If you are like me, you have, at one point or another, used a computer to charge your Android device.  Furthermore, you probably had your browser unexpectedly open the Verizon Wireless V CAST webpage while an AutoPlay dialog box appeared asking if you would like to install drives from your Verizon Mobile CD Drive.  Follow these simple steps to stop both from happening:

1. Dial ##PROGRAM (##7764726)
2. Enter a password of 000000 (6 zeros) and click OK
3. Press Feature Settings
4. Press CD ROM
5. Select Disable
6. Press OK
7. Press your menu button then Commit Modifications (a popup will say “no items changed”)
8. Press your back button twice to return to your home screen

Finally, No more AutoPlay dialog box and no more auto-opening V CAST webpage.  Click the “Like” button below or post a comment if you’ve used these steps to stop Verizon from hijacking your USB connection.

Not only does our Gmail contain potentially sensitive correspondence among friends and family, but what about all of the emails regarding your bank or credit cards?  How about your gas, electric, cable, and cell phone bills?  If someone were to gain access to your Gmail account they could easily determine where you live, your cell phone number, which credit cards you have, and even where you bank!  Once in, they can also change your password to prevent you from logging in to your own account.  It’s all downhill from there.

So how do you prevent this tragedy from happening?  Hopefully, your Gmail is already secure and don’t even know it. Just check your browser’s address bar when you’re in your Gmail–if it begins with “https” you’re all set.  To make sure you are always browsing your Gmail securely, following these steps:

1. Login to Gmail and click the gear icon in the upper right corner of the page and click Mail Settings.
2. Find the options for Browser connection and make sure Always use https is selected

That’s it!  Easy huh?  Now you can sleep soundly at night knowing that when you check your Gmail from work, school, or the coffee shop that you are protected against someone hijacking your email.  As always, there is no such thing as “perfect” security but this simple setting will go a long way toward protecting your Gmail from all sorts of evildoers.

Don’t forget to check out how you can Secure your Facebook with HTTPS as well!  The same security mentioned here can be had on Facebook with just three easy steps.  There’s no reason not to be secure!

Today is ShapeWriter Keyboard.  Gone are the days of typing one letter at a time (at least for me).  This app gives you a new keyboard with the ability to slide your finger from one letter to the next to spell out your words.  For example, to spell Google, simply press the “G” key and without lifting your finger slide to the “O” then back to “G” then onto “L” and finally to “E” where you can lift your finger.  There you have it!  Your first word on a keyboard that you can no longer live without.  Notice, you only slide to the “O” then back off.  ”But there are two O’s in Google!”  Yes, there are, and ShapeWrite guessed what you were trying to spell.  If it guesses wrong simply select a new word from the little box above the keyboard (slide side-to-side to show more words).

There are advanced features as well.  For example, the ability to turn on/off “literal” mode that will stop auto-capitalizing words (for entering password) or entering spaces between words automatically.

For some reason the company responsible for this app has removed it from the Android market.  However, if you know where to find it you can still get it (instructions below).  Once you download the app you will need to activate it.  To do this, navigate to your Settings area and find the section for “Language & keyboard.”  Checking the checkbox next to “ShapeWriter keyboard” will get you on your way.  This is where you can also mess with keyboard settings such as “Vibrate on keypress” and the like.  Now that your new keyboard is active, you want to tell your phone to actually use it.  Open up any applications with text input (browser, messages, email, etc) and long-press (press and hold) in the text input area.  In the popup window, select “Input method” and change it to “ShapeWriter keyboard.”  You are now ready to begin using one of the best apps I have found for Android.

Download ShapeWriter, give it a fair try (you can’t give up on it after one day), and let me know what you think.

There are two ways you can download this app to your device:

1. From your computer – Scan the QR code above with Barcode Scanner
2. From your phone – Click Here to download the app

Update:

The company behind ShapeWriter has completely pulled this app from the Android Market.  You can download the application directly from my site by using the QR code above using the same download instructions.  In order to install an application from somewhere other than the market (as in this case) you will need to allow your phone to install applications from “Unknown Sources”  in your settings.