7 Questions To Ask A Computer Technician Before He Starts Work

If your computer is out of warranty and it breaks down on you, is your first inclination to ditch it and just buy a new computer? Or, are you the kind of person that considers repairing it? Unfortunately, lots of people don’t want to deal with the hassle or cost of trying to repair their failing machine, so they toss it in the dumpster. Little do they realize that finding the right computer technician could lead to a simple, inexpensive fix and a computer that’s like new again. Here at MakeUseOf, we’ve always believed in green computing. Aside from better...

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How to Play YouTube Videos in the Background on iOS

Do you prefer listening to music while working? Learn a trick to help you play YouTube videos in the background on your iPad or iPhone.

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This story, How to Play YouTube Videos in the Background on iOS, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 08/10/2013 under IPad, IPhone, YouTube, Software

Need A New Wallpaper? These 5 Awesome Sites Will Get You There

Your choice of desktop wallpaper says a lot about who you are. On the one hand, it’s not good to make judgments and assumptions about people from such a small data set, but on the other hand, wallpapers that display expensive cars, fantasy art, scantily clad women, landscapes, or even solid blocks of color can speak volumes. Your wallpaper is an expression of who you are, so where can you find wallpapers that fit you? Within the past decade or so, there’s been a surge in wallpaper sites that allow users to upload and share their wallpaper creations for download....

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How To View Folder Size In Windows 8.1 Explorer

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Windows 8.1, just like its predecessors, doesn’t show size of folders in Windows Explorer (File Explorer) by default. That is, when you open up a folder containing several files and folders, Windows Explorer shows only the size of files and not folders in Details view. In order to view the size of a folder in […]

3 Ways To Pin Folders To Taskbar In Windows 8.1

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While one can easily pin a folder to the Start screen in Windows 8.1 by right-clicking on a folder and then selecting Pin to Start option, Windows 8.1 doesn’t let you pin folders to the taskbar with default settings. Only programs and application shortcuts can be pinned to the taskbar in all recent versions of […]

8 Ways To Improve Windows 8 With Win+X Menu Editor

On Windows 8, you can press Windows Key + X or right-click at the bottom-left corner of your screen to open a menu known as the “power user menu” or “quick access menu.” This menu contains quick access to system utilities like the Control Panel, Command Prompt, Task Manager, File Explorer, Device Manager, and more. Win+X Menu Editor allows you to edit the shortcuts that appear here, adding new shortcuts, removing existing ones, and even rearranging the list. While Microsoft did remove the traditional desktop Start menu, they also added this very unappreciated feature. It’s useful without any customizations, but...

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Create a Public Folder Where Anyone Can Add Files

You can create a public folder where anyone can view and upload files without you having to invite them as a contributor to the shared folder.

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This story, Create a Public Folder Where Anyone Can Add Files, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 07/10/2013 under Dropbox, Internet

BazQux Reader – A Worthy Minimalist Replacement To Google Reader

If you are a power RSS reader, I’m sure you mourned the passing of Google Reader a few months back. But once we were past the initial gnashing and wailing of teeth, we began to search for replacements. A lot of my colleagues swear by Feedly or Digg, but I never really melded with either of them. Instead, I was looking for something really simple, minimalist, and perhaps similar in appearance and functionality to Google Reader. And something that just worked. I’m afraid I’m rather picky about what web apps and software I will continue using. When I met BazQux,...

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5 Ways To Make Your Windows Computer Speak To You

Lean back and listen: let your PC do the reading. Whether you generally dislike reading yourself or simply want to multitask from time to time, letting your computer read documents to you out loud can make life better. Windows comes, built in, with the ability to read text – it’s how anyone blind makes use of the operating system. The computerized voices won’t win awards for their dramatic performances, but they’re perfectly fine if you want a break from reading yourself. Sadly, how to use this functionality isn’t altogether obvious. Don’t worry, though, because a simple trick can turn Microsoft...

Read the full article: 5 Ways To Make Your Windows Computer Speak To You

5 Ways To Make Your Windows Computer Speak To You

Lean back and listen: let your PC do the reading. Whether you generally dislike reading yourself or simply want to multitask from time to time, letting your computer read documents to you out loud can make life better. Windows comes, built in, with the ability to read text – it’s how anyone blind makes use of the operating system. The computerized voices won’t win awards for their dramatic performances, but they’re perfectly fine if you want a break from reading yourself. Sadly, how to use this functionality isn’t altogether obvious. Don’t worry, though, because a simple trick can turn Microsoft...

Read the full article: 5 Ways To Make Your Windows Computer Speak To You

Get Things Done Faster with these Microsoft Word Tips

You have been using Microsoft Word to write documents for years but here are some lesser-known tips, tricks and shortcuts that will help you do things faster and more easily.

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This story, Get Things Done Faster with these Microsoft Word Tips, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 07/10/2013 under Microsoft Word, Software

How To Set Different Colors For Start Screen And Lock Screen In Windows 8.1

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As with the case of Windows 8, its successor Windows 8.1 also lets you customize the background color of the logon screen, the screen that appears right after the lock screen and displays your user account name, picture, and shut down options. While one can always change the default color of the logon screen by […]

Classic Shell 4.0 Released For Windows 8.1

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Classic Shell is not just a program designed to add Start menu to Windows 8/8.1, rather it’s a program developed to restore many of the classic features that have been missing in the newest version of Windows. The good news is that Classic Shell has been updated with new features and improvements, just in time […]

Enable the Updated New Tab Page in Chrome for Android

If you like Chrome's updated new tab page for the desktop and you have an Android device, you can enable a similar new tab page in Chrome Beta for Android.

You first need to install Chrome Beta for Android if you don't have it already, then open a new tab and type this in the address bar:



chrome://flags/#enable-new-ntp



Then press Enter, pick "Enabled" from the drop-down below "Enable the new NTP" and tap "Relaunch Now" at the bottom of the window to restart the browser.

The updated new tab page no longer shows 3 sections. You only get a big Google logo, a search box that points you to the browser's omnibox, a list of the most visited pages and 2 buttons for bookmarks and tabs from other devices. Both buttons open new pages: the bookmarks page has a slightly different interface, while the "other devices" page looks the same.

Chrome's blog informs that some Chrome Beta users might see the new interface automatically. "We've tested this New Tab page with a search bar on desktop and now want to bring the benefits, including a faster load time, to mobile as well. While you can search straight from the Omnibox in Chrome, we realized many users continue to visit their search engine's homepage before searching, so we wanted to make it faster for those users to search. We're always thinking about how to save milliseconds from every search you perform, and we hope this new feature will save you time on-the-go."



If the new interface has been enabled automatically, you can use the same instructions to disable it. Just pick "disabled" instead of "enabled".



The updated new tab page has some advantages: it loads quickly, it's consistent and it looks nice. Unfortunately, bookmarks and the list of tabs from other devices load in separate pages and you can no longer see them automatically when you open a new tab. I created a folder with mobile apps I frequently use and this folder used to be displayed when opening a new tab. This feature is no longer available in the new interface. Unlike the desktop Chrome, the mobile Chrome doesn't support extensions and you can't customize the new tab page.



This "baby" new tab page could be useful to help users discover the omnibox and use it to search the web, but what happens when they realize that the big search box is redundant? And what about the people who already used the omnibox?

Google Promotes Its Search Engine in... Chrome

This is really weird. Google started to show a blue bar at the top of the search results pages: "Get to Google faster. Make Google your default search engine". The funny thing is that I got this message in Chrome.



Chrome used to show a dialog that asked you to pick your favorite search engine when you installed the browser. Now it no longer does this and Google is the default search engine. Anyway, it's likely that Google is the default search engine for most Chrome users.

I clicked "Show me how" and Google sent me to this page with instructions that explained how to change the search provider to Google and how to change the homepage to Google.

Google has similar pages for Firefox, Safari, Opera and Internet Explorer. In most countries, the default search engine for Firefox, Safari and Opera is Google, so it's strange to see this campaign.

Directions Card in Google Search

You don't have to go to Google Maps for driving directions. A simple Google search can provide an answer much faster. Just search for [directions from START_ADDRESS to END_ADDRESS] or [from START_ADDRESS to END_ADDRESS] and you'll get a small map and the distance between the two locations. Expand the card and you'll find the driving directions. This also works in the mobile search interface for both smartphones and tablets.



Here's an example for [from Radefeld to Leipzig]. As you can see, Google knows that the German town Radefeld merged with Schkeuditz.

Click the big arrow icon to see the driving directions right on the Google search results page:

You can open Google Maps by clicking the map thumbnail. This way, you can find alternate routes, walking directions, transit directions and more.



"These directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route," informs Google.



This feature is also useful to find the distance between two places, as well as the driving time in current traffic.

Do You Still Check Your Email While On Vacation? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Last week we asked you which major gaming platform you use the most. To be honest, I did not expect these results. Over 60% of you voted for the same platform. That’s not something we see a lot. Which was the one to get the popular vote? Out of 380 votes in total, 1% use a retro gaming system as their main platform, another 1% use a Nintendo Wii, 3% use a handheld console, 4% use their mobile phone, another 4% use their tablet, 8% use a Microsoft Xbox, 11% use a Sony Playstation, and a full 67% use their...

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Classic Google Maps URL

If you've switched to the new Google Maps desktop interface, you can quickly go back to the classic interface by clicking the gear icon and picking "Classic Maps" or by clicking "Help & Feedback" at the top of the page and picking "Return to classic Google Maps". You'll see a message that asks you if you want to permanently go back to the old interface or temporarily switch.



Another option is to bookmark this URL: Classic Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps?output=classic). It will always send you to the standard Maps interface and you won't have to open the new interface first.

Why would you switch to the old interface? Maybe you need to use the more advanced directions that let you add more than 2 destinations, maybe you like the terrain/photos/webcam layers or Maps Labs features like the distance measurement tools or the LatLng tooltip, maybe you miss the Pegman icon you could drag and drop to switch to Street View or you want to customize the printing format for directions.

New Google Image Search for Mobile

Google's image search engine has a new interface for smartphones and tablets. The new UI looks just like the desktop UI, but you can use swipes to navigate between the image results.



Here are some screenshots from my 2012 Nexus 7. When you tap an image result, a black box with a bigger version of the image will open. You can also find some additional information about the image.

Swipe left to see the next image result, swipe right to go to the previous result. Gestures work just like the left/right keyboard shortcuts in the desktop interface.

A similar interface is available for smartphones. Here's a screenshot from an iPhone running iOS7:

Google will probably say that it changed the interface to make it more consistent and provide an unified interface for both desktop and mobile devices. There are some other advantages: you can scroll down to see more results, you can scroll up and quickly change the query or switch to web search.

Bing Gets Prettier: Adds Pinterest Boards To Image Search

Bing has beefed up its image search by bringing Pinterest boards to its image search results. Go to Bing Image Search and type in your keyword. You will see the result in the form of Pinterest board collections appear on the right hand side of the regular Bing Image Search results. Clicking on any collection takes you to the next screen that displays all images on the pin board. Click on the image to enlarge and view it in a lightbox. As earlier, you can directly pin any image from Bing Image Search. Visual search has become richer and search...

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