class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/0_owner.jpg?54167" alt="" />Have you ever lost your phone? It’s a sick feeling, not just because it costs a lot of money to replace (especially if it’s a fancy new smartphone), but because it has valuable information like phone numbers, photos, etc, and also because it takes forever to reprogram a new phone and re-enter all of that information. You never do quite get it back to the way it was, do you?

There are all sorts of applications out there for helping you class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/2-easy-ways-recover-lost-stolen-android-phone/">locate your missing mobile phone, but one of the simplest things you can do is list your contact information on your lock screen. If someone happens to find it, will they be able to unlock it and find out who it belongs to? Probably not. So how can you list your owner’s information on your lock screen?

Adding Information To Your Lock Screen

Here I’m going to walk you through the process of adding your owner information to your Android phone’s lock screen. By “owner information”, I mean your phone number (which should probably be different from your mobile phone!), email address, name, etc. This way if you lose your phone, whoever finds it will be able to contact you fairly easily.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/1_owner.png?54167" alt="" width="450" height="320" />

To do this, you’re going to need to download a small, free app from the Android Market. The app is called class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.noamwolf.android.androidfound">Phone Found – Owner Info, and you can find it either by clicking on the link or by searching on your phone’s Marketplace. To begin, download and install the app, then open up your app list and tap the Owner Info button.

You should now see the app’s default screen. Tap the Menu button on your phone and hit Edit.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2_owner.png?54167" alt="" width="450" height="363" />

Once in edit mode, you can enter in all of the information you want to display on your Android’s lock screen. There are fields for your name, company name, phone number, email, as well as a message to whoever finds your phone which can range from instructions to incentives to return it. You can also select a photo to include with it.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/3_owner.png?54167" alt="" width="450" height="362" />

Note: When I ran the app, I could not get the ‘Message for Finder‘ window to pop-up the keyboard so I could type my message (you can paste text, however). It’s not too important of a feature, but here’s hoping it is fixed soon.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/4_owner.jpg?54167" alt="" width="338" height="600" />

Once you’re done, tap the Save button. Your phone may require a restart before you see your information show up on the lock screen, but after that, you should see it every time your phone locks or times out on its own.

The last step is to try and make sure you never lose your phone, but if you ever do, you may be glad you went through the short process of adding your owner information to your Android’s lock screen.

Conclusion

For such a simple application, I definitely think this app could be better at what it does. Hopefully this feature becomes a stock addition to Android’s OS so an external app isn’t needed to execute it at all. I think that’s pretty much a no-brainer.

Have you ever lost your phone?  If so, did you ever get it back and how? />
/>Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on href="http://www.makeuseof.dev/answers/" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf Answers!

/>

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/display-owner-information-phones-lock-screen-android-10/">How To Display Owner Information On Your Phone’s Lock Screen [Android 1.0+] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google-android/" title="google android" rel="tag">google android, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/lost-stolen/" title="lost or stolen" rel="tag">lost or stolen, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/mobile-apps/" title="Mobile Apps" rel="tag">Mobile Apps />

Similar articles:

class="st-related-posts">

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fastest-android-web-browser-geeks-weigh/" title="What’s The Fastest Android Browser? [Geeks Weigh In] (April 15, 2011)">What’s The Fastest Android Browser? [Geeks Weigh In] (23 comments …)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/apps-disable-autorotation-save-neck-pain-android/" title="Two Apps To Disable Auto-Rotation & Save You Neck Pain [Android] (June 17, 2011)">Two Apps To Disable Auto-Rotation & Save You Neck Pain [Android] (5 comments …)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-sites-find-apps-android-phone/" title="Top 5 Sites to Help You Find Apps for Your Android Phone (July 16, 2010)">Top 5 Sites to Help You Find Apps for Your Android Phone (2 comments …)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/great-3d-launchers-revamp-android-phone-homescreen/" title="Three Great 3D Launchers To Revamp Your Android Phone Homescreen (June 16, 2011)">Three Great 3D Launchers To Revamp Your Android Phone Homescreen (8 comments …)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-resources-android-app-reviews/" title="The 4 Best Resources For Android App Reviews (June 24, 2011)">The 4 Best Resources For Android App Reviews (0 comments …)

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulseipad.png" border="0" alt="visual rss reader" width="212" height="270" />There are over a dozen RSS feed readers for the iPad and other mobile devices, but the one I keep returning to is Alphonso Labs’s class="vt-p" href="http://www.alphonsolabs.com/">Pulse News Reader. I’ve used several readers in the past including NetNewsWire, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/gruml-view-manage-google-reader-feeds-desktop-mac">Gruml, and even class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google-reader">Google Reader. But for reading feeds on the iPad, Pulse makes browsing and reading nearly effortless.

What is most appealing about class="vt-p" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pulse-news-reader/id371088673?mt=8">Pulse (iTunes Store link) is the magazine style interface. Instead of a hierarchy of folders, titles and summaries, Pulse opens with a visual display of news feeds. Feeds including lead images in their articles get the most graphic appeal in Pulse.

id="more-60308"> /> Pulse takes full advantage of the touch navigation of the iPad. To browse a feed, you slide rows of articles to the left and right to view titles and accompanying graphics. There’s no need to tap separate folders. You can easily view on the iPad screen four rows of feeds at a time. You scroll horizontally to browse more feed sources.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_4.jpg" border="0" alt="visual rss reader" width="435" height="580" />

Each time you launch Pulse, it updates your feeds, but you can also tap the Reload button to reload manually.

Tapping on an article either presents the headline and first paragraph of the article or the entire article itself, depending on which the source allows. You’ll be pleased to know that the full version of MakeUseOf’s articles are downloaded into Pulse, saving you another tap in order to read the article on the website (note: Pulse also includes a button option to view selected articles in the original web view.)

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse9.jpg" border="0" alt="visual rss aggregator" width="435" height="580" />

In the full article presentation, Pulse removes annoying ads and other visual distractions, similar to what the Reader feature does in Safari.

After you open one article, you can scroll horizontally to browse other stories in a feed. This keeps you from having to return to a row of articles just to see what’s next.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_5.jpg" border="0" alt="visual rss aggregator" width="435" height="580" />

With the latest 2.1 update of Pulse, you can now view videos without leaving Pulse.

Pulse makes it very easy to share selected articles on your Facebook and Twitter account, and via email. You can also add selected articles to your Instapaper account.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_8.png" border="0" alt="pulse_8.PNG" width="406" height="339" />

When you have an article open, tapping the heart icon in the lower-right toolbar saves that article in what is called My Pulse, which consists of a custom feed of your favorite articles.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mypulse.jpg" border="0" alt="visual rss aggregator" width="600" height="246" />

Other Features

Feed Management

After the first release of Pulse, the developers responded well to complaints about the limited number of feeds you could add to Pulse. That’s no longer a problem. It looks as though you can add as many feeds as you like, creating separate pages for each set of feeds.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_2.png" border="0" alt="visual rss feed" width="600" height="469" />

Tapping the + button in the Feed manager view presents five different ways to search and add feeds to Pulse. It includes featured feed sources, as well as browsing sources by categories—e.g., art & design, food, fashion, politics, music.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_9.png" border="0" alt="visual rss feed" width="600" height="543" />

You can also search for feeds by keywords, URL, username, etc. Type a search term and Pulse delivers up dozens of feeds for that topic.

If you use Google Reader, you can sync those feeds into Pulse, no problem. Since using Pulse on my iPad, I rarely read Google Reader on my computer. Reading articles on the iPad is so much easier.

Finally, you can also add articles using the Bump feature in Pulse. This means, you can share feeds by bumping your iPad or iPad with another similar device, and feeds will be added. Unfortunately, the Pulse application kept crashing on my iPhone after bumping and connecting with my iPad. You may get better success with this feature than I.

Home Button

With so many feeds and articles in one application, it’s pretty easy to get lost in the navigation. Pulse makes it easy to get to your home listing of feeds and articles by simply tapping one single icon in the upper-left corner of the interface, or at the bottom-right in the toolbar.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulse_71.png" border="0" alt="visual rss feed" width="580" height="303" />

The way buttons are arranged, Pulse developers truly understand how to design an app’s interface for how devices are handled by users.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulselandscape.jpg" border="0" alt="pulselandscape.jpg" width="580" height="435" />

In terms of user interface design, the layout of Pulse looks and acts the same in both the portrait and landscape view of the iPad. The interface is consistent in both orientations so you don’t get lost or confused when switching from one view to another.

If you’re not yet exhausted by all the features in Pulse, its most recent update now includes Facebook integration, enabling users pull up their wall posts, videos, shared links right within application.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pulsefacebook.jpg" alt="visual rss reader" width="577" height="229" />

Overall, the magazine style look and feel of Pulse makes it in my view of the most elegant reader apps on the market. Now that it’s available for free download, there’s no reason not to give it a try.

Let’s us know what you think Pulse, as well as what mobile reader you think is better. For other ways to read RSS feeds on your iPad, check out Jessica’s class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/blogtrottr-gmail-idevices-mail-app-read-rss-feeds-offline/">article on this topic. />
/> Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/">MakeUseOf Answers!

/>

 

href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/"> src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/"> href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/diggme.png"> href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/fb.jpg"> href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/&title=Pulse Is Now Free: A Visual Display RSS News Reader [iPad]&srcTitle=MakeUseOf.com"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/gbuzz-feed.png"> href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pulse-free-visual-display-rss-news-reader-ipad/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/stumble.png">

 

Similar MakeUseOf Articles

class="st-related-posts">

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ways-to-stay-on-top-of-the-news/" title="Ways to Stay on Top of The News">Ways to Stay on Top of The News (15 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-new-rss-feed-reader-wars/" title="The New RSS Feed Reader Wars!">The New RSS Feed Reader Wars! (41 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/readefine-newspaperize-web-content-with-newspaper-formatting/" title="Readefine – Newspaper-ize Web Content With Newspaper Formatting">Readefine – Newspaper-ize Web Content With Newspaper Formatting (5 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/blogtrottr-gmail-idevices-mail-app-read-rss-feeds-offline/" title="How To Read RSS Feeds on Your iPad Even When You’re Offline">How To Read RSS Feeds on Your iPad Even When You’re Offline (13 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-filter-out-undesirable-posts-in-your-rss-reader/" title="How to Filter out Undesirable Posts in your RSS Reader">How to Filter out Undesirable Posts in your RSS Reader (10 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/good-free-desktop-news-ticker-apps/" title="Four Really Good Free Desktop News Ticker Apps">Four Really Good Free Desktop News Ticker Apps (7 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reading-experience-ipad-social-copia/" title="Copia – Makes Reading Experience On The iPad More Social">Copia – Makes Reading Experience On The iPad More Social (0 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/barnes-noble-ereader-superior-to-ibook-and-kindle-in-almost-every-way-ipad/" title="Barnes & Noble eReader – Superior to iBook and Kindle In Almost Every Way [iPad]">Barnes & Noble eReader – Superior to iBook and Kindle In Almost Every Way [iPad] (5 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/2-online-alternatives-standard-rss-readers/" title="2 Online Alternatives to Standard RSS Readers">2 Online Alternatives to Standard RSS Readers (7 comments)

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/zinio-reading-magazines-ipad-computer/" title="Zinio – Read Your Favorite Magazines On Your iPad (or PC)">Zinio – Read Your Favorite Magazines On Your iPad (or PC) (19 comments)

View full post on MakeUseOf.com

If you’re looking to write about web design and HTML, you’ve no doubt run into this problem. How do you display sample mark-up that the user can see?

The problem is simple. You want to display the sample markup. The user’s browser wants to render it as actual mark up. You need to come up with something to tell the browser – “Hey, this isn’t supposed to be rendered!”

There are a few ways to do this.

First, you could use an xmp tag.

The xmp tag was developed for displaying “example” HTML. Once the browser sees an xmp tag, it stops rendering all HTML until it sees a closing tag.

However, the tag is deprecated. It’s no longer included in the HTML standards – which will prevent your site from validating – and it may not be supported by all browsers. Use at your own risk.

A second, more reliable method, is to include the markup in a textarea box.

When you create a textarea element, you can include text in between the opening and closing tags as “default” text. Any HTML in this text remains unrendered – which allows you to easily display your sample markup.

There are two problems with this, though. First, you can’t include a closing textarea tag within your example – or it will prematurely close the textarea that you are using to display your example. You also cannot style the text at all with css.

The third solution – probably the best – is to escape all of the signs in the sample code.

If you replace

This is by far the surest method of displaying your sample HTML, the only problem is that you need to escape all of the characters. However, you can take a shorcut – use this form to do the escaping for you.

Copy and paste your own code in, and the escaped code will be created on the spot.

Twitter: twitter.com

Twitter: twitter.com

Windows Vista, by default, chooses the best display settings for your computer which includes screen resolution, refresh rate, and color, based on your monitor. The setting for every computer differs depending on the kind of monitor that is used– CRT or LCD. Screen resolution is the setting that determines how much information is displayed on the screen that is measured horizontally and vertically in pixels. Refresh rate is the frequency at which the screen is redrawn. These can be adjusted according to your preference.

The process to follow in changing Windows Vista’s display settings can be done in a few seconds. All you need to do is right-click on a vacant area on the Desktop and select “Personalize” from the menu that pops up. The Personalization box will appear. Click on “Display Settings” which is located at the bottom part (it is the seventh item from the top).The Display Settings dialog box will appear. There you can set the resolution and colors that would best fit your set up. You can drag the resolution slider to the right for higher resolutions and drag left to lower the resolution. You can also click on the “Advanced” button to get to more advanced settings for color management and properties of your adapter and monitor. But I advice not to tamper with what is in the Advanced button because it is for expert technicians. The default settings in the “Advanced” button are usually the best settings and the safest. The display settings of XP and Vista are almost the same so if you are familiar with that of XP you will not be lost in the display settings of Vista.

You can actually fine tune the display and the whole look of Vista by tweaking everything that is in the Personalization box. To adjust window color and appearance simply click on the radio button under the color. Check or uncheck on the “Enable transparency” checkbox if you want the window bar to be transparent. By clicking on the slider and dragging it to the left or to the right as how you want the settings to be, You can adjust the color intensity. By clicking on “Show Color Mixer” and adjusting the scales as desired, you can make adjustments on the hue, brightness, and saturation of the colors.

You can also change desktop background if you click “Desktop Background” and select the image you would like to use. If you want an image that is in one of the folders in your computer, just click on the Browse button and locate the folder that contains it and select the image and click “Open”. The Desktop background will then be changed to that image.

You may also set the Screensaver properties by clicking on “Screensaver”. By clicking on the drop down list you will be able to choose the screen saver to use. You can also see the adjustment box for the time it will take to activate the screensaver when the computer is idle. By clicking on the up or down arrow buttons, you can add or subtract to the number of minutes before screensaver launches.