NB: Proceed at your own risk

If you want to have a feel of the much anticipated WhatsApp call feature, you're at the right place. Follow these steps carefully and you're good to go!

REQUIREMENTS:

• A rooted Android Phone
• A root file manager
• Latest WhatsApp.apk (which you can download from the Play Store or WhatsApp website.
• Someone with WhatsApp feature active to call you. (This works like an invite system)

Steps:

1. Install the latest version on WhatsApp.
2. Open your root file manager (I prefer root explorer) and navigate to /data/data/com.whatsapp/shared_prefs/com.whatsapp_preferences.xml
3. Add this lines in the file between the "<map></map> tag.
   "<boolean name="call" value="true" />
   "<string name="call_allowed">all</string>
4. Save and exit the root browser.
5. Go to Settings>Applications>WhatsApp and force stop it
6. Open WhatsApp again

Once you receive a call from someone with this feature enabled, you can now make WhatsApp calls too!

Microsoft made a few huge announcements yesterday, notable among them was the introduction of Windows 10. I was impressed with the fact that, finally, Windows 10 will work across all available platforms, from the PC to your tablet and to your phone.

While Windows 8.x is still the prevalent desktop OS, Microsoft has had to rely on a separate OS altogether for mobile. Windows Phone 8.1 is the current iteration, found mostly on Nokia devices, and a small selection of HTC and other brands.

Windows 10 is a new approach, the same OS is capable of installing on the various devices, where it offers a differing UI for each form factor. From what Microsoft showed off in their announcement, the phone UI brings with it the typical functionality we have all come to expect from our mobile devices. Home screens, settings menus, a phone book, a web browser and more.

What’s New?

Windows 10 will rock a new web browser, code named Project Spartan. Cortana, Microsofts Digital Assistant is a huge element to the new OS. Universal Apps make for a consistent experience across devices. Action Center eases settings control and syncs data and notifications across devices. Expanded Xbox integration goes beyond sharing game clips, streaming full games to your Windows 10 PC or tablet.

Your photos will show together in the Photos app, they will be automatically organized into sections and albums. An all new synchronization technology available on your Windows 10 phone in the Action Center. As is true for Google+ users, you’ll be able to get to your full photo collection regardless the device you are using.

A new messaging app seamlessly jumps between your SMS and IM communications, with Skype integration bringing video to the mix.

What are your thought on Windows 10?

You can read more about Windows 10 here.

VLC Player is the most popular (if not one of the most popular) media player in the world. It's interesting to find out that, majority of its users only use it to watch videos and play music but there's much more you can do with it. I take my turn in this article to show you how you can stream (both video and audio) with VLC.

Streaming with VLC comes in two parts: You can either stream to a another location or stream from an existing service. We're going to see how to stream from an existing service notably Youtube.

Streaming With VLC Player

Step 1: Open VLC Player. If you don't have it download it here. 

 

Step 2: Select "Open Network Stream" from the "Media" option in the menu bar. You can also use 

the shortcut keys "Ctrl + N".

Step 3: Select the "Network" tab and enter the address to the resource you want to stream. In my situation I will use the link to a Youtube video. Click on Play at the buttom of that Window and wait for it to load. 

Step 4: Profit!!! You have succesfully streamed with VLC :)

I have added a a link to a text file with many streaming services worldwide you can try. Click HERE.

When your PC starts its steady decline into slow speeds, the first thing you’d love to do is head straight fancy new machine. The reality is there are easy changes you can make to speed up your computer. Below are some of the best tips for speeding up your PC.

1. Turn off Startup Programs

When you install a program in Windows, it may add itself up to the startup register and runs when Windows starts. After installing a lot of software, your boot up process could become considerably slow. If there are programs you don’t use much, they probably don’t need to start every time Windows does. You can disable startup programs manually or use the free tool CCleaner.

MSConfig can be used to configure startup programs and a few other settings. Just follow the steps in this article and you should be fine.

To run MSConfig, open the Start menu and type “msconfig.exe” (without the quotes) in the Search box. As you type, results display. When you see “msconfig.exe,” click on it or press Enter, if it is highlighted.

NOTE: You can open the Run dialog box from the Start menu, type “msconfig.exe” in the Open edit box, and click OK.

Click the Startup tab on the System Configuration main window. A list of all the startup programs displays with a check box next to each one. To prevent a program from starting up with Windows, select the checkbox next to the desired program so there is NO checkmark in the box. Click OK once you have made your choices.

A dialog box displays telling you that you may need to restart your computer for the changes to take affect. Click Restart to restart your computer immediately. If are not ready to restart your computer, click Exit without restart.

Disabling Startup Programs in Windows 8 or 8.1

Windows 8 and 8.1 make it really simple to disable startup applications. All you have to do is open up Task Manager by right-clicking on the Taskbar, or using the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC shortcut key, clicking “More Details”, switching to the Startup tab, and then using the Disable button.

It’s really that simple. If you aren’t seeing these options, make sure to click “More Details”, which is in the same place as the “Fewer details” that you see on this screenshot.

Additionally, use the services tab in the msconfig utility to disable the services you don’t you want to execute when the computer starts up. Be careful what you disable since you could prevent critical system programs from starting up. Check the “Hide Microsoft Services” before you disable the services.

2. Clean Up Unnecessary Files on Your Computer

As you use your computer, files collect in all kinds of places. Windows and programs running in Windows create temporary files and log files. Files you have deleted may collect in the Recycle Bin, if you don’t empty it often. When you browse the internet, browsers create temporary files, sites put cookies on your computer, and the download history and form history grows. CCleaner can help you clean up your computer. You can even set up CCleaner to automatically run on a schedule.

To clean your PC:

1. In CCleaner, click the Cleaner icon at left.
2. Choose the Windows features you want to clean by selecting their check boxes (you can clean everything under Internet Explorer, for example, by selecting the checkbox next to the heading). When you select or clear certain options, warning text will appear. Read the text and click OK to dismiss the dialog box.Click the Applications tab. The programs listed on this tab will depend on the software you have installed on the system.
3. Choose the applications or features you want to clean.
4. Click the Analyze button. CCleaner analyzes the files and Registry keys belonging to the Windows features and applications you have selected. This may take some time.
5. Once the analysis is complete, you can review which files will be deleted in the text window. To save the list of items to be deleted, right-click in the text window and then click Save to text file... To clean an item right from the analysis list, right-click the item and then click Clean.
6. Click Run Cleaner. You are warned that CCleaner is about to permanently remove files from the system. Click OK to proceed.
7. When the cleaning is complete, CCleaner displays a report of deleted files in the text window. To save the list, right-click in the text window and then click Save to text file...

NOTE: Click here to read more on how use CCleaner to clean up the junk in your PC. Stay away from other softwares that claim to boost and speed up your PC (e.g. Registry Cleaner).

3. Remove Malware, Spyware, and Adware

Malware, spyware, or adware are your computers worst enemy. They significantly affect its performance. Malware such as viruses eat up your RAM, replicate on your hard disk and utilizes a processor. Adwares and spywares make utilize the network resources and makes you internet. There are many utilities such as Malwarebytes, SpyBot AV and adwcleaner. My very favourite is Microsoft’s Free Microsoft Security Essentials which appears in Windows 8.x as Windows Defender.

4. Uninstall, Uninstall and Uninstall!

A clean machine is a fast machine. That means your best option is to uninstall all the programs you don't use. Delete things like trial software, limited-edition versions, and anything else you're never going to use.

To uninstall software:

• Click the Start button , and then click Control Panel.
• Under Programs, click Uninstall a program. (If you don't see this page, change the View by option in the upper-right corner to Category.)

• Click the program you want to delete, and then click Uninstall.

5. Use Portable Apps

We are used to installing every application we need to use in Windows. Sometimes, these apps clog up the registry and use a lot of disk space and memory. Using Portable Apps, you can install an app once, have all of the necessary files in one place, and even sync the app and its settings across different machines with Dropbox.

The idea is that you can run these portable apps from a flash drive, thus taking your favorite browser or password program with you without having to install it on a computer that isn't yours. This reduces the number of installed applications on your PC and boosts performance. Portable Apps include Firefox, Google Chrome, uTorrent, VLC and VirtualBox. You can grab your copy of portable apps here.

6. Thoroughly Clean Your Computer

The fan in your computer that draws in air to cool. Dirt clogging up in your system can block clean, cool air from circulating within the computer and this can cause your system to overheat and run sluggishly and maybe even eventually break down. It will be most advisable to take your PC to your nearest Tech Specialist for it to be cleaned up or if you feel you’re tech savvy enough, a few searches on Google will teach you how to do that.

Now, your Windows PC can be faster and more efficient when working or goofing off!

Wine serves as a bridge between Windows and Unix based systems. Though there are numerous ways of getting Windows applications to run on a Mac, this is the classic and most convenient route. It creates a wrapper, allowing you to run apps from within. Here is how you can run Windows apps on a Mac using Wine.

What’s a Wrapper?

Basically, a wrapper takes a Windows app and simulates the environment it needs inside a package that the host OS can understand. In some cases a wrapper is so efficient that developers just use it, instead of creating dedicated ports. However, its efficacy is far from 100 percent. That is why Bootcamp is still a popular option.

What’s Wineskin?

Like Unix, Wine is an open-source program, so there are a lot of variants out there, some paid, mostly free, some difficult to sift through, some considerably easy. Wineskin is, in our experience, the most efficient wrapper, created specifically for OS X. Also, it is free to use. We like free things.

How does Wineskin work?

It is a free to use app, very easy to manage. We will be illustrating its use with the free to download game Mari0, by Stabyourself. They have a version native to OS X, but we will be using the Windows’ version just to show you how it’s done.

The first step should be to have the game or app on hand, so we will call that step 0, so step one would be to download and install Wineskin (link at the bottom).

Once installed, start it up. Now, it refuses to let you create content unless you have updated, so, if prompted, update to the latest version. After starting the app, you will notice that there is a “New Engines Available” notification. We need an engine before we get started. Under the “Installed Engines” window, there is a + sign. Click on it and you will be taken to an “Add Engine” window.

From the drop-down list, select the latest version available and click “Download and Install.” This will pop up a new window in case you want to give it a custom name (you don’t have to). Click OK and after a few second/minutes (depending on your connection speed) you will see the newly installed engine in your Wineskin window.

Now, it will continue to say “New Engines Available” but that is because it considers any engine you have not installed as “new,” so you needn’t worry about that. Now, on to the meat of things. Click on “Create New Blank Wrapper.” It will launch a window asking you to name it. We will call it Mari0, but its name is not important to the process, you may name it whatever you please.

Press OK. Now, if this is your first time using Wineskin, it will ask you to to install two packages. One is a “Mono” installer, which enables .Net applications (which is basically all of them) and then a “Gecko” installer, which enables HTML based content. They are important, so go ahead and install them both. The download shouldn’t take long and it is a one off, so you won’t have to do it again.

 

Once the the installers finish downloading, it will create your wrapper. By default, it is stored in Applications > Wineskin > [your wrapper]. Then it will offer to take you to your installed wrapper. Right now, there is nothing in this wrapper. Launching it will do nothing. Now, it gets a little labyrinthian from here, but if you follow our steps, you will see it is actually a walk in the park. Go to your wrapper. Right click and “Show Package Contents.”

Here, you will find the “Wineskin” app right under Contents and a shortcut to Drive_C. Open the wineskin app. It will take you to the launch utility. Now you have two choices, either you are copying an entire folder inside, or you are installing a fresh copy. Let’s go with the installation first. Click on “Install Software.” Now, click on “Choose Setup Executable,” it will launch a finder window, navigate to where your intended game’s setup.exe file is located and select that.

Now, you will notice that the process is exactly the same as it is on Windows, don’t worry about target directory as it has nothing to do with its location on OS X. Wine only responds to “C:\” anyway. Trivia: it is called C drive, because a long time ago, A:\ and B:\ were dedicated to floppy drives, now the floppy drives are gone, but their letter placement still lives on.

Once installed, it will scan the directory and show you a list of all the executable files, select the one that will launch your game/app and press OK.

Quit the Wineskin window and your wrapper is ready to go. It will show up in your launchpad and will run exactly like any other Mac app.

Alternatively, if you are running a standalone package, one that does not require installation, all you have to do, is launch wineskin through “show package contents” (same as before) and select “Install Software,” only this time, you will select “Copy a Folder Inside.” Through this finder window, find and ‘choose’ your folder.

Once you have selected your folder, it will close the Finder and take you back to the wineskin app. Click on Advanced and select “browse” to find your newly copied folder’s exe file. You can take it for a “Test Run” to see if it works.

Troubleshooting

Some applications require the presence of specific Direct X packages as well as certain elements of .Net framework that are not part of Wineskin. There is a workaround for that.

1- You can download offline installers for the aforementioned packages and install them the same way you would install a game.

2- There are numerous porting communities out there who have created wrappers for specific games and apps, you can use their wrappers (it is both legal and free) and install your game into those.

3- In case you want to go to the game directory to mod it, open the wrapper’s package and go to “Drive_c”, here you will find the traditional Windows’ file structure and can follow that mod’s instructions.

4- If you need to install more packages, like DLCs or add-ons in the same wrapper, you will follow the exact same procedure, and select the updated exe file.

That ought to do it, give it a whirl, and let us know how it went.

Download Wineskin from here

There are a lot of ways to block ads, but with a simple command in the developer console, you can disable all ads on YouTube via an experiment.

Google frequently tries out new features with experiments via TestTube. A less advertised experiment can disable all ads on the site. Here's how to turn it on:

1. Open up a YouTube video (any will do).
2. Open up the developer console (Ctrl-Shift-J for Chrome, Ctrl-Shift-K for Firefox)
3. Enter the following code:

document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=oKckVSqvaGw; path=/; domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload();

 Boom. No more ads. Since this is something that Google is allowing, it's possible it could go away in the future, but while it works, you get a lovely ad-free viewing experience without any plugins. It even works on those pesky video ads.

Alternative

Experiments do not last forever and it is very likely that Google will disable this particular cookie eventually.  An alternative to that is Adblock Plus, a browser extension for most web browsers that removes advertisement on YouTube as well.

Adwares are softwares(malwares) that downloads and displays unwanted advertising materials such as banners or pop-ups whenever a user is online. Sometimes, adwares can be annoying and getting them of your computer can be a real pain in the butt.
Adwares generally make your browsing experience really horrible by displaying ads on in your browser, opening pop-ups, redirecting links and sometimes downloading other forms of malware unto your computer.
In this guide we're going to learn how to remove such adware with Adwcleaner.
AdwCleaner is a free application for Windows-based PCs made by a team of French developers Xplode. AdwCleaner searches for and removes adware, browser hijackers and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that may have installed themselves on your computer.
The software, which is compatible with all desktop versions of Windows, also includes a search function and a mode suppression feature. Here's how to install and use AdwCleaner.

1. Click the Download Now button at http://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/. 

2. Run the program you just downloaded. You can do that by either opening it directly from the browser you used or from the location the file was downloaded too. Click run in the UAC pop-up windows if it appears. 
3. Click the Scan button when AdwCleaner launches. The program will search your computer for unwanted software. This may take up to 10 minutes depending on the amount of adware and PUPs on the computer. Just be patient in that case.

4. Click each category tab once AdwCleaner has completed its scan and deselect each of the suspicious and/or malicious items you don't want removed from the general system. I most situations it is best advised not to deselect anything. Just let it be as it is.

5. Click the Clean button after you have unchecked(or not) the elements you don't want removed.
6. Click OK in the pop-up window warning you that AdwCleaner will close all other programs before moving the unwanted software.

7. Click OK in the pop-up window that tells you how to keep your computer free of unwanted programs.
8. Click OK in the pop-up window alerting you that AdwCleaner must restart your computer. Save everything you're doing on your computer before you click ok!
9. Read over the log report that launches when the computer is rebooted.

Hurray! You did it!! 

 

Start here

The Start menu is back—and it’s more personal, more organized, and more fun than before. The full-sized Start screen is here too, and it's easy to switch between them. Your choice.
To get to the Start menu, click the Start button  (or press the Start key on your keyboard). Then arrange it however you’d like. Pin folders, contacts, and go-to apps. Move and resize tiles or even resize the Start menu itself.

Love it? Pin it.

Pin apps to Start to show live updates on what’s happening in your world, like new email, your next appointment, or the weekend weather.

Click the Start button , click All Apps, right-click or press and hold the app you want to pin, and then click Pin to Start.

To pin a folder, right-click or press and hold it, and then click Pin to Start.

Search for anything, anywhere

Search your PC and the web all at once. Simply open the Start menu and type your search—Windows search will do the rest.

You can also open search from the taskbar. Click the Search button  and start typing.

You have the power

The power button is back—right at the top of the Start menu.

Switch to the Start screen

For a roomier view, try using the touch-friendly Start screen in place of the Start menu.

To switch between the Start menu and the Start screen

Be sure to save your work first. You’ll need to sign out of Windows to make this change.

• Click the Start button , type navigation properties, and then click Navigation properties.
• Click the Start menu tab, click Use the Start menu instead of the Start screen, and then click OK.