About Christian Cawley
Former Deputy Editor for Security, Linux, DIY, Programming, and Tech Explained, Christian has extensive experience as a writer and editor and has been published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, Tech Radar, ComputerActive, and other titles.
Christian also produced MakeUseOf's weekly show, the Really Useful Podcast, from 2018-2024.
His current passions are his cigar box guitar, his retro gaming site (retrogamerbase.com), and his family.
Latest Articles
The 5 Most Popular Stand-Up Comedians On Facebook
It’s easy to find yourself aimlessly browsing Facebook looking for ex-lovers and long-lost school friends or former work colleagues, when really you should be telling the world about the stuff you really like. Facebook features fan pages – official and fan-run – for many entertainers. Among the most popular are stand-up comedians, some of whom have over 6 million fans on the social networking site alone.
The Secret To Making Your Own Micro SIM Card
With the arrival of the iPad, micro SIMs have become commonplace for anyone wishing to connect to the mobile web from a tablet device. More and more mobile phone handsets are also using these chips which are around half the size of a standard SIM. However, there are a few drawbacks. To begin with, swapping a micro SIM between a tablet and a standard mobile phone isn’t practical.
Why Microsoft Should Not Be Pushing Their New Metro UI Onto Their Other Products [Opinion]
With the introduction of the Windows Phone platform in 2010, Microsoft unveiled the Metro user interface, designed to make accessing information quick and easy. Rather than litter their new mobile platform with endless rows of icons, Microsoft’s tile-based interface proved that there was another way to make mobile phones functional.
What You Should Know About Setting Up Your Kindle Fire For The First Time
Amazon’s latest entry into the eBook reader market is a step up from the e-ink devices that traditionally bear the name "Kindle". The Kindle Fire is a 7 inch tablet running a customized version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and enables users to access the Kindle store, download media provided by Amazon Prime and surf the web, check emails and download apps, much as you would with any other Android slate.
Create CBR/CBZ Files To Distribute Your Comic Strip Or Graphic Novel
The Internet has been kind to comic book creators (although piracy has inflicted a big dent in the profits of the major publishers) and web comics and sequential art tales created specifically for an online audience are readily available. Websites for the comics’ artists and writers will regularly feature these tales, for instance, often in CBR or CBZ format for use with a comic book reader application.
How To Access Free Music On Your Windows Phone
The Windows Phone mobile platform is growing in popularity, thanks in part to Nokia’s success with the Lumia 800 device in Europe and a strong early-days footing provided by HTC, LG and Samsung. While there is a long way to go before the platform can challenge Android and iPhone, things are certainly looking up for Microsoft in this market, helped in no small part by various unique selling points.
The Secret To Disabling Mobile Phone Localization
The increased connectivity that is afforded by mobile phones and tablets has a distinct dark side – many of the apps and games that we use can reveal our location, one way or another. This is done explicitly – think of the “check in” function on Facebook – or done in a more underhand manner, and if used unchecked can cause serious personal safety and privacy issues.
The Secret To Turning Your HP TouchPad Tablet Into An Amazon Kindle
It’s the tablet that wouldn’t die, the device that kept coming back for more, and despite HP’s dithering over whether they would continue to support webOS or not, the HP TouchPad has exceeded expectations thanks to various fire sales at popular retailers and its friendly user interface. However thanks to the lack of support from HP early on, there is a big hole in the number of official apps available for the webOS tablets.
Share Your Windows Phone Internet Connection Using The Tethering Feature
Windows Phone is becoming an increasing popular platform, but its initial release in 2010 baffled commentators by omitting key functionality such as copy and paste and tethering. Omitting these features arguably punished the platform, resulting in some poor early reviews. Making matters worse was the fact that devices from Samsung and LG had wired tethering functionality that could be enabled via a hidden engineer’s console.
Secure Your Wireless Router In The Short Term By Assigning It An Aggressive Name
As more devices ship with wireless networking capabilities, it becomes increasingly important to have routers that are capable of handling connections from hardware such as tablets, laptops and mobile phones. The problem is that many routers still in use are perfectly good pieces of hardware, except for one drawback - they don’t support Wireless-N or offer advanced encryption such as WPA.
What Is Puppy Linux? Everything You Need to Know
Puppy Linux is a top lightweight Linux distribution. But what exactly is it? Which Puppy Linux should you use?
How to Convert the MOD Camcorder Video Format to MPG
Wondering about the MOD video file format and how to convert it? Here's how to convert and watch MOD files on your PC.
How to Play Unplayable Videos on Your PC: 6 Methods to Try
Your video file won't play? Here's what you need to know about solving error codes, codecs, streaming, and video playback errors.