How to Block a Number on an iPhone in iOS 7, iOS 6

Block calls and messages from unwanted contacts

 

We would all like the ability not to be contacted from certain numbers. Perhaps you are receiving nuisance calls from PPI firms, or an ex just won't leave you alone. You can block each call as it comes in, of course, but how can you block that number forever? Here's how to block a number on an iPhone running iOS 7 or iOS 6.
The following ways to block callers work on the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, as well as older iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7. (Check out all of our smartphone tutorials.)

Block a number that has called you in iOS 7

Open up the Phone app at the bottom of every home screen. At the bottom of the window you should see 'Recents'. Click this. You will see a list of recent callers.
Click the i next to the number you wish to block. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see the option to 'Block this Caller'. Click it and confirm your choice. That's it!

Another way to block a contact in iOS 7

You can also block contacts that are already in your phone. This works via the Settings app. Go to Settings - it is a grey app on your home screen. Then scroll down to Phone.
Scroll down again and you will see an entry for 'Blocked'. This shows you a list of blocked contacts. Click Add New... and you will be taken to your Contacts. Select the Contact you wish to block, and confirm your choice.

How to unblock a number in iOS 7

What if you make a mistake? To unblock a number you have blocked, go to Settings, Phone, Blocked and hit Edit. Click the red circle next to the blocked number you want to unblock, and a red button will appear. Press that. And you're done!

How to block a number on an iPhone running iOS 6

The easiest thing to do is to update to iOS 7, which is free. Here is how to update to iOS 7. If for some reason you can't however, the following advice will work:
1. First, jailbreak that iPhone. Here's how to jailbreak an iPhone - again, we don't actively recommend this, and we do recommend that you take time to weigh up the pros and cons.
2. Now you need an app to do the job. There are several, including 'Call Blocker' and 'Call Bliss'. You won't find all of these apps on the Apple App Store - for some of them you'll have to use the independent Cydia app store. The blocking app we are going to use is called iBlacklist. It costs $12.99 (about £8.50) and offers the ability to block calls and SMS messages from specific numbers, as well as all unknown numbers. Open up Cydia, then find, pay for and install iBlacklist. Restart your phone.
3. iBlacklist should now appear as one of your apps. Open it up, and click 'Blacklists'. Here's you'll find all your current blacklisted numbers - at this stage there won't be any. To add one hit 'Add new Blacklist', then add a number. You can do this via your recent call list - which is where you are most likely to find the culprit. You can also add in a contact, or manually put in a number. Once you've added a number, set the 'Call' icon to 'On'. To block text messages do the same thing with the 'Message' icon.
4. Now you need to configure what happens when a call comes in from that blacklisted number. Hit 'Action to be performed' and choose an option. Options include blocking before your phone even acknowledges the call, sending back the engaged tone, sending the caller directly to voicemail, or automatically hanging up the call. Finally, hit the blue button to save your selections and that number is blocked.
5. To block other numbers or even groups of contacts repeat steps 3 and 4.

How to see which applications are running on a BlackBerry

Ensure unused apps don't drain your battery

BlackBerry's, like many smartphones, offer the ability to have apps running in the background. While the Messages, Phone, Browser and BlackBerry Messenger apps won't drain your battery or affect the performance of the handset, other apps may well do.

With this in mind we should you how to check which apps are running on your BlackBerry and how to close them down.

Step one
Press and hold the Menu button to see a list of apps running in the background.

Step two
You can't close the Messages, Phone, Browser and BlackBerry Messenger apps. However if there are any other apps running you want to close down, press the menu key again.

Step three
From the list of options displayed, scroll down and hit either Close or Exit depending upon what's available. This will quit the app for you.

How to install Android on your PC

Interested in learning about Android-powered laptops, but unwilling to drop hundreds of bucks? Give Android a whirl on your PC for free.

Windows 8's bold grab for tablet relevance may snatch headlines, but it isn't the only operating system looking to extend its established supremacy over a whole new class of devices. As the PC market hemorrhages, more and more manufacturers are turning to Google's Android OS to power PCs that once carried Windows alone. From hybrids to all-in-ones to an Intel-promised flood of incredibly cheap "Droidbooks," Android cometh.

But wait! Isn't Android made for smartphones? And weren't the first Android-powered laptops a bit ... disappointing? And aren't there some lingering questions about how Android performs in a PC-type environment?
Yup.
Fear not, all ye curious. The intriguing Android-x86 project has ported Google's open-source OS from the ARM processors common in smartphones and tablets over to the x86 chips found in everyday computers, so you can take Android for a spin on your PC before plunking cash down on one of the latest examples of computing convergence. And even if you have no plans to buy an Android PC, playing with Android on your current PC is just plain fun.
How does Google's mobile-focused operating system stack up on a full-size, not-so-mobile computer? You'll know firsthand after giving Android a test drive in a virtual machine.

Why a virtual machine?
Admittedly, virtual machines aren't as peppy as physical ones unless you have a bunch of system resources to toss around. And yes, you can install Android on your computer's hard drive--but I don't recommend even dual-booting this particular OS.
Hardware support for the operating system can be hit-and-miss, though the Android-x86 project mitigates that somewhat by providing several ISO files built around specific hardware, such as Asus and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops. Even so, running Android in a virtual machine is more consistently headache-free than dual-booting it. (Trust me--I tried it on three different machines.)
If you want to dual-boot Android regardless, the steps for doing so are basically the same as dual-booting Windows 8, at least up until the point of actually installing Android. From there, you'll want to pick up from the "Install Android on your PC" segment below.
No matter how you decide to roll, you'll need to grab some virtual machine software--we're using Oracle's excellent (and free) VirtualBox for this article--and the latest version of the Android-x86 port available. If an ISO for your specific laptop model is available, grab it.
Before we begin, note that you can click any image in this article to expand it to full size.

Get VirtualBox up and running
Once you've downloaded all the software, open VirtualBox and click the big blue Open button in the toolbar to begin. A Create Virtual Machine window will appear. Name your digital Android PC anything you like, but be sure to select Linux as the type of operating system, and Linux 2.6 as the version. Click Next.
In the option screens that follow, you have to configure your VM's hardware allocation. Give it at least 512MB of RAM if you can, though Android-x86 can run on 256MB of RAM if you're using a resource-strapped PC. The more memory you can spare, the smoother the results will be, though you don't want to allocate so much to Android that your native experience suffers while the VM is active.
Create a virtual hard drive using the default options, adding more storage if you wish. (Remember: Android was made for phones, so it doesn't take much space, even with multiple apps installed.)
Boom! The VM appears in the VirtualBox manager.
Next, you need to point the VM at your Android-x86 ISO. Click the Storage button in the VM manager and, in the window that appears, select the Empty option underneath 'Controller: IDE' to bring up various 'Attributes' options to the right. There, click the disc icon to the right of 'CD/DVD Drive' and select Choose a virtual CD/DVD disk file from the drop-down menu that appears. Simply browse your hard drive and select the Android-x86 ISO to load it in the virtual machine, and then click OK when you're done.
You're not quite finished yet, though. Click the Audio option, and in the window that appears, click the drop-down 'Audio controller' box and select ICH AC97. If you leave it on the default Soundblaster 16 setting, your Android VM's audio won't work properly.
Got it? Great! Now you're ready to install Android on your PC. The process is a bit trickier than your
standard Windows installation.

Install Android on your PC
Click the name of your Android-x86 VM in VirtualBox's left pane, and then click the big green Start arrow. After clicking OK on any dialog boxes that pop up--be sure to read them!--you'll quickly notice that you can't use your mouse during installation. Use the arrow keys to scroll down to Installation, and then press Enter. Press Enter to select Create/Modify partitions on the next screen as well.
If you usually stick to graphical interfaces, the next menu may throw you for a loop, but it's nothing to be scared of. Just navigate to New and press Enter again. Select Primary as the partition type, and then press Enter once more to set the partition to the default size. You'll see the following screen.
Press Enter on the Bootable option, which should add 'Boot' under the 'Flags' listing, next to the computer name. With that done, select the Write option. A warning appears, threatening that writing to disk will wipe any data already on the disk. Who cares? This is a virtual machine, you silly installation software. Type yes, and then press Enter yet again.
Highlight the Quit option and press Enter to return to the Choose Partition screen, which now lists the 'sda1' partition you created on the virtual hard drive. Press Enter again. You'll see a list of formatting options. Select ext3, press Enter, and select Yes when asked if you really want to format the disk.
Do you want to install boot loader GRUB? Yup! You also want to install the /system directory as read/write when asked.
Aaaaand there's the screen we've been waiting for. Run Android-x86.
Assess Android
You're going to set up the operating system the way you would on a new Android phone or tablet. It's pretty straightforward, and you can even connect the Android-x86 VM to your Google account. But before you do that, you need to coax a mouse cursor on screen, because trying to navigate a touchscreen-optimized OS by keyboard is maddening.
Click Machine in VirtualBox's toolbar, and select Disable Mouse Integration. Dialog boxes may appear; if so, click through them and continue. Disabling mouse integration allows you to manually control whether your mouse is controlling your primary OS or Android-x86. Pressing the right Ctrl button on your keyboard switches between the two operating systems. To swipe, click and hold the mouse button, and then move the mouse.
With that taken care of, you're free to explore Android on your PC!
Don't expect a flawless experience with Android-x86. You can't sync your Google account's apps to the VM, despite what the setup process implies--at least not yet. (Fortunately, Android-x86 ships with Google Play installed, and most apps I've tried work just fine, though you might notice the occasional wonkiness.) Nor does the virtualized OS work with any of the touchscreen displays I've tried. And yes, performance can be kind of poky, no matter how much RAM you toss at Android-x86.
That being said, giving Android a whirl on your PC will nevertheless give you a good feel for what's possible on an Android-powered laptop. The result isn't perfect, but if you give it a shot, I think you'll wind up pleasantly surprised. Android wasn't made for big screens, but all those smartphone-optimized apps hold up okay, and a ton of them are completely free, completely awesome, and can't be found on proper PCs.
And hey--for what it's worth, the Android Gmail interface blows away the ugly webmail UI.

How to print from your iPhone and iPad: AirPrint, Google C

 You don't need a AirPrint printer

The iPad is more than a games machine. Pair it with a keyboard and office suite and you’ve got a fully-fledged laptop replacement. The same is true of the iPhone – particularly now that Office365 subscribers can use it to edit native files in mobile editions of Excel and Word.
The trouble is, without a USB port – and with no way to install any drivers – printing looks like the missing link. It’s all very well being able to create and edit documents, but what about those times you need a hard copy of a vital email, printed directions for a forthcoming journey or a paper based recipe so you don’t have to tap and swipe your screen with pastry chef fingers?
It’s a problem that's easy to work around, as we’ll show you here, with four different ways to print your documents from an iPad or iPhone.
See all printer reviews

How to print from an iPhone or iPad: AirPrint

AirPrint is Apple's officially authorised means of printing from its mobile devices. It was introduced with the iOS 4.2 update, and adds a print function to a wide variety of applications. In Pages, Numbers and Keynote you'll find Print under Tools | Share and Print. In Mail, tap the reply button and pick Print from the menu. In Safari, tap the shortcut button to the left of the address bar and then tap Print.
AirPrint adds native printing features to a wide range of applications, including Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
AirPrint is compatible with all iPads, the iPhone 3G and later, and the third generation iPod touch onwards. You'll also need a compatible AirPrint printer. These were originally only produced by Canon, but each of the leading manufacturers now has a selection of compatible devices in its range.
They aren't expensive, either. Shop around and you can pick up an HP Deskjet 3520 for around £45, and an all-in-one multifunction device such as the Canon Pixma MG3250 for £50.
Setting it up is easy, and quite literally a two-tap process. The first time you send a document to print, iOS opens the Printer Options dialogue. Tap Select Printer and it scans your network for compatible devices. When it finds one, tap the printer name to return to the Printer Options dialog and complete the process.
You can now specify how many copies you need (and whether to print double-sided if your printer has a built-in duplexer) and tap the Print button to output your file.

Setting up AirPrint is a two-tap process, after which you’ll have access to your printer’s specific built-in features.

How to transfer files and apps from Android phone, Android tablet to SD card

How to move files and apps from phone to expansion card in Android

We explain how to move apps from Android phone to SD card, how to move files and photos from Android phone to SD card, andhow to save files to the SD card on your Android phone.
In our Android smartphone reviews we often comment that a handset has only 8- or 16GB storage, but can be expanded using an SD card. The ability to use portable storage to expand the capabilities of a smartphone is an absolute boon, but it's not always as straightforward to use such storage as you might think. It is desirable, however.
Keeping files stored on SD card rather than phone makes it easier to swap them from device to device. It also keeps your phone storage free for things such as the OS and apps, which may keep things moving along quickly on an older handset.
Moving apps from your phone to the SD card is almost always difficult, and often impossible. And it isn't always as straightforward as it might be to move files from your phone's storage to the SD card.
Because each iteration- and each manufacturer's version of Android can be so very different, we can offer only general advice here. But here is advice for if you have an Android phone or Android tablet and you want to move apps or data from the phone to the SD card.

How to move apps from Android phone to SD card

Let's address the main issue first: there's a very good chance you might not be able to do this. Because of the way they mount SD cards, many Android manufacturers won't let you run apps from the SD card - you can't on some of the Galaxy phones, for instance. In part this is for performance reasons, and in part because the SD card is outside the walled world of your Google account which may make permissions tricky.
This isn't the case with all Android phones, however. If you can move apps to your SD card, the process is likely to be something like this: go to the Apps menu, find the app you want to move. Then through that particular App's settings, select move to SD card. See also: Group test: what's the best smartphone?

How to move files, photos from Android phone to SD card

If you can't move apps, you can definitely move date from your phone storage to the expansion card. By default files such as music, movies, photos and documents will save to the phone. We'll explain how to set each type of file to save to the card a little further on. For now let's concentrate on moving files.
First of all look in your phone's app menu - is there something called 'File Manager' or similar? If so, you are in clover. If not, don't worry - there are plenty of free third-party file manager apps on the Google Play app store. One we like is ASTRO File Manager.
Using such an app you can browse through the file structure of your handset, find the file or folder you wish to move, copy it, paste it into the new location on your SD card, and delete the original.
But here's a simple pro tip: you don't even need an app if you have access to a PC and a USB cable. That being the case you can mount your phone or tablet like a USB drive on your PC. Click into it from the PC and you'll see the file structure, like any other portable storage. Then simply drag-and-drop files to the SD card. This ability to see and utilise your phone as USB storage is one of the key advantages of Android over iOS.
There is one other possibility that is worth considering. In some recent versions of Android, if you go to Settings > Storage, you'll find an option called 'Transfer data to SD card'. Here you can select or all data or certain types of file (photos/music etc), and transfer them from the phone to the SD card via a single click. Do this periodically to keep your phone's storage free.

How to save files direct to SD card on Android

Finally, here's how to set up your Android phone so that new files automatically save to the expansion card. Select the app you use for that type of file - for instance 'Camera' for photos. Then go to Settings > Storage or similar. There should be an option called something like 'Save to SD card by default'. Enable this option.