The keyboard on Windows Phone works really well. We can type really fast on it, but maybe it’s because we’ve been using Windows Phone devices for a while now. Whether you’re already a pro at typing away several emails or just getting familiar with a new Windows Phone device, there are definitely some tips and tricks that will make you type faster. We’ve gathered 7 keyboard tips that will help new users or those who may have not had the time to experiment.

1. Tap space bar twice for period

This could be the oldest trick in the book and many of you may already know it. Just tap the spacebar twice to type a period. This helps end those sentences quickly.

2. Swipe to numbers or symbols

Need to type a number or symbol quickly? It might be faster for you to swipe from the symbol button &123 to the number or symbol. Press and hold the &123 button and then drag it to what you want to type. If you plan to type a lot of numbers consecutively, then it will probably be faster to tap &123 and then the number or symbol.

3. Swipe to common punctuations

Need a quick way to end a sentence with an exclamation point or question mark? Press and hold the period button, then drag your finger to any of the common punctuations.

4. Swipe to .org, .edu, or .net

When you’re typing a URL in Internet Explorer, a dedicated .com button shows up in the keyboard. What if you want .org, .edu, or .net? Just press and hold the .com button and then swipe to the extension you want.

5. Press and hold for CAPS LOCK

You probably already know that you need to tap the shift button first to type a capital letter. If you want to type everything in CAPS, you have two options: double tap the shift button, or press and hold it. That activates CAPS lock.

6. Fast emoticons

Do you use the emoticon button on the keyboard for smiley faces and hundreds of other pictures? There’s a setting you should know that will help you type faster. Go to settings > keyboard > advanced, and click the box that says “switch back to letters after I type an emoticon.” Leave this unchecked if you send many emoticons consecutively in one message.

7. Add words to Word Flow

The Windows Phone keyboard features Word Flow, which means you get text suggestions as you type. Sometimes, the phone even corrects your typing for you. If there’s a word that you use a lot that the phone doesn’t know, it will learn it automatically. You can add new words manually by typing it first, then click to select it. Tap the plus sign to add it to the suggestion list.

You can reset the suggestions list by going to settings > keyboard > advanced, and clicking the ‘reset suggestions’ button.

So, those are 7 tips that will make you type faster on Windows Phone. Do you already follow these tips? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!

We were hopeful that the replacement shells we found earlier would add Qi wireless charging to our AT&T variant of the Nokia Lumia 1520, but that didn’t work. Fortunately, there is another method found by WPCentral forum member, SonarTech. It is a bit complicated and requires some soldering skills.

Head past the break if you feel brave enough to tackle this challenge.

Before you start, you should know that this is a hardware hack. It will void your warranty and risks damaging your Lumia 1520. Continue at your own risk.

We’re interested in this hack because AT&T removed the built-in Qi wireless charging in favor of PMA with optional accessories. This means the Nokia wireless chargers you already have will not support Qi-enabled wireless charging covers for the Lumia 1520 on AT&T.

Still interested? Here are the materials you need:

• AT&T Nokia Lumia 1520
• Self-contained Qi Charging element (SonarTech used a Lumia 920 TDK charging coil)
• Solid core bus wire, 24-26 AWG
• X-Acto Knife
• Kapton Tape
• Digital Multi-meter

Got that? Now head over to the WPCentral forums and follow the instructions by SonarTech. You can also see the discovery process that has led to the final solution. Good luck and let us know if you succeed!

If you have the Nokia Lumia 1520 from AT&T and plan to travel overseas, you’re probably interested in unlocking the device so you can use local a SIM. This will save you money on roaming fees or international rates. AT&T makes it very easy to unlock your device by providing an online form, but you must meet several requirements.

We have just unlocked our AT&T Nokia Lumia 1520. Read on to find out how.

1. Get your IMEI number

The IMEI number is a unique number that identifies your phone. You can get this from your original box or by going to settings > about > more info.

2. Head to AT&T’s Device Unlock Portal

AT&T’s Device Unlock Portal makes it very convenient to request your unlock code. It asks whether you’re a prepaid, postpaid, or previous customer. You also need to provide other information like your name, last 4 digits of SSN, telephone number, and email address. Insert the IMEI number you acquired from the first step, then click submit.

3. Wait for unlock code

AT&T may take up to 5 business days to email you the unlock code. We got ours in 2 days. They’ll check if you meet the requirements:

• a current AT&T customer
• a former AT&T customer who can provide the phone number or account number for the account
• The AT&T Mobile Device was designed for use on AT&T's network.
• The AT&T Mobile Device has been paid for in full.
• The AT&T Mobile Device has not been reported lost or stolen.

There are more customer-specific requirements listed at the Device Unlock Portal.

4. Enter unlock code

Once AT&T emails you the 20-digit unlock code, you can enter it on your Nokia Lumia 1520 device. Go to the phone dialer and tap ##7820#. You are allowed ten attempts to insert the code before your device permanently locks to AT&T. When unlock code is inserted correctly, the Lumia 1520 shows a picture of an opened lock.

That’s it! You can now use SIM cards from other compatible wireless services. Did you follow the steps above? Let us know in the comments if you are able to unlock your Lumia 1520! You can also follow the discussion in our forums where crav4speed has found the Lumia 1520 is now unlockable through AT&T’s portal.    

With all the neglect we’ve seen the Xbox Windows Phone versions of multiplatform games receive, Electronic Arts’ treatment of The Sims FreePlay is nothing short of amazing. Since debuting in September of last year, FreePlay has been updated four times already. These updates contain more than simple bug fixes. They tweak the gameplay and add new content and quests to the game. Each time FreePlay receives a major update on iOS and Android, a Windows Phone update follows closely behind.

The latest Sims FreePlay to arrive adds two huge new quests: “Adulthood” and “Seniors.” By completing these quests, players can advance their teenage Sims to adulthood and even grow regular Sims into wrinkly old elderly Sims. More details and quest walkthroughs after the break!

Adulthood

Up until now, FreePlay’s Sim children could advance in age but they couldn’t become adults. Thanks to the “Adulthood” quest, it’s now possible for the little ‘uns to grow up. You must be level 19 or higher to participate in this quest. It consists of the following goals:

• Send a Sim to the Park
• Rearrange Chess Board... (8 hours)
• Hide in the Park Toilet (4 hours, but counts as completed instantly)
• Bring a second Sim to the Park
• Continue Playing Chess (4 hours)
• Ridicule another Sim (3 hours 12 minutes)
• Stare vacantly into the Park Fountain (1 day)
• Dance to Electronica (music) in the Park (5 hours)
• Have 3 Sims in the Park
• Complain to a Sim (1 minutes)
• Mock another Sim (1 day)
• Grill Em All on the BBQ (8 hours)
• Call a Sim to the Swim Centre
• Use the Slide (7 seconds)
• Drink an Energy Drink at the Swim Centre (30 minutes)
• Ridicule the Trophy Case (1 day)
• Send a Sim Home
• Watch the News (star level dependent 3-5 minutes)
• Confess to a Sim (30 minutes)
• Clean up Trash (16 hours)
• Have 5 Sims dance to a Park Stereo (5 hours but counts as completed immediately)

Complete “Adulthood” in one week after starting it to unlock the Fashion Pack for your adult Sims. These new outfits are available in the Salon or when creating a Sim.

Seniors

Complete the “Seniors” quest and your adult Sims can finally turn into senior citizens like Windows Phone Central’s own George Ponder (I kid). Just what you always wanted, right? You must be level 21 or higher to complete this quest.

• Send a Sim to the Swimming Centre
• Feed the Pigeons (2 seconds)
• Investigate Pigeons (7 minutes)
• Wait for a Senior on a Park Bench (3 minutes 20 seconds)
• Investigate THE DOOR in the Park (10 sec)
• Welcome senior Sim (Welcome future-self! 5 seconds)
• Talk to a senior (1 minute)
• Stand on the X (4 seconds)
• Complain to a Senior (1 minute)
• Warn Simanity on a Soap Box (1 day)
• Complain to a senior (1 minute)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Search garbage for cupcake (2 hours) (Kick over the trash can first.)
• Search garbage for cupcakes of doom II (16 hours) (This can be the same trash can you just kicked over.)
• Dispose of cupcake (25 seconds) (Use the same trash can as before.)
• Send present-self to the park
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Dance with future-self (10 seconds)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Visit the Snow Park
• Go ice skating (devoted dance, 1 day)
• Snowball fight at Snow Park (2 hours)
• Talk to the senior (1 minute)(Located in the park)
• Build the Bingo Hall on the island (36 hours) (Must be level 21)
• Partake in a 24hour Fishathon (24 hours)
• Complain to future-self (1 minute)
• Get 5 Sims together in a house
• Woohoo with a Sim (5 minutes)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)

Finish “Seniors” within three days of starting it to unlock the Limited Edition Exercise Bike for Seniors.

More changes

As usual, the update brings a few more changes to the game:

• “Needle and Thread” – Starting on February 3rd, players of level 23 or higher can enjoy the new hobby of sewing.
• “Bird Feeding” – Starting on February 19th, players of level 25 or higher can unlock a pet bird and participate in this new hobby.
• The Bingo Hall unlocks within the Mysterious Island after completing the Seniors quest. Glad they’re making the island more useful!
• New houses: Renovator’s Dream, Two tory Unfurnished House, and Three Story Unfurnished House
• Fashion designing no longer requires players to complete a minigame when designing clothes. Thank goodness!
• The Fashion and Dress Shop is now called the Costume and Swim Shop. The Hair Salon is now just the Salon.
• The SimTracker menu has been revamped to include the age group of each Sim.
• The Quest Tracker at the bottom of the screen displays only the number of active tasks now, not the actual goal descriptions. Select the Tracker to see your current goals.
• When a Sim fishes and gets eaten by a giant fish, it takes longer to escape from the fish. Not an improvement.
• When selecting an object to interact with, the object’s star value is now displayed above its name. Fancy!

Get your Sim on

Electronic Arts’ commitment to The Sims FreePlay on Windows Phone makes other mobile Xbox publishers (including Microsoft) look terrible by comparison. EA has grown FreePlay into not just a legitimate Sims game, but also one of the best free to play games out there.

If your phone has the memory to run it, try FreePlay today. And don’t miss our review, Achievement Guide, In-App Purchase Guide, and Teen Takeover update guide!

• The Sims FreePlay – Windows Phone 8 (1 GB of RAM) – 553 MB – Free – Store Link

Thanks to Eric DiDomenico for tipping us on the update!

We check out a lot of phones here at WPCentral, so we frequently switch where our SIM cards go. Many devices nowadays like the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1020 have SIM card trays that require pins to open. It can be frustrating when we lose them. Good luck asking around for one. Chances are, they aren’t carrying it.

We have one quick tip that will make it hard to lose your SIM card tray pin. Put it in your key ring!

We never leave the house without our keys, wallet, and phone. The SIM card tray pin does not take up too much space, so it fits nicely in they key ring.

When we get a new device, we normally use the pin once to insert our SIM card and then set it aside. Putting the pin in the key ring ensures we never lose it again. Do you have another way of storing your SIM card tray pin? Let us know in the comments!

So you are new to Windows Phone, loaded a ton of apps and games on to your phone and now face a hard reset that will wipe out everything. Or even better, you bought a new Windows Phone. The good news is that all the apps and games you’ve purchased won’t have to be re-purchased, as those licenses are linked to your Microsoft Account. The better news is that you can backup your app listings to make re-installing things a lot easier.

While many of the seasoned Windows Phone users already know this, we have a few discussions going on in the Windows Phone Central Forums asking about re-installing apps and games after a hard reset. WPCentral reader WaseemAkram poses that very question in this forums discussion and several readers quickly stepped up to offer reassurances that he would not have to re-purchase all his apps and games.

In the same discussion, we are reminded of the backup feature that is available in our Windows Phone settings. If you go to Settings, scroll down a bit and you will find a Backup section. Here you can create a backup file for your app list and settings, backup your text messages and turn on/off the SkyDrive auto-upload feature for your photos.

Everything from your theme color, Internet Explorer favorites and a list of all your apps/games will be backed up making restoring everything after a hard reset or transitioning to a new Windows Phone a lot easier.

The one downside to the backup is that it won’t save your Start Screen configuration. You’ll still need to configure that by hand after you get all your apps and games re-installed.

Backups and restores getting better

Windows Phone 8 Update 3 (build 10517 and later) makes things a bit easier by allowing you to choose your Wi-Fi connection before the account sync and restore process. This ensures that the downloading of apps and the restore go more quickly when you first boot up your new phone (previously, you connected to Wi-Fi after your restore, which was much more tedious).

Early reports also suggest that Windows Phone 8.1 will go much further with this backup/restore function, similar to how Windows 8.1 on the PC works now.

If you’ve had any experiences or additional tips on restoring your apps and games to a Windows Phone, feel free to jump into the discussion:

• WPCentral Forums - Do I have to purchase apps again after resetting my phone.

Light paintings are made with moving light sources in front of a camera to create an image. You need long exposure so the camera can capture the flow of moving lights. Nokia’s latest video shows how an expert light painter does it, using the Nokia Lumia 1020 with Nokia Camera. They also share tips on how you can do it, too. Head past the break to watch the video.

Tips on creating light paintings using your Nokia Lumia smartphones:

• Set the Nokia Lumia on a steady surface or tripod
• Access the camera control panel by swiping the camera icon left for adjustable settings
• Set the ISO at a low level – 100 – 200
• Set the shutter speed to four seconds
• Set the white balance to the ‘light-bulb’ setting
• Set focus to infinite
• Set the self timer to 10 seconds
• Experiment with different light sources for stunning effects
• To make the most of the four seconds, get your friends to join in to create more light trails in a single shot

This looks really cool. We’re going to try this out when it gets dark. Will you be trying to light paint? Share some of your creations in the comments!

Source: Nokia Conversations

There might be a situation in which you might have to reinstall apps you’ve already purchased from the Windows Phone Store. Perhaps, you just upgraded to another Window Phone device or you have accidentally deleted an app. You do not have to pay for them again. We’ll show you three ways to reinstall apps or games you've bought without paying for them again.

Reinstall from the Windows Phone Store

The first way to reinstall an app is by simply searching for it at the Windows Phone Store from your device. Don’t worry if there’s a ‘buy’ button. Windows Phone will recognize if you’ve bought it already so you don’t have to pay for it again. After clicking the buy button, you’ll get this message:

You’ve already purchased this app. Would you like to install it again?

We know this could confuse some people, especially new users. We think Microsoft should fix this so that we see “Re-install” instead of “buy” on apps that were already purchased.

Reinstall from your computer

You can reinstall apps from windowsphone.com on your desktop browser. Sign in and click the ‘Purchase history’ option under the drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of the screen. Find the app you want to reinstall and click Reinstall.

In order for this to work, your phone must be set up to receive apps from windowsphone.com.  Go to settings > Find My Phone, and check the box that says “Send apps to phone using push notifications (not SMS)”

Reinstall from App Reinstaller

Another option is to use a third-party application called App Reinstaller. It asks for your Microsoft account, and then lists your download history.

You can select apps one by one or select apps using filters such as full versions, trials, or all. Once your happy with the selection, click the reinstall button. App Reinstaller will open the store for each app you selected. Press the back button after each successful install. App Reinstaller costs 99 cents at the Windows Phone Store.

Which method works best for you? Let us know in the comments!

Losing your phone can be really annoying. Fortunately, Windows Phone has a free service called Find My Phone that can help you recover your phone. It even goes a step further by giving you options to lock or erase your phone from any computer.

Head past the break to watch our how-to video.

Two settings you should turn on

When you first get your Windows Phone, there are two settings we recommend turning on. Go to settings, then Find my phone. Check both boxes.

The Find My Phone service and the Windows Phone Store on the web use text messaging to send commands and apps to your phone. Check the first box to use push notifications instead. Push notifications can be faster than text messages, and might also be cheaper if your carrier charges you for each incoming text message. Also, My Phone can only send 15 text messages to your phone in a three-day period while there's no limit with push notifications.

The second box saves your phone's location periodically and before the battery runs out to make it easier to find.

Find your phone’s location on a map

1. On your computer, open a web browser and sign in to windowsphone.com
2. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
3. Follow the instructions in the dialog box (you'll only need to do this once. After that, your phone will automatically show up on the map when you go to Find My Phone).

Make it ring

If you think your phone is nearby, you can make it ring. Follow these steps below. What’s great about this is that your Windows Phone will ring even if the volume is off or if it’s vibrate mode.

1. On your computer, open a web browser and sign in to windowsphone.com
2. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
3. Click Ring, then follow the instructions in the dialog box (you'll only need to do this the first time you ring your phone).

Lock phone and show message

If you can’t find your phone immediately, you can lock it from your computer and show a message. Here’s how:

1. On your computer, open a web browser and sign in to windowsphone.com
2. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
3. Click Lock, and then follow the instructions. If you don't already have a password set up on your phone, you'll need to enter one—you'll use it to unlock the phone if you get it back.
4. We recommend providing a phone number or an email address in the message box, so someone who finds your phone can contact you.

Erase your phone

You can erase your phone remotely if you don’t think you’ll be able to get your phone back or if you have contents inside that you want to protect until you recover it.

1. On your computer, open a web browser and sign in to windowsphone.com
2. In the My Phone menu, click Find My Phone.
3. Click Erase.

Have you lost your precious Windows Phone device recently? Were you able to get it back? Let us know in the comments!

When Microsoft released the Xbox One back in November of 2013, the console came without the ability to play multimedia from an external device, such as a flash drive. It seemed that the ultimate entertainment console would not be able to play any of your personal content and instead you would be locked to approve multimedia apps on the platform, but that is not the case.

The Digital Living Network Alliance was established in 2003 by Sony and aimed at creating an easy way to share media between devices. In essence, DLNA makes it easy to stream content from one device (such as you PC) to another device (such as your Xbox One).

Get Streaming

To get your devices up and streaming is a simple process. First, make sure that the PC you want to stream from and the Xbox One you are using are on the same network; either device can be connected via wireless or wired, but we recommend using a wired connection for the best performance.

Next head over to the Xbox One console that you wish to stream multimedia to and access the “Settings” menu. From there, find the “Preferences” option and make sure “Play To” is enabled. These steps will now setup your console and allow it to have multimedia pushed from any PC. Make sure you are performing these operations on a secure network; otherwise, your neighbor might feel the urge to constantly Rick roll your console.

As long as the devices are on the same network, you can begin streaming! There are a few ways to get your content up on the big screen. The first option is to find the multimedia file on your PC that you want to share, simply right click on it, and then select “Play To”. The second option is to open Windows Media Player and select the “Play To” option from there.

For those looking for quick a summary of the above steps:

1. Make sure that your Xbox and PC are connected to the same network.
2. In you Xbox One's settings make sure that "Play To" is selected under "Preferences".
3. From your Windows PC right click any multimedia file and select "Play To".
4. Alternatively, open Windows Multimedia player and select the "Play To" option from there.

If you are using Windows 8, you can even push content directly from a Windows Store application to your television. The applications must support sharing to external devices, so note that not every app will work with this process. If you head into ether the Music or Video app on Windows 8, you can bring up the Charms Bar, select “Devices”, and then hit “Play” to get going.

Some Troubleshooting

Some users have experienced problems with their Xbox One not showing up as an option to “Play To”, if this is the case head into the “Devices and Printers” section of the Control Panel. From there, click “Add Device” and you should see your console as an option.

If you are still having problems streaming to your console, you can stop by our Xbox One forum here at WPCentral – to magically be transported there, click here.

Overall, this is a great way to stream your personal multimedia content to your Xbox One entertainment console, but we are keeping our fingers crossed that Microsoft pushes an update to allow plug and play of attached storage.

Have you tried using DLNA to stream content to your Xbox One or other device?

The Xbox One controller is one of the finest control pads ever designed. The same goes for the Titanfall Limited Edition Controller we just reviewed. But one flaw compared to Xbox 360 controllers is that Xbox One controllers don’t work on computers and tablets. Blame Microsoft, who have yet to release a PC driver even though it would take virtually no effort to do so.

Luckily, a hobbyist developer named Lucas Assis has developed a temporary Xbox One controller driver for Windows 7 and 8. It doesn't work on Windows RT, so this won't help regular Surface users. His solution requires the use of several companion programs (bundled with the driver) and a few quarts of elbow grease, but it does actually work. Until now, you’d have to endure a somewhat painful tutorial video in order to guide you through the process. Lucky for you guys, I’ve gone through that already so that we can bring you this easy-to-understand written guide!

Part One

• First download the driver package from Lucas's Dropbox. This includes the driver, vJoy, X360CE, and LibUSB.

Part Two

• Connect your Xbox One controller to the computer via micro-USB cable/
• Head to Device Manager. On Windows 8, right-click the Start Menu, select Control panel, and Device Manager.
• Xbox One controllers show up under Other devices as "Controller." They can't normally be installed because Microsoft still hasn't released drivers for them.
• Select the Controller and click Update Driver.
• Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"
• Click "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
• Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus devices
• Select WinUSB Device and answer yes to the Update Driver Warning.
• Repeat this process for any additional Xbox One controllers you connect.

Part Three

• Install vJoy. You can select not to install the Feeder component, but the Configuration component is required.
• Launch the vJoy application file vJoyConf.exe.
• Select the options in the screenshot above and click Apply.
• If connecting more than one controller, repeat the settings and change the target device number for each controller.
• Return to Control Panel and search for joy. Choose “Set up USB game controllers” from the search results.
• Select the controller(s) from the Game Controllers list and verify that Windows detects your inputs.
• If everything works, close the Game Controllers list and close vJoyConf.

Part Four

• Install LibUSBDotNet. You can select not to install the Source and Example code. Make sure you select to install LibUSB with filter capabilities on the next screen.
• Finish the installation and allow the first installer to launch the filter installer wizard.
• Select “Install a device filter” and select the WinUSB device(s) from the top of the list. Choose Install and hit OK.
• Close LibUSB.

Part Five

• Launch XboxOneDriverApp.exe (found in the App folder of the driver package).
• For each detected controller, one Xbox symbol lights up in the app. If using more than eight controllers (!), check the “Additional gamepads” box.
• Enable the “Trigger button” option for games that don’t otherwise support the analog triggers.

Part Six (optional)

• If you want the Xbox One controller to be detected as an Xbox 360 controller in games that support it (most modern controller-enhanced games), you also need to install X360CE and run it alongside XboxOneDriverApp.
• Windows 8 users: Before launching the program, right click it and choose to run it in Windows 7 compatibility mode and “Run this program as an administrator.”
• When first launching the app, it will ask if you want to create a DLL. Click Yes.
• You can now test and configure the buttons for each controller.
• Change the settings to those shown in the screenshot above.

Done!

If everything worked properly, your Xbox One controllers will now work on your PC or Windows 8 tablet! Launch a few games with controller support and enjoy the ergonomic comfort that only a well-designed controller can provide.

A few Windows 8 games with controller support to get you started:

• Asphalt 7 - Windows Store
• Asphalt 8 - Windows Store
• Dungeon Hunter 4 - Windows Store
• Halo: Spartan Assault - Windows Store
• Six-Guns - Windows Store
• Skulls of the Shogun - Windows Store

Thanks to Busyman96 for tipping us on the driver package!

The Windows Phone Store has nearly every major music platform available, with the obvious exception of official iTunes or Google Play apps. You’ll find Xbox Music, Beats Music, Songza, Spotify, and more available to you as a Windows Phone (and probable Windows 8) user.

However odds are a lot of you are rocking out to Xbox Music on Windows Phone. It is of course the native music application available and built-in to Windows Phone 8. If you’re a power user you probably know the ins and outs of how Xbox Music works on both Windows Phone and Windows 8. If you’re not a power user, then this article is for you. Here’s how to create and manage playlists with Xbox Music on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.

Why use playlists?

Playlists are an important part of any music listening experience. That statement holds true with Xbox Music. With Xbox Music you can create, edit and save playlists for quick and easy access to your favorite songs. Rocking an Xbox Music Pass? Those playlists will follow you in Xbox Music from device to device and sync.

From a listening point of view they’re extremely helpful too. Planning on a long cardio workout session? Pick a bunch of songs that can help keep you motivated while you run your quarter marathon. Lifting heavy in the gym? Throw together the songs that help you get your Bruce Wayne on.

Whether it’s a long summer road trip or a night at home reading your favorite book, playlists can be curated to elevate the experience.

Playlists with Xbox Music on Windows 8

We’ll say this up front. Creating Xbox Music playlists is probably easier on your tablet, ultrabook or desktop in Windows 8. The device you have with Windows 8 probably has a larger display compared to the Windows Phone in your life. This makes for a generally more pleasant experience when first creating and curating a large playlist.

Here’s how you’ll make playlists for Xbox Music with the Windows 8 app.

• Tap (or click) new playlist on the left menu
• Name the playlist you’re creating

Now you’re going to need to add songs to the playlist. There are a handful of ways to do this. You can add individual songs or entire albums to a given playlist. Songs or albums can come from either your music collection or the Xbox Music store/catalog.

Adding an individual song from either your collection or the Xbox Music song isn’t hard at all.

• Select the song or album (touch - tap or swipe left, mouse - click)
• Click ‘Add to’ (+ sign) and select the playlist you want the song to go

Congratulations. You’ve made a playlist. It might only have one song at the moment, but you’ll keep adding more and more until you’ve got a collection of the smoothest jams to entertain your guests or lady friend.

Of course your taste change and you might want to modify a playlist over time, which is completely normal. Modifying and adjusting your playlist is how you take it from a decent to exceptional. When changing your playlist you can do things like delete songs, rearrange the order of songs and of course add more.

Deleting a song is easy. Just select it by either tapping/clicking it or swiping/right-clicking. If you just tap/click the song, you’ll see a negative sign (−) pop up next to the song name. Hitting that will remove the song from that playlist. Selecting the song by swiping to the left or right-clicking will bring up a menu bar on the bottom where you can delete the song, but do a lot more too.

In playlists if you select a song by swiping to the left or right-clicking you’ll see a plethora of options to manage that song in the playlist. Select a song that way and you can:

• Play selected
• Add to (collection or another playlist)
• Remove from playlist
• Move up
• Move down
• Move to top
• Move to bottom
• Start radio (will start playing a collection of songs similar to the selected one)
• Explore artist (head into the Xbox Music store to find more albums and songs from the artist)
• Download (if you don’t already have that particular song downloaded)
• Pin to Start
• Properties (view things like song length, year released, etc.) 

You’re now a pro and creating and managing playlists in Xbox Music on Windows 8. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask below in the comments. Now we’re going to check out how playlists for Xbox Music work on Windows Phone.

Playlists with Xbox Music on Windows Phone 8

On Windows Phone 8 you have two applications for interacting with Xbox Music. There’s the native, built-in Music+Videos hub that integrates Xbox Music. That’s the default application you get with Windows Phone 8 for managing and playing music from Xbox Music. The other, more recent, application is the standalone Xbox Music app that was released a few months ago.

If you’re wanting to create and manage playlists, the newer standalone Xbox Music app is the way to go on Windows Phone. The integrated Xbox Music experience in the Music+Videos hub is fine, but it’s lacking in flexibility and options that you’d get in the app.

We’d recommend just creating/managing playlists on either your PC with Xbox Music for Windows 8 or the standalone Xbox Music app on Windows Phone. The native playlist support in Windows Phone is fine for listening to those playlists you created, but it’s not useful as creating or managing.

Don’t have the newer Xbox Music app on Windows Phone 8? The download is at the end of the post. In the meantime, here’s how you can creating and manage Xbox Music playlists on Windows Phone.

Head into the playlist section inside the app

• Tap the add (+) button in the app bar on the bottom
• Name the playlist
• Select whether or not you want songs added to that playlist to automatically download

After doing that you’ll be dropped into a view where you see all songs in your Xbox Music collection. This can be a ridiculously long list if you have a huge collection. You can hit the back button on your Windows Phone to exit this view if you have some other songs in mind that you want to add.

Like the Xbox Music app on Windows 8, you can add any song to a playlist from most anywhere in the app. Head into your collection of the Xbox Music store to get going. Though you’ll be using a lot of long presses to get the options you want.

Adding songs to a playlist is easy on Windows Phone.

• Long press a song to select it and see a menu option
• Click ‘add to’
• Select the playlist you want the song to go

Don’t forget you can also select bring up the app menu (bottom bar) and select 'add to' for adding entire albums to a given playlist.  

Managing playlists isn’t hard at all either. Just head into a given playlist and you’ll be able to do manage it like the music guru you are. In the app bar you’ll see the ability to

• Add (bring in more songs to the playlist)
• Select (select multiple songs to either download them for offline playback or delete them)
• Reorder (move the order of songs to make everything flow just right)
• Pin to Start

Creating and managing playlists for Xbox Music on Windows Phone and Windows 8 isn’t hard once you know the basics. We prefer creating the initial playlist and adding the bulk of the songs on Windows 8. Since the playlist will sync with Xbox Music on Windows Phone we’ll then listen there and make minor adjustments, nothing major.

Have any other tips, tricks or general observations about playlists for Xbox Music on Windows Phone and Windows 8? Share them below in the comments. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions either. We’ll do our best to answer them. You can also reach me directly on Twitter (@samsabri) and I’ll help out as much as I can. 

Be sure to grab Xbox Music in both the Windows Phone Store or Windows Store. For Windows Phone you can also use the QR code below. 

Using YouTube in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 8 can be a bit of a pain. The mobile website is barebones and doesn’t work as well as it should. And as you know, YouTube has yet to release a competent native app for Windows Phone users. Their loss since we’re getting by fine with stellar apps like Metrotube and myTube.

However, every now and then you end up on YouTube in the browser. Maybe you clicked a link in a tweet or someone sent a link in an email. You’re now about to watch a YouTube video with poor playback controls and no option for 720p video. Or are you? Probably not if you’re a fan of Metrotube. You can now open YouTube links in Metrotube with minimal effort. Details on how below.

Just head on over to the Metrotube website to grab the JavaScript code. The instructions are also there. All you need to do is copy the code. Then save that page as a favorite, but replace the web address with the JavaScript text you copied. Do that and you’re ready to rock and roll with YouTube links going to Metrotube easily.

Anytime you find yourself on YouTube in Internet Explorer you just need to pull up the app bar and select favorites and click on ‘OPEN WITH METROTUBE’. You’ll then automatically be taken to Metrotube where the video you were about to watch is ready for you.

A great trick to avoid using YouTube in the browser. Head on over to the ‘Open videos in Metrotube’ website to get going. This is a feature we've seen before in myTube, but it's great to see fans of Metrotube get the option now. 

Don't forget to download Metrotube from the Windows Phone Store. 

Thanks for the tip everyone! 

When choosing accent colors for your Windows Phone, you’re not going to see the color black. There’s still a way to get that color, though, and Windows Phone veterans probably know this trick already. Are you new to Windows Phone and want to know how? Head past the break and follow the steps in our video.

Your Windows Phone comes with at least 20 colors that you can use as your accent color, from primary standards like Red, Blue, and Yellow to more interesting shades like lime green, cyan, and magenta. To select your color, go to settings > theme, then tap the ‘accent color’ box.

The accent color you choose shows up in various places on Windows Phone, like the Live Tiles on the home screen, the App list, the App switcher, the keyboard, the People Hub, and even some third-party apps from the Windows Phone Store.

The black accent color is hidden somewhere else. Go to settings > ease of access, and then turn on the ‘high contrast’ option. When you go back to the home screen, you’ll notice you now have the black accent color! We think this also looks great with the white background. Go to settings > theme, and then select white for the background.

Obviously, this is meant for people with visual impairments, but some of you may like how it looks. There are a couple of things you should be aware of though when activating high-contrast mode. First of all, say goodbye to your lock screen background. It will now only display black or white, depending on the background color you have selected. The second thing we’ve noticed is that emails remove some of the hyperlinks within the text. If those two things are important to you, stay away from high-contrast mode.

Are you going to try the black accent color/white background combination on your Windows Phone? Let us know in the comments!

Spring is quickly approaching and with the warm weather, everyone will start finding their way outdoors and our Windows Phone cameras will become more active. We’ll be shooting pics of flowers, the kids running around the back yard, little league ball games, vacation spots and other warm weather hot spots.

These photos are important to you and should something happen to your Windows Phone, you would want them backed up, right? Well, for those new to Windows Phone (and those who have forgotten) there is an easy way to back up your photos.

Everyone who has a Windows Live ID has a OneDrive (formerly known as SkyDrive) cloud storage account. The free plan, which most enjoy has 7GB of storage. Additional storage comes at a cost and every now and then, you can find deals for free storage increases (like this Bing Rewards offer). To set your Windows Phone images to automatically be backed up to your OneDrive account, here is what you do.

• Go to your Windows Phone Settings, scroll across to Applications
• Choose “photos+camera”
• Scroll down the camera settings where you will find the option to Auto Upload and turn it on (still refers to SkyDrive)

The auto upload has a few options to consider that main deals with the quality of your back-up file. You can upload a good quality image (slightly downsized) over your wireless data plan or go for best quality that will require a Wi-Fi connection. The options are available for both video and photo uploads.

Once you turn on the auto upload feature, your images and videos will be sent to your OneDrive account. Now, if you drop your Windows Phone into the lake, it gets melted by the wall charger, have angry seagulls carry it off or otherwise have your Windows Phone meet its fate, your pictures will be stored on your OneDrive account.

It should be noted that the high-resolution images captured from the Nokia Lumia 1020 will not be uploaded. Instead of the 38 MP images, the lower-resolution 5 MP images will be backed up. For those looking to back-up the larger image files and are on the AT&T network, here is how you can use your AT&T Locker to back-up these files.

All of us here at Windows Phone Central use Bing for our day-to-day searches, and we are positive that most of our readers do also. For those of you who have installed the Google Search app onto your Windows Phone or Windows 8 machine, we will try not to judge you. Despite your choice of search engine, we reached out to the community to find out what your favorite Bing features are, and presented them in our beautiful typeface below.

Bing Rewards

This is probably the number one recommendation for users who search and engage with Bing every day. We assume that if you have not setup a Bing Rewards account it is because you do not use Bing or because you have never heard of it.

Essentially, Bing Rewards is a program that awards points to users who perform searches and completes daily tasks. It is extremely easy to earn points and you can cash them in for special prizes. Currently available items include 100 GB of OneDrive Storage, a $5 Amazon Gift Card, 1 month of Hulu Plus, 60 minutes of Skype credit, a $5 Starbucks Gift Card, and much more.

Be sure to sign up for Bing Rewards today if you already have not!

Bing Image Match

Google has had this feature for years, but Microsoft has finally decided to integrate it into its own search engine. If you find an image on the web or have an image on your PC that you would like to “re-find” on the internet, you can use Image Match to do so.

Let us say that you have a small image that you found on the internet a while back, you could now use Bing Image Match to find a larger and high-resolution copy of that same exact image. No playing around with search key words or Boolean logic – just point Bing to your picture and you are set.

To use Bing image Match, simply head over to Bing.com and click on the “Images” tab. Then, next to the search box, you will see a button that says “Image Match”. You can either upload a file directly from your PC or paste in an existing image URL to start the search.

Bing Computations

I personally have a disdain for mathematics, which is why I love to use Bing search to perform computations. Simply head over to Bing and type in your math query to see instant results

You can type in simple equations such as “100 / 5” or “100 divided by 5” to get super-fast answers right inside Bing. The search engine now also provides a calculator that you can use to change around your math problem – not to mention, it is touch friendly.

If you type something a bit more complex into Bing such as an equation like “y=2x+1”, then you will be provided a link to instantly redirect to Wolfram Alpha; the service will be able to plot your equation and provide other data surround the input.

Bing Video Hover

While Google may have had an edge up with image search functionality, Bing is still the king when it comes to searching video content.

At times, while searching for videos on the web, it can be difficult to know if you are about to click on the correct video or a copycat. Bing eliminates any uncertainty you might have by allowing you to hover over any video and preview a short clip of it.

If you are worried about accidently playing a “naughty video”, do not worry – Bing video hover disables itself and blurs any questionable content.

In addition, when you play a video from a Bing search result, it will pop up within the page instead of taking you directly to the site. Not only does this provide an easy way to get back to your search results, but it also saves bandwidth by not needing to load an entirely new page each time.

Bing Timeline

How many times do you want to look up a famous individual? Would it not be more convenient if when you searched “Henry Ford” a timeline automatically appeared with key events throughout his lifetime? With Bing Timeline – it does.

Simply head over to Bing and perform a search for “influential or famous people” and you should be provided with a Timeline for said person. In addition, to the timeline that is displayed, you receive important stats up front including the person’s lifespan, family, and companies/organizations they may have founded.

If your son or daughter (or yourself) has an upcoming school research project, using Bing’s Timeline feature is a great way to get them going in the right direction.

Bing Snapshot

Sometimes, you want to get information before you even hit the search button. Companies have tried various ways to accomplish this, such as Google’s instant results that searches and updates the page as you type. When Google released this feature many Bing users wanted something similar, so Bing came up with their own solution – Bing Snapshot.

Bing Snapshot keeps everything a bit neater; instead of receiving entire search results for “Volca” when you are trying to search for “Volcano”, the features provides bits of information within the suggested search bar.

If you are performing a search for “Bill Gates”, Bing will automatically provide you with a small “snapshot” of basic information that you can then click on to explore more about your query. Snapshots also include quick links to points of interest, such as news, imagery, biographies, quotes, etc.

Bing Saves

Here is a feature that most of you will not know about, but do not worry – it is because it is still in beta. Bing Saves is a new idea that the Bing team at Microsoft is testing out to provide easy bookmarking.

Instead of saving your favorite bookmarks locally, you can keep them saved safe up in the cloud. To check out the new beta feature simply head to Bing.com/saves. From there, you will be able to pin a link to your favorite toolbar that will enable the ability for you to click and save a link directly to Bing. Your bookmarks can then be seen by visiting the Bing Saves section.

We are not sure exactly how useful this feature is, as most browsers including Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox already have cloud backups for bookmarks. That being said, maybe you can find an excellent use for the feature.

What Did We Miss?

We are just touching upon the surface of what Bing can do, and we have highlighted some of the community’s favorite features. Bing is more than a search engine and as Microsoft has said, it has “expanded beyond the search bar”. You can find Bing integrated into Windows, Xbox, and Windows Phone all with unique features.

Tell us if you use Bing – why or why not? Did we miss any of your favorite features that Bing web search provides?

Thanks to the following readers for submitting tips: David S., Justin P., Martin H., Greg J., Joel C., and Mayank G.

There will be a time in life when you need to block someone, be it a cold sales contact or someone who may be harassing you. Unfortunately, Windows Phone 8 doesn't currently have a built-in blocking feature to prevent numbers from sending messages to your smartphone, nor can the operating system halt calls in their tracks. But Microsoft did make tools for manufacturers to enable this feature, should they want to make it for their customers.

This is where Nokia came in with its 'call + SMS filter', which launched on Windows Phone 8 last year for Lumia devices (Samsung has it in their ATIV line of Windows Phones too).

We'll quickly walk you through how to set everything up, just in case you've yet to fire up the filter settings area for the first time.

The filter is not enabled by default, so you'll need to turn it on. Luckily, everything can be found under your phone's Settings.

call + SMS filter (for Nokia Lumia phones only)

1. Swipe right to the app list
2. Scroll down until you find 'Settings' (tap)
3. System
4. Scroll down until you find 'call+SMS filter' down the list, then tap to open

If you haven't accessed the feature yet, you'll have to accept the terms of use and privacy policy, which will be displayed with an option to accept or cancel. Hint: if you wish to use the filtering system, hit accept.

To add contacts to the block list

1. Head into phone history (Phone) or messaging (Messaging)
2. Long press on a contact or message
3. On the pop-up dialog, select 'block number...'

Back to the filter settings area. Selecting 'advanced' will open up some handy options to configure the blocking of withheld numbers automatically, enable/disable the Live Tile and toggle toast notifications. It's all simple stuff. Pinning the Live Tile to your Start screen is a convenient way to monitor what's being blocked, as well as providing quick access to the settings area.

Advanced settings for call/message filtering

1. Settings
2. System
3. call+SMS filter
4. advanced
5. Enable/disable 'Block withheld numbers'
6. Enable/disable 'App Live Tile'
7. Enable/disable 'Notification'

Limitations?

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to pre-block someone through your People hub (aka contacts), so you'll have to wait until they call or message you first before filtering.

Are you utilizing this feature on your Lumia Windows Phone?

While the release of Windows Vista was plagued with burden and its legacy was remembered as such, one excellent feature to rise out of the wreckage has served its way through Windows 7 up to current day Windows 8 operating systems. The feature that we are referring to is, of course, Microsoft’s BitLocker Drive Encryption – full disk encryption at the click of a button.

WARNING: Disk Encryption is a delicate process, please be sure to backup your data before beginning. WPCentral, Mobile Nations, Smartphone Experts are not responsible for any data loss caused by a failure to read instructions carefully or ignoring our recommendation to backup ALL of your data before beginning. Please be sure to read the entire article before beginning your encryption journey. If you have doubts about anything, please ask in the comments below before proceeding.

BitLocker Drive Encryption

The encryption software was originally only included within Ultimate and Enterprise editions of previous operating systems can now be found in the more affordable Windows 8 Pro variation. The system itself has the ability to full encrypt a disk with an AES algorithm.

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES for short) was published by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2001. As of a 2013 cryptanalysis of the cipher, it was found that there are possibilities other than using a brute force attack to break into an AES encrypted system, but none of them are currently possible with present day computer systems.

The Pros and Cons

If you are looking to encrypt your Windows 8 Pro PC, you should probably consider a few notions before proceeding. To start, you should be aware that in the event of disk or operating system corruption, you are more likely to lose your data if the drive is encrypted. While a normally corrupted PC can be booted up into a Linux variant and the data recovered with software – encryption makes this task ever more difficult and sometimes impossible (despite having a recovery key, as we will discuss).

BackTrack is one of many Linux distros that can be used to break into a Windows file system

Another factor that makes encrypting your disk a bit less invaluable is cloud storage; the files that you are trying so much to protect on your PC are hovering in space, in an unencrypted system. Sure, many online data services vary and the one you use might be using encryption, but for the most part – they are not. If you are using Microsoft’s OneDrive service to keep your files updated and backed up, then you are storing your files in an unencrypted cloud. An excellent wiki article on OneDrive and data encryption (or the lack of it) can be found on Microsoft’s support site by clicking here.

Let us be realistic though, unless you are trying to protect your data from the government (which might be a reality these days), then you probably will not have to worry about someone hacking into Microsoft’s servers to steal your tax information. So let us leave that notion aside and note that you most likely simply want to protect your data from being accessed if your laptop or tablet is stolen.

Disk encryption is an excellent solution for preventing thieves from booting up your system with a side-loaded operating system to access your files. Encryption can provide a reliable and strong shield against the hacker looking to sniff your personal data.

Here, an offline registry editor is used to remove a user's password from their Windows account

If you have decided that you wish to give BitLocker encryption a go, then we are ready to proceed. We, of course, recommend that you first backup all of your data in the event disk corruption occurring during the procedure (in fact, you should be backing up your data anyway).

If your data is backed up and you are ready to begin, then simply follow the steps below to a happier and more encrypted system.

How to Encrypt Systems with TPM Chips

Microsoft’s BitLocker system was designed for use in conjunction with machines that have Trusted Platform Module chips installed within them. To simplify what the TPM chip does, it holds the keys needed to boot up and unlock the operating system.

If your PC now has a giant lock on it, then it only makes sense that a key will be needed to unlock it. A TPM chip holds an encryption system’s keys, so the system can be easily booted. If the drive is removed from the system (and thus separated from the TPM chip), it cannot be booted. In addition, if the system is booted with a side-loaded operating system, the TPM chip will not give the keys up for use.

Many business machines have TPM chips including Lenovo’s ThinkPad series, Dell’s Latitude series, Microsoft’s Surface Pro, and HP’s EliteBook series. If you do have a business machine with a TPM chip, then you can follow the instructions below; otherwise, skip to the next section to see how to encrypt a system without a TPM chip. If you are unsure whether or not your system has a TPM chip, then follow the steps below and see if you are addressed with an error.

Click on the above image to enlarge it.

1. To begin, please make sure that you are logged in as an administrator on your local machine.
2. Next, open “This PC” (recently known as “My PC” in previous versions of Windows.
3. With the “This PC” Explorer window open, you should be able to see a complete list of your devices and drives. Right click the drive you wish to encrypt (usually the ‘C’ drive).
4. Now select the “Turn on BitLocker Option”. If you have a system with a TPM chip, it may now prompt you to active the chip via a simple “TPM Security Hardware” wizard. If you do not have a TPM chip, you will now be presented with an error message stating that – if so, skip to the next section of this article.
5. After you have initialized your TPM chip (which may require a reboot), you can go ahead and begin to active BitLocker. During the process you will be given a recovery password to use in emergencies; you can choose to “save to your Microsoft account”, “save the password on a USB drive”, “save the password in a folder”, or “print the password”. We suggest choosing the Microsoft account option, so you will never be at risk of losing your recovery key. One your key has been saved, click “Next” to continue.
6. The next screen will ask if you wish “Encrypt used disk space only” or if you wish to “Encrypt entire drive” – we suggest going with the latter.
7. Once you have selected your recovery method and disk encryption amount you will be given one last chance to turn back. Ensure that the right drive is select, check the “Run BitLocker System Check” box and click continue to proceed. Note: Your PC may reboot during this process.
8. That is it! You should now see an “Encryption in Progress” status bar showing the competition status of the disk you are encryption. While the disk is encrypting itself, you will see a Drive Encryption icon in your taskbar – if any problems arise, you will be notified.
9. Once the encryption has completely finished, you can use your computer as normal – the system is now safe!

How to Encrypt Systems without TPM Chips

Unfortunately, not all PCs manufactured include built in TPM chips. If you are running a consumer notebook or Microsoft’s Surface 2 – then you will find an error message notifying you of the scenario; the error message may appear as follows:

“This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module. Your system administrator must set the “Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM” option in the “Require additional authentication at startup” policy for OS volumes”

For many people who are their own system administrators, this message can seem a bit daunting, but do not worry – if you really wish to encrypt your system with Microsoft’s BitLocker solution, we will help you out!

Click on the above image to enlarge it.

We will begin by changing a setting within the Group Policy Object Editor that will allow you to encrypt the system despite not having the (quite wonderful) TPM chip.

1. To begin, go to your Start Screen and type in “gpedit.msc”, and hit enter. Alternatively, you can press “WINDOWS KEY + R” to bring up a Run dialog and type in the command from there.
2. After typing the command, you will see the Local Group Policy Editor pop up in front of you.  The editor is split into two parts, on the left hand side you will see a list of folders (much like you would see in Windows explorer) and on the right side, you will see a Window that will display options available within the folder we have selected. NOTE: Please be sure to follow all instructions as making the wrong change can seriously affect your system. If you are unsure of something, please ask in the comments below.
3. On the right hand side of the editor, start by selecting the “Administrative Templates” option under “Computer Configuration”.
4. On the right hand side of the editor, you should now see a selection of folders – double click “Windows Components”, then double click “BitLocker Drive Encryption”, and finally double click “Operating System Drives”.
5. You will now see a list of items that appear to be files – these files are in fact settings that can be altered by a system administrator. Double click the item entitled “Require additional authentication at startup”. Note: There are two of these settings – do NOT click the one that includes “(Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista)”.
6. A dialog box will now popup entitled, “Require additional authentication at startup”. Begin by selecting the bubble entitled “Enabled” (by default, “Not Configured” will be selected).
7. The options that were once grayed below should become available. Check the box that says “Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM (requires a password or a startup key on a USB flash drive)”. Leave all other options as they are and hit “Apply” followed by “OK”. You can now close the policy editor window.

Okay, now that you have enabled Microsoft's BitLocker within Windows 8 Pro, it is time to start encrypting that system! Follow the steps below to continue and encrypt the system.

1. Open “This PC” (recently known as “My PC” in previous versions of Windows).
2. With the “This PC” Explorer window open, you should be able to see a complete list of your devices and drives. Right click the drive you wish to encrypt (usually the ‘C’ drive).
3. Now select the “Turn on BitLocker Option”. If you were previously met with an error before – that error should be gone now.
4. You will be prompted how you wish to unlock your drive upon booting it up. As the machine cannot store its key on a secure TPM chip, you will have to select another way to store it. Either you can use a USB flash drive by selecting “Insert a USB flash drive” or you can enter a password at boot by selecting “Enter a password”. In this example, we are going to select “Enter a password”. Note: If you choose the option to require a USB flash drive, you must have it on you at all times when you wish to boot the PC.
5. The system will now prompt you to enter a password to unlock the drive. Use a password that contains uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces for the highest level of security. While you do not have to adhere to the suggestion, we suggest creating the strongest password you can come up with for BitLocker. Note: Be sure to remember your password – if you do not, then you will be unable to boot the system.
6. After you have entered your super secure password you will be given a recovery password to use in emergencies; you can choose to “save to your Microsoft account”, “save the password on a USB drive”, “save the password in a folder”, or “print the password”. We suggest choosing the Microsoft account option, so you will never be at risk of losing your recovery key. One your key has been saved, click “Next” to continue.
7. The next screen will ask if you wish “Encrypt used disk space only” or if you wish to “Encrypt entire drive” – we suggest going with the latter.
8. Once you have selected your recovery method and disk encryption amount you will be given one last chance to turn back. Ensure that the right drive is select, check the “Run BitLocker System Check” box and click continue to proceed. Note: Your PC may reboot during this process.
9. That is it! You should now see an “Encryption in Progress” status bar showing the competition status of the disk you are encryption. While the disk is encrypting itself, you will see a Drive Encryption icon in your taskbar – if any problems arise, you will be notified.
10. Once the encryption has completely finished, you can use your computer as normal – the system is now safe! Simply enter your password at startup (or plug in your flash drive) to boot the system.

Some Questions You May Have

• How do I disable BitLocker? Simple, right click on the encrypted drive in the “This PC” explorer window and select “Turn off BitLocker Drive Encryption”, then select “Disable BitLocker Drive Encryption” from the dialog box that appears.
• I forgot my password, how can I access my machine? Boot up your encrypted machine and the “BitLocker Drive encryption Recovery Console” will appear. From here, use the method that you selected above to access your recovery key and access the system.
• If I am using an external backup drive, should I continue using it? If you backup your data to the unencrypted drive, then you might as well never have encrypted your drive. We suggest either keeping the backup drive in a safe unless it is needed or using BitLocker to encrypt your external drive.
• How do I change the encryption type of BitLocker? Use the Group Policy Editor as before, but this time select the “Choose drive encryption method and cipher strength”. From there you can select exact type of encryption you wish to use.
• What about TrueCrypt? The encryption solution, TrueCrypt, is a great alternative to Microsoft’s Bitlocker, and you can check it out by visiting their site here. We choose to use BitLocker as our encryption method for two reasons: It is the official solution provided by Microsoft and it is easily integrated into the Windows operating system.
• I have addition questions, what can I do? You can start by performing a Bing search to see if your question has already been been answered. Alternatively, you can comment below, ask in our Windows 8 forum, or send me a personal question via Twitter (@Marcham93).

We hope you enjoyed this article on encrypting your personal data. Securing your drive and information is the first step towards a more secure future. Remember though, if you take your files outside of the system by placing them on an unencrypted backup, unsecured cloud service, or unencrypted USB flash drive – you are not safe.

DISCLAIMER: Like all security systems - if there is a will, there is a way to break in. While BitLocker is an extremely secure method of protecting your data, there are possible exploits (as with all systems) that might allow an experienced hacker to access the system; you can read more about those exploits by clicking here.

Do you encrypt your personal drive – do you use Microsoft’s BitLocker solution?

Shuffling through the World Wide Web to find what you need can be a daunting process. Whether it's from your Windows Phone or Windows 8 computer. Luckily, thanks to search engines like Microsoft’s Bing – you can find what you need and quickly. The problem is that if you are used to typing in simple queries like “How can I obtain Rich’s awesome accent?” you are still faced with hundreds of thousands of search results.

Today, we are going to stop the horror and make you the master of Bing by teaching you “advanced operator references” – think of what we are about to teach you as a secret language to master Microsoft’s search engine. Today, you master Bing search – tomorrow, you take over the world.

Below we have outlined the most useful of Bing’s advanced operating references along with examples of how to use them. Consider this article as the ultimate Bing guide and reference list for getting work done. So without further ado, let us begin!

AND

Here is one of the simplest operators to work with, the “AND” operator. This is considered a simple Boolean operator and can help you find exactly what you are looking for. When using the “AND” operator, only search results that include both searched terms will be included.

• Example: “Puppies AND beagles” – By typing this query into Bing, you would only receive search results that contain both the word “puppies” and “beagles”.

Contains:

Another simple operator, “Contains”, will focus search results around websites that have certain file types within them. For a list of common file types, you can click here.

• Example: “Puppies contains:pdf” – By typing this query into Bing, you would only websites that have PDF files about puppies.

Define:

I’m sure that all of you know this operator! Simply put the word, “define” in front of any other word and Bing will fetch a dictionary definition for what you are searching. (Real words only kids, Urban Dictionary results do not count!)

• Example: “define puppies” – By typing this query into Bing, you would receive a definition of the word “puppies”.

Ext:

This operator is similar to the “contains:” operator above, but instead of specifying a file extension and then receiving websites that reference it, you will only receive direct links to the specified file types. Once again, you can click here to see a list of the most common file types.

• Example: “puppies ext:pdf” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive PDF files about “puppies”.

Feed:

By using the “feed:” operator, you can find RSS feeds that relate to a specific query. These feeds can then be followed by using an application like NextGen Reader for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

• Example: “feed:puppies” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive links to RSS feeds about “puppies”.

Filetype:

This operator can be used interchangeably with the “Ext:” operator. By using the “Filetype:” command, you will only receive search results that are direct links to specified file types.

• Example: “puppies filetype:pdf” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive PDF files about “puppies”.

HasFeed:

If you do not wish to use the “Feed:” operator to return only RSS feeds, you can use the “HasFeed:” operator to return search results to websites that contain RSS feed links.

• Example: “hasfeed:puppies” – By typing this query into Bing, you will receive websites that have RSS feeds relating to “puppies”, but that are not direct links.

ImageSize:

Sometimes when you are searching the web, you want a quick and easy way to find images of a certain size; sure, you could always use the image size buttons within Bing Image search, but buttons are for “noobs”! Use the “ImageSize:” operator to quickly return images of certain dimensions. Valid search values are “small”, “medium”, and “large”.

• Example: “puppies imagesize:medium” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive image results of puppies that are categorized in the medium image size category.

InTitle:

You will notice that when searching on Bing, search results are returned with a title and a small description.  If you wish to perform a search and only want to search titles and not descriptions, you can use the “intitle:” command to tell the search engine to only search within result titles.

• Example: “intitle:puppies” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive search results in which “puppies” is in the result anchor (aka, title).

InBody:

The complete opposite of the previous search operator, “InBody:” will return search results within the deception below the title.

• Example: “inBody:puppies” – By typing this query into Bing, you will only receive search results in which “puppies” is in the result description.

IP:

If you want to get geeky and only search within sites that are hosted by a specific IP address, you can do so by using the “IP:” operator.

• Example: “puppies ip:192.168.1.1” – By typing this query into Bing, you would only receive search results that originate from the “192.168.1.1” IP address.

Language:

This operator can become extremely useful if you are searching for content and only want to stay within a specific language for results. Let us say that you wish to search for puppies and only return results in Russian. For the complete language command list, click here.

• Example: “puppies language:ru” – By typing this query into Bing, you would only receive search results about “puppies” that are in the Russian language.

Location:

The location operator is used to return search results from a specific region. This can be a very helpful operator to use if you are searching for news results and want to receive information from a specific country. Click here to view all of the country codes.

• Example: “puppies location:ru” – By typing this query into Bing, you would only receive search results about puppies that originate from Russia.

NOT

The “NOT” operator is another common Boolean operator and can help you return search results that omit certain keywords.

• Example: “puppies NOT beagles” – By typing this query into Bing, you would receive all search results about puppies, but any results mentioning “beagles” would be left out.

OR

The last simple Boolean operator is “OR”, it allows you to find results that relate to one item or another.

• Example: “puppies OR kittens” – By typing this query into Bing, you would receive search results about “puppies” and “kittens”.

Site:

By including this operator, you can restrict a search to a specific site. It may come in helpful if you are wishing to search a specific site, but the site does not contain a search bar on it like we have here at WPCentral.

• Example: “puppies site:www.WPCentral.com” – By typing this query into Bing, you would receive only search results of puppies that are found within the WPCentral website. Luckily for you, we did mention puppies a few times, so you will get search results (maybe even more, now that we mentioned them in this article!).

Quotations

The last operator we will be talking about is the use of quotation marks; by using quotation marks, you can ensure that Bing uses an entire word or phrase instead of just using parts of it. This may come in handy if you are searching for a result such as “Foo Fighters”, in which you want both words to stay grouped together.

• Example: “adorable puppies” – By typing this query into Bing with the quotation marks, it ensures that Bing will not just search for puppies, but “adorable puppies”.

Conclusion

Searching the web can be a daunting process, especially when you receive hundreds of thousands of search results, but if you choose to use search operators, it can make your job a lot better. You will probably find yourself using the “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT operators the most, but the others we specified above can really help weed out results that are not needed.

Enjoy your Bing searches and let us know if you have already been using any of these search operators when you explore the web! (And yes, these operators will work with Bing on Windows Phone also)

Our Windows Phone lockscreen serves two purposes. It gives us an opportunity to glance at key information without having to unlock our Windows Phone and it affords us an opportunity to stylize our phone’s appearance.

Through the native lockscreen settings you have the ability to customize the wallpaper that will appear and tweak what bits of information will appear. In addition to the native Windows Phone lockscreen settings, there are plenty of apps available in the Windows Phone Store to let you customize your lockscreen further.

While this may be old hat to some, we’ll touch base on a few of the options available to customize your Windows Phone lockscreen after the break.

In-House Settings

The in-house or native settings for your Windows Phone are clearly labeled on the settings menu under lock screen. Native settings include:

• Background Image: This is where you set your lockscreen wallpaper. You can choose an image from your Pictures Hub or choose any of the Windows Phone apps that offer lockscreen support to provide the image.
• Notifications: Here is where you choose an app to show detailed status/information from on your lockscreen. The most popular app may be the Windows Phone calendar but other options include Messaging, Email, or apps installed that have lockscreen support.
• Quick Status Widgets: The native lockscreen settings supports up to five quick status displays. These are the small icons that appear on your lockscreen to notify you of new emails, missed calls, new voice mails, etc. Several third party apps will have quick status support as well.

Two additional settings are present with the native settings. You can turn on/off the display that shows the artist when playing music and set the time limit for when the Windows Phone screen times out and the lockscreen is set. The current time range is limited to 30 seconds, 1, 3 and 5 minutes.

One quick note about using a third party app for your background image. There is a shortcut key on the native settings menu that will let you open that particular app and go directly to its lockscreen settings. This is a nice feature in that you don’t have to dig around the app to get to these settings.

Windows Phone Lockscreen Apps

Along with the native settings, there is a cornucopia of Windows Phone apps that have lockscreen support. Some allow you to populate the Windows Phone lockscreen with images and information generated by the app and some will offer you a wider range of customization tools. For example, Amazing Weather HD (store link) offers lockscreen support that will let you display weather information and custom images on your lockscreen. Today Widgets (store link) on the other hand will let you customize your lockscreen background image and display the weather and daily quotes to your Windows Phone lockscreen.

In addition to Amazing Weather HD and Today Widgets, here are a few of the many Windows Phone apps that offer lockscreen support.

Wallpaper Patterns (free): If you are content with the native lockscreen settings for quick status items and information sources but want to spruce up your wallpaper, Wallpaper Patterns offers and endless source of color patterns to spruce up your Windows Phone. (Store link)

Awesome Lock (trial/$1.49): Awesome Lock lets you customize your lockscreen with images from four sources (Bing, your Galleries, 500px, and Facebook) or you can settle on a solid color. Along with the custom wallpapers, Awesome Lock can populate your lockscreen with weather forecast, stock information, news headlines, calendar appointments and twitter feeds. The customization goes a bit further by letting you set the news feeds, stocks to highlight and Twitter feeds to pull from. (Store link)

WPCentral (trial/$.99): It is time for a shameless plug for an app that our own Jay Bennett has done a fantastic job designing. Our lockscreen support adds the latest Windows Phone and Microsoft news items on your lockscreen to tease you just enough to dive into the full app. (Store link)

LockMix (free): Much like Today Widgets, LockMix lets you customize the lockscreen wallpaper and add informative widgets to the lockscreen layout. Image sources include Bing Images, 500px, a solid color or images from your Pictures Hub. Widgets include appointments, battery meter, Chuck Norris facts, news, RSS feeds, weather and more. (Store link)

Instagram Beta (free): While Instagram is a popular photo-sharing app for our Windows Phone, it also has lockscreen support that rotates your lockscreen wallpapers. The app offers two image feeds, home feed and my feed, and will rotate the images periodically. (Store link)

Photostream (free): Photostream taps into Flickr, 500px, your local photo albums and OneDrive albums to rotate your Windows Phone lockscreen wallpaper automatically. The rotation can be set as quickly as every thirty minutes to once a week and you have the ability to choose from image categories or specific albums. (Store link)

Weather Flow (trial/$1.99): While Amazing Weather HD is one of my favorite lockscreen apps, Weather Flow is not too far behind. The lockscreen support offers four image source options and three weather layout styles. (Store link)

Pokefondos ($.99): If you are a fan of Pokémon and minimalistic wallpapers, Pokefondos may have just what you’re looking for. The app has an extensive collection of minimalistic renderings of several generations’ worth of Pokémon characters. (Store link) Note: there is a free Lite version of Pokefondos that you can find here.

So what is your favorite lockscreen setup? For me, I use the native quick status icons for missed calls, new SMS and email messages with the Calendar as my app to show detailed status. I opted for Amazing Weather HD mainly because I can overlay the weather information on my own wallpaper image. It is a feature all weather apps with lockscreen support should have.

We’ve touch on several apps in the Windows Phone Store that offers lockscreen support as well as the native settings. If we’ve missed your favorite lockscreen app or would like to recommend your lockscreen set-up, feel free to sound off in the comments below.