S N M REDDY

Whether you're a music fan who rarely removes their earphones, or someone who loves to snap photos, eventually you're going to run out of space on your Windows Phone. The same goes for regular gamers (especially those playing the Xbox Live titles which are usually more sophisticated and as such take up more storage space) and anyone who uses their phone for podcasts and watching or recording video.

There are various ways to monitor data use and remove files from a Windows Phone. Before deletion, of course, you should ensure that you have your data synced to your PC or to the cloud (using SkyDrive, for instance) before you lose something you might regret later on... Monitoring Storage Usage

Before you delete any data from your Windows Phone, you should check how much space you have on the device, and consider how much you will need.

There are two good ways to see how much space you have left on your device.

First, and an option open to all Windows 8 users, is to install the My Windows Phone app and sync your phone with it. Once open, look for the bar across the bottom of the window and tap Details to see more.

Meanwhile you can also check remaining space on your phone. All Windows Phone 8 users can open Settings > Phone storage to see a mobile version of the information displayed in the Windows Phone Sync Tool.

However, if you use a Nokia phone and have the Amber update, then you'll also have the Storage Check option available to you in the Settings menu. As well as displaying your data use in an attractive ring graph, a swipe to will open the Details page where information about specific data types is displayed.

Delete files via Windows Explorer
When you know what data you want to remove, there are several approaches you can take. The first is by connecting your phone to your computer via USB and opening Windows Explorer.

You should see your device listed in the left-hand pane (complete with a small Windows Phone icon). Select this to open the browsable files in Windows Explorer, where you can copy, paste and delete files in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Ringtones and Videos folder.

Use the Windows Phone tool to delete files
The Windows Phone Sync Tool can also be used to delete files, although this can be time consuming.

In Windows 8, with the phone synced and the app open, tap the Photos or Music tiles, depending on which type of data you want to delete.

In the next screen, tap and hold a tile to be deleted. The context menu across the foot of the screen will appear, inviting you Delete the item. You can also use Select All to prepare for bulk media deletion.

Windows 7 users have a different interface for the sync tool. Here, all you need to do is select from Music, Photos, Videos or Podcasts and click the box or select a range of files you wish to remove, clicking Delete when you're done.

Delete files with the Windows Phone Storage Check tool
Owners of the Nokia Lumia 920 and above have the advantage of the Storage Check tool, a new feature of the summer 2013 Amber update for Nokia Windows Phone 8 handsets, as mentioned above. Using this tool, you can easily delete temporary files from your phone. These can be discarded by opening the utility, swiping to Details and tapping the Clear button under Temporary files.

Further data can be removed by opening Settings > Applications and selecting Internet Explorer. Here, use the Delete history option to discard temporary Internet files and web history.

Finally, if you want to make more space by removing apps, you can delete these from the apps list. Tap and hold the app you want to remove and select Uninstall from the menu.

There is, of course, one other way to remove data from your Windows Phone - the nuclear option of reverting to factory settings, which can be achieved via Settings > About > Reset your phone. If you want to clear your personal data and media files from your phone - perhaps to sell it on - then this is the option for you.

As you've seen above, however, there are three simple ways to manage storage and delete data on your Windows Phone. If you have any comments or questions, please share them below.

What everyone should do
No matter what type of smartphone you use, there are a few basic things you should check outside of wiping your phone:

* Remove your sim card: While most of the data that you store is kept on your internal storage or microSD card, it's still possible for contacts or call logs to be kept on your sim card. The person you're selling it to has no need for this, so always be sure to remove it.

* Remove your microSD card: Similarly, if your phone has a microSD card, chances are you don't really want or need to give it away. To truly ensure that the data on your micro SD card is secure, keep it to yourself.

* Erase and format your SD card: If you absolutely have to include your microSD card with your phone, then you'll at least want to erase and format it. You can usually do this via the Settings app. You can also do it by connecting it to a PC, but if you format it with the wrong file system for your phone, it might not recognize the card. Again, though, the best way to secure your data is to keep your card.

Assuming you've taken care of all this, the only thing that's left should be your device's internal storage. iOS and Android have slightly different ways of handling this, but both are mostly straightforward.

How to securely wipe your phone
For the rest of this, we're going to talk about how to secure your internal storage, but first it's worth explaining a bit about how flash memory works. As you're probably aware with normal platter hard drives, data isn't really erased when you delete something. The internal flash memory in your smartphone isn't quite the same. Because it's not a magnetic storage medium, the methods used to recover data on an old hard drive won't be the same as tools to pull from your phone. Among other things, this means that while rewriting data seven times is a standard method for erasing magnetic media, it won't do much to make your data more secure.

That being said, for most of the average user's needs, your phone already has the tools built in to securely erase your phone's data. If you carry military secrets around on your unprotected Galaxy S4, well.. for starters, you probably shouldn't. But if you do, you should probably consult someone with a PhD in something before you lose your phone in a bar. Everyone else may continue.

iOS: Use the default erase setting
For iOS users, your job is pretty simple. The iPhone has built-in options that securely erase your phone. On old phones, it goes through a long secure erase process, but on the iPhone 3GS and iOS 3.0, Apple moved to hardware encryption on its phones. From that point on, all data you store on the internal storage (which, aside from anything on the sim card, is everything) is automatically encrypted. Your phone uses a device-specific key that's never stored anywhere but your handset.

When supported iOS devices wipe your phone, what's really happening is that the hardware-specific encryption key is securely wiped. Everything else on your phone is left an unintelligible mess, even if someone were to use a fancy forensics lab to physically examine the memory chips which 99% of you will probably never have to deal with.

So what do you need to do to securely erase your phone? Just head to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings.

That's it. On any iPhone including or following the iPhone 3GS (as well as all iPads and any iPod Touch 3rd generation and later), this will use the hardware encryption method described above. It will be very fast, yet still leave your data secure. For any older devices, the process will actually take a lot longer, as iOS will overwrite all of your data with random information to prevent it from being read later. Either way, though, this should be as secure of a wipe as you can get.

Android: Encrypt your phone, then erase
Android phones are set up a little differently from iPhones (shocker, I know), and they vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, in general the default options are mostly secure. We talked with Android security researcher and Elite Recognized Developer on XDA jcase and he gave us a few pointers in the right direction.

Unlike the iPhone, Android encryption is not done on a hardware level. For starters, this means if you want to have your phone encrypted, you'll need to enable it manually in Settings. This process will take a while and, from then on, you'll need to enter a PIN when you first boot your phone (not to be confused with your lock screen PIN). It can also cause some slight performance decreases, so keep that in mind. This process also can't be reversed without wiping your phone, so consider carefully before you commit.

Now, on Android, you have two options for wiping your phone: you can either do a factory reset (located in different places depending on your phone, but should be under something like "Backup & reset") which will wipe everything you've ever stored in any user-accessible area of storage. For most people, this will be enough to ensure that no one will be able to access data you've ever stored.

How effective a basic wipe is can depend on how well the manufacturer implemented its factory wipe. When we spoke to jcase, he said that some manufacturers' methods can still leave behind recoverable data. Additionally, if you root your phone and use a custom recovery, wiping via the recovery might not do everything properly.

While, ideally, you shouldn't have to overwrite your phone to erase data using a factory reset, if you're unsure or want to be extra safe, encrypting your phone (usually found in Settings under "Security") before wiping it can provide some reassurance. Just be aware that it may be redundant on certain phones. Still, better safe than sorry.

Of course, the last line of defense before you sell your phone is to vet your buyer. If you're using a CDMA device, be sure to deactivate your phone with your carrier before handing it off. And while you're at it, make sure you've taken care of your phone and are selling it for as much as possible.

Speak quickly without long pauses
Voice assistants aren't people so you can't talk to them like they are. While you can typically use natural language like "show me my calendar for tomorrow" as opposed to something more robotic like "show calendar for October 12 2013," you still want to keep your sentences short and to the point. So, quit stalling mid-sentence, asking multiple questions at once, or saying please and thank you.

You also want to speak quickly. It's a natural tendency to speak to your voice recognition apps in the same way you would a puppy: slow and methodically. But as we've pointed out before, it's actually best to speak quickly. Speak naturally and clearly, but don't strain to enunciate your words or speak incredibly slowly.

Correct it when it makes a mistake
You can also correct some things they get wrong to improve their understanding of you. On Android, you just need to add in an entry for a phonetic name so it pronounces it correctly. Head into Menu > Edit, and scroll down to Add Another Field to choose a phonetic name. With Siri, you have a couple options for this. You can tap any part of the speech bubble and type a correction so it learns what you're saying, or for improperly spoken names say, "That's not how you pronounce 'name'" and then follow the instructions.

Learn all the correct commands



Each type of speech recognition software has its own set of commands and the quicker you learn those commands the better it'll understand what you want. Once you know what you can ask, you'll be able to do things a lot quicker. 

We've shown you a few of these commands. If you're using an Apple device, this list of Siri commands is plenty to get you started, and this Google Voice list is just a small sample of everything Google Now can do. The trick is learning what you can say to your voice assistant and how to say it. When you get the hang of it, they're a lot easier to use and they'll understand you more often. 

Get the hang of using punctuation
While communicating with the assistant part of a virtual assistant is tough enough as it is, using the dictation function is even trickier if you don't know what you're doing. Thankfully, once you learn a few basic commands it's pretty easy.

For most dictation software, you only need to know a few different basic commands:

* "All caps" turns everything into capital letters.
* "Cap" capitalizes the word you speak next.
* Get punctuation by just saying it, "comma," "period," "exclamation point" all work how you'd expect.

You can also dictate emoticons by just saying things like "smiley" or "winkey" on the iPhone. On Android, you can do the same thing, but you need to add "face," so say "smiley face," or "winkey face."

It's a little awkward at first, but after you get used to it your dictation software will understand you a lot better.

Use a mic when you can



Finally, one of the reasons that your voice assistant of choice might not understand is the simple fact that it might not be hearing you correctly. If you're in a noisy place or it's just not picking up your audio correctly it's not going to know what you want it to do. If a mic's not around, just hold the phone's mic close to your mouth.

That's really it. Voice assistants like Siri and Google Now exist on servers so they're constantly being updated (which is also why you'll get faster results over Wi-Fi) to work better. Even still, provided you speak clearly and know what to say, they work really well.

However, USB devices are still on the rise in popularity and show no signs of slowing down. USB flash drives, USB chargers for your phone, USB to connect your iPod, USB coffee warmers, USB is everywhere! So you NEED all your ports working. Here's what you can do to check out your USB port and some tips on fixing it. 

Physical examination
The first thing that you want to do is to see if the USB port is physically damaged. A simple test is to put your USB Flash Drive into the port and see if it wiggles up and down really easily. Be gentle doing this! You don't want to create a hardware problem if you don't already have one. If you're not sure how sturdy the USB port should be, do the same thing in a port that you know works and compare the two. If it is definitely loose, you'll probably want to move right to the end of this article where we talk about dealing with USB port hardware issues. If not, follow the steps we have here. 

Restart computer
Before you get carried away with Device Manager, try the old tech support standby - turn it off and turn it on again. Sometimes that works by forcing the operating system to scan for hardware, like the USB port, and makes it work again. If that doesn't work, then it's time to get into Device Manager. 
Check Device Manager
You can launch the Device Manager in a few different ways, but here's the quickest one: Click on the Start menu and type devmgmt.msc then hit Enter. Device Manager should start up right away. You'll see the following window:

*Device Manager: Device Manager shows all the categories of devices that can be installed in your computer. At this point in time, you want to look at the Universal Serial Bus controllers entries. Click on the arrow head to expand the selection. You will see something like the window below: 

*USB controllers: This might not make much sense to you, but there is some useful information here. See where it says Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller? That is the specific type of USB Host Controller for my computer. The key words are USB Host Controller. Find those in your Device Manager. If you cannot find any, this may be our problem. 

Click on the Scan for hardware changes button in the toolbar. You can see it highlighted in the image below. This will force your computer to check all of your hardware again. If you're lucky, this will pick up the USB port, and you'll see a USB Host Controller in the list. If not, then the problem isn't fixed yet. 

*Scan for hardware changes: From here, things get a little tougher. You'll still be working in Device Manager for now. If you are working with a desktop computer, with your mouse and keyboard plugged into USB ports, you may need to manually force a restart with the following steps. Uninstalling the USB Host Controllers will disable your USB devices. 

Under the Universal Serial Bus controllers heading, you will right-click on the first USB Host Controller. That will bring up a small menu like this one: 

*Uninstall USB host controllers: Click on Uninstall. Repeat that process for any remaining USB Host Controller. Now restart the computer. This will force the computer to poll for these controllers and, hopefully, pick up the one that isn't responding. 

While you're in the Device Manager, did it seem like there were an awful lot of devices installed that might no longer be in your computer? Sometimes the drivers stay lingering on your computer, long after the device is gone. This is a good time to clean those out, and we have just the article on easily removing old drivers from Windows. 

Did that work for you? No? Let's go deeper then. 

*Disable Selective Suspend feature:The USB Selective Suspend Feature is a power saving setting in Windows. What it does is suspend power being sent to a USB device, in order to save battery life of the computer. This is a good feature in theory, but on rare occasions the feature does not wake up the USB Device. If that's the case, then it would appear that your port is dead. You can disable the USB Selective Suspend Feature through a registry key. It's a good idea to do this on any computer that always has power to it, such as a server or desktop computer. You might not want to do this with your laptop, but if you do, you'll be able to turn it on again easily. 

To get to the Registry Editor, click on Start and then enter regedit in the Search box and hit your Enter key. The Registry Editor window will open. It looks like this, if you haven't seen it before: 

*Registry Editor: Navigate to the Disable Selective Suspend key by clicking on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM, then Current Control Set, then services, then USB. Where it says Disable Selective Suspend in the right-hand window, right-click and click Modify. In the Value Data field enter the number 1. This will disable the selective suspend feature and power will go to your USB ports constantly. 

If the USB key doesn't exist in your registry, it's easy to create it. Just navigate to the services key, and in the toolbar click on Edit > New > Key. Call it USB. 

*Edit New Key: In the USB key, right-click in the right-hand window. You'll only have the New option. Click on that and select DWORD (32-bit) Value. It may just be called DWORD Value on your system. Name the new value Disable Selective Suspend. Just like above, right-click and click Modify. In the Value Data field enter the number 
1. There! You have disabled the selective suspend feature. You may need to restart your computer for the setting to be applied. 

This is a good time to mention that if you ever feel the need to block your USB ports from working, there is a tool to help with that. It's called USB Manager and we have a short article on how it works. 

Is your dead USB port working now? No? Then you might well consider that the USB port is physically damaged. 
*Fix damaged hardware: If it's still not working, it may very well be a hardware issue. USB ports are pretty fragile and USB Flash Drives can act as levers on them, wreaking havoc on the electrical connectors inside. This is seen very often in laptops, where the user will pack up the laptop and not disconnect the USB Flash Drive. It can usually be fixed. 

The takeaway
There are several ways to try to repair your USB port. Hopefully, it's just operating system or driver related as that's the easiest and cheapest fix. Don't dismay if it is a hardware problem - those can be fixed fairly simply and inexpensively too. The point is, it can be fixed.

Wireless dead zones are easy to locate if you stroll around your house, apartment, or office. Once you've found them, you can experiment with a variety of solutions and fix whatever is causing the problem. 

What is a Wireless Dead Zone? 

A dead zone is simply an area within your house, apartment, office, or any other area that's supposed to be covered by Wi-Fi; but it doesn't work there — devices aren't able to connect to the network. If you take a device into a dead zone — maybe you're using a smartphone or tablet and walk into a room where there's a dead zone — the Wi-Fi will stop working and you won't receive a signal. 

What Causes Wireless Dead Zones? 

Anything that interferes with Wi-Fi radio waves can produce a dead zone. If you have a large house or office and have your wireless router in one corner of the building, there may be a dead zone in the opposite corner of the building where the Wi-Fi signal can't reach. 

Most houses were built before Wi-Fi was developed, so they may be constructed in ways that interfere with Wi-Fi. Old houses may have thick plaster walls that contain chicken wire for support, and this metal wiring can block Wi-Fi signals. Large metal objects like file cabinets or metal walls may also block Wi-Fi signals. 

Other devices may also interfere with Wi-Fi signals — we've seen old cordless phones interfere with Wi-Fi signals when used and a microwave oven block Wi-Fi signals when running. Baby monitors, wireless security systems, wireless sound systems — these are all types of devices that have been known to cause problems. 

If you're in an area dense with wireless networks, such as an apartment block where every unit has its own wireless router, your Wi-Fi coverage may also be hurt by interference. If your nearby neighbors have their Wi-Fi networks configured on the same wireless channel as yours, this may result in interference, reducing your network's signal strength, possibly producing dead zones. 

How to Detect Wireless Dead Zones 

Let's be honest, you don't really need fancy software to identify dead zones. Just pick up your smartphone or another wireless device, connect to your wireless network, and walk around your house, apartment, or office. Pay attention to the Wi-Fi signal indicator on your smartphone. If signal strength drops to zero, you've found a dead zone. If it drops to a very low level, that may also be a concern — unreliable signal strength may result in lower speeds and some devices may not be able to connect on the fringes of your Wi-Fi network. Different devices have different tolerances for low signal strength. 

Remember that the Wi-Fi indicator doesn't update immediately, so don't sprint while holding your phone. Walk slowly and pause in areas where you might conceivably use Wi-Fi.smartphone-wifi-signal-strengthOf course, you can also use software to help detect wireless dead zones. On Android, the free Wifi Analyzer app will show you more detailed information about the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. Open the app, select the Signal meter screen, and pick your Wi-Fi network. Walk around with the app open and you'll see the signal strength change as you move from location to location. 

Apple doesn't allow third-party apps to access this information on iOS, so iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users can't use an app for more detailed information — they'll have to pay attention to their device's standard Wi-Fi indicator. 

If you have a Windows or Mac laptop, you could also use inSSIDer to measure your Wi-fi signal strength, but be careful while walking around with your laptop and staring at its screen the whole time. 

How to Fix Wireless Dead Zones 

Now that you've figured out exactly where your wireless dead zones are, you'll probably want to eliminate them. Here are some tips for patching up your Wi-Fi coverage. 

Reposition Your Router: If your router is in one corner of your house, apartment, or office and there's a dead zone in the opposite corner of your building, try moving the router to a more central location in the middle of your house, apartment, or office. 

Adjust Your Router's Antenna:Ensure your wireless router's antenna is up and pointing vertically. If it's pointing horizontally, you won't get the same amount of coverage.Identify and Reposition Obstructions: If your Wi-Fi router is sitting next to a metal file cabinet, that's going to reduce your signal strength. Try rearranging your place for ideal signal strength. If there's a metal file cabinet, microwave oven, aquarium, or anything else that seems to be obstructing the signal from your router and producing a dead zone, move the obstruction (or your router) and see if that eliminates the dead zone. 

Switch to the Least-Congested Wireless Channel: Use a tool like Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android or inSSIDer for Windows or Mac to identify the least congested wireless channel for your Wi-Fi network, then change the setting on your router to reduce interference from other wireless networks. 

Set Up a Wireless Repeater: If none of the above tips help, you could set up a wireless repeater to extend your coverage over a larger area. This may be essential in large houses or offices. 

Use a Wired Connection: You could also consider setting up wired Ethernet cables. For example, let's say you have good wireless coverage throughout most of your house, but you can't seem to get a Wi-Fi signal in your bedroom — maybe you have that metal chicken wire in your walls. You could run an Ethernet cable from your router to your bedroom, or use a pair of powerline adapters if you're not so keen on seeing stray cables in the corridor (a good choice is the $65 TP-LINK TL-PA511 KIT AV500 Powerline Gigabit Adapter Starter Kit), then set up another wireless router in the room. You'd then have wireless internet access in the previously barren room. 

Whether or not you have wireless dead zones will depend on your router, its positioning, your neighbors, what your building's walls are made out of, the size of your coverage area, the types of electronic devices you have, and where everything is positioned. There's a lot that can cause problems, but trial and error can help you pin down the culprit.

The steps below will be the same for both USB flash drives and larger external hard drives, which work similarly. 

Does the drive show up in disk management?
First, let's check whether Windows detects the drive when you plug it in. Plug your removable drive into your computer. If it's an external hard drive, you may have to flip a power switch on the hard drive to activate it. Some heavy-duty removable hard drives may even have to be plugged in with a separate power cable before they'll work. 

Next, open the Disk Management tool. To do so, press Windows Key + R, type diskmgmt.msc into the Run dialog, and press Enter. 

You should see your external drive listed in the Disk Management window. Even if it doesn't appear in your Computer window because it doesn't contain any partitions, it should show up here. 

If you do see the drive here, you can continue to the last section where we'll format it properly so Windows or your other devices can access and recognize it.If you don't see the drive here, continue to the next section where we'll try to determine why your drive isn't recognized. 

Making Windows recognize the drive 

If Windows doesn't see your drive at all, it's possible there's a hardware issue with your computer's USB port, a driver problem with your Windows computer, or you may just have a dead drive. 

First, unplug the drive from your USB port and try plugging it into another USB port on your computer. If it works in one USB port but not another, you may have a dead USB port. If you've plugged the drive into a USB hub, try connecting it to the computer instead. Some USB hubs won't provide enough power for your external drive to function. 

If the drive doesn't show up in Disk Management even after you skip the USB hub and connect it to another USB port on your computer, it's tough to know for certain whether the drive itself is bad or the computer is having a problem. If you have another computer nearby, try plugging the drive in there to check whether it's detected. If the drive doesn't work on any computer you plug it into — be sure to check whether it appears in the computer's Disk Management window — the drive itself is likely dead and will need to be replaced. 

If the drive does work on other computers — or you don't have another computer around to test this with — Windows may be having a driver problem with the drive. You can check for this using the Device Manager. 

To open it, press Windows Key + R, type "devmgmt.msc" into the Run dialog, and press Enter. 

Look under Disk drives and check for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark next to them. If you see a yellow exclamation mark, you have a driver problem. Right-click the device with a yellow exclamation mark, select Properties, and look at the error message. This error message can help you fix the problem — you may want to perform a Google search for the error message you find. 

Such problems can be tricky to fix. If the problem started recently, you may want to run System Restore. You may want to use the Update Driver button to install an updated driver, use the Roll Back Driver button to revert any changes, or use the Uninstall button to uninstall the device from your system and hope that Windows will reinstall the driver and configure it correctly when you reconnect the drive. 

Partitioning and formatting the drive 

We can use the Windows Disk Management tool to fix partition and file system issues with the drive. If you see that the drive is unpartitioned and is full of "unallocated space," you'll want to create a new partition on it. This will allow Windows and other operating systems to use it. 

To do so, right-click inside the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume, and go through the wizard to create a new partition. 

If your drive is partitioned and you still can't see it, ensure you've set a drive letter so you can access it in Windows. This should happen automatically, but if you've manually unset the drive letter, the drive may not show up and be accessible in Windows. 

To do this, right-click the removable drive's partition, select Change Drive Letter and Paths, and add a drive letter. For example, add the letter G: and the removable drive will be accessible at drive G. 

If the drive does appear to be partitioned, it may be partitioned with the wrong file system. For example, you may have formatted the drive with the ext4 file system from Linux or the HFS Plus file system from a Mac. Windows can't read these file systems. Reformat the drive with the newer NTFS file system or older FAT32 file system so Windows will be able to recognize it. 

To reformat a partition, right-click it, select Format, and select your desired file system. 

Note that this will erase all the files on your drive, so you'll want to copy any important files off of it first — for example, if you formatted the drive on a Linux or Mac computer, take it back to a computer running Linux or Mac and copy your important files off of it before continuing. 

If you can't access the drive from another device, such as a DVD player, smart TV, game console, or media center device, it may be formatted as NTFS. Many devices, even Microsoft's own Xbox 360, can't read the Windows NTFS file system. They can only access drives formatted with the older FAT32 file system. To fix this problem, simply reformat the NTFS partition as FAT32. The drive should then be recognized by other devices when you connect it to them. 

Note that this process will erase the files on your external drive. Copy the files off the drive to back them up first, if necessary.format-removable-drive-as-fat32Following this process should solve most of the disk recognition issues you'll encounter. If a drive isn't recognized by any computer you connect it to and never shows up in the Disk Management window, it's probably dead.

This article covers some of the internet's best tools for organizing, filtering, and prioritizing feeds. In short, by combining a variety of methods, RSS use can be made more efficient, without wasting time with feeds that focus on information you don't care about. For example, Facebook articles tend to plague my RSS inbox, although I care little for it. A simply remedy is to use filtering software to eliminate all incoming articles that contain the keyword "Facebook". When used as part of a multi-pronged strategy, you can dramatically reduce the amount of time spent reading subject material you don't have an interest in. 

Ways to tame your wild growth of RSS feeds 

Personally, I use Feedly to manage my RSS feeds. Aside from costing nothing, Feedly also offers a wide number of Chrome and other browser extensions. These features turn it into an ideal platform for consuming RSS feeds for almost everyone. In addition to its extensibility, Feedly also combines well with a number of complementary organization methods and web apps. For the whole lowdown of this popular Google Reader replacement, go over to our unofficial Feedly guide. 

I prefer using Feedly with automation enabling web apps, IFTTT, and Yahoo Pipes. It also works devastatingly well with RSS filtering apps, like the powerful Feed Rinse. However, most RSS readers will offer the same integration, so if you don't like Feedly, be sure to peruse our list of browser-based RSS readers. Or if you prefer it on the go, catch our list of Android-based RSS readers. 

Using folders and views in RSS aggregators 

Many RSS aggregators allow feed organization using what's known as "folders". Folders allow the grouping of similar feeds into customized categories. These categories can then be viewed or read according to the reader's preferences. This allows users to lump high priority feeds into categories that can be quickly skimmed or display images and text in magazine-like orientation. 

"Views" in aggregators such as Feedly, permit users to view their RSS feeds in three ways: Magazine style, as cards and in list form. High priority feeds generally are best read in a magazine-like style, which includes the full-text and its images. Low priority feeds are best read using list view, which displays only the titles of the articles. "Cards" view offers an intermediate between list and magazine-styles, offering some visual elements with a splash of text. 

The process for creating folders varies between readers. In Feedly, simply click on the "Personalize" (formerly known as "Organize") and click on "NEW CATEGORY" at the bottom of the page. After that, you can drag and drop items into each folder/category. 

Filters 

Several applications can narrow the number of feeds reaching you substantially, using a variety of filtering methods. 

Yahoo Pipes: Yahoo Pipes provides all manner of organizational tools for RSS feeds. Out of all the RSS aggregation and filtering apps, Yahoo Pipes is easily the most powerful ever created. Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of knowledge to use properly. However, for its most basic functions, setting up a Yahoo Pipe isn't very difficult. As a side-note, Yahoo Pipes can do some pretty extraordinary things — such as saving you money or finding a job.A0_pipes_splash 

Feed Rinse: Feed Rinse can either eliminate, or select articles from a feed based on keywords. For example, if I wanted to eliminate all Facebook articles from an RSS feed, I would choose the "does not contain" option with "Facebook" as the keyword. Alternatively, I could also set the feed up to only include articles containing a specific keyword, such as "Nexus 5″.feedrinse 

FeedSifter: Another option is FeedSifter, which functions in the same manner as Feed Rinse. Simply plug your feed's XML or direct RSS link into the web app, and it will generate an abridged RSS feed, which you can insert into your favorite reader. From then on, you will receive feeds only including your chosen keyword.feedsifter 

Prioritization tools 

For many RSS users, the RSS aggregator exists to put a buffer between high priority information, such as email and text messages, and lower priority information. However, some subjects that you might find in your RSS feeds could require immediate consumption. RSS aggregation software, sadly, doesn't possess the ability to contextually parse its feeds for articles that may require greater attention. Fortunately, a variety of software can provide immediate notifications based on the presence of keywords. 

For example, if you need immediate notification on articles containing the words "Nexus 5″, you can configure the notification software to shoot you a text or email whenever that particular word shows up. Out of all the apps out there, IFTTT is easily the best. It can even save or make you money. We even have a free IFTTT guide that shows you how to use it. 

IFTTT: IFTTT can scan RSS feeds and shoot you either an email or text message (or both) whenever a particular keyword shows up in your feed. This requires some setting up though. You must first enter IFTTT, select "Create a Recipe" and select the RSS (it's the orange icon labeled as "Feed") icon from the list of options.IFTTT iconsFrom there simply fill out the "that" action, which IFTTT performs upon receipt of the trigger keyword. The final step to create an IFTTT recipe is to click on the "Create Trigger" link at the bottom of the page. 

Conclusion 

For those of you sick of a flooded RSS inbox and tons of unread articles, fear not. Tons of tools exist that can de-clutter your feeds. In particular, IFTTT, Feedly, Yahoo Pipes, and Feed Rinse can dramatically improve the quality of your feeds. The key to any good RSS collection is brevity; reading a small amount of highly useful information beats reading a large volume of largely useless information.

Ideally you can backup all your iPhone's data to your iCloud account, including the apps and app data, Camera Roll photos, purchased music and other media, messages, wallpaper and so on. But if you haven't noticed yet, your free iCloud account is limited to 5GB of space for all your iOS devices. If you start running out of space, you will either need to disable some data that is being synced to your iCloud account or you will need to purchase more space. Quite frankly, I don't think more space on iCloud is worth the extra fee. 

I try to keep my data also backed up via iTunes to my computer so that it can be restored from there if need be. Here's what you need to know to do that. 

Update latest iOS and iTunes versions 

Since you're going to make a backup to your computer, make sure all your devices are updated to their latest versions of the software. This should alleviate any problems when it comes to syncing data between your devices and restoring content to your device if you ever need to. On your iPhone, check Settings > General > Software Update to see if you need to update to the latest iOS. And on your computer, check select iTunes > Check for Updates in the menu bar. 

Note: iTunes does not support restoring a backup from a new version of iOS to a device using an older previous version of iOS, so update everything. 

How back up to iCloud 

Backing up your iPhone's data to iTunes is a pretty straightforward process. When you connect your iPhone to an electrical outlet, it should by default automatically sync with iTunes on your computer if both devices share the same Wi-Fi network. That will keep all your iPhone data in sync between both devices. If this backup has not occurred or you want to check it, open the Settings app on your iPhone and select General > iCloud and then select iCloud Backup. 

How to back up to iTunes 

You can check the last time you backed up your iPhone to your computer via iTunes by clicking on iTunes > Preferences > Devices. 

To manually back up your iPhone to your computer, connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable. When you open up iTunes 11 in the Library view, your iPhone should be listed under the Devices button near the top-right of the menu. If the device is not listed, try restarting iTunes. 

You can also communicate with your iPhone and backup or sync via Wi-Fi, but you will need to connect your device via USB cable to do this first. To enable Wi-Fi sync and backup, check Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi in the Options area of the Summary tab. When iTunes detects your phone in future, it will show up here and you will have access to the same functions as if you were using a wired connection. 

Under the Summary section you will see information about your iPhone and the buttons for backing it up. Typically your backups will be done to iCloud, but if you want to back up to your computer instead, select "This computer" under where it says Backups. Notice also you can enable an encrypted iPhone backup. This is recommended particularly if you're backing up data to your laptop or a shared Mac. 

Note: Selecting Automatically Back Up to "This computer" will disable automatic iCloud backups, and favour your local computer instead. 

Next, click the Back Up Now button and let it do its thing. This backup will store all your iPhone's data, including Camera Roll photos, voice memos, wallpapers, password info stored on your iPhone's keychain, application settings, notes, paired bluetooth devices, and in-app third-party purchases to your computer's hard drive. Be sure to keep all your most important iPhone data (contact information, email messages, calendar dates and so on) synced to your iCloud account. This manual backup does not back up your Mail messages. See this Apple support page for a list of all the information that is and is not backed up. 

For good measure you should also manually transfer content you downloaded from the iTunes Store on your iPhone, just in case it was not automatically transferred to your computer. To do this, select View > Show Sidebar and then right-click (or Control-click) the device under Devices and select Transfer Purchases. 

Restoring iPhone from iTunes backup 

To restore data back to your iPhone's USB, connect your device to your computer. Open iTunes and select the menu bar, View > Show Sidebar or select it under Devices in the Library menu. If you're running iTunes 10.7 or earlier, right-click (or Control-click) the device in the sidebar and select Restore from Backup. 

If your iPhone has iOS 7 installed you will need to turn off the Find My iPhone feature. Open Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone. In order to turn it off, you will need your Apple ID. 

If for some reason you just need to restore your contacts, calendars, notes and so on, but not the entire system, click on the Restore Backup... button under Backups. Typically this data is stored on your iCloud account. 

Stay backed up 

iPhone is a powerful device for storing some of your most important information, so ensuring that your data is backing up on a regular basis is extremely important. Manually backing up your device provides extra security when you need to troubleshoot your problems with your device by restoring it from the most recent backup.

Incidents such as this not only are a sound reminder to enable Windows Update and make sure all critical updates are installed immediately, it also raises the question whether there are safer options. Let us recap the events and explore what you can do to protect yourself from getting hacked in future. 

What happened to Internet Explorer? 

On September 17, Microsoft announced that hackers were exploiting a previously unknown, unpatched vulnerability in all versions of Internet Explorer. While Microsoft was working on an official patch, they offered a temporary Fix it tool, which users could apply manually to protect themselves from the zero-day exploit. 

Meanwhile, the announcement raised attention. Moreover, the attack code was integrated into Rapid7′s open source Metasploit penetration testing tool, making the code freely available to security professionals and cyber criminals alike. This move likely invited a surge of attacks, affecting unsuspecting users of Internet Explorer, who did not apply the security patch. 

It took Microsoft three weeks to prepare a security bulletin. On October 8, Patch Tuesday, the critical security update was rolled out to fix the vulnerability on all machines that had Windows Update enabled. If Windows Update is enabled on your machine, you are safe; at least for the moment. 

Enable automatic Windows update 

The first and most important step is to enable Windows Update because Microsoft typically offers security patches in a timely manner. Both important and recommended updates can be downloaded and installed automatically. Users who disabled Windows Update to automatically install important updates, remain vulnerable to malicious attacks until they manually apply critical security patches. 

Upgrade to latest version of Internet Explorer 

While the recent exploit affected all versions of Internet Explorer, older versions are typically more vulnerable because they lack security features or are no longer supported by Microsoft. Presently, Internet Explorer 10 is the most recent version for Windows 7, while Windows 8 users should run Internet Explorer 11.Both recent versions of Internet Explorer are up to par with competition. IE 10 offers significant improvements, such as a 20% speed increase over IE9. Meanwhile, IE 11 introduced novel features, most notably a touch-enabled interface and the ability to sync tabs across Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone devices. 

Run Internet Explorer in Protected Mode & High Security level 

It took Microsoft a very long time to release a patch via Windows Update for the recent security loop hole. While a Hotfix was made available immediately, it required manual user intervention. To increase protection from malicious attacks until a patch is applied, the average user running Windows 7 or 8 can enable Internet Explorer's Protected Mode and set the security level to high. 

In Windows 7, go to Start, search and open Internet Options. In Windows 8, open the Settings charm, click Settings, open the Control Panel, and find Internet Options. Switch to the Security tab and make sure Enable Protected Mode is checked for all zones. Set the security level to high for Internet and Local intranet. 

To access less secure features on sites you frequently visit, manually add the URLs to your Trusted sites and set the security level to medium for that zone. 

Trusted sites use a different browser

All versions combined, Internet Explorer remains the most abundantly used browser worldwide. This alone makes it a prime target for hackers. Add that it is the standard browser in many corporate environments and you can be certain that any vulnerability will be exploited rigorously as soon as it becomes known. Running the latest version under the highest security standards may not be enough to protect yourself. 

While you can never be completely safe, unless you unplug the Internet, your best bet is to use a less commonly used open source browser with an active user base and developer community. Chances are you will not only be alerted of a potential security risk, the community will likely work day and night to patch the exploit as soon as possible. The first alternative that comes to mind is Firefox, the open source and cross-platform browser that made tabbed browsing popular, but there are many more great browser for Windows. 

Run Firefox security software & browse responsibly 

Last but not least, you should run software to protect your system from viruses and other malware and use common sense when you use the computer. Software won't always be able to fend off malicious hacking attacks, but their algorithms may detect attacks based on common patterns. 

How do you protect yourself from security exploits? 

Internet Explorer is not the only entry point for malicious attacks. Any software and any operating system likely contains loop holes that are yet to be discovered. This is why it is important to install security software, regularly run updates, and stay alert.

Impact of a lost Windows Phone 

It might be the opinion of some that a lost Windows Phone device isn't all that big a deal. After all, they're not exactly iPhones or Samsung Galaxys, are they? 

Well, that's not really an argument. Regardless of the operating system, Windows Phone 8 handsets have a high specification, especially those produced by Nokia. While the operating system isn't so bloated that it has a need for anything above a quad core CPU at present, there are other aspects to consider, such as high definition displays, storage space and battery life. 

When it comes to Nokia devices, then there is also the added element of the camera, which is supported by a Carl Zeiss lens and superb image processing software and the selection of impressive camera apps. Phones such as the Nokia Lumia 920, 925, 1020 and higher have remarkable cameras as good as - if not better than - those on other devices. 

Your lost Windows Phone might contain your personal data. It might have a collection of recently-snapped photos, vital emails and documents and apps that are a lifeline to your work. Losing a Windows Phone can be as devastating as losing a phone running any other productive operating system - with cloud applications installed, it could be as risky as losing a desktop computer. 

Enabling the Find My Phone service 

While you won't find any third party tracking apps like Prey for Windows Phone, Microsoft offers the Find My Phone service for Windows Phone owners. The service is the same for Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 devices, and requires that you enable the options in Settings > Find My Phone. The service uses triangulation technology to locate it, so you don't need to worry about having mobile Internet activated - as long as the phone isn't in airplane mode, everything should work fine. 

Finding a lost or stolen Windows Phone device 

With the Find My Phone option enabled (see above), you can launch the retrieval process whenever you lost sight of your device.muo-wp8-findmyphone-loginThe first thing you should do is log into www.windowsphone.com and select Find My Phone via the drop-down menu.muo-wp8-findmyphone-mapYou will then see a map, and the approximate location of your phone will be displayed. Various factors affect the precision of this feature; for instance, if the phone was stolen, it might still be in transit, which makes it tricky to find until it stops moving. 

Once you know where your phone is geographically, there are three things that you can do to retrieve or disable it. 

Ring your phone 

If your phone is somewhere close by, the sensible approach would be to ring it. Of course, on the off chance that you don't have another phone to hand, or cannot guarantee you will find it before the phone rings out, Find My Phone offers a useful Ring feature, which sends an instruction to your Windows Phone to play a special ringtone reserved for this purpose. 

You shouldn't have much trouble tracking down the handset with this feature, as long as it's within hearing distance. This alert also plays at full volume, overriding vibrate mode or low volume settings. 

Remotely lock your phone 

Of course, the situation may be more desperate; it could be that your phone is in the hands of someone you do not trust, or has been left in a position where it can easily be found.muo-wp8-findmyphone-lockThe Lock option allows you to display a custom message on your phone's screen and set a new 4-digit PIN that will be required to unlock the device. You will also have the option to ring the phone when it is locked, so that it attracts attention. 

Given that the majority of people are honest, there is a good chance that the device will be spotted, the message read and your Windows Phone will be returned. We can think of seven reasons why someone might return your lost phone, so don't be disheartened - your phone may well come back. 

Erase your Windows Phone 

The final option is, of course, the most devastating. In order to protect your data (including access to more information via your phone's SkyDrive app), you should use the Erase tool to remotely reset your phone. This reverts the handset to factory settings, and will result in the Find My Phone service being unable to track it.muo-wp8-findmyphone-eraseNaturally, this is only for desperate situations, and for you to use the erase option you must check the box labelled I'm sure! Please erase my phone now before proceeding with the Erase button. 

Tackle thieves with this native Windows Phone app! 

The Windows Phone tracking app is simple to use, enabling you to quickly find, trace and if necessary, erase your device should it be lost or stolen. If you've prepared your device correctly and perhaps sent a polite screen message, someone might find and return it. After all, it's not that hard to return a lost phone. 

For the best results with this service, however, you should put yourself in a position of never having to use it.

Windows 8.1 includes deep SkyDrive integration, far beyond the simple SkyDrive Modern app included with Windows 8. SkyDrive isn't just an app in the tiled interface; it's also available from the desktop. Macs have iCloud, Chromebooks have Google Drive, and Windows 8.1 PCs have SkyDrive. Microsoft wants you to consider SkyDrive your new hard drive where you store all your personal files. 

Microsoft didn't just include a Dropbox-style syncing solution. SkyDrive on Windows 8.1 is smart, offering a new way of syncing files that saves on disk space. It's great for devices with small amounts of local storage. 

What Is SkyDrive? 

If you haven't been keeping track, SkyDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage service. Like the well-known Dropbox service, SkyDrive allows you to store your files online. They're linked to your Microsoft account and can be synced across your PCs, downloaded via a web browser, and accessed with mobile apps on smartphones and tablets — yes, Microsoft offers SkyDrive apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android, too. New Microsoft accounts get 7GB of SkyDrive space, but you can pay Microsoft a subscription fee for more space. 

SkyDrive gives you a place to store all your files so you can access them from multiple devices. You won't have to worry about moving files around with USB drives. When you get a new PC or move to a different device, all your files will be right there and available to you. You can also share files with other people, making them available from your SkyDrive account. 

Like a lot of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, SkyDrive is Microsoft's attempt at dragging its users into the future as Microsoft sees it. 

Using SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 

When you sign into Windows with a Microsoft account for the first time, you'll be prompted to enable SkyDrive integration. This only works if you sign in with a Microsoft account, not a local user account — SkyDrive is linked to the Microsoft account you log in with. If you have a local user account and want SkyDrive integration, you'll have to convert it to a Microsoft account. 

With SkyDrive integration enabled, you'll see a SkyDrive option in the File Explorer app's sidebar. To save files to SkyDrive and store them in the cloud, just move them to — or save them to — the SkyDrive folder. SkyDrive attempts to sync files intelligently. Let's say you already have 5GB of files in your SkyDrive account and you get a new Windows 8.1 PC. After signing into your new PC, SkyDrive won't automatically download all your files. You'll be able to browse all your files in the SkyDrive folder, but SkyDrive will download them when you try to open them. Microsoft calls these "smart files" — SkyDrive downloads information about the files, but not the contents of the files themselves. 

Windows also monitors the files you use and automatically syncs files it thinks you will open. 

Luckily, you don't have to rely on Windows' instincts. You can also just tell SkyDrive to sync certain files or folders. To do this, right-click a file or folder in the SkyDrive folder and select Make available offline. SkyDrive will download the selected files — or all files contained in the selected folder — and keep them synced. They'll be available when you need them without any on-demand downloading. 

Using SkyDrive on the desktop should be that simple. If you want to move the SkyDrive folder to another drive — for example, from a small solid-state drive to a larger mechanical hard drive — just right-click the SkyDrive folder in File Explorer, select Properties, and use the options on the Location tab to move it.change-location-of-skydrive-on-windows-8.1. 

The modern interface 

SkyDrive is now also fully integrated into the other side of Windows 8.1. While Windows 8′s settings sync features were separate from SkyDrive, all of Windows 8.1′s sync features are now powered by SkyDrive. You'll even find all the old Sync options under the "SkyDrive" category in Windows 8.1′s PC Settings app. 

The SkyDrive options in PC Settings allow you to view the space you're using on SkyDrive, control whether photos from your "camera roll" folder are automatically uploaded to SkyDrive, and configure settings for metered connections such as tethered connections with a Wi-Fi hotspot.skydrive-pc-settings-app 

The Modern SkyDrive app also allows you to browse, manage, and search your SkyDrive files. It's integrated with the desktop SkyDrive experience, so you can also long-press or right-click a file or folder from this app and select Make available offline. Files you make available offline will be available both on the desktop and in the Windows 8-style UI. 

SkyDrive now allows you to browse your local files with a touch-optimized interface, too. Just tap or click the SkyDrive heading and select This PC to browse your local files. You no longer need to install third-party Modern File Explorer apps. 

In Windows 8.1, SkyDrive also offers OCR capabilities. If you upload a picture containing recognizable words, Microsoft's servers will convert it to searchable text. When you search for files using Windows 8.1′s new Bing-powered system-wide search feature, SkyDrive will return images that contain those words.skydrive-windows-8.1-modern-appFetching Files 

If you previously used SkyDrive's unique "Fetch" feature, which allowed you to fetch unsynced files from anywhere on another PC's file system, you'll be disappointed to hear that Fetch is no longer available on Windows 8.1. Even if you reinstall the standalone SkyDrive desktop sync program, Fetch does not function on Windows 8.1. It's unfortunate that Microsoft is eliminating a unique feature that separated SkyDrive from Dropbox and the rest of the pack. 

SkyDrive: A well-rounded experience 

SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 is a compelling experience, offering built-in, free cloud storage to Windows users. It's well-integrated into every corner of the system — the desktop, Windows 8-style interface, and Bing-powered search experience. You don't have to install anything extra to sync your files with the cloud on Windows 8.1.

Coming from the United Kingdom, I've struggled to enjoy digital radio while driving for some time (for those of you in the USA, the attraction is this: you have a multitude of radio stations, local and national, on traditional bands; we have about ten). First of all, the problem was due to a lack of suitable equipment; latterly, issues concerning coverage and poor reception quality have plagued my enjoyment of some superb broadcasts.

Regardless of where you are based, the problems are largely the same. How do you get digital DAB radio in your car, maintain signal strength and, ultimately, enjoy trouble-free digital audio broadcasts while you travel from A to B? While packing the right tech for a long journey might seem sensible, should you let poor digital radio reception spoil your journey?

Three ways to get digital radio in your car

There are - strictly speaking - three ways to get digital radio.

The first is a bit of a cheat, and is wildly expensive. Unfortunately, as most of you reading this will be unable to afford to buy a brand new car with audio extras simply for a wider selection of radio broadcasts, it is unlikely that this will prove practical.

Second is perhaps the most popular, utilizing your smartphone's mobile internet connection and an app such as TuneIn Radio or perhaps a radio station's official app, to have the music streamed to your car audio system via your phone. There are a couple of potential problems here: the first is potential issues with high speed mobile Internet coverage, while the second is to do with the age-old issue of mounting and using your phone responsibly while driving.

The third option is perhaps the most effective in the long term. Buying a new digital radio tuner and compatible head unit will solve many of the problems with using a smartphone and is of course considerably cheaper than buying a new car. However, while a new radio might come with various multimedia options in addition to the DAB receiver (such as a connector for your smartphone, an SD card slot or a USB port), this approach can be affected by problems with reception.

It should be noted that DAB radios are available that can be mounted in your car that transmit the audio to your existing car stereo on the FM band. However these devices are needlessly expensive, often frustrating and still require a new antenna. As such, they are best avoided.

We'll ignore any further focus on buying a new car - there are plenty of other sites offering assistance in that area - and look at using smartphones and improving reception on an in-car DAB receiver.

Using your smartphone for digital radio

Over the course of several Android and Windows Phones, this was the approach I used between passing my test in 2009 (yes, I'm a late developer) and finally getting a DAB receiver at the end of 2012.muo-dab-tunein-wp8There are several apps that you can use to enjoy digital radio stations - albeit streamed via the internet - on your smartphone. As mentioned above, these include TuneIn Radio, which is probably the best option on all popular mobile platforms (although if you have a better suggestion, let us know in the comments).Using your smartphone to stream digital radio through your car's audio system is a good option if the cost of a new DAB car radio is considered prohibitive, or if you're concerned about theft.

However, be aware that whenever you drive through areas with poor mobile phone coverage (such as areas of the countryside with sparse cell tower numbers) you'll find that your ability to enjoy streamed radio will be restricted. To avoid this, you should focus your enjoyment to urban areas, and prepare alternative entertainment for when radio is unavailable. One way around this, if you enjoy a particular show, is to check whether or not a podcast version is available, and subscribe to this.

Buying a new radio? You may need a new antenna

In 2012, I was fortunate enough to get a new car stereo, complete with DAB receiver and head unit. At last I was able to enjoy digital radio in my car! Well, nearly.

The problem is that in older cars, the built-in aerial is often unsuitable for digital radio signals. This might be because of the quality of the aerial is poor. More likely, however, it will be because the digital signal is filtered out between the aerial and the back of your analogue car radio.

To overcome this, there are a couple of options. One is to fit an adaptor that retains the digital signal and splits it off into a separate connector for your new digital radio receiver. You can pick these up relatively inexpensively online (such as on Amazon, eBay or a specialist retailer) but you should research your car stereo model so that you choose the right adaptor. Also, be aware that such equipment can be unreliable.

The second option is to fit a new antenna intended for collecting digital signals. This might be the antenna that ships with your new receiver (this was how I solved my reception problem), or if no such equipment was included, you might need to spend money on a third party antenna. For the best results, avoid glass-mounted (like the one pictured above from Amazon) or interior antennae in favour of ones that can be mounted externally with a magnet or with some minor customization to your car's bodywork.

If you've previously used a smartphone for streaming digital radio on the Internet, you will already be aware that there are areas where the signal can drop out. The same is true for a digital radio receiver, so spending time and money on getting the best reception is well worth it.

How do you listen to digital radio in your car?

Listening to digital radio is not only a way to enjoy good sound quality - it's also a method of giving yourself as wide a choice of music and talk radio as possible.

Using a dashboard-mounted smartphone or tablet is one way to enjoy digital radio in your car (in this case streamed over the Internet); using a DAB radio receiver is perhaps the best option.

Horrible, isn't it? Well, get ready to meet CryptoLocker; the evil patriarch of the Ransomware family. 

What is CryptoLocker? 

CryptoLocker is a piece of malware targeting computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. It is typically spread as an email attachment, often purporting to be from a legitimate source (including Intuit and Companies House). Some say it is also being spread through the ZeuS botnet. 

Once installed on your computer, it systematically encrypts all documents that are stored on your local computer, as well as ones that are stored on mapped network drives and mounted removable storage. 

The encryption used is strong, 2048 bit RSA, with the decryption key for your files being stored on a remote server. The odds of you being able to break this encryption is almost nonexistent. If you want to get your files back, CryptoLocker asks for you to fork over some cash; either two bitcoins (At the time of writing, worth almost USD $380) or $300 in either MonkeyPak or Ukash prepaid cards. If you don't pay within three days, the decryption key is deleted and you lose access to your files forever. 

I spoke to popular security expert and blogger Javvad Malik; this is what he had to say about CryptoLocker.Ransomware such as CryptoLocker is not something very new - variations of Ransomware have been around for years. When you look at CryptoLocker, it predominantly comes in via phishing emails (from what I've seen). The best way to protect against it is for users to be vigilant against clicking on links within emails. Currently, it looks like there's not much that can be done once infected and I wouldn't advice anyone to pay the ransom. It goes back to having backups and data management in place. 

Mitigating against it 

Reports suggest that some security programs have had a hard time of preventing CryptoLocker from getting its claws onto your system before it's too late. Fortunately, American security expert Nick Shaw has created a handy piece of software called CryptoPrevent (free). This applies a number of settings to your installation of Windows that prevents CryptoLocker from ever executing and has been proven to work in Windows XP and Windows 7 environments. 

It's also worth making sure that you check emails to see if they're suspect before you open up any email attachments. Do they have an email address that matches up with the purported sender? Were you expecting any correspondence from them? Is the spelling and grammar consistent with what you'd expect from the genuine sender? These are all reasons to be suspicious of an email and to think twice about poking in any attachments. 

Having proper backup 

In these circumstances, I'd encourage everyone to make regular backups that are isolated from your computer. Using a networked backup solution will be utterly ineffective, as CryptoLocker has been known to encrypt data stored on these volumes.cryptolocker-backup 

If you use a cloud backup service like Carbonite, you can take comfort in knowing the odds are good that your files are versioned. That means if you back up an encrypted copy of a file you care about, you can revert to an earlier version. An employee of Carbonite posted this advice on Reddit. 

I work for Carbonite on the operations team, and I can confirm this for most cases - I will also offer these two pieces of advice: 1) If you are affected by the virus, you should disable or uninstall Carbonite as soon as possible. If you stop backing up the files, it's more likely that Carbonite will not have overwritten a "last known good" backup set. There is a high risk of some recent data loss (you're effectively going back in time, so if we have no record of the file existing at a previous time, you won't get it back) with this method, but it's far, far better than losing all of your files. 2) When you call customer support, which you should do as soon as possible, specifically mention that you are infected with cryptolocker. It was mentioned in the post above, but I just wanted to put emphasis on it because it'll get you through the queue faster. 

Edit: also, just to state the obvious, make doubly sure the infection is off your machine before you call support, please. 

Should you pay the ransom? 

What if your computer gets compromised? It goes without saying that brute forcing a file encrypted with 2048 bit encryption is almost impossible. Noted computer security firm Sophos has looked at a number of files that have been encrypted by this particular malware and has failed to notice any obvious means in which they can be decrypted without forking over a ransom. 

With that in mind, the only way to get your data back is by paying the ransom. However, this poses a major ethical dilemma. By paying the ransom, you make this type of chicanery profitable and therefore perpetuate it. However, if you don't pay the ransom, you forever lose access to everything you've been working on which is stored on your computer. 

What further complicates things is that it is impossible to ascertain who would be the recipient of any money paid. It may something so simple as a single person working from his bedroom looking to get rich at the expense at others, or it might be something much more sinister.