How to Save Battery Life

Batteries are not all created equal--every battery is not suited to every job. Batteries mismatched with the items that need them can run them down quickly. Knowing how to select the right batteries and how to store them properly will save you time and money by assuring full battery life. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Buy batteries that are fresh. Do this by going to a store with a high battery turnover such as a busy toy store or electronics department. Choose from the center of the rack, as store employees are taught to put new merchandise in the very front or back of the displays.
   • 2
     Buy zinc-carbon batteries for items like clocks, flashlights and calculators. Choose heavy duty zinc carbon batteries for small radios, and small lights like penlights. For items that are used constantly or have a high draw such as toys, boom boxes, camera flashes and tape recorders, use alkaline batteries.
   • 3
     Store batteries in the refrigerator inside a sealed plastic bag for keeping them fresh for the longest amount of time. You should leave them out long enough to reach room temperature before you use them.
   • 4
     Take batteries out of items that rarely get used. Put them in a zippered plastic bag. You can tape the bag to the item if possible or you can store them elsewhere, away from heat and light. Don't let them touch anything metal as they can lose power.
   • 5
     Keep batteries warm in your pocket if you need to use them outside. Put them in just before you use them and take them out again to keep warm when you're done.
   • 6
     Don't mix old and new batteries when you use them. The new ones will be stronger and can cause the older ones to leak battery acid. Battery acid is extremely caustic and will cause burns on your skin and anything else it touches. Wear gloves and use caution when removing leaking batteries. Make sure to dispose of batteries properly.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep batteries in zipper bags in the fridge to keep them fresh longer.
• Warm refrigerated batteries to room temperature before using.
• Don't touch a leaking battery without gloves and caution. Battery acid is very caustic and will cause terrible burns to skin and everything else it touches.
• Don't mix old and new batteries--it can cause the older ones to leak.

Read more: How to Extend Battery Life | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2151104_extend-battery-life.html#ixzz2GLUxrmkl

3D Printing Technique Yields Working Records

Evidence that 3D printing techniques are maturing in their capabilities: working 3D records. This interesting tutorial takes a look at how you can produce a serviceable LP with a 3D printer.

The results are highly experimental at this point and the sound is a bit muddy (at the current stage the project is only able to sample sound at about a third the audio quality of MP3) but the fact that 3D printers have evolved to even allow for the fine-detail printing necessary for record playback is amazing. Hit up the link below for more details about the project.

3D Printed Record [Instructables]

How to stand out among birthday well-wishers on Facebook

"Happy birthday! Have a great day!"

Perhaps you're a bit more creative than the above greeting, but even the most clever among us have probably run out of ways to wish friends a happy birthday on Facebook.

Yes, I just wished myself a happy birthday.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

Thankfully, an enterprising Reddit user whose handle I do not wish to repeat in this space offered a handy and simple tip: search YouTube for "happy birthday" and your friend's name. You will be surprised by the volume and variety of videos available.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

Sure, your friend will be sung happy birthday wishes by a random stranger or group, but I think that's part of the charm. And you might even find a professional in the results; when the day arrives where my daughter is on Facebook, I now know that Florence and the Machine (and a theater full of people) are there to sing her a YouTube happy birthday.

Source: Google Image  Cnet.com

Upload a photo to a specific Facebook album on Android, iOS

You can now upload a photo to a specific Facebook album using the iOS and Android apps. There have been various methods in the past to get a photo into a preferred album, but the process is now streamlined.

iOS users will have the ability to add a photo, or photos, to an existing album or create a new album during the upload process. Android users will only be able to upload photos to an existing album. Before uploading a photo, however, Android users can create an album by visiting the Photos tab from the menu and tapping on the plus sign. It's an extra step, but with the same end result.

During the photo upload process, you will see a new album icon. Tapping on it will reveal the Facebook photo albums, allowing you to choose which album to upload the photo to. It's that simple.

Watch This Video From Cnet.com

Source: Cnet

Use Kies to back up and restore your Samsung mobile device

Samsung's Kies desktop software can sync your Samsung smartphone or tablet to your computer. If you haven't used Kies before, then you may not know that it can also back up the data on your Samsung device. With a Google account, a lot of your data already syncs with Google's servers, but Kies can also back up Samsung-specific apps, like S Planner and S Memo, which come on theGalaxy S3. Additionally, Kies can back up your contacts, call log, SMS/MMS messages, and media files. Here's how:

Back up

Step 1: After installing Kies (Windows | Mac) on your computer, connect your Samsung smartphone or tablet to your computer via a USB data cable.

Step 2: Confirm that Kies is connected to your Samsung device. Once connected, you'll see basic information about your device in the first tab.

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 3: Click on the Back up/Restore tab and choose the items you want to back up, then scroll to the bottom of the window and click the Backup button.

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 4: Wait for your backup to finish, then click the Complete button.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Restore

Step 1: In the Back up/Restore tab, scroll all the way to the bottom and click the Restore button. When you get the warning message about closing running applications, click Continue.

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 2: Choose the backup file to restore, then click Next.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 3: Select the data you want to restore, and make sure you want to restore the backup to your device. This is your last chance to back out of the restore. If you're sure you want to restore your data, click Next.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 4: Once the restore completes, you'll see a confirmation dialog box, and your device will reboot.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

That's it. Now you know how to back up and restore your Samsung mobile device using Kies and your computer. We've confirmed that Kies works with a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone and a Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. If you have another Samsung device that works with Kies, let us know in the comments.

Source: Cnet

Automatically dial extensions for Android contacts

A lot of companies have an automated service that answers their incoming phone calls. However, it's a bit of a pain when you're trying to dial a company and have to wait to enter the extension number each time for the department or person you're trying to reach. This is especially true when you don't remember the extension and you have to check out the contact information to find it.

Luckily Android dialer apps allow you to program the extension into the contact information. There are two different styles you can use: pause or wait. Read on to learn the differences and how to use each.

Tip: If you cannot find the options mentioned below, you may need to open an extra symbol menu on your number pad. In most cases you can just use the required punctuation from the alphabetical version of the keyboard.

Pause option:

On the number pad, this will either appear as a comma (,) or "pause." Using this option means that when you dial a number, the extension is used automatically after the dialer app detects that the phone has been answered.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

To use pause, enter the number like this: 1-555-555-1234,77 -- where "77" is the extension you need to dial.

Wait option:

The wait option appears as semicolon (;) or "wait" on the number pad.This option should be used when you are calling somewhere that requires listening to the entire automated message before allowing any menu or extension selections. Instead of just keying the numbers for you, a pop-up will appear on the screen with extension, asking if you should send it now. It will remain on the screen while in the call until you decide to send the extension or cancel.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

To use wait, enter the number like this: 1-555-555-1234;88 -- where "88" is the extension.

And if you really want to get fancy, you can enter combinations like 88,77; and so on to account for menus that you need to navigate on their phone system.

Source: Cnet

How to disable all Facebook apps

There are many apps that can tie into your Facebook account. These are not just mobile apps, but also those directly offered on the desktop Web site. This option is for those who are serious about removing apps or Web sites from performing actions associated with their Facebook account.

You may want to take special consideration before you disable all apps, and not just some of them. For instance, if you use Foursquare to post the places you check in to on your Timeline, you won't be able to anymore. And if you use Facebook to log in to services like Spotify, you'll run into issues there, as well. Furthermore, this will also disable access to games on Facebook, like Bejeweled Blitz or Farmville.

If this still sounds like the solution you're looking for, disconnecting from the apps on Facebook is pretty simple. Here's how:

Step 1: You'll need to log in to your Facebook account through a Web browser to complete these steps. If you're on a mobile device, you'll want to request the full version of the site to gain access to the desired menu options.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 2: Click on the menu in the top right-hand corner and select Privacy settings.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 3: Next to Ads, Apps, and Websites, click the Edit Settings link.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 4: In the Apps you use area, click the link that says "Turn off your ability to use apps, plugins, and websites on and off Facebook."

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 5: Verify that you want to disconnect from all apps on Facebook by clicking the Turn off Platform button.

Facebook warns that turning off this platform results in the following:

• You will not be able to log into websites or applications using Facebook.
• Your friends won't be able to interact and share with you using apps and websites.
• Instant personalization will also be turned off.

Now you will be free of annoying apps, while also keeping your information safe from Web sites that attempt to collect it while you're logged into Facebook. 

Source: Cnet