How-To - Tested

How To Solve Common Windows Problems Without Rebooting by Matthew Braga on Feb. 28, 2011 8 Comments

Windows, for the most part, is reasonably stable OS. Still, it’s not uncommon to have a rogue program or driver wreak all sorts of havoc on your system — often forcing a unwanted reboot. In some cases, Windows is smart; if your graphics driver trips up, the Windows Display Driver Model is smart enough to recover, no reboot required. But not every Windows component is quite as graceful.

without rebooting. Now it’s time to show you Windows users how to do the same.

How to Manually Update the Nexus One and Nexus S to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 25, 2011 11 Comments

At long last the Gingerbread update for the Nexus One is going out over the air (OTA). This version of Android (2.3.3) is also being pushed to the Nexus S OTA. Google has said, as they often do, that the OTA will take several weeks to complete. Being technology enthusiasts, we don't much see the point in waiting weeks to get an update that we can sideload now. Luckily, the Android community has managed to find the update files on Google's servers. With a little file management and some clicks in recovery mode, you can update either of these handsets to the latest and greatest.

How To Pop-Out Netflix Streaming Videos from Your Browser by Sam Cook on Feb. 25, 2011 14 Comments

While Netflix Instant is one of the best streaming video services around, it lacks a useful feature that both YouTube and Hulu have—a pop-out option. Being able to pop-out a video into its own window is nice, letting you drag your movie around without juggling the web page as well. If you’ve got a dual monitor setup, pop-out also lets you go full-screen without the hassle of having it shrink back down when you click somewhere else (Update: You can also fix the dual monitor issue by installing Silverlight 4. Thanks Netflix Instant team!). So if you’ve been missing this feature in Netflix Instant, fear not, there’s a simple workaround.

How To Fix Common Mac OS X Problems Without Rebooting by Matthew Braga on Feb. 24, 2011 15 Comments

There are those who simply never shut down — people who are so adverse to rebooting their machines they do everything in their power to avoid it. But energy concerns aside, there are tons of valid reasons for doing so. Some prefer a persistent workspace, while others might run home servers. For these people, continuous uptime is an must. But driver updates or stubborn apps are all it takes to bring your system to a reboot-worthy halt.

How To Future-Proof Android Video Encoding: WebM vs H.264 by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 24, 2011 4 Comments

With the newest version of Android for phones, Google is extending support for their WebM video codec to the platform. Google is positioning this as an alternative to the patent-encumbered H.264 video codec. With a future of large-screen Honeycomb tablets, and stupid-fast smart phones, video is only going to become more important. There are reasons to support both formats, but you'll probably want to stick to one.

How To Buy a Used Android Phone with Complete Confidence by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 17, 2011 9 Comments

The two year contracts most carriers push on you to get subsidized smart phones can be a troubling proposition. If you're not happy with the phone, you're stuck on the carrier for two years. Buying a new phone without subsidy can be a very expensive alternative. If you want to save a little cash, and maintain your freedom, you can always pick up a used Android phone on eBay or Craigslist. Since you would be getting this phone second hand, warranties are of little use. You need to make sure the handset is as described. That guy on Craigslist probably doesn't take returns.

Tips To Make Your Own Awesome Headphone Stand by Wesley Fenlon on Feb. 14, 2011 42 Comments

Do you chuckle every time you see someone listening to music with those iconic Apple earbuds? Cheap and available they may be, but they’ll never come close to matching the audio quality of a great pair of headphones. Picking out the perfect headphones isn’t an easy decision, either--they can cost in the hundreds of dollars, and you have to choose between open and closed phones or go for a high-end headset. And once you’re fully immersed in that world of aural bliss, another expensive hobby arises: customization.

Headphone cans are the perfect size and shape for classy custom panels or artwork. And most high-end headphones are already pretty stylish--when they look that good, they deserve a suave headphone stand to hold them up for the world to see. If you’re adventurous, that means building something with your own two hands.

How To Protect Your Laptop from Theft (and Catch Thieves!) by Matthew Braga on Feb. 14, 2011 22 Comments

As much as we'd like to think of coffee shops and libraries as idyllic places for safe work and study, there's always someone willing to steal your stuff. After all, that elderly woman at the adjacent table may look innocent, but we're not going to take any chances.

Of course, when it comes to laptop security, we'd recommend the obvious — watch your stuff. Five minutes is all it takes to grab a coffee, or head to the washroom, but that's all it takes for a thief to swipe your stuff too. And while physical locks can be a good deterrent in public places, they aren't always possible — or convenient — to set up.

Prey to deter would-be thieves, and help you get your laptop back should it ever be stolen.

How to Troubleshoot a (Maybe) Dead Android Phone by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 11, 2011 13 Comments

Imagine this scenario, if you dare. You pick up your trusty Android phone, press the power button and nothing happens. You are not greeted by a lovely screen filled with electronic wonder, but rather by the cold, hard reality that your phone might be busted. If you find yourself in this unenviable position, don't panic.

How to Properly Prepare Your Old Android Phone for Resale by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 9, 2011 9 Comments

So you've got your eye on that fancy new phone, but you already have an old Android phone? Not a problem, you can always cover part of the cost of the upgrade by selling your current handset. Whether you end up going with a local Craigslist sale, or a long distance eBay auction, there are a few things you need to do to your phone before you hand it off to someone else.

How To Take Apart an iMac (and Replace its Hard Drive)

by on Feb. 9, 2011 63 Comments

Replacing an iMac's hard drive is easy, but you'll need these special tools.

15 Essential Steps For Properly Setting Up Your New Router by Wesley Fenlon on Feb. 8, 2011 36 Comments

In every household sharing a single Internet connection, the router is the linchpin of the network. It's also a piece of equipment that is easy to neglect after initial setup--many people configure LAN and Wi-Fi and never touch their router settings until a problem arises. But while configuring new network equipment can be a frustrating experience, we’re here to make sure hooking up your new router is all blessing and no curse. With some smart tweaks, we’ll have that new router running with rock-solid stability while outputting a better signal than ever before. No matter what brand and model router you’ve got, our step-by-step walkthrough will offer some helpful tips.

7 Ways to Reclaim Unused Disk Space on PC and Mac by Matthew Braga on Feb. 7, 2011 24 Comments

Anyone who's used the same Mac or PC for more than a few months knows that, eventually, things tend to get a little slow. That once-speedy startup time takes a few seconds longer, and those hourglasses and beachballs tend to appear a little more often than you'd like.

How To Make 2D Glasses for 3D Movies

by on Feb. 7, 2011 75 Comments

You'll want these for the next time you're forced to watch a 3D movie in theaters.

How To Make the Most of the Android Market Web Store by Ryan Whitwam on Feb. 4, 2011 7 Comments

We've been waiting for Google to rollout the Android Market Web Store for a long time. Now that it has finally gone live, the time has come to adjust to a new way of finding and installing apps. In this case, the new way is shaping up to be dramatically improved. Google has leveraged the power of their cloud infrastructure to make your phone feel totally integrated with the web-based Market.

How To Fix Visual Artifacts in Your Scanned Images by Matthew Braga on Feb. 3, 2011 6 Comments

Remember magazines? Not those new-style iPad issues the kids are all talking, but real paper-bound magazines? It just so happens that some of us have a lot of these relics lying around, but sadly, they're stuck in the analog world. Unless you choose to scan them, that is.

So dust off that old flatbed scanner — today we're going to show you how to scan those old magazines and newspaper clippings properly, and clean up unwanted artifacts in the process.

How To Easily Remove Product Logos from Your Devices

by on Feb. 3, 2011 99 Comments

Wipe away screenprinted logos from your tchotchkes with this common household item.

How To Get XBMC on Your Apple TV (2nd Generation) by Wesley Fenlon on Jan. 21, 2011 15 Comments

That second generation Apple TV is a nice little box. Sleek, tiny, quiet, and focused--maybe too focused. If Apple’s emphasis on renting content never quite sat right with you, this is the change you’ve been waiting for: XBMC is now available for jailbroken Apple TVs. Built from the ground up for the Apple TV, this release marks the first version of XBMC for an ARM device.

or 1080p video. Oh, and that’s not all--the XBMC devs went ahead and released a version for the iPad and iPhone 4, too. Ready to get XBMC on your Apple TV already? We’ll get you started.

How To Make the Most of Android's Front-Facing Camera by Ryan Whitwam on Jan. 20, 2011 10 Comments

Front-facing cameras have become one of the hot new features the modern "superphone" is expected to have. The Evo and Galaxy S kicked off this trend on Android, now Google has added native support in Android 2.3. With this milestone, the use of front-facing cams is likely to explode over the coming months as developers start building apps specifically for these cameras. Some third-party apps are already on the scene, and Android 3.0 Honeycomb will bring native video chat to some devices in the coming months.

25 Essential Tweaks to Perform on Your New Android Phone by Ryan Whitwam on Jan. 18, 2011 22 Comments

Editor's note: Now updated for 2012 here!

Get a new Android phone, or planning on getting one soon? There’s a lot you can do with a handset running Google's mobile OS, and you don’t want to just jump in and peruse the Internet until you properly set up and tweak the phone. After all, user customization is one of Android's top attributes. Luckily, we’ve got a step-by-step guide for you to get started.

Whether you're an Android newbie or die-hard enthusiast, you'll have something to learn from this checklist of the 25 most essential things you ought to do with your new Android phone (Yes, Gingerbread phones included!).