tips

This is one of the quick and easy tips that makes iOS so remarkable. Yes, it's simple, but that small attention to detail makes all the difference in terms of user experiences.

Due to the iPhone's small screen real estate, compromises in how some information is displayed had to be made. A specific amount of characters are viewable when scrolling through the track listings on albums (in both landscape and portrait mode). When song titles are longer than the space available, an ellipses appears, indicating there is more to the title.

In a world where nearly every song … Read more

I love the noise-blocking isolation a good set of in-ear headphones provides, but the trick lies in getting the best possible seal. Sure, most headphones come with a selection of three or more silicone, foam, or Comply eartips. I recommend trying on as many tips as you can, and see which set provides the best possible fit. Once you have achieved that, you'll have the maximum isolation from environmental noise, optimum bass response, and the right tip will likely provide the most secure fit, making the earpieces less likely to accidentally fall out. The problem I'm talking about … Read more

Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife, 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki, have committed to giving $1 million to a Bay Area charity, but only if the organization can get other Silicon Valley titans to pony up another million.

In an interview with CNET last week, Tipping Point Community CEO Daniel Lurie, whose charity distributes donations to dozens of nonprofits throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, said that Brin and Wojcicki have agreed to the gift, assuming Tipping Point can find matching funds from others in the technology world.

Lurie said that Brin and Wojcicki have been long-time supporters of Tipping … Read more

If you're like me, you enjoy doing things faster. Using keyboard shortcuts can help you spend less time looking for buttons or menus, and more time enjoying music and videos. So take a moment to become a more efficient by reading over these VLC shortcuts:

Space: toggle pause/play

F: toggle full-screen (you can also use Esc to leave full-screen mode)

Z: change zoom mode

Ctrl + Up / Down: Adjust volume up/down (you can also use mouse scroll wheel for this)

M: toggle mute

T: display time remaining/elapsed

+ / -: play media faster/slower

S: … Read more

Pin It

If Tumblr and StumbleUpon had a baby, they would likely give birth to Pinterest.

The new social networking site, which lets you grab things--photos, videos, and blog posts--from around the Web and "Pin" them, is quickly claiming the social lives of Internet users.

Aside from being a fun and effective way to discover new content on the Web, Pinterest might eventually replace traditional bookmarks, as the site offers a more attractive, visual way to scrapbook stuff you find on the Net.

And men, you're welcomed, too. Although the cutesy-looking Web site is attracting mostly females, … Read more

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

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

If the Kindle Fire has become your closest companion, the last thing you want is for it to die on you.

With apps, books, the Web, and music running in the background, you might find that your tablet's battery life doesn't last as long as you expected. As ZDNET points out, "the Kindle Fire consumes battery like, well, an Android tablet."

You'll be lucky if you get the estimated 8 hours Amazon promises.

To fix your battery woes, you could carry around the charger (no, thanks!) or use some of these battery-saving tricks:

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