How To

How to set a monthly iTunes allowance for your kids

There are plenty of iOS devices on holiday wish lists this year. Which means there's bound to be plenty of iOS devices under trees, waiting for anxious kids to unbox and begin using them.

On the other side of those iOS devices are parents, like you, trying to figure out how to limit the amount of spending on games, apps, books music and movies their kids (or perhaps themselves) can do in iTunes.

Today I found a feature in iTunes I didn't know existed; the ability to set up a monthly iTunes allowance for specific Apple IDs. Brilliant! … Read more

How to back up your Instagram photos and delete your account

On January 16, the photos you upload to Instagram can be used for third-party advertising. This change in Instagram's policy means that the photos you take of your kids, pets, family, or anything else, can be sold without even notifying you. If you decide to wait until after January 16 to close your Instagram account, your photos could still be used or sold.

Not really feeling the change? You're not alone. Many users are wondering what they can do with their Instagram account -- whether they can download all of their photos and preserve their privacy, or if … Read more

How to send a Square gift card

The ability send and process gift cards were recently added by Square as an additional service for its merchants. The process is simple, but requires you to download and install the Square Wallet app (iOS, Android) on your smartphone.

Once you have Square Wallet installed you'll need to set up an account, complete with your payment information. You can then find a local store listed in Square Wallet, such as a coffee shop or bookstore, open the respective card for that business, and then tap "Send Gift Card." Enter the recipient's information, select an amount and … Read more

Use Kies to back up and restore your Samsung mobile device

Samsung's Kies desktop software can sync your Samsung smartphone or tablet to your computer. If you haven't used Kies before, then you may not know that it can also back up the data on your Samsung device. With a Google account, a lot of your data already syncs with Google's servers, but Kies can also back up Samsung-specific apps, like S Planner and S Memo, which come on the Galaxy S3. Additionally, Kies can back up your contacts, call log, SMS/MMS messages, and media files. Here's how:

Back up

Step 1: After installing Kies (Windows | … Read more

Upload a photo to a specific Facebook album on Android, iOS

You can now upload a photo to a specific Facebook album using the iOS and Android apps. There have been various methods in the past to get a photo into a preferred album, but the process is now streamlined.

iOS users will have the ability to add a photo, or photos, to an existing album or create a new album during the upload process. Android users will only be able to upload photos to an existing album. Before uploading a photo, however, Android users can create an album by visiting the Photos tab from the menu and tapping on the … Read more

25 Windows Phone 8 tips

Thanks to Windows Phone 8's strict design rules, all devices running Microsoft's latest phone software operate in virtually the same way. Unlike with Android, manufacturers don't have much freedom to heavily customize Microsoft's OS with their own software. This means most tricks you use on your Lumia 920 will also work on Windows Phone mobiles, such as the HTC 8X, the Lumia 820 and the Samsung Ativ S.

Here's our roundup of the top 25 tips and tricks that will benefit you no matter which second-generation Microsoft phone you own.

1. Kid's cornerTo keep … Read more

Automatically dial extensions for Android contacts

A lot of companies have an automated service that answers their incoming phone calls. However, it's a bit of a pain when you're trying to dial a company and have to wait to enter the extension number each time for the department or person you're trying to reach. This is especially true when you don't remember the extension and you have to check out the contact information to find it.

Luckily Android dialer apps allow you to program the extension into the contact information. There are two different styles you can use: pause or wait. Read … Read more

Getting to know Google Maps on iOS

Google Maps is back on iOS, but this time as a standalone app. You'll find it doesn't look like it did on iOS 5, due to Google having complete freedom with the user interface and design. As such, using Google Maps on iOS is going to feel a bit familiar, yet like a completely new experience.

To install Google Maps on iOS, you'll need to be using an iPhone (3GS and newer), iPod Touch (fourth and fifth gen) or an iPad running at least iOS 5.1. If you're using one of the above devices, download Google Maps for iOS … Read more

Getting started with Flickr's new iPhone app

Flickr updated its iPhone app today, ushering in a new design and features, including photo filters similar to those the world has fallen in love with over at Instagram. Allow me to walk you through the radically changed Flickr for iPhone app.

When you first launch the app, you'll need to sign up via Facebook or sign in to your account via Yahoo, Facebook, or Google. After logging in, you'll see a layout akin to Instagram's. Running along the bottom edge are five buttons to navigate the main areas of the app. From left to right they … Read more