NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, February 2011
Tips and Tricks (Slip an Ace up your Sleeve)
By Bob Goodman, Newsletter Team,
Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA
November 2010 issue, Cajun Clickers Computer News
http://www.clickers.org
bob (at) houseplanz.com (click to email author)

Disable Laptop Touchpad with TouchpadPal
You have probably experienced your cursor jumping to another location in a document while typing on your laptop because your hand accidentally touched the touchpad. In order to put an end to this problem use TouchpadPal. TouchpadPal is a freeware utility for windows XP/Vista/7, which runs in the background and will automatically disable the touchpad when it detects that you are typing text. It is lightweight and only consumes 10Mb of Hard disk space: (The type/touchpad problem is one of my major laptop complaints; so, I downloaded and am using this utility. So far , it’ s working great with no problems. I don’ t even know it’ s running in the background ...Bob Goodman) http://tpp.desofto.com/

Connect Laptop and Cell Phone Using Bluetooth
We can use Bluetooth technology to connect laptop and cell phone. We can move videos, images, photos, etc. from a desktop computer or a laptop to our cell phones. In order to use Bluetooth technology to connect laptop and cell phone we need a laptop and a cell phone which support this technology. If the laptop doesn't support it, we can use a USB Bluetooth dongle plugged into the USB port of our desktop computer or laptop and leave the rest to Windows which will find the driver and install it. If it is not supported, we can manually install it via the manufacturer's compact disk. Follow these simple steps in order to use Bluetooth technology to connect laptop and cell phone: http://tinyurl.com/244m6vs

5 ways to speed up your PC
By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows 7, Vista, and XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you're online. See how to free up disk space, speed up access to data, protect your computer against spyware, detect and repair disk errors, plus learn all about ReadyBoost: http://tinyurl.com/lf7np2

Get a Better Battery Gauge
Over the years, Windows has gotten progressively better at laptop power management--but it still doesn't tell you much about your battery. Enter BatteryBar, a free, easy, ingenious power gauge that's compatible with XP, Vista, and Windows 7--and should have been built into all three of them: http://osirisdevelopment.com/BatteryBar/download.html

Typically, you have to mouse over that tiny System Tray power icon if you want Windows' read on how much battery life is left. BatteryBar adds a full-time, at-a-glance gauge to the right side of the taskbar, which, by itself, is mighty handy.

That gauge shows you either a percentage of battery life remaining or the amount of runtime left; clicking it toggles between the two readings. Interestingly, when you're running on AC power, the gauge switches from green to blue and shows how long until you reach a full charge.

But wait, there's more: when you mouse over the gauge, a pop-up window displays a boatload of additional information, such as total battery capacity, charge/discharge rate, AC status, and even a lifetime estimate based on historical charge/discharge data. That's what I'm talking about!

Although BatteryBar is free, there's also a Pro version that adds more features, like a graph of battery profiles, low/critical power warnings, and automatic power-scheme switching that kicks in when you switch between AC and battery power.

How much? The developer sort of lets you choose your own price: $3 for a one-year license, $5 for two years, or $7-9 for lifetime. Pony up $10 and you get two lifetime licenses.

While I suspect most users will be happy with the free version, I admire this creative approach to pricing. I love this program. Don't run a laptop without it.

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