Wi-Fi, thanks to its easy setup and widespread use, has made itself popular in many households. The wireless technology connects multiple devices, including computers, phones, and tablets, thus making it easier for them to ‘communicate’ with each other. So, for example, you want to control your living room computer whilst sitting comfortably in your bedroom, thanks to Wi-Fi, you can do that simply by installing a few remote control apps on your smartphone. Moreover, you can snap a picture of yourself, send it to your laptop, and then send it to your printer for a nice printed pic. The possibilities are endless; however, they’re not without risks.

These days, more and more wireless networks fall prey to intrusions, hacking, and unauthorized usage due to the user’s failure to adopt necessary security measures.

Here at TechSource, we've compiled a nice list of all the essential steps you must take in order to secure your wireless network.

This is the first and the most important of tips. Never, and I repeat never keep your Wi-Fi network open. In your router’s wireless settings section, you’ll find a bunch of options that will help you encrypt your network. Here’s some information about the different protocols you’ll need to choose from in order to keep the intruders at bay:

WEP: Wireless Equivalent Privacy, or WEP is a security algorithm that was introduced by IEEE in 1999. Recognizable by the key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, WEP has, since its introduction, been criticized for its flaws. Consequently, another security algorithm known as WPA was introduced, thus making WEP obsolete. Despite its widely publicized fallacies, WEP is still widely used, thus exposing the network to unwanted attacks. If you’re setting up a new network, it’s strongly recommended that you stay away from WEP and go with WPA2 instead. Furthermore, if you’re using WEP, be it your office or home network, it’s important that you switch to WPA2 as soon as possible.

WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access or WPA is a security protocol designed to address the security fallacies in the aforementioned WEP protocol. Introduced in 1999, WPA wasn't completely adopted until early 2000s, since many routers faced compatibility issues whilst upgrading. WPA did, to an extent, address the many issues WEP faced; however, WPA too had a few vulnerabilities of its own. Soon, in 2004, IEEE introduced WPA2, which has, since then, become the most secure protocol of the lot. Since 2006, WPA2 has been made mandatory for all new devices, thus there’s very little chance that you won’t have the protocol in your newly purchased router. So, in short, if you’re creating a new wireless network, simply go for WPA2, as it is the strongest of the bunch.

If you’re surrounded by basement-dwelling hackers and perpetual snoops, here’s a nifty little tip that will help keep them away from your network. Simply name your network’s SSID something like <> STATE POLICE, <> OFFICIAL MILITARY NETWORK, FBI Protected Access, Skynet, the list is endless. Just use your creativity and it might help you ward off those hackers for good.

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems around. In just a short span of time, this Linux-based OS has soared to popularity thanks to its amazing features and ease of use. When pitted head-to-head against its archrival, that is none other than Apple’s iOS, Android usually gets the upper hand thanks to the freedom that it offers to users.

While iOS requires iTunes and a Windows or Mac operating system, an Android device can be managed from any device, be it Linux, Mac, or Windows. Moreover, managing the device, or transferring songs, videos, and documents, doesn't take much effort at all; all you have to do is simply plug in your smartphone or tablet to the computer and drag and drop. That said, not all are comfortable with that method of 'softwareless' management, especially people who switch over from other devices -- mostly Nokia-based and iOS devices -- feel that they need a dedicated software for managing their phones and tablets.

So, if you’re a Linux user, and just purchased an Android device, here are some tips that will help you manage your brand new Droid with ease:

First plug in your Android device using the cable provided in your box. Then, on your device, turn on mass storage mode, which will then pop up the device on your computer. Simply open it with your file manager (Nautilus, Dolphin, or whichever you use) and create separate folders for the files you want to put. For example, you want to transfer Excel spreadsheets, create a folder called Documents, and in there, create another folder called spreadsheets wherein the file will go. It is important that you keep everything organized into proper folders because over time the file system tends to get overly crowded as different apps create their own folders.

When it comes to transferring music, simply open Rhythmbox or Banshee on your Linux desktop. The device will show up in the left pane wherein you could drag and drop all your songs. Sometimes, however, the files show up in folders other than the main Music folder, in that case, you can safely drop them to the designated folder without losing the playlists you created on your device.

AirDroid is one of the best Android-managing tools out there. Though not a complete Linux-based software per se, it works perfectly well across all platforms, as it needs nothing but your web browser. With AirDroid you can wirelessly transfer files, manage SMSes, apps, and media right from your desktop. You can also copy and organize your music, and even set a song as your ringtone. The software is incredibly easy to use, even easier than iTunes. To get started, all you have to do is pair your device with the web-based version of AirDroid.

QtADB, as the name suggests, is a Qt-based Android manager for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Written in C++, the application can be used for managing files, apps, and more. Furthermore, you can use it for taking screenshots, flashing bootloader, boot recovery, Nandroid backup, and more complex tasks. Though the app is more suited for rooters and advanced users, enthusiasts can use it for managing files and apps. The application requires Qt 4.7 libraries to be installed on your computer (libqtgui4, libqt4-network and libqt4-declarative).

From making piano-playing cats popular to giving skilled musicians a platform, YouTube has become one of the most pivotal entertainment hubs of our generation. Not only has it successfully revolutionized entertainment; it has also made knowledge and education more accessible to the bleakest corners of the world. Founded in 2005 by three former PayPal employees, no one had thought that YouTube would go on to become the third most popular site on the Internet.

While most people use YouTube for entertainment, there a growing number of people who are incorporating this video sharing site into their studies. Thanks to revolutionary uploaders like Khan Academy, education has become simpler, more accessible, and easy to understand. That said, not everyone has access to the Internet, and sometimes, it’s a great idea to download those videos on a thumb drive and share it with others. However, as easy as it sounds, it’s not always possible to download videos off YouTube. Thanks to the dreaded copyright laws and a host of other reasons, downloading videos from YouTube is not allowed.

That said, it’s not as if you can’t download videos from YouTube. There are interesting sites like KeepVid and others that offer the functionality for free. And yeah, if you’re on Ubuntu too, there are a few options that will let you bring the best of the video-sharing site to your hard drive. So, without further ado, here are some of the best ways you can download YouTube videos from your Ubuntu desktop.

Youtube-dl is a tiny command-line program designed to help users download videos from YouTube by simply typing a command along with the URL of the video. Written in Python, this free and open-source program can run on any platform so long as the Python Interpreter is installed. Youtube-dl, apart from letting you download videos, also lets you choose which format they’ll be downloaded in. Before you start using it, it’s not a bad idea to go through the documentation once. You may also check out our quick and easy guide on downloading YouTube videos from the Linux terminal.

DamnVid is a free video downloader and converter for Linux that lets you grab videos from popular video sites like YouTube, Dailymotion, and CollegeHumor without making you go through hoops. This simple, straightforward application, once installed, can download as well as convert videos to your favorite format, all at the same time.

To install this fabulous application on your Ubuntu box, open your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and paste or type in the following commands:

Similar to the aforementioned DamnVid, ClipGrab, as the name suggests, lets you grab clips from the Internet in an easy, quick, and hassle-free way. Once installed, not only can you download your favorite videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion, you can also convert them to your preferred format (including simple audio).

To install this application, open your terminal and punch in the following commands:

Downverter is a completely free video-downloading tool for Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac. The application, once installed, lets you download YouTube videos in a variety of formats. Supported formats include popular ones like MP4, MOV, AVI, 3GP, and others. Furthermore, you can also grab videos specially converted for your iPod, PSP, Pocket PC, or Mobile Phone. With an easy to use interface and a bunch of interesting features, Downverter is one of the best choices if you’re looking for a decent video grabber.

Minitube is a YouTube application for your desktop. The free and open-source tool lets you watch, search, and discover YouTube videos from your desktop without the need for any external plug-ins (not even the dreaded Flash player). Written in Qt, this application has recently added the functionality to download YouTube videos by a simple click of a button.

To download the software to your Ubuntu box, simply type in or paste the following commands in your Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).

Since Windows is the most popular operating system around, most of the games and software that are out there are available only for the Microsoft-made platform. While Mac has some great offerings to its users in this department, Linux users often miss out on the amazing games and applications its competitors can run.

The Windows monopoly has successfully managed to keep all the best applications to its continually thriving platform, thus thwarting many Linux-curious users from making the switch. That said, it doesn't mean that it’s impossible for switchers to enjoy the same features that their Windows-loving friends enjoy. Thanks to relentless efforts of thousands of developers, Linux has managed to bolster itself using the hundreds of alternative software like GIMP and LibreOffice, thus making it a viable choice for anyone looking for something apart from Windows.

Having said that, not every alternative software suffices the need of users. LibreOffice and GIMP, though good, are not quite up to the mark when compared to MS Office or Photoshop. Moreover, many games that Windows fanboys often boast of aren't available on Linux, thus holding back many gamers who want to make the switch. Thankfully, though, there are some great ways to access those software; that too without dual-booting or punching in cryptic code for hours. So, if you’re looking to make Linux as your one and only operating system, here are some tips that will help you run Windows-based games and software applications without hassles:

Wine is perhaps one of the most popular software on the Linux platform. It’s the good old tool that lets you run all your favorite Windows applications and games on your breezy little Linux box. According to statistics found on Wine’s website, the free software has over 1.5 million users worldwide.


Wine is known for its ability to run famous games like StarCraft, Left4Dead, Guild Wars, and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Also, the open-source tool can run Adobe Flash CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3, MediaMonkey and many other Windows-based software. A good place to know whether your app is compatible or not is to look up the AppDB. To download Wine, simply go to the downloads page HERE and grab the one that works with your Linux distribution.

PlayOnLinux is a Python-based software that helps users run Windows-based games and applications on your Linux computer. The application, apart from letting you play the latest games on your Linux desktop, also lets you install and run many software that are actually designed for Windows. PlayOnLinux uses the aforementioned Wine to run all the needed applications thus providing outstanding compatibility with most Windows-based software.


The biggest advantage that PlayOnLinux has over Wine is the fact that it makes it easy for new users to install their favorite games and applications in a neat, guided manner. In fact, if you are a new user just embarking on your journey to Linuxland, I’d recommend you to go with PlayOnLinux instead of Wine. Though this amazing piece of software can run many of the popular applications, don’t expect it to work well with every software that comes to your mind. Also, as compared to Wine, PlayOnLinux is relatively new, and, even though it is based on Wine, you might encounter some glitches here and there. To install PlayOnLinux on Ubuntu, type in or paste the following commands in your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).

If you’re on any other distribution, feel free to head over to the downloads page.

Developed by CodeWeavers, Crossover is a polished version of Wine that is designed for users who are looking for something more solid and professional. The proprietary software lets you run all your favorite Windows-based games and applications on Linux, and it also provides technical support in case you hit any brick walls.


The license for Crossover costs about $60 with which you get 12 months of phone and email support along with upgrades. To download/buy Crossover, simply head over to their main website HERE.

If you’re a productivity freak like me, you might've tried every possible method to solve your procrastination woes. No matter how hard you try, if your work involves researching stuff on the Internet, you tend to put off important things. “Oh, I have that report to submit. I’m kinda bored right now, maybe I’ll check Reddit for 5 minutes and then start.” You visited reddit.com and after four hours you realized, “Oh sh*t! Where did the time go?”

Been there. Done that.

Procrastination is a problem everyone suffers from; maybe its severity differs from person to person, but there’s no denying the fact that everyone procrastinates.

So, if procrastination isn't that bad, why do I end up in such a mess? -Because it is important that you learn some self-control so that you won’t be putting things off every so often.

That said, not every kind of procrastination is bad. It’s time you learn to use it to your advantage. Today, we've compiled a list of some great techniques that will help you use procrastination to enhance your overall online productivity. Sounds crazy right? Read on.


Step 1: Aggregate

You should stop visiting or browsing your favorite news sites or blogs one by one. I suggest using an RSS feed reader like Google Reader or Feedly to aggregate the contents of your most-visited sites. Personally, I prefer Feedly as it has more features and is much more easy to use. It doesn't matter what you use; it’s totally up to you. To get started, add feeds of your favorite news sites or blogs to your RSS reader. Then, set a specific time of the day when you want to get your daily dose of news or blog madness and then bask in the glory of a fully productive day by saving some quality time.


Step 2: Procrastinate

Now that you've aggregated all your stuff, it’s time to put procrastination into action. Whenever you come across an article, especially a long one, just pause for a moment and think whether you actually want to spend your time reading it. If the answer is no, skip to the next one. If the answer is yes, then decide whether you can actually spend your time reading it.

If, in case, the article is really long, use a service like Read It Later or Instapaper to read the article for a nice lazy Sunday read. Alternatively, you can use Feedly’s built-in ‘save for later’ feature, which lets you keep a list of all the articles you want to read later. To start using it, simply press the ‘s’ key while on an article.

When it comes to browsing articles on the web, i.e. the links you come across while browsing Reddit, Stumbleupon, and Digg, use the Read It Later bookmarklets to keep a list of everything important. Alternatively, you can use Instapaper, which too provides similar features.


Time-based Procrastination

Whilst procrastinating, you might come across an article that you really want to read but don’t currently have the time to. In that case, the best thing to do is use Remember The Milk. For Chrome users, simply go to this page and add the Quickadd bookmarklet to your bookmarks bar. Now, whenever you come across something interesting, simply hit the bookmarklet. This will create a new task with the page’s URL. The best thing about this method is that you can set RTM to remind you about the article any time you want.


For Kindle Users

Finally, if you’re a Kindle user, there’s a service called Klip.me, which, once activated, lets you send web articles to your Kindle or your Android phone with a click of a button. Simply install the service’s Chrome extension or bookmarklet and you’re good to go. The service also comes with a feature that lets you read your Google Reader feeds on your Kindle even when offline. Cool huh?

Dropbox, a startup even the mighty Steve Jobs had his eyes on, has risen to fame and popularity in no time. The file-syncing and backup service has over 50 million users, and the number has been rising quite rapidly. The reason Dropbox has been so successful is because it has managed to make syncing dead simple, and that too across all platforms. While most startups in its genre ignore Linux, Dropbox has been catering to the needs of Linux users for a long time.

On Linux, Dropbox works as stable as a native app, and for many -- for me at least -- there has rarely been a time when the application has crashed or misbehaved. If you too are an avid Dropbox user, it’s time to make the most of it. So, here at TechSource, we've compiled a list of all the essential tips and tricks you need to know if you’re a Linuxian Dropbox user.

Unity, love it or hate it, has become one of the most talked-about interfaces on the Linux platform. And though Canonical’s bravest attempt at reaching for the modern desktop has gotten a mixed response, we at TechSource have been using it ever since it came out. One of the best features of Unity is the launcher, which, like the Windows taskbar, supports jumplists or quicklists. This nifty feature allows users to quickly hop to different menus or folders without having to open the program first.

We have already shown you how to add quicklists for Chrome and Firefox. Moreover, there are a lot of articles on the Internet that explain the same process for other applications. The only caveat of this process is that once you format your computer, or if you switch to a new one, you have to do the whole thing -- which is a tad tedious -- all over again. To remedy that problem, it’s best if you saved the config files to your Dropbox folders and then synced it across all computers. That way, you won’t have to scan through many blogs for instructions after a quick format or a computer upgrade.

Though Firefox comes with syncing capabilities built-in, they are a tad tedious to configure and aren't as convenient as moving your profile from one computer to another. One way to deal with this problem is by syncing your Firefox profile using Dropbox. This will save you from a lot of hassles, especially the troubles you get when you lose all your history and bookmarks. A neat guide that will help you sync Firefox with Dropbox can be found HERE.

If you frequently switch between different distros, then Dropbox is an indispensable tool for you. The free application can help you backup your important documents, photos, and other files without any problems. Simply ‘drop’ all your important stuff in the default Dropbox folder and then stop worrying about all your backup woes.

If you listen to a lot of music, then it’s quite annoying when you have to lose all your playlists simply because of a format. Thankfully, Dropbox rescues you from that predicament by allowing you to backup all your playlists safely. Simply create a folder called Playlists in your Dropbox account and save all your important playlists there.

Though the default Ubuntu collection of wallpapers is enough to make your Windows-loving friends jealous, we all love to dress up our desktop with something new all the time. Also, there are people who use a fixed set of wallpapers across all their devices. No matter what kind of wallpaper-lover you are, Dropbox helps you backup and sync your wallpaper collection with ease. Simply create a folder titled Wallpapers in your Dropbox account and relax.

If there are applications you tweak a lot, then it’s important that you back up their config files. Config files are the ones that start with dot (.) and can be found in your home directory (usually the ‘.config’ directory to be exact). So, for example you use Gedit text editor a lot, and want to backup all the important settings, simply back the file up on to your Dropbox account and format your computer without any worries.

Despite all the excitement that comes with buying a new computer, it is rather hard to bid adieu to the old one, even more so, if you've invested a lot of money and time in building it. That said, it’s not always the case that we have to throw the old one out of the window. If we’re a bit tech-savvy, we can utilize the outmoded personal computer as a secondary device; however, with the latest versions of Windows and Mac being incompatible with outdated computers, it’s not always possible to resuscitate a dying PC.

Don’t worry though, because this is where our friendly neighborhood Linux operating system steps in. Linux, apart from being a popular desktop and server operating system, can be used to turn a computer into a torrent downloader, firewall or a full-fledged media server. So, if you too are looking to bring your old PC to life, here are some handy tips that could help you do it with the help of Linux:

If your home has more than 2 computers, it’s not too late to start thinking about your network’s security. A firewall functions like the security guard at your door by keeping a watch on everyone who goes in and out. By allowing only legitimate connections to pass through and blocking connections based on a certain set of rules, the firewall secures the network from most kinds of threats that lurk around on the Internet.

Linux can be used in this case to turn your old machine into a watchful firewall device. To do that, all you have to do is download a firewall distribution and install it. Here’s a list of the best firewall distributions to get you started: 5 Best Linux/BSD Firewall Distributions

If you use your brand new computer mainly for your work, you might not have the time to manage all your torrent downloads. Thankfully, though, your good old PC can transform itself into a full-fledged torrent downloading machine. To get started simply download your favorite distribution, install it, and then start up your preferred bit torrent client. If you’re new to the world of torrents, we recommend you check out our earlier article (How to Use BitTorrent in Linux) wherein we've explained the basics of the file-sharing program in great detail.

If you have a printer at home, it’s not a bad idea to turn your old computer into a print server. You can then use the computer to handle all your printing jobs regardless of the fact that other computers in your house are running Windows, Mac, or Linux.

If you have a lot of movies, music, and TV shows loaded on to one of your computers, and you want to share it with the rest of the family, here’s a nifty little tip for you. Use your old computer, install Linux on it, and store all your media files in there. You can then share those files with the rest of the devices in your house using a simple Linux setup.

Though you might not want to spend any more money on a dying computer, it’s not that bad an idea to invest in a hard disk with a slightly large capacity. To get started, you’ll need your favorite distribution and a small amount of free time. Once you’re set up, there’s no need for any more tinkering.

There are days when your friends pop in for a drink or two and they ask you if they could browse the net from your computer. Then suddenly the possessive, prissy devil on your shoulder comes up with some fancy excuses for not letting them do so. If you’re one of those people who value their privacy yet want to keep their friends, keeping a small web-browsing kiosk at home is not a bad idea. It doesn't matter how old a computer is, just load one of the lightweight Linux distros around and then install Chrome on it. Not only will it be easier for your insistent friends to browse the web, it will also be a useful tool that all your family members can use for browsing the web quickly.

VLC is perhaps one of the most versatile and feature-loaded media players around. The open-source, cross-platform software is known for its ability to play videos encoded in most of the well-known video and audio formats. Apart from being a media player, VideoLAN Client, or VLC, can also act as a streaming media server, a CD-ripper, a screen-capture tool and much more. Although many people use the renowned media tool as a video player, its amazing prowess in other areas often goes overlooked. So, if you’re one of those people looking to get the most out of this popular media player, read on as we cover the best tips and tricks for your VLC.

VLC can also act as an audio and video converter, thus allowing you to switch your media to and from different formats like MP3, OGG, and MP4. To get started with file conversion, simply press Ctrl+R or if you aren't a big fan of keyboard shortcuts, simply go to the Media option in the menubar. Then, select the file or files you want to convert by using the Add button. Once you’re done adding them, hit the Convert/Save button. Now, a new window will pop up letting you choose the destination and the output format. Choose the appropriate settings and hit the start button.

Ever love a scene so much that you want to share it with your friends? Or maybe not a complete scene, just a particular moment? Don’t worry, VLC takes care of it perfectly by letting you take screenshots of videos without any complex button-pressing. To take a screenshot, simply press Shift+S or, from the menubar, go to Video, and hit the ‘Take Snapshot’ button. Once you hit the button, you’ll see a small thumbnail of the screenshot at the left corner of your video. The image will be saved in your Pictures folder.

If you’re an audiophile and you prefer to listen to your tunes on VLC, then the open-source application can also act as a full-fledged music player. Apart from displaying the cover art and other information of the currently playing song, VLC comes with a completely functional graphic equalizer. The best way to get started with it is by using the pre-loaded presets and then moving on to individual fine-tuning. To open the equalizer, press Ctrl+E while on the main window; or, from the menubar, go to Tools and click the option that says Effects and Filters.

If you want to record your own videos for uploading on YouTube or sending a video message to your friends, VLC can act as a full-fledged video recorder. Just fire up VLC and press Ctrl+C. Then, select the appropriate capture device (which is your webcam) and start recording.

If you are a keyboard junkie like me, here are some of the essential shortcuts you need to know:

To jump to a specific time in the video, just use the Ctrl+T shortcut and enter the time you want to jump in to.

If you are a music aficionado you can listen to some free and CC-licensed tunes from Jamendo. To get started, first you have to open the playlist menu by using the Ctrl+L shortcut. On the left pane, you’ll find various options like My Computer, Devices, and so on. Just scroll down a bit and select the option that says Internet. Now, go to the Jamendo Selections option and select your favorite genre. If you were clueless as to where to start, I’d recommend you to try out the ‘Top 20 popular songs this week’. Also in the Internet menu you’ll find other choices like Freebox TV, Free Music Charts, and more.

For Linux users who enjoy a fragmentation-free and virus-immune laptop, there’s barely anything that makes them whine as much as their Redmond-loving counterparts. Linux, on a fully compatible machine, achieves a perfect blend of performance and stability. That said, there are some of us who want more than perfection, they want optimum performance and a beast-like computing speed. I know, overclocking is a bit risky, but tweaking isn't.

Earlier, we told you about the most amazing desktop-tweaking tools out there for Linux. In today’s article, though, our focus will be on Linux laptop users. We've heard them whining about their empty batteries and their always-plugged workdays, and yeah, as always, we couldn't help doling out some useful advice to those folks.

In most of the devices, including cellphones, the display is the biggest culprit when it comes to reduced battery life. A brightly lit laptop won’t really help you get through a whole workday. The best solution to this problem is to dim the screen as much as possible. If, in certain cases like movie-watching or reading you need a bright display, you can turn the brightness up for that period and them dim the screen back when you’re finished.

It’s not just the display that hurts the battery, it’s also those CPU-hogging programs that make you reach out for the charger sooner than expected. That said, it’s not always easy for a user to spot that the CPU is under a load. It takes a real slowdown or freezing to realize that the program has become a mess and needs to be killed.

Don’t worry yet, as you can always keep an eye on your CPU or RAM by using any of the following methods:

1. Take a look at the system monitor if you feel the slightest of difference in performance. From there, you can kill any misbehaving task.

2. Ubuntu users can install the System Load Indicator from a ppa, which, once installed, will let you take a look at the performance right from the indicator menu. To install, go to the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and paste/type in the following commands.

The computer’s power management scheme is one of the most important factors that decide the fate of your battery. In the power management settings window, always make sure you choose a balanced plan that helps you get through a whole workday without looking for an adapter. Another great way to take advantage of this setting is by making sure that the laptop goes into suspend mode as soon as the lid is closed. Though, it might not be a suitable setting for folks who are a tad impatient, it still is one of the most effective ways of saving battery life. To access the power management settings in Ubuntu, open the Dash (Super/Windows key) and type in the word “Power” without quotes.

If, instead of shutting down your laptop, you put it on suspend mode, always make sure you’re connected to a charger. If not, then put the computer in hibernate mode and go for a nice nap. That way, neither would you lose any precious battery life nor would you lose your current work.

Most of the battery loss also occurs due to overheating laptops. The overheating issue is something that affects a lot of laptops. To remedy that problem, simply use a laptop cooling pad, a simple accessory that saves your computer from overheating. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on the temperature; to do that, simply install the system monitor indicator that comes with various temperature sensors.

Or, if all you want is a simple hardware sensor, then try out the following indicator applet:

Finally, always remember to update your computer. The Linux kernel is continuously improving, and so are the distributions. In Ubuntu 12.04 for example, users will get to see an improved support for battery life. So, make sure you don’t ignore your computer when it badgers you to give it a big update.

Over the years, people have pinned Windows down as the slowest of all operating systems. While Mac still remains a class product, our beloved Ubuntu Linux has shot to fame because of its amazing speed and power, even on low-end systems. Windows, after months, or sometimes weeks of usage, tends to bloat and behave like a sluggish car beyond repair. Ubuntu on the other hand, tends to stay as agile as it was when you first installed it, making it one of the most preferred operating systems on low-end computer users.

That said, grass isn’t always green in the Ubuntu Linux world. As with every operating system, perfection eludes the open-source distribution, thus making issues like slowdown and incompatibility more prominent. These problems, however, cannot be pinned down as Ubuntu’s fault because most of them arise from incompatible hardware, especially graphics cards. So, if you too, in some point in time have faced, or are facing issues of slowdown and choppy graphics, here are some simple tips to help you alleviate those problems and in effect make Ubuntu Linux run faster.

About three years ago, when I went to purchase a new graphics card, the vendor recommended me ATI, telling me that it’s much better than the almost-omnipresent NVIDIA, and that I won’t be disappointed by the performance. I couldn’t agree more with him as I too had read a lot about ATI, but never had the chance to try it out. So, I went home with a sparkling grin, installed it, and tried out the latest game that was available out there, and boy, I was thoroughly impressed with it. The card ran as smooth as butter on Windows, but then, once I installed Ubuntu on my computer, that’s where the problems began. Not only did I have a tough time installing the drivers, I also had trouble getting the card to work just enough to play movies.

However, sticking to ATI paid off, as graphic support for my card has improved by miles over the last couple of years. Though not as good as it is on Windows, it is still quite satisfactory when you have a lot of RAM.

If you ever have faced similar issues in the past, I don't need to tell you how important it is to update your graphics drivers.

If upgrading your graphic card doesn’t help alleviate the problem, then it may be good idea to move to something lighter. While XFCE is a perfect desktop for extremely low-end and dated computers, for those stuck with an incompatible or old graphic cards, the Qt-based Unity 2D comes in really handy. The light environment brings the best features of Ubuntu without using too much of your RAM.

With the advent of Ubuntu Software Center, the classic-yet-powerful apt has lost its prominence. Though as good as Ubuntu’s new app store is, apt-get is almost ten times faster thus saving you a lot of valuable time that’s usually spent while updating and installing applications.

Ubuntu doesn’t bloat like Windows, but having a dozen of start-up applications surely slows it down. To remedy that problem, it’s always a good idea to check which apps you have added to your start-up list. To do so, open the launcher (Super Key/Windows Key) and type in the words ‘startup applications’. Once the ‘Settings’ window opens, chose which applications should load when Ubuntu starts up.

Sometimes, especially if you’re a web addict, the browser cache tends to pile up and slow down the computer. A simple solution to this problem is clearing the cache by going to your browser’s settings menu.

Preload is an adaptive readahead daemon, which, once installed, monitors the applications you run, analyzes that data, and, by predicting which application you’ll run next, loads the predicted program into your memory. Of course, this won’t dramatically speed up your computer, but you’ll certainly see some improvements. To install preload, open the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type in/paste the following command:

We've already seen how Android stacks up against iOS when it comes to features. As much as we love our droids, one thing that always annoys an Android fan is the poor battery life. No matter how you use the phone, the battery always seems to run out way faster than you'd expect. When compared to its arch rival iOS, Android seems to consume much more battery, which, apart from fragmentation issues, is one of the biggest drawbacks of this platform.

So, is there any workaround to this issue? Yes there is. Here at TechSource, we've compiled a list of some hot tips that would help you improve the battery life of your droid so that when you come home tired from work, you won't have to rummage your house for that dreaded charger.

1. Find out what's killing the battery

The first step you need to do is check out which services and apps are consuming the battery. Go to Settings -> About Phone -> Battery Use and you'll see a list of apps and services that are taking up your battery. The services or apps displayed at the top are the ones consuming the most battery life. So, if at all there are some unimportant apps there, you might want to disable or uninstall them. Usually, the top 3 battery hogs are Display, Voice calls and WiFi.

2. Browse better

When browsing on the Internet, make sure you visit the mobile version of a site. Don't load the desktop version of the site unless it's necessary. Not only will this save battery life by limiting Flash and other resource hogs, it will also save you a lot of money on data. If there are sites that you visit regularly, for example Reddit or Stumbleupon, make sure you download their apps as they would consume a lot less data and battery. Also, if you read blogs and tech sites, do make sure you pick up a decent RSS reader, and catch up on all the latest news there instead of visiting each site individually. If you don't know which RSS reader to pick, take a look at our earlier post where we've listed the best RSS apps for Android.

3. Put a leash on those apps

Uninstall or reconfigure the apps that run in the background when you don't want them to. Also, make sure you don't put every app on automatic update.

4. Turn off automatic syncing

Apart from Google's core applications, Android also lets other apps sync in the background. To see which apps have that capability enabled, go to Settings -> Accounts and Sync. Scroll down below to disable sync for any application that's not needed.

5. Turn down the brightness

Unless needed, there's no use keeping the brightness full all the time. Turn down the brightness using the power widget or by going to Settings -> Display -> Brightness.

6. Disable animations

If you're not into eye-candy, then you can disable or reduce the number of animations shown in the menus. Go to settings -> Display -> Animations and choose the option that suits you best.

7. Turn off WiFi when not needed

Unless you want to be connected 24-7, it's no use keeping WiFi enabled all the time. Disable the WiFi when you go to sleep or when you don't need it. You can quickly switch WiFi on or off using the power widget.

8. Turn off GPS unless necessary

GPS is another battery hog, which needs to be turned off when not in use. Make sure it's disabled when you're at home.

9. Play high-end games with charger on

If you're playing high-end games like 3D Golf and Backstab HD on your phone, your battery life will drain way quicker than you expect it to. To avoid that, whenever possible, play high-end games with the power supply connected to the phone.

10. Turn off live wallpapers

The live wallpapers on Android look beautiful, but what looks better is a full battery bar at the top. Unless you're busy making your iOS friends jealous, make sure you replace the live wallpaper with something more static.

11. Disable unwanted widgets

One thing that makes Android more useful – even in standby mode – is the fact that you can drop widgets on to your home screen. However, that doesn't mean that you should fill your screen with every widget that's out there in the market. Just install the essential ones and keep your battery bar happy.

12. Keep a close eye on the battery level

If the battery bar at the top isn't conspicuous enough for you to spot, then dropping battery widgets like BatteryLife by Curvefish on to your home screen might come in handy.

Many folks are switching from their old smartphones or even their Blackberries and iPhones, to the most popular phone OS in town, that is Android. If you've just purchased your first Android phone, read on as we have some handy tips for you. If you still haven't moved on to the droid yet and are a bit wary about making the switch, don't worry, just go through our earlier article in which we've outlined some great tips that'll help you choose the best Android out there.

So, without much ado, here are 10 things to do after buying your first Android phone:

Android is an OS that works best if you link it up to your Google account. If you don't have a Gmail account, go sign up for it at gmail.com. Once you've created your first Gmail account you can link it to your Android phone to enable amazing features like synchronization, social check-ins and much more. Once linked, just set up Gmail to check your mail in the background. Be careful though, if you set Gmail to check all the labels in your account, it will have a heavy impact on your droid's battery life. The best option here is to switch to priority inbox in Gmail and set that as the default inbox on your phone. This will have minimal drain on your battery life and you won't miss out on any important mails.

When compared to other mobile operating systems, Android has a much faster release cycle. Hence, the moment you turn on your fresh new droid, chances are that there will be an important update waiting for you. This is the best time to update since you don't have much data on your device, and if something goes wrong, you won't have much to lose. Having said that, it is always a good idea to do a little research about the update first. In rare cases, some people face a lot of problems after updating their phones. To update your phone, go to settings -> About Phone -> Check for System Updates.

If you have completed both the aforementioned steps, then you must already have configured your Wifi or 3G settings. Assuming you have, it is always better to turn off Wifi when not needed as it drains your battery way quicker than you expect. Also, keep an eye on your 3G connection as service providers charge a lot for data these days. To monitor your 3G connection, use the app 3G Watchdog. This free application will let you keep an eye on your 3G data transfers and will let you know if you've exceeded your monthly quota.

Instead of storing all contacts on your SIM card, move them over to the phone memory. Add some additional info about them and enable syncing. This will backup all your contacts to your Gmail account.

The Android marketplace comes with thousands of great apps to choose from. Many of the apps are free, while some are priced around 0.99 to 2.99 USD. Depending on the quality of application, the prices may vary. For a start, I'd suggest you install some free apps first. If you don't know which ones to go for, take a look at our earlier article where we've listed 10 of the best free applications for Android.

Spruce up your empty home screen by dropping some nice widgets onto it. To start adding widgets, long press anywhere on your home screen and select the Widgets option from the menu.

Though the Android marketplace doesn't have as many games as the Apple app store, there are a lot of great games you can install on your device that will leave you oblivious of the world around. You might want to check out our roundup of the best puzzle games for Android.

Android, despite being Linux-based, is quite prone to malware and viruses. To be on the safer side, make sure you have the best antivirus installed. Here's a list of some great antivirus solutions for Android.

Better be safe than sorry. Make sure you have your droid perfectly backed up beforehand. Don't fret too much about the whole backup process. Just take a look at our definitive guide to backing up your droid.

Android does everything, including your presentations, spreadsheets and word documents. Install these cool office apps on your droid and finish your reports like a boss!

We have already talked a lot about backups and their importance in our earlier posts. Even though backing up a desktop machine might be something most users do these days, doing backups for mobile devices is still a thing that’s often overlooked by many.

Your Android gadget, which offers thousands of apps and functionalities, if by any chance gets wiped out or lost, all your data and customizations would vanish instantly. You wouldn’t want that would you? Don’t panic just yet. Here’s a complete guide to backing up every bit of data and customization you have on your Android device.

The topic of backups has been discussed ad nauseam on tech blogs and the blogosphere. However, smartphones have usually been excluded from this mandatory ritual. One reason for this might be the fact that taking backups on smartphones is not as simple as it is on desktops. There’s no drag and drop or Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V, and your fingers get tired just navigating through the different menus. Well, that may be the case with other mobile platforms, but our beloved Android takes the backup issue quite seriously.

Most Android phones come built in with the ability to sync all the important data to the cloud. The cloud server in this case is none other than your very own Google account. As your Android phone is connected to your Google account, you can sync all your important data with it.

Here are some of the kinds of data that you’ll be able to backup/sync: Google Docs, G+ notifications, Google Reader Data (if installed), Contacts, Gmail, Picasa Web albums and Calendar.

To enable the sync feature, go to Settings -> Accounts and Sync. There, you’ll see your Gmail id listed. If not, click on ‘Add Account’ to do so. Clicking on your ID will reveal a set of options that allow you to choose which services to sync and which not. Simply select the services you want to sync and rest assured that all your data will be saved safely in the clouds.

N.B: The syncing capabilities and options might vary according to the model and operating system version of the device.

To backup other important data like Wi-Fi passwords, application data and other customizations, you’ll have to enable Automatic backups.

Here’s how to do it: Go to Settings -> Privacy. Here, enable the option that says ‘Back up my data’. You can also enable Automatic restore so that whenever you reinstall a particular application, all your customizations to that app will be restored automatically.

Now that you have backed up all your important settings and customizations, it’s time to backup your SMSes. Below, we’ve listed 3 of the best apps that will allow you to back up and restore all your SMSes.

1. SMS Backup: This free app lets you backup all your SMSes to your Gmail account. SMS Backup will create a separate ‘Label’ in your Gmail account titled SMS. From there, you’ll be able to access your backed up SMSes instantly. You can also set the app to Auto Backup all your messages.

2. SMS Backup +: SMS Backup + is another free app which lets you backup all your text messages, MMS messages and your call log entries to your Gmail account. Like the previous app, it also creates a separate label for SMSes, MMSes and call logs. Moreover, you can also restore your data back to your phone (MMS excluded).

3. SMS Backup and Restore: This app comes with more features as compared to the aforementioned SMS backup apps. SMS Backup and Restore is a free application that will let you backup your SMSes to the SD card in XML format. The backups can then be restored with the help of the original app. Furthermore, SMS Backup and Restore also supports scheduled backups and more importantly, the ability to send the backup file by email. What's more, there’s also an option to backup only selected messages so that you won’t end up bloating your backups with all the ‘Are you there yet?’ and ‘Where are you?’ kind of messages. The application is perfect if you’re looking for a simple old-school way of doing backups.

If you’re a trendy hipster geek who has moved all your belongings to the cloud, here’s a great app that will help you backup your droid data there.

Sprite Backup 2: This is by far one of the best backup applications for Android. It will let you backup all your important data to your Internal memory, SD Card, Box.net or your Dropbox account. With Sprite, you can backup your Application Settings, Bookmarks, Call logs, Contacts, MMSes, SMSes, Music, Photos, Videos and System Settings. If you lose your phone and happen to purchase another device, install Sprite on it and restore all your backed up data easily. The app also lets you Schedule backups that can be restricted only for Wi-Fi connections. That will make sure that you won’t incur unnecessary data charges while on roaming or 3G. Unlike other apps we’ve mentioned today, this app is not free. However, looking at the amount of features it offer, I’d certainly recommend you to buy it.

If you use the default Android browser, you can backup bookmarks using any of the aforementioned apps. In case you are using Dolphin Browser, you can use an add-on called Bookmarks to SD. This free add-on will let you back up and restore all your bookmarks to your SD card. Also, if you are a Firefox Mobile user, you can enable Firefox sync so that all your important data (including bookmarks) will be backed up to the server. Additionally, you can also view the tabs you’ve opened on your sync-enabled Firefox on the desktop.

This is purely for the brave and adventurous souls out there who have managed to take absolute control over their phones. As rooting is perfectly legal, many users have done it so as to unleash the full potential of their mobile phones. Here are two amazing backup apps specially designed for rooted phones.

Titanium Backup: This is a great app that has over 2.3 million users so far. It’s the only tool that can backup, restore, freeze (Pro version only) your apps, data, and market links. Titanium also supports protected and system apps. The free version comes with limited features while the Pro one, which comes at a small price, gives you all the backup features you can possible think of. Another interesting feature about Titanium is that it allows users to perform various batch operations making it a perfect app for the geek-next-door. Not exactly an app you’d root your phone for, but definitely one of the most important apps for a rooted device.

Clockwork ROM Manager: This app, apart from letting you flash your recovery mode to the latest Clockworkmod, lets you easily take backups and restore them to your SD card. Clockwork ROM manager is basically designed to effectively manage your ROMs via a handy UI. The premium version of the app comes with more features like Automatic Backups and more. Touted as a must-have app for rooted users, Clockwork ROM Manager has over 1.3 million users so far.

If you’re addicted to Angry Birds like most of us and don’t want to start playing from level 1 after a reinstall, here are some nifty little apps for you:

Angry Birds: Save your Saves is a free app that lets you backup and restore your Angry Birds game data without rooting your phone. There’s also another app called Angry Birds backup that provides the same functionality.

For Angry Birds Rio users, there’s a free backup app called Angry Birds Rio Backup.

Finally, there’s an app for folks who can’t stand even the slightest of changes they make on their phone.

MyBackup Pro: This is one of the smartest backup apps for Android as it manages to backup almost every little customization you do on the device. Besides the usual Call logs, Browser bookmarks, SMSes, Calendars and Media, MyBackup Pro also manages to backup your home screen settings, dictionary, alarms, music playlists and more. You can choose to backup your data to your SD card or have it saved online. Other features include the ability to schedule backups and restore them if the phone gets changed. Again, like Sprite Backup, this app is not free, but certainly worth your money.

Conclusion: Those were the best backup apps you could install on your Android devices. If you have to suggest any other application we might have missed out, do let us know using the comments section below.

This is the third part of our ultimate guide to using Google Plus. In case you missed the last two posts, you can go HERE for the first part and HERE for the second part. This time, we'll be covering the recent deletion spree that our beloved Google has been on and how to deal with it. Plus, (pardon the pun) we'll be covering some other important stuff we missed in the last 2 posts.

In the previous part, we've already explained what Hangouts is. It's a nifty little feature in G+ that allows you to video chat with up to 10 people at once. The feature, since its launch, has become one of the most useful social tools Google has ever come up with. Many people are using Hangouts in their own creative ways. For example, songwriter Daria Musk started performing her songs with folks on G+. She even made a music video called Google+ song which is actually quite good.

In other parts of the G+ world, talented writers, cooks and comedians are sharing their skills with the rest of the world using Hangouts. The most interesting thing however, is something that's called the 'longest hangout on G+'. This is a public hangout that has been going on for about 20 days wherein many industry experts like actors, comedians, YouTube personalities are sharing their expertise with the rest of the world. The hangout aims to be the longest in history and is available for everyone to see live. If you're an expert in something, you can join the hangout using the contact page given on this site.

Hangouts in its future version will be getting more awesome. If the grapevine is to be believed, Google will be adding more functionality like games, Yes/No apps and other nifty additions to the already amazing service.

If you're abreast with the latest tech news, you might be aware that Google is mercilessly killing off G+ accounts with fake and pseudonymous names. We can't complain about it much because the product is still in beta. However, the actions by Google have sparked quite a debate in the social community. Apparently Google has a strict set of policies for people using their social network. So, posting anything NSFW will get your account suspended. Well, that's not the big issue; actually, Google is committed to the fact that it gets real people to use their network. So, using a pseudonym or just your initials will get your account being suspended. The sudden massive deletion generated a lot of backlash with Google releasing a statement that it is working on it.

Google doesn't warn users before deleting their accounts. If you find your account being deleted, don't worry, even famous people like Arianna Huffington and William Shatner weren't able to escape the deletiongate. Hopefully, you won't lose access to other services but some people reported that they've been locked out of Gmail, Docs and other Google services tied to their account. Once your G+ account gets deleted you'll see a short notice below your name stating the reasons for deletion. All your posts, photos, and other social features will be inaccessible. You'll see a notice that says something like this:

“ Your profile is suspended. After reviewing your profile, we determined that the name you provided violates our Community Standards. If you believe this profile has been suspended in error, please provide us with additional information via this form, and we will review your profile again. “

In the notice where it says 'via this form', there will be a clickable link which will take you to a Gdocs form. The form will look something like this and to get back your account, you'll have to provide a copy of your Photo ID. The ID will only be used to verify your name and Google won't store that data. So basically, you're going to have to appeal to Google to give back your account.

Google is very strict when it comes to how you use your name. So as far as possible, don't use your nickname in lieu of your real name. Google provides a special field for nicknames. Also, suffixing epithets like 'the God' or 'the Jedi Master' to your real name is a recipe for disaster. In short, just use your real name and nothing else. Also, abstain from posting anything that contains:

1. Nudity or sexually explicit material

2. Hate Speech

3. Breach of copyright

4. Someone else's confidential information.

5. Impersonation of someone's identity. (E.g.: Fake celeb accounts)

Google Plus is still in private beta, so don't expect it to be as perfect/imperfect as Facebook. The social network is continually improving thanks to feedback from millions of users worldwide. If you come across a bug, don't hesitate to click on the 'Send Feedback' button on the bottom right corner of your screen. Also, if you want to stay updated with the latest features in Google +, do keep visiting this page.