You Can Now Print Your Very-Own 3D Covers For Lumia 820

Back in the late 90s, Nokia was the first mainstream phone company to allow customers to snap out their default phone cases and snap their own cases on, creating a custom look: this was back with the Nokia 5110. Adapting to passing times (in quite a huge way, we must say), Nokia is now allowing customers (at least those with 3D printers lying around, or able to afford a one-off print-off) to print their own cases for the Lumia 820.

This release comes in the form of the “3D-printing development kit”, or 3DK as Nokia is calling it, and includes 3D printer files with the exact dimensions needed to create perfect-fitting cases for the Lumia 820. Not only that, it also includes documentation, such as guidance on which materials can be used in order to create natural-looking and fitting cases.

While this is not likely to be taken up by too many just yet, it will likely be more than welcome by enthusiasts or those who enjoy customizing their hardware. Better yet, the 3DK might just make it a lot easier for third-party case manufacturers to quickly and effectively create high-quality cases for the Lumia 820, which would in turn bring some much-needed attention to the device. Bringing a leveled playing field to case manufacturers will definitely be a plus.

If you have a 3D printer lying around, or have over a grand to spend to buy one, you can go ahead and download the 3D files right now, completely free of charge: the mechanical drawings for the back panel are available here, and those for the back shell can be found here. There are also also other services that allow users to perform one-off drawings: while they won’t come cheap either, if you’re looking to give your brand new Nokia Lumia 820 a brand-new design, you should definitely take a look at this.

If you don’t have a 3D printer lying around, it’s not the end of the world: Nokia has recently unleashed a set of skins for the Lumia, which look quite nice. Whichever way you go, it is pretty clear that Nokia is really doing a good job and compelling their users to customize their phones.

Two Weeks Later: An iPhone User’s Take On The Lumia 820 / Windows Phone 8

If you cast your minds back a couple of weeks, you may remember my tentative pledge to take on the challenge of using a Windows Phone 8 device for an entire two weeks, in place of my beloved iPhone. This, on its own, is not much to shout about, but considering I had never previously acquainted myself with Windows Phone in any way, shape or form, I suspected my fortnight with the Nokia Lumia 820 would be one of trials and tribulations.
It all began on the 8th of January. I took the SIM out of my iPhone, and cut it completely out of my life. The first few hours were tough, to say the least, but, sensing it was merely the fear of the unknown, dived in head first.

The Device

In this case, Nokia was kind enough to provide us with a Lumia 820, and although it doesn’t offer as sharp a display, slick a form factor, or precise a snapper as the Lumia 920, it offers a fairly good representation as to the current state of play in the Windows Phone market.
Needless to say, it’s a capable handset, but it’s relentlessly mid-range. Almost as though it was meant to be high-end, but Nokia purposely crippled it in order to sway the market towards the flagship device. It makes perfect sense from the company’s point of view, but means the 820 is so very nearly a great device.

The cheap, plastic back cover, which pops off to reveal the microSD, SIM and battery housing, doesn’t feel nice to hold, but that’s not the main quibble. Much has been made of both Lumias’ abilities to operate through gloves, but if you’re wearing normal, wool gloves, holding the device is almost impossible. In short, it’s slippery, but since the back cover is removable, I presume it isn’t too difficult to pick up an alternative – preferably one with more friction than a bar of soap.

Windows Phone 8 Design 2

Aside from the cheap build, I have been very pleased with the Lumia 820. The display isn’t the best, nor is the camera, but if you’re not much of a photography enthusiast, this device will serve you just fine.

Interface

There’s no doubting Windows Phone 8 is pretty to look at, but what’s really compelling, is that it actually works. The resizable, Live Tiles adapt to your preferences, and having become accustomed to the uniform arrangements of iOS and Android (save the occasional widget), the versatile, aesthetically-pleasing look of WP8 served as a refreshing change.

 There’s a slick finesse about the way Windows Phone 8 jumps in and out of apps, which makes it feel like a premium service. It airs off a sense of enthusiasm, and with Live Tiles constantly keeping you in the loop, it never seems to be taking a break, or sitting idly.

 While Android and iOS are seen by many as fairly similar in terms of looks, Windows Phone 8 is vastly different to both. At first, I thought WP8 would be impossible to adapt to, but it’s not overly complicated at all. In fact, within half an hour, most of the functions felt like second nature, and all those reservations I’d previously had about leaving my iPhone were gone.

Apps

A few of you tweeted some general recommendations of apps, tips, and I have to say, you guys really helped me out. The first thing you notice when you make the leap from a platform like iOS or Android, is that Windows Phone is still rather bereft when it comes to app count. But whereas Oliver had a bit of a struggle finding anything noteworthy for his Lumia 800 last year, I found, with a little digging, there are plenty of gems out there.

Twitter is a service that depends on well-developed apps, and having used a bunch for iOS and Android, Windows Phone’s collection is certainly on par. There aren’t as many, but the few that do exist are invariably of the highest quality, and the one I ended up falling in love with was mehdoh. Pronounced “meadow”, and costing $0.99, it does everything you could want and more, allowing effortless sliding between mentions, timeline and messages.

In terms of games and general productivity apps, I ran into many, but the shortcomings of WP8’s apps are still, unfortunately, evident in places. For example, like an increasing number of people, I use my smartphone for banking. I can move money between accounts in seconds, which is great not only for management of funds, but means I can quickly empty my account if I lose my bank card. The Windows Phone Store has no banking apps whatsoever, at least there is none for my bank in UK, and while Microsoft continues its quest to beef up the numbers of apps, the company really needs to concentrate on plugging these basic holes, which can and will turn out to be deal-breakers to many. Yes I Know there’s a native Wallet Hub in Windows Phone 8 for purchasing store gift cards, managing coupons, credit cards, making transactions using NFC and more, but it isn’t exactly what I’m looking for.

So, on the whole, the WP Store has certainly improved dramatically, and if I didn’t do my banking on the move, I might even have said something crazy, like “Windows Phone is a viable alternative to iOS / Android”. While I cannot do that, and while you will almost certainly have to make one or two sacrifices in order to adopt the enticing Windows Phone platform, you should no longer approach the topic with the kind of fear I initially did.

Browsing

Browsing the Web on the mobile version of IE was a pleasure. The gulf between browsing on a larger device versus the iPhone should not be understated, and although the iPhone 5 offers a larger longer display over previous iterations of the iconic Apple smartphone, it is still, in my opinion, no match for the larger handsets on the market.

The quality of the display meant more zooming was necessary than I would have liked, but on the whole, I felt more compelled to browse the Web on the Lumia 920 than I ever have on an iPhone.

This Extensive List Of Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts Will Help You Adapt To The New Interface

Whenever you make the switch – from iOS to Android, or Windows to Mac, for example, things can seem a little daunting at first, and although elements may look rather similar in places, they don’t always function in the manner in which you are used to. While the changes in Windows 8 aren’t necessarily as different from previous versions of Windows than they are to, say, OS X, current Windows XP / Vista / Windows  7 users still might feel as though they’ve been dropped into unchartered territory, and might find Windows 8 a little tricky to get to grips with.
Anticipating this, Microsoft has prepared a relatively lengthy list of your everyday keyboard shortcuts to help you become acquainted with the new operating system. It doesn’t list every single shortcut available, but for your day-to-day needs, it does include most of the important ones.

Ultimately, the tiled interface of Windows 8 is intended to operate in a smooth and seamless manner, so keeping a mental note of the best keyboard shortcuts will certainly help you get the most out of the just-released OS. The list is perhaps a little too long for you to memorize them all in one go (unless you’ve a photographic memory, of course), so I think the best course of action is to simply flit through, learn a handful of them, and then keep checking back should you wish to add a few more to your repertoire.

Tips for Maintaining Your Laptop

Nowadays, many people are using laptops for their school work, business or leisure. However, laptops can lose their efficiency if not well-maintained. The following are some tips which will help enhance your laptop usage.

1. Watch out for dust

To ensure your laptop remains effective for a long time, you need to protect it from dust. An accumulation of dust in your laptop could block the ventilation areas and result in overheating. It is therefore very important to keep your laptop from being exposed to dust.

2. Keep it cool

Besides dust, it is also very important to protect your laptop from excessive heat. A laptop used in a cool, dry area will work more effectively and faster than if it was exposed to heat. To protect your laptop from overheating, avoid using it on your lap, bed or cushion since this will block the vents underneath which help in cooling. The best solution for this is to use a lap tray as a base for your laptop. Alternatively, you can invest in any of the laptop coolers which are sold in most computer stores.

3. Install a firewall and antivirus software

If you don’t use any antivirus, your laptop remains vulnerable to being infected by a virus. Make sure you use proper antivirus software to protect your laptop and keep it effective for longer. You should also install a firewall so as to restrict access to your laptop. A firewall will alert you anytime an external entity tries to access your laptop. You will then have the option of either blocking or allowing access. In addition, you need to be cautious about using external hard disks and flash disks with your laptop.

4. Eliminate unused programs

At times, you might have some programs in your laptop that you don’t really need. It is advisable to uninstall them so as to create more space in your hard drive. This will enable you to install other important applications and programs. Eliminating unused programs will also improve your laptop’s performance and make it easier to locate important files.

5. Defragment hard drives

When you have many programs in your laptop, it will take time to locate your important files. It is therefore very vital to defragment your drives frequently. Defragmenting will arrange your files in a way which makes them much easier to access.

6. Clean your registry

Once in a while, registry files might get corrupted thus resulting in a drastic and sudden change in your laptop’s performance. Make sure you run your registry cleaners frequently to find out if there are any corrupt files or errors.

7. Minimize programs to run during startup

Whenever you start your laptop, it will load all the system files, as well as the programs which have been selected to run during startup. The more programs you run, the longer it takes to startup. You should therefore minimize the number of programs that will run during the booting process.

8. Delete temporary internet files

Slow browsing speeds are often as a result of poor internet connection. However, in some cases, it might be due to too many temporary internet files saved in your laptop. You should therefore take time to delete such files from your laptop.

9. Empty the recycle bin

When files are deleted from your laptop, they end up in the recycle bin. This means that they are not actually deleted from the laptop; they have just been transferred to a different location. Thus, they still take up space in your hard drive. It is therefore important to empty your recycle bin as often as possible.

10. Power surge protection

Power surge protection is as important for laptops as it is for desktop computers. Replacing a laptop power supply is very costly compared to investing in a power surge protection device. Make sure you get one so as to protect the laptop itself, as well as your laptop power supply.

Computer battery buying tips

Main batteries

Laptop batteryThe main battery is the battery used to power laptop computers. When looking to purchase a new main battery from a third-party make sure you're getting the correct battery. Verify the below specifications either from the bottom of the battery or from the computer manufacturer.

    Type - Get the right battery: Nicad, NiMH, or Li-ion.

    Manufacturer - Some portables may use a certain manufacturer of battery. Verify if a third-party manufacturer's battery was used. Also ensure that the battery is not proprietary and that it is possible to purchase from a third-party.
    Voltage - Verify the Voltage of battery, this amount can vary depending on the battery.
    mAH - Verify the mAH of the battery, this amount can vary depending on the battery.

Warranty

Before purchasing the battery, see if the battery comes with any warranty and how long the warranty may be. This will make things easier if it's defective that it is possible to return the battery for a new battery or for a refund.

Prices

Battery                           Estimated price

1 NICAD Battery              $80.00 to $150.00
1 NiMH Battery                $100.00 to $160.00
1 Li-ion Battery                 $100.00 to $180.00

Prices can vary depending upon quantity of batteries and how old the laptop is.

Where to buy

Your laptop computer manufacturer is the best first place to get a price quote on a replacement battery. After doing this check any of the below links to get a price quote comparison and find the cheapest solution.

Ebatts.com
Batteries Plus
BatteriesInAFlash
Laptop batteries planet

Charge the battery properly

Once you have received the battery if it includes documentation for how to charge it for the first time make sure to follow those instructions exactly. Otherwise it's recommended that you charge the battery for at least 24-hours before use.

Recycle

See the battery recycling section for further information about properly recycling your old defective battery.

CMOS batteries

Picture of CMOS lithium battery on motherboardThe CMOS battery is used to store system information such as the time and date and should be replaced when receiving error "System battery dead", the computer does not keep the time or date, or if you are losing a dramatic amount of time over a period of time.

Before replacing the CMOS battery you need to know what battery the computer is using. This can be done either by opening the computer and locating the battery or through the motherboard or computer documentation. We suggest visiting a local Radio Shack if you've got the battery but can't identify it or to purchase a new battery.

Prices

Battery                             Estimated price

CMOS coin battery               $1.00 to $10.00
CMOS RTC battery              $2.00 to $20.00

Prices can vary.

Bridge batteries

The bridge battery is a small battery that holds a charge for a sufficient amount of time while swapping between main batteries. If you believe that this battery is defective or bad, it is recommended that you contact your laptop manufacturer for a replacement part.

Computer application buying tips

Introduction

Purchasing a software application or program can be a big consideration, especially when purchasing advanced and usually expensive programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. When considering purchasing these programs it is important that you or your staff be familiar with the program and are sure it's going to be capable of what you need it to do.

On this page we've listed several different considerations to think about before buying a computer software application

Considerations

Competition

Before buying any application make sure there is not a competing program that may be cheaper or even free. If available and something that's capable of doing what you want it to do this could save you hundreds of dollars.

A good example of such a program is OpenOffice and Corel WordPerfect that would be a competitor to Microsoft Word. Both programs are an excellent choice for a word processor but can be a considerable price difference. In the case of OpenOffice, it's 100% free.

Documentation

Make sure proper documentation is included. Many programs today will include on-line documentation that is more than sufficient. However, it is also useful to obtain a manual or user guide for the software program or application.

Licenses

If you are a company who plans on having software programs used by its employees (more than one person), you will need to consider licensing options. It is required that for each computer a product is installed onto that it have a software license. If a company purchases the program and shares it with all its employees without the proper licensing, this would be illegal and can cause your company to face a criminal lawsuit.

Price

Look at your overall price and shop around. Because a software price can change often, you can sometimes save hundreds of dollars on expensive software. If possible, do not purchase directly through the company; many times, the company's price doubles a retailers price.

Be cautious of OEM software. Many resellers will sell a program as OEM, which requires you buy a computer or motherboard. OEM software is software that is included with large manufacturers' computers and will only include either just a CD or a slim manual and CD. This is not what you would find at a retail store. This option is not a bad option, it is only important that you are aware of what you are getting.

Package

Look at the overall software package. How many CDs or diskettes are included, what inserts and documentation is included, and is there any bonus or extra software included?

Media

Today, the majority of software is included on CDs and DVDs. When looking at a program, make sure you have an acceptable drive that's able to read the media, While not common today, an example of why this is important is it's better to receive one CD instead of 32 floppy diskettes.

Mozilla Firefox shortcut keys

Below is a listing of all the major shortcut keys in Mozilla Firefox.

Shortcut Keys                           Description

Alt + Home                                      Open your home page.

Alt + Left Arrow                               Back a page.

Alt + Right Arrow                             Forward a page.
F5                                                    Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11                                                   Display the current website in full screen mode. Pressing
                                                                   F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc                                                   Stop page or download from loading.
Ctrl + (- or +)                                    Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and                                                                         '+'  will increase. Ctrl + 0  ill reset back to default.
Ctrl + Enter                                      Quickly complete an address.
Ctrl + Shift + Del                              Open the Clear Data window to quickly clear private data.
Ctrl + D                                            Add a bookmark for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + I                                              Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + J                                              Display the download window.
Ctrl + K or Ctrl + E                          Move the cursor to the search box.
Ctrl + N                                           Open New browser window.
Ctrl + P                                            Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T                                            Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4 or Ctrl + W                       Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + Shift + T                                 Undo the close of a window.
Ctrl + Tab                                         Moves through each of the open tabs.
Spacebar                                          Moves down a page at a time.
Shift + Spacebar                              Moves up a page at a time.
Alt + Down arrow                            Display all previous text entered in a text box and available options on
                                                                        drop down menu.

Windows function key shortcuts

Below is a listing of keyboard shortcuts that use the keyboard function keys. See our what are F1 through F12 keys page for a full listing of what function keys do with all other programs.

F1

Activates help for current open application. If you're at the Windows Desktop, this will activate the help for Windows.

F2

Renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.

F3

Starts find or search when at the Windows Desktop in all versions of Windows.

F4

In Windows 95 and later this opens the drive selection or address bar when browsing files in Windows Explorer.

    Pressing Alt + F4 closes the current open program window without a prompt in all versions of Windows.
    Pressing Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows. This will only work in programs that support multiple windows or tabs in the same program window.

F6

While in Windows Explorer, this will move the cursor to different Windows Explorer pane or in Windows 7 browse available drives.

F8

Pressing F8 over and over as the computer is booting will start the computer in Safe Mode.

F10

Activates the File menu bar in all versions of Windows.

    Simulates a right-click on selected item. This is useful if right-click is difficult or impossible using the mouse.

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

 Alt + Tab

Switch between open applications in all versions of Windows. Reverse the direction by pressing Alt + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Ctrl + Tab

Switches between program groups, tabs, or document windows in applications that support this feature. Reverse the direction by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Alt + double-click

Display the properties of the object you double-click on in Windows 95 and later. For example, doing this on a file would display its properties.

Alt + Print Screen

Create a screen shot only for the active program window in all versions of Windows. For example, if you opened the calculator and did this only the calculator window would be created as a screen shot. If just the Print Screen key is pressed the whole screen will be made into a screen shot.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

Open the Windows option screen for locking computer, switching user, Task Manager, etc. in later versions of Windows. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del multiple times will reboot the computer.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Immediately bring up the Windows Task Manager in Windows 2000 and later.

Ctrl + Esc

Open the Windows Start menu in most versions of Windows. In Windows 8 this will open the Start screen and in Windows 3.x this would bring up the Task Manager.

Alt + Esc

Switch between open applications on Taskbar in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Drops down the window control menu for the currently open Windows program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Enter

Opens properties window of selected icon or program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Open the control menu for the current window open in all versions of Windows.

Shift + Del

Will delete any file or other object without throwing it into the Recycle Bin in Windows 95 and later.

Hold down the Shift key

When putting in an audio CD or other CD that uses Autoplay, holding down the Shift key will prevent that CD from playing.

Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know

Using keyboard shortcuts can greatly increase your productivity, reduce repetitive strain, and help keep you focused. For example, highlighting text with the keyboard and pressing Ctrl + C is much faster than taking your hand from the keyboard, highlighting the text using the mouse, clicking copy from the file menu, and then putting your hand back in place on the keyboard. Below are our top 10 keyboard shortcuts we recommend everyone memorize and use.

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert

Copy the highlighted text or selected item.

Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert

Paste the text or object that's in the clipboard.

Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y

Undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this will undo it. This can also often be pressed multiple times to undo multiple changes. Pressing Ctrl + Y would redo the undo.

Ctrl + F

Open the Find in any program. This includes your Internet browser to find text on the current page.

Alt + Tab or Alt + Esc

Quickly switch between open programs moving forward.

Tip: Press Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs in a program.

Tip: Adding the Shift key to Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Tab will move backwards. For example, if you are pressing Alt + Tab and pass the program you want to switch to, press Alt + Shift + Tab to move backwards to that program.

Tip: Windows Vista and 7 users can also press the Windows Key + Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the Window.

Ctrl + Back space and Ctrl + Left or Right arrow

Pressing Ctrl + Backspace will delete a full word at a time instead of a single character.

Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow will move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you wanted to highlight one word at a time you can hold down Ctrl + Shift and then press the left or right arrow key to move one word at a time in that direction while highlighting each word.

Ctrl + S

While working on a document or other file in almost every program pressing Ctrl + S will save that file. This shortcut key should be used frequently anytime you're working on anything important.

Ctrl + Home or Ctrl + End

Move the cursor to the beginning or end of a document.

Ctrl + P

Print the page being viewed. For example, the document in Microsoft Word or the web page in your Internet browser.

Page Up, Space bar, and Page Down

Pressing either the page up or page down key will move that page one page at a time in that direction. When browsing the Internet pressing the space bar will also move the page down one page at a time. If you press Shift and the Space bar the page will go up a page at a time.