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Photography 101: Learning the ropes with your new camera

Editors' note: This is an updated version of a story first posted in December 2011.

You've opened the box, charged the battery, and oohed and aahed over your shiny new toy. Now what?

Scan your manual No, you don't have to read the whole thing, just the important stuff. In the beginning somewhere there will be a diagram showing you the parts of the camera. That's the really important stuff. Then turn to the index, providing the manual has one (there are some utterly heinous examples of manualcraft that don't include an index); if there isn't, use the table of contents instead. Run down the index or TOC, and look at the page in the manual for every term you don't understand. … Read more

A place for everything: How to manage your photos

Managing your photos--a lot easier than you think.

What a surprising number of people don't realize is that every device these days pops up as a drive on your system, and that you can drag and drop your files onto your computer--even your phone. (And to those of you saying "everybody knows that already!" trust me; they don't.)

Commit to downloading First, you have to make the decision--and stick to it--that you'll download (or upload) all your photos and videos within a day or so of taking them. It's a good idea to get … Read more

Practice makes perfect

iStunt 2 is a snowboarding sequel that adds enough extras and unique gameplay to make it a great time-waster and might be one of our favorite pick-up-and-play games for 2011. Just like in the original, you'll be challenged to snowboard on several complex courses that involve loops, jumps, tricks, and even snowboarding upside down. The control system uses the iPhone accelerometer to control your snowboarder, a couple of onscreen buttons for grab-type tricks, and screen swipes for jumping over gaps.

iStunt 2 is better in almost every way than the original, with better-designed tracks, better graphics, and more control … Read more

Rat snowboarding for distance

Rat on a Snowboard is primarily a distance/survival game where you play as (you guessed it) a rat on a snowboard. In this game you're not trying to pull off big tricks; instead, you're simply trying to get as far as you can while avoiding obstacles.

You have a couple of control systems to choose from. The default layout lets you simply touch the screen to both jump and spin (to gain altitude and points while in the air). But we preferred switching to two buttons, one each for jumping and spinning, to feel like we were … Read more

Can there be too much rag doll?

Super Trick Snowboarder is a 2D snowboarding game that uses rag doll physics as you jump, flip, and spin down the slope, but it might be a bit too rag doll for its own good. The game features nice-looking cartoonlike graphics; your snowboarder makes his way past obstacles while pulling off big tricks. The control system involves a snowboard on the left with four buttons for grabbing the front, back, and sides of your board in the air. On the right you have buttons for jumping and rotating either clockwise or counterclockwise.

The problem with Super Trick Snowboarder is that … Read more

2D snowboarding games for iOS

This week I've gathered up some 2D snowboarding games that are not as good as being in the actual snow, but might be the perfect time-waster while we wait for winter to settle in.

As we hunker down for the winter months in the northern hemisphere, many are dreaming of another great season of winter sports. While there's probably nothing I can offer on the iPhone that will give you the feeling of snowboarding on powder-covered slopes, maybe these apps will make the days slip by a little bit faster.… Read more

How to use your iPhone's headphones for steady photo captures

Here's one of those tips that's so obvious, you'll be surprised you missed it.

With iOS 5 utilizing the volume-up button for the camera shutter, iPhotography seriously improved, as previously tapping the screen to activate the shutter would often render blurry photos.

Then yesterday, one of my favorite food photographers tweeted her brilliant discovery: you can also use your headset volume-up button to capture a photo.

Just launch your iPhone's camera, ready your shot, and click the volume up button to snap the photo. If you have a Bluetooth headset with volume control, it'll likely … Read more

Some app makers hope to scare the hell out of you

Today is Halloween and parents are getting bombarded with messages that their kids are at risk. So is CNET News.

"One night every year, parents let their guard down in the U.S. and allow their children to wander the streets of town for hours in the dark," begins a pitch from a location-based app maker to CNET News. "The reality is that every 40 seconds someone's son or daughter is reported missing, totaling 800,000 missing children in the United States each year."

These stats are scary, for sure. They're also misleading* and … Read more

App tracks Halloween trick-or-treaters

It's becoming easier and cheaper for Big Brother to surveil and keep track of all us citizens, so the kids might as well get used to it at an early age--and there's no better time to start than Halloween.

Trick or Tracker 2.0 is a smartphone app that lets parents keep up with their children's exact location while they're out dressed as Lady Gaga begging the neighbors for sweet corn byproducts. … Read more