Author: Softonic Editorial Team

How to sync your Android apps with a PC

You’ve bought a brand new Android phone and you’ve begun taking pictures, making videos, sending messages, and more. When your phone runs out of memory, what do you do?

The best way to free up space on your device is to back up your data. To do this, you need to have installed an application that syncs between your phone and a PC. For Android phones, this is no simple matter due to the variety of models and phone manufacturers.

Below is a list of popular applications for syncing between a PC and an Android phone:

Which flavor of Android?

Not all Android phones run the same operating system version. In addition, each phone manufacturer has its own application that allows the “phone to talk to the PC”. As a result, it’s really important to know what brand your device is.

If your phone is a less well-known brand, such as an LG, locate your installation CD or browse the manufacturer’s web site for the sync application – assuming the manufacturer has a web site, that is!

Samsung Kies

Samsung Kies is the official Samsung synchronization application. It works with all Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, S3, S4, Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini phones.

You download and install the Samsung Kies app on your PC and connect your phone using a USB cable. The application lets you transfer music, photos, videos and other files from your mobile phone.

You can also back up copies of your most important data such as your calendar, SMS messages, notes, and more.

In addition, some phones let you update your Android version using Samsung Kies.

Kies Air

Kies Air is an app for your Android phone or tablet. Basically, Kies Air copies files between any Samsung devices you own.

To synchronize data with your PC, just use a Wi-Fi connection, launch the Kies Air app and copy the code generated by the app into your PC browser.

From there, from there you can very easily copy images, videos, music and more.

LG PC Suite

LG PC Suite is the official LG application for managing and synchronizing the contents of your mobile device. The program is very straightforward and lets you easily copy everything you want from your LG device to the PC.

The cool thing about LG PC Suite is that the first time you run the program and connect your phone, a step-by-step wizard teaches you how to carry out the most important tasks.

All your content appears in an organized way that makes sense and is easy to manage.

HTC Sync

Although HTC phones are not as popular as some, HTC Sync works with HTC Sensation, Evo, Wildfire, Desire, Desire S, Z and other models of HTC phones.

The HTC Sync interface is very intuitive and makes it easy to synchronize data between your phone and your PC.

All content to be synchronized is divided into categories: contacts, notes, calendar, photos and music. Select one or more categories and the items are copied. It’s that simple!

Which application do you use to sync your Android data with your PC?

Original article written by Felipe Pessoa on Softonic BR.

Cookies: What they are and what they do

When you hear the word “cookie,”, the first thing that usually comes to mind is chocolate chip. But web cookies are another thing completely.

In this short article I’ll answer the usual questions that Softonic users have about these mysterious – yet sadly inedible – cookies.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of data that a web site stores in your web browser. It looks like a small text file.

A browser can store thousands of them, and they can only be read by the web sites that created them, except when it comes to tracking cookies used by web advertising companies.

Who invented the cookie and why?

Cookies were created in 1994 by Lou Montulli, a Netscape employee, to avoid the limitations the internet had for identifying a computer when connected.

Since web sites have no way of knowing if two requests come from the same computer, they need to assign labels to be able to differentiate. This is where cookies come into play.

What are cookies for?

Cookies let a web site remember who you are and what you like. Cookies are required for a web site to function effectively for the user.

Some examples of things you can do with cookies:

  • Fill a virtual shopping cart
  • Change search preferences
  • Access a web site without having to enter a password
  • Customize the look of a web site
  • View ads relevant to your interests

Where are cookies stored?

A cookie is created when you browse a web site that requires information about you. It’s stored on your hard disk or in the computer’s memory. Cookies take up very little space, a maximum of 4KB per cookie (255 characters). Most are deleted after a period of time (they “expire”).

Do cookies pose a security risk?

No. Cookies don’t contain any executable code and therefore can’t do any harm to your data. By themselves, cookies are completely harmless.

Cookies do have privacy implications, however, so some antivirus applications mark them as suspicious, especially if your browser is set to a high sensitivity level.

What does a cookie know about me?

A cookie can only store information that you provide voluntarily or that is stored in your browser options. For example:

  • Usernames, email addresses and passwords are data you provide
  • Browser type, version and operating system are data the browser provides

There is a special type of cookie called a tracking or third-party cookie, that stores web sites you have browsed. These cookies are used by advertisers to display content targeted to your interests.

Should I delete my cookies?

No. It’s best not to delete all your cookies. If you do, many of your favorite web sites won’t function as before and you’ll have to log in again and reset your preferences.

Cookies that can be safely deleted are tracking or third-party cookies. You can delete them using the options interface found in all web browsers.

How do I know which pages have created cookies?

A simple way to know what cookies were created and what information is contained in them is to activate the Do Not Track option present in most browsers.

Do Not Track not only tells you what cookies are created by a page, but also lets you block the tracking action, making your browsing more private.

Can I browse without using cookies?

Using private or anonymous browsing, you can navigate without a trace. All modern browsers have a private browsing mode.

With private browsing enabled, web pages you visit and files you download are not stored on your computer in your browsing and download histories.

What other questions do you have about cookies?

Original article written by Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti on Softonic ES.