Posts Tagged: ‘Tips and Tricks’

Android Accessibility Tips (2023-06)

June 11, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Lets face it.  Most of our club members are getting on in age.  I know that I am.  Sometime it is hard to use my Android phone.  Thankfully, there are a lot of settings that make it easier to use.  Some only work on newer models.  Here are a few tweaks that I use to make Android better for me.

1.  Increase Font and Icon Size to make reading easier.  My old eyes appreciate text that is easier to read.
Open the Display settings menu.
Tap on “Font size.”
Adjust the font size using the slider given till the preview text becomes large and easy to read.
Tap on “Display size.”
Drag the slider to the right to increase.

2.  Increase Screen Contrast to make text more readable.
Open the Display settings menu.
Navigate to “Screen mode” and use the “White balance” slider to adjust the colors.

3.  Change the Keyboard Size. My big fingers used to hit the wrong key.
Open “Settings -> System -> Language & input -> On-screen keyboard.”
Select the keyboard you want to customize.
Open the keyboard height settings.

4.  Enable TalkBack to have Android read aloud whatever is on your screen.  I don’t use this all the time, but it sometimes comes in handy.
Navigate to “Settings -> Accessibility -> TalkBack.”
Use the toggle button to turn the feature on.
Give the required permissions to activate TalkBack.

5.  Enable the magnification feature to help zoom in on the active screen.
Open “Settings -> Accessibility -> Magnification.”
Toggle on the “Magnification shortcut.”
You should see a magnification glass icon on your screen.  Tap on it to open the magnifier. A box that magnifies anything it’s placed on will appear on the screen.  You can drag and move this box around to highlight various parts of the screen.  When the magnification glass is active, you’ll see a toggle button that allows you to switch from the small magnifier to a full-screen zoom.

While you’re in the Accessibility section, check out many of the other settings than can make your phone easier to use.  You might find something that is helpful for you.

Although these are Android specific settings (for the latest version), many people have told me there are equivalents for the Apple world.

Thanks for reading.

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Android Developer Options (2023-05)

April 30, 2023 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Did you know that Android has many hidden advanced settings that you can use?  Most people don’t.  Android has an impressive hidden settings menu called “Developer Options”.  These options contain a number of advanced and unique features.

In order to access any of these menu options, you first need to unlock the hidden Developer Options Menu on your device.  To begin, go to the main Settings menu.  Then select About Phone (or Tablet or About Device).  Next find the “Build number” entry.  Tap it seven times in rapid succession.  You’ll get a message informing you that the Developer options menu has been unlocked.

Here are just a few of the options you might want to consider enabling or changing.
1) When you move between apps and screens in Android, some of that time is spent looking at animations and waiting for them to go away.  You can disable these animations entirely by changing the Window animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale options.  If you like animations but just wish they were faster, you can increase the speed.
2) The first option I always enable is Stay Awake While Charging.  Android will keep your device’s screen on while charging.  It won’t turn off unless you hit the power button.
3) If you find that you are often running short on memory, you can limit the number of background processes that run.  The “Limit Background Processes” option allows you to limit the number of background processes that are allowed to run or not allowed to run.  For example, you can select “At most 2 processes” in the dialog box.  Then the current app and the two most recent apps you ran and switched away from are the only processes that can run at one time.  This should free up a memory on your device.
4) The Force allow apps on external setting allows you to install any application to the SD card, whether it was programmed to do so or not.  Keep in mind that sometimes there is a good reason the developer of an app blocked the ability to install the app to an SD card.  Some apps look for files in a specific place and the app won’t be able to find those files if it’s installed in an unexpected place.  If the app doesn’t work when installed on the SD card, be prepared to uninstall it and reinstall it on internal storage.
5) The “Force activities to be resizable” setting forces applications that don’t normally work in split screen to do so.  Split screen view might cause some apps to not work correctly.  This is usually because they have not been optimized for split screens.  Once you turn on this setting, you have to restart your device.  Theoretically all your apps will work in split screen mode.  Be prepared for some of them to not look too great or to crash.
6) The “Force Peak Refresh Rate” forces your phone to refresh at the highest possible speed.  This may increase battery usage.

These are just a few of the things you can do after enabling Developer Options.  If you are curious about the myriad of other options, do an internet search.  You will find many sites that will explain in detail what each option does.

Thanks for reading.

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Using a Gaming Mouse (2022-08)

July 31, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Whenever a bunch of computer enthusiasts get together and discuss their hardware, we often talk about our CPUs, Graphics Cards, SSD speeds, Monitor Resolutions, Web Cameras, etc.  Over the years, I’ve noticed that many people overlook what I consider to be a most important computer peripheral.

How many buttons does your mouse have?  If you answered “two” you might be wrong.  The scroll wheel on many can also function as a third button.  If your mouse has a clickable scroll wheel, it can be used for many useful functions.  (Note: these tips work in most, but not all programs)

1)  Hover your cursor over a link and middle click the wheel to open the link in a new tab.
2)  Quickly close a browser tab by middle clicking on it.
3)  Open all bookmarks in a folder at once by middle clicking on the folder in your bookmarks.
4)  Enable auto-scroll by middle-clicking on a blank spot on the page.
5)  Open a new instance or window of a program by middle clicking its taskbar icon.
6)  A web search will find other functions.

In the early years of computing, I wouldn’t buy a computer mouse because I thought that they were useless technology that just wasted your time.  After all, you had to remove one of your hands from the keyboard to use it.  My thoughts have definitely changed over the years.  I don’t just use any mouse though. I spend a little extra money and buy multi-button programmable mouses.  I currently am using a Redragon Perdition Gaming Mouse.  It has three extra buttons on the top.  On the side, there are twelve more programmable buttons.  After using for a while, my fingers have developed memory movements and I navigate without thinking about what I’m doing.

I like any technology that makes my computing easier.  I’m lazy.  I like pushing a button to check my e-mail, another button to shift to my web browser, another to start various programs, etc.  I’m sure you’d enjoy using programmable equipment too.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Tweaks to Speed Up Your Computing (2020-09)

July 20, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

This month I’d like to share a few tips that I’ve learned over the years.  They’re little items that I’ve found helped make my computing faster and easier.  These tips are on random subjects.  I’ve found that all of them make my computing experience a little easier than before.  Most tips work with all Windows versions, but I don’t guarantee it.  I do know you can try them all for free.

You’ve probably heard of some of these tips and already use them all the time.  I’m willing to bet you’ll find one or two things you can use to make your computing experience easier or faster.

If your computer has more than one processor, you can make it boot a little faster.  Open System Configuration App (msconfig).  Click the boot section and then click advanced options.  Next, check the number of processors block.  In the pulldown menu, select the largest number of processors and click OK.  Now your computer will boot a little faster because it is using more processing power.

While configuration is open, you can also stop the Windows Boot Logo from slowing your startup time.  Click the BOOT tab and check the No GUI Boot.  Doing so removes the graphical moving bar.  The downside is that if your system freezes during startup, you won’t know it.

In the same tab, you will see a “Timeout:” block set to the default of 30 seconds.  When you first start your PC, a boot menu appears, giving you the option to start your computer in special modes.  Decreasing the timeout will let you boot faster.

Do you sometimes lose sight of your mouse arrow?  Some web pages snap it to somewhere else on the screen and sometimes it gets lost in the background.  My clumsy finger often cause my cursor to move when I’m using my laptop touchpad.  Open mouse properties in your control panel.  Under pointer options, check “show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key”.  Apply the settings and you will always find your cursor with a simple press of the CTRL key.

Speaking of the CTRL key, there is another key that is usually near it on most computer keyboards.  You can save a lot of time by using the window key in combination with other keys.  One of my favorite personal favorites is using Window Key-E to open Windows Explorer.  With every upgrade to Windows, the Window Key seems to get more functions than ever before.  If you do a web search for your operating system and Windows Key (or keyboard shortcuts), you will find several websites with lists of all the key functions you can use.  Although a little harder to use, Microsoft has files of Keyboard shortcuts in Windows.  There you will find complete lists for all supported operating systems and software.  It won’t be long before you will find that the Windows Key will be a force of habit.  This will make it easier for you to use your computer.

Why not take a minute, run the Services App (services.msc on older systems) and make your computer run a little faster.  This will open a window with detailed information about the services (with detailed descriptions) that are running on your computer.  You will find many that you do not need.  To disable a service, double‑click on it and change the startup type.  Remember that you can always change it back later if you find you need the service after all.  If you need more information on a particular service, type the name into your favorite internet search engine.  You’ll find out all that you need to know.  Services are important, but every one that your computer doesn’t have to check up on will help it to run a little faster.

Why not print a little faster and save some money at the same time?  Detailed prints take longer to produce.  If you reduce the quality a little, you can print faster and save some ink.  Open print properties in any program to change the settings.  Look for draft mode or something similar.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Using the Windows Logo Key – Originally Published June 2020

June 7, 2020 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I remember back in the last century when the computer mouse was invented.  I resisted buying one because I thought it was useless technology that wasted time.  After all, you had to remove one of your hands from the keyboard to use it.  Back then we could do it all with the CTRL and ALT keys.  Other tasks were easily accomplished with a batch file.

Back then, we were mostly limited to CTRL – cut and paste.  Now, the old saying has come true, “We’ve come a long way baby!”

When the Windows 95 operating system was released, a new key was added to the keyboard. For me, the windows key has always been a “super” key.  It has so many useful functions that I find it hard to believe how many people fail to use the flag key.

Here’s a list of the shortcuts I personally use the most often.  This list works in almost all versions of Windows.  Just hit your windows key and the key(s) in the left column to enable the right column action.  It’s a heck of a lot faster than moving the mouse and clicking.

+ (nothing) Open/Close start menu
+ Home Minimizes all but the current window
+ Left Arrow Tiles the window on the left side of the screen
+ Right Arrow Tiles the window on the right side of the screen
+ T Cycles through the items on the Taskbar
+ # key Switches to a running program on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number
+ M Minimizes all windows
+ D Show/Hide Desktop (minimizes/restores all windows)
+ L Locks the computer
+ E Open the File Explorer
+ I Open Settings
+ Comma Temporary peek at the desktop
+ Tab Accesses Windows Flip 3D and cycles forward through open programs
+ Plus Key Open the Magnifier
+ Up Arrow Maximizes the current window
+ Down Arrow Minimizes the current window
+ Home Minimizes all but the current window
+ Left Arrow Tiles the window on the left side of the screen
+ Right Arrow Tiles the window on the right side of the screen

In this article, I’ve focused on shortcuts using the Windows Logo Key.  There are many other keyboard shortcuts.  Some are not common and can improve your keyboard skills.  Windows shortcuts can be difficult to use at first.  After you use them a few times, they become a force of habit and you utilize them without thinking about it.

A search of the internet will find many sites with lists of keyboard shortcuts.  I recommend using Microsoft’s Windows Keyboard Shortcuts List.  Not only is it always up to date, but it is complete and easy to use.  Select your operating system in the drop down menu.  Then you will see expandable lists for all shortcuts.

I don’t think that it’s possible for anyone to memorize all the keyboard shortcuts.  I suggest you search the internet and make your own shortcut list.  I’m sure that you’ll enjoy your computer more when you waste less time reaching for the mouse.

That’s about all I’ve got to say this month.  I think that it’s time for me to either ALT+TAB or ALT+F4 away from my word processor.

Thanks for reading.

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