How to Turn Off The Blur Effects in iOS 7

One of the many visual effects Apple introduced with the iOS 7 is the blur effect. Most people love the blur effect in the Control Center and Notification Center, but there are some who might find this feature annoying since it poses a concern for those with eye problems. If you are not a fan of the blur effect, you can disable this feature. Simply increase the screen contrast on some backgrounds to improve legibility of the icons and the icon labels to make them easier to read. To do this, follow the simple steps shown below:

Turn Off the Blur Effects in iOS 7

On the Home screen of your iOS 7 device, go to Settings, then tap General.

Now tap Accessibility, then tap Increase Contrast.

Tap the toggle to enable the feature. The toggle should now appear green.

And you're done. Your iOS 7 device will now appear more solid than blurry.

There you have it. That's how easy you can turn off the blur effects in iOS7.

Perfect Gadgets to Bring For Your Outdoor Adventures

There is nothing like spending some quality time in the great outdoors. Most of the time, you would find yourself cramped up in the office almost every day of the week without a chance of enjoying the outdoors. Whether you are into hiking, climbing, island hopping, fishing, or simply setting up a small bonfire camp by the beach, remember to keep your gadgets handy. The possible destinations and options are limitless for one to enjoy any outdoor adventure.  Aside from checking the weather condition as part of planning your outdoor activity, it is also good to decide which gadgets to bring in order to make your travel convenient and memorable.

And since we're living in an electronic era, you can easily purchase electronic equipment. Below is a list of the most common gadgets that are great to bring with you on your outdoor adventure:

Mobile phone – Almost everyone brings their mobile phones anywhere they go because of the need to keep in touch. Its main function is to facilitate communications across geographical borders; it can be used as location finders in case of emergency with its GPS feature. And with its state-of-the-art technology and the wide array of applications, mobile phones can also be used as schedule organizers, media players, video recorders, TV, and even a gaming device.

Power bank chargers - Help your mobile phones extend its battery life for a few hours more. There are couple of different brands boasting up to 4,000mAh Li-ion battery. This battery can be recharged using a DC adapter directly to a 210 electrical outlet or you can simply a plug it to a USB port on your computer. With a right cable, you’ll be able to virtually charge up just about any device that uses USB type of connection. Moreover, this device is very easy on the pocket and quite handy travel gadget because of its cute size.

Cameras - All the memorable moments of your adventure must be captured. You may use either you choose DSLR or a simple point and shoot camera. If you are into serious photography you can opt to buy DSLR units for a sharper and far better camera image. DSLR cameras have interchangeable lenses which will give you more scope in taking farther or closer shots. Using a DSLR will give you more control over your settings. However, DSLR cameras are much more expensive than point and shoots, especially since you need to invest in a number of different lenses and several accessories like flash, remote releases, tripods etc. Moreover, with DSLR you have to master a lot of controls if you want to take full advantage of all its amazing features.

GPS trackers - are devices that use the Global Positioning System to detect your current location. So if you are in a very remote area where mobile phone signal is impossible to reach this GPS tracker is the best device for people to track you down in case you will get lost or in the event of emergency.

Tablets - A tablet is like portable notebook with a mobile operating system. It is very thin & light. They can also take pictures and videos in addition to its video chat and conferencing features. It is less cumbersome and its battery life is far better than a laptop. For bookworms, are very useful in accessing an entire library on the go.

Now you have the list, choose the best tool for you next adventure.

By: Loida Balaba

Secure Your iWork Documents With Your Apple Device

Security is one of the biggest issues nowadays, so it has been a mandate to implement some sort of security for every data as much as possible. In relation to this, Apple recently updated its iWork suite of apps, which now gives you options to password protect your iWord documents on any Apple platform. The update on iWork included bug fixes and feature enhancements of the app on iOS, Mac OS X, and iCloud.com versions. And one of the feature enhancements enables users to set a password on documents, which protects your documents from any possible unauthorized access. If you haven't done so, here's how simple it is:

Set Up a Password on iCloud.com

To set up a password on your iCloud.com connected device, first step you need to do is to log in to your iCloud.com account. Then, locate the document you want to apply the password to, and then launch it. On the upper right-hand corner of your screen, tap the Tools icon (the one with the wrench), then tap Settings. Now tap the Set Password option, and then provide the requested information, including your preferred password.

Set Up a Password on iOS

Setting a password on your iWork document from an iOS device is similar as to how it is done on the iCloud.com version. Simply open the document, then tap wrench icon to launch the settings menu, and then tap Set Password. Enter the password of your choice, as well as a hint, if in case you forget your password later on, and then tap Done. The next time you open the document, you will prompted to enter the password in order to proceed. You also have a choice to set the iWork app to remember the password. Just a quick tip, the password you've set will only apply for a specific device and will not be synchronized with your other iOS or iCloud-connected devices.

Set Up a Password on OS X

The process in setting up a password on your Mac OS X computer is somewhat different from the first two platforms. To do this on a Mac, click on the File menu on the toolbar, then select Set Password. You can also do it in a different way by clicking the Share icon, then selecting View Share Settings, and then selecting Add Password where you can set your desired password.

Use Your Android Device to Upload Your Personal Reading Files on Google Books

Can't find your preferred reading content on Google Books? Here's good news for you... You can now upload your personal reading content, whether it's a PDF or EPUB files, to Google Books right from your own Android device. That's right! Google has now improved its service by allowing its users to upload their personal files, aside from its original purpose of reading free books and those that they have purchased.

However, this new feature is limited only to your Web browser, which means that you can only browse through the Play Books site on a computer or via the mobile browser in order to upload your reading content. We're not sure if there will be another update for this in the near future. You need to have the latest update of the Play Books app on your Android device. If you haven't done so, click here to get the update courtesy of Android Police.

After downloading the APK file, navigate to your Downloads folder and then follow the on-screen prompts to install the file manually. Make sure the unknown sources option of your Android device is enabled, which can be found in the Settings & Security section. Once you have successfully updated your Play Books app, you can now proceed with uploading your file. To start, locate the PDF or EPUB file you want to upload in your Gmail messages or Downloads folder. You can find your device's Downloads folder by going to its file explorer option. For example, it is labeled as My Files on most Samsung gadgets.

Next, tap the file you want to upload and a pop-up screen will appear. Look for an Upload to Play Books option in the pop-up window, and then tap to select it. That's how simple it is!

This upload feature provides you an easier and more convenient way of reading content that you want, rather than stick to what is only available in Google Play Store. This process doesn't require you to be in front of a computer just to add content to your Google Books.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Are you are into gadgets with bigger screen? Do you like tablets? If your answer to both is yes, you may want to add these items to your shopping list.

ñ  Microsoft SurfacePro 2

ñ  Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

We'll have a quick glance on the specs, features, and suggested prices of these two 2 gadgets for comparison.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 (Check it on Amazon)

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 was first available on January 2013 with a MSRP of $899, which is way above the average of $499 for a 10-inch tab. This tablet ships with Windows 8.1 operating system and boasts a 10.6-inch HD LCD, with 1920 x 1080 pixels getting 208 pixels-per-inch (PPI) on its display. This tablet is geared up with a 4th gen. Quad Core Intel Core i5 system on its chip. With 4GB or 8GB of RAM, it has plenty of memory for multi-tasking and running apps. The base version of the Surface Pro has a staggering 64GB of internal storage, which is an ideal choice for folks looking to have a lot of games, music, videos, and pictures to store on the fly.

If 64GB isn't enough and you’re craving for a larger storage space, you can expand its storage by up to 64GB via microSD card or up to 512GB thru microSDXC. The camera on this tablet has auto focus, which is not common on all tablets. It has standard support for Wi-Fi and USB 3.1 connections.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (Check it on Amazon)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 was released on August 2012 with a MSRP of $499. Running on Android operating system and is sporting a 10.1-inch TFT with 1,280 x 800 pixels, it displays 149 pixels-per-inch (PPI) making it a bit dull for a tablet. It supports DLNA, GPS, Graphics Accelerator, HD Playback (up to 1080p), Microphone, Video (maximum is only 720p), Bluetooth (3.1), Camera (1.9MP on the front and 5 MP on the back), and Wi-Fi. This uses a 3.5mm connector for its headphone. The Sensors packs Accelerometer, Digital Compass, GPS, Gyroscope, Light and Proximity. The touchscreen is made of touch-resistant glass. It has a base storage of 16GB, but is expandable up to 32GB. This beast uses Quad ARM Cortex-A9 Harvard Superscalar CPU, and with a chipset made out of Samsung Exynos 4 Quad 4412. The battery life lasts only 8 Hours, which is less than the battery life of a typical tablet. The battery has a capacity of 7,000 mAh -- an above average battery capacity for a 10-inch tablet.

Feature Differences	Microsoft SurfacePro 2	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Screen / Display	10.6-inch HD LCD	10.1 TFT
Storage/RAM	64 internal or 128GB/4GB RAM 256 or 512GB/8GB RAM	16GB ; expandable up to 32GB/2GB
Processor	Intel Dual Core i5-4200U @ 1.6GHz or Intel Dual Core i5-4300U @ 1.9GHz	ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.4GHz
OS	Windows 8.1 Pro	Android
Battery	Up to 7 hours (around 6.2 hours only)	Up to 8 hours
Camera	Front: 3.5 MP Rear: 5 MP	Front: 1.9 MP Rear: 5 MP
Price	$899	$499

So which tablet would you pick? The one with all the good features but has shorter battery life? Or will you go for the one with decent specs yet offers a longer battery life for half the price?

Use Your Windows Phone 8 as an Office Remote for Your Next Presentation

Turn your Windows Phone 8 into a presentation remote with the help of an app from Microsoft called Office Remote. Currently, the app supports PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. Some of the actions that the Office Remote app allows you to do are jump through slides, and use as a remote laser pointer in PowerPoint. For Word and Excel presentations, you can use it to navigate through documents, as well as perform zoom in and out functions. Now, all these are possible if you have met the following setup requirements: a Windows 7 or Windows 8 (RT not included) computer with Office 2013 installed, and Bluetooth. Once you have those checked, you may now proceed in setting up your Windows Phone 8 as your next presentation remote. Excited to know how? Just read on folks.

Download and install the Microsoft Office Remote Setup software onto your computer. Simply follow the on-screen prompts and you're done installing it in no time. Next, make sure that your computer's Bluetooth function is enabled or turned on, and that it is properly paired with your Windows Phone 8. If you're not sure how to do this, check out this article.

Once you have successfully paired the two, launch the office document that you want to access on your computer. Once it's open, click the Office Remote tab, then click on Office Remote, and then select the Turn On option.

Install the Office Remote app on your Windows Phone 8, and then launch it. Connect your paired Windows 7/8 computer from the list. You will see your open Office documents right after you made a connection to the computer. Select the document that you'll be using for your presentation, and you will now be able to navigate it using your Windows Phone 8. Below is a more detailed list of supported actions that Office Remote can do based on the type of Office document:

PowerPoint

• Jump to the next, previous, and last slide
• View slide thumbnails and jump to a slide
• View speaker notes
• View presentation timer and slide numbers
• Laser pointer using touch on your phone

Excel

• Change worksheets by swiping
• Use Slicers, PivotTable, and Filters
• Jump to any named object in your workbook
• Move up or down the worksheet
• Change the zoom level

Word

• Jump to headings
• Jump to comments
• Screen up/down
• Line up/down
• Change the zoom level

The interface on your Windows Phone 8 will also vary depending on which type of Office document you are accessing. For example, you will see the interface below on your phone if you are communicating with a PowerPoint presentation. Tapping the arrows on your smartphone will correspond to the page movements on the main computer that runs the presentation. Using your Windows Phone 8 is far better than a plain USB pointer because it allows you to view the notes you've made on the PPT file, if there's any.