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Posts Tagged ‘Personal Technology’

SQLAuthority News – Reset Messaging (SMS/Text) Icon Count in Android Jelly Bean

Posted in PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology, tagged , on February 3, 2013 | 12 Comments »

Though, this blog post has nothing to do with SQL, this particular issue has been annoying me for a long time. I use Galaxy SIII updated with Android Jelly Bean. I am a big fan of this phone and I have written an efficiency tip about Android as well here Android Efficiency Tips and Tricks – Personal Technology Tip. Recently it started to give me one very annoying error.

I had recently received a single SMS/Text on my phone. After I read the message the icon did not reset.

Here are few of the things I tried but the icon did not reset. This keeps on confusing me as every time I check my phone, I see one unread Text but when I click on it there was no new message. This pretty much killed my efficiency as I spent more time  checking my message box when there was no new message. It became extremely annoying at times. Here are few of the things which I have done but I got no success.

  • Restart the phone (multiple times)
  • Tried to empty out all the messages from my message box (I did take backup before)
  • Asked my friends to send new messages (more messages than unread count)

All of the above got me no results. There was one option which I knew will for sure fix the issue but I did not want to try that was Reset the Phone to Factor Settings.

After a few trial and error I finally figured out the way to fix the problem.

Go to Settings >> Applications Manager

Now under Applications Manager Click on BadgeProvider. 

Under BadgeProvider click on Clear Data.

As soon as you click on Clear Data and go back to your main screen, you will notice that your Messenging Icon will now reset and will display your current unread message. If your current unread message is zero, it will not show any unread message. In my case I did not restart my phone but couple of users reported that they had to RESTART the phone after above process.

Let me know if you are a victim of this issue and if this instruction are helpful.

Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com)

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SQLAuthority News – Chrome Browser – Personal Technology

Posted in PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, T SQL, Technology, tagged on December 21, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Almost every computer you can buy these days will come with Microsoft Windows installed on it automatically.  Also installed automatically – Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s web browser.  Many of us use this browser without a second thought, but in this latest Personal Technology Tip and Trick I thought I’d expand your horizons and talk about my favorite browser – Google Chrome.

1. Pin Tab

Most browsers now have the tab option, which allows you to have multiple browser windows open with easy access.  However, if you’re like me and have so many tabs open that you no longer can keep track of them, you need this streamlined service to be even more linear.  Welcome to pin tabbing.  When you pin a tab, it will form a much smaller, more minimized tab on the bar – usually just the web page icon.  It takes up much less space and allows you to focus on one set of multi-tasking jobs at a time.

Before pinning:

After pinning 1st two tabs:

2. Omnibox

The address bar in Google Chrome is so much more than a way to navigate to sites whose addresses you know.  In Chrome it’s called the “Omnibox” and it really can do everything.  Type in your search terms to do a quick Google search, and it can even do your math for you.  Type in equations, unit conversions, or distances, and have them quickly translated to exactly what you’re looking for.

3. Incognito – Secret Mode

In Incognito browsing, Chrome allows you to open a new window and perform all your regular internet surfing, without recording your browsing history (it even deletes the cookies after you close the window).  If this sounds like something only shady people up to no good would use – reconsider.  You could be logged into two accounts under two different user names using Incognito, without irreparably confusing your e-mail server.

4. Reopen Recently Closed tab

We’ve all done it – we have fifteen tabs open at the same time, and we are trying to sort through them and oops – there goes the tab that we really wanted.  But in Google Chrome you can easily retrieve the tab you accidentally closed.  There are two opens – Ctrl+Shift+T or right click on the tab bar and select “Reopen closed tab.”

5. Task Manager

If you are a multi-tasker, you know that sometimes you can outwork your computer and it slows down to the point where you can’t work anymore.  Google Chrome helps you fix this by showing all the CPU usage by every tab you have open.  It allows you to pinpoint windows that are using too much memory and close them down for later use, and then you’re back up and running at full speed.  Access this Task Manager by right clicking on the tab bar and selecting “Task Manager.” You can also enable Task Manager by pressing Shift+Esc.

6. Drag and drop downloads from Chrome

Being able to download documents or applications from the internet is, in itself, amazing.  But let’s admit it, operating through the download menu can be a little bit frustrating.  Google Chrome now allows you to drag and drop your download directly from Chrome into a new folder, the desktop, or wherever it belongs.

What is your favorite Chrome Trick?

Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com)

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SQLAuthority News – Android Efficiency Tips and Tricks – Personal Technology Tip

Posted in Best Practices, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology, tagged , on November 23, 2012 | 6 Comments »

I use my phone for lots of things.  I use it mainly to replace my tablet – I can e-mail, take and edit photos, and do almost everything I can do on a laptop with this phone.  And I am sure that there are many of you out there just like me.  I personally have a Galaxy S3, which uses the Android operating system, and I have decided to feature it as the third installment of my Technology Tips and Tricks series.

1) Shortcut to your favorite contacts on home screen

Access your most-called contacts easily from your home screen by holding your finger on any empty spot on the home screen.  A menu will pop up that allows you to choose Shortcuts, and Contact.  You can scroll through your contact list and then just tap on the name of the person you want to be able to dial with a single click.

2) Keep track of your data usage

Yes, we all should keep a close eye on our data usage, because it is very easy to go over our limits and then end up with a giant bill at the end of the month.  Never get surprised when you open that mobile phone envelope again.  Go to Settings, then Data Usage, and you can find a quick rundown of your usage, how much data each app uses, and you can even set alarms to let you know when you are nearing the limits.   Better yet, you can set the phone to stop using data when it reaches a certain limit.

3) Bring back Good Grammar

We often hear proclamations about the downfall of written language, and how texting abbreviations, misspellings, and lack of punctuation are the root of all evil.  Well, we can show all those doomsdayers that all is not lost by bringing punctuation back to texting.  Usually we leave it off when we text because it takes too long to get to the screen with all the punctuation options.  But now you can hold down the period (or “full stop”) button and a list of all the commonly-used punctuation marks will pop right up.

4) Apps, Apps, Apps and Apps

And finally, I cannot end an article about smart phones without including a list of my favorite apps.  Here are a list of my Top 10 Applications on my Android (not counting social media apps).

  • Advanced Task Killer – Keeps my phone snappy by closing un-necessary apps
  • WhatsApp - my favorite alternate to Text SMS
  • Flipboard - my ‘timepass’ moments
  • Skype – keeps me close to friends and family
  • GoogleMaps - I am never lost because of this one thing
  • Amazon Kindle – Books my best friends
  • DropBox - My data always safe
  • Pluralsight Player – Learning never stops for me
  • Samsung Kies Air – Connecting Phone to Computer
  • Chrome – Replacing default browser

I have not included any social media applications in the above list, but you can be sure that I am linked to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)

 

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SQLAuthority News – Windows Efficiency Tricks and Tips – Personal Technology Tip

Posted in PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology, tagged on October 29, 2012 | 4 Comments »

This is the second post in my series about my favorite Technology Tips, and I wanted to focus on my favorite Microsoft product.  Choosing just one topic to cover was too hard, though.  There are so many interesting things I have to share that I am forced to turn this second installment into a five-part post.  My five favorite Windows tips and tricks.

1) You can open multiple applications using the task bar.

With the new Windows 7 taskbar, you can start navigating with just one click.  For example, you can launch Word by clicking on the icon on your taskbar, and if you are using multiple different programs at the same time, you can simply click on the icon to return to Word.  However, what if you need to open another Word document, or begin a new one?  Clicking on the Word icon is just going to bring you back to your original program.  Just click on the Word icon again while holding down the shift key, and you’ll open up a new document.

2) Navigate the screen with the touch of a button – and not your mouse button.

Yes, we live in a pampered age.  We have access to amazing technology, and it just gets better every year.  But have you ever found yourself wishing that right when you were in the middle of something, you didn’t have to interrupt your work flow be reaching for your mouse to navigate through the screen?  Yes, we have all been guilty of this pampered wish.  But Windows has delivered!  Now you can move your application window using your arrow keys.

  • Lock the window to the left, right hand screen: Win+left Arrow and Win+right Arrow
  • Maximize & minimize: Win+up arrow and Win+down arrow
  • Minimize all items on screen: Win+M
  • Return to your original folder, or browse through all open windows: Alt+up arrow, Alt+Left Arrow, or Alt+right arrow
  • Close down or reopen all windows: win+home

3) Are you one of the few people who still uses Command Prompt?

You know who you are, and you aren’t ashamed to still use this option that so many people have forgotten about it.  You can easily access it by holding down the shift key while RIGHT clicking on any folder.

4) Quickly select multiple files without using your mouse.

We all know how to select multiple files or folders by Ctrl-clicking or Shift-clicking multiple items.  But all of us have tried this, and then accidentally released Ctrl, only to lose all our precious work.  Now there is a way to select only the files you want through a check box system.  First, go to Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then “Folder and Search Options.”  Go to the View tab, and under advanced settings, you can find a box that says “Use check boxes to select items.”  Once this has been selected, you will be able to hover your mouse over any file and a check box will appear.  This makes selecting multiple, random files quick and easy.

5) Make more out of remote access.

If you work anywhere in the tech field, you are probably the go-to for computer help with friends and family, and you know the usefulness of remote access (ok, some of us use this extensively at work, as well, but we all have friends and family who rely on our skills!).  Often it is necessary to restart a computer, which is impossible in remote access as the computer will not show the shutdown menu.  To force the computer to do your wishes, we return to Command Prompt.  Open Command Prompt and type “shutdown /s” for shutdown, or “shutdown /r” for restart.

I hope you will find above five tricks which I use in my daily use very important.

Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)

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SQLAuthority News – Storing Data and Files in Cloud – Dropbox – Personal Technology Tip

Posted in PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology, tagged on October 19, 2012 | 6 Comments »

I thought long and hard about doing a Personal Technology Tips series for this blog.  I have so many tips I’d like to share.  I am on my computer almost all day, every day, so I have a treasure trove of interesting tidbits I like to share if given the chance.  The only thing holding me back – which tip to share first?  The first tip obviously has the weight of seeming like the most important.  But this would mean choosing amongst my favorite tricks and shortcuts.  This is a hard task.

Source: Dropbox.com

My Dropbox

I have finally decided, though, and have determined that the first Personal Technology Tip may not be the most secret or even trickier to master – in fact, it is probably the easiest.  My today’s Personal Technology Tip is Dropbox.

I hope that all of you are nodding along in recognition right now.  If you do not use Dropbox, or have not even heard of it before, get on the internet and find their site.  You won’t be disappointed.  A quick recap for those in the dark: Dropbox is an online storage site with a lot of additional syncing and cloud-computing capabilities.  Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s explore some of my favorite options in Dropbox.

Collaborate with All

The first thing I love about Dropbox is the ability it gives you to collaborate with others.  You can share files easily with other Dropbox users, and they can alter them, share them with you, all while keeping track of different versions in on easy place.  I’d like to see anyone try to accomplish that key idea – “easily” – using e-mail versions and multiple computers.  It’s even difficult to accomplish using a shared network.

Afraid that this kind of ease looks too good to be true?  Afraid that maybe there isn’t enough storage space, or the user interface is confusing?  Think again.  There is plenty of space – you can get 2 GB with just a free account, and upgrades are inexpensive and go up to 100 GB of storage.  And the user interface is so easy that anyone can learn to use it.

What I use Dropbox for

I love Dropbox because I give a lot of presentations and often they are far from home.  I can keep my presentations on Dropbox and have easy access to them anywhere, without needing to have my whole computer with me.  This is just one small way that you can use Dropbox. You can sync your entire hard drive, or hard drives if you have multiple computers (home, work, office, shared), and you can set Dropbox to automatically sync files on a certain timeline, or whenever Dropbox notices that they’ve been changed.

Why I love Dropbox

Dropbox has plenty of storage, but 2 GB still has a hard time competing with the average desktop’s storage space.  So what if you want to sync most of your files, but only the ones you use the most and share between work and home, and not all your files (especially large files like pictures and videos)?  You can use selective sync to choose which files to sync.

Above all, my favorite feature is LanSync.  Dropbox will search your Local Area Network (LAN) for new files and sync them to Dropbox, as well as downloading the new version to all the shared files across the network.  That means that if move around on different computers at work or at home, you will have the same version of the file every time.  Or, other users on the LAN will have access to the new version, which makes collaboration extremely easy.

Ref: rzfeeser.com

Dropbox has so many other features that I feel like I could create a Personal Technology Tips series devoted entirely to Dropbox.  I’m going to create a bullet list here to make things shorter, but I strongly encourage you to look further into these into options if it sounds like something you would use.

  • Theft Recover
  • Home Security
  • File Hosting and Sharing
  • Portable Dropbox
  • Sync your iCal calendar
  • Password Storage

What is your favorite tool and why?

I could go on and on, but I will end here.  In summary – I strongly encourage everyone to investigate Dropbox to see if it’s something they would find useful.  If you use Dropbox and know of a great feature I failed to mention, please share it with me, I’d love to hear how everyone uses this program.

Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)

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