10 computer/smartphone tricks everyone should know, but many don't
- Use the space bar to scroll down a page. Hold the shift key and the space bar at the same time to scroll back up again.
- Tab between boxes on online forms. When there’s a pop-up menu to input details of your state, type the first letter of the state to scroll through options.
- To make web text larger, press control +. Mac users, make that “Command +.”
- Don’t bother with punctuation on your smartphone. Hit the space bar twice for a period and the next letter will be automatically capitalized.
- Hit the call button of your phone to redial the last person you spoke to. No need to go into your contacts.
- Speaking of phones, carriers have keystrokes that let you bypass the “15 seconds of fricking instructions, like we haven’t had answer machines for 45 years.” Sadly, each shortcut is different. “I didn’t say these were going to be perfect,” Pogue allows.
- Use Google as a dictionary by typing “define” followed with the word you want to understand. You can also use it as an FAA database for flight details.
- To highlight a word, don’t drag across it with the mouse. Double click it. And don’t bother deleting text; just type.
- Avoid shutter lag by half pressing down the button of your camera before you take a picture. For folks who still use cameras.
- Press “b” to black out a slide (or “w” to white it out). And make sure people are paying attention to your wonderful presentation.
So, sure. These tricks help you get the most out of your technology.