Back in June, during its WWDC conference, Apple released the beta version of its iWork for iCloud applications to registered developers, but now the online programs are slowly being released to general iCloud members.

iWork for iCloud is a suite of online office applications (consisting of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers) that sync with the Mac and iOS versions of the programs. The online versions of iWork mirror most of the main features of the desktop versions, and users will be able to import and edit Word files online as well. The final version of iWork for iCloud will likely be available with the public release of OS X Mavericks, sometime this Fall.

But in the meantime, here’s what you can expect when you finally get your hands on iWork for iCloud.

How It Works

To use iWork for iCloud, you basically enable iCloud on your all your Apple devices. If the beta version of iWork for iCloud has been released to you, you should see all three application icons on the dashboard of your iCloud account, at iCloud.com.

Next, when you create a Pages, Keynote, or Numbers document on your Mac, you will see the option to save it to iCloud, which in turn gets synced across all your devices that have corresponding iWork applications installed.

The first time you save a Mac version of an iWork document to iCloud, a backup copy will automatically be saved online as well. When you update and make changes to the document, and then go online to view the iCloud copy, you will be asked if you want to preserve the original copy or click open a new copy.

Edits you make on an iWork document will automatically get synced to your other devices, without you even having to click the save button. The updates can take several seconds to show up on other devices. Edits are automatically applied to the Mac and iOS versions of documents, but in the online version of documents, you will get a notice of updates.

The biggest plus to using iWork across platforms is that you never have to worry about losing all the work you put into a document. You can also view prior drafts of your iWork documents on your Mac (File > Revert To > Browse All Versions…), or select it from the title bar as shown below.

iWork for iCloud Features

Most of the main features of iWork for OS X and iOS are available in the iCloud versions, but not all. In the current beta version you will be reminded that features not supported in iWork for iCloud will be removed. This is why you should select “Open Copy” when you are asked whether you want to open the original version of the online file or create a copy.

Some of the features not yet supported in the online applications include user comments on documents, voiceover narration in Keynote ’09, linked text boxes, and table categories. Additionally, forms in the iOS version of Numbers are hidden when you open the spreadsheet in Numbers for iCloud beta. See this document for a full list of features not yet supported in iWork for iCloud.

You can create new documents in iWork for iCloud, which also contains templates for each of the programs.

The online applications include many of the essential features and tools for creating documents and projects. Each program includes Text, Formatting, Shape, and Image importing and manipulations tools.

Numbers for iCloud also includes multiple table presets, data formatting, and cell manipulation.

iWork for iCloud also allows you to import Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, as you can on the Mac. If there are any conflicts between versions of documents, iCloud will allow you to choose which document to resolve that conflict.

Conclusion

If you have good, solid Wi-Fi connection, iWork for iCloud works nearly as fast as the Mac versions of iWork. I would say you could probably get most of your work done simply using the online versions of the applications, and over time unsupported features will be addressed in future updates.

There appears, however, no way for iWork users to collaborate directly with iCloud documents. At this point, you can’t invite other users into your account to read and edit documents. You will have to export documents via iCloud Mail in their original format or PDF version.

Let us know what you think of this early version of iWork for iCloud. What additional features you would like to see added?

Did you know that the Nexus 4 actually has LTE functionality? The absolute truth is that yes, it does in fact have LTE, no matter what Google or anyone else may try to tell you. There are plenty of reasons as to why Google doesn’t advertise the LTE functionality and why they try to make it harder for you to enable it. I’ll tell you all of this as well as how to get LTE enabled, how to go back to a stock, non-LTE configuration, and any other important information that you need to be aware of at any point of the process.

Why Is LTE Disabled?

The Nexus 4 contains LTE functionality because it contains the same radio chip as the LG Optimus G. However, LTE is not advertised for the Nexus 4 because, although it has the radio for it, it doesn’t have the corresponding antenna to make full use out of the signal (one of the reasons why it was so relatively cheap). As such, Google/LG did not ask for LTE to be certified by the FCC, so LTE is not an approved feature for the phone. Some could say that using LTE on the phone would be illegal because it was not certified by the FCC, but I haven’t heard of a single person getting in trouble for using LTE on the Nexus 4 — and there are plenty of people who already do it.

The LTE functionality on the Nexus 4 was first discovered through a simple trick that anyone could do to turn the radio’s mode from WCDMA/GSM to LTE/WCDMA/GSM (where LTE is self-explanatory, WCDMA is 3G/HSPA+ data, and GSM is 2G data and voice capabilities). This trick remained functional until February 2013, when Google pushed the Android 4.2.2 update and along with it a new software radio that made accessing the LTE features of the radio impossible (the setting wouldn’t stick).

Disclaimers

Getting LTE back on the Nexus 4 requires quite a bit of work, but it could very well be worth all of the work. There are a few things you need to be aware of before you can even consider going through the process of enabling LTE on the device:

• There is no single way of enabling LTE on the Nexus 4. There are many different ways that work, but the way I’m describing in this article will give you the easiest process with the best chances and the least amount of headaches afterwards.
• Enabling LTE via the process I describe will completely wipe your phone. Back up your data!
• If you have upgraded to Android 4.3 already, it will downgrade you back to Android 4.2.2 until CyanogenMod comes out with the first builds of CM 10.2. The current stable builds at the time of writing are CM 10.1 which are based on Android 4.2.2.
• LTE functionality is restored by flashing an older software radio to the device as the newer software radios disabled LTE. The reason why a certain build of CyanogenMod is being flashed is because it contains a handful of fixes to have the LTE settings stick as well as prevent a possible issue with no audio during phone calls.
• The Nexus 4 only has support for LTE on Band 4 (AWS). In the US, T-Mobile is the only carrier that reliably uses this band for its LTE offerings. In rare cases, AT&T also uses Band 4, but it’s safer to assume this is not the case in your area. For other areas around the world, check with your carrier.
• Battery life is not guaranteed while using LTE, but I’ve had pretty positive experiences with it. A stronger signal usually translates into longer battery life.

Enabling LTE

With all of this information in mind, are you still ready to proceed? If so, you’ll need to create a folder somewhere on your computer and download the following files:

• An unofficial build of CyanogenMod which contains LTE-specific cherry-picks. Just go to the first post in the thread and expand the Downloads section. I’d recommend downloading the latest stable build rather than a nightly build.
• An LTE-ready software radio. Any radio from the linked post that doesn’t have LTE disabled will do, but I recommend that you use the .33 radio.
• The latest version of ClockworkMod Recovery for the Google Nexus 4. I recommend getting the regular recovery rather than the touch recovery because it prevents you from accidentally touching an option you didn’t want.
• The Google Apps package. You do want Gmail, Play Store, etc., right? Get the version for the corresponding build of CyanogenMod (at the time of writing, 10.1)

Besides these files, you’re also going to need to install the Android Tools onto your computer. These provide utilities such as adb and fastboot that you’ll need for your computer to be able to communicate with your phone. Searching for Android tools in Linux repositories should be easy, while Windows and Mac OS X users should look up documentation on how to find, install, and use the tools. The following instructions will be for Linux users, but Windows and Mac OS X commands will most likely be very similar to these. If you aren’t able to look up the documentation for your operating system for these tools or get them to work, you may want to think again about messing with your phone. If you do everything correctly, things will go smooth; do something wrong and you can find yourself acquainted with a new paperweight.

The CyanogenMod build and the Google Apps package should be in .zip format — no need to extract anything from those. The software radio and the recovery image should be in an .img format, so extract those if they’re still in a .zip file.

Now, follow these instructions step-by-step. Be sure to double check everything before continuing to the next step. Again, these commands will be specifically for Linux users but users of other operating systems should be able to use very similar commands.

1. Connect your phone to your computer (with Android Tools installed) via a USB cable.
2. Turn your phone off, then turn it on again by holding the Volume Down and Power buttons. You should see a new screen — this is called the fastboot screen.

1. On your computer, open up a command terminal, use the cd command to go to the directory with all of the needed files, and type: sudo fastboot devices. If something besides a blank appears, your computer has detected the phone and you may proceed.
2. Type into the terminal: sudo fastboot oem unlock
3. Should this command work, your phone should now prompt you about unlocking the bootloader. This will allow you to flash all of the other software, but it will wipe everything on your phone! Agree by using the Volume buttons to navigate, and the Power button to “enter”, then continue.
4. Type into the terminal: sudo fastboot flash recovery my_recovery_file.bin. This command will write the new recovery image to your phone. Of course, replace my_recovery_file.img with the actual name of the recovery image.
5. Before we switch over to using the recovery, we’ll also flash the older software radio by typing this command into the terminal: sudo fastboot flash radio my_radio_file.img. Again, replace my_radio_file.img with the actual name of the software radio.
6. Now, reboot your phone into fastboot mode again, and then use the Volume buttons to switch between different options at the top of the screen, and use the Power button once you see ‘Recovery”.

You have now replaced the Recovery with something else that will make installing the rest of the software easier.

If you’re in the new Recovery, you should see an orange circle with a hat on it. To install the rest, do the following on your phone (with it still attached to your computer via a USB cable):

1. Choose “wipe data/factory reset”
2. Go back to the main menu of the recovery, then choose “install zip from sideload”
3. On the computer, type into your computer’s terminal the command: adb sideload cm_xxxx.zip. Of course, replace cm_xxxx.zip with the actual name of the CyanogenMod file you downloaded.
4. Once installation completes, repeat step 2 and then type into your computer’s terminal: adb sideload gapps_xxxx.zip. Replace gapps_xxxx.zip with the actual name of the Google Apps package.
5. Once you have done all of this, choose “reboot system now” from the main menu on your phone, and let your new LTE-ready Android installation load!

Post-Process Tips

After you go through Android’s initial setup process, there are a few more things you need to be aware of:

1. Because the phone’s battery stats were deleted during this process, you can make the battery indicator more accurate by calibrating the battery. This is done by draining the battery until your phone shuts off, then keep attempting to turn on your phone (and letting it shut down again) until it finally doesn’t want to on any more. Then plug your phone into a power source and immediately turn it on. It’ll then be able to record at what levels the battery is at “0%” and “100%”. This is best done overnight so that the phone is plugged in an entire night to ensure that it is indeed fully charged. Otherwise, the phone might indicate it’s fully charged when it really isn’t yet.
2. Ensure that the phone is indeed now looking for an LTE signal. You can do this by going into the phone’s system settings, choosing More under Wireless & Networks, and then Mobile Networks. The option labeled Network Mode should read “Preferred network mode: LTE/GSM/WCDMA”. If not, click on it to change the setting.
3. T-Mobile US users: You need to ensure that the phone is using the LTE APN settings rather than the old APN settings. The phone should automatically choose this based on what’s available in your area during the first boot, so this is even more important if you do this in an area where LTE isn’t available yet. Go into the phone’s system settings, choose More under Wireless & Networks, then Mobile Networks, and finally Access Point Names. The unofficial build of CyanogenMod you installed has 4 APNs built-in, so choose the APN labeled T-Mobile US LTE by clicking on its respective radio button.
4. If your area has an LTE signal, your phone should pick it up within a few minutes. Do note that the phone automatically switches to 3G/HSPA+ during voice calls. This is normal if your carrier does not yet support VoLTE (Voice over LTE), which most don’t, including T-Mobile US.
5. Do not update your version of Android through the included CyanogenMod updater. It will pull official CyanogenMod packages rather than the unofficial LTE-enabled build we used, which in turn would remove the stickiness of the LTE settings.

You should now have LTE on your Nexus 4, hoorah!

I’ve noticed quite a bit of speed improvements by using LTE, and it can help future-proof your Nexus 4 to make it last even longer than you originally thought.

Returning to Stock Android

If for whatever reason you want to go back to the official stock version of Android which doesn’t include LTE (such as if LTE didn’t give you as big of an improvement, if you don’t like CyanongenMod, or if you’re planning on selling your Nexus 4), it’s fairly easy to get your phone back to a factory state. Be warned that this will wipe your device again. You’ll need to head over to Google’s Android Developer Images site and download the latest version for the Nexus 4 “mako/occam”. I’d recommend just choosing the latest (Android 4.3 at the time of writing) because there’s little reason to stick with an earlier release. Once the download completes, move the two included .img files from the .zip into a separate folder, and then open the secondary .zip and move those .img files into the same separate folder as well.

Then, boot your phone into fastboot mode, connect it to your computer via a USB cable, open up a command terminal on your computer, and “cd” into the separate folder containing all the .img files. Then type in the following commands:

1. sudo fastboot devices (to make sure that the computer sees your Nexus 4)
2. sudo fastboot flash bootloader bootloader_xxxx.img (Replace bootloader_xxxx.img with the actual file name)
3. sudo fastboot reboot-bootloader
4. sudo fastboot flash radio radio_xxxx.img (Replace radio_xxxx.img with the actual file name. For Android 4.3, the version should end in a .84)
5. sudo fastboot reboot-bootloader
6. sudo fastboot flash system system.img
7. sudo fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
8. sudo fastboot flash boot boot.img
9. sudo fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
10. sudo fastboot format cache (to remove any old traces of the old system)
11. OPTIONAL: sudo fastboot oem lock (this re-locks the bootloader to prevent future tinkering with the device, i.e. forces you to “unlock” the bootloader again and wipe the device before tinkering)
12. sudo fasboot reboot

You should now be booting into a completely Google-official build of Android for the Nexus 4.

Conclusion

Being able to enable LTE for the Nexus 4 is fantastic, and can surely benefit you wherever it’s available. Like I said, it does take a lot of effort to get going, but I’m pretty happy with its LTE capabilities. I get great data speeds, and it convinced me that I can keep my Nexus 4 for a lot longer rather than dropping it now to get an LTE-enabled (and advertised) phone.

Any feedback on LTE on the Nexus 4?  Show us your data speeds after enabling LTE!

Are you thinking of purchasing a new or used smartphone or computer? This new device might suffer from a fault or defect. Before you take the plunge, there’s a variety of stress-tests and diagnostics you should perform. While you absolutely must test used electronics, even brand new smartphones and computers can suffer from defects that you may not notice until after a 30-day return policy expires. To this end, testing all newly acquired equipment remains extremely important.

The basic idea of “stress-testing” your devices is to force the CPU to work as hard as possible – if any internal component possesses a defect, stress testing will likely break the device. While not for everyone – particularly those uncomfortable with breaking their device—stress testing provides a great way of discovering potential future issues with the hardware.

This article details several methods of vetting a new or used device on Windows and Android. It covers a selection of mobile apps and desktop programs that can effectively identify problems before you encounter them. Additionally, I detail some of my methods for analyzing used and new electronics.

How To Check An Android Smartphone For Problems

Diagnostic methods for Android devices: The diagnostic method used on a Smartphone differs between new and used devices. A new phone likely comes with some kind of warranty period, whereas a used phone purchased from Craigslist comes with only the warning: caveat emptor, i.e. let the buyer beware. Any diagnostic method should conform to whether or not you’re under warranty.

Because of the complexity in manufacturing modern electronics, oftentimes not all components on a smartphone will work – for most phones you can only test the SIM card slot, SD card slot and USB port. The phone’s sensors, such as the gyroscope or accelerometer, can’t be examined or tested through physical inspection. Fortunately, you can install software capable of scanning your device’s sensors. Two of the best apps for checking your phone out are Android Sensor Box and Elixir 2.

Applications

• Android Sensor Box: After you install and run the app, the start screen essentially shows each of the sensors of your phone. Disabled components will show a red circle with a line through it over the icon. Broken components, when tested, will show erroneous sensor readings. For example, if you use the “Orientation Sensor” and the bubbles don’t move at all, it means the sensor is either broken or miscalibrated. On a used phone, if you don’t need the sensor, it gives you a tack to negotiate for a lower price.

• Elixir 2: It only provides a readout of the function sensors – but even so, it’s an amazing program. Erez did an excellent breakdown of Elixir 2’s functions, which range from providing sensor analysis to a detailed breakdown of internal hardware components. It’s actually a one-stop shop for vetting an Android handset.
• Stability Test: This Android stress test application will run your CPU at the highest possible frequency. While you definitely don’t want to leave the device running overnight, approximately 30 minutes of testing should prove a device’s reliability. If the devices reboots or crashes under testing, it’s a good sign something is wrong. If it breaks, well, thank god for that warranty.

If you frequent Craigslist, as I do, you know that buying used provides one of the best means of acquiring a good smartphone for cheap. It’s also a great way to get ripped off, particularly if you don’t check the phone’s functionality. Although you probably won’t be stress-testing a phone in the presence of its owner, you can use such software as Elixir 2 to make sure you’re not buying a knock-off. You can also use Android Sensor Box to examine your device for potentially dead sensors. However, be aware that not all devices include all the available sensors. Before testing, make sure you know which sensors your phone employs (a Google search will reveal this).

How To Check A Windows Computer For Problems

Diagnostic Methods for Windows computers: New or used computers mostly use the same diagnostic methods. While you won’t be stress testing, or performing a serious diagnostic on a laptop off of Craigslist, you can still test all its ports to make sure you’re not buying something with defective ports. A useful software to run on a used computer is CPU-Z, which will tell you whether or not you’re buying what the seller claims – CPU-Z can reveal the internal components of a computer, including CPU, hard drive and RAM.

Of course, you will also check all the ports on the computer. To do so will require that you bring along a USB flash drive, potentially an SD card and whatever other ports the laptop comes equipped with, such as a PC card, PS2 mouse and SD card.

If you purchased a computer brand new, you have a great deal of options for testing it out within your warranty period. Out of the many applications out there, I suggest using a stress test using Prime95.

Applications

• Prime95: As with smartphones, a computer is only as strong as its weakest component. Stress testing runs the system at its absolute peak and if anything is defective, it will likely fail. Using Prime95 is ridiculously easy — just start the software up and let it run for an an hour on a desktop and around a half hour on a laptop. Don’t let it run overnight, as running your computer at its peak for extended periods can cause serious, permanent damage.

• Stopping Prime95: Also be aware that the program will not stop unless you select “Test -> Stop” from the menu bar. If you don’t stop Prime95, your computer will run very slowly. If you leave it on for too long, it may cause actual damage.

• Bootable USB or disk: There’s a variety of software available that will perform boot time scans of your computer’s internal components. Parts that you will want to scan, in particular, are RAM, your hard drive and your CPU. Unfortunately, some components can’t be easily examined for potential problems, such as your motherboard and power supply. Out of all the many USB bootable diagnostic tools available, I cannot suggest Parted Magic enough. It includes all manner of hardware diagnostic tools. Justin wrote an excellent review and guide about this hardware Diagnostics toolbox on a Live CD, which is a must read for those looking to perform PC hardware analysis.
• CPU-Z: Software exists that can provide a readout of your internal components. This provides great utility for those seeking to verify the internal components of a laptop or desktop PC. Pay close attention to the “CPU” and “Memory” tabs. These will indicate the true CPU clockspeed and amount of RAM installed on your system. You may also wish to check the Graphics tab, if your system also includes a graphics processor. For those of you looking for additional troubleshooting tips for your graphics card, read Ryan’s great article on the subject of troubleshooting annoying video problems. It covers GPU stress testing methods, as well, which can be used to stress test GPUs.

Overall, a good analysis method will combine diagnostic software with stress testing. Even though desktops can take quite a bit of stress before breaking, remember to not run the stress test software for more than an hour or two. And for God’s sake, use common sense.

Conclusion

For those of you seeking to purchase new or used electronics, strongly consider a combination of diagnostic and stress testing software to weed out potential lemons. As many consumers know, most faulty electronics fail within the first year of ownership. Stress testing and diagnostic software may save you a great deal of money.

I can personally vouch for this method. Stress testing successfully weeded out a lemon Asus laptop, well within the warranty period. Handling returns within the first 30-days of a purchase, for most major retailers, is much easier than dealing with the factory warranty, which oftentimes requires that you pay for return shipping.

Anyone else use a rigorous examination process of new or newly purchased used devices? Let us know in the comments.

Possibilities of our brain are infinitely vast. If you do your own brain workout, you can get enormous opportunities and achieve  success in business, career and communication.

A person owes all his achievements in work, studies or society to the hard work of his brain. Brain activity is important for pupils and students, businessmen and employees. Everyone knows that learning new things, reading books, watching educational programs have a positive effect on the brain.

But how to develop a way of thinking that would activate the parts of the brain that have not been involved before? Brain training does not require a lot of time, 15 minutes a day will be quite enough.

There is a simple way to take another look at the possibilities of your brain. Take 4 white sheets of paper. On the first sheet write something familiar with your dominant hand from left to right. On the second one write the same, but in the opposite direction. On the third and the fourth ones do the same with the other hand. The first sheet is an example which you should aspire to. Repeat your efforts every day and you will see that you will begin to think differently. This simple exercise makes your inactive area of ​​the brain work.

As a result, this training will allow you to take non-standard solutions and to find an easy way out even in the most difficult situations, which will be quite useful at work and in other spheres of life.

We eat to provide our body with energy and gain strength to perform daily activities. Likewise, we constantly need to replenish the energy of our mind.

Learn to keep yourself motivated

If you are not satisfied with the results, if you are wondering how to keep yourself motivated, you have already taken the first step. It is important to identify and accept your shortcomings and failures because only then can you make an effort to overcome them. Nevertheless, the first step is the beginning of a journey and you must go ahead to reach the goal.

Plan your day

Those who have achieved success will tell you how important is the planning. It will help you organize your day and not be distracted by unnecessary details. If you are distracting, you are wasting the energy which is necessary for really important affairs.

Surround yourself with people with a positive attitude

To maintain motivation, try to surround yourself with successful people. It is not necessary that they are rich. The key qualities are determination and positive attitude to life. With such people it is easier to maintain optimism and perseverance in achieving your goals. There is nothing more effective than a living example of positive motivation.

Do not violate the moral law

Evil thoughts, gossip, lies, and a habit of justifying one’s bad actions are the biggest obstacles to success. Allowing yourself to write off all your failures to the circumstances or the machinations of enemies you can’t find a remedy to the situation. By gossip and malice you will only waste your energy and surround yourself with negativity difficult to get rid of.

Pay attention to yourself

We spend a lot of energy on thinking about other people. How they live, what they do and how they treat us. If we reorient this energy to ourselves, it will greatly facilitate our lives.

Learn to forgive yourself

Anger for our failure is a thing which hangs a heavy burden on us. It takes a lot of space in our minds and gives us nothing but weariness and bitterness. If you haven’t managed to cope with a challenge, try not to wallow in self-pity. You have no choice but to continue working and moving ahead to your goal. The ability to forgive yourself is very important in maintaining strength and spirit to achieve the goal.

Learn to say no to things and people that uselessly take up your time. Do not waste your strength on fruitless dreams. Set a goal and achieve it regardless of the possibility of failure. Remember that nothing is impossible if you have an unshakable intention to succeed in it.