10 iPhone Apps Focused on Child Safety

The highest priority of any parent or quality childcare provider is ensuring the safety of the children under their care. The world can be a very dangerous place, and many of the hazards are all but hidden to inexperienced youngsters. If you’re responsible for the wellbeing of a child and are the owner of an iPhone, there are several applications in the App Store designed to help you keep your little ones safe. From product recalls to content filters, here are 10 of the best child safety apps available for the iPhone.

1. FBI Child ID – No parent or caregiver wants to think about the possibility of a child going missing, but unfortunately from time to time it does happen. With the free FBI Child ID app you can save and organize personal information relevant to your child for use by law enforcement professionals. The app also provides tips for helping keep kids safe from harm in the first place, making it a great resource for anyone responsible for the care of a child.
   
2. Consmr Reviews – Grocery, Baby & Health Product Barcode Scanner – Choosing the best and safest products for your child can be a challenge when you’re browsing the available options at a brick-and-mortar store, as there are no helpful product reviews sitting on the shelves alongside the many options. With this free app, you’ll be able to scan product barcodes to access allergy information, hidden food ingredients, and product reviews from real users.
3. Sex Offender Search – While you cannot legally act on the information in any way, being aware of any sex offenders that live in your area is essential for the parents and caregivers of children. Registering for an account will also allow you to sign up for monthly update emails that notify you of any new offenders in the area, keeping your knowledge of the neighborhood and its residents current.
4. Child Safety Poison – Kids, especially very young ones, explore the world using all of their senses to gather information. Unfortunately that means that a lot of dangerous substances can end up in their mouths. It only takes a single unsupervised moment for a child to gain access to and ingest poisonous substances, but this $4.99 app will let you know exactly how to treat a child who’s managed to swallow any one of the 252 household substances or 72 plants stored in its database. Of course, Child Safety Poison is no substitute for medical attention, which you should seek immediately if you suspect that a child has ingested a poisonous substance.
5. Evoz – Imagine being able to listen to your baby from the office, the gym, or during your morning commute with a few taps of your iPhone’s screen. With the free Evoz app, that scenario is no longer a far-fetched one. The app will even push notifications or send emails when your infant cries, allowing you to track and monitor sleeping patterns all day long. There are no range limitations, so you can monitor the activity in your home and your baby’s sleeping habits from anywhere.
6. iHound – Using GPS technology, iHound allows parents to track the movements of every member of the family. Know when your children arrive at their designated destinations, and if they leave them unexpectedly. In addition to providing you with valuable information regarding the whereabouts of your children, iHound also allows you to communicate with a lost or stolen iPhone.
7. Nearparent – When children get old enough to explore the world and spend relatively unsupervised time with their friends, the ability to check in periodically to let you know they’re okay is invaluable. As an added bonus, this free app also allows parents to receive notifications when a child leaves a designated “safe” zone and gives you contextual weather warnings.
8. Life 360 Family Locator – Know where every member of your family is at any given time and stay informed of any safety hazards in their area with Life360′s Family Locator. Available for free in the App Store, this app even allows you to track family members that have regular cellphones. There’s no need to buy pricey smartphones for young children in order to keep tabs on their location.
9. Pocket First Aid & CPR from the American Heart Association – Knowing how to properly perform CPR and administer first aid is one of the most essential skills a parent or childcare provider can master. From the United States’ largest and most venerable voluntary health organization, Pocket First Aid & CPR provides you with valuable information, including child and infant CPR techniques.
10. Mobicip – Before presenting your child with his first iPhone, be sure to install this $4.99 app to protect him from questionable or objectionable content. Your youngster will only be able to access age-appropriate content, even providing safe and non-threatening YouTube usage.
    
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Backup Your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Using iTunes

You can take a a backup of your iPhone, iPad or iPad touch using iCloud or iTunes. Here we show you how to take a backup of your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch using iTunes.

Please note backed-up information includes purchased music (backup of purchased music is not available in all countries), TV shows (US only), apps, and books; photos and video in the Camera Roll; device settings (for example, Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts); app data; Home screen and app organization; Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS), ringtones, and more.

iTunes takes a backup of your iOS device when you sync with iTunes (disabled if you have iCloud backup turned on).

You can also manually backup your iOS device using iTunes. Follow these steps to manually backup your iOS device using iTunes:

• Connect your iOS device to a computer with the latest version of iTunes installed
  
• Select your iOS device in iTunes under Devices
  
• Right-click (or Control-click) the device and select Back Up
  

Transfer Data From Your Old iPhone To iPhone 5 Using iCloud

If you've just got your hands on the shiny new iPhone 5 and want to know how to transfer data from your old iPhone to the new iPhone, then follow the steps mentioned below to first take a backup of your old iPhone and  then restore the backup to your new iPhone 5 using iCloud.

In this guide, we will show you how to transfer the data from your old iPhone to iPhone 5 using iCloud. If you're using iTunes to backup your iPhone, then check out this guide that shows you how to do it using iTunes.

• Though it is not a standard practise, we would recommend you to update your old iPhone to iOS 6 to ensure that you don't hit any compatibility issues when you migrate from your old iPhone on iOS 5.x or lower to iPhone 5 running on iOS 6. You can check out this guide to update your old iPhone to iOS 6.
  
• iCloud backs up your device once a day. But it is good practise to backup your old device to iCloud one last time before before migrating so nothing is missed out. Launch the Settings app and navigate to iCloud > Storage & Backup and tap on Back Up now button. This may take time depending on the amount of data to be backed up.
  
• After the backup is complete, check the Last Backup time (should show current time) to ensure that your backup was successful.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
• Now turn off your old iPhone and turn on your new iPhone 5. Note: It's important that you don't use your old iPhone as it will cause conflicts with the backups in iCloud.
  
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup assistant by selecting your language and country, and choose whether to enable Location Services. When prompted, choose your Wi-Fi network.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• When prompted to set up, choose "Restore from iCloud Backup," tap next, and enter your Apple ID and password.
  
  
  
  
  
• Select the latest backup of your old device and tap Restore. Wait until the device has finished restoring from the backup. Please note that it can be a time consuming process and depends  on the amount of data contained in the backup and on the speed of your Internet connection.
  
  
  
  
  
• When the restore process is complete, your iPhone 5 will restart. Then it will be ready for use. You should also connect the device to iTunes to sync data not contained in the backup (such as music, videos, apps , and so on).
  
• iPhone will also start re-downloading all your apps in the background.
  
• You can verify and change which data are synced by clicking the syncing tabs in iTunes.
  
• You will also need to enter your password for your Apple ID, email and other accounts, and voicemail again. The passwords are not restored to a new device for security reasons.
  

That's it, you should now be able to use your shiny new iPhone 5.

Transfer Data From Your Old iPhone To iPhone 5 Using iTunes

If you've just got your hands on the shiny new iPhone 5 and wondering how to transfer data from your old iPhone to the new iPhone, then follow the steps mentioned below to first take a back up of your old iPhone and then restore the backup to your newly purchased iPhone 5 using iTunes.


This process will transfer your saved messages, email accounts, photos, notes, and other personal settings to your new iPhone.

In this guide, we will show you how to transfer the data from your old iPhone to iPhone 5 using iTunes. If you're using iCloud to backup your iPhone, then check our this step-by-step guide that shows you how to do it using iCloud.

• Though it is not a standard practise, we would recommend you to update your old iPhone to iOS 6 to ensure that you don't hit any compatibility issues when you migrate from your old iPhone on iOS 5.x or lower to iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.
  
• Ensure that you've installed the latest version of iTunes (iTunes 10.7). You can update it via Software Update or download it from Apple's website.
   
• Take a back up of your old iPhone by following the steps in this tutorial.
  
• After the backup is complete, turn off your old iPhone and turn on your new iPhone 5. Note: It's important that you don't use your old iPhone as it will cause conflicts with the backups in iCloud.
  
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup assistant by selecting your language and country, and choose whether to enable Location Services. When prompted, choose your Wi-Fi network.
  
  
  
  
  
• When prompted to set up, choose "Restore from iTunes Backup," tap next, and enter your Apple ID and password.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Connect your iPhone 5 to iTunes (on the same computer you used to back up your old iPhone). iTunes will ask you to restore from backup or set up as new. Select the backup of your old device and choose Continue (Ensure that iTunes is showing you the latest backup of your old iPhone). Please note that restoring from the backup can be a time consuming process and depends  on the amount of data contained in the backup and on the speed of your Internet connection.
  
  
  
• When the restore process is complete, your iPhone 5 will restart. Then it will be ready for use. You should keep your iPhone 5 connected to iTunes to sync data not contained in the backup (such as music, videos, apps, and so on).
  
• You can verify and change which data are synced by clicking the syncing tabs in iTunes.
  
• You will also need to enter your password for your Apple ID, email and other accounts, and voicemail again. The passwords are not restored to a new device for security reasons.

That's it, you should now be able to use your shiny new iPhone 5.

Add Your Own Music to the Google Play Music Cloud

If you’re new to Google’s Play Music, it might be a bit confusing as to how to get new music into your Google Play account so that it automatically syncs across all of your Play Music enabled devices. Just adding the music to your Nexus 7 or Android device will add it to that device’s playlist, but if you want to have it either stream from the cloud or want it to sync with all devices, there’s a different way.

 

 

1. Open an internet browser window on your computer.

 

 

2. Type music.google.com into the address bar and hit enter.

 

 3. Log in with your Google account if you are asked to.

4. Click on Upload Music at the top right.

5. Click Download Music Manager and download and install the Music Manager to your computer.

6. Open the Music Manager program on your computer.

7. Click Add Folder and select whatever folder you keep your music in.

 

 

 

8. Once you have added the folder, click the checkbox to have it Automatically Upload Songs Added to My Selected Folders. 

 

 

9. From now on, any songs you put inside that folder will automatically be uploaded to Google Play and synced across all your Google Play devices.

10 iPhone Applications to Help Manage Allergies

When a member of the family suffers from food or seasonal allergies, managing symptoms and reducing the likelihood of contact with known allergens is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, modern technology offers a slew of options for doing just that, with iPhone apps available in the famed App Store to do everything from tracking pollen counts to discovering potentially problematic food ingredients to reminding sufferers to take their medication daily, just to name a few. If you or someone in your care suffers from allergies, these 10 iPhone apps may prove to be helpful. 

1. MyFoodFacts – Grocery shopping can be a mighty undertaking when someone in the household suffers from food allergies, however this app can make the task a bit less arduous. Tech-savvy shoppers can simply snap a picture of a product’s bar code with their iPhone’s camera and MyFoodFacts will return a detailed list of potentially allergenic ingredients. Sesame seeds, tree nuts, peanuts, egg, shellfish, soy, fish, wheat, and milk are among the app’s focus, helping shoppers avoid foods that could spur potentially serious reactions.
   
2. Allergy Advisor – Something of a one-stop-shop app for those suffering from respiratory allergies, Allergy Advisor offers pollen counts and weather forecasts for a user’s area, the ability to log symptoms and triggers, special storage for medical professionals’ contact information, and treatment/prescription refill alerts. The free app is, however, supported by ASTEPRO® nasal spray.
   
3. Allergy Track – The ability to track your respiratory allergies in order to accurately report symptoms and triggers to your doctor is at your fingertips with PLB Melody’s free Allergy Track app. Logging the intensity of symptoms and monitoring allergic episodes over a significant period also makes it easier for your allergy specialist to determine the impact that your allergies have on your daily life and build an accurate allergy profile for more effective treatment.
   
4. ZocDoc – When allergic reactions require non-emergency medical attention, especially when you or an allergic family member is away from home, ZocDoc can help you locate a doctor and book an appointment easily. Entering your zip code and insurance information will return a list of doctors that are in your network and their available appointment times, and with the tap of a finger your appointment is booked!
   
5. RxMindMe Prescription – Allergies that require medication can often go untreated during hectic times simply because taking medication slips your mind. RxMindMe allows you to create profiles for several members of the family, sends notifications to remind you to take your medication or administer it to a child, and track the remaining quantity of medication you have on-hand.
   
6. Allergy Alert – Free from Pollen.com comes Allergy Alert, an app designed to update users with pollen and allergy forecasts. Environmental forecasts like an asthma index also help those with allergies or children who suffer from allergies to stay informed about environmental factors that could exacerbate the condition and increase the severity of symptoms.
   
7. iEatOut Gluten Free & Allergy Free – Ordering safe entrees from a restaurant is no easy task for those that suffer from food allergies; fortunately, iEatOut allows users to select items from a variety of ethnic cuisines that do not contain known allergens or gluten. The app also helps users communicate their needs to wait staff regarding food preparation and ingredients.
   
8. Recalls Plus – Product recalls are no laughing matter; they can, however, be hard to keep up with. Using Recalls Plus takes much of the legwork out of discovering product recalls, especially those that are related to known allergens. While the app is very useful for parents of children who suffer from allergies, it also provides valuable safety recall information as well.
   
9. Air Quality Pro –  Before planning an outing or trip to the park, allergy and asthma sufferers should determine whether or not their area is under an air quality alert. Air Quality Pro monitors the air quality index in major cities around the United States and returns forecasts that include detailed information and maps.
   
10. Cook it Allergy Free – Cooking delicious, allergen-free meals at home is easier than ever with the Cook IT Allergy Free app, which makes simple work of substituting allergenic ingredients with safe alternatives. Modifying favorite recipes to make them safe for those suffering from food allergies isn’t always easy, but this app does most of the work for you. Users can also share their allergen-free custom recipes through a variety of social networking platforms.

Using these apps can make a major difference in the way that you approach and handle allergy management, but it’s important to remember that these tools, like any others, are not infallible. There’s no substitute for the advice of a medical professional or your own personal experiences, so if an app suggests that a particular item is safe and you’re not completely convinced, you should always follow your instincts and knowledge base.

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Ten Tips and Tricks Every iPhone and iPad User Should Know

It's with you every moment of every day. It reminds you of little things that you sometimes forget, like calling friends on their birthdays and picking up the dry cleaning. It sleeps by your side, resting when you rest and working when you work. It even talks back once in a while. But how well do you really know your iPhone? 

After months of watching friends and family use their iPhones and iPads, I realized most of them were missing out on a lot of features. I'll walk you through 10 things you might not know your iPhone and iPad can do. Aficionados may know most of these, but typical users likely won't. 

 

1. Directly Access Apps

If you're like most people, you have your iPhone set to show some pop-up notifications. They might show up on the home screen when you get a Facebook notification, or a text message, for instance, and even when the phone is locked and the screen is asleep. To open these messages, you don't have to first swipe to unlock your phone and then open the app. As long as your device isn't protected by a four-digit security code, swipe from left to right on the notification to open the app in which the message appeared. If you do use a code, you'll be prompted to enter it after swiping the notification.

 

2. Tap to Scroll Up

Give your pointer finger a rest from scrolling up, up, up to get back to the top of a page. Tap once on the status bar—where the time and battery life are displayed—at the top edge of the iPhone or iPad screen and you'll jump up to the top. This works for websites, email, Contacts and many other apps.

3. Keyboard Shortcuts

Tapping on a glass keyboard has its downsides, but a few shortcuts could ease the experience. Tap and hold the "Compose new message" button in Mail to automatically bring up all your saved email drafts. And rather than switching to the number keyboard and then switching back to the letter keyboard, tap and hold the "123" key, then drag it to a number to select it. When you lift your finger from the number, the letter keyboard will appear again. 

When entering an email address, hold down the period key to see other address endings. Add emoticons to your keyboard by choosing: Settings, General, Keyboard, International Keyboards, Add New Keyboard, Emoji. When entering a Web address in the browser, hold down the .com key to see alternate URL endings, like .org and .edu. 

You can split the iPad's on-screen keyboard in two so you can grasp the iPad with two hands and type with your thumbs. This is on by default, though you might not know it. (To check, go to Settings, General, Keyboard and Split Keyboard.) To see the split keyboard anytime you're using the regular keyboard, spread your two thumbs from the center of the keyboard out. Or just tap and hold the keyboard icon (bottom right corner) and select Split. An Undock option also appears and this lets you move the keyboard up or down. 

 

4. Speed from App to App

The iPhone and iPad have many apps running in the background. There are shortcuts for jumping around apps without going to the home screen. Double tap the Home button (a physical button below the screen) to see a pop-up tray of apps and swipe to the left to scroll through them. Select one to jump to it. On the iPad, do this is by placing four fingers on the screen and swiping all of them up at once. This and other multitask gestures are on by default on the iPad 2 and newest iPad. But you have to turn them on with the first-generation iPad by going to Settings, General, Multitask Gestures.

 

5. Take Screenshots

Ever see something on your iPhone or iPad screen and wish you could save that image, but can't figure out how? Press the Home button and the On/Off button (top right edge) simultaneously to take a screenshot of whatever you see on the device. You'll hear the same sound as when you take a picture with the Camera app. You can find all of your screenshots stored in Camera Roll, along with your photos, and share them via email or social networks as you do regular photos.

 

6. Swipe to Search

Another way to quickly find apps on an iPhone or iPad is to swipe left-to-right from the home screen. This reveals a search box in which you can type the name of any app to jump right to it. This search also finds contacts, emails, calendar items and texts, as well as other things.

7. Read Websites More Easily

Stop struggling to read overcrowded Web pages on the iPhone's small screen. Instead, tap the Reader button, found in the URL bar at the top of a Web page, and you'll see a much clearer, predominantly text version of the page. Even better: This view hides advertisements. It doesn't work with all websites. This also works on the iPad.

8. A Smarter Camera (iPhone)

If you've ever wished your iPhone camera had a physical shutter button, look no further. The phone's volume up (+) button doubles as a shutter button whenever the Camera app is opened. This hard button feels sturdier all around, plus it makes it a cinch to take self-portraits or to tell strangers how to take a photo of you and your friends. 

And speaking of handing your phone to strangers, don't forget about the lock-screen shortcut for opening the Camera: Slide up the camera icon (found at the bottom right of the home screen) to open Camera without unlocking the phone. You can do this with anyone's phone, regardless of whether or not you know their password because it only opens the Camera app, locking you out of all other apps—and other photos and videos—on the phone. Just the photos or videos you take at that moment will be visible to you.

9. Digital Picture Frame (iPad)

Put your iPad to work as a digital picture frame for a photo slide show. Tap the Picture Frame icon, which appears to the right of the slide-to-unlock bar on the lock screen. 

If you own an iPad case, flip it into its stand-up position, place the iPad on a table, press the Picture Frame icon and walk away. Guests in your home will have to unlock the iPad to access other apps. 

Photos can be pulled from all photos or specific albums, events or images of certain faces. Make these and other slide-show adjustments in Settings, Picture Frame.

10. Mute or Screen Lock (iPad)

The same button on the right edge of your iPad that locks the screen in portrait or landscape mode can double as a mute button. This comes in handy if you find yourself frequently muting the iPad. Change this button's default lock function by going into Settings, General, Use side switch to: Lock Rotation or Mute. By default, this button is on Lock Rotation. Another quick way to mute is by pulling up the multitask bar by double tapping Home (or using a four-finger swipe up), then swiping left-to-right to see a mute, as well as sliders for volume and screen brightness.

Use Google Voice Search From Anywhere on Your iPhone

If you're a fan of Google's Voice Search then there're cool ways to invoke it on your jailbroken iPhone. While the "Just Talk" feature in the Google Search app is quite cool, you have to exit the current app and launch the Google Search app for it to work.

VoiceSearch is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to access Google's Voice Search from anywhere in the iOS.

The jailbreak tweak essentially adds an Activator action, which can be configured via Settings that allows you to invoke VoiceSearch from anywhere on your iPhone using say a double tap on the Status bar.

As you can see in the screenshot below, it pop-ups a window with a speakerphone (and Cancel and Done buttons), which allows you to speak your search queries instead of typing. When you're done speaking the search query and tap on the Done button, it opens up Safari (or Chrome if you've made it the default browser on your iPhone) and automatically does the Google Search.

 

It would be nice if the tweak automatically did the Google Search after you're done speaking the search query like Google Search apps' "Just Talk" feature, so you don't have to tap on the Done button.

Since the tweak uses Google Search, it automatically uses your location and shows you relevant business results near your current location.

Google Search by voice also supports quite a few languages. It's supported for American, British, Australian, and Indian English, plus French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Dutch, Afrikaans, South African English, Indonesian, Malaysian, Zulu, and Arabic.

VoiceSearch is available for free in Cydia.

Alternatively (many of you probably already know it), you can also set the Activator action (Settings -> Activator -> Anywhere) to launch the Google Search app (App Store link) and enable the "Just Talk" feature (Launch the app -> Tap on the Settings icon at the top and navigate to Voice Search ->  Just talk toggle to enable it). So you can just lift your iPhone to the ear, wait for beep and get the search results by talking into the phone.

So try it out and see how it goes.

Erase iPhone or iPad Data

Are you planning to sell your iPhone to buy Apple's next generation iPhone?

Before you sell or trade-in your iPhone, it is extremely important to erase your personal data on it. You'll be surprised how many people sell their iPhones without doing anything to remove personal data.

Follow these simple steps to make sure that your personal data such emails, text messages etc. cannot be accessed by a stranger.

Backup your iPhone's data:

Before you erase your iPhone's data, it is important that you first take a backup of your data, so that you can restore it to your new iPhone.

Depending on which version of iOS you're using and your sync preferences, you'll either backup to your computer or Apple's iCloud service.

Back Up via iCloud:

iCloud automatically backs up most of the important data on your iPhone (running on iOS 5 or higher) on a daily basis. But you can manually take a backup one last time before we show you how to delete your personal data.

• Please ensure you're connected to a Wi-Fi network.
• Launch the Settings app
• Navigate to iCloud -> Storage & Backup
• Tap on Back Up Now

This can take several minutes depending on when your iPhone was last backed up to iCloud.

Back Up via iTunes:

• Connect your iPhone to the computer that you normally sync it with.
• Open iTunes and select your iPhone under Devices in the left-hand navigation pane
• Right-click (or Control-click) the device and select Back Up

Note: If you've purchased some items on your iPhone and haven't transferred these purchases to your computer yet, right-click the iPhone and choose "Transfer Purchases" to transfer the purchases prior to backup.

Erase all your iPhone's Data and Settings:

Now that you've taken a backup of your data, you can follow these steps to delete the data and settings from your iPhone.

Note: It is advisable that your iPhone has full charge or connected to a power source before beginning this process.

• Launch Settings app
• Tap on 'General'
• Scroll down to the bottom and tap on 'Reset'
• Tap on "Erase All Content and Settings" option
• If you've set a passcode, it will prompt you to enter the passcode
• After entering the passcode, it will prompt you one last time if you want to delete data and settings from your iPhone.
• Tap on 'Erase iPhone' button

During this process your iPhone will display the Apple logo and a progress bar. The process may take few minutes to several hours based on the version of your iPhone and the amount of data on your iPhone. If you've jailbroken your iPhone then it is advisable to erase all your iPhone's data and settings by plugging it your computer and clicking on the "Restore" button.  

Unlink/Unregister your iPhone: It may be also be a good idea to unregister your iPhone from Apple's website so that it is no longer linked to your Apple ID.

1. Go to: https://supportprofile.apple.com/MySupportProfile.do
2. Log in if not already logged in.
3. Click on "edit products"
4. Click on the "x" to the right of the product.
5. Click "Unregister"

To be on the safe side, you should also unlink your iPhone from services like Dropbox, Pandora etc.. That's it! As you can see, it is very simple to prepare your iPhone for resale. 

Backup Android Apps to ZIP File and Restore Them

An Android developer has released an app, App2Zip, which allows users to backup apps to a flashable ZIP File. Earlier, we used to backup apps using some of the apps available in the Google Play that let you backup the APK files of your favorite apps. The problem with those apps was that you couldn’t install all the apps at one go. You had to install each APK one-by-one. With the launch of App2Zip, all these problems are gone and you can backup bulk apps as well as restore (install) them on your smartphone in one go. Here’s how you can do it:

 

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have rooted your smartphone before doing this procedure.

2. You must have ClockworkMod Recovery installed on your smartphone.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Download the App2Zip App from here. (Google Play Link)

 

III. Backing up Apps with App2Zip:

1. Download and install the app on your smartphone.

2. Launch the app on your phone by navigating to Menu.

3. When you open the app for the first time, you will need to accept their terms and conditions. Just tap the Accept button to do so.

[ Tap Accept ]

4. After that, you will be asked to provide Superuser permission. Just provide it using the Allow button.

5. Now, from the app interface, choose the apps which you want to backup to a ZIP file.

[ Select Apps, tap GO! ]

6. Once you have done the selection, tap on the GO! button given at the bottom-right corner.

7. Enter the name for the ZIP file. By default, it is update.zip. You can name it anything you want. Then, tap the confirm button.

[ Enter FIlename, tap confirm ]

8. It will then begin building the ZIP archive. As soon as it completes, you will get a notification on your screen. Tap on Ok.

[ Tap Ok ]

Well done ! You have successfully created a ZIP file containing all the apps you chose to be backed up. The file is saved in the root folder of your SD card. You can flash this ZIP file from the ClockworkMod Recovery to get all the apps back on your phone. Here’s the procedure for that.

IV. Restoring Apps from ZIP Archive:

1. Turn OFF your smartphone.

2. Reboot your phone into the ClockworkMod Recovery. Find out the key combination to reboot into recovery from the Recovery installation procedure.

3. From the recovery menu, choose install zip from sdcard followed by choose zip from sdcard.

4. Navigate to the ZIP file you created using the App2Zip App and select it for flashing.

5. After the file has been flashed, choose reboot system now from the recovery menu.

Cheers ! You have successfully restored all the apps from the backup file. It wasn’t that difficult, was it?

How To Load a Custom ROM on an Android Device

Ready to flash some custom ROMs on your Android device? Here’s a little generic walkthrough to give you a better understand of the concept.

I. Root Your Device

First and foremost, you need root access. Root access is essentially getting the phone to give us permissions to change what we want.

II. Flash a Custom Recovery Image

Next thing needed after rooting is a custom recovery image. All Android devices have a recovery partition. This is essentially a section of the device’s memory devoted to a very basic recovery system that is separate from the normal operating system. This is normally used by manufacturers for recovering a broken device (as even if the operating system crashes, the recovery image has a chance of still being access and used to reflash the operating system, etc.).

Because of that function of flashing the operating system, once we have root access, we can use it to flash our own versions of the operating system. Before it’ll do that though, we need to replace the original recovery image with a custom one that has a lot more functionality.

1. After you have root access, head to the market on your device and look for ROM Manager. Download and install the free version.

2. Open ROM Manager and select Flash ClockworkMod Recovery and choose your device.

3. Select Grant when the Superuser prompt comes up.

4. Wait for it to say successfully flashed. You now have a custom recovery image.

 

III. Load a Custom ROM

Now that we have root access and a custom recovery image, we need to find a ROM we want to flash. Thanks to the amazing third party developers (most of which do this in their spare time), there are a bunch of ROMs to choose from. All of them have their own pros and cons and tweaks and themes, so you should try a few to decide which you’d prefer.

1. Download the .zip file for the ROM to your computer. (readily available on the internet)

2. After you download the .zip to your computer, plug in your device via USB cable.

3. Copy the .zip file to the SD Card (do NOT extract it, just copy the whole zip file).

4. Unplug your device.

5. Now, open ROM Manager again.

6. Select Reboot into Recovery and wait for the device to reboot.

7. Once in recovery mode, use the volume buttons to navigate and power button to select Backup and Recovery.

8. Then select Backup and hit yes to confirm. Wait for it to finish backing up your current system (this will save you if something goes wrong).

9. Select Wipe Data / Factory Reset.

10. Select Flash zip from sdcard.

11. Select Choose zip from sdcard.

12. Find the ROM we copied to the sdcard in .zip format and select it. Then select yes to confirm. Wait for it to finish flashing.

13. Select Reboot System Now. Once it reboots (which will take a while the first time), you’ll be running the new ROM.

To flash a different ROM, just redo all the steps in Section III here. Enjoy and don’t forget to comment on the ROMs you try in the repository so others can see what they’re all about.

10 iPhone Applications for Moms on Bed rest

Nothing frees up your time like being told you have to stay on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy, and if you don’t have enough distractions you can quickly find yourself bored out of your mind. Of course you can play your favorite games like Words with Friends or Wheel of Fortune, but after a while even those will lose their luster, and you’ll need something else to occupy your hours. Here are 10 iPhone applications that will help take up some time and answer any questions you may have regarding concerns about the baby that may pop into your head while you are lying in bed.  There’s an app for everything from saving for college to listening to the baby’s heartbeat; there are also a few others to help you get through this time a little easier, like an application to help with the grocery shopping and one for finding the best deals on baby gear.

1. CollegeSave This application allows you to do the calculations to determine how much per month you will need to save in order to pay for your child’s college tuition.  If you start early then you will have the advantage of compounding interest and you won’t have to put as much away each month versus starting when your child is 10.
   
   
2. Soundhound Ever been bored and start humming a song and wish you knew what the song was?  With this application you can hum a few bars and it will use its vast library of over a million tunes to identify the song.  Want to come up with a bunch of lullabies for your baby?  This application can help with that.
   
   
3. WootWatch Just because you’re stuck in bed doesn’t mean that you don’t still like to find a great deal.  WootWatch keeps track of various sites and sends you an alert if a new deal has been posted so you can be the first one to capitalize on the savings.
   
   
4. iPregnancy  Want to know what’s going on inside your body at this very moment?  iPregnancy tells you how big the baby should be, what’s going on physically with the baby, keeps track of appointments and has a great baby name function to help you figure out what you are going to name your little peanut when the time comes.
   
   
5. ZipList  You may be on bed rest, but the rest of the family still needs to eat.  Don’t feel like you have to rely on your partner to handle everything with this application.  Now you can look up recipes, create a grocery list, sort the items on the list by aisle in the store, and then text everything to someone else to run to the store for you.  If your family runs out of anything they can scan the barcode using this application and it will automatically be added to the list.
   
   
6. Parenting Ages and Stages A useful application that will help answer all of your burning pregnancy and parenting questions while on bed rest. It will also be a great tool over the coming years as you raise your new bundle of joy.
   
   
7. Baby Time Pregnancy Contraction Timer This great application is a tool for you to keep track of your contractions and their intensity.  The application will analyze the data and let you know what phase of labor you’re in.  The timer will continue to work even if your phone rings and you answer a call.  Other applications don’t have this feature.
   
   
8. Prenatal Smart Knowing what to eat and what not to eat while you are pregnant can be confusing.  This application gives you foods that are healthy and will let you know which ones to avoid.
   
   
9. Baby Motion An especially smart application, Baby Motion allows you to tap the screen every time you feel the baby move.  Thus keeping track of how many times the baby has moved in an hour.  You can text or e-mail this information to your doctor or to yourself so you will have it when you go to your next appointment.
   
   
10. My Baby’s Beat With this application you can actually use the microphone on your iPhone to hear your baby’s heart beat and your own.  You can record the heart beat and e-mail it to your family and friends.  This application also lets you store numerous recordings so that you can compare the heart beat at different stages of the pregnancy.  This application works best during the last trimester.
    

After Baby is born: BabyTimer  This application allows you to keep track of the number of wet and dirty diapers your baby has each day.  It also keeps track of feedings so that you can report all of this information back to your pediatrician.

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10 iPhone Apps for Expectant Dads

Learning that you’re going to be a father is one of the most exciting pieces of news that you’ll ever get. That doesn’t mean, however, that poring over dry instructional books on pregnancy and childbirth is particularly stimulating. Thankfully, the advent of smartphones allows a father-to-be to stay involved and educate himself about the changes in his partners’ and his child’s body in an interactive, entertaining way. These are the ten must-have iPhone apps for expectant fathers, from the informative to the amusing.

1. mPregnancy – For Men With Pregnant Women – At ten weeks gestation, your baby is 3cm long. In guy-speak, that’s the size of a beer cap. This is just one of the ways that mPregnancy explains the process in funny but useful terms, keeping it light and geared towards the male pregnancy experience.
   
2. Labor and Contraction Timer – While this app will really only come in handy at the end of your partner’s pregnancy, it’s still not one that you’ll want to be with out. Timing the duration and spacing of her contractions, as well as recording the intensity, gives you a heads-up when it’s time to go to the hospital.
   
3. The Guy’s Guide to the Delivery Room – Even the most eager expectant fathers are likely to have a few qualms about the delivery room, most borne of fear and inexperience. The Guy’s Guide to the Delivery Room is spelled out in clear, easy to understand language that lets you know exactly what to expect and how to prepare for your little one’s big debut.
   
4. iPregnancy – Written by an actual OB/GYN, iPregnancy is one of the most popular pregnancy apps on the market. Track your baby’s gestational age, learn what your partner is experiencing with each week that passes and integrate the app with Facebook and Twitter for easy social networking updates.
   
5. Baby Names – One of the things that has to be decided is your baby’s name, otherwise she’ll never get a driver’s license or a job, and will never move out of your house. Baby Names lets you browse through thousands of names with several different sorting features to narrow the search, saving your favorites and accessing their meanings.
   
6. Pimp My Ultrasound – Your baby’s ultrasound is the first time that she’ll show her face to the world. Her time to shine. That doesn’t mean that you can’t slap a football helmet on it and a mic in her hand for a little pre-parenting fun. Pimp My Ultrasound lets you personalize your ultrasound photo with tons of graphics and frames, with tons of options for customizing the precious moment caught on film.
   
7. Baby Pool – Dads-to-be that know the line on every sporting event in the foreseeable future are sure to get a kick out of Baby Pool, which allows your friends, family and coworkers to place bets on your baby’s gender, size at birth and the date and time that the blessed event occurs.
   
8. Pregnancy (Sprout) – Choose a 3D avatar and watch it grow each week along with your baby with Pregnancy (Sprout). You can even assign the avatar a gender when you learn that of your upcoming bundle of joy, and enter the name you and your partner decide on for a customizable and impressive iPhone pregnancy experience.
   
9. BabyBump – A more interesting way of learning about the ins and outs of your partner’s pregnancy than reading a textbook on the subject, Baby Bump offers sound, real-world pregnancy advice and lets you keep track of your little one’s developmental changes week by week.
   
10. UrbanSpoon – When those pregnancy cravings for a specific style of cuisine hit your partner, save the day by pinpointing the best match closest to you with this top-rated local restaurant app. You’ll be feeding them for at least the next eighteen years, so it’s a good habit to get into.

Some of these apps are funny, and some are written by actual medical professionals. That doesn’t mean that they’re any substitute for the actual advice of your OB/GYN, so be sure that you always follow her instructions to the letter. Even the informative apps are for information purposes only, and not intended to help you make any medical decisions. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask your obstetrician or midwife.

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