating Social Bookmarks with Clean Design

Hi, Bloggers! How are you? Now, I will share to you about Exclusive Floating Social Bookmarks with Clean Design. Maybe you have tried Add Styled Share Widget. That's widget also floating right? But in this trick, the social bookmarks are better with clean design. The demo? You can try it in this page. Looks nice right? Now, if you want to add into your blog, just follow the steps below.

1. Log in to your blogger account
2. Go to Design --> Page Elements --> Add Gadget
3. Choose "HTML/Java Script"
4. Add the code below

<script charset="UTF-8" src="http://s.web.informer.com/favorites-button.js?glass," type="text/javascript">
</script>

5. Then, click SAVE TEMPLATE

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Simple Starter Guide to android mobile

Introduction

The Android operating system has been developing fast since the release of Version 2.x (ranging from Eclair, Froyo to Gingerbread) for smartphones and Version 3 (Honeycomb) for tablets. It achieves another great milestone with the latest Version 4 (Ice Scream Sandwich or ICS), a universal system suitable for running on both smartphone and tablet device

 How to Switch between Open Apps

When running an app, you can minimize it by simply tapping the Home icon. Getting back to it is not just one click on the taskbar like the way you do in Windows. But the Android way is pretty straightforward too.

1. Tap the Recent Apps icon to reveal the apps that you recently opened. (Note 2)
2. Slide down to see more recent apps.
3. Tap a screenshot from the list to instantly switch to the app.

Note 1: You can clear the recent apps from the list by swiping them sideways one by one.
Note 2: On Android 2.x, touch and hold the Home button to reveal recent apps.

How to Close a Running App

The Android system doesn't need you to close a running app for every instance. But in some cases you may need to force stop an app that's misbehaving, or like playing a game, you may need to actually close the app in order to start a new level rather than continuing the last. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Run the Settings app and tap Apps under DEVICE.
2. Select the app you want to close.
3. Tap the 'Force stop' button and tap 'OK' to confirm.

How to Set and Clear a Default App

In Android, you can set a file to open with a certain program by default as you do in Windows. For example, if you have installed an image viewer such as QuickPic, the system will ask you to select an app when you try to open an image file (See the screenshot).

• To set a default app to open the file, check 'Use by default for this action' before you tap that app.

The next time you tap an image file, it will always open with the app you've selected without asking you again.

What if you need to clear the default app?

1. Run the Settings app and tap Apps under DEVICE.
2. Choose the app you do not want to launch by default.
3. Tap 'Clear defaults' under LAUNCH BY DEFAULT.

How to Uninstall an App

Installing apps from the Google Play store to your Android device is convenient, likewise removing them is pretty straightforward.

1. Tap the All Apps icon on the tray and select the Apps tab on the top.
2. Touch and hold the icon of the app you want to uninstall.
3. Drag and drop the app icon over the Uninstall icon then tap 'OK' to confirm. (The Uninstall icon appears only for the app that can be uninstalled from the system.)

Alternatively, you can run the Settings app, tap Apps under DEVICE then select the app you want to uninstall from the list.

How to Install a Third Party App

Most apps are available for download and install easily via the Play Store. If you have a third party app that is only available from sources other than the Play Store and you think it's useful and secure to install, the Android system allows you to do so after changing the settings.

1. Run the Settings app and tap Security under PERSONAL.
2. Tick "Unknown sources" under DEVICE ADMINISTRATION.
3. Tap "OK" to the system reminder that your device and personal data are more vulnerable to attack by apps from unknown sources.

You can then browse to the app file ending with an .apk suffix, known as the Android application package, tap and install it right away.

How to Add and Remove Icons from Home Screens

When you install an app, the system often adds an app icon on your home screen. This icon works as a shortcut to run the app. In case you need to manually add an app icon or a widget icon yourself, it's pretty easy.

1. Tap the All Apps icon on the tray.
2. Select the Apps or Widgets tab on the top.
3. Touch and hold the icon you want to create a shortcut.
4. Drag and drop the icon on a home screen you like.

To remove an icon from your home screen:

1. Touch and hold the icon of apps, widgets or shortcuts until the Remove icon appears on the top.
2. Drag and drop the icon over the Remove icon.

Note: On Android 2.x, you can add a shortcut icon by touching and holding an empty location of a home screen or press Menu then tap 'Add'; On Android 3.0, touch the customize button at the top right of a home screen to add a shortcut icon.

How to Re-arrange Icons

When you install new apps to your Android, the system stacks up the icons automatically without asking you to select a home screen. But you can subsequently re-arrange the icons on the home screens and on the tray.

1. Touch and hold any icon on your screen for a second.
2. Drag the icon to a different spot on the screen, or even to or from the tray, except for the permanent "All Apps" icon.
3. You can also drag an icon to the left or right edge of the screen until it starts sliding, then drop the icon to another screen.

How to Create, Rename and Remove Folders

Other than the apps on the tray, sometimes it's difficult to quickly look for an app to open if you have many icons spreading across a few home screens. Why not create a folder to group similar apps together? It's much easier than you might think.

1. Touch and hold any icon for a second.
2. Drag the icon over the top of another. The system then automatically groups two app icons in a folder.
3. Touch the folder, then tap "Unnamed Folder", key in a name for the folder and tap "Done".

You can rename a folder at any time—tap a folder then tap its name to rename.

While the system auto creates a folder for you, it does the same to removing a folder automatically—tap a folder to expand it, then clear all grouped items inside the folder—just touch and hold, then drag them out from the folder one by one.

Note: Older Android system doesn't support this feature, but you can rely on a third-party app such as GO Launcher EX to achieve almost the same effect.

How to Type Faster with Multiple Spaces

Instead of typing a period at the end of each sentence and follow by a space, you can tap the space bar twice to get the same result.

How to Type Special Characters

If you often need to switch between the on-screen Alphabet and Number keyboards just to type a comma in a sentence, then why not check out below to find out more?

While on the Alphabet keyboard:

• , (comma) => touch and hold the Full-stop key (.)
• ' (single quotation mark) => touch and hold the Full-stop key, and slide to choose the single quotation mark (')
• " (double quotation mark) => touch and hold the Full-stop key, and slide to choose the double quotation mark (")
• Turn caps lock on/off => double-tap the Shift key to lock, single-tap to unlock.
• Special letters not on the keyboard? => touch and hold a key, then slide to choose a variation (See the screenshot).
• Need just a digit or symbol from the Number keyboard? => touch the ?123 key and slide to a digit or symbol key, and you're back to the Alphabet keyboard automatically.

While on the Number keyboard:

• Symbols not on the keyboard? => touch and hold a key, then slide to choose a variation, or tap the #\< key to find out more.
• Often type an equation? => touch and hold the #\< key, tap a sign and you're back to the Number keyboard when you release the #\< key.
• Need just a letter from the Alphabet keyboard? => touch the ABC key and slide to a letter key, and you're back to the Number keyboard automatically.

How to Cut, Copy and Paste

This looks simple but can be tricky sometimes when you use different apps. In general, these steps can be used in Email or some other apps:

1. Double-tap or touch-and-hold to select a word.
2. Drag the handles to adjust the area if needed, then tap Cut or Copy.
3. Tap an insert point, and drag the handle to adjust it if needed.
4. Select Paste (Hint: tab the handle when the 'Paste' button doesn't appear).

Note: When working in a web browser such as Android's Browser, use touch-and-hold to select a word since "double-tap" has been used to enlarge or reduce a webpage.

How to Turn Off Auto-Correction

When you're typing through, the system checks your spelling and suggests a few words. Unless you've selected one of them, the highlighted suggested word overwrites your word when you finish typing it followed by a space, punctuation mark or return character. If you feel that's annoying, you can turn off Auto-Correction.

1. Open the app Settings and select 'Language & input' under PERSONAL.
2. Tap the Quick Settings icon next to 'Android keyboard'.
3. Select 'Auto correction' under TEXT CORRECTION.
4. Select 'Off' to turn off 'Auto-Correction'.

Note: As an alternative, whenever a word is replaced not to your liking, you can tap the Delete key immediately after which and the system returns the word you've typed.

How to Lock Screen Orientation

The Android screen switches to either the portrait or landscape view in response to the way you hold the device when you run certain apps. What if I want to lock the screen orientation to one view so that the screen doesn't rotate to another? Easy.

1. Run the Settings app.
2. Tap Display under DEVICE.
3. Uncheck "Auto-rotate screen".

Your screen will then lock to the portrait mode. To unlock it, check the above option.

How to Print Screen

Where’s the PrintScreen button when you need to take a screen shot of your Android device? Instead of using one button, try a combination of two:

1. Press and hold down the Power and Volume-down buttons simultaneously.
2. Open the Gallery app, and you can see your screenshot already saved in the Screenshots album.

Note: Older Android system doesn't support this feature, but it has a more complicated way to take screenshots using Android SDK such as this without rooting the device.

How to Select Wallpapers for your Android

You can easily select a wallpaper from a collection of a few in your system and set it as wallpaper for your Home screens.

1. Touch and hold an empty location of a home screen.
2. Choose either Gallery, Live Wallpapers or Wallpapers from the pop-up menu.
3. Select an image and set it as wallpaper.

Alternatively, you can run the Settings app, then go to DEVICE > Display > Wallpaper, and continue with the step 2 above.

How to Access Notifications

At the top of your screen, you will see notifications which report calendar events, alarms, incoming mails or other ongoing events. Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the list of notifications, then swipe up from the O-sign to hide it.

• Depending on the notification type, you can swipe a notification sideway to dismiss it, or tap the X-sign to dismiss all from the list.
• To access a notification, tap it and you're taken to the related email, reminder, message or app. The notification then clears automatically from the list where applicable.

Note: When you slide down from the top of the screen, you can also see this Quick Settings icon. Touching this icon is equivalent to running the Settings app.

How to Edit Bookmarks and Folders in Android's Browser

Just like most browsers, the default Browser in Android allows you to add bookmarks and folders easily for getting to the websites fast when browsing.

Add a bookmark/folder

1. On the page you like to bookmark, tap the Menu button and select 'Save to bookmarks'.
2. Change the Label if needed.
3. Click 'OK' to save to Bookmarks, or select 'Add to' then 'Other folder', browse to a folder or add a new folder and tap 'OK'.

Remove a bookmark/folder

1. Tap the Tabs button , then the Bookmarks button .
2. Touch and hold a bookmark or a folder, then select 'Delete bookmark' or 'Delete folder' from the pop-up menu.
3. Press 'OK' to confirm.

How to Add a Web Clip Icon to Home Screen

If you frequently visit a web page, you can tap a web clip or bookmark icon on your home screen and quickly access the page without the need to touch the Browser icon. This web clip icon can be added to your home screen easily:

1. On the page you often visit, tap the Menu button in Android's Browser.
2. Select 'Save to bookmarks'.
3. Edit the Label if necessary, then select 'Add to' and tap "Home Screen'.

Next time you visit the same web page, just tap the web clip icon on your home screen. Some websites including Gizmo's Freeware have a web clip icon which has been customized for you (see the screenshot).

How to Send Instant Messages

Besides third-party apps, Messenger developed by Google gives you a real-time instant messaging service via Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G for Android users. To use this service and send an instant message from your Android device is pretty straightforward.

1. Tap the Messenger app icon.
2. Tap the plus sign and add a person or a group of people from your circles.
3. Add text or photos and tap the Send button.

Note: Messenger appears as a standalone app that comes with your Android system, or as a component of the Google+ app that can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

How to Setup Mail Accounts and Sync Options

The Android system allows for adding multiple mail accounts including GMail, Exchange, Yahoo, Hotmail and others. To set up a mail account is straightforward especially for this example, GMail.

1. Open the app Email.
2. Enter Email address and Password, then tap 'Next' for verifying.
3. Leave 'Sync email form this account' checked, select other options you like, and tap 'Next'.
4. Enter your name to be displayed on outgoing messages, and tap 'Next' to finish.

After this setting, you can then open the app Email to send emails and read incoming mails, which are automatically synced with your GMail account over the air.

How to Add a Mail Signature

Each time you send out an email using the Email app, you can have a mail signature, such as 'Sent from my mobile device', automatically added at the end of your message.

1. Open the app Email, tap the Menu button, then Settings.
2. Tap the email account that you've set up.
3. Tap 'Signature', enter a signature in a few words you like then tap 'OK' to confirm.

How to Sync Emails, Contacts and Calendars

The Android system allows you to operate and sync your emails, contacts, calendars and other items using multiple accounts. You can set your accounts to sync these items on your device with the servers automatically or manually.

1. Run the Settings app, select 'Accounts & sync' under PERSONAL.
2. At the top, tap to switch the 'Accounts & sync' to 'ON' for automatic syncing, or 'OFF' for manual syncing.

When the 'Accounts & sync' is switched off, you can touch an account and sync contacts or other items manually—either touch an item to sync or tap the Menu button then 'Sync now' to sync all items. The last synced date and time are shown below each item.

How to Browse and Edit Files on your Mobile

You might have a lot of your files you want to browse through, copy, rename or delete them on your mobile device like the way you do in Windows. Unfortunately you can't do much as Android 4.0 has not had a built-in file manager, but you can easily install a third party app from the Google Play Store.

1. Run the Play Store app.
2. Tap the Search button and enter the name of a file manager, such asES File Explorer, one of the popular.
3. Tap the app from the list and download it.
4. Open the app and enjoy working with your files and folders on your mobile device.

How to Copy Files between your Mobile and PC

What if you need to copy files and folders between your mobile device and PC? You can do so by connecting your mobile device to your PC using a USB cable provided. Better still, you can connect them wirelessly via a local WiFi network to do the same or even more without needing a cable.

1. Run the Play Store app.
2. Tap the Search button and enter the name of a remote desktop app, such as AirDroid (reviewed here).
3. Tap the app from the list and download it.
4. Open the app and start using it to connect your mobile to PC for copying files wirelessly and doing even more between the two platforms.

How to Share Mobile Data Connection

When you're using an Android device with mobile data connection enabled, wouldn't it be convenient for another computer device such as a Windows-based notebook to share this connection for access to the Internet? Yes, you can do a wireless connection via a portable hotspot, or a wired connection using a USB cable:

Turn your Android mobile into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot:

1. On your mobile, go to Settings > More > Tethering & portable hotspot.
2. Tap "Portable Wi-Fi hotspot" to enable it.
3. Tap "Configure Wi-Fi hotspot" to enter an ID and password to prevent unauthorized connections.
4. On a computer with Wi-Fi connectivity, click the network icon on the system tray to identify and connect to the wireless network you set.

Enable USB tethering on your Android mobile:

1. Connect a computer to your Android device with a USB cable.
2. On your mobile, go to Settings > More > Tethering & portable hotspot.
3. Tap "USB tethering" to enable it.
4. On the computer, click the network icon on the system tray to identify and connect to the wired network. The Windows system may take more than a minute to discover the network for Internet access.

Note: Enabling Bluetooth tethering on your Android mobile to allow for Internect access from a computer is also possible after the two devices are paired.

How to Backup and Restore your Data

Using the Android system, you can automatically back up your data, such as a list of apps you've installed, the words you've added to dictionary, your Wi-Fi passwords, Browser bookmarks and other settings via your Google account on the servers.

1. Run the app Settings, tap 'Backup & reset' under PERSONAL.
2. Check both 'Back up my data' and 'Automatic restore' if they're unchecked.

When you need to reset your device or re-install an app which makes use of the backup service, you can then restore your data and settings from your Google account.

How to Lock your Android Device

Don't like your kids to mess with your mobile or someone to read your emails on your device? Lock it with a password, pin, pattern or even use Face Unlock.

1. Open the app Settings and select 'Security' under PERSONAL.
2. Select 'Screen lock' under SCREEN SECURITY.
3. Tap a type of security either Pattern, Pin, Password or Face Unlock to lock your device.

Each time when your device is turned on, you'll have to use the same security type to access your device.

How to Reboot the System

In the event your Android apps freeze or the system becomes unresponsive, you can try to reboot the system as follows:

1. Press and hold the Power button of your device until a pop-up menu appears. Select 'Power off' and tap 'OK' to confirm. The system will then turn off.
2. Turn the system on by pressing and holding the Power button until the Google logo appears.

How to Get Android User Guide

In addition to these tips and tricks covering some quick and easy points, if you wish to read a full user guide on Android 4.0 for Galaxy Nexus and earlier versions of the Android system, you can check out the official Android OS Help here.

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