Smart Phone Tips Archives - Page 46 of 65

Want faster Internet on your smart phone or tablet? Use Opera Mini!

Posted on March 8, 2017

If you use the standard web browser that came pre-installed on your smart phone, you’re wasting your time. And I mean that literally. That’s why you need Opera Mini.

Opera Mini is a lean, super-fast version of the popular Opera web browser that loads web pages and photos much faster than the standard mobile web browser.

It achieves these faster speeds by compressing all the images on a web page right on a dedicated Opera server, then sends the optimized pages to your phone. When you first click a link you’ll notice a slight delay while the server is optimizing the images, but then you’ll see the page load onto your screen in a jiffy. [Read more…]

Why you probably should skip your carrier’s insurance on your smart phone

Posted on February 7, 2017

Are you paying a monthly fee to your cell carrier to cover repairs to your phone should something happen to it? If you are, you’re probably paying way too much for what could amount to very little coverage.

Depending on the carrier and phone, you could be paying upwards of $15 per month for a plan that has a whopping $200 deductible!

In my opinion, carrier insurance (AKA an extended warranty) is rarely a good deal, even when it does actually “pay off”. Which brings me to my next point… [Read more…]

Warning: Apple will soon start ‘analyzing’ your iCloud data and personal files

Posted on February 2, 2017

Apple is planning to release iOS 10.3 before long, and with that update will come several significant changes to the operating system.

I believe most of those changes will be good ones, but there’s one that concerns me.

Beginning with iOS 10.3, Apple will start “analyzing” your iCloud data to “help them improve intelligent features and services such as Siri and other similar or related services.”

In a nutshell, that means Apple will soon start scanning your email, your notes, your contacts, your photos, your calendar, Keychain, Find My iPhone, your iTunes items and all the various files you have stored on iCloud. [Read more…]

How to display the full version of a website in Safari

Posted on December 19, 2016

Most websites now include a mobile version of the site that users will see when they visit the site with a mobile device.

These mobile sites are typically stripped-down versions of the full website, making them load faster and use less cellular data. They are also typically easier to use on the smaller screens on smart phones and tablets.

But occasionally that presents a problem… [Read more…]

Samsung is going to ‘brick’ all remaining Galaxy Note 7 phones on December 19

Posted on December 14, 2016

As I mentioned in this post, Samsung has stopped making their ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 smart phones and issued a recall for all of the units that have already been sold.

According to the company, about 93% of all the Galaxy Note 7 devices that were sold have already been returned under the recall, and now Samsung is planning to use a special form of “tough-love” to spur the return of the remaining phones.

To that end, Samsung will be releasing an update on December 19 that will prevent the Galaxy Note 7’s battery from being recharged and cut off all access to cellular and Internet connections. In short, the phones will be effectively “bricked” on that date. [Read more…]