Ready for a change to make your Android device feel new or just different? Check out these steps for changing your font.
Nicole Cozma/
Here at CNET How To you've read about ways to make your Android device feel new again. From changing wallpapers, themes, or launchers, to even a master reset for speed -- there are lots of options out there. One of the lesser-known adjustments you can make is changing your font. It's super easy, and it can help reduce eyestrain if your text is too small, or fit more on your screen if you think the font is too big.
You're only a few taps away, so let's get started:
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/
First you'll want to look for the Display menu. On some phones and tablets, this choice will be on the Device tab.
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/
Next, tap on Font (style) and pick from the current choices, or click the button to download others. The more narrow fonts will prevent application names from clashing together on the home screen. Don't forget to adjust the font size.
Note: If you don't see any choices in the download area for your specific phone, you can search for other font apps on the Google Play store. Example search: fonts Galaxy S5
Once you apply the change, the font will appear across your entire device, even inside many (if not all) of your apps.
CNET's Lori Grunin said she changed fonts so she could read the tiny text in her Calendar app. What benefit will you gain by changing fonts? Share your thoughts in the comments.
This is an 11.6-inch Windows 8 tablet with a 1,920 x 1,080 (!) IPS screen, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB solid-state drive, and a dual-core Pentium 3560Y processor.
If you're wondering how that CPU compares with the Core i5 chip found in the higher-end Tap 11 (which CNET reviewed and is otherwise identical), well, so did I. Turns out, there's a direct comparison over at Cpuboss, and in terms of overall performance, they're nearly even. And that Core i5 version sold for $999.99!
In other words, this system delivers considerable bang for the buck. I'd advise reading the aforementioned review for all the highs and lows, but the key takeaway is that it's thinner and lighter than Microsoft's chunky Surface Pro -- though battery life is a bit disappointing at just over 5 hours.
Because it's a refurb, the warranty expires after 90 days. Also, you don't get the stylus that's normally included, but any touchscreen-compatible pen should work if you're interested in using one.
Convertibles and hybrids haven't caught on in a big way, and I think that's because most of them are too big. A 13.3-inch screen is just too large to use comfortably in tablet mode. But an 11.6-incher should prove easier to hold, and the built-in kickstand is a huge plus.
Needless to say, if you already own one of these, hit the comments and share your own review. Inquiring cheeps want to know!
Asus
Bonus deal: Don't need quite that much horsepower? Also today only, and also while supplies last, Groupon has the refurbishedAsus Transformer Book T100TA for $202.49 shipped when you apply coupon code LABOR10 at checkout. Same basic configuration, but with a 10.1-inch screen, quad-core (!) processor, 32GB SSD, and 90-day warranty. It originally sold for $399, and CNET called it "a steal if you can find it for $350." So this must be grand theft.
Bonus deal No. 2: And while we're on the subject of dirt-cheap PCs, might as well throw this on your short list: Groupon also has the refurbished Acer C720 11.6-inch Chromebook for $116.99 shipped (again with coupon code LABOR10). At that price, these probably won't last the morning -- but here's hoping you're able to snag one. Because, good heavens, that's some dirt-cheap computing right there.
Bonus deal No. 3: One more, this time for fans of big, traditional laptops. Starting at 8 a.m. PT time, the Microsoft Store will have the Acer Aspire E 15 ES1-511-C590 laptop for $199 shipped. Specs include a Celeron processor (blech -- but sufficient for basic computing), 4GB of storage, a 500GB hard drive, a 15.6-inch display, and Windows 8.1. Entry-level, yes, but this is a mighty roomy machine for an awfully low price.
Chrome extension adds bookmarks to right-click menu
The Context Bookmarks extension lets you keep your bookmarks bar hidden but its contents readily available.
On most laptops -- my 13-inch MacBook Pro included -- screen real estate is at a premium. To gain more space, I normally keep my bookmark bar hidden. With Chrome extensionContext Bookmarks, I can keep Chrome's bookmark bar hidden and keep my bookmarks in arm's reach.
After installing Context Bookmarks, you'll see a new line -- Bookmarks Bar -- on the context menu the next time you right-click. Mouse over it to view the bookmarks and folders you have saved on your bookmarks bar.
For many of my bookmarked sites, I removed any text and rely on only the favicon in an effort to keep more bookmarks visible on the bar. In such cases, the Context Bookmarks extension doesn't see these bookmarks and doesn't include them in your right-click menu. So, if you like the extension, you may need to go back and add back some text for some of the sites on your bookmarks bar.
The last item in the Context Bookmark's menu is Options, where you can have your bookmarks open in a new tab or a new tab in the background. By default, they open in your current page.
In addition to adding an item to your right-click menu, Context Bookmark has another trick up its sleeve. It lets you use Chrome's Omnibar (aka, the URL bar) to open all the sites saved in a folder. To do so, type in an "f" into the Omnibar, hit the spacebar, and then type the name of the folder you want to open, and hit Enter.
Bill and Melinda Gates take a $1 million stand for gun control
The couple donates $1 million to support a Washington state initiative that would require criminal background checks on firearm sales at gun shows and online.
A balanced approach?The Tonight Show/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is putting his financial heft behind his belief that guns shouldn't be sold to just anyone.
He and his wife Melinda Gates donated $1 million last week to The Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility. The group stands behind ballot initiative 594, which would require criminal background checks on gun sales online and at gun shows. (There are exceptions for antiques and sales to family members.)
As SeattlePI reports, Bill and Melinda Gates had previously donated $25,000 each to the group. However, $1 million seems to say that they now consider it a serious issue.
Gates isn't the only techie pulling out his wallet for the initiative in recent months. Fellow co-founder Paul Allen has donated $500,000. Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie Ballmer have given a combined $580,000, and early Amazon investor Nick Hanhauer has contributed nearly $1.5 million.
Of the $6 million raised so far by the initiative's backers, about $3.5 million comes from this small group of tech wunderkinds.
Gates has not been an overtly political figure. Since casting aside many of his Microsoft responsibilities, he has dedicated himself, with considerable success, to the eradication of malaria.
Gun ownership is a deeply emotive issue in America, something that many overseas find difficult to grasp. Statistics concerning gun deaths stun those abroad, but seem to have less impact here. The Children's Defense Fund, for example, says that 93 percent of youths killed by guns in 26 high-income countries are in the US. (US youths represent 43 percent of that universe.) Some estimates suggest America has more guns than cars.
However, many Americans believe that guns are a great symbol of personal defense and freedom. One mantra, offered by the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre, is: "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
Clearly, Gates worries that there are too many bad guys who can get hold of guns too easily. The question now is whether his and his wife's overt support for this initiative will reap personal invective.
One of the most vocal and wealthy supporters of gun control is former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. To discredit his involvement, the NRA last week released a campaign suggesting: "Hey Bloomberg, keep your politics in New York and keep your hands off our guns." Perhaps it's easy to suggest that Bloomberg has no understanding of middle and south America. How, though, could the NRA criticize Gates?
Gates and his wife issued this statement to describe their support for I-594: "We are pleased to join many others making a donation to the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility to support Initiative 594 on the November ballot. We believe it will be an effective and balanced approach to improving gun safety in our state by closing existing loopholes for background checks."
The Gates Foundation works hard in such areas as health, agricultural reform, and education. If Bill Gates himself begins to make more public pronouncements about the need to have, at the very least, a slightly more "balanced" approach to gun control, his voice could be powerful and one not easily criticized.
Some, though, have already tried, suggesting that he and his fellow donors are mere "one-percenters."
With Mac Chrome beta, Google emphasizes speed, simplicity
Google released its 64-bit Chrome Windows first, but it's moving Mac users to the new version faster. The promise: a memory, security, and performance boost.
Stephen Shankland/
A 64-bit version of Google's Chrome browser has arrived for Mac users -- but it's leaving many plugins behind.
"Nearly every Mac user has a computer capable of running this 64-bit version, so we're automatically updating all Mac Chrome beta channel users," Mentovai said.
The 64-bit shift modernizes software running on PCs with 64-bit chips released over the last decade, but it doesn't necessarily provide a night-and-day performance increase. The availability of new on-chip memory slots called registers can help 64-bit programs, but the advantages Google highlighted are security, lower memory consumption, and faster launch speed.
"Previously, Chrome was a 32-bit app on Macs," Mentovai said. "While doubling the number of bits won't make things twice as good, it does allow us to make a number of speed and security improvements."
Chrome, though it's become a dominant browser in the six years since its initial public release, still faces major competition from Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, and Mozilla's Firefox. Google has a lot riding on Chrome: it helps the company drive technology it wants into the Web, it's the foundation for its Chrome OS operating system, and it lets Google keep more search-ad revenue than with searches launched from other browsers' search boxes.
The 64-bit memory advantages come for those who don't have any other 32-bit software running on their Macs; shifting entirely to 64-bit software means that the operating system doesn't have to load 32-bit support software that programs like browsers can draw upon.
As with the Windows 64-bit transition, Google is leaving behind 32-bit plugins that can extend a browser's abilities. When Google launched Chrome, it adopted the NPAPI standard that Firefox uses for accepting plugins, but it later moved to a new interface of its own making, PPAPI.
Google is phasing out support for all NPAPI plugins later this year, but for now, 64-bit NPAPI plugins will work in the 64-bit Chrome for Mac beta. Examples of 64-bit NPAPI plugins that Google confirmed work with 64-bit Chrome on Windows include Oracle's Java and Microsoft's Silverlight.
"Users shouldn't notice any changes, because most major plugins are available in both 32-bit and 64-bit form, and many major websites have been switching from NPAPI towards more modern HTML5 APIs," referring to the modern-Web programming interfaces, Mentovai said.
The most widely used plugin by far is Adobe Systems' Flash Player, though the company is trying to move beyond it through support of Web standards that duplicate some Flash abilities. Chrome comes with a built-in 64-bit version of Flash Player that uses PPAPI, so that won't stop working with the upcoming plugin change.
Microsoft's OneDrive Android app merges personal, professional
Microsoft's updated OneDrive for Android cloud storage app adds support for OneDrive for Business.
Microsoft is trying to make it easier for users to distinguish when they are saving and accessing content in OneDrive consumer vs. OneDrive for Business.Microsoft
Microsoft has released an updated version of its OneDrive for Android cloud-storage app that adds for the first time on Android support for OneDrive for Business.
A few months ago, Microsoft moved the different teams working on a consumer version of its OneDrive cloud storage service and the business version of that same service into the same business unit. That may sound like a no-brainer move, but the two different OneDrives have shared little but the OneDrive name. OneDrive for Business is a feature of Office 365 and/or SharePoint.
With today's new unified OneDrive app for Android, nothing has changed from a back-end perspective. There are still separate OneDrive consumer and OneDrive for Business storage services. Microsoft is trying to make it easier for users to distinguish when they are saving and accessing files, documents, and photos in OneDrive consumer vs. OneDrive for Business.
The first revamp of the unified OneDrive consumer/business experience is happening on Android. Microsoft's updated OneDrive for Android app adds support for OneDrive for Business. (Previously, the OneDrive for Android app, which can be used on both Android phones and tablets, supported only the OneDrive consumer cloud storage service.)
A new single Android OneDrive app also features a new interface that allows users to more easily keep their work and personal files separate. Microsoft also has added support for setting up a four-digit pin to the new unified OneDrive Android app.
Microsoft officials said the company will be providing a unified OneDrive consumer/business client app to iOS and Windows Phone devices "in the coming months."
In the interim, Microsoft has made a few tweaks to those OneDrive for iOS and OneDrive for Windows Phone 8.1 apps.
OneDrive for iOS, which works on iPhone and iPad, now lets users swipe down in the app to get a search box to make searching for files and folders quicker and easier. The app also gets an "All Photos" viewing option.
Microsoft is updating OneDrive for Windows Phone 8.1 with an update for the OneDrive recycle bin, making it easier to restore accidentally deleted files and folders. It also is receiving "a number of bug fixes," according to Microsoft officials.
Firefox OS phone owners will be able to flip app permissions on and off at will in a far-future version of the browser-based mobile operating system.
A prototype of the Firefox OS-powered Cloud FX phone. A future version of the operating system will include app permission controls.Stephen Shankland/
Mozilla promises that a future version of its Firefox OS will offer the kind of customized app permission experience that Android has yet to provide.
Firefox OS is the mobile operating system based on the Firefox browser's engine. It runs on the Firefox OS reference phone the Flame; several lower midrange devices such as the ZTE Open and the Alcatel OneTouch Fire, available in 15 countries; and the super-low-end Cloud FX in India. Instead of native code, apps are built in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript -- the same languages used to make websites.
Firefox OS 2.1, a future version, will ship with an advanced feature setting so that the "tech savvy and paranoid privacy enthusiasts" can tweak app permissions to their liking, Mozilla security engineer Frederik Braun said in a blog post.
"The typical list in the Settings app will then show you all the permissions an app has and allows you to set them to Allow, Prompt or Deny," he wrote. Firefox OS settings allow app developers to set three levels, unlike Android's binary On or Off.
The feature will allow the phone user to set configure specific app permissions more to their liking, so that the Alarm app, for example, doesn't necessarily have access to the GPS. However, an operating system architecture means that the planned app permission toggle will work only with apps installed from the Mozilla Marketplace. Built-in apps are locked as they are. Additionally, Braun warns that changing these settings could break an app, stopping it from functioning at all.
However, the feature is far from ready, and Firefox OS users won't see it for quite a while. How long? That's not clear, since the version of the browser-powered mobile operating system that permission controls is expected to ship in -- Firefox OS 2.1 -- is only listed on the Firefox OS release schedule as having a "code complete" date, not a public availability date.
A Mozilla spokesman explained that no public availability date was mentioned because the responsibility for updating phones falls to its carrier partners.
"Our partners are responsible for testing, certification and launching of new devices as well as making OS updates to users," he said.
Currently, Firefox OS 1.4 will be followed by Firefox OS 2.0, also with an unannounced availability, and then version 2.1 will follow.
These are the 8 Android and Windows Phone features we want on the iPhone 6
Apple doesn't hold the patent on good ideas. These hardware and software goodies from other phones would make Apple's next iPhone even better.
The iPhone 5S successor is right around the bend.Sarah Tew/
One could argue that the entire modern smartphone market has been largely built around aping Apple's revolutionary iPhone, which first appeared in 2007. Indeed, that phone still looks remarkably "current" in some ways: the minimalist rectangular design, the no-keyboard glass touchscreen, and tap and swipe interface are all mainstays of the marketplace now.
Apple, of course, is deadly serious when it comes to protecting its intellectual property -- just askSamsung. But the iPhone maker has borrowed good ideas from competitors, too -- plenty of things in iOS 7 and the forthcoming iOS 8 first appeared in competing Android and Windows Phone models.
In my book, that's a good thing -- consumers are getting better features across the board, regardless of their OS. To that end, I'm hoping that the iPhone 6 has picked up a few of its rivals' other tricks as well.
Virtually guaranteed
We already know we're getting home screen widgets (of a sort) and swappable keyboards, courtesy ofiOS 8. Beyond those, rumors of NFC (near-field communication that pairs devices in a tap) and a larger screen make that spec almost a given, not to mention the undeniable industry shift in these directions, supported by consumer demand.
Want, want, want
Smart lock screen tricks: Talk about intuitive. I love the simple way that the LG G2 and LG G3's lock screen turns on and off with a simple, elegant, and totally natural double-tap.
Waterproofing: Rugged water-resistant phones have been around for a long time, but Sony's high-end Xperia line (like the Xperia Z2) and Samsung's Galaxy S5 are making the idea of inherent "waterproofing" less of a luxury and more of a given. If these companies can bolster an everyday handset against ordinary splashes and accidental soakings, Apple can too.
Google's nerd cred not easy to come by: Yahoo kills Web coding project
The Yahoo User Interface software library was helpful but at odds with modern Web programming directions, Yahoo says.
Yahoo on Friday formally killed its Yahoo User Interface library (YUI), a once-popular Web programming project that's faded from use, showing how hard it will be for CEO Marissa Mayer to Google-ize her company.
"We have made the difficult decision to immediately stop all new development on YUI," choosing instead to focus on more modern Web programming trends, Julien Lecomte, engineering director for Yahoo Presentation Technologies, disclosed on a company blog. "This means that, going forward, new YUI releases will likely be few and far between, and will only contain targeted fixes that are absolutely critical to Yahoo properties."
Yahoo remains a major force on the Web, and its sites operate at impressive scale. But Google is much more likely to spring to mind when people think of Web giants influencing the future direction of online programming.
While Yahoo is killing YUI, it's not killing its Web programming ambitions.
"Interested in working on cutting edge web technologies?" Lecomte said on Twitter to anyone listening. "Let's chat!"
Google is in part responsible for some of the new directions of Web programming, including an aggressive push to improve the Web as a foundation for dynamic apps, not just static documents, and to give programmers the ability to pick and choose among many different user-interface elements from a variety of developers.
This latter approach, called Web Components and closely aligned with Google's Polymer project, is orthogonal to the monolithic approach of YUI, which Yahoo began in 2005 and released publicly in 2006. Polymer is designed for any modern browser, but Google has a powerful ability to bring new technologies and new Web standards to market by virtue of its control over the Chrome browser.
YUI is a JavaScript library -- a prepackaged collection of useful features that programmers can include on their Web sites for things like graphics, drag-and-drop actions, or settings sliders. As the Web has evolved, though, "large JavaScript libraries such as YUI have been receiving less attention from the community," Lecomte said. "Many developers today look at large JavaScript libraries as walled gardens they don't want to be locked into."
A demonstration of the Yahoo User Interface programming library.
Changing Skype accounts soon? Grab a copy of your contact list information from your current account before you switch.
Nicole Cozma/
Whether a swarm of spammers is attacking your Skype, or you just decide that you're tired of your current username, you may want to export your contact list and move it to another account. Ghacks.net recently shared a post about an application that can show you all contact information in an organized window, but this example will use Skype's default tools. Skipping on the third-party application means the data will be a bit messier to look at, but you can still get the job done with relatively little effort.
Here's how to export your Skype contact list:
Nicole Cozma
Step 1: Click the Contact menu in your Skype window and select Advanced > Back up Contacts to file.
Step 2: When the window appears for saving the file, you can either keep the *.vcf file extension if you're going to import to another Skype account, or you can change the extension to *.txt.
Note: You can also assign *.vcfs to open with Notepad, too.
You should see all of your contacts, their usernames, and any other information they have made available on their Skype profile. Additionally, all accounts you've blocked in the past will also be included in the file.
(Optional) Step 3: Delete any entries in the file you do not want to import to your new account. Then head to the Contacts menu > Advanced > Restore contacts from file.
Contacts will be sent a request for you to add them to your new list. If you don't hear back from them, you can right-click their username in the list and resend the invitation, along with a personalized message.
Apple's iWatch may not ship until 2015, report says
The long-awaited wearable from Apple could make an appearance at its Sept. 9 event, but it likely won't hit the market until early next year, Recode says.
CEO Time Cook, seen here at an Apple store on iPhone launch day last year, has promised "amazing" and "exciting" new product categories this year.James Martin
You may have to wait a little longer for that Apple iWatch.
The long-awaited wearable won't be "shipping any time soon," Recode reported Friday. The publication, citing unnamed sources, said the device likely will hit the market in early 2015, which means Apple will miss the key holiday selling season.
It also would represent a big gap between the time Apple announces the device -- likely at the iPhone 6 launch Sept. 9 -- and when it starts selling the wearable. But it wouldn't be the first time Apple has unveiled something long before it ships it. The first iPhone was announced in January 2007 but didn't ship until June, and the first iPad was unveiled in January 2010 but didn't hit the market until April.
Apple declined to comment.
Recode set off a flurry in the media earlier this week when it reported Apple would show off a wearable next month during the launch of its newest iPhone. Apple on Thursday sent out invites to an event on Sept. 9 -- widely expected to be the iPhone 6 debut -- though it provided few details, offering only the statement "Wish we could say more."
The event will come a year after Apple introduced the iPhone 5S and 5C and a week after arch rival Samsung is set to unveil its Galaxy Note 4 phone-tablet hybrid, or phablet. Apple has added a new iPhone every year since former CEO Steve Jobs introduced the smartphone line in 2007, and new iPhones have been unveiled in the fall since 2011.
