Face Book emails

Facebook emails: how to turn them off

 

Is your email inbox always filling up with unnecessary messages from Facebook? Find out how to turn off annoying Facebook notification emails and declutter your inbox.

Facebook loves to let you know whenever something happens on your account, but receiving an email every time anything happens can clutter your inbox and get in the way of other important emails. If you use a Facebook app on your phone, this can be even more annoying as you will receive double notifications for some things.

Luckily, adjusting your Facebook Notification Settings is easy, and while you can’t turn them off entirely, you can limit them to “notifications about your account, security and privacy” –which is pretty good considering that there are 58 other events that can trigger an email from Facebook.

Desktop

To change your Facebook Notification Settings on your computer you can click here.

If this link doesn’t work for you, open up Facebook and click the little downward facing arrow at the top right corner of Facebook, then click Settings. From here, click Notifications on the left-hand side, and then click Email address. Now you can choose from three different settings for how many emails you will receive, and you can also turn specific notifications on or off.

Smartphone or tablet

To change the settings on your smart device, either open up the Facebook app or open up your web browser and then go to Facebook. Now tap the three-horizontal-lines icon (located in different spots on different devices), then scroll down and tap Account Settings > Notifications > Email.

From here you can tap to choose which notifications you would prefer to receive. Using the app, you are limited to choosing from three different settings for how many emails you will receive; if you want to customise these more, you will need to log in on a computer and follow the steps above.

Related articles:

How to make group chats on Facebook

Why join Twitter?

 

Too Smart Phone

How does my smartphone know where I live and work?

 

Has your iPhone, iPad or Android ever surprised you by informing you that you’re a 10-minute drive from home? Find out how it knows this and how you can make it forget.

Over the last couple of years, Google and Apple have both introduced features that can determine where you live and work, among other things. At some point in time you would have opted into these features, possibly by rushing past a checkbox to see any goodies the new version of iOS or Android offered

The way your device determines where you live and work is by looking at your GPS information over a few days and making some educated guesses. For example, if you sleep somewhere every night, you probably live there. And if you leave this location and go somewhere for eight hours each weekday, this is probably where you work. These services can make some more guesses about favourite restaurants and other locations you visit as well.

Apple stores all of this information on your device, whereas Google stores it all in the cloud. The purpose of this is harmless enough (on the surface anyway): your smartphone or tablet will know where you’re going based on the day of the week and the time of day, so if you open up your smartphone as you hop in the car, it’ll instantly be able to tell you what the traffic is like, and possibly show you a quicker route.

As always, this convenience comes at a cost. If someone was to gain access to your iPhone or iPad, or to your Google data, they could quite accurately find out where you will be at any given time. If you don’t want Apple or Google knowing this much about you, or you’re worried about the data falling into the wrong hands, you can disable these ‘services’.

iPhone and iPad

On Apple devices this feature is called ‘Frequent Locations’, and it can be accessed by opening Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Now scroll down and tap System Services, located near the bottom, and then tap Frequent Locations, again located near the bottom. On this screen you will be able to see Apple’s list of locations you frequent, and you can deactivate the service by tapping the slider next to Frequent Locations to the off position.

Android

On Android devices, this feature is called Google Now, and it attempts to pull together information from other services such as your email and calendar. To turn off Google Now, open up the Google Settings app on your device (this is not the same as the regular settings app you have; you will find it with other apps you have installed). Once you have found and opened the app, tap Search and Now > Now Cards. Then tap the slider next to Show Cards to the off position.

Related articles:
Five tips to protect online privacy
ATM skimming: protect yourself from the scammers

 

Enlarging screen

Eye strain: avoid it by enlarging the screen text on your devices

 

Many of us spend good chunks of the day checking text messages, reading emails, catching up on social media and generally staring at the teeny tiny screens on our smartphones. This can lead to blurred vision, headaches, dry and sore eyes, and muscle strain.

Around one in four people with eye concerns complain about sore eyes due to spending time reading text on a small screen. The problem is that while we naturally blink once every three to four seconds, we only blink every six to eight seconds when we stare at a screen.

I didn’t believe this when I first read it, so I reread it – which took me about 12 seconds – and you know what? I didn’t blink. I looked away and immediately blinked four or five times in rapid succession.

The other thing I noticed was that I squinted to read the screen. That can also contribute to eye strain as well as neck, shoulder and muscle fatigue.

One way to combat these problems is to enlarge the text on your screen. Here’s how to do just that.

On your iPhone or iPad, head to ‘Settings’ then click on ‘General’. Next, select ‘Accessibility’, then tap ‘Larger Text’. Now, select your desired text size, then press the home button to exit the menu.

If that’s not enough and you want to make your text stand out even more, you’ll be happy to know that you can bold your screen text. To do this, just go to ‘Settings’ then click ‘Display & Brightness’ and flip the ‘Bold Text’ switch. Now restart your phone and your bold text will appear.

You can also use the good old ‘pinch apart’ gesture – which is when you put two fingers on your screen and pull them apart to magnify any images and text. Head to www.lukew.com if you’d like to know more about gestures.

If you’re using an Android phone, go to ‘Settings’ and click ‘Display’, then ‘Font Size’. Now you can choose from one of four settings: small, normal, large or huge.

While a standard Android phone doesn’t have a ‘bold text’ option, it does have a high-contrast feature. This adds a black outline around some of the text on your screen to make it easier to read. To access this feature, go to ‘Settings’, then tap the ‘high-contrast’ text box.

If you’re using a Mac computer, you can hold ‘Command’ and use the ‘+’ or ‘–‘ to enlarge or reduce the text and images on your screen.

For PC users, click on ‘Start’ and head to ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Control Panel’. Now double click ‘Display’, then ‘Settings’ and move the tab under screen resolution to the left to enlarge images and text on your screen.

Do you know of any other ways to reduce eye strain? Why not share them with our members?

Read more at PC World

Read more at www.yoursightmatters.com

Related articles:
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Free apps to reduce eyestrain
Stop computer screens destroying your eyesight

 

Find Missing iPhone etc.

How to find your missing iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch

 

If you ever have the unfortunate experience of misplacing or having your Apple device stolen, you’ll be glad to know there’s a way you can locate it with Apple’s handy ‘Find My iPhone’ feature.

First, you’ll need to enable the ‘Find My iPhone’ function. To do this, go to ‘Settings’, scroll to ‘Privacy’ and tap ‘Location Services’. Flip the switch so it’s in the green position. Then scroll down and find ‘System Services’. Here you’ll see the ‘Find My iPhone’ switch, which you can now turn on. You may be prompted for your Apple ID and password when you first activate this feature.

Now that ‘Find My iPhone’ is on, you can use it to locate your device.

Not only can the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature locate your missing device, it can also help you to take action that can keep your data safe in the meantime.

To use Find My iPhone:

·         Sign in to your iCloud account on a Mac or PC, or download and access the Find My iPhone app on a friend’s iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

·         To locate your device, simply open Find My iPhone, and select a registered device to view its location on a map. If it’s somewhere around your house or in your car, Find My iPhone can make it play a sound so it’s easier to find.

·         If it’s in someone else’s hands, or some dubious location, you can use ‘Lost Mode’ to remotely lock your device using a four-digit passcode. You can also display a message showing your phone number on the device's Lock screen, which can make it easier for the (hopefully) honest citizen who finds your device to contact you.

·         If you have credit card or payment information on your device, you, or whomever has your device, won’t be able to access these details whilst your device is in Lost Mode.

·         Even if your device is off or out of range, you’ll still be able to put it in Lost Mode, and you’ll be able to track the location of your device once it’s turned on again. Once you find your device, you’ll need to enter your four-digit passcode to disable Lost Mode. You can also do this from your iCloud account.

·         In a worst-case scenario, you can erase all of your your data remotely. This will stop anyone accessing any of your private information. Be careful though, because once you’ve erased your device you will no longer be able to track it using Find My iPhone.

 

If your device is stolen or misplaced, and Find My iPhone isn't switched on, it’s best to immediately change your passwords, including your Apple ID, social media accounts, banking and email, and report your device as missing. You can report it to the police, as well as your carrier, who should be able to disable your account, preventing phone calls, texts and data use.

Have you ever lost your device or had it stolen? Did having Find My iPhone help you find it?

Related articles:
Five iPhone tips you need to know
Set up a Medical ID on your iPhone
Understanding your smartphone

 

How to back up your iPhone and iPad

Hi, I thought this video containing how to back up your contacts, photos and app information in under five minutes might be of interest: https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/video/how-to-back-up-your-iphone-and-ipad  

W10 Tips & Tricks

Windows 10: tips and tricks to customise your computer

 

Give your computer some personality with these great tips and tricks for Windows 10, plus find out how you can bring back classic games such as Solitaire, Hearts and Minesweeper.

Customise your Start menu

The Windows 10 Start menu bridges the gap between the simplistic menus of Windows XP–7 and the cluttered menu of Windows 8.

The Start menu now shows some default locations and recently used apps on the left-hand side, while the right-hand side is populated by ‘Live Tiles’. By right-clicking on a Live Tile you can adjust the size of the tile, turn the tile off, or uninstall the program to which the tile opens.

You can also resize the Start menu by clicking on the top edge of the menu and dragging the mouse up or down.

Change your wallpaper

If you find the standard Windows wallpaper a little dull, you can change it to your own picture. To do this, right-click on your desktop and click Display settings. From here you can choose from some other Windows supplied backgrounds or click Browse to select your own image.

Bring back the games

Upon upgrading, you may have been shocked to discover that some classic games, such as Solitaire, Hearts and Minesweeper, were missing from your computer.

Those looking for Solitaire, FreeCell or Spider Solitaire can find these games by clicking on the Start menu and entering ‘solitaire’ into the search bar. These games have been bundled together into one program called Microsoft Solitaire Collection. (Note: classic Solitaire is now called Klondike.

Minesweeper addicts can visit the Microsoft store to start sweeping again.

Unfortunately fans of the classic Hearts game are out of luck, as Microsoft has not yet made an official version of the game available. However, you can mend that broken heart by downloading an unofficial remake.

Change your theme

Give your personal computer some individual flair by changing your theme. To do this right-click on your desktop and click Personalise. Now click Themes on the left-hand side, then click Classic themes settings. From here you can adjust your themes, get more themes online, or activate high-contrast themes if you have trouble reading text or identifying items on your computer.

Brand new keyboard shortcuts

Every new version of Windows brings some nifty keyboard shortcuts with it, to see the newest additions, have a look at our Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.

If you’re new to the world of keyboard shortcuts, you can check out our top 10 classic keyboard shortcuts, all of which will still work for Windows 10.

Related articles:
Five best Windows 10 features
Is Windows 10 spying on you?

 

SMS Scam Warning

SMS scam: ACMA issues warning over sophisticated bank scam

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27 COMMENTS

Mobile phone users are being warned of a new SMS phishing scam, where victims are redirected to fake Australian banking websites then fleeced of their private login details.

The scam is quite sophisticated, using genuine-looking web addresses and employing website design that looks as if it’s the real thing.

Potential targets are sent a short text message (SMS) with a legitimate looking link from a genuine banking institution. The SMS, when clicked, directs them to a fake website such as the one pictured above. Duped customers are then encouraged to enter private banking login details which are captured by crafty criminals. 

According to the ACMA warning, “It appears that the criminals behind this campaign are constantly refining their messages and the associated fake imitation banking websites to increase their chance of success. In the fake ANZ mobile banking website scam, you can see how they have even used a fake ‘loading’ page to simulate standard mobile banking transactions.”

The only obvious giveaways are the URLs (web addresses), which, although similar, can still be recognised as false addresses. ACMA has released some sample text messages with URLs of which you should be aware. The ones listed below are targeting ANZ customers:

• Account notification: hXXp://m.anzmobilebank. com/
• Account notification: Verify your identity hXXp://m.anzmobilebank. com/
• Account Notification: hXXp://anz-notification. Com
• Account Notification: hXXp://mobile-anz. Info
• Dear ANZ Customer, Notification: hXXp://anz-mobile. Center
• Internal message received: hXXp:/anzmobilebank. com
• Notification: hXXp://anz-mobile. Center
• Verify your identity: hXXp:/anzmobilebank. com

Targeted banks included in the scam are ANZ, Bank of Queensland, Bendigo, GE Money, Heritage, Macquarie, National Australia Bank, St George and Suncorp, with more institutions being progressively targeted.

ACMA’s useful tips to help you stay protected

To help minimise your chances of being duped by these and other phishing campaigns, we recommend that you: 

• don't open SMS or emails from unknown or suspicious sources
• don’t click on any of the links contained in these messages
• always carefully check the authenticity of a website that requests your user credentials
• never reuse the same password when you login to websites
• where available, use two-factor authentication on your accounts.

If you or someone you know has been sent a scam text message, please notify ACMA on 0429 999 888.

Read more at the Australian Communications and Media Authority website

App of the Month

App of the month February 2016

 

Do you keep track of your moles and lesions? How about your daily sugar intake? Making sure you stay healthy has never been easier with these apps of the month.

Skinvision

With this app, you can take photos of your moles and keep a visual archive of each one. Monitoring them to see if they have changed over time allows you to more accurately assess whether or not they pose a risk by showing signs of skin cancer.

In addition to this feature, upon downloading the app, you will receive one free month’s subscription to the app’s online analysis tool. This means you can take a photo of a mole and the app will analyse it for you to determine if it is a risk.

At the moment Skinvision only tests for melanoma skin cancer, but the developers aim to add support for other types of skin cancer in the future.

While there is no replacement for a trained doctor or dermatologist for determining the risk of moles and lesions, Skinvision claims it is 80 per cent accurate in tests for detecting signs of melanoma.

Skinvision also gives you a personalised UV index based on your location.

Available for iPhone, iPad and Android.

That Sugar App

Cutting your sugar intake is hard work, so why not give this app a go to make things a little easier?

That Sugar App allows you to keep track of how much sugar you consume each day. While calorie counters aren’t anything new, this app comes in ahead of the competition with a clean and stylish interface, as well as a handy barcode-scanning feature.

This feature allows you to scan the barcode of food or drink products to instantly identify them and how much sugar they contain. Then you can simply enter how many servings you consumed and the sugar will be logged in your day’s total.

The amount of sugar you have eaten each day is shown as a pile of sugar cubes, which increases with every teaspoon you consume. While not every product is recognised by the app, almost everything I scanned was.

If an item isn’t recognised, you can save the item to the app, making it easier to document in the future.

If you want to challenge yourself and cut down on sugar, you can set custom goals with the app to lower your sugar intake. You can also set meal reminders to keep regular meal times.

Do you already use a calorie counter? Does That Sugar App sound like it’s worth a shot?

Available for free on iPhone, iPad and Android.

 

 

 

Understanding smartphones

Understanding smartphones: a simple guide

 

Do you sometimes wish you knew more about your smartphone? This simple guide will walk you through all the components and features of your device, from A to Z. 

Apps
These are similar to the programs you would use on a computer, but are usually a lot smaller and simpler. Which apps you can use on your smartphone will depend on which operating system (see below) you are using. Types of apps include internet browsers, camera apps, banking apps, games and more.

Top apps of 2015

App store
This is where you can download apps. If you are using an Apple smartphone, you can only download apps from the iTunes Store. Android users are able to download apps from Google Play, Amazon Appstore and other locations; but be careful, as these other locations may not be safe.

Buttons
A vestige of the old phones we knew and loved, physical buttons are now nearly gone from modern smartphones, but it’s almost impossible to remove them completely.

Apple iPhones have:

·         a physical button on the front called the home button

·         a volume up/down button and a ring/silent switch on the left-hand side

·         an on/off button on the right-hand side.

Android phones have different buttons depending on the manufacturer, but generally you will find:

·         At the bottom on the front of the device you will find a menu button, home button, back button and occasionally a search button. On some devices, these buttons may be located on the touch screen rather than being physical buttons

·         an on/off button on the right-hand side

·         a volume up/down button on the left-hand side.

Camera
Most smartphones have one camera on the front for taking selfies or for using apps such asFaceTime, and another on the back for taking regular photos.

When you open the camera app, you can usually swap between the cameras by tapping a face or camera icon surrounded by arrows.

The camera on the back of the phone is usually much better, so unless you’re taking a selfie, stick to the back camera. Usually tapping on the screen controls the camera, but most smartphones also allow you to use the volume button to take photos. 

Charging
Smartphones all use rechargeable batteries that are charged by plugging your phone into a wall charger.

It’s best for your smartphone if you charge it before the battery runs out completely. You should also unplug it once it’s fully charged, but once every now and again it’s good for your phone to let the battery run out completely.

Make your iPhone or iPad battery last longer

GPS, accelerometer and compass
GPS uses satellites to determine the location of your phone and is free to use.

The accelerometer is a small device inside your smartphone that can tell the angle you are holding your device. This is how it knows to rotate the screen when you hold it sideways.

There’s a small compass inside your smartphone which, combined with the previous two components, makes your smartphone a handy tool for navigation.

Manufacturer
This is the company that manufactured your smartphone. iPhone’s are all manufactured by Apple, but Android devices come from a number of different manufacturers, such as Google, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Sony and more.

Microphone
Your smartphone has a microphone at the bottom that is used when you’re talking on the phone. If you have headphones plugged into your smartphone, there is usually a microphone on them that allows you to talk hands-free on the phone.

Operating System (OS)
This is the software on which your device operates. Apple iPhones run on ‘iOS’, of which the most recent version is iOS 9, Apple releases iOS updates simultaneously to everyone.

Android devices run on the Android OS, of which the most recent version is 6 (Marshmallow). Phone providers release Android updates independently, so your phone may be several versions behind.

Ports
Ports are where you can plug things into your smartphone. Smartphones typically have a charging/data transfer port at the bottom of the device, and a 3.5mm headphone port at the top (or bottom).

Screen
Smartphones all use touchscreens. You may have heard the term ‘resolution’, this refers to the amount of pixels on the screen.

A pixel is, more or less, a little light that can change colours. The more of them you have in your screen, the better quality (or higher definition) it is.

A resolution of 1080p means that there are 1920x1080 pixels, which is equal to 2,073,600 pixels. This has long been the standard for full HD televisions, but its not unusual to see this resolution (or higher) on a smartphone as well.

Screens are backlit by lights. You can turn these lights up or down to make the screen brighter or dimmer.

Wireless connectivity
Smartphones have a few different types of technology which allow for wireless communication such as:

·         network or cellular data – allows you to make phone calls, send SMS messages and access the internet

·         wifi – allows you to connect to the internet wirelessly

·         Bluetooth – allows for short range connectivity – often used for connecting to a car audio system or wireless headphones

·         Near Field Communication (NFC) – included in some recent smartphones, NFC allows for very close range data transfer and is similar to the technology used for contactless payments.

Related articles:

Smartphone symbols explained

Six little-known iPhone tips and tricks

 

Free software

Free software: five free alternatives to paid software

 

Purchasing computer software can be necessary, but it can also cost a fortune, with frequent updates to new versions hitting your hip pocket. What if there was a free alternative? Here are five:

Free alternative to Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is one of the most common software suites. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and Powerpoint slides are all Microsoft Office files, and you will probably come across them quite often.

New computers sometimes come with Office software for free – otherwise buying the suite will cost you over $179. One of the best free alternatives is Open Office, a suite that includes Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base (alternatives to Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Draw). Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office, and even comes with a few features that aren’t available in other paid software suites.

Open Office is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and can be downloaded.

There are plenty of tutorials for using the software available here.

Free alternative to Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is more or less the most powerful image-editing software out there, but it comes with a powerful price tag as well. Buying the full version upfront will cost you upwards of a thousand dollars. If your pockets aren’t that deep, Adobe also offer a monthly subscription, but you can get all the basic features for free with Pixlr, an online photo editor.

Pixlr is available on Windows, Mac and mobile, and can be accessed simply by visitingpixlr.com. With the editor’s simple and straightforward layout, you’ll be able to edit your images and save the end result to your computer.

Free alternative to paid video players

There are dozens of different types of video files on the internet. Generally, they all do the same thing – play video – but the different types all have their own unique pros and cons.

Some allow for better quality, others save space on your computer and a few have no pros but stick around anyway. The biggest disadvantage of this situation is that often video-player software will only play one or two types of files, so to manage them all, you will need a host of programs or a paid program.

Luckily there is a free alternative. VLC media player can handle almost any video file you throw at it, and it’s available for free on Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, iPhone, iPad and Android.

Download VLC media player.

Free alternative to Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a very common email client, but if want to purchase it or upgrade, it will likely cost you from $100 to $150. Luckily Mozilla, the company responsible for Mozilla Firefox, has a great free email client available called Thunderbird.

Thunderbird performs all the basic functions of Outlook, and there are even some features it includes that are left out of Microsoft’s popular client.

Download Thunderbird.

Free alternative to Windows

If your computer is feeling a little sluggish, you might be able to swap from Microsoft Windows to a free Linux-based operating system (OS). Ubuntu is one of the most user-friendly options available and it is entirely free. It can breathe new life into an older computer, as it is designed to run on older or low-end systems.

One great feature of Ubuntu is that if you want to try it out, you can put it on a DVD or USB drive and give it a test run on your computer. If you don’t like it, you can just take out the disc and go back to Windows.

You may find that some programs you use aren’t compatible with Linux, but as it’s a haven for free and open-source software, you’ll probably be able to find a free alternative. Visit theUbuntu website to learn more.

Related articles:

Should I upgrade to Windows 10?

Is free antivirus software worthwhile?

 

Apple Power Adapters

Apple recalls power adapters

 

Just a week after Microsoft issued a recall of 285,000 power sets that shipped with its Surface Pro tablet range, Apple has issued a recall for an undisclosed number of Power adapters due to 12 incidents with the its products worldwide. 

The affected adapters were included between 2003 and 2015 with MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and iPods and are easily recognisable by the markings on the back of the adaptor. 

Affected wall plug adapters have 4 or 5 characters or no characters on the inside slot where it attaches to an Apple power adapter. 

Redesigned (unaffected) adapters have a 3-letter regional code in the slot (EUR, KOR, AUS, ARG or BRA).

"Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the two prong Apple AC wall plug adapters designed for use in Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Argentina and Brazil may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched. These wall plug adapters shipped from 2003 to 2015 with Mac and certain iOS devices, and were also included in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit.

Customer safety is always Apple's top priority, and we have voluntarily decided to exchange affected wall plug adapters with a new, redesigned adapter, free of charge. We encourage customers to exchange any affected parts"

For more information about the affected adapters as well as the exchange process, visitwww.apple.com.