Galaxy S5 Pro Tip: How to enable developer options and speed up system animations!

galaxy s5 developer optionsQuick pro tip for you fine folks rocking the Galaxy S5. Even though it’s one of the most powerful phones on the market, doesn’t mean we can’t tweak it!

Here’s a handy trick to tighten up the animations so transitions will feel a little faster. All we have to do first is turn on the developer options in settings…

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Microsoft Publishes Help Pages for Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1

cortana-home-callout_InvariantCulture_DefaultAnother sign that we might be getting close to the public release of Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has published a Help site for those curious about Cortana’s capabilities.

Divided into different sections, it’s a detailed overview of Cortana’s various features and what voice commands you can give her.

If you haven’t already updated your Windows Phone using the developer preview, you’ll be in for a treat soon. We have a full overview of WP8.1 below!

Meet Cortana – Microsoft Help Page

How I Plan to Continue Using Google Voice on Windows Phone After Support for MetroTalk Ends

google voice on windows phone

We posted a reminder yesterday that Google will soon be pulling support for 3rd party Google Voice clients. No big deal for people who use Android and iOS, as the Voice will likely get rolled up into the Hangouts app.

However Windows Phone users are getting caught in the cold war crossfire between Microsoft and Google, and it’s unlikely we’ll see a “Live Tiled” version of Hangouts any time soon. In the meantime, here’s how I’ll continue to use Google Voice on my Windows Phone…

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OverThought.org Publishes Comprehensive Guide to Improving iOS Battery LIfe

apple iphone 5s gold speakers headphone jack audio quality review somegadgetguyBattery life is voodoo.

No seriously, everyone “knows” what’s good for your battery. Charging it at night, during the day, disabling radios, fully depleting, never letting the battery get too low, turning on/off WiFi/BT/LTE/NFC. The tips and tricks are vast and often contradictory in what will result in better battery life for your mission critical communication gadget.

OverThought.org has written up a fairly comprehensive list of best practices for those of you wanting to hyper-mile your iPhone or iPad. Best of all it’s not just a trite list of useless suggestions like “use your phone less”, instead targeting specific usage scenarios and apps which can be notorious battery hogs.

From Multi-Tasking and App Quitting to turning off battery percentage, the article does a great job of examining commonly held notions about battery life, and delivers a number of great tips on how to get the most out of your mobile.

Even if you rock an Android or a Windows Phone, there are a couple good behaviors on this list which can help you out too. I’d highly recommend giving it a read.

The Ultimate Guide to Solving iOS Battery Drain

Tips and Tricks: Windows Phone 8 Keyboard

WP8keyboard copyThe keyboard on the Windows Phone 8 is pretty awesome and really easy to use especially if you know some of the tips and tricks that can make your keyboard much faster. Whether you are a seasoned pro or a newbie these tips and tricks are quite helpful. Let’s dig in!

 

1.       Word Flow

What is Word flow you might be asking yourself? Word Flow helps predict text as you are typing. If you have a word that you frequently use but it is not in your Windows Phone 8 Word Flow then here is a simple tip in order to add it. Type your word then click to select it. A plus sign will appear so go ahead and tap it to add it to Word Flow.

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Your Podcast Audio SUCKS! Here are some pro tips to make it a little better…

I work in voice over and spoken word recording, and it’s kinda killing me how many people are still pumping out bad audio for their podcasts.

With all of the radical improvements in our technology, it really does drive home the point that nicer equipment doesn’t guarantee better results. If you’re wanting to produce more professional sounding audio, you’re still going to have to learn the basics of how recording works.

So, in true internet geek fashion, allow me to insult you for a bit while we take a look at some tips to improve your home recording.

Video Tip: The Nokia Lumia 2520 Tablet and USB Host Support

nokia lumia 2520 tablet usb otg host adapterNokia made an odd design choice putting a Micro USB 3.0 connector on the Lumia 2520, but we’re still able to use USB peripherals and even our old USB 2.0 OTG adapters! Connect flash drives, or even USB microphones.

Let’s take a look!

Shop for the Lumia 2520 on Amazon.