Sunday 30 October 2016

Tips to Save Time in Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a full-featured tool for workbooks and spreadsheets. Whether you use it at work or at home, using features that save you time means that you can move onto your next chore faster.

1. Time-Saving Templates.

One of the best time-savers for most any task is the use of a template. In Excel, templates are very useful. For project timelines, calendars, invoices, budgets, and more, taking advantage of these convenient pre-formatted tools can definitely save you time.

Obtaining templates that you need is just as easy as using them. The Microsoft website offers a variety of Excel templates for calendars, planners, expense trackers, and time sheets. Vertex42 has a nice selection for schedules, budgets, to-do lists, and balance sheets. Another great resource is Spreadsheet 123 for invoices, inventory, sign-in sheets, and attendance forms.

2. Freezing Rows and Columns

If you have a lengthy spreadsheet containing tons of data, you may have to scroll too far down or even across to view it all. This means you will lose sight of your headings and find yourself constantly scrolling back to see them. However, if you freeze the rows and columns, then those headers will remain as you move through your spreadsheet.


  1. Navigate to the View tab and select Freeze Panes on the ribbon.
  2. In the Freeze Panes drop-down, select Freeze Top Row, Freeze First Column, or choose both if needed.


Now when you scroll up, down, right, or left, you will notice your headers will remain visible. To unfreeze those rows and columns, just select Freeze Panes command again and click Unfreeze Panes. Note that in older versions of Excel, the process is a bit different. Select the cell that is common to both the row and column you want to freeze and then click Freeze Panes.

3. Operating the Fill Handle

The fill handle in Excel can be a huge time-saver when you need to populate multiple cells and there are a few different ways this feature can be used. First, you can quickly create a list of numbers that count up by entering 1 into the first cell and 2 in the cell below it. Then, select both cells and when the fill handle appears, just drag to populate the cells as needed.

When using the feature for dates, you can easily fill a column or row in increments of one day. For instance, you can enter 25/10/2016 into the cell, select that cell, and when the fill handle appears just drag to add subsequent dates. This maneuver also works with days of the week and months of the year as well as downward through a column and across through a row.

Another handy use for the fill handle is if you need to populate an entire column with the same value for your spreadsheet. If you enter a word or letter, for example, select the cell and double-click the fill handle. This will enter that value into the remaining cells of the column as far down as your spreadsheet has data.

4. Transposing Columns and Rows

If you have a spreadsheet using headings in columns or rows (or both) and decide they would work better the opposite way, there is an easy process to make the change. This saves you from having to retype those headings. Here are the steps to move cells from row headings to column headings.


  1. Select the cells in the column that contain the headings.
  2. Either right-click and select Copy or click the Copy button on the Home tab of the ribbon.
  3. Select the cell in the row and column where you want the headings to start
  4. Either right-click and select Paste Special or click Paste and then Paste Special on the Home tab of the ribbon.
  5. Select the checkbox near the bottom right that says Transpose.
  6. Click Ok.


5. Linking to Tabs or Cells

If your workbook contains several spreadsheets with data being cross-referenced between them, creating a direct link provides speedy access. This is especially helpful if you are sharing a workbook so that others can jump to that data quickly. Follow these simple steps to create the link:


  1. Select the cell containing the data that you want to link.
  2. Either right-click and select Hyperlink or go to the Insert tab and click Hyperlink in the ribbon.
  3. In the pop-up window, select Place in this Document.
  4. Then enter the text to display in that cell, a specific cell reference if desired, and the spreadsheet in the workbook with the data you are linking to.
  5. Click OK.


6. Using Keyboard Shortcuts

If you are an avid Excel user, then keyboard shortcuts can certainly save you time. While there are almost too many keyboard shortcuts to list, here are several that can speed up your tasks.


  1. F4 (or Fn + F4) to repeat the last command, including formatting changes such as color or font.
  2. Alt + H, E, A to erase the contents, formatting, and other data attached to the selected cells.
  3. Ctrl + W to close a spreadsheet and Ctrl + O to open one.
  4. Ctrl + Shift + Colon to enter the current time and Ctrl + Shift + Semicolon for the current date.
  5. Shift + F9 to calculate the active worksheet.
  6. Shift + Tab to move to the previous cell or option.
  7. Ctrl + Home to move to the beginning of the spreadsheet.
  8. Ctrl + Page Down to move to the next spreadsheet in a workbook and Ctrl + Page Up to move to the previous one.




Tuesday 25 October 2016

Xiaomi unveils Mi Note 2: Specifications, Pricing, Availability.


Mi Note 2 is finally made official in China at Xiaomi’s ‘Curved to Impress’ event. It is Xiaomi’s latest flagship in its Note lineup. The device comes with a 5.7-inch 1080p dual curved OLED screen, which resembles Samsung’s edge display but on both the sides. As suggested earlier, the Mi Note 2 indeed comes powered by a 64-bit 2.35GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 821 Performance Edition chipset.

For pricing, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is priced at 2799 Yuan (Rs. 27610 approx.) for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant; 3299 Yuan (Rs. 32550 approx.) for 6GB RAM/128GB storage version. The global variant of the Mi Note 2 is priced at 3499 Yuan (Rs. 34,525 approx.) featuring 6GB of RAM, 128GB storage, and support for most of the LTE bands. Xiaomi touts 3x carrier aggregation with LTE speeds up to 6000Mbps on the downlink. For enhanced audio quality, the Mi Note 2 comes integrated with Aqstic audio processor, which provides 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Fi sound quality.

Regarding other specifications, the dual-SIM Mi Note 2 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8 on top. It sports a 22.56MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, Sony IMX318 sensor, 6-element lens, f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording along with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with Sony IMX258 sensor. For connectivity, it supports Fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C, and NFC. A 4070mAh battery backs the device. The phone measures 156.2 x 77.3 x 7.6 mm and weighs 166 grams.

Xiaomi has not yet revealed a set timeline for the global launch of the Mi Note 2. Stay tuned with us for more information.

Meizu m3s with fingerprint sensor, 4G VoLTE goes official in India, starting at Rs. 7,999

Meizu has finally launched the Meizu m3s in India. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 7,999 for 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant and Rs. 9,299 for 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant. It will be up for sale exclusively on Snapdeal in Gold, Silver, Grey and Pink color options.

Coming on to other specifications, the Meizu m3s smartphone sports a 5-inch display with 1280×720 pixels resolution with 2.5D curved glass protection. It is powered by a (four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz, and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1GHz A53) MediaTek octa-core processor with Mali T860 GPU on top. The Meizu m3s smartphone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop-based Flyme OS 5.1 on top and supports a Hybrid dual-SIM card slot. The inbuilt storage is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.

Regarding the camera, Meizu m3s smartphone comes with a 13MP at the rear with dual-tone LED flash, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture. In front, a 5MP camera with f/2.0 aperture adorns the device. On the connectivity front, the Meizu m3s supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS / GLONASS. There is a fingerprint scanner as well. A 3020mAh battery completes the package.

Friday 21 October 2016

Debit Card Data compromised of Many Banks: How to Change SBI, ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank, Yes Bank Debit Card PIN Online

A security breach has put 3.2 million debit cards in India at risk due to malware in Bank Servers, with major banks like State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and Yes Bank being the worst hit.

Considering the scale of this new breach, it is advisable to change your debit card PIN at the earliest, and you don’t even have to go to the ATM or the bank branch to change it. All the above mentioned banks, except SBI, allow netbanking users to change their debit card PIN online.Please follow below mentioned procedure to change your HDFC, ICICI, Yes Bank, and Axis Bank debit card PIN online.


How to change Axis Bank debit card PIN online:

  • Log into your Axis Bank netbanking account
  • Scroll to the hamburger button on the top left (the button with the three horizontal bars).
  • Now Scroll to the option My Debit Cards
  • Click that option and select your active debit card.
  • In the bar below marked More Services, select the Set Debit Card Pin option and press Go.
  • Here, you will be able to change the PIN by entering the new PIN code, expiry date of the card, and submitting the NETSecure code that you received on the phone by SMS.



How to change HDFC Bank debit card PIN online

  • Open your netbanking account and click on the Cards tab.
  • On the left side, in Debit Cards, scroll down and click the ‘Request’ button.
  • the new options listed under Request select Instant PIN Generation.
  • To change your HDFC Bank debit card PIN, simply provide the requisite details on this page, i.e. the new PIN number and the OTP you received on the phone.


How to change ICICI Bank debit card PIN online:

  • Log into your ICICI Bank netbanking account
  • Select the My Card Pin option that is located on the left.
  • Here, you will have the option to change the debit card PIN
  • Do that by selecting the active debit card and providing the CVV number.
  • You will have to verify the OTP you received, and submit the corresponding letters on the back of your debit card.
  • On the next page, just choose the new PIN code for your ICICI debit card and hit submit.


How to change Yes Bank debit card PIN:

  • When you enter your Yes Bank account, browse to the mySPACE tab on the top.
  • Click on the fourth tab on the top right of the mySPACE widget screen.
  • Choose the third option i.e. Debit Card PIN Re-generation/ Change.
  • After clicking it, you will be prompted to choose your preferred debit card from the drop-down menu.
  • Enter you card's validity, followed by the new PIN.
  • You'll need to re-enter the new PIN and proceed further.
  • A confirmation screen will appear; clicking Confirm on it will take you to the OTP page.
  • Input the code that you received in the OTP on your phone.


How to change SBI debit card PIN online:

As per the latest infromation, There is no way to chang the PIN for a State Bank of India debit card online. Only you can do is, You have to visit any of State bank ATM to change ATM PIN.

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