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4 ways to turn off annoying notifications on your Android phone or iPhone

So there you are, doing your best to connect with a friend over a cup of coffee, but you can’t help but notice the pulsing alert on your phone’s touchscreen. What if it’s your babysitter trying to reach you, or a nasty email from your boss?

You surreptitiously unlock your phone to see what the fuss is about—and just like that, you become one of those people who can’t keep their hands off their handsets, even when there’s a flesh-and-blood person in front of them. (Oh, and that message on the screen? It was a promo for a half-off sale. Great.)

The good news is that your Android phone or iPhone boasts a series of tools that can help you concentrate on the people who matter, rather than being distracted by random calls, messages, and alerts.

Read on for four ways to keep your eyes and hands off your phone, starting with…

Let Do Not Disturb mode screen your calls (Android and iOS)

Sure, activating Do Not Disturb mode for iOS (tap Settings > Do Not Disturb, or tap the Do Not Disturb button from the swipe-up Command Center pane) or Android (flick down with two fingertips to reveal Quick Settings, then tap the Do Not Disturb button) is a great way to keep your phone from buzzing during lunch, but you may still find yourself tempted to check your messages. After all, what if your spouse is trying to reach you—or your irate supervisor, for that matter?

Here’s a trick that’ll help keep your mind on your Caesar salad: just set Do Not Disturb to screen your calls and text messages, allowing only the most important ones through. That way, you’ll be confident that your silent Android phone or iPhone isn’t actually ringing off the hook with mission-critical calls, and more likely to pay attention during your lunchtime chat.

For Android:

Tap Settings > Sound > Do not disturb > Priority only allows, then pick some options. For example, you can set “priority only” to include incoming calls and texts from contacts, reminders, event alerts, and repeat callers. To restrict call and text alerts to your innermost circle, make sure Calls and Messages is set to Starred contacts only, then go through the Contacts app and star only those contacts who really, truly matter to you. Finally, a Repeat callers setting will allow a caller to get through if they’ve called twice within 15 minutes.
To enable Priority mode, flick down from the top of the screen to reveal Quick Settings, tap Do Not Disturb, then make sure the Priority only tab is enabled.
Finally, sit back and give your full, undivided attention to a (grateful) friend.

Note: Android’s version of Do Not Disturb boasts three different modes: Priority Only, which blocks specific alerts for apps, calls and texts; Alarms Only, which blocks all alerts except for the Android alarm clock; and Total Silence, which blocks all alerts, no matter what. While the Alarms Only and Total Silence modes will guarantee you a peaceful lunch hour, they may also block critical alerts, calls or alarms. In general, you should stick with Priority Only mode unless you’re certain you don’t want any interruptions, period.

For iOS:

Tap Settings > Do Not Disturb > Allow Calls From, then pick the Favorites setting. Once you do, calls and text messages from those on your iOS Favorites list will ring through even with Do Not Disturb mode switched on.
You can also pick a specific contact group for the Allow Calls From setting, but you can only set up contact groups using the Mac version of the Contacts app. Open the Contacts application on your Mac desktop, then click File > New Group to get started. As long as you’re syncing your contacts using iCloud, your desktop groups in Contacts will sync up with the Contacts iOS app.
You can also enable the Repeated Calls setting, which will allow urgent callers to break through Do Not Disturb mode if they call twice within three minutes.

Enable ‘VIP’ alerts for email messages

There’s little chance you’ll get through an important meeting without glancing at your iPhone or Android phone if your screen is constantly flashing with alerts for new email messages. Follow these steps to ease your email notification overload.

For iOS:

Mail’s ‘VIP’ alerts give you separate notifications for your most important email contacts, perfect for leaving you alone unless a message from a close friend or someone in upper management lands in your inbox.

Open the Mail app, back up to the main Mailboxes screen, tap the little ‘i’ next to the VIP mailbox, then tap Add VIP to add a contact to your VIP list.
Once you’ve added some names to the list, tap VIP Alerts to manage your VIP notifications. You could, for example, give messages from VIPs a special ringtone or a custom vibration when they arrive in your inbox, or allow VIP alerts—and only VIP alerts—to light up your lock screen.

For Android:

Android doesn’t have its own version of iOS’s handy VIP feature, but you can replicate it using filters in Gmail.

Turn on alerts for Gmail’s Priority Inbox—and off for all your other inboxes (Android only)

If you’re not interested in hacking iOS’s VIP alerts into your Android phone, you can take advantage of Gmail’s secret formula for determining which messages are most important to you.

Using your prior emailing habits as a guide, Gmail’s Priority Inbox sifts through your incoming messages, finds the email that you’re most likely to answer, and puts them into an “Important and unread” folder. Everything else (such as random email promos, newsletters, and other lower-priority messages) goes into the aptly-named “everything else” section of your inbox.

Once that’s done, you can set the Android version of Gmail to alert you only when new messages land in your Priority Inbox—and hopefully, you’ll feel better about leaving your silenced phone alone.

First, you’ll need to enable Gmail’s Priority Inbox feature. Open Gmail, tap the menu button in the top-left corner of the screen, tap Settings, pick a Gmail account, then tap Inbox type > Priority Inbox.
Tap Manage labels, then make sure that Priority Inbox is the only Gmail label with notifications turned on. (If you don’t see a Sound on, Notify once or similar tag next to a label, then notifications are off for that label.)

Turn off unneeded lock-screen notifications (Android & iOS)

So, you’re in a meeting, your phone is sitting dutifully—and silently—on the table in front of you, and you’re giving your colleagues your full attention. But then it happens: Your phone’s lock screen lights up, and your eyes can’t help but flick down to the display … which is nothing more than a random Facebook update.

Luckily, it’s easy to pare odwn your lock-screen notifications to an absolute minimum—or turn them off completely, even when you don’t have Do Not Disturb or Priority mode switched on.

For Android:

To keep your phone’s lock screen from lighting up when notifications come in, tap Settings > Display, then toggle off the Ambient Display setting. Or, here’s another option: Tap Settings > Sound > Do not disturb > Block visual disturbances, then enable the Block when screen is off setting. Doing so will keep alerts blocked by Do Not Disturb from lighting up your phone’s lock screen.
You can completely turn off notifications for a specific app by tapping Settings > Notifications. Tap an app, then enable the Block all setting. You can also choose to show an app’s alerts silently—but remember, even silent notifications can be tempting.
Another way to disable an app’s alerts is by long-pressing its notification when it appears. When you do, you’ll get the chance to block its alerts or show them silently.
While you’re at it, you might also want to turn off your handset’s pulsing notification light—you know, the one that’s saying “Look at me, look at me!” all the time. Go back to Settings > Notifications, tap the Settings button (the one shaped like a gear) in the top right corner of the screen, then toggle off the Pulse notification light setting.
Just below the Pulse light notification toggle is a setting that can disable all lock-screen notifications, regardless of whether Do Not Disturb is switched on. If you’re willing to forgo any and all lock-screen alerts, tap On the lock screen, then choose the Don’t show notifications at all setting.

For iOS:

To completely turn off an app’s notifications, tap Settings > Notifications, tap an app, then toggle off the Allow Notifications switch.
If you only want to disable an app’s lock-screen notifications, leave the Allow Notifications switch on but turn off the Show on Lock Screen setting.

What’s the difference between a LCD and LED screen?

When you are comparing displays for a laptop, desktop computer, or even a flat-screen television, you will often see them referred to as either LCD or LED. You may wonder what the differences between the two technologies are, and which one is better for your needs.

Truthfully, the comparison between LCD and LED displays is a bit tricky, as they can be the same thing. In fact, the terms may be somewhat interchangeable for some models. Confused? You should be.

LCD stands for liquid crystal display, which refers to tiny crystals that make up the pixels of an LCD display. The crystals don’t create light themselves, but instead they filter the light to create colors that combine to make the image on the screen. The light for the picture is actually supplied by the backlight located behind the crystals and the inverter board.

Originally, LCD displays used fluorescent lamps as backlights, which provide a fairly bright light but are prone to uneven lighting and generally use a lot of power. In many cases when someone refers to an LCD display, they are referring to a display that uses fluorescent backlighting. These displays are becoming less common.

LED displays are those that use LED (light emitting diodes) lights as a backlight. LEDs use less power than fluorescent bulbs and usually provide a brighter and more even light for the display. However, LED backlights still shine through LCDs to create the color for the display. This is where much of the confusion between the two technologies happens.

In summary; a display that is referred to as LCD could mean one that uses fluorescent OR LED backlighting, though it generally refers to those with fluorescent backlights. LED refers to a display with LED backlighting, but it is worth knowing that LED displays are still technically LCD displays as well.

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Glossy vs. Anti-Glare LCDs

There is an endless debate among technophiles when it comes to screens. Some prefer the sharp, crisp vibrancy of the glossy LCDs, where others prefer the practicality of the light diffusing matte or anti-glare LCDs. It really comes down to a matter of environment and personal preference.

Glossy monitors are exactly that – shiny, spiffy, and glossy. They display color with rich texture and are capable of sharper display than their matte counterparts, lending themselves very well to DVD playing and movie streaming, as well as gaming and overall appearance. However on the flip side of these benefits, you will have to deal with a monitor that is light reflective, which can ruin whatever you are looking at with a bright spot of light reflecting into your eye. With desktops however, this isn’t that great of concern since you can more easily position your monitor away from light sources, preventing any problems with reflection.

Glossy monitors are also infamous for holding smudges and fingerprints. Being such a smooth and highly reflective surface is basically like wearing a completely white outfit. Every smudge, nick, scratch, or whatever else will show up, so these monitors require a lot more care and attention in cleaning.

Matte screens are more suited to laptops or business machines due to their non-reflective nature. Laptops are mobile devices, always on the move with their owners, and that exposes them to a number of different lighting environments. Office machines are typically under direct lighting from above, which makes glossy screens less than ideal. In both cases, matte displays are a perfect fit. Matte screens however are by definition slightly rougher surfaces than glossy screens, which causes them to somewhat diffuse light leaving the monitor as well. This is why matte monitor displays are slightly less sharp than those on glossy monitors, and the colors less pronounced. However, it’s the kind of difference you would typically only notice if you had the two screens side by side.

When it comes down to it, the battle between glossy and matte screens is up to you. Whatever fits your personality and the type of computer you’re using is what is best. Glossy is great for rich movie and DVD viewing, but is best left to stationary machines away from light, whereas matte is great for travel and business and offers more practicality at a minimal impact on display quality.

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How to find the proper replacement LCD for your HP Laptop

Laptop computers are subject to a lot of wear and tear, especially on their moveable parts. The monitor is one of the most used and abused parts of your computer as a result of this, and also its sheer size. Fortunately, it isn’t that hard to find and replace an HP LCD monitor for your laptop.

The first thing you’ll want to do is identify your machine, with a model number if possible. Typically, this will be displayed on the underside of the laptop on a white sticker called the service tag. If you’re not sure what is what on this sticker, write it all down. The model number identifies your machine, and the product number narrows it down even more.

If you are unable to find your specific model number, you may need to remove the LCD itself and find a part number on it. To do so, look at the front of your monitor. It will either have screws or caps along the edge facing you as if you were using the machine. If it has caps these can be removed simply by popping them off with a tool. Remove the screws beneath around the perimeter of the screen. Then, take a corner of the bezel (the part of your computer case surrounding the monitor itself) and carefully remove the entire face and set aside. Now at the bottom of your laptop, you should see screws on the hinges which will also need to be removed, carefully. Once this is done you should be able to lower the monitor itself face down to the keyboard, revealing its backside, which will list its specific part number.

If you do attempt to do this at home, be sure to remove the AC adapter and the battery. Remember always, safety first. If you are not comfortable with doing this, take your machine to a local repair shop, or contact your manufacturer for further assistance.

When shopping for replacement LCDs, there are a number of specifications of which to be cognizant. First and foremost will be size. Especially when purchasing a new laptop monitor, you will be locked into a specific size, so make sure your new monitor will fit your machine properly. Aspect ratio refers to the height and width of display, for example a 16:9 would be considered a widescreen display format. Resolution is typically the gold standard of performance rating. The higher the resolution, the more pixels the monitor will display. More pixels allow for a sharper, crisper image. Most common displays run at WXGA or XGA, depending on the aspect ratio. There are many other specifications that come in to play that you may wish to discuss with a computer repair shop or retailer, but those listed above will be the most influential to the quality and function of your display.

Common solutions to internet connectivity issues

One of the most frustrating problems many users face is that random seeming event when your computer simply will not connect to the internet. You can’t tell why, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong, but no matter what you do, your computer just cannot seem to get online. There are however, a few common culprits that can get between you and the great wide world of web, and luckily they’re pretty easy to remedy as well.

First, do a quick cable check. If you are using a desktop computer, check the cable connections from the back of your tower, to your router (if you have one), to your modem, and finally to your wall. All connections should be tight and secure. If you’re using a laptop on a wireless connection, you should still check the cables from your router, to the modem, and finally to the wall. Also, while you’re checking your modem, check its status lights. Is it sending and receiving information? If it isn’t, you may need to contact your internet service provider.

Another simple cause of connectivity issues that happens more frequently than you’d think is actually having the wireless card enabled. Most laptops will have either a button or switch right near the keyboard to toggle the wireless card on and off. Check that this is in the “on” position. If this doesn’t fix the problem, go into your computer’s device manager and check the status of the wireless card. It may not be functioning properly, or may have been disabled manually while your wireless switch remained in the “on” position.

When in doubt, restart your modem and your router. Sometimes, they just get stuck. Routers are notoriously sensitive machines, and the tiniest thing can throw them off. Usually, unplugging either of these devices for about 10 seconds and then plugging them back in gets them to refresh themselves, which in itself can sometimes fix whatever problem you may be having.

If none of these things work, contact your internet service provider. Many times their technicians will be glad to assist you in checking everything over, and they can double check and confirm the status of your internet service as well.

Should you get an extended/accidental damage warranty for your computer?

Extended warranties extend the coverage against defects and problems that a computer may experience for a longer period of time. An accidental damage warranty can cover a computer repair in situations that the standard warranty may not, such as water damage or dropping a laptop on a floor. On the surface, these warranties could save you a lot of money if you need a repair, but are they worth it? Let us look at a few of the factors to consider.

Reliability

Computers tend to be more reliable today than they were even a few years ago. As manufacturing processes improve, the chance of a major failure is less likely.

Cost

When considering whether to purchase an extended warranty or accidental coverage, weigh the cost of the warranty with the likely cost of a major repair and/or the parts needed for that repair. Then consider the likelihood of the repair being necessary. Also consider the replacement cost for a new laptop. Laptops have become increasingly less expensive, often making it cheaper to purchase a new laptop with a new warranty than to pay for a costly repair.

Insurance Coverage

In some cases, home insurance may cover the cost of some computer problems, particularly those caused by lightning damage or other factors associated with your home. Check your policy to see what may already be covered.

Saving Alternatives

You may want to consider skipping an extended warranty, but to put the same amount of money in a savings account. If a repair becomes necessary, the money in the account may be enough to cover it. If a repair is never required, you can use the money to purchase your next computer, or keep it in the savings account for future repairs.

There is no quick and easy answer as to whether or not an extended warranty will be worth the money in every situation. There are many users who have saved a lot of money by utilizing an extended warranty, but also many who paid for one and never used it. Considering the factors listed above can help you to make an informed decision based on your own personal needs.

How to replace a Sony VAIO laptop hard drive

To begin replacing the Sony VAIO laptop hard drive, remove the battery of the Sony VAIO laptop after disconnecting the AC adapter from the wall and the device. There is the possibility that the power button could be pushed or triggered by your movements or a screwdriver with a small built up charge; simply pop out the power button and set it to the side. When removing and replacing or upgrading a hard drive it is important to have a small piece of metal around to discharge any static electrical build up so the machine is not affected. Most Sony laptops will need to have the front cover and keyboard removed for access to the hard drive and internal components.

If the speakers are located above the keyboard, remove the screws, they will be located along the side of the device or on top. Slip the speaker cover off and disconnect the speaker connection wires. Next find the keyboard connection cable and remove it then the keyboard exposing the internal components. The hard drive will be hard to miss as it is 2.5 inches wide and encased in a holed casing, like Swiss cheese. There will be 3 – 4 screws holding the cage in place, remove them and then remove the screw on the back as it is the last one holding the cage and hard drive in place.

The cage/hard drive assembly has a connector that attaches it to the board, be very careful when moving the cage so you do not damage the connector. The hard drive is attached by four fasteners or screws depending upon the model; this will be done after removing the cage from the laptop assembly. You can remove the connector attached to the board either before or after removing the cage, but it is recommended that you do it before. Sony makes sure that more than enough screws and fasteners are used, so you may need to look for more screws if something does not quite come loose. To replace the hard drive simply follow these directions in reverse.

Adding A Large Hard Drive To Your Laptop

Sooner or later many users find that their laptop’s hard drive is full, and they begin to wonder if it is possible to upgrade it to a larger drive for more storage space. Not only is replacing your laptop hard drive possible, it is usually quite easy to do. Here are the steps required to replace your laptop’s hard drive with a larger one.

Find a replacement drive using an online parts locator

Before you start, you will need to find a compatible drive for your laptop with more storage space. Use an online parts locator tool to see which drives are compatible with your laptop model, as different models require different drive form factors. You will probably also want an external drive enclosure for the cloning process.

Clone your drive or Reinstall?

The easiest way to upgrade a laptop hard drive is to clone it with cloning software. This copies all files and partitions from the original drive to the new drive and you can simply boot up the laptop and pick up where you left off. Programs such as Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost can handle the cloning process, and will also expand the partition for the larger drive, allowing you to utilize all of the extra space.

If you choose not to clone the drive, you can simply backup all your important data, install the new drive, install the operating system, then move your files onto the new drive.

Find Instructions

The process of replacing the drive is somewhat different for each model, so it is a good idea to find specific instructions for your laptop’s model. Try searching for the term “service manual” along with your laptop’s model for instructions. You may also try a search such as “How to replace hard drive” and you laptop’s make and model.

Reuse your old drive

If you have purchased an external enclosure for the cloning process, you can place your old hard drive in this enclosure to use it for extra storage. Once you are sure your old files are backed up, you can delete the files on this drive or reformat to regain space.

Laptop hard drive technologies

Laptop hard drive technology continues to improve. Faster hard drives with more capacity are arriving every year, and it can be difficult to know the difference between different standards. Here is a rundown of the different laptop hard drive technologies used today.

While most desktop hard drives are in the standard 3.5” form factor, nearly all laptop hard drives use the 2.5” form factor. While other standards are sometimes used in the smallest laptops, the vast majority of laptops use the 2.5” hard drive standard.

There a few factors related to the speed of laptop hard drives. The first is the spin speed of the platters in the hard drive which store the data. The most common speed for laptop hard drives is 5400 rpm (revolutions per minute), but 4200 rpm and 7200 rpm drives are also common. Generally, the faster the rotation speed, the faster the access time for the hard drive, but a drive with a faster rotational speed will consume more power and will be noisier during operation. These are reasons why many laptops have 5400 rpm drives instead of the faster 7200 rpm drives. The actual speed of the drive is usually measured in “access time” or data transfer rate. These ratings give buyers a comparison for which drive may perform better.

Most modern hard drives connect through either SATA or PATA (IDE) connections. PATA uses a large ribbon cable for connecting to the motherboard, and was the most common drive connection technology for many years. SATA, or Serial ATA, is a faster connection method, which also uses a smaller port and cable than PATA, making it ideal for the tight spaces of a laptop. SATA offers better access speeds than most other technologies.

A new laptop hard drive technology is emerging, called solid state, which uses flash memory instead of platters. The lack of moving parts results in lower power usage and often faster access times, but the cost of solid state drives is very expensive. As prices come down in the future, it is likely that solid state drives will become the most common technology for laptop hard drives.

The Benefits of SSD Hard Drives

There is a lot of talk about solid-state drives or SSD’s in the technology world, but the advantages and disadvantages of this technology are not always clear. Here we will look at how SSD’s are different from traditional hard disk drives, and the advantages and disadvantages that they provide.

A solid-state drive is one that uses solid-state memory instead of a hard disk platters to store and retrieve data. These drives are sometimes referred to as RAM drives, but more often they are simply referred to as SSD’s. SSD’s have no moving parts, unlike hard disk drives, which can encounter a number of problems related to their moving parts, especially when jolted or dropped.

Advantages:

The main advantage of SSD’s are the lack of moving parts, which reduces the chance of failures, as most problems with hard disk drives relate to mechanical failure of one or more moving parts. SSD’s do not need to “seek” data, but instead, can read multiple areas of the drive at once, virtually eliminating seek time. The lack of moving parts also makes the drives much quieter, and start-up time is much faster, as there is no need to wait for platters to spin up to speed.

Disadvantages:

The main disadvantage of SSD’s is that the flash memory used in the drives have a shorter lifetime than hard disk platters. This means that the drive’s memory will fail earlier in its lifetime. This problem has been reduced by the fact that modern drives spread out the read and write tasks across the entire memory of the drive, reducing wear on any one section. With this technology, the drives are capable of the same lifetime as a hard disk drive.

The other main disadvantage of solid-state drives is their high price. Since the drives use a much newer technology and flash memory is expensive, SSD’s are currently much more expensive than equivalent HDD’s. This is already beginning to change, however, and prices are continuing to come down as the process is refined.

While SSD’s are a niche market for those seeking better performance, they are expected to become the norm within a few years. Soon, the majority of computer users will be able to benefit from solid-state drives, without the high prices currently associated with them.