How-To - Tested

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!).

25 Essential Steps to Setting Up Your New PC Like a Boss by Sam Cook on Dec. 28, 2010 47 Comments

Did you find a new PC under your tree this Christmas, or at least the hardware to build a new one? Either way, now you’ve got a whole lot of work to do—or rather, a fun holiday project! But make no mistake, you are going to be busy: getting the machine up and running, configuring the settings to your liking, playing Starcra . . . doing performance tests. It’s all going to take a while, and you don’t want to miss a single important step. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

The First 15 Things You Need to Do with a New DSLR by Matthew Braga on Dec. 28, 2010 11 Comments

After years with your trusty point-and-shoot camera, you've decided to move on. And good thing, too — there's really no better time to jump into DSLR photography. Cameras are the cheapest they've ever been, and have numerous functions and modes with first-time users in mind.

25 Essential Steps to Setting Up (and Tweaking!) Your New MacBook by Matthew Braga on Dec. 27, 2010 30 Comments

Like so many others this holiday season, you've found yourself the proud owner of brand new MacBook. Welcome to the cult; your black turtleneck is waiting by the door.

Handbrake vs. Freemake: Video Converter Showdown by Matthew Braga on Dec. 23, 2010 35 Comments

Handbrake is a very capable video converter, and while it's not the only option out there, it's one of the best. But that could soon change. A new video conversion utility (Windows only) is putting a spin on many of Handbrake's best features — and the results aren't half bad, either.

Freemake Video Converter. Today we're going to see how it stacks up to Handbrake, and whether it's worth your time.

How To Properly Tweak Msconfig To Speed Up Windows by Sam Cook on Dec. 23, 2010 24 Comments

If you’ve ever had to research a major Windows error, you’ve probably run across msconfig, the handy Windows utility. Msconfig provides insight into what your computer is doing behind the scenes, and lets you take control of processes that you’d normally never encounter directly. If you haven’t used this valuable diagnostic asset yet, it’s time to give it a try. Learn to use msconfig well, and you’ll have a powerful new item in your mental tech toolbox.

How To Best Export Photos from Your Android Phone by Ryan Whitwam on Dec. 23, 2010 8 Comments

Here's the scenario, you just took a picture with your Android phone, and you want that file on your computer. Sure, you could drag out the cable and plug in your phone to transfer it over. But what is this, the stone age? Android is designed to be a connected operating system that doesn't rely on being tethered to a PC. So why break out the cable when you need to move some images off?

How To Make the Switch to Google Chrome Browser by Sam Cook on Dec. 22, 2010 34 Comments

By now you’ve probably heard about a little web browser called Google Chrome. But maybe you haven’t had a chance to try it yet? It’s cool, we know you’ve been busy these past few years. Or perhaps you’ve used Chrome in the past, but have let the link sit idling on your desktop, while the silent updater has added a wealth of new features. Either way, you should put Google’s ever-more-popular browser to the test, and make it work for you.

How To Master Typing with Swype Keyboard for Android by Ryan Whitwam on Dec. 22, 2010 28 Comments

Since it is that time of year, the fine folks at Swype have reopened their ongoing beta for Android devices. That means you can have yourself some gesture text input for absolutely free. Swype is unlike most other text input options. Instead of tapping, you draw a line passing through the necessary letters. It's been imitated, but if you ask us, not yet duplicated. Some users aren't sold on Swype just yet.

How To Monitor Your Bandwidth Usage on PC and Mac by Matthew Braga on Dec. 21, 2010 25 Comments

Not everyone has the luxury of an uncapped connection these days — especially those of you in the mobile world. There's not much we can do to make things better, but at the very least, there are ways to keep you from incurring those pesky overage charges.

Three File Sharing Programs That Dropbox Can't Touch by Sam Cook on Dec. 21, 2010 18 Comments

We all love Dropbox. It's a free, convenient way to backup and share files— or even do some cool tricks. But if you’re defaulting to Dropbox for every file sharing need, you may be missing out. With a little searching, you can find other options that have their own interesting takes on moving data from one place to another. For certain purposes, in fact, some of the alternatives even have distinct advantages over that handy little blue box.