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7 Hidden iPhone Keyboard Features

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You spend hours on your iPhone every day, and a good chunk of that time is spent typing away on the keyboard. By now, you have certainly learned the basics, like how you can swipe on the keyboard instead of typing, or how the globe key can help you switch among different keyboards. But there are several other hidden or otherwise weird features on the iPhone keyboard that you might not have encountered yet.

Turn your keyboard into a trackpad

One of the biggest pains with a software touchscreen keyboard is text selection. Apple tries to make it easier with a magnifying loop, but you’re still not always sure where the cursor is, and how much text is being selected. You can fix this by turning the entire keyboard into a cursor trackpad. Tap and hold the Space bar. Now, as you move your finger, the cursor will move along with you. Tap anywhere on the keyboard with a second finger and you’re in text selection mode. Swipe your fingers, and as you move, you’ll be selecting the text.

Shrink down the keyboard to use it with one hand

If you use a larger iPhone, typing with one hand can be cumbersome. But there’s a hidden one-handed mode on the iPhone keyboard: Press and hold the Globe icon, and then use one of the three keyboard layout options. By default, it’s docked in the center, but you can dock it to the left or the right edge of the screen, making it easier to use with one hand.

A long press and a swipe goes a long way

When you’re typing, you frequently need to add special characters or numbers. You can switch to the numbers keyboard, sure, but there’s a much faster way to go: Swipe from the “123" button and it will instantly turn into the numbers keyboard. Now take your finger to the number or character you want to enter, and lift your finger. You have just entered a number, and you’re back to the alphabetic keyboard.

Similarly, you can press and hold on keys to discover hidden symbols. We have a whole guide dedicated to the topic, where you can see a detailed list of all the hidden symbols. For example, pressing and holding the period key (.) will reveal the ellipsis key (...).

Create your own text shortcuts

There are some things you type over and over again, such as your email address, your home address, or maybe your favorite catchphrase. There’s a hidden feature called Text Shortcuts that lets you turn a couple of letters into full-blown words, phrases, or even paragraphs. So for instance, you can just type “twss” and turn it into “that’s what she said.”

Go to Settings > General > Keyboards > Text Replacement and tap the “+” button from the top-right corner. Type in the phrase, the shortcut, and tap the “Done” button. Next time you type the shortcut and press the Space key, it will automatically expand to the pre-selected phrase.

Use the hidden formatting bar to undo, redo, copy, and paste

A three-finger swipe left will quickly undo your last move (whether it was typing something or deleting). But gestures are inconsistent and not for everyone. That’s why it's recommended that you use the hidden all-in-one formatting bar.

Simply tap with three fingers in the text area to bring up the floating bar. From here, you can undo, redo, copy, paste, and more.

Unlock the hidden Emoticon keyboard

Emojis are everywhere. But you can stand out by using emoticon instead, like it’s the good old days of AOL. And you don’t need a third-party keyboard for it. Adding a Kana or Romaji keyboard in Settings will do the trick. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Choose the “Japanese” language and add the “Kana” keyboard. Tap the “Done” button.

Now, tap and hold the Globe key on the keyboard, and switch to the Japanese keyboard. Tap the “^_^” key and you’ll see Emoticons at the top bar. Tap the drop-down button to expand this menu and scroll through all available emoticons.

Make your iPhone forget auto-correct phrases

The iPhone keyboard’s prediction engine is sometimes too good at picking up your frequent phrases, and will suggest them to you even when you didn’t ask for them, and then there’s the issue of the iPhone saving misspelled words as autocorrect suggestions. There’s a single answer to both these problems: Nuke your keyboard dictionary and start again. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary > Reset Dictionary. Now, all your weird auto-complete suggestions will be gone.

Credit: lifehacker.com

These Apps Cause Biggest Battery Drain

Even though mobile phones released in the last few years have larger batteries, there seems always to be something that drains them faster than before. A recent update to Apple’s operating system caused battery issues.

But it isn’t always internal hardware that is to blame. Phones are jam-packed with applications that run in the background, sapping battery life without your knowledge. There are a few things that you can do about it, but there is one category of apps that is a significant culprit.

Many apps operate in the background, even when your smartphone is locked. For example, applications such as Gmail periodically check for new messages or updates.

But according to Apple experts, the one type of app that drains more battery power than others is social media. It is not the app itself that runs your phone flat, but your social media behavior. Most people check Twitter, Facebook or Instagram several times a day.

The unlocking, scrolling, refreshing and watching embedded videos contribute to battery drainage faster than usual. According to a 2021 study by Pew Research, 72% of adult Americans have at least one social media account. And 70% said they use Facebook daily, while 59% said they use Snapchat or Instagram daily.

Last year cloud computing company pCloud set out to find which iOS and Android apps are the biggest offenders. By looking at the functions used by the app, battery drainage under regular use, and whether a dark mode is available, the culprits soon emerged.

Six of the top 20 apps are social media related, with Facebook taking the top spot. According to pCloud, Facebook can constitute up to 82% of battery usage, while Instagram, Snapchat and Tinder can make up more than 70%. Twitter ranked 25th on its list.
The average time spent on these apps climbed from 26 minutes in 2016 to 147 minutes per day in 2021. Several factors contribute to the battery’s depletion. Apps like Facebook and Twitter use a constant Wi-Fi or mobile data connection to check for updates and load content. Location tracking is also activated to know where you are. Unfortunately, most of this happens in the background and uses battery power.

If you want better battery life, your best bet is to remove apps that you no longer use or are known to be massive battery drains. Here’s how to remove them properly.

Removing apps on iPhone:
Touch and hold an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.

You can also use the App Library, introduced in iOS 14, to get a curated list of your apps grouped by category. Swipe past the last page of your Home screen to access it. Tap and hold the app, then select Delete App > Delete.>

Removing apps on Android:
Long-press an app, then tap App Info > Uninstall.
Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications to see a list of your apps and delete them the same way.

Or you can open the Google Play Store app and navigate to Menu > My apps & games. Tap on the app and hit Uninstall.

Note: Samsung and OnePlus phones have an Uninstall option under the app shortcuts menu.

Credit: komando.com

Executive Board Minutes


Computer Technology Club, Inc. - Executive Board Minutes
April 8, 2022

Alan Marcus, President, called the meeting to order at 9:00AM. Members in attendance: Bill Balch, Jim Trimboli, Bob Kenlay, Bob Irish, Linda Irish, Bob Roesener, Bob Leiner, Don Forgette, Linda Tingley and Alan Marcus.

The Secretary’s report was read by Bob Kenlay. No corrections or additions necessary.

Jim Trimboli then read the current Treasurer's report. The current balance is $1626.39.

Alan Marcus explained the Q & A session to be presented at this coming meeting. We will divide the members into four person teams at each table to come up with an answer to Alan's question. If the team comes up with the right answer, each member will be awarded 25¢.

A motion was made by Bob Kenlay to approve this game and Bob Roesener seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Future meeting topics:

Apr. 20 - “Computer Q & A Quiz” by Alan Marcus

May 18 - “Electric or Hybrid Cars” by Alan Marcus

June 15 – “Computer Questions or Problems & Solutions” by CTC Board members

The meeting adjourned at 9:45AM.

Respectfully submitted,
Bob Kenlay, Secretary

Get Rid of Bloatware With One Command

Windows has always had a bloatware problem (even if Samsung has recently claimed the crown in that department). Bloatware is an umbrella term for apps, services, and programs you don’t need, and never asked for, and Windows comes preinstalled with a boatload of them.

Things improved with the launch of Windows 11, and Microsoft has started cutting the fat off of its installation media. But it’s still an issue, with apps like Skype, 3DBuilder, Asphalt 8, Microsoft News, Feedback Hub, and many more installed (and taking up space on your system) by default.

Removing bloatware helps you in two ways: You’ll recover some storage space and speed up your computer. If you’re using a low-end machine or an older PC, or if you just like the idea of running a lighter OS, this guide can help you take care of the problem with one command.

The traditional way of removing bloatware requires tracking down those unneeded apps and uninstalling them one by one. To some degree, that still works, provided you can find the app listed in Settings > Apps > Apps & Features. To find a bloatware app, click the three-dotted Menu button, and choose the “Uninstall” option. Confirm and follow the process.

But this doesn’t work for the hidden apps, system apps, and background processes Microsoft sneaks into the OS, and that’s where an automated script can be a lifesaver. Developer Sycnex’s Windows10Debloater script works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 and gives you a one-click option for deleting all bloatware, or a customized subset of the bloatware list.

To get started, go to the Start menu, search for “Windows PowerShell,” right-click on the result, and choose “Run as administrator.”

In the PowerShell window, type the command below and press the Enter key. It will automatically download the files from the GitHub repository and create a system restore point, just in case something goes wrong.

iwr -useb https://git.io/debloat|iex

Entering this command will launch a new program, where you’ll see options for disabling Cortana, One Drive, and more.

Click the “Customize Blocklist” button and select the bloatware that you want to remove. Save the file, and then click the “Remove Bloatware with Custom Blocklist” button. The script will run and it will uninstall the selected apps. Once it’s done, restart your PC and you’ll be running a little leaner and, hopefully, a bit more efficiently.

Credit: lifehacker.com

Turning Used Batteries Into Portable EV Chargers

We need more upcycled batteries, people. On its way to net zero, Jaguar has developed a portable EV charger, powered by “second-life” batteries from prototype and test I-Pace vehicles.

The so-called Off Grid Battery Energy Storage System (ESS) is essentially an energy storage unit, designed to supply power where access to electricity is limited or unavailable.

The device has a capacity of up to 125kWh, more than enough to juice up the I-Pace or to power a house for a week, says Jaguar, and can be topped up via integrated solar panels.

It’s rated to charge at speeds up to 22kW and comes with Type 2 connectors compatible with most EVs.  The portable charger will be available for commercial hire, but the automaker has yet to disclose launch and pricing details.

The technology’s capabilities were tested by the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team, which used the ESS to power its diagnostic equipment and supply back-up power to the pit garage.

Jaguar isn’t the first car maker to invest in battery upcycling. Tesla has operated its Powerwall since 2015, Renault has teamed up with Powervolt to repurpose EV batteries into home energy storage systems, and Volvo has been working with Batteryloop to power up EV charging stations. 

Let’s hope this is the start of a wider trend. We need to find more ways to reuse and recycle the precious materials of EV batteries and hope more automakers follow suit.

Credit: thenextweb.com

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