About Christian Cawley
Deputy Editor for Security, Linux, DIY, Programming, and Tech Explained, Christian has extensive experience in desktop and software support, and has been published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, Tech Radar, ad ComputerActive.
Christian also produces MakeUseOf's weekly show, the Really Useful Podcast.
His current passions are his cigar box guitar, his retro gaming site (www.gamingretro.co.uk) and his family.
How to Enjoy Flash Video on Windows Phone
During my recent holiday I had some spare time and tried to find something interesting to watch on my Windows Phone. Now, I could have used the YouTube or BBC iPlayer or many other apps, but instead I decided to have a browser-only mobile experience. Unfortunately, Windows Phone doesn’t support Adobe Flash. Although the Internet Explorer mobile app has HTML5 support, if you want to enjoy media streamed using Flash you’re stuck. The alternative is to use HTML5 or apps from the Windows Phone Store.
How to Add USB Storage to the Raspberry Pi
I've recently been looking at options for expanding the storage on my Raspberry Pi. Such choices are limited – the USB ports are often used by a keyboard, mouse or retro game controllers, while the SD card slot is naturally limited to just a single device. In terms of expanding storage via USB devices, there are two options. For instance, you might connect your USB hard disk drive or flash drive to one of the USB ports – but if that port is needed for another device, things can get tricky.
Reading eBooks on Your Tablet: Windows 8 vs. iPad
I'm off on holiday today, and intend to do a bit of reading. This is all very well, especially when it comes to my handful of print books that I want to catch up with. The problem comes in the shape of my digital media. I've a fair few titles in Kindle, which I can read across a number of devices. But which one is the most comfortable for reading?
How To Program NFC Tags & Automate Windows Phone 8
There’s a black sticker on my desk, which is remarkably useful. Thanks to the magic of NFC, it enables me to activate my Nokia Lumia 920’s wireless networking with a single touch. NFC, or near field communication, has been around for a few years now, and is an increasingly popular feature in smartphones. Intended to facilitate data transfer, contactless transactions in stores and even simplify the setup of things like WiFi connections, NFC can also be used to program NFC tags, usually sticky labels like the one on my desk.
4 Tweaks to Super Charge Your Raspberry Pi
You may be surprised to learn that there are many tweaks that can be applied to the Raspberry Pi, both from within the configuration screen and in how you set up and install your operating system. The following tweaks and tips can help you drastically improve performance on your Raspberry Pi.
4 Amazing Lens Apps for Nokia Windows Phones
Windows Phone 8’s growth has been slow but steady in the months since its release, an increase that can in part be contributed to Nokia’s excellent series of smartphones and camera hardware. Complementing this is a series of apps intended for Nokia phones that integrated with the camera to produce enhanced photo tools, augmented reality and other excellent utilities. There are four amazing lens apps for Nokia Windows Phones below, each of which is available free from the Windows Phone Store.
Tips For Fixing Common Windows Phone 8 Issues
Windows Phone 8: a great platform that is fast, slick and responsive. Most of the time. Windows Phone 8 is an improvement over Windows Phone 7, but while I enjoy its responsiveness, the ease with which I can perform particular tasks quickly and the way the OS syncs with SkyDrive, I'm more than aware that this is a platform with a few notable bugs. I've already looked at improving battery life on Windows Phone 8 and here are several more fixes for the most common issues.
Which Game Consoles Can You Use as a Media Center?
Looking at Microsoft and Sony's next generation offerings, it seems that bringing video, TV, music and your photo collection (and probably social networking) into the mix of games and achievement unlocking is now part and parcel of owning a game console. It's a major selling point, one that should deliver the ultimate entertainment experience to living rooms and dens across the developed world. But hold on – why wait for an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4 when you can already stream video and music from computers across your home network and from the Internet into the existing Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo consoles?
Five Amazing Nokia Camera and Image Apps for Lumia Windows Phones
Since Microsoft and Nokia announced their joint venture back in 2011, there has been a general shift towards the Finnish company in the Windows Phone manufacturers’ market share. Nokia has been innovating and producing a series of superb apps for Windows Phone, exclusive to Lumia devices. Put simply, if you own a Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia, you should have these camera and image apps, which are all available free (for the full app or with trial) from the Windows Phone Store.
Everything You Need to Know About Adding Ringtones on Windows Phone 8
Over the 15 or so years of owning a mobile phone, I've always been interested in pushing the device as far as it can possibly go. In the early days, this would often involve finding ways to add custom ringtones. When Windows Phone 7 was first released, the customization options were limited. Windows Phone 8 takes a whole new approach to ringtones, making the addition of user-chosen audio far simpler. If you own a Nokia Lumia 920, you could have custom ringtones set up by the time you finish reading this page.
How To Backup Media, Apps & Settings On Windows Phone 8
I’ve just about filled the 32 GB internal storage on my Nokia Lumia 920. Initially, I was surprised that it only took me six months, until I realised that I’ve been recording videos in HD. When you consider everything that relies on internal storage, it certainly seems like a complete removal of personal storage is required. There are several options. Backing up data can be performed manually, using the Windows Phone Tool via USB and you can rely on native tools to back up your photos, apps, settings and messages.
What Is The True Cost Of Running a Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi - a small, compact and versatile computer, capable of processing HDMI and MPEG-2 being the central component of any number of weekend projects from retro gaming stations and media centres to smart TVs, Internet radios and low budget space programs. Since its release in 2012 the Raspberry Pi has proved something of a phenomenon. Costing less than $40, the Raspberry Pi is a hugely successful computer, largely due to its low price.
File Sharing, Manual Syncing & Bluetooth Tips For Windows Phone 8
Having used the Windows Phone platform since 2010, one of the things that has struck me is how difficult Microsoft initially made it to share files to and from your phone. With the original Windows Phone 7 a registry hack was required to use a device as mass storage, but this workaround was soon shored up in a subsequent update. Fortunately with Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has taken a more accepting position on the use of phones as mass storage devices.
How To Tether The Nokia Lumia 920 & Other Connectivity Options
Here in the UK, 4G is currently being rolled out across major towns and cities by the EE network (previously T-Mobile and Orange). Where I live we’re stuck with 3G, but I do have a 4G SIM to take advantage of high-speed mobile Internet when travelling. This always comes in useful, particularly if local Wi-Fi networks aren’t doing their job properly.
How To Improve Netflix Streaming On Any Device
A few months ago I was playing games on my Nintendo Wii (thanks to the loss of my Xbox 360) and even getting fitter in the process – until I stumbled across the news that not only could I turn my Wii into a media centre, but that I could also install Netflix. Suffice to say, the intervening months have not been kind to my waistline. At times, they haven’t been all that kind to my sanity, either.
How This Freelance Writer Maximises Productivity With Windows 8 & Windows Phone 8
My personal desktop setup has changed considerably in the past few months since purchasing the Acer Iconia W7 series tablet, which I use as my primary PC. Gone is the tower of my old self build AMD-powered game station, replaced by far more compact dimensions, a new monitor and an external HDD. This is the main hub of my professional life: a Windows 8 tablet. Yes, you read that right. Let me demonstrate how you can be productive with Windows 8. It is possible, and with the right apps you can get great results.
3 Portable Options For The Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi – I just can’t stop tinkering with it. Fresh from setting it up as a media centre and a retro games console, I've recently started looking at the possibilities of the device as something more important. You may have seen one of our earlier posts about the unusual uses for a Raspberry Pi. One of these was using it as the computer in a low-budget space program, something that would make the Pi more portable than most computers on earth!
Your Guide To Self-Publishing: From Print To Kindle And Beyond!
They say everyone has a book in them. The moment of completion brings a mix of immense satisfaction… and a confused, horrified reality: “How on earth am I going to publish it?”
How to Install Game Emulators on the Raspberry Pi
Desktop computer, media center, an integral part of a budget space program - is there no end to the versatility of the Raspberry Pi? Seemingly not – because it also does games.