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3 Steps to Part With Your Old Android Phone

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If Christmas was the time you got a new phone, then you might be wondering what to do with your old phone assuming, of course, that you don’t want to use it as backup

Parting ways with your phone involves two clear steps: clearing all personal data from that phone while also figuring out how to get rid of it.

So, here are 3 steps to part with your phone before you enjoy using the new one:

#1: Encrypt and Reset

The first thing that comes to mind with your old phone is doing a factory reset. Since whatever you have on your phone will be overwritten with new content, it’s going to be hard to access whatever you have on there already.

However, if it falls into the wrong hands, they can still have access to your data. So, before you perform a factory reset, encrypt your phone by going to Setting>Security>Encryption. For this, your phone needs to be fully charged and will take almost an hour. Still, it’s worth it because it makes accessing your data far more harder than usual.

#2: Donate or Recycle

Options such as Verizon’s Hopeline as well as Cell Phones for Soldiers are good if you’d like to donate your phone. If your phone isn’t in good condition, make sure you try recycling it safely as a number of phone manufacturers as well as Goodwill can help you do this.

#3: Sell your Phone

There are a number of services such as Gazelle and Amazon that will buy your phone, provided it is in good condition. However, make sure you look at a number of services such as eCycle or Glyde to get the best prices. Locally speaking, cellular service providers and retailers like Best Buy will be happy to buy your phone.

Why We Still Need Optical Drives

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Optical drives have been around for a while for their capability to write CDs, DVDs and even Blu-ray discs.

However, with the need for these devices reducing over the years, thanks to the internet, PC manufacturers are right to not include these drives. Almost everyone prefers to stream or download movies and music instead of getting them on DVD, right?

Yet there’s another reason why optical drives aren’t included with laptop: manufacturers cannot shrink them like SSDs or CPUs and will therefore, cause laptops to be bulky. And considering how no one wants a bulky laptop, it seems to be a bad idea.

That said, there’s still use for these devices as we not only need to access older media but we can used these media formats for archiving purposes, provided we have the right discs. Of course, this will only be possible if these drives continue to be manufactured.

There are other advantages to having an optical drive with programs such as VeraCrypt requiring them so as to create emergency boot tools. Apart from this, some of us still receive CDs as gifts or even buy them from artists when at a concert.

That said, when you get an audio CD, isn’t the first thing that you want to do is rip them into MP3s?

So, the best thing that can be done is to get yourself a light laptop but also obtain a detachable optical drive that usually costs about $40 only.

Why We Still Need Optical Drives

Posted on by admin

Optical drives have been around for a while for their capability to write CDs, DVDs and even Blu-ray discs.

However, with the need for these devices reducing over the years, thanks to the internet, PC manufacturers are right to not include these drives. Almost everyone prefers to stream or download movies and music instead of getting them on DVD, right?

Yet there’s another reason why optical drives aren’t included with laptop: manufacturers cannot shrink them like SSDs or CPUs and will therefore, cause laptops to be bulky. And considering how no one wants a bulky laptop, it seems to be a bad idea.

That said, there’s still use for these devices as we not only need to access older media but we can used these media formats for archiving purposes, provided we have the right discs. Of course, this will only be possible if these drives continue to be manufactured.

There are other advantages to having an optical drive with programs such as VeraCrypt requiring them so as to create emergency boot tools. Apart from this, some of us still receive CDs as gifts or even buy them from artists when at a concert.

That said, when you get an audio CD, isn’t the first thing that you want to do is rip them into MP3s?

So, the best thing that can be done is to get yourself a light laptop but also obtain a detachable optical drive that usually costs about $40 only.

Track Employee Hours Worked with Accuracy

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Written by: Allied Time

As your business begins to scale, and you acquire more employees, you will find it necessary to develop a plan that tracks employee hours and activities. Most employers solve this dilemma with a simple time machine, but you may leave yourself open to time card fraud. What about contractors, and those who work off site?

The realities of business demand solutions that are flexible, and time card shorting can lead to legal consequences for the employee and the business. Track employee time worked accurately and report the proper hours to payroll with these tips.

Set Clear Attendance Policies

You should outline the importance of attendance, and set rules that everyone abides by. You might allow for a short late period, or you may not. Every employee should receive a time card or some kind of passcode to clock into work each morning. There should be a central station to do this, multiple stations if the company is large enough, and all new employees should be trained to use it during orientation. Be sure that there are consequences for late appearances. Allow for a certain number of accidents, everyone is late from time to time, but be firm in disciplining employees who are chronically late.

Switch to Biometric

Fingerprint time clocks offer a level of security to both employee and employer. Employees never have to worry about losing time cards, and fingerprint scanning is often faster than waiting to punch in for the day or fumbling about with a code. Employers gain security that employees are working onsite, at the times that they say they are. Time card fraud is difficult when biometrics are deployed because they rely on features of a specific person. Also, this system does not record anything personally identifiable. Even in the case of facial scanners, only a set of data points are saved so a computer can recall the contours of a face.

Final Thoughts

The choice of time clock for your business is dependent on your needs. If you employ many people working offsite, a system with an online component may be more beneficial to you. Cards and “fobs” may work best for those who have secure areas that require restricted access. Biometrics offer the best security, but they may carry a heavier price tag. No system is perfect, and a business may find that one system works best until scaling to more employees. Be prepared to remain flexible and pay attention to how you can make time and attendance a more efficient part of your business.

What You Need to Know About Using the Cloud

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Simply put, the cloud is really the Internet especially when you use it for tasks that can be carried out by local software and hardware.

For example, if you back files to your hard drive, then that’s local. However, if you use Dropbox or any other online storage service, you’re using the cloud.

Another clearer example would be that of Outlook. If you are using the email client on your desktop, that is local. However, if you are using webmail in the form of Outlook.com, then you’re checking email in the cloud.

Even though the word ‘cloud’ suggests that it isn’t real, this is anything but true since your data, which you’ve saved in Dropbox or even Google Drive, is stored on a server somewhere.

Even this does seem promising, the problem of backing your data up can be tedious in the cloud as it is limited to the speed of your internet connection. Locally, backing your data is much faster as you would have noticed.

As for the price, while there are a number of free cloud storage services available, you will have to work within restrictions. For example, you get 2 GB of free storage with MozyHome but will have to pay $120 annually if you want 125 GB of space. Buying an external hard drive for $50-$80 for 1 TB should work out cheaper.

Finally, there’s the issue of privacy and security. If you don’t encrypt your files before uploading, you will have to assume that someone will be reading the information on your files including the service provider, government or even illegal hackers.

3 Ways to Use an Older (But Working) PC

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Most people think of getting a new PC during the holidays.

But what about the old one that is still working? Don’t throw it out just yet since there are a number of uses that are available when it comes to older PCs.

That said, here are 3 ways to use older PCs that shouldn’t be disposed off just yet:

#1: Home Theater PC

Even though this is considered a good idea by many, very few people actually go through with it. Using it in your living room can not only allow you to play games and downloaded files, watch DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs as well as watch videos and stream music as well. Best part: you can do this on a big screen as well.

#2: Kids PC

Rather than giving away your PC or tablet, why not turn it into a Kids PC that they can use to learn how to use. With the amount of focus on technology, it’s never too early to learn.

For this, there are a number of lightweight operating systems available that you can use instead of Windows.

#3: Web server

You can use an old PC to learn how website truly work and this is by running a web server. If you have a WordPress blog, then you can save almost $100 a year by running it yourself.

Of course, if this is a high traffic blog, then you might be in trouble but otherwise it shouldn’t be a problem. This is because your internet connection might be too slow.

4 Ways To Tell If Malware Is On Your PC

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Contrary to popular opinion, malware is usually created in such a manner that you will never notice that it is on your PC. The reason for this is the people who write them do not want you to get rid of them from your computer.

Yet despite this ability to stay hidden, there are certain symptoms that will give you clues as to whether you have malware on your system or not.

And while in some cases, ransomware will announce its presence on your system while the presence of others will not be so obvious.

That said, here are 4 ways by which you can tell if malware exists on your system:

#1: Poor PC Performance

If you PC is running slower than ever or several unwanted, unrecognizable programs in the background, then you can attribute this to malware.

#2: Toolbars that don’t seem to go away

A number of programs usually install toolbars on your system and which can be uninstalled in one go. However, if this isn’t possible, then there’s probably malware on your system and which will require you to do more.

#3: Home and Search Pages change

Similar to the issue with toolbars, if your Home and Search Pages cannot be reset back to the URLs that you prefer, then it’s probably because of malware too.

#4: Maintenance programs do not work

Malware protects itself by disabling programs that have been designed to recognize and remove it in the process. Some of these programs include Task Manager, Windows Update, System Restore, Msconfig, Regedit or even your antivirus program.

What You Need to Know About Partitioning Your Hard Drive

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Most PCs, with Windows installed, already have two or three partitions. Usually, your drive has one main partition (C:) which amounts to most of the physical space available on the hard drive. The others are used for recovery and maintenance purposes.

Simply put, while the physical disk is a single entity, creating one or more partitions can slice it into a number of drive with different letters (D, E,F) and which can make daily computing all that more easier. If you must know, the operating system treats each of these partitions as separate drives.

But why would you want to create partitions? Anyone who has will know how much of a hassle it can be.

As mentioned earlier, one good reason to have partitions is if you want to run two operating systems namely Linux and Windows. Another would be to separate system and data if only for backup purposes.

In other words, you can leave Windows among other programs on C: while all your music, documents, videos and pictures can go on D: drive. It goes without saying that the latter will have more space allocated to it.

Of course, you can backup your Windows environment by creating an image of your C: drive but this file will be large if you don’t partition the physical drive. And this is why separating your libraries and programs is a good idea since using a backup program will not be tedious.

Yet before you think about partitioning, make sure you get expert help or you can risk losing data as a result.

Best Practices for Engagement on Mobile Platforms

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Mobile usage is on the rise, and there is evidence to suggest that both genders are using it to make purchases. While there is some difference in the kinds of purchases each gender generally makes, what is clear is that marketers stand to capitalize on engaging with customers in the moment.

Mobile customers are by nature on-the-go, making mobile marketing something of a predictive game. Here are some best practices that are sure to help you get started.

Predict Your Customer’s Intent

You will be able to buy mobile traffic specifically, so you should have some idea of what those users might be viewing before you try to market to them. You can make some educated guesses based on interests. Try to imagine whether the messaging in your ad will sync up with what a user might be viewing while she is out and about. Is the user comparison shopping? Is the user searching for something new?

Test your theories with different ad groups and try to expand on your ideas. Never be satisfied with a campaign that performs “ok.”

Use Ad Sizes that Work

Are you using the IAB recommended ad sizes for mobile? Do you know which ad sizes are the top performers from 2014? Have you asked your traffic network which ad sizes perform best in your target market? You can answer some of these questions by doing some competitive research. You will also find that your usage of text and color will impact which ad sizes work best for you as well.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is the co-founder of engage:BDR. Ted Dhanik got his start at MySpace.com, helping to launch that brand in the social media space. Ted Dhanik currently lives in Los Angeles, where he helps brands of all sizes to build their following through targeted advertising.

3 Ways to Take Notes Using your iOS or Android Phone

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Almost all of us have found ourselves in a situation where we’ve come up with brilliant thoughts but have never been able to jot them down anywhere.

It happens to the best of us.

However, just so that this never happens again, here are 3 ways by which you can record these thoughts:

#1: Ask Siri to take notes

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, you can easily use Siri to capture your thoughts. All you have to do is press and hold the Home key, tap Settings and  Passcode Lock . After this, activate Siri while it is locked and say ‘Note to self’.

#2: Google Now (Android)

Google Now is an excellent Android app that follows voice commands. However, what makes this even better is that you can use this app even though your phone is locked. Just be careful to not leave your phone vulnerable to smartphone thieves as they can look through your messages and contacts quite easily. Of course, once it transcribes your your thoughts, it will save on the note-take app that you prefer.

#3: A video selfie should do the trick

An unorthodox way of recording your thoughts would involve taking a video selfie using your iPhone. Best part: You won’t have to unlock your iOS device either. All you have to do is swipe the camera shortcut in the corner of the screen and after which you tap the Record button. Now say what you have to and tap the button again.