How to Block Caller ID

block caller ID

Sometimes we need a little more privacy than convenient modern technologies provide us. Here are a variety of methods you can use to call somebody without revealing your own phone number.

Steps

Use an ID-Blocking Code

1) Dial a caller ID block code before the phone number.

In the USA and Canada, dial *67 preceding the number.

For example, if you need to call 212-555-5555 from a cell phone, Dial *67-212-555-5555 instead (from a land-line dial *67-1-212-555-5555). Your caller will see a message that says "Blocked Number."

In the UK and Ireland, dial 141.

On a GSM phone in any country, use #31# and then the number. So for example dial #31#212-555-5555.

Argentina: *31# (landlines) or *31*, #31# (most mobile phone companies)

Australia: 1831 (landlines) or #31# (mobile phones)

Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland: *31*

Germany: On most landlines and mobiles, *31#, however some mobile providers use #31#.

Hong Kong: 133

Israel: *43

Italy: *67# (landlines) or #31# (most cell phone companies)

New Zealand: 0197 (Telecom and Vodafone)

South Africa: *31* (Telkom)

Sweden: #31#

Make Arrangements With Your Service Provider

1) Block all your outgoing calls by default by requesting this service from your phone company.

Keep in mind that your service provider may charge you for this service.

Some people have enabled "anonymous caller rejection" and you will not be able to call them from a blocked number.

Use a Third Party Service

1) Use any service that routes your call from a third party and will thus not display your number. Examples include:

Calling with a pre-paid phone card.

Using a voice over IP (such as Skype) from your computer.

Use the Voicemail Call Method

1) Some cell phones allow you to call a person through voicemail. Simply listen for a call option, then dial the number.

Because your call is being filtered through a voicemail system, you are essentially calling through their line. This will automatically block your phone number.

This method is cheaper than the previous listed, as it only uses minutes from your plan, which would normally be spent.

Use a Public Phone

1) Make your call from a public phone. A pay phone will not reveal your personal phone ID.

Warnings

• Police can find out that it is you calling, whether you have your caller ID blocked or not. Depending on where in a government system you are calling, your number will automatically pop up. If the person you are directly talking can't see your number, they can contact someone who can trace it back to you. Businesses receiving your call via toll free numbers can also see your caller ID.

• Some prepaid phone cards still allow transmission of your phone number to the phone number you are calling. You might want to test your specific prepaid phone card.

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Improve Cell Phone Reception

signal

Over the past 20 years cell phone ownership has increased massively, to the point where over 80% of the world's population has cell phone coverage. The technology needed to provide adequate signal has not kept up with demand, which is why 69% of Americans have experienced dropped calls and poor signal. However, with advances in technology there are ways to improve cell reception.



Keep in mind, poor reception is not something that your service provider will fix just because you want them to. It must be justifiably cost effective for them to put up new towers, which will ultimately be criticized by cities, home owners associations, etc. Most users think there is nothing they can do to improve their cell phone reception by themselves. This is most certainly untrue, and the following will explain what you can do to ensure great mobile coverage without waiting for a new tower to magically appear.

Steps

1) Try to keep your battery charged to 2 bars or higher. Your cell phone uses a lot more power when connecting a call than when it is on standby. Often, your battery can be strong enough to attempt a call, but not strong enough to find a signal. If you find you are having signal problems,





2) Try moving outside or to a window to place your call rather than making calls from deep inside buildings.Buildings and other large structures are very unfriendly to cell phone signal. If you are having reception problems on the street try walking to the nearest intersection as they typically have better coverage. Cellular band radio waves do not effectively penetrate earth: if you are underground you will likely receive no signal.






3) Utilize a personal cell phone network extender. These devices are a new technology that creates a hybrid amplifier/repeater for personal use through smart technology to extend your cell phone's reception. They are plug and play, can be used with almost any carrier, require no installation and actually work.





4) Install a cellular repeater. If you are having cell problems in one location, such as your home or office, then try installing a cellular repeater. Cell phone repeaters pick up low cell signal with an antenna, boost the signal and broadcast it over the coverage area. They typically need at least 2 bars of signal where the antenna is placed (usually outside or on the roof) but can substantially improve cell reception, as well as battery life and data download speeds. Some repeaters might need technical knowledge such as the frequency of your carrier, and only work for one service provider. For a less technical approach that improves reception on all carriers, use a dual-band cell phone repeater.





5) Upgrade your antenna. A few cell phone manufacturers make a "Hi-gain" antenna for their handsets, which may be changed in-store or by the user at home. Although these won’t improve signal as much (or at all) as a repeater these antennas are relatively inexpensive and you are not confined to one location.





6) Change networks. Most networks operate independently of one another, using their own frequencies and constructing their own cell phone towers. Chances are if the signal is bad with one network you can improve by switching. Most cellular networks these days allow you to transfer your phone number when you change provider.









7) Hold your phone correctly. Mobile phone antennas are designed to project a signal outward, perpendicular to the long axis of the antenna. As such, mobile phones seek signals in a donut-esque shape around the antenna. Normally, when a mobile is held upright, this is not a problem. However, if you are holding your phone in a strange way, such as on its side or upside down, you will hinder the operation of the antenna. Hold your phone upright to guarantee that your phone can "see" your carrier signal. On most newer phones the antenna is located at the bottom of the phone, so if you are experiancing signal problems on a newer phone turning it upside down will boost your signal.





8) Host a cell site. This may take time, but where cell phone reception is inadequate property owners can host small cell sites on their properties for major wireless carriers. 3rd parties with Wireless Revenue Programs allow you to register your property to be eligible. Then when there is carrier interest in the area you'll be on the short list of places they choose from and will have optimal coverage. They may even pay your phone bill.





9) Use Wi-Fi as your cell phone signal. Make calls and connect to internet from your phone as normally you would. If your mobile phone supports UMA, you can use the wi-fi as your cellphone signal where you don't get GSM signal coverage or areas with poor coverage. Not all devices and carriers support UMA calls. There are some blackberry and androids and few other phones that support.

Tips

• Weather: Arid, High humidity and lightning can all cause a reduction in cell signal. If the weather is dry your only option may be a Rain dance.

• Battery Life When a phone can't find a good signal, it searches. The phone uses a lot of power to do this, which is why having poor signal will drain your battery. Those who have forgotten to turn off their phone on an airplane understand this well. If you have a cell phone building repeater, you will notice that your battery seems to last forever, because it never has to look for a signal, it always has the best possible one available.

• Car Amplifiers If you wish to boost your cell phone reception in your car, you will need a mobile signal booster with a 12v or cigarette lighter adapter.

• Wireless Signal Booster You can also boost your cell phone signal by using a non-electrical, wireless mobile signal booster.

• If all else fails, switch your service provider.

Warnings

• Avoid any solutions that involve a $5 (or equally cheap) patch you stick on or in your phone. These are invariably useless and will not improve your cell reception. These are usually calledInternal Cell Phone Boosters but are nothing more than a waste of money. (some evidence gained by research through non-profits suggests otherwise. But then again, why wouldn't phone manufacturers just include them?)

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Set a Password on a Blackberry

Blackberry password

Security is everything these days. Including mobile phones, so you need to secure your Blackberry soon. This is how to change a password on your Blackberry:

Note: This article concerns a Blackberry curve using AT&T; results may vary on provider.

Steps

• Go to the "Options" menu, there is a spanner icon on it.

• Scroll down the menu to "Security Options". Click it.

• It will take you to a screen with multiple choices on it, scroll down to "General Settings" click it.

• This takes you to another screen, follow these steps on this screen:

• Click the option for "Password:", it is automatically disabled. Click it.
• Choose the option that says, "Enabled".
• A screen will appear, enter your password. If no screen appears, you may have already set a password for another application, (Password Keeper etc.) that is your default password.
• Set your number of password attempts. This is how many times you can guess your password before your phone is wiped/blanked of all it's memory. Use with caution.
• Security Timeout means if you are not active on your phone for a certain period of time, it will automatically "Keyboard Lock" and you will have to enter your password.
• Select yes or no for "Prompt on Application Install".

• Finish up. You have now set your password!

Video

Warnings

• Make the password easy to remember, if you forget it, everything in your phone will be wiped, including addresses!
• Just because your phone gets wiped, doesn't mean it can't get stolen.

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Make an MP3 Amplifier out of a Can

 

The MP3 player is great for personal music enjoyment but what about when you'd like to share the music around or spare yourself having to wear earphones? While you could buy or tote around some speakers, the nifty hack here shows you how to instantly create an amplifier for the MP3 that uses only an empty drink can, great for moments when a speaker isn't an option. So, after you've downed the drink, start amplifying your music and sparing yourself having to wear the pesky earphones. 

 

 

 Steps

 

 

 

 

1) Assemble the needed items.Assemble the needed items. Find a can (such as a Coca Cola can) and, of course, your MP3 player––keep the earphones plugged in. Rinse out the can and allow it to dry before use, as you don't want sticky earphones. You'll also need something to pierce the can base with, such as a nail. If you don't have access to a nail, find something else that is sharp enough such as a nail file or a very strong pen.

 

 

 

 

2) Pierce several holes in the bottom of the can with the nail.Pierce several holes in the bottom of the can with the nail. Make the holes mostly near the center of the can's base. Use a hammer to help make them if you don't have the strength to pierce the can.
 

 

 

 

3) Feed the earphones in through the top of  the can.Feed the earphones in through the top of the can. Feed them through the hole where you drink from. If you want, they can be taped in place to prevent them from moving about but this is probably only needed if you're moving, such as in a bike pannier or in the car, or if the can is in an awkward position. See how the earphones sit before taping.
 

 

4) Turn on the MP3 player at the other end of the earphones.Turn on the MP3 player at the other end of the earphones. Turn up the volume until it is loud enough to hear. It may take some volume adjusting to hear the sound well enough, but once you have the volume accurate, the sound should be clearly audible.

Tips

• If taping the earphones, tape them with the part with the wire sticking up.
• This is a great way for making a little bit of shared sound at a picnic for a small group, when snoozing on a hammock, relaxing in the back yard, sitting in a room with others, in a tent, etc.
• A classier source for the can will obviously improve your standing with the company, though this is a useful party trick in any capacity. Use PBR for full hipster street cred.
• Try a tall boy (16 or 24oz) can for more bass!

Warnings

• Obviously, piercing the can will create sharp edges. Be careful when making this part of the can amplifier.
• Putting volume at full blast may damage the earphones and ruin their quality.
• Make sure the can is completely empty. Liquids can irreparably damage the earphones.
• Be careful not to damage your earphones by cutting them on any sharp edge.

Things You'll Need

• MP3 player
• Headphones suited to speaker
• Aluminum can (soft drink, beer, etc.), cleaned and dry
• Tape (optional, if earphones are likely to move)
• Nail (or similar object)
• Hammer (optional)

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Siii (S3) with UnlockCode4U

unlock samsung s3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 (SIII) is the successor to Samsung Galaxy S2. Here's how to unlock it so you can put your own SIM card in.

Steps

• Get your phone's IMEI number by typing *#06# into your keypad. A screen will appear showing the code. Make note of this number for later use.

• Contact your network provider and request an unlock code. In some cases the network provider won't supply the unlocking code till you have a certain amount of time with them (6 to 12 months). If your provider does not supply the code you can get it from an unlocking website such as UnlockCode4U.com.

• Get the unlock code over the phone (from your network provider) or from the email that you receive (from the unlocking website).

• Enter a SIM Card from a network that does not work with your mobile phone.

• Power your Samsung phone on. You will be asked for an unlock code.

• Enter the unlock code into your Samsung device and your phone should be unlocked!

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

How to Reduce Battery Consumption on Your Android Phone

battery consumption

A small article that gives you some tips on saving or reducing the battery consumption of your Android smartphone.

Steps

• First of all set the brightness of the screen to a optimal value that you are comfortable with. Do not set the screen brightness to auto mode as it will consume lot of your battery.

• Install a application that will kill the applications that are running in the background but are not being used by any of the processes. This probably is the problem of Android, where in the unused applications keep running in the background consuming a lot of memory and hence battery.

• Keep the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS disabled, enable then only when you need as keeping these enabled all the time will eat up your battery.

• If you are using a live wallpaper, make sure it is a very optimal one and do not eat up lot of your memory and battery.

• Install a application, which will allow you to switch on/off your internet connection rather than keeping your phone always connected to internet.

• Use a short message tone so that, less battery is consumed while notifying you of the incoming message.

• Use only those internet applications that you really use, do not subscribe for unnecessary feeds, e-mail alerts etc. Also make sure the notification period for the internet based application is optimal.

Credit to : http://www.wikihow.com/

Best iPhone 4 Photography Apps

iphone camera

iPhone 4 is one of those gadgets which can facilitate you in every way you want. It is a complete gadget and can offer you every facility that a smartphone could have. For example, you want to hear music, on iPhone 4 you can do it easily. This gadget can also be used as a camera as well. You can get hundreds of apps for photo editing and sharing with your gadget. Some of the amazing and unique apps for photo editing and sharing via iPhone 4 are as follows:

1. Juxtaposer

This app is available for combining multiple pictures to make them a funny one. You can take different parts from different pictures as per your requirements. For example, you want to have a cat's head on your friend picture then you can do it simple by using this app on your iPhone 4.

2. Pano

With the help of this amazing photo-editing app, you can get seamless images by blending large number of photos in just a second.

3. Anticrop

It is one of the magnificent apps that can be used to expand your pictures. With the help of this app, you can fill the edges of your hasty pictures and can increase their value.

4. Photo Captions

Now you can also add captions to your pictures with the help of this app. Add frames, effects, and borders in your picture and make them more creative by using this easy to use app on your iPhone 4.

5. TiltShift

This app can be used for manipulating a picture so that it can look like a miniature scale model. With this app, you can focus on a small area of any picture and can give it a model effect by blurring its surroundings.

These are few of the amazing photo-editing and sharing app available for iPhone 4. However, you should keep in mind that using a gadget for multiple purposes also needs to focus on its protection. Different type of protective accessories including iPhone 4 cases, covers, pouches, skins, and stickers can be purchased from any of the reliable retailers. The easiest way to find these retailers is to search them online. Use appropriate keywords and conduct an online search. The best thing is that now you can get customized protective accessories as per your choice at reasonable rates. Once you will place your order online, within few days your retailer will deliver your ordered accessory at your doorstep.

Farhan is an IT and tech expert having experience in IT support and services. He has written articles on different gadgets, apps and accessories. You can select your favorite iPhone 4 cases and other accessories at http://www.wrappz.com/.

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