Category: DMM U

iPod Touch Alternative: Samsung Galaxy Player

Today I continue my series [which originally appeared on the Kindle Fire on Kindle Nation Daily site] detailing how I freed myself from Apple and iTunes by taking a closer look at the device I chose to replace my iPod, and comparing it directly to the closest iPod competitor. As a reminder, allow me to repeat this from the first post in this series: The Samsung Galaxy Player: my chosen iPod / iPod Touch alternative. Plays music, video and apps, provides internet access, and more. Why am I talking about iTunes and Apple devices on a site dedicated to Amazon’s Kindle Fire? It’s because many—maybe even most—Kindle Fire owners aren’t taking advantage of all the Fire’s music features because they’re already chained to iTunes and Apple devices for digital music purchases, downloads and management. Nobody wants the headache of having to manage separate media libraries for different devices. Many would LOVE to free…

Universal Keyboard Shortcuts: Where’s The Undo In Gmail?

Keyboard shortcuts are handy little key press combos that allow you to quickly perform some action that would otherwise require a little more effort with the mouse. Most programs have them, but they can vary from program to program and power users are generally the only people who ever bother finding out what the shortcuts are for their preferred programs. Still, there are a few that are worth knowing because they can save time, effort and frustration. “Universal” Keyboard Shortcuts There are a few handy shortcuts that are usually the same in ALL programs that allow the user to create content that contains text and images (e.g., word processors, text editors, etc.). To use any keyboard shortcut, press and hold the first key, then press the second key while still holding the first one down.

WannaCry Ransomware Attack: Run Windows Update NOW

I’ll keep it short and sweet today, because this is VERY important for Windows users. The WannaCry ransomware attack you’ve been hearing about lately is not limited to big companies. This nasty little program can be unleashed on virtually any Windows computer, going all the way back to XP.     Microsoft became aware of the security hole in March of this year and quickly released a patch, so if you’ve been keeping up with your Windows Update “critical” patches, you’re in good shape. If not, you could be victimized by this malware, which encrypts every file on your hard drive and demands payment in Bitcoin to unlock them. To avoid that horrible fate, turn on Windows Update and let it run all “critical” updates.

SD vs. MicroSD – What’s The Difference?

Today I’m revisiting another popular topic that regularly attracts new site visitors: SD vs. microSD cards. I won’t bore you with all the technical details of what makes a microSD card different from a standard SD card, because I’m pretty sure all you care about is whether or not a microSD card will work with your various devices. The answer is, so long as your device can accept a standard SD card, yes, it can accept a micro SD card — provided you have a standard SD card adapter or USB plug-in adapter (as pictured in this post). You can buy micro-to-standard SD card adapters and USB plug-in adapters on their own, but plenty of micro SD cards come bundled with adapters, too. To use a microSD card in a device that takes standard SD cards (most digital cameras, for example), you just slide the micro SD card into the…

You Don’t Need An iPod To Listen To Podcasts

I guess it sorta makes sense that many people think podcasts are only for iPods, since it’s got “pod” right there in the name, but it’s not true. A podcast is just a regular ‘ol MP3 audio file, just the same as an MP3 song or album, and that means any device that’s capable of playing MP3s can play podcasts. If A Podcast Is Just An MP3, Why’s It Called A Podcast? Okay, fair question. Podcasting got its start as a way for people to host and share their own radio programs on the internet. I say “radio programs” because even though, for the most part, these were not programs that ever played across radio waves, their format followed what you’d typically hear on a radio program: either interviews and commentary, like you’d hear on talk radio stations, or more of a music radio show format, with music, host commentary…

How To Get Your Music Out Of iTunes And Into Amazon’s MP3 Cloud Player

Today’s installment is part 4 in my Escape From iTunes series. In the first post I explained why making the switch from iTunes to Amazon’s MP3 Cloud Player is an especially good move for Kindle Fire owners, since it will free them to get full use of their digital music libraries across all their devices, including the Fire. I’ve already compared the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 to the 5th Generation iPod Touch and found them to be virtually identical in functionality (though not in price!). I also compared iTunes to Amazon’s MP3 Cloud Player for use as a music player and library management tool, and concluded Cloud Player is a worthy substitute. Enough about the whys of leaving iTunes, today I’m getting into the how. The following tutorial explains how I made the switch from an iPod + iTunes to a Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 + Amazon’s MP3 Cloud Player, but the same basic steps can be used regardless of the portable player…

How To Change Your Amazon Recommendations & Browsing History

* * * the Superbpag Bamboo Collapsible Folding Bed Laptop Desk/Table/Stand with Drawer, currently 28% off on Amazon (as of 6/25/15). Advertisers make it possible for Digital Media Mom to bring you great content each day for free, so thanks for your support. Why Does Amazon Think I’m Interested In THAT? A site visitor recently wrote to ask how he could get rid of Amazon’s suggested products on his Fire tablet. Well, so far as I can tell it’s not possible to do away with recommendations entirely, but you can change them. Your Amazon Browsing History Determines Your Recommendations Amazon keeps track of the stuff you look at on the site, and stores that list as your Browsing History. Your Browsing History is then used by Amazon’s site search algorithms to come up with product recommendations based on what you seem to be most interested in most recently. Your browsing history…

Which Apps Gather Your Gmail and Facebook Data, and How To Disconnect Them?

If you’ve been using Gmail or Facebook for a while, chances are good you’ve purposely or inadvertently granted at least a few apps permission to connect to those accounts, “Login with Facebook” or “Login with Gmail”, and if that’s true, you’ve also granted them permission to gather certain data from you. Here’s how to find out which apps gather your Gmail and Facebook data, and how to disconnect them.   How To See Which Apps Are Connected To Your Gmail & Disconnect Them Go to the Google Security Page for your account. Click the link for Connected apps and sites (it’s in the left-hand sidebar, as of this writing). All apps and services you’ve granted permission to link to or access your account will be shown. Click on each app to see what permissions it has, and if desired, to disconnect it.

Facebookery: How To Get Background Color In Your Online Facebook Posts

By now you’ve probably started noticing this thing on the Facebook website, where some people’s posts appear in boldface print on a colored background. And maybe you’ve wondered how they do it. If so, read on to learn how to get background color in your Facebook posts. First, a caveat. You may also have noticed that all the FB posts with boldface text on a background color are pretty short. There is definitely a character limit: 130 characters, including spaces. As soon as you enter character #131, the post will revert to regular old black and white. Second, a note about the Facebook mobile app. The colored background option now comes up by default in the most recent version of the Facebook mobile app. As soon as you tap to start a status update, either in the Home screen or on your own timeline, the color selection options are there….

Love My Echo’s Alexa 101: For Anyone Giving Or Getting An Alexa Device

This is a cross-posting of Love My Echo‘s Alexa 101 post, which I posted to that site on 12/20/16. There will be MANY more owners of Alexa-powered devices by the end of this month and it occurs to me that there are a few essential bits of information that most Alexa device owners find helpful, and I should probably pass them on this week: for both the givers and recipients. Alexa Givers 1. Be sure to deregister any Alexa devices you’ve purchased from your own Amazon account. Unless you checked that little “this is a gift” box when you ordered it, that Alexa device was automatically registered to your Amazon account. If it’s still registered to your Amazon account, the recipient of your gift won’t be able to register it to their own account. Of course, if you’re intending to run the device for the recipient (e.g., an aging or disabled person), then…