by Fadia, Ankit
Canned responses is a Gmail Labs feature that allows users to save commonly used replies and include them in an email easily and quickly right from the Compose page in Gmail.
To enable the Canned responses feature in your Gmail account, click on Settings > Labs > Scroll down to the Canned reponses feature and select Enable > Scroll down and click on Save changes.
Canned Responses is the registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
Once you have enabled the Canned responses option, to save a message as a Canned response, click on Compose and type any message of your choice in the body of the email. I am going to create a Canned response containing an address: 500 Park Ave, New York City, NY 10022, Between 58th St and 59th St.
Canned Responses is the registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
Now click on the Canned responses link > New canned response and then choose any name under which you wish to save the Canned response and click on the OK button. I have used ‘Address’ as the name of this Canned response.
Canned Responses is the registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
Now the Canned response has been saved and is ready for use in any future emails that you send out. Whenever I need to send my address to someone, I can click on the Canned responses link in the Compose screen and under Insert select the name of the Canned response you wish to use. In this case, I have selected the ‘Address’ Canned Response. Within a few seconds, you will notice the saved Canned response has been inserted into the email.
Canned Responses is a registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
This process can also be automated by creating filters in your Gmail account. Filters are rules that are defined so that Gmail will search all incoming email for certain characteristics (sender, subject, key words in the message etc.) and, whenever a match is found, it will perform some action on it.
To create a filtering rule, open the message based on which you want to create the rule, click on the More button and then click on the Filter messages like these option.
Gmail will automatically analyse the open email and create a filter based on the sender’s email address. You may modify the filter based on your requirements. Once you have created the filter rules, simply click on the Create filter with this search option at the bottom right corner.
Canned Responses is a registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
Gmail will now ask you what you would like to do when email messages matching the filtering rule are received in your inbox. In this case, you want to automatically send a Canned response to all messages matching the predefined filtering rules. So you need to first select the Send canned response option and then select the specific canned message you want to send as a reply and then click on the Create filter button.
Canned Responses is a registered trademark of Google Inc., used with permission.
42. How to hide files inside photographs
< 120 Seconds
Sometimes hiding data is as much about encryption and password-protection as it is about managing appearances. In this tip we are going to see how easy it is for you to take all your confidential files and hide them inside photos (or even music or video files).
In other words, if someone were to go through the files on your computer then they will only see regular photos. However, little do they realize that inside these photos actually lies your confidential data.
The technique of hiding files or data inside photos, songs and videos is known as Steganography. One of my favourite Steganography tools is S-Tools which is available as a free download.
First you need to identify the confidential file that you wish to hide and the photo inside which you wish to hide it. Ideally, if the size of the confidential file is large, the photo that you choose should be appropriately large in size as well. Or you can also move from using a photo to a song and finally to using a video. In the following example, I am going to hide a Notepad file containing my bank account details (account number, username and password) inside the photo of a cute baby.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
Start the S-Tools software on your computer and drag the photo on to the software tab. The photo will now appear inside the S-Tools software. In the bottom right corner of the screen, S-Tools will tell you how much data can be hidden inside this particular photo. In this case, the selected photo can hold up to 29,387 bytes.
Drag and drop the file you wish to hide on to the photo inside the S-Tools software. You will be asked to choose a password to protect your hidden data. Enter any password of your choice and click on the OK button to continue.
Within a few seconds, S-Tools will create an identical copy of the photo and will display it on the screen. By just looking at the two photos, the human eye will not be able to differentiate between them. The only difference is that the photo on the left does not contain any hidden data (you can close that image) and the photo on the right contains the confidential file hidden inside.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
Right-click on the photo and save it with any file name of your choice anywhere on your system.
If someone were to access your computer and open the above photo, it will look quite normal and will not show any tangible signs of any hidden data embedded inside. It is important to note that the size of the photo may change slightly, depending on the size of the file you are hiding. However, since there is no way for someone to know the original file size of the photo, the change in file size isn’t a giveaway.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com., used with permission.
To retrieve and reveal the hidden file from inside the photo all you need to do is follow the steps below:
Start the S-Tools software and drag on to it the photo containing the hidden data. Right-click on the photo and select the Reveal option.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
Enter the same password that you had entered while hiding the data and click on the OK button to reveal the hidden confidential files.
Within a few seconds, S-Tools will retrieve the hidden file from inside the photo and reveal it on the screen. Right-click on the revealed file and save it anywhere on your computer to view it.
S-Tools and the S-Tools logo are registered trademarks of SpyChecker.com, used with permission.
To further increase your security, I would recommend combining the Steganography technique with the password-protection and encryption techniques that I have discussed later in this book.
Sometimes, concealing in plain sight is the best place to hide.
43. How to send free SMS text messages to your friends from your phone
< 120 Seconds
Do you wish you could send free text messages from your mobile phone to your friends? Are you tired of paying for sending text messages to your friends? Put an end to your SMS texting bills and start sending SMS text messages for free by using the Free SMS India app.
You can download the Free SMS India app absolutely free of cost from the Google Play App Store to your Android phone. Once installed, it allows you send free SMS messages from your Android phone using the Internet data plan on your phone! The SMS text messages get delivered to the recipient as a regular SMS, since they are routed by the app through popular free SMS gateways. By using this app, you no longer need to pay for sending SMS text messages. The Free SMS India app supports the following free SMS gateways:
www.Way2SMS.com
www.FullonSMS.com
www.Site2SMS.com
www.160by
2.com
www.YouMint.com
www.IndyaRocks.com
www.SMS440.com
www.ultoo.com
www.freeSMS8.in
The way these SMS gateways are able to allow you to send free text messages is by sending you email and SMS ads. But if you do not mind viewing a few ads, Free SMS India is perfect for you.
Before you can start using Free SMS India, you need to create an account for free with any of the SMS gateways that it supports. Typically, most SMS gateways put a restriction on the number of free SMS messages you will be allowed to send per day; however, that limit is adequate enough for most users. For example, the Way2SMS.com SMS gateway allows you to send a hundred free SMS messages per day. If you are an SMS addict and this daily limit is not enough for you, simply create another account with some other SMS gateway supported by the Free SMS India app!
Now start the Free SMS India app on your Android phone. It will display all the messages that you have in your SMS message inbox within its interface. You can read, reply and send messages just the way you normally do, except that you no longer need to pay for sending messages.
Free SMS India and the Free SMS India logo are registered trademarks of Free SMS India, used with permission.
Before you can start sending free messages using Free SMS India, you need to choose the SMS gateway you want to use. Go to Preference > Setup Gateways > Choose any SMS gateway of your choice from the list. I am going to select the Way2SMS gateway in this example.
Free SMS India and the Free SMS India logo are registered trademarks of Free SMS India, used with permission.
Select the Enter Login Details option and enter the log-in details of your SMS gateway account (Way2SMS in this case).
Free SMS India and the Free SMS India logo are registered trademarks of Free SMS India, used with permission.
You can configure a default SMS gateway for sending free SMS text messages by going to Preference > Select Default Gateway.
Free SMS India is now configured on your Android phone to send free SMS text messages via the SMS gateway of your choice. If you reach the daily SMS limit for your SMS gateway, simply switch to another gateway. Enjoy!
Free SMS India and the Free SMS India logo are registered trademarks of Free SMS India, used with permission.
With the help of the Free SMS India app, you don’t need to worry about paying for sending SMS text messages from your mobile phone ever again!
44. How to turn your phone into a flashlight
< 60 Seconds
If you are walking back home at night on an unlit street or trying to make your way up your apartment stairway in the dark, or if you are trying to get to your seats in a dark movie theatre hall, then most of us tend to unlock our mobile phones to use its screen light to see better. A more effective option is to use a flashlight app that will help you see things in the dark by turning your mobile phone into a flashlight, as though you were holding a torch.
Depending upon the device and platform you are using, flashlight apps will help you see better by either turning on the camera flash function on your phone or by turning your screen brightness to maximum. If you are trying to get someone’s attention, some apps will also allow you to make use of the blinking mode on your phone, mimicking a flashlight that is being continuously switched on and off.
iOS users can download the Flashlight app by Surpax Technology from the iTunes app store and Android users can download the Flashlight app by Intellectual Flame from the Google Play App Store. With the Flashlight app on your phone, you can see well even in the dark.
45. How to create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot using your mobile phone
< 60 Seconds
If you have a mobile phone with a data plan on it, it is possible to create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot around you, anywhere at any time so that you can get Internet access on your laptop and other Wi-Fi devices. To create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot using your Internet enabled Android mobile phone, simply follow the steps below:
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
Go to Settings > Wireless and Networks and then press the Tethering and Portable Hotspot option.
Enable the Portable Wi-Fi hotspot option. If you notice, in the screenshot on the left, my phone has displayed a message that the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot AndroidAP9981 is active.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
You can change the name of your Wi-Fi hotspot, password-protect it and manage all its settings by pressing the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot Settings option and entering the necessary details. For example, in the example below, I’ve named my Wi-Fi hotspot ‘Ankit Fadia Android’, enabled WPA2 security on it and also put an access password on it so that unauthorized users will not be able to connect to it. Press the Save button and the Wi-Hi hotspot will be ready for use.
You can now use any Wi-Fi-enabled device to connect to the Internet using the Wi-Fi hotspot created using your Android phone.
Android and the Android logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
Similarly, you can create your very own personal hotspot using an iPhone with an Internet data plan.
On the home screen of your iPhone or iPad, press Settings and then press Personal Hotspot to enable it. In case you don’t find the Personal Hotspot option, go to Settings > General > Cellular Data > Personal Hotspot and enable it.
Turn on the Personal Hotspot option.
You will be given the option to enable the Personal Hotspot either over only Bluetooth and USB or over Wi-Fi as well. Select the Turn on Wi-Fi option.
Choose any Wi-Fi password from the Wi-Fi Password option. You are now ready to access the Internet using the data plan on your iPhone or iPad, or using any other Wi-Fi-enabled device, like your laptop.
Using this technique, you can use the Internet access on your mobile phone to create a personal Wi-fi hotspot wherever you go and connect all your devices to the Internet.
46. How to record and share your movements outdoors
< 120 Seconds
Have you ever gone on a trek and wished there was a way for you to record and track your movements using GPS so that you can trace your route back? Do you go out running or biking and want to record your vital stats (path, speed, distance and elevation)? Are you planning a road trip and want to record the vital stats of your trip? Google’s My Tracks is an Android app available as a free download from the Google Play App Store that allows you to do all of that and more.
Once installed on your Android phone, simply start the My Tracks app and press the Record button to start recording your path, movements and vital stats. My Tracks will use the GPS feature on your mobile phone to track your location and data access to plot your location on Google Maps. You can safely put your phone in your pocket while it continues to record all your movements. Press the Stop button whenever you are done.
My Tracks and the My Tracks logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
The My Tracks app will record all your movements and plot your path on a Google Map on the screen, so that you always know your current location and can easily find your way back if you are lost.
My Tracks and the My Tracks logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
My Tracks will also record all your vital stats, so that you know how far you have gone and how fast you travelled.
My Tracks and the My Tracks logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.
47. How to measure everything using your mobile phone
< 180 Seconds
Have you ever wanted to measure the distance, height, length, width, angle and sound of things, people and places around you, but did not have the measurement tools with you? Don’t worry, with the Smart Tools app, the only measurement tool that you will ever need is going to be your mobile phone.
Smart Tools is an An
droid app that is available in the Google Play App Store. Once downloaded on your phone, it will allow you to measure just about anything right from your Android phone. For iPhone users, Multi Measures is a good alternative app that I would like to recommend.
1. Length and Angle
If there are any small objects whose length or angle you wish to measure, you can the Smart Tools app’s built-in ruler and protractor.
Smart Tools and the Smart Tools app are registered trademarks of Smart Tools, used with permission.
2. Distance, Height, Width and Area
One of the best features in the Smart Tools app is its almost magical distance and height measurement feature. It allows you to measure the distance and height of people, landmarks, objects and places. Imagine that you doing up your house and need to measure some lengths and heights. You can now do that just using your Android phone!
Once you have started the Distance tool in the Smart Tools app, to measure the distance between you and a particular object, point the crosshair icon to the bottom of the object and press the Shutter button. In this example, the distance between you and the object is 1.7 metres.