Pregnancy Test Using Your Blackberry Cell Phone

Someone sent me an email that explains how to check if someone is pregnant using a Blackberry phone . As I don't have a Blackberry, I can't test this, so I hope someone can make sense of the instructions that were forwarded to me:

Dial **18#, place that phone on that person’s stomach and then press send. Watch the screen of the phone.
If she is pregnant, your phone will display something like a pregnant woman’s image and also show how many weeks pregnant she is.
 1 month pregnant  = B + 1
 2 month’s pregnant = B + 2
 3 month’s pregnant = B + 3, etc

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/pregnancy-test-using-your-blackberry.html

My Cell Phone Won't Charge / Won't Power Up - Fixes

MY PHONE'S NOT CHARGING!

Possible Fixes for Dead Phones

1. Replace the battery.
2. Use a 3rd party charging station (some desktop chargers can deliver more current to batteries).
3. Clean the power button using a cotton ball and alcohol.
4. Clean the battery contacts using a cotton ball and alcohol.
5. Replace your charging station / usb cable.
6. Flash the firmware. Either roll back your firmware or upgrade it.

There are many things that could go wrong and cause a cell phone not to charge:

• Bad charger.
• Bad charging port.
• Dead battery / Faulty battery.
• Your power outlet is dead.
• Wrong charger, or charging station is broken.

If your phone is not powering on, it could be a bad battery. Or it could be any of a number of problems:

• Battery contacts corroded.
• Empty battery.
• Faulty power switch.
• If your phone was submerged in water, that can affect your phone's life.
• Software problem on your phone.
• Bad flex which is the link between the screen and the display.
• Dead battery.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-cell-phone-wont-charge-wont-power-up.html

"I can't hear you" - Fixing Your Faulty Cell Phone Speaker and Mouth Piece

Speaker and Ear Piece Problems

There could be corrosion in your handset, or it could be caused by the accumulation of dust or debris inside of your cell phone. In some cases, a wire may have become disconnected in the ear piece. This could be the case if your earpiece/speaker stops working after you drop it.

Fixing Ear Piece Problems

1. Clean the ear piece contacts with a cotton ball and alcohol.
2. Disconnect and reconnect the ear piece wire.
3. Re-assemble the ear piece.

If this doesn't work, you'll need to replace the ear piece.

Cell Phone Mouth Piece Problems

This is caused by accumulation of dust or the mouth piece being shifted from its position as a result of also falling or disconnection of the mouth piece wire from the panel or bad mouth piece.

Fixing a Bad Mouth Piece

1. Clean out the mouth piece contacts with a cotton ball and alcohol
2. If after reconnecting and reassembling the mouth piece of your cell phone it still doesn't work, you may need to replace the mouth piece.

My Cell Phone Doesn't Ring

Try removing the phone from silent mode first (doesn't hurt to check). Make sure your ringer volume is up and try calling yourself from another phone. Sometimes, you may get disconnected from your network, especially if you're in an area with spotty reception. If that's the case, then you should contact customer support of your carrier.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-cant-hear-you-fixing-your-faulty-cell.html

How to Borrow Ebooks from the Library to Your Kindle

You can both borrow and lend Kindle eBooks in your library. This includes borrowing books from your local public library, as well as lending books to your friends.

Loaning a book to a friend

You can loan Kindle books to anyone with an email address: even if they don't have a Kindle device, they can download a Kindle reading app for their computer, tablet, iPad or smartphone. When you loan one of your books to your friends, it'll be automatically returned to you as loans expire after 14 days automatically. Note that some publishers have disabled lending: you’ll see a notification on the book listing page whether lending is “enabled” or not.

1. In your library, click on the action button of your ebook you won't to loan and select "loan this title":

You'll then see the following popup:

Complete the form to begin the loan of the ebook to your friend. The ebook will be returned to your library within a fortnight if the book is read by the borrower before the deadline is up and returns it to you. While your book is lent out, you will not have access to it in your Kindle. The only catch is that you can only loan out a book once, because of Amazon's deal with the book publishers.

Borrowing a Kindle book from a Library

Library ebooks are becoming more popular, so you may need to place a hold on a book that you really want and wait to get notified when it's available. But the benefits are that you don't have to physically go to the library, and you won't incur overdue fines if you bring them back late. Here are the basic steps for borrowing an ebook from a library and reading it on your Kindle:

1. Check your library's homepage to see if your library offers a digital lending service. Another way to check is to visit http://search.overdrive.com, the main company that administers Kindle ebook lending for libraries.
2. If an ebook is available, look for a "Get for Kindle" option. Every library will have a different interface, but after you click on the Kindle loan button, you’ll be taken to the Amazon Public Library Loan page. Select “Deliver to” and select “Get library book”.
3. Some book publishers will require you to first install OverDrive (http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/). This will require a USB connection as Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks can't be transferred wirelessly.

If you finish the book before the expiration date, you may return it early via the Manage Your Kindle page. Like other digital items, Kindle books—including those you borrow—can be added to your “Favorites” by tapping and holding on their icon. This adds a shortcut to the book at the bottom of your Kindle’s home-screen , allowing quick access.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-borrow-ebooks-from-library-to.html

What File Formats can the Kindle Handle?

The Amazon Kindle Documents Library

Your Kindle Fire can handle a variety of electronic documents, including these formats:

• BMP
• GIF
• HTML
• JPEG
• MOBI
• PDF
• PNG
• PRC
• Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX formats)
• RTF
• TXT

Your Kindle can open any of the above file formats and you can handle PDFs in their native format. If you’re a student, you can read PDF documents like textbooks for your classes directly in your Kindle.

Kindle’s Personal Documents Service

Amazon's Personal Documents Service makes it easy to automatically convert from most common document formats into the AZW Kindle format. Once the document is converted and loaded onto your Kindle, you can use many of the functions available with Kindle documents (like making annotations and looking up words). To convert your documents, put the word “Convert” in the subject line of your email you send to your personal Kindle email. To find this email address, do the following:

1. Visit Amazon.com/myk 
2. Click “Personal Document Settings” and then “Add a new approved e-mail address.” 

You can attach up to 25 documents to a single email, with a combined size limit not exceeding 50 megabytes. If you don't want to use email to convert documents to Kindle's format, you can also use handy desktop file uploaders:

Kindle Document Uploader for Windows PCs: www.amazon.com/sendtokindle/pc

Kindle Document Uploader for Macintosh: www.amazon.com/sendtokindle/mac

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-file-formats-can-kindle-handle.html

M51 Supernova Pictures - The WhirlPool Galaxy

Here are some of the best M51 supernova (the "Whirlpool Galaxy") pictures off of Flickr:

from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astrogabe/

from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/

from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beercia/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jok/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lmamakos/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57858221@N06/

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/m51-supernova-pictures-whirlpool-galaxy.html

Using a Mini-USB Cable to Get Stuff onto Your Kindle

Using a Mini-USB Cable to Get Content onto Your Kindle

You can load files and documents onto your Kindle using a Mini-USB cable connected to your mac or pc. The small end of the cable connects to your Kindle, and the regular USB port connects to your mac or pc. A Kindle Fire connected via USB will appear as a removable disk. To move files from your computer to your Kindle, drag them from their folder on the computer onto the respective Kindle folder. To get any of your purchases, visit Amazon.com/myk and click on the ‘Action’ button next to any book. Select “Download & transfer via USB”, and you’ll then be presented with a list of devices you can download your digital purchase to. Any documents you send to your Kindle via email or USB are stored directly on the device and won’t be stored in Amazon’s Cloud.

Documents can also be emailed to your Kindle. Your Kindle has a Send-to-Kindle email address that is tied to your device. It’s usually “YourName@Kindle.com”, but check the “Manage Your Kindle” page at Amazon’s site, located at Amazon.com/myk. In the left sidebar, click the link “Manage Your Devices” list and you’ll see a list of Kindles associated with your account. This is where you’ll find their Send-to-Kindle email addresses. You can send documents to this address and they will automatically be downloaded onto your Docs library.

What is Whispernet?

When you purchase a Kindle party and never bought an early black-and-white E-ink Kindle, you could be curious about the term 'Whispernet' is sometimes mentioned on Amazon book listing pages. Whispernet was an impromptu cellular network Amazon pieced together to provide eBooks to early Kindle consumers. It was built to be economical so that it wouldn’t saddle Kindle customers with a monthly service charge. In those days, Wi-Fi wasn't as available as it is today, so Whispernet was needed to supply content to Kindle customers away from home. There is very little necessity for Whispernet these days since most homes and workplaces have Wi-Fi.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/using-mini-usb-cable-to-get-stuff-onto.html

How the Kindle Fire Compares to E-ink Readers and Other Android Tablets

While a normal Kindle uses E-ink technology to display text, the Kindle Fire uses color pixels just like a normal computer screen. This makes the Kindle Fire tablet more desirable for media use and for reading full-color ebooks.

Amazon Kindle Fire Vs. the iPad and Android Tablets

The iPad is what many people consider first when it comes to tablet computers. But when compared with the Kindle Fire, the iPad has some real drawbacks.

• Its substantial cost is the first issue that many people have with iPads. They are pricey and, although they have more bells and whistles than a Kindle Fire, lots of people do not think the additional features (a camera, for example) are worth the extra cost.
• If you’re worried about processing power, you shouldn't be worried if you go with Amazon’s color tablet. The Kindle Fire is equipped with a dual-core processor giving it plenty of processing power.
• Customers wanting an Android tablet might balk at the Kindle Fire, but don’t let the first looks fool you. The Kindle Fire features a default interface that makes it quite Amazon-centric, but you’ll soon discover ways to expand its horizon. In fact, your Amazon Kindle Fire can do anything that any unit running Android can do. If you have an Android phone, adapting to the Kindle Fire will be rather easy.
• Many Android users are fond of Dropbox, which is available also on the Kindle Fire, but Amazon has something even better: 5 GB of free storage which it dubs its Amazon Cloud Drive. In addition to the 5 gb, purchases won’t count against your data total, so you can buy movies from Amazon on your PC and have it be available on your Cloud Drive, ready to pull down on your Kindle Fire.

(Image: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Comfyipad)

Kindle Fire and Amazon Prime

When you have an Amazon prime account, it becomes something more than just a way to get free shipping when combined with the Kindle Fire. In addition to two-day free shipping on most items, you’ll get the following features when combining a Prime account with a Kindle Fire:

1. Amazon Prime gives you access to a big library of free instant-streaming films and shows. It's like Netflix video streaming, although Amazon's video library isn't quite as big and has more selection in TV shows than movies. When you decide on not to renew your Prime membership, you'll still be in a position to buy films and TV shows from Amazon in the usual manner. 
2. Amazon Prime allows one Kindle book to be borrowed at no cost every month. These come from the Kindle Lending Library, which will be included in your Prime account. Not all books are contained in the Lending Library, but many popular books are. You’ll get one free rental a month, which could end up saving you $10-$20/month if you’re a heavy reader. 

 You'll obtain a free month of membership to Amazon Prime together with your Amazon Kindle Fire purchase.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-kindle-fire-compares-to-e-ink.html

Note Taking Apps for your iPhone

Evernote for iPhone

Evernote is the one of the best apps for taking notes on the iPhone. It automatically uploads all of your notes to its web server. Because these same notes are accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone, you’ll never have to e-mail your notes to your self again. Evernote also works the other way around: You are able to take notes on your computer and then promptly set them up on your iPhone screen. Sharing your notes from Evernote is straightforward: if you have an agenda and want to share that information with others, you may do so with just a few clicks.

It is great for meeting notes, noting down books and music to check out, shopping lists and many more uses that you’ll find for it throughout your busy day. Evernote is free, though there is a $5/month option that allows for better PDF searching and also hides the small advertisement that comes with the free version. http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/evernote/id281796108

ReQall App for iPhone

ReQall is an iPhone to-do list app which has a few quite useful features. You are able to share all of your to-do lists with other people who also ReQall. This can be a wonderful way to help keep all the group members in your company stay on the same page. It’s also a great way for families to keep on top of their to-dos. If you manage a company with outsourced workers, for instance, you can all share to-do lists. This way everyone is on the same page no matter how far away they are. http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/reqall/id284930649

Recorder Pro App for iPhone

If you record interviews or want to take down audio notes to yourself, this app is a must have. This app will especially be useful to people who are always forgetting things. Using the Apple built-in microphone, Recorder Pro (http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/recorder-pro/id290854227)allows you to name files, pause, re-record, sort your audio files and more.

This is a great way to make use of the iPhones onboard microphone. Use it to record audio for your online business meetings or little reminders when you can’t stop to jot things down. You can also record reminders on the run for yourself as well. It is a hands-free way to make notes to yourself so you never forget a thing.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/note-taking-apps-for-your-iphone.html

Personal Finance Apps for the iPhone - Mint + Expense Tracker

Mint iPhone App for Personal Finance

For those used to the great personal finance features on the Mint website, they can now find them on the Mint app (http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mint.com-personal-finance/id300238550) . This is a great application for helping people manage their personal and business finances. Mint allows anyone to track all their accounts on a single dashboard screen on your iPhone. It doesn’t matter if you have one, two or three bank accounts, or if you need to track PayPal accounts along with multiple credit card accounts. Mint is great to get a simple overview of all your account balances: instead of logging into separate websites, all your accounts are integrated into Mint. This makes checking financial details much detail easier. If you’re ever late on payments or need a way to keep tabs on your bank balance, this app can help keep all your financial data right at your fingertips for easy observation.

Spending Expense Tracker App

Tracking your expenses is just a vital part of any online business. Many people think that it's enough to keep credit card statements as evidence of expenses, but these are actually not enough for IRS purposes. Having an iPhone app that enables you to track your expenses can make expense-tracking a great deal easier. The Spending Expense Tracker App is a convenient tool that will help you keep track of your everyday expenses. This is especially important for business travelers, since it’s easy to forget getting a receipt when you are travelling.

As opposed to being forced to start QuickBooks and have it running while you are operating your business, you can just quickly enter your bills into an app, and the habit of doing this after each purchase will give you a reminder to ask for a physical receipt for tax purposes, instead of just relying on your credit card bills. You can use Spending Expense Tracker for both individual and business expenditures and to help keep an eye on where your money is going, and stay within your budget. This app can assist you to curb any poor spending habits through tracking your spending, and perhaps even save your self more money and spend more wisely as a result.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-spending-expense-tracker/id437238261

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/personal-finance-apps-for-iphone-mint.html

Productivity Apps for the iPhone - Pomodoro + iDoneThis

The Pomodoro Productivity App for the iPhone

The Pomodoro App (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pomodoro-time-management/id323222604 ) is based on a productivity system popular with people who are short on time. The system has become popular with students and corporate executives as well as anyone who regularly is trying to squeeze in as much as they can during a productive day. Pomodoro, the Italian word for tomato, looks like an ordinary kitchen timer:

A pomodoro is a unit of time and works like this: for 25 minutes, you work without any interruptions. If you get interrupted by a phone calls, email, or Facebook status update, then you have to restart. After 25 minutes, you take an obligatory 5 minute break, and then do another 25 minutes. The Pomodoro app helps you keep track of time while staying on task to help you get more done with fewer distractions.

iDoneThis App for iPhone

One of the best ways to motivate yourself is to regularly be presented with your achievements to keep you motivated. It lets you continually see how much you have accomplished, which is exactly what iDoneThis allows you to do.
Here’s how it works: at the end of the day, iDoneThis will send you a push notification asking you what you did for the day. Fill it out, push send and IDoneThis will add it to your calendar. This allows you to easily look back and see all that you have accomplished. If you manage a team, you can also create group projects. This allows you to see exactly what your team members have finished as well.

https://idonethis.com/

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/productivity-apps-for-iphone-pomodoro.html

How to Install Android Apps on Your Kindle Fire (no Rooting Required)

If you want to install an Android app on your Kindle Fire, then there are some steps you need to take to get around Amazon's safeguards. Luckily there is a way to do this without rooting your Kindle Fire. When you root your Kindle, you gain access to administrator privileges to the tweak your Kindle fire using the Linux operating system that runs your Kindle. Here are the steps needed to install non-Kindle Fire certified Android apps:

1. Make sure your Kindle Fire has been configured to allow installation of third-party applications. Tap the Quick Settings icon, tap 'More...' then tap 'Device'.


2. Go to 'Allow Installation of Applications' and move the adjustment slider from 'OFF' to 'ON'.

3. Now you need to locate your Android app to download. Go to the website of the app you are interested in and save the Android APK file (remember you are getting this .apk file from the developer’s site, outside of the Amazon Store) and save it on your computer. You just saved the APK file to your hard drive, and then connect the Kindle Fire to your computer (PC or Mac) using a USB cable. Copy the download APK file into the Kindle Fire Download folder, and then disconnect the Kindle.
You can also download the APK file directly to your Kindle Fire if you know the URL of the app. In this case, you just wait until the download is finished and tap the notification icon in the top left corner of your screen to begin the installation process.
Use the ES File Explorer app (available for free at the Amazon App Store) to locate APK file(s) that you copied onto your Kindle Fire /Download folder. Go to the Home Screen of your Kindle Fire and tap on the Download folder:

After you have finished installing the app, you can open the app to start the application. These are the basic steps to install any Android app on your Kindle Fire without having to root it first.

Permalink: https://digital-cave.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-install-android-apps-on-your.html