If you, for example, install multiple media player applications on your Android device, you’ll find that Android will give you the choice of which application to launch by default when you open a media file or document. However, you may later want to change this default setting.

To do so, go to Settings > Applications > Manage applications and then press the "All" tab. Choose the application that you previously selected as default, and scroll to the section "Launch by default" and press the "Clear defaults" button. Next time you open that particular type of file in the future, Android will prompt you again to choose a new default app.

Ever surfed for the number of a pizza place on your iPhone and just wanted to dial the phone number straight from the webpage? If you are using the default browser on your iPhone, which is Safari, that's no problem at all.

Safari automatically converts numbers that look like phone numbers into links. If you press those links, a popup window will appear giving you the option to call the number from there or cancel. No need to write down or even copy and paste the numbers.

What a bummer! Microsoft Outlook 2010 doesn’t let you disable the “No Subject” warning that pops up every time you try to send an email without filling in the Subject line. Yes, it does let you send the email (without the subject) eventually but there’s no way you can send it without being forced to confirm your action. But don’t lose hope just yet, the warning can definitely be disabled but you’ll have to use Peter Marchert’s macro for that. Don’t worry; it works just fine in Outlook 2010!

So, here’s how you can enable macros (make sure you put the function in the ThisOutlookSession module under Microsoft Outlook Objects, though):

1. Click the Developer tab.
2. Go to Code group and click Macro Security.
3. If necessary, select Macro Settings in the left pane.
4. Click the Enable All Macros (Not Recommended; Potentially Dangerous Code Can Run) option.
5. Click OK.
6. Close and restart Outlook.

But before you do this, make sure that you really want it. By choosing to enable macros, you’re allowing Outlook 2010 to run all macros without permission or notification. So, this is a decision you should take depending on your environment. Plus, sending emails without subjects is considered to be rude. Even spam filters usually snag messages without subjects. So, are you sure you want to bid farewell to the warning once and for all?

Need help with your Toronto and area business IT?  Contact CAT-TEC today to learn more about our complete range of IT support services to Toronto and area business.

If you are using Internet Explorer and Windows 7, you may have noticed that when you mouse over an IE browser window, a preview of the open tabs in the browser is shown. While this is useful to give you an idea of the sites you have open, it can get annoying if you have multiple tabs open at the same time. If you would prefer to disable this feature, you can.

Just go to Tools > Internet Options (in the upper right-hand corner of the browser) and then click on the "Settings" button in the window that pops up. In the list of Tabbed Browsing Settings, uncheck "Show previews for individual tabs in the taskbar." Click on OK and you should be good to go.

A very useful feature in Microsoft Office is called "AutoRecover", which automatically saves your document at specified time intervals so that in case of an application or system crash, Office can recover its latest version.

By default this is set to 10 minutes, but you can change this easily by clicking on the Office button within the application, and then clicking on the "Word Options" or "Excel Options" (or other application) button in the lower right hand side of the window. Go to the "Save" section and look for "Save AutoRecover information every…" and change the settings there. Be sure to click "OK" to save your preference. A word of caution: setting the interval at very short timespans such as every 1 minute can slow down your computer with frequent writes to the hard disk. Try a number between 5 minutes to 10 minutes first.

Leaving your computer for a short time but don't want anyone peeking at your desktop or files? Simply lock it. When you lock your desktop, anyone who wants to use it will have to log in using their username and password.

One way to do this is to press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then click on "Lock Computer." A quicker way is to press the Windows logo key and the L key.

In Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, you can set an animation to trigger when you click on an object. This is a simple way to add and control interactivity to your presentation. To add an animation trigger, select an object that already has animation applied to it.

On the “Animations” tab, in the “Advanced Animations” group, click “Animation Pane” and then select the animation that you want to trigger. Back in the Advanced Animation group, click and hold on “Trigger” and select “On Click of” and select the object for which you wish to trigger the animation when clicked.

With Windows 7, there are easier and faster ways to rename multiple files in one sweep. The first way is to click on a file's name and rename it as usual, then press the "Tab" key to access the next file in the list.

Another way is to select multiple files (press the Ctrl key or Shift key and select the desired files), then right click on the first file and choose "Rename" to give it a new name. The rest of the files will be renamed with the same name. For example, if you name the first file "image", it will become "image (1)" followed by "image (2)" and so on.

Google Chrome allows you the option to search within a specific site. First type the web address of the site you want to search in the address bar, and then press the "Tab" key.

If Google Chrome has a record of the site's search engine, you’ll be offered the option to search within that site only. Try it with sites such as LinkedIn, Bing, and Yahoo.

Have you seen QR codes? Those black modules arranged in square patterns on white backgrounds that can be found everywhere these days? We are sure you have. Known as Quick Response Codes, these matrix two dimensional barcodes are machine readable and contain encoded information which may be text, a URL, or other data.

Unlike linear one-dimensional codes that can hold only up to 20 numerical digits, QR codes contain thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. And they are user friendly too! Whether you have a smartphone or a dumb phone, it can easily decode QR codes as long as it is camera equipped and can scan those codes via software that is already installed on your phone. You can also use downloadable applications like Lynkee Reader or i-nigma Reader that are compatible with iPhone, Blackberry,  HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia. Plus, this is an open technology which means QR codes can be created and scanned using a variety of mobile apps, giving you greater flexibility. No wonder they are becoming so popular in the United States! Did we tell you? These codes were created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 and have been around for years in Japan. So, how do you use this hugely popular yet extremely simple technology to promote your business? Here’s how:

• Increase website sales: Since QR codes can lead to specific URLs, create codes that lead to certain products on your site – especially ones that are new or slow moving.
• Build your E-mail subscriber list: Create a link to your e-mail signup form and make sure to make people subscribe to your newsletter; give them a reason to sign up.
• Business cards: Keep your business card simple with a QR code that leads people to your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn pages, etc.
• Contests, discounts, sweepstakes, giveaways: Offer theses in conjunction with QR codes and get ready to go viral. You can place these codes in your advertisements or post them on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
• Direct Mail: According to an article titled “Why There’s a Direct Mail QR Code Explosion Happening Now”, the U.S. Postal Service is basically paying advertisers to use QR codes!
• E-courses: If you are an expert at something, offer e-courses accessible through QR codes. Create a QR code that generates an e-mail that instructs your autoresponder to automatically start sending daily, weekly or monthly e-mails that contain course lessons and other pertinent information.
• Flyers: Put your QR codes on flyers too. They are still very much effective and will become even more effective if you offer discounts.
• Scratch and Win Cards Promotion: Take the excitement of scratch and win cards a notch higher by making people scan those cards.
• Free Downloads: Distribute e-books or software using QR codes. Make that free and your customers are sure to get scanning. How about offering specials if they sign up for your newsletter?
• Customer Service Help: QR codes can also be used to give customers more information about your product or service. Just create a QR code that leads to a FAQ page where customers can get answers to their questions via email or live chat. You can even tell them about upcoming products.