THE-NATURAL

Lumia Cyan Software Update Ready to Land

2014-07-20T00:33:00.001+07:00

Lumia Cyan, an update to Lumia devices with Windows Phone 8 is ready to be downloaded. As we can see, Lumia Cyan comes with Windows Phone 8.1, deliver a lot of features including Cortana personal assistant, notification center aka action center, start screen background, and many great features. It start rolled out to Lumia 925 and 625, but now the update is paused due to BitLocker issue. By information I got, BitLocker is additional software that increase the security of your device. It come pre-installed on your device. Some Lumia owners with BitLocker installed found an issue with Lumia Cyan, that's why Microsoft decides to pause the update process. But don't worry, they are doing their best to deliver best services to us, so after they fix the issue, update will be available to download. You can always go to this site to check Cyan availability to your phone. :)

Glance Problem in Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview [SOLVED]

2014-04-30T18:06:00.001+07:00

Many users have installed Windows Phone 8.1 via Preview for Developer, include me. I have to admit that it's great even it's still in preview. But some users include me experienced a problem about Nokia Glance. They only get clock in their glance screen, and no option to display glance info in setting.

Fortunately, there is a way to solve this problem, here it is:

Since we can't uninstall Glance directly, we have to do some safe tricks.
Change your phone date to 2110
Tap Glance in Setting
It won't open, and a dialog will appear says that there is a problem.
Tap uninstall
Reinstall Glance using SysApp Pusher (search in Store)
Open Glance setting and you'll get Glance 2.0, like the Glance in Windows Phone 8.0

How to Get Windows Phone 8.1 Preview [NON-DEVELOPER]

2014-04-09T19:54:00.001+07:00

Microsoft decides to allow Windows Phone 8 owner to try Windows Phone 8.1 Preview. This preview is for developer. Before you go further, you have to know about some terms:

You may void your phone warranty by installing Windows Phone 8.1 Preview
You can't revert your phone back after installing Windows Phone 8.1 Preview. But you'll still get upgrade when it go official.
Yes! All Lumia and other WP8 phones can install this preview!
Your apps, games, contacts, photos and even settings should remain the same. This will not wipe your phone.
The most important.......
Windows Phone 8.1 will be rolled out at April 14th 2014 :D

Okay after you've read all of those. Let's go to step number 1:

Go to http://appstudio.windowsphone.com/ then sign in with your Microsoft Account
Click Yes if they ask "Let this app access your info?"
Download Preview for Developers to your phone
Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/preview-for-developers/178ac8a1-6519-4a0b-960c-038393741e96?signin=true
Install it!
Open the app, sign in with account you have used to sign in in step 1
Check 'Enable Preview for Developers'
You'll see Success message. Tap done and it will be there when WP8.1 Preview is available. :)

Source: http://www.wpcentral.com/how-sign-windows-phone-81-preview-developers

[Note: Cortana will only be available for US customer, change your phone region to get Cortana]

What Things Can Cortana Do?

2014-04-09T08:58:00.003+07:00

Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant, announced at Build 2014, is the answer to Apple's Siri and Google S Voice. Microsoft claimed that Cortana is a combination of Siri and S Voice. Cortana have capability to do much thing that will assist the user.
Before Cortana do all the great things, she needs know a little bit about the user, includes the inner circle, it contains some contact information like your brother, sister, girlfriend, etc.
Cortana can do great thins like:

Giving weather information
Reminding user to do something at specified condition
(eg. "Remind me to tell about my sister's new puppy when I call her", the a reminder will appear when I call my sister")
Giving information about something
(eg. "What's Bill Gates' birthday?" or "Who is you father?" or "Who created you?")
Set an alarm
Set an appointment
(She will tell you if you have another appointment at the same time, eg. "Just let you to know that you'll have to pick up ### at the same time")
Call/send message to someone in contact
Giving direction to specified place
Sing
Etc

Unfortunately, at the first launch, Cortana will only be available for US consumer. Some country will be supported at late 2014 or 2015. But the good news, it just the region setting. Change the region in your phone and you'll get Cortana.

Confirmed: Start Screen Background and IE11 Favorite Sync.

2014-02-15T23:20:00.001+07:00

Tom Warren just posted a screenshot of Windows Phone 8.1 in his twitter account, showing a start screen tattoo background. I don't know if it will have animated background just like in Windows 8.1 or just a background, but this will be great as some people ask add background in start screen.

Another info is the ability to sync favorites from IE11, that is already a feature in Windows 8.1.

WMPowerUser also wrote that 3 columns will be optional to smaller screen.

This will be great guys, stay tuned for next information :)

List of Windows Phone 8.1 Features

2014-02-15T18:59:00.003+07:00

This is just a list of leaked Windows Phone 8.1 Features, someone said that there are so many feature hidden.

Notification area
Miracast
File Manager
Apps on SD card
USB OTG
Support for QHD – 2560×1600
Support for lower than 480x800px resolution
Burst mode in camera
Cortana voice assistance
Use third party as message app
IE with Flash Player
IE can now upload and download files
On screen button for OEM manufacturers to utilize in new hardware designs.
Separate volume setting for Ringer and Apps
Multitask like RT
Swipe down to end apps
Universal app with windows 8
New podcast app
VPN

Large Tile in Windows Phone 8.1

2014-02-10T03:00:00.001+07:00

Nawzil Nawjeeb, trusted leaker of Windows Phone 8.1 has just posted something on his twitter. He said that there will be 4 size tile, i.e. small, medium, wide, and large.

Windows Phone Notification Center (Action Center) on Nokia Lumia 1020

2014-02-09T19:17:00.001+07:00

Tom Warren from The Verge, seems to have different screenshot of leaked Windows Phone notification center. He confirmed that this version is genuine.

From the screenshot, at the top we can see that there is Network Name ie AT&T, 55% is battery percentage I think, not so sure about 11/22 but I think it's date.

Then there is control center too, we can switch WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, and Driving Mode with stylish Modern UI.

Below the control center, we'll find notification center with clear all button.

A rumor says that apps can intelligently manage notifications (silently add, update, and delete notifications)

Based on My Nokia Blog, the four basic quick settings is customizable, so we can set favorite setting to appear there.

Last question usually asked is how to open that Action Center? From the screenshot, we can see a blue-bar with two strips at the bottom of Action Center. Similar to Android, iOS, and Symbian notification center, I think we can also swipe down from top to open this Action Center.

Can't wait? Stay tuned for next Windows Phone 8.1 leak :)

Soucre: My Nokia Blog, The Verge (link added in article)

How to Switch Back to Chrome New Tab Old Design

2014-02-05T08:30:00.001+07:00

Don’t Like Chrome’s Revamped New Tab Page? Here’s How Switch Back to The Old Design? Here's simple step to switch back to old new tab page.

Copy --> chrome://flags/
Paste in URL bar then press enter, search for Enable Instant Extended API
(or you can simply copy --> chrome://flags/#enable-instant-extended-api to go to Instant Extended API section)
Change it to Disable by clicking the drop-down menu
Relaunch Chrome and you'll get old new tab page.

Note that Google may disable this option later.

Screenshot:

Another Leaked Individual Volume Control in Windows Phone 8.1

2014-02-02T21:13:00.001+07:00

Windows Phone Daily got another leaked image of individual volume control in Windows Phone 8.1, another image is without source. Interestingly, one of leaked image has pink background, if that true (unedited) it means we can choose more background color, unlike in Windows Phone 8 that we can only choose black or white color.

The upper slider is to set ringer and notification volume, while the second slider is to set media and apps volume. There will be silent button too, and settings button that I still don't know what is the function yet.

Windows Phone 8.1 leaked individual volume control

Stay tuned for next leaked Windows Phone 8.1

Leaked Windows Phone 8.1 Individual Volume Control

2014-01-31T18:59:00.001+07:00

As leaked before, Windows Phone 8.1 supposed to be having individual volume control. That new feature has been leaked. I don't know what it's saying, but it has two volume bar, and I think it can be dragged with hand to allow user control the volume faster.

Stay tuned for another WP8.1 leak, you can go to Windows Phone label in this blog to read other WP article :)

Nokia Glance is Not Coming To Lumia 520, 525, and 625?

2014-01-29T12:36:00.000+07:00

Glance Screen 2.0 is the new Glance Screen coming to Lumia device with Black update, what is Glance Screen? Glance Screen allows phone to display clock in standby.

But in Lumia Black Update, Nokia add more useful thing to Glance Screen 2.0, besides clock, you'll also see notification in the bottom, just like your lockscreen.

Unfortunately, if you are Lumia 520, 525, or 625 user, your phone won't get Glance Screen. It may be caused by the phone screen technology, those phone don't have Clear Black Display. Clear Black Display or CBD makes phone uses almost no power when displaying black color. That makes Glance Screen uses small power, saves your battery.

Windows Phone 8.1 Rumored Release Date

2014-01-28T20:28:00.002+07:00

Windows Phone 8.1 is an update to Windows Phone 8, it will bring great features. Leaked feature until now is the notification and control center, new revamped XBOX games hub, installing app to SD card, Cortana voice assistant, and many more.

According to trusted leaker, Nawzil Nawjeeb in his twitter account @Nawzil8, Windows Phone 8.1 will be released to manufacturers in March 2014, then to developers in April 2014, and at last to users in May 2014. He also said that this is still leaked information, official release date will be announced by Microsoft at BUILD 2014.

Windows Phone 8.1 supposed to be available for all Windows Phone 8 device, just like another update like GDR update.

Some feature already leaked like Notification Center and Cortana in Action (video). Just stay tuned for another leak from trusted leaker :)

Leaked WP8.1

Calculate The Optimum Value of A Quadratic Function

2014-01-27T08:21:00.002+07:00

Hello everybody, I'm sure most of you already know about function and its optimum value, that's the maximum/minimum y possible at specified x. Today I'm going to share a program to calculate the optimum value of a function. This program was written by me, in C++ programming language, surely it's console application, but don't worry I made it as ergonomic and usable as I can.

The file name is 'Iterasi', taken from the method name used to calculate the optimum value. This program support up to 1000 ordes. Note that this is still BETA version, but there is no error found until now. If you find error, you can write a comment below.

Last, I almost forget to give you download link, here it is: DOWNLOAD

Display CPU and RAM usage in Windows Taskbar

2013-08-30T20:58:00.001+07:00

For loyal readers searching for an application that shows CPU and RAM usage in Windows taskbar, this http://anonymous-thing.deviantart.com/art/RAM-CPU-Taskbar-v2-200169785), this application works properly like shown in the image at the bottom of this post. This application is very great. Created by Anonymous at DeviantArt.

You can customize the appearance, e.g. exchange RAM and CPU position, RAM in the left, CPU in the right, etc. You can also change the color of the bar.

This application works perfectly in my Windows 8.1 Preview, and supposed to be working on Windows 8 and Windows 7

Direct download application

How to Share a Full Page YouTube Video

2013-08-27T08:04:00.002+07:00

Sharing a YouTube video is very easy, you just need to copy the URL, or the shortened one. If people click that link, they will be directed to the video. That is not what I'm going to talk, because I'm sure lot of people already know.

I'm talking about how to share a full page YouTube video, remember it's full page, not full screen. Actually I don't know what it is called, but I mean full page is when the entire page is fulfilled with the video

For example, I use my short video I made for my site's intro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epqC310IjTg.

I wanna share that video in full page. As I have the video ID, i.e. epqC310IjTg, simply put the ID after this:

youtube.googleapis.com/v/video_ID

So, obviously it will be https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/epqC310IjTg. You can try open that link :))

MDSolids (Engineering Tool)

2013-08-26T20:13:00.000+07:00

MDSolids is software for topics taught in the Mechanics of Materials course (also commonly called Strength of Materials or Mechanics of Deformable Solids). This course is typically a part of civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering programs and a number of related programs. The software also features a number of modules for topics taught in the Statics course.

MDSolids consists of routines for beams and flexural members, torsional assemblies, axial assemblies, trusses, columns, pressure vessels, section properties, Mohr's circle analysis (including stress transformations and strain transformations), and many more topics.

For over a decade, MDSolids has been meeting the needs of students and engineering professionals. These users will tell you that no engineering software is easier to use or more versatile. Please have a look at the features of MDSolids to discover what this software can do for you.

MDSolids runs in Windows 8, Windows 7, and all prior versions of Windows. Download MDSolids and try it free-of-charge for a 30-day evaluation period.

http://www.mdsolids.com/

How to Upload GIF to Twitter Avatar (Aug, 20th 2013)

2013-08-20T11:42:00.004+07:00

Many people are having trouble uploading a gif picture to Twitter avatar. It was easy before, simply upload the GIF file in the edit profile page, but now, when I tried to upload via ordinary method, the GIF file is converted to JPG, so the animation is gone.

Some search in Google and Bing gave me a result, now I'm able to set an animated picture as my Twitter avatar. Simply go to https://twitter.com/welcome/profile and upload your GIF picture.

Remember that this works when this post is written. If you find this doesn't work later, please tell me and of course other reader in the comment below :)

Create Application in Google Chrome

2013-06-20T20:14:00.001+07:00

Today I will write an article about how to make application on Google Chrome. In case you don't get my aim, the application is like in the screenshot below:

This is useful if you want to create a shortcut in the new tab page, just like Speed Dial.
Actually there are two ways to add shortcut like speed dial:

You can search "Speed Dial" in Chrome Web Store. You can add and delete shortcut in that application. Problem I've faced using custom Speed Dial is the long Chrome startup.
You can search the shortcut in Chrome Web Store. For example you can search Facebook, Twitter, etc. The problem is not all shortcut is available in store. You can't add your favorite website, blog, etc.

Based on the problems above, I learned how to make an application in Google Chrome. Some article is not helpful, it just told me how to make a web shortcut to desktop, start menu, etc. Other article is using old manifest (version 1.x) that can't be used anymore.

Well, finally I find the right code, here:

Spoiler for Chrome Application Code

save that file to "manifest.json"

Also you needs a 128x128 png file, name it "128.png" it will be used for your application icon..

After you have that two files, put them together in one folder. Then add to chrome by go to chrome extension ( click here to go to chrome extension ), check the developer mode, click Load unpacked extension, then browse the folder. Done

New Google Maps vs HERE | 3D Maps Comparison

2013-05-30T09:12:00.000+07:00

I just received an email from Google that I'm entitled to access the New Google Maps. New Google Maps provide a fresh look, a new smarter search box, detailed address by clicking on the map, and some other cool stuff.

HERE is NAVTEQ + Nokia Maps. It supports collection, Real 3D experience, explore near location, map creator, etc.

Both Google Maps and Nokia Maps support 3D view. This is the comparison picture between New Google Maps and HERE:

That is Longfellow Bridge, Boston. You can click on link below to view the map on:

Application to Schedule a Shutdown or Restart

2013-05-27T20:48:00.002+07:00

Your computer is doing something loooong such as downloading, rendering, scanning for viruses and the application doesn't have a feature to auto shutdown? Keep calm, I've write an application to schedule a shutdown. You just need to estimate when the process will be completed.

The name is Turn Off Scheduler + +. I gave double plus because it also able to Lock PC, Log Off, Sleep, and Hibernate. The UI is Metro-Styled and very friendly.

You can download the application here: Turn Off Scheduler ++.rar

This free application can be run portably, just open the executable file inside the rar. You can also re-distribute the application as long as you don't change anything without my permission.

If you meet bugs, broken link, or something needs to be repaired, just contact me below at comment section :)

How to Generate Random Number in Visual Basic NET

2013-05-27T16:49:00.002+07:00

Generating random number in Visual Basic .NET can be done by writing x = Rnd() * 9 . It will generate any real number between 0 to 8 (I'm not sure whether 9 is included or not) and also decimal number. If you want to exclude the decimal number, you can add Int, so it will be x = Int(Rnd() * 9) . It's generating number 8, 6, 2, 3, 1, ... . But the problem is when the code is closed and restarted, generated number still 8, 6, 2, 3, 1, ...

Other procedure is by writing:

Dim RandomClass As New Random
x = RandomClass.Next(1, 100)
"It will generate random number between 1 and 100."

or

Dim RandomClass As New Random()
x = RandomClass.Next()
"It will generate random number between 1 and 2,147,483,647."

Identify Unknown File Type without Extension in Windows

2013-05-26T20:10:00.004+07:00

If you unintendedly delete a file extension and forget what file is it, you can use this application to discover the file type. This free software is called TrIDNet and can be downloaded directly from its official site. If you're only going to discover one small file, I recommend to use online service here:

Select file to analyze:

If an error occurred, please go to this official online service

Note: .NET Framework is required in offline application

How to Download Video from Facebook

2013-03-26T08:55:00.001+07:00

Actually there are some tricks to download any videos from Facebook. It works on any videos on Facebook; your own video, advertisement video, or your friend's video; even when the sharing is limited as long as it is shared with you. Let's check this out:

You must have IDM installed and it's running on your computer. Just play the video and download button will appear. Click that button :)
If the download button doesn't appear, try to copy the URL then paste it to http://www.downvids.net/ . The video must be able to download.
If an error happened (usually because the video sharing is limited, eg. only friends or friends of friends), a text box for Option 2 will appear. You must copy the video page source (in chrome: right click -> view page source) and paste it in the text box that appear in bottom of page. A new tab will be opened automatically, and there is a video. Right click and save the video :)

Hope it works ;)

Windows Phone 8 Tips and Tricks

2013-03-07T11:55:00.002+07:00

Windows Phone 8 handsets has finally reached retail shelves, which means anyone can get their hands on Microsoft's latest mobile operating system. The company has detailed several of the platform's features -- Live Tiles, the new Start Screen, Kids Corner, a revamped Camera, and more -- but whether you're a Windows Phone veteran or thinking about buying your first Windows Phone device, there's a lot to learn with Windows Phone 8.

We've collected some of the most useful tips, tricks and hidden features that you'll encounter in Windows Phone 8. Got any suggestions we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments.

1. Making a Skype Call

Once you have downloaded the Skype app from Windows Marketplace, you'll find it within your apps drawer. Open the app and enter your Skype log-in details. If you don't have a Skype account, you can choose to log in with your Microsoft (Hotmail) account instead. Once you're in, you can browse your recent calls and see who is online. To make contact, select your intended recipient, then type a message for a text chat, or press the phone button at the bottom to make a call.

2. Send a "running late" message

Under "calendar" you can view all the appointments you have added. If one of these appointments includes another person -- your colleague, friend, or whoever you're supposed to be meeting -- you can send them a message to let them know you're running late.

To do this, go into your calendar, and select the appointment in question. At the bottom you'll see four options, one of which is titled "late" and is indicated by an icon of a person running. Press this and a message will be automatically generated with some standard apologetic text that can be edited or sent as is.

3. Saving battery life

Under settings is a "battery saver" option. When it's switched on, you'll get more hours of battery life, but keep in mind you'll need to manually check for new e-mails, and apps will no longer run in the background. At the bottom is a summary of how much battery life you have left, assuming you don't suddenly start streaming cat videos on a loop.

When this feature is turned on, you can tap on "advanced" at the bottom of the screen (it's grayed out when the feature is off) and choose a point at which it should automatically turn on, or if it should stay on all the time.

4. Identify a song or its performer

Using Xbox Music and a data connection, Windows Phone 8 can listen to a song and then try to tell you what it is. This is done by pressing the search button at the bottom right, then hit the middle option under whatever image Bing has chosen to display. It's the one that's signified by a musical note. Once pressed, the phone will display "listening for music..." If a song is found, it will then show the artist and the album it's from, so you can download it there and then. If not, you'll be presented with the option to try again.

5. Take a screenshot

This is a nice, easy trick. Navigate to whatever you want to capture a shot of and then press the lock/power and home (Windows) button at the same time. If you've timed it right, you'll then hear a camera snap and the image will float upwards into the digital ether.

To find your screenshot, go into "photos" and then "albums." Here you'll find a "screenshots" sub-folder.

6. Translating text

Handily, translating a menu or a road sign that's in another language is possible with Windows Phone 8. It does require you to have a data connection though, as the data is sent off to Microsoft's servers which then respond to your phone. Assuming you are happy with the roaming charges if you're abroad, press the search button at the bottom of your phone (the button on the right of the three). Now hit the button shaped like an eye to make the camera start up, allowing you to scan bar-codes, QR codes, and the like. Press "scan text" to take a picture of the text and then hit "translate."

If the phone throws up an error, try taking the image again from straight on. Once it's successfully recognized the text, select a language from the list you wish to translate to, and Windows Phone 8 will do its best to make it comprehensible.

7. Linking e-mail in-boxes

If you like to keep your e-mail in-boxes tied together so that all your mail arrives handily in one place, you can use the "link in-boxes" option. Simply go into one of the e-mail accounts you want to link and hit the bottom ellipsis. Select "link in-boxes" and then choose the two in-boxes you want to link up.

You can easily unlink the in-boxes at a later date in exactly the same way. Choose the e-mail client you want to unlink by selecting it and just hit "unlink." You can also rename in-boxes while in this menu.

8. Editing a photo

Once you've taken or downloaded a photo, navigate to the image you want to edit and then hit the ellipsis symbol in the bottom right-hand corner. You'll then see a number of options, from which you should select "edit." From there you'll have access to a couple of options: crop, rotate and auto-fix, or Creative Studio.

Select the former and again hit the ellipsis (this feature is continually present throughout Windows Phone 8) to reveal "save," "rotate," "crop," and "fix." The rotate tool moves the image 90 degrees each time you hit it. "Crop" brings up a grid you can use to slice and dice your image by moving each of the colored corners. When you're happy with your crop, hit the check mark, or instead just choose from any one of the predetermined aspect ratios.

Finally, hit "auto-fix" to see if it improves your photo quality. When images are dark and/or murky, this can prove useful, but the effect can vary from image to image. All that's left is to save your image, which you'll find under "camera roll" for future access.

9. Kid's corner

To keep younglings and pranksters at bay, Windows Phone 8 includes a feature called Kid's Corner. To activate it, head to settings to find the option (it should be between the "location" and "battery saver" settings if you're struggling), and turn the feature on. You'll then see a number of further options, including games, music, videos, and apps. This is where you select the content you deem suitable for the eyes of others, which you can tick to include when the feature is active.

Once you're happy with your selection, hit "launch kid's corner" to see how it all looks.

Now that Kid's Corner is set up, you can access it by swiping your finger from right to left. Now you should see Kid's Corner and will be able to then swipe from down to up to remove the lock screen. And hey, presto -- you'll have a more child-friendly smartphone, which denies access to the phone, e-mail and any other key functions that you would like to keep off limits.

10. Adjusting text size

Under settings is an option called "ease of access." Here you can slide a bar up to increase or decrease the text size in order to make reading easier. You can also enable "high contrast" to improve legibility, a screen magnifier and turn on TTY/TDD -- the telecommunications system used to assist those with hearing or speech difficulties.

11. Make tabs more handy

Pop into Internet Explorer and hit the Stop icon. Scroll down to select "settings," and from here you have the option to adjust a number of features. The one you want is "use address bar button for," which you can select and then pick from the three favorite options, one of which is tabs. If you choose this function, you can jump between tabs without having to go into the options menu.

12. Customizing Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 allows you to personalize your phone. Tiles can be resized by holding down on them on the home screen, or from within the apps drawer. Once in edit mode -- indicated by one tile lighting up and the rest graying out -- you can either press the bottom-right arrow to adjust the size, or unpin a tile by hitting the top-right pin button. It should be noted that unpinning is not the same as uninstalling.

To reposition a tile, drag it around with your finger, and when you're happy, quickly press the tile to exit the editing mode. If you have multiple tiles to move, just select the next live tile to adjust and keep going until you're satisfied with the new arrangement.

You can also adjust the accent color, as it's known, under settings and then "theme." Pick a color and choose whether you want the background to be light or dark. Go back to settings, and you'll find another option called "lock screen." Press this and you can customize the tabs you see on the lock screen, with the further option to pick one primary tab.

13. Searching a Web page

Within the browser is a search tool called "find on page." It was previously taken out of Windows Phone with the Mango update, but now it's back. When in Internet Explorer, press the ellipsis icon and select "find on page" toward the bottom of the list. Type in your search query and press enter. All text found in the search will show up in your chosen accent color, and there's an arrow key to scroll through all the findings at the bottom of the display.

14. Keyboard shortcuts

When using the onscreen keyboard, you can hit the "&123" option to jump between text, symbols, and numbers. To save time, though, you can hold down your finger on each key to pull up other options, including numbers, accents or, in the case of the ellipsis button, other useful symbols such as a question mark. For languages, you can jump between each one you've installed almost instantly. Handy, eh?

Other useful functionality built into the keyboard includes a word picker. Type a few letters of a word and suggestions will appear above. Move right and left between them with a swipe and then pick one by pressing it. Finally, a double tap of the space bar adds a period and a space for the next sentence.

If a word is typed that the keyboard doesn't recognize, you can press it to highlight and then hit the "+" symbol above to add it to the dictionary for future use.

15. Adding a language

Head back into the main settings menu and select "language+region." Here you can select a language, with an option to download and install it. Once done, you can easily jump between the languages you need.

If you want to adjust the speech language, head to general settings and then "speech" -- it's further down the list from "language+region." Once again, you can tailor the languages for each feature including the text-to-speech voice.

16. If in doubt, tap and hold

I've briefly mentioned this before, but I can't stress enough the importance of this tip. If you're not sure how to use something, either use the ellipsis button or press and hold down until options appear. Windows Phone 8 is pretty simple to use, but if you ever are perplexed, this should be the solution you seek.

17. Copying and pasting

If there's text on screen, you can press it and it will highlight. To highlight multiple words, the two end circles can be dragged along to select all the text you want to include. It can prove fiddly, so on a Web page try to zoom in (by pinching the screen with two fingers) to make life easier.

Once something has been copied, you can paste it using the clipboard option that will appear above the onscreen keyboard.

18. Using your phone as an Xbox 360 remote control

If your Xbox is online and your Windows Phone is on the same network (under settings you can find "Wi-Fi" and connect to your home router), you can download and install the Xbox SmartGlass app formerly known as My Xbox Live. Once installed, open the Xbox hub, select the app, and then make sure your Xbox is also turned on. The app will then sign you in, before giving you control of your Xbox.

19. Using the cloud

If you download and install the Skydrive app, you can manage your cloud storage on the go, but even without the app you can still enjoy access to the cloud. When you've taken a photo, you can press the ellipsis button and select "upload to Skydrive."

You can also choose and store multiple photos at once. Press the "select" button at the bottom of the display when in you're in an image folder and then check off the images you want to share or upload. Again, select "save to Skydrive" and then watch as all your photos are uploaded.

20. Making your media sound better

On the Nokia Windows Phone devices, you can pop in your headphones and then adjust the sound quality via the "audio" option under general settings. You can choose between a selection of predetermined settings, or fiddle about with the equalizer yourself. Alternatively, you can enable Dolby playback by swiping right and hitting "playback."

Although bass lovers may be tempted to bump up the equalizer's lows, the best sound quality in my experience comes from the Dolby option. Other factors including headphones may also affect the end result.

21. Multi-tasking

While not strictly multitasking in the Android sense, Windows Phone 8 has its own system for handling multiple jobs at once. To jump between tasks that are running, hold down the back button until the screen minimizes and color appears around the display. Now swipe left or right between tasks and select the one you need.

22. Paying for goods with NFC

Depending on the retailer, you can now pay for goods using your phone, making it into a kind of digital wallet. Simply hold your phone to the NFC pad in the shop and the phone will do the rest -- as long as you have "tap+share" enabled under general settings.

Unless you've already added a credit card or PayPal to your Microsoft Account (which you will have done if you've ever paid for an app or a song), you'll need to enter your payment details within the "wallet" feature found in the app drawer. Here you can press the "+" at the bottom and then type in the necessary details.

If it's somewhere you visit regularly, it's worth asking the shop whether it supports NFC so that, in the future, you can save yourself from digging out your card and typing in a pin number.

23. Taking notes

Unlike in Windows Phone 7, OneNote is its own entity in Windows Phone 8. Head to OneNote from within the app drawer and you can make, edit, or share notes to your heart's content. To search for a specific note, use the magnifying glass, and press the "+" key to add a new note.

As long as you have a data connection, changes you make will sync across the cloud, your notes will update on every device you own that has OneNote capability. No more e-mailing yourself a shopping list.

24. Creating and editing documents

Last but not least, you can create and edit documents. Pop into the Office hub and then press the "+" at the bottom to add a new document -- you can choose from Word and Excel -- and then start typing. You can also choose from templates if you so desire.

When in a document, select the ellipsis icon to bring up the available options. "Outline" lets you jump between sections quickly, whereas "comment" lets you add comments to a shared document, so you can let people know what you are working on or what needs changing. You can also search for a specific word or phrase, and of course edit the document itself. When you press "edit," it's a case of scrolling through the document and tapping on words, before using the onscreen keyboard to make adjustments.

Bring up the options menu at the bottom when you're editing and you can select format options -- color, font size, text size, and so on -- and then share your finished piece via e-mail.

25. Power Down

When your battery is running low, Windows Phone 8 has a special trick to help prevent total power loss. Just go to Settings and turn on the Battery Saver option. Doing so tells the OS not to run any apps in the background or sync email automatically. You’ll still be able to make and receive calls and texts, but everything else will require manual syncing (opening up the app and choosing to sync). You can choose for Battery Saver mode to kick in only when your battery is actually low, or keep it on at all times. A little heart over the battery icon tells you when the phone is in Battery Saver mode.

26. When You're Running Late

Windows Phone 8’s built-in Calendar has a Late button option that comes in handy when you’re behind schedule. Tap the button in an event and the app will draft an email addressed to all of the people invited to or attending that event. The default text: “I’ll be a bit late, but I’m on my way. See you soon.” You can edit or just hit send to use it as is. We only wish this could send late notices to contacts via text too.

27. Get From A to Z

It’s not immediately obvious how you should navigate your People hub contacts. If you’ve added all of your social networks -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn -- then the list of people can get too long to just swipe through. For quicker navigation you can just tap the header letter of a section, the “a” at the top, for example, and get a large overlay of all the letters in the alphabet. Tap one and hop over to that section of your contacts. Of course, you can always just tap the search icon at the bottom and type in your contact’s name.

28. Blocked Number

Remember back when you had to dial *69 to block your phone number and caller ID when making a prank call or dialing the number of your crush, who you were too afraid to speak to? Windows Phone 8 lets you choose who to show your caller ID to. You can select everyone, no one, or your contacts.

29. Attach Your Location

In Windows Phone 8 you can compose a text, tap the paper clip icon, and attach your location directly to the message. If your contact has a Windows Phone, they’ll receive a thumbnail of your location on the Maps app, which they can open up from there. If they have any other kind of phone, they’ll get a link that will open up in their browser.

30. Internet Explorer Buttons

Internet Explorer is speedy and smooth in Windows Phone 8, but it does have some quirks. For one, there’s no easy way to switch through tabs. But you can change this. By default, there is a stop/refresh button to the left of the address bar located at the bottom of the screen. If you go to the settings in IE, you can actually change that button to be either tabs, favorites or stop/refresh. We personally recommend the tabs button, since it’s much easier to switch through all of your windows than having to open up a separate menu.

Source: Professional Hacking Tricks