UP

Productivity

What does it mean to use technology productively? Which apps and gadgets make your work easier? How to personalize the computers and other gadgets you’re using?

review Reviewing the ASUS VivoMouse WT710 - A 3-in-1 PC Controller for Windows 8

Reviewing the ASUS VivoMouse WT710 - A 3-in-1 PC Controller for Windows 8

With operating systems like Windows 8.1 blurring the lines between touch and non-touch interfaces, manufacturers have started experimenting with many interesting peripherals that act as more than just a mouse. One of these devices is the ASUS VivoMouse WT710 - a 3-in-1 PC controller that allows you to perform all of Windows 8.1's touch gestures on its surface, without having to use a touch
review Reviewing the ASUS VivoPC VM60 - A Small & Stylish Companion

Reviewing the ASUS VivoPC VM60 - A Small & Stylish Companion

Many PC manufacturers are interested in downsizing the systems they build nowadays. Either for portability, occupied space or even both. This is how we have come to see All-in-One PCs and mini-PCs on the market. Obviously, the technical advances in Windows 8.1 contributed to this trend. One of these manufacturers is ASUS and they have provided us one of their mini-PCs, namely the ASUS
tutorial How to Pin & Display Modern Windows 8.1 Apps on the Taskbar

How to Pin & Display Modern Windows 8.1 Apps on the Taskbar

One criticism about Windows 8 was that you couldn't easily access Windows Store apps from the Desktop. They were hidden, running in a different environment and switching between them and desktop programs was harder than it should have been. Windows 8.1 fixes this problem by allowing users to pin Windows Store apps to the taskbar and to set the taskbar so that it displays
tutorial How to Perform Natural Language Searches in Windows 8.1

How to Perform Natural Language Searches in Windows 8.1

With the release of Windows 8.1, Microsoft has introduced a new way of searching, named Smart Search. It is designed to make search easier and better for users. When performing a search, the list of results includes not only local results like your own files and apps but also results from the Internet, provided by Bing. In a very recent update that is distributed
tutorial How to Find, Install and Review Apps in the Windows 8.1 Store

How to Find, Install and Review Apps in the Windows 8.1 Store

Windows Store is the place where Windows 8.1 users can find, install and update their apps. Because the Windows Store was launched with Windows 8, it does not yet have a large number of apps, like other app stores from Microsoft's competitors, but their number is increasing steadily. Since nobody wants an operating system without apps, you will want to use the Windows Store
tutorial How to Report Problems With Microsoft Services, Including OneDrive

How to Report Problems With Microsoft Services, Including OneDrive

One of the good things about Microsoft's services is that they offer a quick way to report when you have issues. Also, Microsoft provides complete service status history so that you can find out what issues have happened in the past and when they were fixed. If any Microsoft service is not working for you (OneDrive, Outlook.com, Family Safety, etc), here's how to report
tutorial 35 Keyboard Shortcuts That Increase Your Productivity in Windows 8.1

35 Keyboard Shortcuts That Increase Your Productivity in Windows 8.1

While using Windows 8.1's user interface might require some time to accommodate, the tasks of navigating through the operating system and its new apps can be simplified by using the keyboard shortcuts that Microsoft has made available. The shortcuts shared in this article were chosen by us while thinking what apps or settings you might access or use on a regular basis. They are
tutorial Introducing Windows 8.1: How to Share Screenshots from Any App

Introducing Windows 8.1: How to Share Screenshots from Any App

Windows 8.1 comes with a bundle of many apps, from Sports and News to Finance and Health & Fitness. Chances are you are going to stumble upon some interesting content while using these apps, and you may want to quickly share a screenshot with it. Traditionally this meant using the PrtScn key, saving the screenshot in an image editor and then using another program
tutorial How to Record Audio with the Sound Recorder App in Windows 8.1

How to Record Audio with the Sound Recorder App in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 includes a reasonably large bundle of apps when you install it. One of these apps is Sound Recorder. This is a very interesting app that allows you to record sounds, trim their length, save them and share them with your friends. Let's take a closer look at the Sound Recorder app and see how to use it. How to launch the
tutorial What are ReadyBoost & SuperFetch? How to Use Them in Windows

What are ReadyBoost & SuperFetch? How to Use Them in Windows

ReadyBoost is a component of Windows operating systems, that was first available in Windows Vista. Its purpose is to help the SuperFetch service in making your system run smoother, by using a fast USB flash drive that helps reduce number of read and writes to your hard drive. If you would like to learn what SuperFetch and ReadyBoost are and how they work together,