Sterling Creations

. In Windows XP, it is possible to add a tag or comments to any file’s metadata. See this article for some details. Starting with Vista. Microsoft limited the availability of editable metadata to certain types of files such as images, music, and Microsoft Office files. *Metadata in Microsoft Office documents and spreadsheets Office files are of particular interest since they can contain considerable amounts of personal information. Your name, your company, name of your computer, your collaborators, revisions, and much else may be included. Much of this is buried in the file and you may not be aware of it. Various versions of Office have a “Document Inspector” that allows removal of personal data from Office documents and spreadsheets. The path depends somewhat on which version you have but, in Office 2010/2013, Document Inspector is opened from: File->Info->Check for Issues->Inspect Document. When the Document Inspector dialog opens, follow the instructions on how to delete personal data. You can also check out the detailed discussion of removing personal data in Office documents that is given at this Microsoft page . Metadata in PDF files PDF files can contain metadata that is not discoverable by using Windows Explorer. Instead, a PDF reader is required. Adobe Reader allows you to view and edit certain metadata such as the author’s name. Other PDF readers will have a way to view metadata but may or may not provide for editing or deleting it. For example, Sumatra only allows you to view metadata. The general procedure in PDF readers for revealing metadata is to open the menu File-Properties. Editing PDF metadata with Adobe Reader is described at this link . And there you have it – how to keep your files from revealing more than you want.]]>

, Tuesday, Mar 11, 2014 Ever had a time where you’re using Siri and your iPhone or iPad doesn’t stop listening when you want it to? Maybe someone else is talking or there’s noise in the background, but you’re done and the wave form just won’t stop. Luckily iOS 7.1 solves that problem by letting you control not only when Siri starts but it stops as well! How to hold down the Home button to control when Siri stops listening 1. Press and hold down the Home button on your iPhone or iPad to start Siri listening. 2. Keep holding down the Home button and speak your request to Siri. 3. Release the Home button to stop Siri listening. That’s all there is to it. Instead of pressing the Home button just to activate Siri, You’re holding it down the entire time you’re talking to Siri.. * iOS 7.1 is the first major update to Apple’s seventh generation iPhone , iPad , and iPod touch operating system. Code-named Sochi and released on Monday, March 10, 2014, iOS 7.1 not only provides much needed – and long overdue – bug fixes but several feature improvements as well. Here’s the official iOS 7 change log from Apple: CarPlay . iOS experience designed for the car . Simply connect your iPhone to a CarPlay enabled vehicle . Supports Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, and 3rd-party audio apps . Control with Siri and the car’s touchscreen, knobs, and buttons Siri . Manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while you speak and releasing it when you’re done as an alternative to letting Siri automatically notice when you stop talking . New, more natural sounding male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, UK English, Australian English, and Japanese iTunes Radio . Search field above Featured Stations to easily create stations based on your favorite artist or song . Buy albums with the tap of a button from Now Playing Subscribe to iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free Calendar . Option to display events in month view . Country specific holidays automatically added for many countries Accessibility . Bold font option now includes the keyboard, calculator, and many icon glyphs . Reduce Motion option now includes Weather, Messages, and multitasking UI animations . New options to display button shapes, darken app colors, and reduce white point Other . New Camera setting to automatically enable HDR for iPhone 5s . iCloud Keychain support in additional countries . FaceTime call notifications are automatically cleared when you answer a call on another device . Fixes a bug that could occasionally cause a home screen crash . Improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition . Improved performance for iPhone 4 . Fixes display of Mail unread badge for numbers greater than 10,000 . Continued user interface refinements]]>

How to Get Navigation Directions (Even Offline) Without Buying a GPS Dedicated GPS devices are going the way of the dodo, and for good reason. That smartphone or tablet you have can be a capable GPS with turn-by-turn navigation. This works even if you don’t have a data connection. Find a way to mount your smartphone or tablet in your car and it can even make a capable in-car GPS solution. This is illegal in some jurisdictions, so check your local laws before mounting anything. **If You Have Mobile Data. Using a smartphone or tablet as a GPS is very easy if you have mobile data. Google Maps, Apple Maps, and even Nokia’s HERE Maps are capable map apps with turn-by-turn navigation directions. If you have data access, these solutions are better than a dedicated GPS device in many ways. You get a more user-friendly interface, up-to-date search results from the web, links to open websites in your browsers, and real-time traffic data. Some services will even route you around bad traffic on the fly. On Android, use the Google Maps app to search for directions to your destination. Tap the Start navigation button and you’ll be taken to a GPS navigation-style experience with spoken, turn-by-turn directions. On an iPhone or iPad, you can also install the Google Maps app and use it in a similar way. You can also use the Apple Maps app included with your device. Tap Directions in Apple Maps to get directions to a location, tap the Route option to view the route, and tap Start. Apple Maps will display turn-by-turn directions. http://cdn.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/use-apple-maps-for-gps-n avigation-on-ipad4.png Windows Phone users can use Nokia’s HERE Maps to get turn-by-turn directions in a similar way. **Offline Turn-By-Turn Navigation This all works great if you’re paying for mobile data, but you can use your device as a GPS navigation solution even if you don’t have mobile data access. Dedicated GPS devices include a GPS receiver and an offline map database they can use to display your location, provide directions, and allow you to search for locations. Your modern smartphone or tablet also has a GPS chip so it can determine its location offline – all you need is an app that will provide offline map data and navigation directions. Google Maps allows you to download map data and view it offline. To do so, zoom to the area you want to cache in Google Maps and type “OK maps” into the search box. You can then open Google Maps and see where you are on the map – the map will work fine even when you’re offline. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t provide a way to get navigation directions offline. You can search for navigation directions before you leave Wi-Fi and continue using the cached navigation directions to get to your destination, but that’s it. If you’re looking for a free offline GPS navigation app for Android , try Osmand https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand or Navfree. found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navfree.android.OSM.ALL If you’d like something more full-featured and polished, you may want to buy a paid app like Sygic found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sygic.aura or one of the many other offline navigation apps in Google Play. Sure, they cost money – but they’re cheaper than buying a dedicated GPS device and having to pay for map updates. http://cdn.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/offline-gps-navigation-o n-android.png On iPhone or iPad, you can use Google Maps to save offline map data in the same way, but it still won’t provide offline navigation. Apple Maps doesn’t provide offline navigation instructions, either. You’ll find a variety of offline navigation apps in the app store, like the paid Sygic https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sygic.aura and CoPilot GPS. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/copilot-gps-plan-explore-offline/id504677517 ?mt=8 On Windows Phone, Nokia’s HERE Maps allows you to cache maps for offline use and even get navigation directions offline. _____ Note that you can’t use an iPod Touch as an offline GPS device. Apple’s iPod Touch doesn’t include GPS hardware, so it can’t use GPS to figure out where it is.]]>