Getting rid of an Android smartphone? Perhaps you got a new one and want to sell or give away the old one. Or you bought a handset only to find it’s not exactly what you want and you intend to return it to the store or carrier. No matter the reason, you should always erase [...]
So you may have heard that Google has started rolling out Android 2.3.4 to the Nexus S and the Nexus One. The update for the Nexus S brings an update to Google Talk that allows for video chat, pretty much the equivalent to FaceTime for Android. Only thing is, it’s only available for the Nexus [...]
The following is a re-post from an earlier article we published on customizing the Quick Access Toolbar so that the pen is easier to access in Office 2007: One of the frustrating things about Office 2007 is how the inking tools are hidden under the Review Ribbon button. The ink options are harder to find, [...]
Looking for a keyboard short-cut to quickly change screen rotation? Ctrl-Alt and any of the four arrow keys will set you free: Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Up will rotate your screen up Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Down will rotate your screen down Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Right will rotate your screen right Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Left will rotate your screen left I’ve verified this to work [...]
I’ve written before regarding my disappointment that Lenovo removed the Nav Dial from the X200. In fact, I was secretly hoping they would improve upon the Nav Dial by making it a scroll wheel and placing on the side of the screen. The scroll function is something I love to do when in portrait mode, [...]
OEMs are well known for charging through the roof on memory upgrades for new systems. Whenever possible, I always buy a system with as little memory as possible; then, I buy the memory I need from places like crucial.com or cdw.com . Going through third party sites, I can save hundreds of dollars on memory. [...]
I live in Outlook all day long – working with email and tasks throughout the day. Staying productive in such a highly used application is key, then. The Outlook blog has a good article on using keyboard shortcuts to switch between the various modules within Outlook that all Outlook users should read. In addition, Lifehacker [...]
In this GottaBeMobile Shortcut, we take a look at a cheap and practical way to make your own mobile charging station. A mobile charging station is a great place to store your mobile devices while they charge. You can create your own mobile charging station for your cell phone, mp3 player, netbook, or any mobile [...]
In 1995 my dad finally gave in to my demands and bought a Packard Bell 60mhz desktop computer. I knew nothing about computers, and as the story goes for first time users, I completely messed something up beyond repair. I didn’t know exactly what I did, but my computer wouldn’t turn on; Windows 95 was [...]
Screen real estate in mobile devices is very important, and a stuck pixel, a small dot on your screen that doesn’t change, can be very annoying. I’ve owned a few devices that suffered from a stuck pixel. My Eee PC arrived with a nice, never-changing red dot on the screen. My Canon SD400 camera arrived [...]
Recently I posted some tips to get more out of Vista on your Tablet PC. In that post I mentioned a few tweaks for the Tablet Input Panel (TIP) that I find useful: Insert text by pointing at insert. In the tools menu at the top of the TIP select Options. On the Settings tab [...]
One of the first things I do when setting up a new computer is to set one of my virtual printers (OneNote Send-To, XPS Document Writer, Bluebeam PDF, etc) as the default printer. By setting one of those as my default printer, any time I press the print button, they are all stored electronically rather [...]
I was in Seattle recently for the MVP Summit and I had a little time to look around the city. While I was there one of the sites I visited was the first ever Starbucks, which is located near Pike Place Market. I took this photo of Starbucks Ground Zero. Between the Ray Ozzie and [...]
It seems absurd that someone should have to do anything at all to a new computer in order to get the “promised” performance, but it is true. Fortunately, many of us who read GBM and other tech blogs are savvy enough to figure it out. However, most folks are not. What do you do after [...]
The replacement screen for my Dell Latitude XT arrived today. I was quite hopeful that it would address the gridding issue I’ve been talking about. I am pleased to report that the new screen is quite the success. I do not see near the amount of grid that I previously saw. It is now only [...]
Ever wanted a simple To Do system? Well, look no further than OneNote. Fortunately, OneNote provides some built-in templates and options to effectively manage To Do items. Use an Existing Template Create a new section called To Do’s Set the default template in that section to one of the pre-existing OneNote To Do templates [...]
How many external USB drives do you have installed? I had to use both hands to count the ones attached to my server. But what’s that got to do with mobility you ask? Well, nothing. However, most of us have at least one USB drive attached to your system for backups, storage of media files, etc. This how-to will show you [...]
This weeks how-to is one that falls into the area of interface customization. I have always preferred my time displayed in what most call “military” time. It is more correctly referred to as astronomical time. Call it military, Army, Navy time or 24 hour time, whatever, it is what I prefer. I always show that [...]
Reading the headline of this post you might ask, “Now what has accessibility got to do with mobile or tablet and touch technology?” Read on and hopefully you will get it. I admit that this is going to be largely an editorial, but hopefully we will learn something along the way and that makes it a [...]
This how-to hits close to home. Do you own a UMPC such an my OQO Model-02 that does not have a disk activity LED? If you are like me, occasionally I find myself asking why couldn’t manufacturers find a location for and install a 20 cent LED? We all have times when for a variety of reasons [...]
One of the things I had to deal with while using my new OQO Model-02 while on the road is viewing my email through Outlook. Remember the OQO has incredible viewing resolutions and zoom options. However, his was only part on my solutions. In this How-To, I will show you some of the things I have dome to [...]
For many, handwriting recognition is a thing of joy. If you are like me, one of the most ongoing and frustrating things in my life is my handwriting. It is horrible. Mix in some electrons and no wonder I get such mixed results with handwriting recognition. Wanting to do a better job, here are a [...]
Last week we cleaned up the screen, this week we finish the job by cleaning the keyboard and chassis. If you own a Tablet PC/UMPC with an attached keyboard, chances are just like the screen, it’s gonna get dirty. Well, hopefully not as dirty as the one below :) Today’s How-To provides some quick and dirty [...]
Does your tablet screen look like a dog has been trying to lick his way through it to get to the other side? Ever see the screen saver that was floating around from the movie Must Love Dogs? That gives you a mental picture huh? Well, from time to time that’s exactly what mine can look [...]
Pet peeve time. I know it’s for my own good, but I get really annoyed when I am asked to confirm the deletion of a file. I mean, the OS might as well ask me ” do you really, really want to delete this”? “Are really sure”? As a matter of routine I suppose it does [...]
There are many useful utilities found in Vista today. You name it, from snipping to syncing to sidebar, they cover all sorts of neat features. Additionally, there are all sorts of system specific utilities that ship with today’s mobile PC’s. Today’s “How-To” is a bit retro, and I know I’m showing my age here, but remember the [...]
Today’s how-to is one more registry edit that I have used a few times now to change the registered name and registered company name that is stored in Vista. The first time I did this was because I had a typo in my own name. Yea, my own name. Chalk it up to fat fingers and not [...]
Here is a useful “How-To” that I have missed using for some time. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Surely there are those of us that sometimes brave the innards of Vista’s GUI to do a little command line tango. There are times when when you need to issue commands on several folders you find in a [...]
Let’s face it, backups are essential. Most of us don’t do them enough. One of the problems we here at GottaBeMobile.com experience is that in testing lots of software, drivers and such, with varying degrees of success and desired results, we have need to be able to quickly restore our systems to a pre-experimental state. Imaging [...]
After two long week’s at MCSA/MCSE boot camp, the How-To’s continue… I just love my Verizon EVDO card. I borrowed Dennis’s card so much be made me go and get my own. The problem is that as I get to test and own (new OQO-Model 02 in da house!- Yeah!) more systems, I cannot afford to [...]
Hello again. Eddie here with another installment of the GBM How-To series. I am at an Intense School in Ft. Lauderdale for the next two weeks studying the MCSE/MCSA material. Whew! What a pace. There is a guy in my class that reminds me of one of the best co-workers I ever had. Pat. Pat [...]
Just in case you were wondering, the nib is that plastic or felt insert at the end of your tablet PC pen that comes in contact with the screen. Depending on how frequently you use your tablet to ink, you may be due for a replacement. Today’s 2-step how-to will show you how to replace [...]
“…I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN’T MY FAULT…” (Jake Blues) Oops, it was [...]
Today’s How-To is another “short and sweet” that illustrates just how natural the ink experience can be. I mean, what could be more natural than written expression? I remember the wonder of getting ink’ ed emails from Dennis Rice before I had become “Ink Smart”. So, with those who may be new to the inking experience [...]
Today’s How-To is brought to you from the road. At this moment, I’m blogging from the parking lot of the Tampa Bay Land Rover dealership. Ah, the wonders of EVDO. (Thanks for the AirCard Dennis, you are not getting it back!) :) And no honey, I’m NOT shopping for a new vehicle here. I will be at the BMW [...]
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Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE Review: A Worthy Successor to the Original (Video)
When Sprint had debuted the original WiMax-capable HTC EVO 4G nearly two years ago, it was an instant hit on the Now network. Not only was the HTC EVO 4G the first 4G smartphone in the world taking advantage of Sprint’s then speedy WiMax network, but it brought some new features and pizzazz to the [...]
Last year Toshiba waded into the Android tablet market with the Thrive, a 10.1-inch slate that served as the company’s response to what they deemed missing in the then current crop. Thus, it had several full-size ports, a rugged-ish exterior, and a thick chassis to accommodate both. Though a decent tablet, the Thrive didn’t generate [...]
Samsung Shows That It Is a Software Company
As exciting as it has been to talk, postulate, and speculate about the Galaxy S III’s hardware and specs before the third-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone was announced on May 3rd in London, once the device was announced one thing became apparent: Samsung is now a software company. That doesn’t mean that Samsung is shying away [...]
Autumn Dynasty Review: A Great RTS for the iPad
With its large touchscreen, the iPad seems like the perfect platform for Real Time Strategy games, and Autumn Dynasty proves it, mostly. Autumn Dynasty is an RTS iPad game with art that looks like tradition Chinese painting. The story involves quelling a rebellion while solving a mystery of shady noblemen. The story though, just serves [...]
Griffin GuitarConnect Pro Review: Record Your Jams with Ease
The Griffin GuitarConnect Pro interfaces with your Guitar and your iPad or iPhone so you can record your music easily using apps like Apple’s GarageBand. My son Daniel, who’s learning to play guitar, helped me test it out and he loved it. When he gets as good as Jimi Hendrix, I’m sure he’ll steal my [...]
Google Search App iPhone and iPad Update Looks Beautiful (Video)
Google just delivered a beautiful update to the company’s Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad The Google Search app for iPhone and iPad replaced Safari as my browser of choice, earning a spot in the iPhone and iPad dock. It’s faster and offers a beautiful new full screen image search which looks awesome on the [...]
