Techie Saves

LG Optimus 4X HD Overview

Marty — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:13:49 +0000

Everyone wants a powerful smartphone nowadays and it appears that the new Optimus 4X HD from LG offers just that. This one is a new quad core smartphone ready to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and the best high-end smartphone coming from LG this year.

A high-end smartphone needs strong features these days, however, that almost never guarantees success on the market. The design needs to be attractive as well in order to catch the eye and look good no matter what.

LG Optimus 4X HD Design

In terms of design, the LG Optimus 4X HD comes with a premium look, featuring sharp corners and blunt edges and metal rims around the edges – a look which LG calls “prism-edged” design. There are no physical buttons on the Optimus 4X HD, but only three touch-sensitive buttons, conveniently placed right below the touchscreen display.

The design needs to be good enough to take on phones like the Galaxy 3 and HTC One X and we’ll just have to see what the people think about it. The first thing people might frown upon is the the Optimus 4X HD plastic feel that might soon prove to be a disadvantage for this new premium LG phone. Most of the high-end phones released this year come with an aluminum casing which usually lends a very elegant feel to such a device.

The advantage of using plastic translates into a lightweight and very thin device, measuring only 8.9mm in thickness and 5.3 inches in height. There’s a textured cover on the back for a good grip.

The LG Optimus 4X HD design is average and might not impress the more pretentious users. This new smartphone will become available in black and white colors.

LG Optimus 4X HD Specs

Although the design could’ve been better, the specs make the Optimus 4X HD compete with any smartphone on the market right now. There’s a huge 4.7” screen featuring 720p display and a 1280×720 pixels resolution.

The LG optimus 4X HD is powered by a 1.5Ghz Tegra 3 processor, which currently makes it the best quad-core smartphone on the market. If you buy this smartphone you’ll be able to enjoy one of the most powerful handsets ever released, mostly due to the Tegra 3 processor. Further more, the Optimus 4X HD comes with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage space, expandable with the aid of the microSD card slot on-board. You’ll also get a 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, that’s able to capture high quality photos even in a poorly lit environment and is also able to capture 1080p video at 30fps.

Connectivity-wise, the Optimus 4X HD comes with WiFi b/g/n, 2G/3G support and A2DP Bluetooth. This LG high-end smartphone will roll out with Android Ice Cream Sandwich which is bound to make your experience a lot better.

The LG Optimus 4X HD is the company’s flagship device for 2012. This handset features a Tegra 3 processor that makes it one of the most powerful devices on the market right now. Even though it could be better, especially in terms of design, the Optimus 4X HD is bound to enjoy some success this year and offer some real competition to Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and HTC One X.

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How to Delete History in Google Chrome

Marty — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:26:58 +0000

Google Chrome has become a preferred Internet browser for many people already, although it’s still pretty new in comparison to other browsers.

Chrome comes with an easy-to-use interface which allows users to manage their Google accounts as well as browse the Internet using a lightweight browser. The fact that Chrome doesn’t use large amounts of CPU memory is another huge plus, although installing too many add-ons can easily change that. If you currently experience low browsing speeds you should also check out how to make Google Chrome faster.

You can easily personalize your Google Chrome installation by using extensions and there are now thousands of them that you can install and use.

When you browse the Internet, Chrome saves your web browsing habits in a file called History. This file helps the Chrome browser suggest the pages you’ve already visited when you’re typing an address in the search field.

However, if you’re not the only one using a computer or you’re using a computer from work to browse the Internet, you may not want someone else to know what pages you’re visiting. A solution to this problem is to delete your browser history and that can easily be done in Google Chrome. You can also choose to delete any saved passwords and prevent strangers from accessing your accounts.

How to delete History in Google Chrome

Google Chrome offers a few ways to delete the browsing History from a computer.

Delete History

Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard
Your web browsing History will appear on the screen
Choose to delete your history

Delete All Activity

Press the Wrench icon on the top-right side
Choose the Options menu and then Privacy

Press “Clear Browsing Data” to display a pop-up window which will allow you to delete your history, saved passwords or empty the cache

It’s best to perform a clean-up after using a strange computer and delete passwords you might have saved and any web history.

How to Edit Photos on Google Plus

Marty — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:16:06 +0000

Google Plus is Google’s social networking site which is currently enjoying a lot of attention from users, mostly due to a flexible platform. Google Plus comes with an easy-to-use interface, allowing you to connect with your friends in order to share thoughts, interesting links or your own photos.

What you have to do is add friends, family and acquaintances using the “Circles” feature, and start sharing your content. Google Plus is also offering a way for you to edit your photos before sharing them with your friends.

In order to do this, you’ll need to follow the steps below.

Edit a photo on Google Plus

Log in to your Google Plus account https://plus.google.com
Open up the photos tab in the left-side menu
Browse through your albums or upload a new photo
After uploading, double-click on the photo to open it up on the screen
Choose Creative Kit on the top-left corner

Opening up the Creative Kit menu will allow you to access a full-fledged online image editor. The options include adjustments to brightness, contrast and exposure, resizing cropping or sharpening your photos.

The Creative Kit is a useful feature and you can use it to enhance your photos directly from your Google Plus account.

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The Sudden Popularity of Printed Shell Beads

Marty — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:35:48 +0000

Printed shell beads are becoming quite the rage these days, thanks in part to their colorful styles and lightweight properties, which make them ideal for jewelry and craft projects. Pairing them with other printed shell beads and spacer beads gives the look of a customized piece rather than using regular, factory-made beads that have a uniform look. Shell beads have long been used in jewelry items, as well as signs of social status, since the Stone Age; the more beads you wore, the higher class you held.

The type of shell beads worn was also telling; the higher quality bead also meant that you were of a higher, wealthier, class. Shell beads aren’t just for jewelry; however, they can also be used for craft, home décor, and sewing and needlework projects. For example, use printed shell beads for making dramatic drop earrings by stringing on two or three colorful beads onto French hooks; you could also pair with spacer beads and a larger pendant for a different look. For a stunning statement necklace, string a bunch of bright shell beads onto 20-guage jeweler’s wire and pair with either spacers or a large pendant for a stylish necklace.

Shell beads also pair well with charm pendants for a stunning charm bracelet; simply string on the desired quantity of shell beads onto a 20guage length of the memory or jeweler’s wire (secure ends with a loop or with a lobster claw clasp for easy fastening), then string on the shell beads, spacers and charms. For a simple, yet elegant scarf or lapel pin, string 4-5 of these shell beads onto a jumbo safety-pin, and pair with spacers or one pendant for a stunning look.

You may shop the beadsbarn.com for your favorite beads including shell beads.

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9 Best Tips to Speed Up Your Windows 7 Computer

Marty — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:08:36 +0000

It’s very easy to get frustrated when things don’t go your way and smashing your computer or parts of it is something that usually happens in these cases.

Sometimes your computer stops working properly exactly when you have a lot of work to do and that increases your frustration and it’s very easy to take it out on your PC. The truth however is that it’s entirely your fault if your computer often freezes and stops working, and the reason most of the time is that it’s clustered with files and lacks maintenance.

There are many things out there that can cause your computer to slow down and it’s your job to perform a few maintenance tasks in order to make sure that doesn’t happen to you anymore. You’ll discover in this article everything you need to do to prevent your computer from slowing down exactly when you need it the most. You can also follow these tips to speed up your Internet Connection.

So what are the reasons for a slow computer?

Most of the time you might place the blame on your computer’s hardware when a significant slow-down occurs, however that is rarely the cause for it. Before you go ahead and look for a hardware upgrade you should make sure you follow the steps below.

Delete Junk files

If you’re one of those people who keeps all the files on his desktop, your hard drive is probably overwhelmed. Keeping a huge number of files on the C: partition of your computer will cause a significant slow down and things can get very frustrating for you in no time. So start deleting files you don’t need anymore and move you My Documents folder on the D: partition of your computer.

Remove Unwanted Programs

Installing a lot of programs on your computer is another cause for computer slow down. Navigate to your Control Panel > Programs and Features (Windows 7) and start uninstalling programs you don’t need anymore. These are not only taking up space on your PC but will also connect to the Internet to install updates, thus causing your computer to perform unneeded tasks that can also slow it down.

Defragmenting your Hard Drive

We’re all downloading files and installing programs on our computers and these are usually saved on the closest available space on out hard drive. This will cause what’s called fragmentation which happens when your files are not saved correctly.

The Defragmentation task takes care of this issue and it should be run once a week in order to move those files where they belong.

Windows has a disk defragmenter that can take care of this issue for you and you can access it by going to Start > Menu > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.

Disk CleanUp

Running the Disk CleanUp program is also a good idea and this program will erase files from the browser cache and junk files that take space on your hard drive. It’s also considered good practice to run this task once a week, and you can do that by going to Start > Menu > Accessories > System Tools > Disk CleanUp.

Choose a Paid Anti-Virus Program

It’s best not to rely on free anti-virus software, especially when you keep important documents on your computer. You should always invest in a Internet Security pack that also includes a firewall, spam filter, web anti-virus and many other features that will guarantee the safety of your files.

A virus can also cause your computer to slow down a lot so you should always make sure that your anti-virus’ database is up-to-date and make a habit of performing a thorough scan once a week.

Avoid Multi-Tasking

If your computer is running slow already, you should definitely avoid running multiple programs at once.

Opening multiple tabs in your Internet browser can cause a significant slow down. When you’re also running a program like Photoshop in the background and have 10-15 tabs open at once, your computer will most likely freeze. Of course, that also depends on your hardware, but as a safety measure, you should keep 4-5 tabs open in your browser at all times and run three programs at a time, in order to prevent any data loss.

Use an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive can be very useful and you should definitely buy one for file backup. External hard drives are now cheaper and these can be extremely useful for saving your files and relieving your computer of the load.

As an added bonus, you’ll increase portability and you’ll be able to take your work with you everywhere you go.

Update Drivers and Programs

You should always upgrade to the latest version of a program as soon as one becomes available. This includes your OS, your anti-virus and the programs you use the most on your computer.

This also includes updating your drivers regularly and the best way to do that is to use a program called Driver Finder. Updating your software is crucial as older version can hide security vulnerabilities that can cause real problems for you in the future.

Upgrade Hardware

If your computer is still running slow you might want to consider upgrading your hardware. Right now the standard is 2GB of RAM, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to multi-task with this amount of memory. You should consider 4GB of memory for your computer and at least a dual-core processor.

If your computer is older you should definitely consider an upgrade and also apply the tips mentioned above.

You could try out a paid software like TuneUp Utilities to do all the work for you and this one is probably the best way to ensure a thorough computer maintenance.

Nokia Lumia 610 – Windows Phone Enters the Budget Range

Simon — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:29:02 +0000

With the launch of the Nokia Lumia 610 and the PureView 808 is the Finnish manufacturer back on track?

Disappointing sales of the Nokia Lumia 800 in the final quarter of last year led to some concern over the future of Nokia phones. Having entered into a partnership with Microsoft and making the Lumia range as Windows Phone devices the plan was to help revitalise both brands in the UK smartphone market. The device did well in the UK and in parts of Europe but failed to make an in-road elsewhere. Yet widening out the Lumia range could bring dividends to Nokia and offer a chance of resurgence.

The Lumia 610 is the latest device to be launched in the range and is seen as the cheapest and entry level device into the range. The Chief executive of Nokia told Mobile World Congress at the launch of the new device that twelve months ago the firm announced a new strategy; to switch to Windows Phone and setting a target of reaching one billion people getting online via their mobile phones. Before their partnership with Microsoft was announced Nokia was seen as having fallen far behind its competitor, with little chance of catching up. The ambition to start producing Windows Phone smartphones and phase out its own operating system, Symbian seemed to turn the tide. Having said that, the second device Nokia launched at MWC was the PureView 808 which runs Symbian.

The older brothers of the Lumia 610, the 710 and the 800 are now in 31 markets, Nokia claims, with over 50 operators. Even the 900, which launched first in the US and has always been a tough market for Nokia, is doing well there. The Lumia 900 will start shipping to the UK in the early summer and will be priced at around £400.

At the other end of the scale is the Lumia 610. It has a 3.7 inch screen with a 5 megapixel camera and 8 GB of internal storage. It also comes with the usual Nokia apps including Nokia Maps and Nokia Music. It is powered with 800 MHz. The resolution on the screen is 800 x 480 which is the same as the Lumia 710. It runs with 256 MB of RAM and Windows Phone 7.5. The dimensions of the device are 119.24mm x 62.18mm x 11.95mm and it weighs 131.5 grams.

The big Windows Phone rivals for the 610 are the ZTE Tania, the HTC radar and the LG Optimus 7. The 610 is likely to be the cheapest out of those, retailing for around £160. What Nokia are hoping is that it will offer the same design and tech appeal as the more powerful devices in the Lumia range, but without the hefty price tag. If the 610 really is coming in at under £200 it could prove to be an incredibly popular device for these cash-strapped times, with consumers knowing they can always splash out on the Lumia 900 if they want the flagship device.

Alongside the Asha range, the Lumia range showing some great ambition from Nokia in getting back into the smartphone market and taking a chunk of its competitors. The Lumia 610 won two awards as the best budget smartphone at Mobile World Congress showing just how important it is for manufacturers to offer great design and technology with a cheaper price tag to attract more buyers.

6 Best Free Blackberry Apps for Photo Lovers

Marty — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:49:53 +0000

You must know by now that you can use your smartphones in a whole slew of different ways and that includes taking photos. Of course, many people prefer an iPhone or an Android smartphone for this task, but there are a lot of business professionals out there who want to use their Blackberry to take pictures and edit them on the fly.

Blackberry owners all over the world use their smartphones for business purposes mostly, including sending e-mails and browsing the Internet. The image capturing task can be equally pleasant with a Blackberry as with an iPhone or an Android smartphone by installing some of the apps listed below which have been designed to help you capture, edit and organize your photos.

There are new apps released everyday. Many businesses now create their own apps, Motors have now released an app allowing users to view a huge selection of 2nd hand cars and buy them for cheap prices.

You can find below a selection of six best free Backberry apps that will help you make the most of the camera on your RIM handset:

PhotoStudio

PhotoStudio is one of the most famous apps for the Blackberry that can help you edit your pictures on the fly. The PhotoStudio app for Blackberry comes with its own library of photo effects and mix functions that will turn your RIM device into a mini-photo studio.

Users can enhance their photos using the PhotoStudio app for Blackberry and share them with their friends on social networking sites or attach them to an e-mail.

Photo Editor Ultimate

The Photo Editor Ultimate is another popular choice among Blackberry users that enables anyone to capture and edit photos just a few clicks. You can choose an effect from the gallery and apply it to your photo and share it with your friends and family.

MiniFrames

Do you want a more classic look for your photos? You can choose the MiniFrames Blackberry app to add some cool frames to your photos and make the look more visually appealing. You can resize your photo to make it fit with any frame and you can customize it further in order to lend a more personal feel to it.

MiniPaint

The MiniPaint app for Blackberry can help you out with just about anything, from resizing and rotating your photo to applying customized filters and writing to your photos. It’s one of the most complete photo editing apps for Blackberry devices and also includes a built-in option for sharing your image via Twitter.

PixTrix

The PixTrix app for Blackberry comes with a number of custom filters you can apply to your pictures as well as presets for enhancing contrast, colors and brightness. It’s a great option for image editing on your Blackberry smartphone and includes a built-in option for sharing your images on Facebook.

ScreenShot

The ScreenShot app for Blackberry is not a photo-editing app per say, but a handy way to take screenshot of your Blackberry screen, which might prove very handy in certain situations. If you need help, you can just capture a screenshot with this app and send it to someone to help you solve your problem. This one is a must-have for any beginner Blackberry user who’s still having trouble finding his away around their new handset.

These are some of the best apps you can find right now for image editing on your Blackberry handset that will enable you to add more personality to your images.

Security Awareness Training for Companies

Marty — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:53:13 +0000

Online security is a major concern for anyone of us, whether we use our computers at home or at the office. It’s important to know what threats are out there and learn how to protect yourself from identity theft, online scams or phishing attacks.

As the technology advances, security threats keep evolving as well, so you should always keep an eye out for any suspicious activity on your computer and signs of a security breach. You probably know by now that you should have a good anti-virus program on your computer and a firewall will also help out a lot and keep your data safe, but there are other things you can do to guarantee that your important documents won’t fall into the wrong hands.

This concern is even greater when dealing with corporate documents and companies regularly train their employees and tech them how to protect themselves online and protect confidential corporate files. Dealing with these threats can be a huge headache, so its better to learn how to prevent them from happening than dealing with them after they happen. If you’re an employer you should know about the security awareness training courses out there that can teach you employees to work safely online and protect themselves and your company.

Security awarness courses will train your employees and teach them how to protect themselves and your company online and there’s a special, advanced program for IT professionals, programmers and management personnel. There are 33 different courses available for an affordable price and in many different languages that will teach your team how to secure their online activity and lend you some peace of mind.

You can also choose the eLearning package that you can receive by e-mail and bring you up to speed if you don’t have the time to follow these courses in a classroom. Either way, you’ll get the best training available and you’ll learn everything you need to know to secure your online activity.

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How to Secure Your Office Network Computers from Viruses and Malwares

Marty — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:46:17 +0000

Using computers in the office is the conventional practice for modern day business style. But this practice can sometimes appear expensive and cumbersome to many CEOs. From regular maintenance to protecting the files on your computers from being infected with viruses and malwares, if you are not ready to hire an engineer, you will have much to worry about concerning your office network computers.

While doing this yourself might end up leading you to not doing anything in a whole working day, you might as well create many problems for yourself. And the most tedious aspect of it is securing the computers from viruses and malwares.

That’s why this article will be explaining some important ways to secure your office computers from viruses and malwares.

Install an Antivirus

Experts advise that you install an antivirus on your computer before installing any other programs on the computer. Nowadays, even software can turn out to be a virus. How do you protect your computer from such malicious software if you don’t have an antivirus on it?

That’s why you should always make it a point of duty to install an antivirus program on any new computer in your network before installing another program on it, even before installing the internet on it.

Using Norton Antivirus with coupon can still make the security optimal and reduce the chances of having a virus mask itself and find a way into your computer.

Enable Firewall

Firewalls are built in computer programs and are designed to secure your computer from outsider’s intrusion and eavesdropping. You risk exposing your office computers to viruses and spywares if you do not enable your computer’s firewall.

Programs like Verisign whose promo code will enable you to arrive at a cheaper offer will not only help you monitor whatever activities are carried out on your computer, but you’ll also be able to reduce cost of security maintenance by using it.

Train Your Employees on Virus Prevention

Training employees on virus prevention skills will go a long way to help you prevent your office computers from being infected. Employees with little or no idea about how security and virus prevention work will lead you to spending more money on unnecessary things.

By training your employees on how to keep computers in the office safe from virus infection, you will have the advantage of being able to rely on their instincts and being able to save more money.

When employees are trained on virus prevention methods, you can hold them accountable for systems infected with viruses and spywares. In this case, you can mate out suitable punishments for them whenever they default on the set standard.

Author Bio

Steven Papa is a regular blogger for Norton Antivirus Discount Coupon blog and Norton 360 Premier Coupon site. These Norton antivirus discount and Norton 360 coupons will help you save on internet security.

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Great phones on a budget

Marty — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:04:53 +0000

Cheap mobile phones and smart phones are not a connection you would first jump to, but believe it or not smart phones are not as expensive as you would first think – whether you are buying a smart phone on pay as you go, or as part of a contract. With major leaps in mobile phone technology, it is now possible to own a smart phone which works like a mobile computer for around £24 per month. Here are three of the best smart phones out there.

The Blackberry Curve is one of the best value smart phones on the market at the moment. It has all the features we have come to know and love in a smart phone, and it offers excellent value for money – especially since the software in it can be upgraded easily when newer versions come on to the market. If you are unsure about touch screens then the Blackberry is a great choice; in fact even companies who provide smart phones find their employees enjoy using the Blackberry as it has one of the most secure and robust operating systems of all smart phones.

Another of the cheap mobile phones in the world of smart phones is the iPhone 3GS. It is unsurprising to see an Apple product on this list as Apple was a trailblazer in terms of smart phones, making surfing the web, watching videos and playing amazing but annoying games all possible while on the go. In the current market it is possible to get the 3GS for half its original price which is an amazing saving.

The final of the cheap mobile phones for smart phones is for Android-lovers; HTC’s Drone is inexpensive and wonderful to use if you are on a budget. Like the iPhone it has a touchscreen, however it runs on android software which is more compatible with web applications. It is a must have for any Windows fan; it has the feel of the iPhone without the restrictions of the software.

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