How to configure two monitors on Windows 7

Windows 7, the latest version of the System Operating Windows has developed many useful features and made using simple functions. One is the introduction of two monitors in Windows 7 in your home or office.

There are two main ways in which you can configure two monitors on Windows 7

1) Using the shortcut keys on the keyboard

It is very simple and most preffered for some users.

Press the Windows key and “P” at the same time. A window will appear with four choices. Select one

just a basic screen – to duplicate the first

Extend – office will be expanded to two screens

Projector

only – will enable a second monitor

2) In the screen resolution options

Right-click anywhere on the desktop, in the menu, click screen resolution. On this screen, go to change options and multiple exposure menu, select an option. And this is why you’re ready to go.

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Posted in: Configure,monitors,Windows

Download Quality Free Photoshop Brushes and Patterns

There are many sites that offer Photoshop brushes, brush found not so difficult, but finding quality brushes not easy either. What if a site did all the hard work for you and will host many quality Photoshop brushes and patterns in one place. Brusheezy is one site that offers quality brushes and templates that you can download for free. This is a site where you can download your own brushes to share with others.

At first glance this site, you are greeted with stunning patterns and brushes. Click on the icon to learn more about this preview and download options. Of the site, you will find a tab for brushes, patterns, and the option to send their own brushes or patterns.

Brushes tab has an excellent collection of high quality Photoshop brushes in one place. To make the task of finding a brush that is best suited to your needs, you can use a filter. There are three types of filters, filter by category, versions of Photoshop and sorting. Also use the search bar to find the brush of your choice with ease.

Patterns tab

hosts a variety of usage patterns. Everyone can find a pattern to make ends meet, and you can even fix your selection using the filters on the site. If you have a reason or brush you want to share with others, you can send the submit tab. Remember that these sites contain only quality brushes and patterns, your application will be reviewed and published only if it is considered good.

other network services offered by this site is Vector Graphics, Flash and web theme. Web designers are always looking for good quality Photoshop brushes. Every designer knows that brushes and models play an important role in the design. It has a good collection of brushes on hand is essential for designers create unique and quality.

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Posted in: Brushes,Download,Patterns,Photoshop,Quality

Sale Of New Sony PSP Reaches One Million In Two Months

Since the launch of new Sony’s PSP in September 20, 2007, the sale has now reaches one million in only a span of two months.

I think this is a remarkable achievement, as compared to PS3 that took eight months to reach a million.

With the launch, it once again created storms and waves of gaming frenzy. Other than being sleeker and lighter than the original, it also has more RAM, better graphics handling capabilities, stunning widescreen display and rich on multimedia functions. Not only does it capture the hearts of gaming enthusiasts, Non-gamers are not spared as well. In fact, it has already become a must-buy for gamers who currently do not own a PSP system.

In Singapore, the PSP-2000 was launched on Oct 20, 2007 and priced at S$280

I have already placed it in my Christmas wish-list, what about you?

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Posted in: Million,Months,Reaches

5 Best Kindle Tips and Tricks

I bought an Amazon Kindle some time back and posted an article about some of the basic tips and tricks all Kindle users should know about. Having used the Kindle for a while it is clear that while it’s book reading functions take precedence, its creators decided to imbue it with a number of features that tip it into the realm of a “tablet PC”. While it clearly does not have the functionality of an iPad, the Kindle has a set of unique features that makes reading books just a little bit more enjoyable.

In this article I will provide an overview of some of the more interesting features the Kindle has to offer.

1. Browsing the Web

The Kindle was created with one function in mind: to read books. This means that doing anything, aside from reading books, is quite a chore. Nevertheless the Kindle does come with a handy web browser that can be used in a pinch. To launch the web browser press the Menu button on your Kindle.

Then select Experimental. From the Experimental menu select launch browser

Once the browser launches you will be presented with a number of pre-bookmarked web sites.

Selecting one of these launches the site immediately, or you can select Menu and Enter URL to browse to a web site not on the list.

As I have mentioned in my previous article, the Kindle uses a special display technology called E-Ink. This is great for reading as you are generally looking at a static page. However, for something with dynamic content, such as a web site, it makes navigations and usability difficult. Further, since the display is not touch-screen moving the cursor requires you to use the D-Pad. Nevertheless, as you can see the page itself looks relatively clear and there is no content that is hidden or blocked.

2. Turn Web page into Article Mode

There is one other useful trick that the Kindle’s browser has. If you browse to a website with a lot of articles (such as nytimes.com) you can use the “Article Mode” to read the article without any of the other distractions on the web site.

First, browse to the web site of your choice. Then use the Enter key to zoom into the section of the page which has the article you want to read. Once you have zoomed in select the article. Once the article has opened select Menu and select Article Mode.

This will reformat the article into a book format, allowing you to read through it as though it were another book on the Kindle.

3. Social Services

One of the most lauded features of the newer generation of Kindle’s is the ability to share what you are reading with the world. You are able to select a sentence or a passage of what you are reading and share it over Facebook or Twitter.

Firstly, you must connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts with the Kindle.  Select Menu and Settings and use the Next Page button to scroll to the third page and select manage.

This launches the web browser from where you must authenticate your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Once you have connected your accounts with the Kindle you can select text inside any book you are reading and post it to your Facebook and Twitter account.

First, use the D-Pad to select the text you want to share.

Next, select the Alt and Enter key to share the text. This will open a small text box allowing you to input a small message of your choice.

You can now see the selected quote and your message displayed on your Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Clicking the custom amzn.com link displays the selected text.

This feature would be more useful if the title and author of the book was also displayed. Nevertheless, this is a good way of sharing a passage that is particularly interesting or striking.

4. Clippings

After selecting text, making notes within a book, or bookmarking a particular page you will find a My Clippings option on the home page of your Kindle.

All your notes are displayed here but the separation between the sections is not always clear and it is a little difficult to navigate your various clippings.

5. Searching a Book

A friend mentioned to me that she did not want to give up reading books because she loved the ability to flip through the pages. Unfortunately, this is impossible to do on a Kindle and at times it can be a problem if you need to jump to a certain section of a book. If the book is very long it can be a pain to use the Next/Previous buttons to jump through the pages.

To alleviate this problem Amazon uses the “Location” feature to allow jumping to sections of a book. If you look at the bottom of a book you can see the location points displayed.

You can jump to a particular location in the book by selecting Menu and Go to…

In the message box you must enter the location number you want to jump to. Unfortunately, the Kindle keyboard does not come with any number keys so you will have to select the Sym key and select the numbers from the pop-up box.

This is the only method of jumping between sections of the book and unfortunately, it is not very specific. I will often have to flip through pages to find the part I was reading.

Conclusion

Amazon has refined the book reading features of the Kindle to the point where it is almost the perfect “E Ink” device, easily beating out its competitors. However, some of the features I have mentioned in this article attempt to keep it relevant in a world dominated by the iPad. There are still a number of features that the Kindle has to offer, so for all the Kindle users out there keep an eye out for another Kindle article.

Image credit: Yutaka Tsutano

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Zazzle Custom iPad Case Review

There are seemingly infinite possible ways to protect your iPad while on the go. Whether you like the Apple style case or a standard sleeve, they’ve both got one thing in common: they’re pretty boring! This is where Zazzle.com comes in.  Zazzle.com gives its users the ability to create custom version of almost anything! From t-shirts to coffee mugs, phone cases to iPad cases, the process is quick and easy. So what do you get for your money, and is it worth it? Read on for MakeTechEasier’s rundown on the process!

Design and Ordering Process

Ordering on Zazzle is a super easy process. For this review, I’ll do a quick walkthrough of the iPad case ordering process, although its very similar with all their products. (I’ve gotten business cards from them and its almost exactly the same, and have designed t-shirts with them, which is also basically identical in most aspects.)

First, head over to www.zazzle.com/custom/ipadcases. Here you’ll be greeted with some examples of what can be done when users are left to customize their own cases, as well as some information on the process. Click the “Create a case” button toward the right to get started.

Once you click through to Zazzle’s iPad case design page, you’ll be greeted with a “Getting Started” window. This window will allow you to start by inserting the picture of your choice, or text of your choice, onto the case. You can always add more later, and once you have a few items on there, you can adjust their size, orientation, placement and more with the intuitive controls provided on the site.

Keep in mind that in the case of images, you want to use as high a resolution as possible, that way if you decide to expand them a little during your design process you won’t have a problem with their appearance. If you do expand an image to the point where it may not look good in the final printing of the product, you’ll get little exclamations letting you know you may want to switch to a higher resolution image, or reduce the zoom of the image in your current design. The image below is an example of a design with a stretched out low-res image. See the exclamations?

Once you’re happy with the appearance of the case, just click the “Add to cart” button and follow through the standard checkout procedure. Shipping times vary depending on how much you spend, but I bought economy and it took about a week to arrive.  Not bad at all considering it’s custom made!

The Final Product

As for the final version of my iPad case, well, for the moment I couldn’t be happier. It’s very rigid, offering great protection against bending, and it barely adds any bulk to the iPad. In fact, I found it actually made gripping the iPad significantly easier, making reading and playing games significantly more enjoyable than before. It also does a great job of protecting against those little dents the aluminum backs of iPads tend to get over time.

One of the reasons though that the grip is so good is the material they use to make the custom designs. I’m not sure if it is some type of plastic or not, but it sure feels like fabric. This gives it a great grip, but also has lead to some concern for me. While I’m not seeing any problems yet (I’ve only been using it for a few days) I am concerned that if this is truly a fabric, as it feels to be, that anything white may tend to get dirty over time.  I’m hoping this is not the case, and will certainly be keeping you all informed as time goes on, but for now, its a perfect white, the graphics look fantastic, and the case protects as advertised!

Have any of you ever made a custom case? What cases are you using now, if you’re using one  at all?  Is this something you’d be interested in? As always, let us know in the comments!

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Posted in: Custom,Review,Zazzle

The Kno Textbook Tablet Preview

Almost every new tablet that has emerged in the iPad-dominated market has essentially been a direct competitor to the iPad, offering little, if any, basic usability advantages. It is for that reason that the Kno tablet stands out from the crowd. This tablet is being marketed to schools that are tired of dealing with the yearly fiasco of selling, renting, or even giving away textbooks. For many schools (both K-12 and higher education), the long-term savings and technological advantage may far outweigh the initial cost of the device.

The Kno comes in two versions: one traditional-looking tablet with a single color screen, and another with dual screens connected together to allow the tablet to open like a book. The screen, at 14.1 inches, is much larger than an iPad or Samsung Galaxy S, but that is most likely by design. It is, after all, intended for work, not play. Nevertheless, the ability to play is there, as it is fully web-connected for research or other browsing.

One of the most interesting features of the Kno tablet is not the hardware or software but the way in which it is being developed. Anyone can go to the project’s website and join the advisory panel to offer their input on development. They are particularly looking for educators and other thinkers who could be eventual customers. Furthermore, the operating system of the Kno is Ubuntu Linux with a Webkit-based interface. This means that all apps for the Kno are written in HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

The Kno gives students the ability to take notes with an included pen, right on the screen, and even make notes and annotations directly on their textbooks, highlighting key words, dropping in sticky notes, or circling important items. It also supports video playback in a variety of formats, including Adobe Flash player.

Technical Specifications

Display:

14.1 inch single or dual color LCD backlit glossy widescreen multi-touch displays1440×800 WXGA resolution262,144 colorsAnti-glare film screen with hard coat surface

Input:

Fingers and Pen stylus (for note taking)

Processor:

Nvidia Tegra T200 series CPU ( based on the Dual-core ARM Cortex -A9 MPCore) 1.0GHz

Memory:

512 MB RAM

Storage:

16 GB or 32 GB flash memory

OS:

Ubuntu 9.10

Other Hardware:

Micro USB3.5-mm stereo headphone jackMicrophone with active noise cancellationAccelerometer – 3 Axis +/- 1.5 gAmbient light sensor

Power:

DC power connector50.6 watt-hour lithium polymer battery (6 hours usage)

Wireless:

IEEE 802.11 b/gBluetooth 2.0+EDR technology

Software Features:

eReaderNote-Taking with a penPDF annotation – Web apps for Docs (Google Docs or Office Live)Virtual keyboardBuilt-in Webkit-based browser

Audo Playback:

AAC-LC, MP3, WMA 10, PCM/WAV (Ogg Vorbis support interestingly not listed)

Video Playback:

H.264 – 1080p, WMV9/VC-1 1080p, MPEG-4 – 1080p, JPEG up to 80 megapixel per second, HTML5 video, and Adobe Flash

Price:

Single Screen 16GB: $599 –  32GB: $699Dual Screen 16GB $899 – 32GB: $999

Average cost of traditional textbooks:

$121

Average cost of Kno textbooks:

$63

Pre-orders of the Kno have just started shipping to select customers. It will eventually be something that schools can purchase in bulk, distribute to students, and even allow the students to take home and use whenever they need it. The company behind Kno sees itself as an innovator hoping to change education, the way people learn and the way knowledge is used. This is a lofty goal, but it is definitely one that warrants attention. One thing I do Kno for sure is that this tablet will likely change the landscape of the tablet market for the better.

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Posted in: Preview,Tablet,Textbook

8 Useful Tips For Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire may not be able to compete with some of the bigger tablets but it still has a lot to offer. It’s a great eReader that can be read at night without bothering anyone near you, maintains access to your email, documents, and allows you to download video, music, and games for on the go enjoyment. Whether you use it for business or pleasure, it’s very useful for all kinds of things. Here are just a few of the features I find most useful about the Fire that hopefully you find helpful as well!

1. Lock Screen Security

As you start to use the Kindle Fire to its full potential, you’ll start to fill it up with personal and work information like contacts, emails, and documents. If your Kindle was lost or stolen, not only would your personal and work information be compromised, but the new user could easily add more content from Amazon with your credentials. It’s a good idea to create a security login to lock your screen. Go to the top menu bar and press on the “Gear”. Click “More” and then “Security” to turn the Lock Screen Password on or off. To turn it on, press “On” and then enter your password.

Keep your password in a safe place! If you forget your password or enter it wrong 4 times in a row, you’ll lose anything you loaded onto your Kindle and will be required to register it all over again.

2. Enable/Disable Screen Rotation

Sometimes I read while lying down and the screen on my Kindle will turn causing me to be distracted. While that feature is good for some things, I like to keep things steady while reading. If you’d like to disable the screen rotation, click on the Gear in the menu bar and tap on the “Unlocked” tab to “Lock” it. If you want to disable the lock screen, repeat the steps until it says “Unlocked”.

3. Read More Than Books

If you use your Kindle Fire for business, you’ll find the feature to copy documents to it a necessity. There are several ways to do this such as connecting your Kindle to your computer with a USB cable or by emailing them to the Kindle email address assigned to your device. There’s an easier way to do this using Send To Kindle if you have a Windows PC. Simply download the app to your computer and right click on any documents to be copied and choose “Send To Kindle.”

5. Change Font Size

I wasn’t using my Web feature very much on the Kindle because I found it hard to see the screen. Sure, I could enlarge sections or zoom in to see things better but then I would tap on something that would take me somewhere else and I would just give up altogether. I recently discovered that there’s a setting in the Kindle Fire that allows you to choose the size of the font displayed while browsing the Web. To make your text Large or Huge, open a web page and at the bottom of the screen, tap on the little icon that looks like a piece of paper. Tap the “Text Size” option to open the menu and select the font size you want.

To change the font size of text in books, tap the “Aa” button at the bottom of the screen and select the size that’s best for you. In the same settings box, you can adjust the line spacing, margins and background color to make it easiest for you to read your material.

6. Do You Have The Latest Version?

There was an update released to update your Kindle so you’ll want to make sure you have all the available features. To see if you have the latest version, tap on the “Gear” icon and then select “More”. From there scroll down to the “Device” tab which will display your memory, battery life and other important device information. Under the battery life, you’ll see the “System Version” listed and as of this article, the version should be 6.3. If your version isn’t up to date, tap on the “Gear” again and then tap “Sync”. This will download the latest version to your device.

6. Add Or Remove From Carousel

In the latest version you can remove any book or Add To Favorites directly from the carousel by long pressing on it.

7. Parental Controls

If you have children that use your Kindle Fire, you may want to set some parental controls to disable certain functions. Press the “Gear” tab and then “More” to open the menu and scroll down to the “Parental Controls” option. Tap the “On” button to enable the controls and assign a password to access the controls. This will allow you to set controls for many things which include turning the web browser on or off, password protect purchases (so you don’t get a surprise credit card bill for games or apps they downloaded!) and setting content types to block them from accessing Books, Apps, Docs, and more. Once you block any features, they will be unable to select them from the menu on the main page.

8. Dig Deeper

If you like to know the details of the books you read, the Book Extras feature will be something you’ll want to check out. In “Book Extras” you’ll see a “Plot Summary”, the “Characters” of the book, along with “Glossary” terms, and more. To view the Extras open a book and then tap the piece of paper icon. Tap “Book Extras” to see all the supplemental material about your favorite books and authors.

I’d love to hear what tips and tricks you have found using your Kindle Fire. Share them by leaving a comment!

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Posted in: Kindle,Useful

Play Your Music Wirelessly With The Blackberry Music Gateway

If you haven’t learned already, the more wireless things are, the better. Cords are becoming a thing of the past. RIM understands this, and this is the reason behind their release of the Blackberry Music Gateway. The Music Gateway takes the cords out of having to play music from your device to speakers. This magic is done thanks to Bluetooth or Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC, which first gained notoriety through mobile payment systems, is now being found in the Blackberry Music Gateway to allow for cordless music enjoyment. Today, we will talk more about the hardware, find out how to connect, and enjoy what Blackberry Music Gateway has to offer.

What is Blackberry Music Gateway?

Previously, we had to connect our devices to a speaker through a cord to hear the music. This, many times, prevented us from being able to charge said device, go in the other room to answer an email with it, or do other things with the device being used. Cords were a way that tied down that device, forcing you to interrupt the music session when needed. While this may be just fine for someone blasting music to their own delight at home, for individuals at parties, this just isn’t acceptable. Blackberry Music Gateway solves this problem by allowing individuals to have a device connected to their speakers, sort of as a connection portal (or Gateway) that connects the device holding the music, with the gadget playing the music.

The good thing about this device is that you don’t need to own a Blackberry to connect to it. As long as your mobile devices support bluetooth or NFC, you can easily pair it with the Gateway and blast your music wirelessly. And yes, when I say “mobile devices”, it includes your laptop as well.

How Do I Set it Up?

First off, you need to ensure that you have your device connected before connecting to the speakers. To do this, ensure that your Gateway is in some sort of power source. This can be a laptop if you are on the go (through the USB port), your car headphone jack, or even an outlet if you’re stationary. From there, you should see a light on.

You should expect to see either a blue, red, or green at any time through the life of your Blackberry Music Gateway.Green always means that it’s powered on.A red light always means you don’t have a connection. If it’s flashing quickly, this should be an alert to you that you lost your connection. If blinking slowly, this simply means you haven’t attempted a connection just yet.The next color is blue, if this is blinking fast, then good news, you’re connected. If not, then it’s still good news, this means your Gateway is playing a song/sound. If mixed with red, this means it’s currently attempting to connect.

After the Gateway is plugged to a power source, press the top of the Gateway device, you’ll then have to go on to your Blackberry (or any other mobile device) and activate Bluetooth. Once Bluetooth is activated, you should be able to see the name “BlackBerry Music Gateway” in the list. At this point, once it is selected and paired, the light should be Blue.

To pair with NFC, Near-Field Communication, power the Gateway on, press the top of the Gateway, and activate NFC on your BlackBerry. From there, tap the Blackberry on top of the Music Gateway to activate.

My Experience with Music Gateway

During my week with the Blackberry Music Gateway, I found it to be a device fitting for a get-together or even while on the road. When testing it out on multiple platforms (in the car, through a television, and traditional speakers), I found it to be quite useful. iPhone and Mac games were able to have a more amplified sound when being hooked up to the speakers, increasing the gaming experience. When testing it on the Blackberry, that’s where I truly was able to appreciate the freedom of not being tied down by cords when listening to music and doing other tasks.

Conclusion

Do you need a Blackberry to get the best experience? No, not at all. RIM found a great way to make this platform-blind. Consumers will still not have the device on mind though due to the Blackberry name. Many will say, “I don’t have a Blackberry, so why would I need the Blackberry Music Gateway”. This wasn’t necessarily done on purpose or by accident by RIM, the device is made for Blackberry devices. The ability to work on other devices is just coincidence. That being said, paying $50 to not be tied down to cords while using your Bluetooth device is still something I see as not a bad purchase. Let’s just say, once Apple introduces a NFC iPhone, you’ll probably appreciate the purchase even more!

The Blackberry Music Gateway is sold on the RIM website for $49.95.

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Posted in: Blackberry,Gateway,Music,Wirelessly

These Gadgets Could Save Your Phone When It Is Running Out Of Power [iOS]

iOS devices all come with the same charging cords and wall units, or at least they look the same. The iPad charger gives a higher charge. These cords and chargers aren’t always the most convenient though. Did you ever wish you had one you could fit in your pocket, you could charge two devices at once, or that you could get your case to work double duty?

There are many third party items on the market that will charge your iPad or iPhone, but the following list of items will also do something a little extra and make life just a little more convenient for you.

Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Duo External Battery

The Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Duo works with all iOS devices. It features four times the charging speed of normal chargers (500mAh) and allows you to switch between that highest speed (2.1A), as well as 1A and 500mAh. You can also charge two of your devices at the same time. That’s handy for when two devices are about to die at the same time. You won’t be forced to switch back and forth trying to keep charges on them enough to keep one going while you charge the other. The Powerstation Duo plugs into a USB outlet to power on.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus – iPhone 4 & 4S Battery Case

It’s two for the price of one, or at least an expensive price of one that is cheaper than two. This iPhone case doubles as a battery pack. What more could you want? The rechargeable battery is hidden inside the metallic case that comes in a variety of colors. The whole thing is protected by a rubberized band around the outside. It promises to give you up to eight hours of talking time on the phone, seven hours of 3G web browsing, and eleven hours of WiFi web browsing. An LED button on the bottom shows you how much power you have left.

Mophie Juice Pack Reserve – iPod & iPhone

This rechargeable battery resembles a cigarette lighter, although it’s definitely bigger, at .34 inches x 6.75 inches x 4.25 inches. It holds 700mAh and has a built-in USB cable, leaving no cords to worry about. Hanging from a keychain, it can be clipped onto a keyring, a backpack, a purse, or a laptop bag. It’s so convenient you don’t have to plan to take it with you. Just keep it clipped on at all times when not in use.

Stitchway iPhone / iPod Ultrapower Backup Battery Charger

The Stitchway works the same as the Mophie Juice Pack Reserve, except it can be found for much cheaper. You can get it as cheap as five dollars. Instead of slipping it on a keyring, you can just slip it in your pocket instead. It fits well onto the bottom of your iPhone to where it almost seems like it belongs there.

Cellink I

The Cellink I adds another couple of benefits in along with the charging and extra battery power when you need it. It will also do data transfer, and can be plugged into your computer and used as a MicroSD USB Reader. It cuts down on the number of items you have to carry with you when you’re traveling.

MyCharge Peak 6000

Like the others on this list, the Peak 6000 also has some extra benefits. There’s a wall plug built into it, for one. It flips down allowing you to plug the unit directly into a wall unit to save you from bringing a separate wall plug. It has both a 30-pin connector to charge your iPhone or iPad, and also has an extra USB port to power an iPhone or IPad while it charges a separate device. It won’t completely recharge your iPad, but does give you some extra power when you need it. It will also charge and sync your iPhone and iPad at the same time.

These little gadgets aren’t meant to replace those familiar white plugs and cords, but to make charging iOS devices just that much easier. They make it possible to charge more than one at a time, to travel without so many cords and plugs, and to even offer a convenient way to back up your data.

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Posted in: [iOS],Could,Gadgets,Phone,Power,Running,These