Android: A Beginner Guide

Android: A Beginner Guide

Android is an operating system, based on Linux kernel, and designed for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google backed financially and later bought in 2005. Middle of  2012, Android became the most popular mobile OS, having the largest installed base, and is a market leader in most countries.

Android is easy to use than Windows desktops! And lots more in Android to learn; but this article hopefully get started without overwhelming you, much!! 

So, if you're using an Android phone or planning to buy, then you should have to know some important advantages and this article helps you to understand and adapt a life with an Android. 

Android is Google's operating system and at least one Google account is linked with this OS. So, when you turned on your Android device, the first time, you'll be asked to enter your Google account details or create a Google account, if you don't have one. This is technical option from Google account, which will be used to back-up your phone's settings, keep tracks the installed Apps with their links such as G mail, Calendar, Contacts, Google+ and etc., However, if you're not enter Google account credentials, while setting up, then you can add the account later from Android's settings page.

Android phones has more features in common like computers and they can be used for web browsing, e mail, playing games, streaming videos, editing photos, writing office documents and much more. 

By default the Apps for phone and messaging were appeared at bottom of the phone's dock area; so, you may use these Apps to place a call and send / receive text messages. 

When turn on your Android device, you'll see the lock screen, where you can configure a code, pattern or password; so, no one can use your phone. After unlock the phone, you'll see the home screen, where you can keep icons for your favorite Apps and add widgets. If you're using G mail, frequently, then you can add G mail widget on your home screen, which enables to view your inbox without opening any Apps. And if you use other Apps, frequently, then you can also place their icons on home screen. 

To open the App drawer, tap the small squared buttons at the bottom of the home screen. The App drawer has the list of all Apps, which has been installed on your Android phone, and they can be viewed by swipe over the screen. To place an App on your home screen, long-press the App and drag it wherever you like to place.  

Depending on the model of Android phone, you can control the phone by tapping the buttons at the bottom of the screen. There's a home button, which instantly takes back to the home screen and a back button will take you back anywhere. You may also have a multi-task button to switch between open windows or menu button to open an Apps menu. If the phone doesn't has the multi-task button, then you've to double-tap or long-press the home button to bring-up the App to switch. This option will vary from phone to phone. 

Configuring an Android phone is easy and the configuration settings can be accessed from Settings App. Open the App drawer and tap Settings icon. After tapping on Settings icon, you can see plenty of options, through which you can configure the phone. You can also see the Settings icon at the right side of notification drawer by pull-down the drawer. Notifications can be accessed by pulling-down notification drawer with your finger and tap a notification to interact with or swipe a notification to the left / right to get rid of it. 

Installing Apps is also easy by opening Play Store App, either tapping on Play Store shortcut or tapping the shopping bag icon at the top-right corner of your App drawer. You can easily search the required Apps and install them on your phone. Search option is also performed by tap the widget of Google search box, which located at the top of your home screen. You can also use voice commands to search and perform actions without typing. 

The screenshots, using on this post, are probably look different to the devices, which you held.

Hidden Tricks: Windows Management

Hidden Tricks: Windows Management 

Windows has some great features, but a bit hidden; so, you may not have noticed them. The features (or tricks) are to automatically arranging Windows as placing them side by side or tiling them on your screen.

Some of these features are more useful than others. Snap feature is crucial for multitasking with multiple desktop applications at a time and the Tile features are not used frequently; but, they're very useful to arrange several windows to visible on your screen at one time, if you've a broader screen. 

This article is dealing for Windows 7, but all these tricks also work on Windows 8, except the one that require Task Manager. However, many of these tricks will also took effect with earlier versions of Windows.
 
Windows Aero Snap is a set of interface elements and introduced in Windows Vista then revised in Windows 7 and Windows 8 for visual appearances. Windows Aero Snap is extremely useful and make a window to occupy half the screen and to arrange two windows side by side without manually resizing and moving them around.

To activate Windows Aero Snap feature, just hold Windows Key and press left or right arrow keys. The current window will be resized and placed at left or right side of the screen. Another way, for the same, is just click window's title bar and hold down the mouse button then drag the window's title bar to the left or right edge of the screen. You'll see a preview of window then move it to left or right of the screen by holding the mouse button.

Maximize, Minimize and Restore the windows: You can maximize a window by drag and drop on it's title bar. Just click the title bar then drag and drop it to the top edge of the screen. You'll see a preview of the window and release mouse button then the window will take up the entire screen. When you grab the title bar with mouse and drag it away from the top of the screen, the window will be restored to its previous size. 

This option could also be worked using keyboard. Just press Windows Key + Up Arrow to maximize a window or press Windows Key + Down Arrow to restore a maximized window. Press Windows Key + Down Arrow again, to minimize a window. 

Using Task Bar: When right click on Task Bar, you'll see four management options, which allowing you to arrange your windows in interesting modes.

  

- Cascade windows will arrange your open windows in Cascade mode, which allows to see all the title bars at once. (This option is not practical one).

- Show windows stacked allows you to arrange your windows stacked vertically on top of each other. (This is not ideal for wide screens, but could be useful in some situations).

- Show windows side by side will allow you to have windows automatically arrange your open windows side-by-side with each other. It’s like Aero Snap, but allows you to have three or more windows automatically arranged as side by side. Very useful for multitask purposes, when working on larger and broader monitors.  

- Show the desktop will take you to the main desktop window. 

You'll also be noticed an Undo option, when opened any of the first three options; and Undo option will just take you to the previous window. 

The same, integrated windows management, options are also accessed from Task Manager. Right click the task bar and choose Start Task Manager. The window of Windows Task Manager opens along with Applications tab. Now, click over on Windows and a drop down menu will be opened with few options like Tile Horizontally, Tile Vertically and etc., When you select anyone of these options then it will be arranged to open according to the number of applications, which were running at the time. 

It could also be performed using Key Board as, Ctrl+Shift+Escape, to open Windows Task Manager. 

These (Windows Task Manager) options seem to arrange windows in a different way than the task bar options. Tiling both ways as horizontally and vertically, which allows to appear many windows on your screen at a time.

Microsoft: Changed It's Sky Drive To One Drive

Microsoft: Changed It's Sky Drive To One Drive

 

Microsoft has changed it's Sky Drive name to One Drive from 19 Feb 2014, which has been announced on their official blog: Microsoft One Drive.
  They added new features in this process with an extra storage for free! 

If you already have an account, then everything will be switched, automatically, and all you've to do is head over to www.OneDrive.com and log in. 

If you're hearing the service, the first time, then One Drive gives you a best place for all of your needs, such as photos, videos, and documents, and it’s available across the platforms and devices you use every day like Windows, Windows Phone, Office, Xbox, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Android tablet, Windows device, and Mac.
 

Below link provides a video overview of what OneDrive has to offer.

OneDrive: The One Place for Everything in your Life [YouTube]

What's HTTPS And Why Should It be Cared?

What's HTTPS And Why Should It be Cared? 

When connect to a website with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), your browser usually looks up the IP address related to the website then connects to it's web server. Over this connection, the data will be transferred in clear text by the means of back and forth and an eavesdropper, such as Internet Service Provider, Hacker, or Intelligence Agencies may also watch the web pages while you're visiting. So, an eavesdropper is able to see any passwords, Credit Card details or other important data, if those were sent over HTTP. 

The problem here is HTTP doesn't support authentication to the correct website. For instance, you may thought that you've accessed your bank's website; but note that you might be on a compromised network, which redirect to an imposter website, then your passwords, Credit Card details would not be encrypted and secured. So, one can easily eavesdrop on them and steal your personal data. In short, HTTP has problems because they're never encrypted.

 

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) having a lock icon in the address bar, which is an encrypted website connection for secure communication over a computer network, especially with wide range of deployment on the Internet. 

Using HTTPS, and for instance, when attempting log into your bank's website, the web browser checks website's security certificate and verifies it was issued by a legitimate certified authority, which helps to ensure that you're actually connected your bank's real website. After logged in or you'd like to send some personal data such as Credit Card details or any payment info will be sent over an encrypted connection of HTTPS, which prevents the people from eavesdropping of your sensitive data. 

HTTPS is not perfect, too; but definitely more secure than HTTP, and sometimes certificate authorities issue bad certificates, so the web page breaks down.

HTTPS is also provide additional privacy to the user, while working on some search engines. Google's search engine, now, supports the privacy, which prevents the people to see what's you're searching on Google. And, before it was easy to anyone, on the same Wi-Fi network, would able to see your searches.

If a user, for instance, searches something on amazon that encrypted over HTTPS, then the other people wouldn't able to see what's the user is searching or which article he's viewing on amazon. Instead, they may only see that he's connected to amazon.

So, HTTPS websites can be identified through the address bar, where you can see a lock icon and, starts with https://. 

Keep in mind that HTTPS, an encrypted and secured connection, is most important whenever logging into something like banks or sending credit card details for an online purchase and other sensitive data. Ensure that you're over an HTTPS site, then enter your password or other personal info.
 
When using an unfamiliar network, HTTPS is also provide some identity verification to the websites, which helps to ensure that you're connected to the right website. And note that if the indicators of HTTPS, i.e., lock icon and https://, doesn't appeared on the login page then you may be connected to an imposter website over a compromised network.  

Clever phishers and scammers may realize the peoples, who look for HTTPS indicators on address bar, and disguise them by changing website's favicon to a lock icon that appears in the address bar as to make visual trick. 

However, HTTPS is not guarantee a site is legitimate and just confirms you're using an encrypted, secured connection, which gives some peace of mind that you're connected to a right site.

USB2.0 vs. USB3.0

USB2.0 vs. USB3.0

USB, an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, is a data storage device that includes flash memory. They are typically removable, rewritable and physically smaller than an optical disc with less than 30 grams in weight. They are often used for the same purposes as floppy disks or CDs were used, i.e., for storage, back-up and transfer of computer files.

Most of the USB flash drives have USB2.0 connectivity with a hi-speed specification of 480 Megabit per second (Mbit/s) i.e., 60 Megabytes per second (MB/s). And USB3.0 offers an improved data transfer rates up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s), which theoretically more than ten times faster than USB2.0. All USB3.0 devices are backward compatible with USB2.0 ports. Computers with USB3.0 ports are becoming common, very popular and newer laptops / desktops have at least one USB3.0 port and generally they're colored blue inside.

In above picture, the port at left is USB2.0 and right side port, colored blue, is USB3.0. USB3.0 port expansion cards are available to upgrade older systems, and many newer motherboards has two or more USB3.0 jacks. 

We should have to know 'how USB3.0 flash drives actually perform in real world!' Are they, really, faster than USB2.0 drives? Bear in mind that these performances are depend on the specific drive. 

Go  tom's 2013 hardware charts for USB3.0 and check out their test of charts, which revealed  speed of scores (in MB/s) for 2013. 

For USB3.0 drives they tested from 11.4 MB/s to 286.2 MB/s.
For USB2.0, showing at the bottom of the chart, between 7.9 MB/s to 9.5 MB/s. 
So, there was a huge speed variation between the both. The worst USB3.0 drive is faster than USB2.0, with only by a tiny bit. The best USB3.0 drive is 28 times faster. The prices also seem cheapest to the slowest drives, while the faster ones are expensive. 

The fastest drives seem to achieve its speed by using 4 channels flash memory instead of single one. So, USB3.0 allows faster transfer speed, but not every drive will take the same advantage with other factors such as flash memory speed, inside the drive, is critical.  

Never believe the speed rates quoted by the manufacturers, as they're often provide exaggerate numbers to mislead. Fake USB flash drives are sometimes sold, claiming to have higher capacities than they actually have. These are typically low capacity USB drives that are modified as to emulate larger capacity (e.g., a 2 GB drive being marketed as an 8 GB drive). When plugged into a computer, they report themselves as being the larger capacity as they were sold, but when data is written on them, either the write fails; the drive freezes up, or it overwrites existing data. 

Many types of USB devices wouldn't perform a fast process even it's USB3.0. It's clever not to pay extra amount to the devices, in which you may plug USB2.0 devices into USB3.0 ports, too.

Zipped Files

Zipped Files 

ZIP is an archive file format, which contains one or more files or folders and they have been compressed. The ZIP format is now supported by many software utilities and Microsoft has built-in ZIP support, viz.,"compressed folders", in their versions of Microsoft Windows, since 1998. Apple has also built-in ZIP support in Mac OS X. Most of the free OS has also supporting ZIP in the same manners of Windows and Mac.  


ZIP files generally use the file extensions ".zip" or ".ZIP" and the MIME media type. So, ZIP files can be used in lot of different things such as File Compression, Encryption, Split Archives and more. Zip files work in a way of compressing the files and reduce the storage. 

A folder, which contains 20 files or more, and the folder couldn't able to e-mail; instead, you should have to e-mail 20 files, individually, one after one! In these situation, zip format works really great and they zipping-up those 20 files into a single zip archive then allowing you to e-mail them. 

Zip archive is a convenience to reducing the storage by means of compressing then able to transmit them across the net so easier, too. So, zip archives allow to make your files 'compress and combine'; and it's the definition for zip file format. 

Zip and Unzip: Windows has in-built ability to zip and unzip the files; so, no need of downloads to use any software programs. To create zip file folder, right click anywhere on your desktop of blank area. Go to New then select Compressed (zipped) Folder. This process looks similar as creating a new folder; and it can be renamed, moved around various locations on your computer. 
 

When a zip folder is created, just choose the files, which has to be zipped, and drag them into the zip folder. You may, also, quickly zip-up some selected files by highlighting them, then right-click and choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) Folder. 

The primary files, which were drag/send to the zip folder, are not deleted, modified or moved; instead they're only copied and the primary files are, still, in its original location.

 

Now, the copied zip contents could be transferred, e-mailed, backup or do whatever you wish. 

To un-zip a folder, just right click on the folder, then choose Extract All.          

Now, a window will open and you may choose where the files to be extracted. Click on Extract, a folder will be created and the folder has all the zipped files in it. By default, the contents will be extracted in the same directory, where the zip folder resides. 

Third Party Application: However, Windows provides good supportive for zip and unzip the files, a third party application will also performing a best possible manner. There were lot of third party programs available and they offer additional functions for zipping the files. 

7-zip is an open source software for Windows, which provides a bunch of options that you ever need for zipping files. It works on Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2008 / 2003 / 2000 / NT / ME / 98, including Linux/Unix and even on commercial computers. 
          

It's installation is simple and just accept the license agreement then click next until 7-Zip has to be installed. Once installed, just highlight the files, right click over them and add them to a zip archive with 7-Zip.

 

When click "Add to archive", few options will be revealed as follow:

Encryption:  It's is an useful option, when it protected by a password, then no one able to open the zip folder.

Encryption method: It has two types viz., AES-256 and ZipCrypto. If choosing ZipCrypto, which is weaker in encrypting but has some compatibility issues; and AES-256 is stronger, which works in newer versions of system. 

Encrypt file names: Giving names to files/folders is a better idea to know the contents inside and encrypting file names is a choice in which someone couldn't able to archive them. So, tick 'Encrypt file names' button to access this option.  


In archive format, select file extension 7z instead of zip to encrypt file names.  
    

7-zip application should also be required on other systems to open 7z files, when forwarding to others. If the other end of receiver doesn't has 7-zip application on his system, then create 'self extracting archive', a zip file format with .exc extension, which provides best archives at both ends. 

To create 'self extracting archive' just tick 'Create SFX archive', to enable the process, which automatically, extracts the file to execute.
   

Split to volumes: If an archived file, around 1GB, has to be kept on a CD, which can hold a data of 700MB, then 2 CD's (700MB + 700MB) are need to keep 1GB file. The file of 1GB has to be split-up then to fit on those 2 CD's. 7-Zip application can do the process by split-up the file and fit them on 2 CD's. Just select the common values as shown below or enter the custom size, which would've to split. 

 

Compression level: 7-Zip will provide a good compression level, especially, to the big group of files and slower CPU. Keep the compression level to Normal, which eliminates good compression.
 

What's SMART! And Why You Need To Check?

What's SMART! And Why You Need To Check?

Our system's hardware is not perfect at all and they may failed any time without any S.M.A.R.T. warnings.

 

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology; written also as SMART) is a monitoring system for computer hard disk drives to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, in the hope of expecting failures. When a failure is realized by S.M.A.R.T., the user may choose to replace the drive to avoid unexpected outage and data loss. The manufacturer may also use S.M.A.R.T. to discover where faults lie and how prevent them to designing drives in future. So, SMART gives you some advance warnings, if the hard drive is starting to fail.

 

Windows doesn't equipped an easy-to-use built-in tool, which shows the hard disk's SMART data. So, we should need a third-party tool to view these info; however, it's possible to check SMART status, through your system's Command Prompt.

 

To make a quick SMART check, few commands have to be typed at Command Prompt window.

Press Windows Key, type Command Prompt and press Enter. 

 

When command prompt windows opens type wmic, press enter; again type diskdrive get status press enter.

Now the command prompt window reflects SMART status as OK, which means everything is working properly; if the status is showing other than OK, then assume there were some problems or errors in retrieving SMART info. 

Using a third-party tool will also display SMART status of hard drive in Windows.

Crystal Disk Info is a third-party, open source, easy-to-use program, which reveals not only the SMART status of hard drive, but included temperature, and hardware specifications. If there will be a problem or error, you may identified what exactly is wrong with the hard drive. Make sure to un-check the browser's widget, while installing it. If everything works properly, you may see the status as Good.

However, when using either of the above or other reputable programs, if you found an error that doesn't mean the hard drive is going to fail immediately. But you should assume that the drive is in failing process, where a complete failure may occur in few hours, few days, or few months. How long it takes for complete failure, and you shouldn't trust the hard drive with your precious data. Your data on hard drive should be back-up every time on another media, such as an external hard drive or burned discs.

If a hard drive fails in SMART test, then it shouldn't be reliable, even the hard drive doesn't die completely and may corrupt the portions of the data.