Ten Simple Ways Apple Can Improve the iPhone

While the tech world waits in thrall for news of the fabled Apple tablet to appear, we should also hope that Cupertino continues to refine its current best seller, the iPhone.

Yes, the device is already a pleasure to use, with copious grace notes sprinkled throughout the operating system -- songs fade out when you receive a call, for instance, and then there's the gorgeous simplicity of visual voicemail. But let's be honest. The interface and built-in apps do have their annoyances. Let me get this straight, Apple: I can cut video on my iPhone 3GS, but I can't edit a playlist?

As a daily iPhone user, I've compiled a list of simple and significant ways Apple can improve its own suite of apps and the iPhone OS itself. Here's my top 10:

1. A more useful "slide to unlock" screen. Show my unread email count, the weather, or upcoming appointments.

2. Fewer taps to move between mail inboxes. Right now, checking my two inboxes requires seven taps: Mail >> Gmail >> Inbox << Gmail << Accounts >> Newsweek >> Inbox. There has to be a better way to navigate.

3. Facebook and Twitter integration with Contacts. Once I've logged into the Facebook app, why can't it populate my contacts list with photos, birthdays, and other information?

4. The weather icon should show the current weather. Just like the calendar icon displays the current date.

5. A new app that shows your minute and text message balances. Yes, you can get this information by dialing *646# and *3282#, respectively; and yes, AT&T offers its own app. But both methods are annoying. (The AT&T app requires a password every time you use it.)

6. A battery app. This could show the battery's overall health (as degraded from its factory state), its expected replacement date, plus stats like average use between charges.

7. A character counter when composing text messages. I'm always wondering if I've gone over 160 characters.

8. A way to delete built-in apps. Some aren't so great. I never use Stocks, and there are better calculator apps than the one Apple offers. Why can't I hide these?

9. Improve how appointments are added to the calendar. The current method requires too many finger taps, and there's no way to add default settings, like always having a 15-minute alert.

10. "Alarms" built into Maps. If you're using the Maps application while driving (I know, I know, bad idea), it would be super useful for the phone to sound an alert when GPS detects that you're at a given distance from your next turn -- say, one mile before your highway exit, or one block before your left turn.

What iPhone tweaks would you like Apple to address officially? Leave your wish list items in the comments.

How to Make Homemade Dog Food

Sometimes the dog food you buy in stores are not safe and to be on the safe side you will want to feed your dog homemade dog food. Should that ever be the case, all that is required is a simple mix of meat, vegetables and starches.


Things You'll Need:

* Garlic*
* Dog Food Bowls
* Eggs
* Meat Grinders
* Meats
* Vegetables
* Starches


Instructions:

Step 1

Know that it is wise to check with your vet before switching to homemade dog
food.

Step 2

Understand that dogs need a diet that consists of 40 percent meat, 30 percent vegetables and 30 percent starch. Follow this formula to ensure that your dog has a well-balanced diet.

Step 3

Consider the fact that many experts believe commercial dog food is actually unhealthy for dogs. Often the meat that is used in dog food is of a quality considered unfit for humans.

Step 4

Try making a mixture of ground turkey, rice and carrot for your own dog food. Meals made of ground beef, brown rice, brewer's yeast and carrots are also popular.

Step 5

Rotate the foods you feed your dog so that the dog gets a variety of foods.

Step 6

Use oatmeal, pasta, rice or potatoes for your dog's starch requirement.

Step 7

Keep cooked dog food in the refrigerator no longer than three days.



PS:
The best way to know what goes into your dog’s food is to make it yourself. With the recent pet food recall, many pet owners are doing just that. Though some experts argue that a homemade diet is best for dogs, this is best done temporarily until you can consult your veterinarian, as canines have definite nutritional requirements. Dietary changes should be done slowly to avoid digestive upsets. Recipes or ingredients may be rotated to ensure nutritional variety.

Do not feed your dog bones, especially cooked bones. Fragments can become lodged in the digestive tract. Canines in the wild who eat bones have the benefit of consuming hair and hide too, which have been found to ‘pad’ the bone fragments and aid in their passing. Other foods to avoid that are dangerous for dogs are chocolate, avocados, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, onions, and garlic*.

Read more:

10 Surprising Fitness Tips

Weird, unconventional exercise ideas that are so crazy they just might work.


By Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen for MSN Health & Fitness

If you think you've heard it all when it comes to fitness, think again! We've rounded up 10 things you never knew about working out—from the benefits of a post-exercise drink of pickle juice to why you should avoid your friends at the gym. These unconventional but expert-endorsed fitness tips will put the zing back in your workout.

1 of 10
Don't exercise with your "BFF."

Many experts recommend working out with friends to increase motivation, but it can backfire. "People end up talking more than exercising or slowing their speeds or [lowering] intensity levels to chat," says Stacey Rosenfeld, Ph.D., a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Plus, walking or running with friends can prevent you from following your body's cues. If you want to speed up or slow down, for instance, you may not be able to coordinate that with someone else. Arrive at the gym with friends to increase motivation, but save the bonding for later.

2 of 10
Choose your workout clothes carefully.

According to psychologists, red can increase blood circulation and body temperature, which can boost workout efficiency. Light waves enter the eye and are converted to electrical impulses in the brain, explains environmental psychologist David Alan Kopec, Ph.D., an associate professor at the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego. "Red is a long light wave that affects the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature, appetite and energy levels." He adds that reds and oranges increase body temperature, which pumps you up for exercise and keeps you energized for a longer workout.

3 of 10
Drink pickle and pineapple juices.

The salt and vinegar in pickle juice can help muscles recover from sodium loss and decrease cramping. "If you're training on a hot day or doing intense activities, drink 4 to 8 ounces of pickle juice 45 minutes and 8 to 10 ounces of water 30 minutes before your session," says certified nutritionist and fitness trainer Majid Ali of the Healing Center in Culver City, Calif. "If your stomach can handle it, drink 4 to 6 ounces after or during your session to speed recovery." Pineapple juice can also reduce post-workout inflammation. "The bromelain [an enzyme] in pineapple juice removes lactic acid buildup in the muscles, which causes inflammation," he says. Ali recommends drinking 6 to 10 ounces, 30 minutes after training.

4 of 10
Get off the elliptical trainer.

"The elliptical is mindless and by far the least effective machine for fat loss," says L.A.–based Torri Shack, who's certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. "It uses momentum, not muscle force. Most people don't use enough resistance." This machine may increase your heart rate and sweat level, but to burn fat using one, Shack says you'll need to exercise for 45 to 60 minutes and vary your levels of intensity and resistance. Shack adds that the elliptical machine is best for warming up before weight lifting or rehabilitating injured body parts. "If you can watch television or read while doing cardio, you're not working hard enough, and therefore not burning fat," she says.

5 of 10
Don't sweat it.

Sweat is your body's way of regulating your rising temperature, not a clear sign of increased calorie burn or an intense workout. "In the sauna, you'll sweat buckets, but you aren't burning fat," says Brad Schoenfeld, certified strength and conditioning specialist and author of The 28-Day Body Shapeover (Human Kinetics, 2005). "The best indicator of calorie burn is either heart rate or Rate of Perceived Exertion." RPE is a self-reported scale that determines intensity; it ranges from 1 (complete rest) to 10 (maximum effort). High intensity exercise—such as interval training—increases your heart rate, which equals more fat burn. So, don't aim solely for a sweaty workout. Go for an intense one.

6 of 10
Practice your "Get-Up."

"The Get-Up is one of the best kept secrets in the fitness industry," says Houston-based certified strength and conditioning specialist Sean Cashman. "It's one of the most functional exercises [meaning it trains your body for real-life situations], yet the majority of gym-goers have never heard of it. You move from lying down, up to a standing position, and back down, all while holding a weight above your head." Cashman suggests a 10- to 20-pound weight to start. "The Get-Up integrates all joints and muscles in one sequence," he says. "It increases your whole body's strength, stability, balance and flexibility."

7 of 10
Say "shhh."

As you say it, "Put your hands on your stomach and feel the contraction," says Jonathan Angelilli, a personal trainer in New York City. "That's your transverse abdominus and diaphragm contracting, creating tension in the core and strengthening your extremities." The louder your "sshhh," the better. It's most effective for core stabilization exercises such as squats, push-ups and Pilates moves. Angelilli says, "'Sshhh' also helps you breathe with your abs. Stress, [poor] posture at work and sitting too much over-activates our secondary breathing muscles in the neck and inhibits our primary abdominal breathing muscles." Saying "sshhh" oxygenates the body, increases strength, tones abs and reduces neck tension.

8 of 10
Beware the hump.

Most of us work our "sexy" muscles: the chest, the shoulders and the arms. "This neglects the upper back, where many of us have a distinctive hump, manifested by forward-rounded, contracted shoulders and a forward-leaning neck," says Andrew Sherman, M.D., associate professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Miami. "This can lead to neck and shoulder pain." To fight the hump, stretch your chest muscles and do exercises that retract your shoulder and neck, such as rows, front lat pull downs and upward dumbbell flys. "Don't forget to stick out your chest while doing them!" says Dr. Sherman.

9 of 10
Run barefoot.

According to proponents of shoeless running, shoes inhibit foot growth, development and flexibility. David Jenkins, D.P.M., professor at Midwestern University's Arizona Podiatric Medicine Program, says, "Running barefoot may increase foot flexibility and strengthen intrinsic foot muscles. This can improve toe function, balance and structural support, but more research is necessary." Running barefoot could decrease the likelihood of plantar fasciitis, a running epidemic unknown 30 years ago, which is possibly caused by over-controlling shoes and/or orthotic arch supports used on normal feet, says Dr. Jenkins. "A gradual buildup to barefoot sports is imperative," says Dr. Jenkins. "Barefoot running is an extreme change for people who have worn shoes most of the time." Of course, be careful to watch for hazards like broken glass and rocks when running shoeless.

10 of 10
Kick and shout!

IntenSati is "moving meditation"—a fitness program that uses the voice and mind to intensify physical workouts. Participants chant or shout empowering affirmations while kicking, jumping or lunging. For example, while punching, they yell, "I. Am. Strong. Now!" IntenSati creator Patricia Moreno says, "The repetition of a single statement moves you into a state of focused awareness—it's a very powerful practice." She claims these motivational chants boost emotional strength, increase self-confidence and distract participants from feeling fatigued, which increases the effectiveness of their workouts.

Fall’s iPhone wannabes

Motorola Cliq

Motorola needs a hit – big-time – and the Cliq just may provide it when it goes on sale in the coming weeks (T-Mobile; no pricing announced yet). It’s Motorola’s first Android phone using Google’s open-source operating system. But this is more than a Google phone; it aims to incorporate some of what the Palm operating system’s social-centric spin includes. Motorola’s “MotoBlur” software will sync contacts, messages and photos from Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and MySpace, as well as work and personal e-mail, Motorola says. And while the Cliq has a 3.1-inch touch screen, it also comes with a physical QWERTY keyboard that slides out from its side.



Samsung Omnia II

Samsung’s smartphones, from the well-regarded Instinct to the high-end Omnia, have been hits. The Omnia II (Verizon Wireless, no price announced yet) is definitely on the luxe list. The retail, unsubsidized price is in the $1,000 ballpark. What makes it so hot? Several features: a 3.7-inch, active-matrix OLED touch screen (the iPhone’s is a 3.5-inch LCD screen); a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, face detection and geo-tagging; the popular TouchWiz user interface as an overlay on the Windows Mobile operating system; Wi-Fi, and versions with 2, 8 or 16 GB of internal memory, as well as a micro-SDHC expansion slot for a 32GB card.


myTouch 3G

The myTouch 3G (T-Mobile, $199.99 with two-year contract), released in August, is a sleeker, all touch-screen version of the original Google phone, the G1, which is also made by HTC. The myTouch, with a 3.2-inch screen, comes in black, white and merlot, and represents more of an evolution, than a revolution in both the device and Google’s Android operating system. One of the big differences is the lack of a physical QWERTY keyboard; those who like having both options may find it hard to adjust to a touch screen-only device. Unlike the G1, the myTouch comes with built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, so work e-mail can be received on the phone (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal).


BlackBerry Storm 2

Pictured is the original Storm, with a 3.25-inch screen, but a new one is coming this fall (Verizon Wireless), and word is it will strongly resemble its older sibling. The first all touch-screen BlackBerry won a considerable amount of scorn and frustration from BlackBerry fans for its clunky screen keyboards, almost unthinkable for a product line known for its outstanding hardware keyboards. Maker Research In Motion has been working hard to improve the Storm’s successor. No word yet on pricing.


Palm Pre

The Pre represents a huge step forward when it comes to a smartphone that is really smart. The Pre (Sprint, $150 after two-year contract and rebate) handily multitasks and unifies calendar listings, e-mails and contacts so that you don’t have to spend time hunting for such data. The company’s Zen-like product design and ads are further testament to the notion of simplification, and the phone is ergonomically comfy for most. The Pre, with a 3.1-inch touch screen, also has a slide-down QWERTY keyboard. So far, Palm has lagged in the “app” side of the smartphone equation compared to Apple, Android, Research In Motion and Windows Mobile. There are only dozens of applications, or programs, available right now, but that should change soon with some tweaking of Palm’s App Catalog.

Heal Your Hardware

By Zack Stern, PC World

PC won't boot? Dead battery in your iPod? Water in your cell phone? Don't scrap your broken tech. Fix it yourself with our step-by-step repair guide.
You know to call 911 in a medical emergency, but what should you do when your gadgets face a similar life-or-death scenario? If you spill coffee on your laptop, for instance, reacting quickly could save your hardware and data. The correct procedure -- such as dismantling your laptop's keyboard or installing an inexpensive replacement battery in your iPod -- can save your faltering hardware, giving it another chance to age gracefully. And the laptops, cameras, cell phones and iPods of the world will thank you.
Here we present a series of nine articles on how to help your gear recover from such emergency scenarios:

* Replace an iPod battery
* Revive a stuck LCD pixel
* Dry a submerged phone
* Clean a spill on a laptop
* Reseat loose components
* Remove a mini-CD from a slot-loading drive
* Clean a clogged port
* Clean a dusty PC
* Clean your dirty camera

Content by:
Technology advice you can trust (Content by:)

How to Access Free Yahoo! Mail with Windows Live Mail

I just got my windows live mail setup and I found that I couldn’t pop my yahoo mail unless I was a corporate subscriber. I was very sad and cried for a while. The oracle came by and showed me a little trick that could help. I'm still trying it so if it doesn’t work please bare with me and the "oracle"

To set up a free Yahoo! Mail account in Windows Live Mail you have to download and setup YPOPs!
> You can download YPOPs! from here!

To set up a free Yahoo! Mail account in Windows Live Mail using YPOPs!:
1. Install YPOPs! and make sure it is running.

2. Select Tools | Accounts... from the menu in Windows Live Mail.

3. Click Add....

4. Make sure E-mail Account is highlighted.

5. Click Next.

6. Type your Yahoo! Mail address under E-mail address:

7. Enter your Yahoo! Mail password under Password:

8. Type your name under Display Name:

9. Make sure Manually configure server settings for e-mail account is checked.

10. Click Next.

11. Make sure POP3 is selected under My incoming mail server is a ___ server..

12. Enter "localhost" (not including the quotation marks) under Incoming server:
If "localhost" turns out not to work, try "127.0.0.1" instead.

13. Check your Yahoo! Mail user name (your Yahoo! Mail address minus
"@yahoo.com") is entered under Login ID.

14. Type "localhost" under Outgoing server:

15. Click Next.

16. Now click Finish.

17. Click Close.

Change my facebook language back to ENGLISH

Ok, so I got a facebook friend request in my Gmail inbox. I decided to check it out and see who this person was. Immediately I clicked on the link to facebook, it opens my facebook in "French". It freaked me out for a moment since I didn’t know what was going on. "Hackers from the east or ...." so I consulted the oracle of all oracles @ GOOGLE. Who consoled me and told me it was nothing but if I did these few steps, everything would come back to normal. Who am I to question the oracle, so I did as requested and hold and behold everything came back as normal. AMEN!!

1. Log out of your facebook in you are already logged in by clicking one
"Dexconection" or something like that in the upper right corner

2. Open facebook on your browser : http://www.facebook.com.

3. In the bottom left of the page click on the language you are using for example:
English (U.S).

4. Then a window will appear to choose the language you want.

5. Then you will notice the facebook language will change and you can login…

Easy as stealing candy from a baby, no wait that line is used so many times. Let’s try this, "easy as wizzy dropping another best seller”

10 Hidden Features of Blackberry

BlackBerry phones are undoubtedly the most popular phones among the Business People. As we discussed in our article on top 10 differences between iPhone and BlackBerry, the full hardware keyboard, fast access to functions using shortcut keys makes this an unbeatable choice for the business consumers. In our comparative study on iPhone 3GS vs BlackBerry Bold vs Palm Pre vs Nokia N97 we rated this phones as the first choice for the business consumers. After we have informed you about the 10 hidden features of iPhone 3GS, here are the hidden features of the BlackBerry which perhaps you haven’t discovered till now.

1. Home Screen Shortcuts

To Restart BlackBerry from Home Screen
ALT(left)+Shift(right)+Del
This Restarts the Blackberry. Applicable only to full-keyboard Blackberries.

Other Home Screen Shortcuts :

•ALT+JKVV : Display cause of PDP reject
•ALT+CAP+ H : Displays the Help Me screen
•ALT + EACE : Displays the Help Me screen
•ALT + ESCR : Displays the Help Me screen
•ALT + NMLL : Switches the signal strength from bars to a numeric value.
•ALT + LGLG : Displays the Java™ event log.
You don’t need to type in Capitals.

2. Address Book Shortcut
•ALT+VALD - Validate the data structure and look for inconsistencies
•ALT+RBLD - Force a data structure rebuild
To Reset the address Book
From the Options menu, type the following (No ALT+ required)
RSET - Will prompt to erase & reload for a reload of the Address book from the BES
(n.b. this will wipe all entries, but you can goto SIM Phone Book & copy entries back afterwards)


3. Option Menu Shortcut
Just type these keywords in the Option Menu without pressing the ALT key to do the following tasks.

•SYNC : Enable Calendar slow sync
•RSET : Will prompt for a reload of the calendar from the BES
•RCFG : Request BES configuration
•SCFG : Send device configuration
•DCFG : Get CICAL configuration
•SUPD : Enable detailed Cal. report for backup
•SUPS : Disable detailed Cal. report for backup
•SUPN : Disable Cal. report database
•LUID : Enable view by UID
•SRSL : Show Reminder status log

4. SIM Card Options Shortcuts
Go to Options->Advanced->SIM card. Type the following without pressing the ALT keys.

•MEPD : Display MEP info
•MEP1 : Disable SIM personalization
•MEP2 : Disable Network personalization
•MEP3 : Disable Network subset personalization
•MEP4 : Disable Service provider personalization
•MEP5 : Disable Corporate personalization


5. Browser Shortcut
Type in ALT+RBVS in Browser to view web page source code

6. Calendar
Open up a Calendar item and press ALT+VIEW Inside any Calendar item Show extra info for a Calendar event including message ID which is handy for BES log troubleshooting)

•Date/Time Menu Shortcuts. No ALT+ required.
•LOLO : Date/Time Show Network time values



7. Messaging
ALT+VIEW - For messages, displays the RefId and FolderId for that particular message. For PIM items, displays only the RefId.
Search Application

ALT+ADVM : Search Application Enabled Advanced Global Search

8. WLAN wizard screen shortcuts•ALT-SMON WLAN : Enable simulated Wizard mode
•ALT-SMOF WLAN : Disable simulated Wizard mode

9. Theme Shortcuts
This can be accessed from Theme Menu.

•ALT-THMN : Change to no theme (B&W)
•ALT-THMD : Change to default theme


10. Enterprise Activation
•Options->Advanced
•ALT+CNFG : Settings for Enterprise Activation
Status (Options->Status)

•BUYR : Data & Voice Usage
•TEST : start a device test (Keyboard, GPS, RF, Audio (Handset,headset,bluetooth, Misc)

How to Enable Files Hidden by Virus on Pen Drive

My pen drive was infected and after I cleaned it with my antivirus, it showed some virus and Trojans moved to virus vault. However, thereafter the contents of the pen drive have become hidden and they won’t get 'unhidden' even after I asked the computer to show all hidden files. I "googled" for a while, but couldn’t find anything so I called my hommie Harry aka "m3katron1x" who was kind enough to show me this quick and easy way of enabling these hidden files.

1. Connect the affected pen drive

2. Launch command prompt by typing "cmd" in the run window (windows button + r)

3. Log into your pen drive i.e. "J:", where "J" is the drive letter of your pen drive

4. Type the following command i.e. "attrib -h -s *.* /D /S"

5. Go to "my computer" and open your pen drive. All your old (hidden) files and new
ones should show up now.

Here is another process I found by "googling" one day after work:
1. Open up command prompt as before

2. Now to remove virus's attributes (in order to delete it type following line by
line and execute them pressing enter.

3. F:\

4. F:\attrib -s -r -h *.* If there are any malicious EXE files those are now visible
so if unnecessary delete them too.

5. F:\del autorun.inf

6. After finishing above, quickly remove the pen as soon as possible (just after
executing del command).

7. Now your pen is without virus activation config. file. Now you can safely delete
unnecessary EXE files on it.

Let me know if it works...

Seven Steps to Rescuing Romance

Day in and day out, a vibrant relationship requires a little work and a little romance. Here, some actions and suggestions for creating romance and boosting your overall happiness.

Try one every day of the week, focus on one at a time, do whatever you like with them — but do take them all to heart.

1. Find Out What You Want
Are you meeting your partner's needs? Are your needs being met? What are they? After you know partner's needs, if you find yourselves still frustrated, realize that it's not that you can't meet your partner's needs, it's that you won't. Think about why you haven't yet.

2. Respect Your Partner
It shouldn't matter why your partner needs what he or she needs. Consider Dr. Phil's example: If one of your kids got up in the middle of the night and said, "I'm thirsty," would you just turn around and say, "Well, I'm not, so go back to bed"? The key is to appreciate your partner's individuality. Don't expect your partner to react exactly as you would; your partner isn't you!

3. What Message Do You Send?
Think about the message you are sending your partner when you don't acknowledge his or her wants. How does this make your partner feel? How would it make you feel?

4. Compromise
Know that you can fulfill your partner's wants. But by prioritizing your needs alone, you're making the conscious decision to not to fulfil his or her wants. Try talking about both of your needs and wants. Find the middle ground.

5. Don't Forget Romance
Keep in mind that romance is an important element of marriage. Your partner might consider romance as the true measure of his or her value to your relationship. Be thoughtful and try doing something sweet for no apparent reason.

6. Remember the 4-minute rule
You can predict the rest of the night based on the first 4 minutes, so make those minutes count! Bring flowers. Greet each other with a compliment. Ask questions about your partner's day. Smile; it'll make a difference.

7. Open Up
Be communicative and expressive with your partner. Remember, sharing emotions is not weakness; it makes you whole.

More from MSN Lifestyle Site Search: For additional content on everyday romance, click here.