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Make Free iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes

Jon Chase — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:50:00 EST

While Apple would prefer that you buy ringtone versions of music you've already purchased, you can still make ringtones for your iPhone using only iTunes and songs that don't have DRM (such as the ones you've ripped from your old CDs). Here's how:

Open iTunes, right click (or Control + click) on a song, and select 'Get Info.'
Under 'Options,' check the boxes beside 'Start Time' and 'Stop Time,' and under 'Stop Time,' change the duration to 0:30 (or less). Hit 'OK.'
Right-click on the song again and select 'Create AAC version.' (If a format other than AAC comes up, go into 'iTunes Preferences/General/Import Settings.' Under 'Import Using,' select 'AAC.')
Once the AAC version is created, drag it to your desktop, delete it from iTunes, and then change the file extension from .M4a to .M4r. Drag this file back into iTunes and you'll find it automatically placed in the 'Ringtones' section of your library. Delete the desktop version.
Note: Don't forget to go back to the original song file and uncheck the 'Start' and 'Stop' times.

Make Free iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Really, Truly Uninstall Old Programs

Jon Chase — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

You'd think uninstalling applications, games, and the rest would be as simple as dumping the icon into the recycling bin, but the truth is that computer programs distribute their files all over your PC. While that may not seem like a big deal, after a while those bits and pieces add up and cause conflicts, errors, and registry issues. Check out Revo Uninstaller -- a free, easy-to-use utility that lets you fully delete whatever apps you want, as well as search out the fragments of old apps you thought you'd already deleted.

How to Really, Truly Uninstall Old Programs originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get HD for Free

Jon Chase — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:34:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

All of the major TV networks currently broadcast HD video over the air and in better quality than what you likely receive from your cable/satellite company. And despite any techno-babble you may read, you can receive HD television signals over the air using a regular old TV antenna (as long as your HDTV has a built-in tuner, which most do). To figure out what channels are available in your area, and in what direction your antenna should be pointing, consult antennaweb.org. Hit up hdtvantennalabs.com for reviews of antennas, how-to guides, and helpful forums.

Get HD for Free originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quickly Switch Apps on a Palm Pre

Jon Chase — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:36:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Rather than opening your Palm Pre's Card View function to sort through all of your open apps, you can simply swipe back and forth between running apps. Go to the Launcher and select Screen & Lock. Under the heading 'Advanced Gestures,' slide the Switch Applications option from Off to On. Now, when you have several apps open, you can swipe left across the length of the gesture area to quickly flip to the last app you used, or swipe to the right to view other running apps.

Quickly Switch Apps on a Palm Pre originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keep Two Computers Synced

Jon Chase — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Keep all of your photo, video, audio, and data files up-to-date between your laptop and desktop by using syncing software. If you have a Windows PC, SyncBack is a freeware backup utility that lets you merge or overwrite data between two sources. Mac users who are comfortable using the Terminal may enjoy the free rsync utility, but the rest of us will prefer ChronoSync, a $40 app that lets you easily and seamlessly backup, or sync between two computers. (It even allows you to sync between a Mac and a PC.)

Keep Two Computers Synced originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download YouTube Videos to Your iPod

Jon Chase — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Download YouTube, and similarly Flash-based, videos for use on your iPod. Using Firefox, install the free VideoDownloader extension. Then download and install the free Perian codec for Quicktime from Perian.org. Videos ending in .flv will download to your desktop, where you can then open and export them to your iPod using Quicktime.

Download YouTube Videos to Your iPod originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turn Pesky PDFs Into Word Docs

Jon Chase — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:29:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Believe it or not, you can take the pain-in-the-ass out of PDFs. Though most PDFs can't be edited, there is one freebie workaround if you're in a pinch. Go to pdftoword.com, upload your PDF, and enter the format to which you'd like it converted. Within an hour or two, you'll get an e-mail containing a regular old Word or RTF file that you can fully edit. If you're in a hurry, the site offers a pro software version that lets you do PDF conversion on your own computer.

Turn Pesky PDFs Into Word Docs originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turn Off Pesky Tool Tips

Jon Chase — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Put an end to those nagging yellow Tool Tip boxes that pop up whenever you hover over a hyperlink in your browser. Mac OS X Tips revealed this godsend for Mac users:

Close Safari, then open Terminal (in Utilities) and type:
- defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitShowsURLsInToolTips 0
Restart your computer.
To restore Tool Tips, go back to Terminal and substitute a 1 for the 0 in the above command.

For Firefox, hit the above link for detailed instructions. Windows users can hit this link for instructions on how to remove Tool Tips from any application.

Turn Off Pesky Tool Tips originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swap Dead-Tree Catalogs for iCatalogs

Jon Chase — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Earn the gratitude of pine forests and beleaguered postal carriers the world over by signing up to receive electronic catalogs instead of paper ones. CatalogChoice.org is a godsend in that you can quickly and easily sign up. When you enter the customer data from the address labels of catalogs you receive, you'll get the option of either signing up for an iCatalog or just canceling delivery altogether. Granted, it takes several weeks to kick in, and some jerky retailers simply won't budge. But if you're the type who gets deluged with catalogs every season, you'll quickly notice a difference.

Swap Dead-Tree Catalogs for iCatalogs originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Load Your iPhone With Your Favorite Files

Jon Chase — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:40:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone, Tech Tips

Other than jailbreaking it or using e-mail, the iPhone offers no built-in way to accept non-media files, even ones that it's able to display (like PDFs and Office files, among others). There are a few iPhone apps, however, that help. AirSharing is a nifty app that lets you wirelessly mount your iPhone on your computer (Mac, PC, or Linux) like a network drive. From there, you simply drag and drop files from a shared Public folder -- either from the PC to your iPhone, or vice versa. You can then view the files on the go, or tote them to another computer to upload them without having to install software.

Load Your iPhone With Your Favorite Files originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fix That Burned-In Image on Your Plasma TV

Jon Chase — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

If your plasma HDTV has burn-in -- a permanent image on the screen that won't fade -- all is not lost. Unplug your video source, turn on the TV so that "snow" (or fuzz) appears, leave it on for 15 minutes, and then plug in your video source to see if the burn-in is fixed. If your screen automatically goes black (won't show snow), plug your plasma into your PC. There, go to JScreenFix.com for a program that can help.

Fix That Burned-In Image on Your Plasma TV originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Save a Soaked Cell Phone

Jon Chase — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:40:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

All is not necessarily lost if your cell phone ends up in the drink. If your phone gets doused, do the following as quickly as possible:

First off, do not try to turn on the phone if it's already off, or if it's acting funky.
Pop out the battery.
Dry off the outside as much as possible. Some sources recommend not shaking the phone, as that can actually cause water to travel inside the phone. However, we've heard the opposite, as well. (But don't do it too violently as you don't want to chuck it.) Don't bother trying to disassemble the phone to sponge out any water, as you'd just risk causing further damaging.
Put both your phone and the battery in a bowl of dried rice, which, like the rice in salt shakers at restaurants, will slowly draw out the moisture and humidity. You'll have to leave it there for a day or two before testing it. Alternatively, you can put the phone near a source of heat (e.g., on a shelf above or near a heater), and let it sit overnight.
Cross your fingers, put the battery back in, and test your luck.

Save a Soaked Cell Phone originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toggle Between Windows or Tabs on a Mac

Jon Chase — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:45:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

If you're the type to spawn tons of new tabs or windows in a browser rather than use the previous/next page buttons, there's a quick way to toggle through them using keyboard commands.

To toggle between several open Web browser windows:
Command (which is the Apple key) + ` (the one just below the Esc button)

To toggle between several open tabs in a Web browser's window:
Control + Tab

Toggle Between Windows or Tabs on a Mac originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Find Free iTunes Downloads

Jon Chase — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

You might not know it, but Apple regularly posts free downloads in the iTunes music store. Rather than hunt through iTunes' vast library to find the freebies, hit up Free iTunes Downloads for a constantly updated list of free music, movies, videos, and TV shows. Each post features the iTunes description in a blog format and includes a direct link to the download.

Find Free iTunes Downloads originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stymie Thieves by Password-Protecting Your Laptop

Jon Chase — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

If you're the road-warrior type, or a student or freelancer who spends a lot of time at the local library or Starbucks, it's essential to lock down your laptop with a strong password. All it takes is a second for a thief to jack your laptop, gain access to your e-mail, photos, and contacts, and potentially even find the login info to all the sites that house your sensitive personal info.

At a minimum, you should have a non-guessable password -- one with a combination of words and numbers -- for logging in to your laptop. Disable auto-login for all accounts, and require a password to wake your laptop from sleep or standby. If you're on a Windows machine, go to Start/Control Panel/Power Options and make sure to check the box for "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby." For a Mac, go to System Preferences/Security and check the box beside "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver." Then, get in the habit of closing the lid of your laptop every time you physically leave it, even if you think it will just be for a few seconds. That's time aplenty to have your stuff swiped.

Stymie Thieves by Password-Protecting Your Laptop originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download Entire Flickr Sets at Once

Jon Chase — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:31:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

If you've suffered a hard drive meltdown, or simply like a friend's photos and want them for yourself, you can either spend the rest of your life downloading them one at a time, or make use of the many Flickr software hacks out there. Two free versions that work particularly well are Flickrdown for Windows and Photo Grabbr for Mac; both let you easily locate photo sets by user name, and then download the ones you like.

Download Entire Flickr Sets at Once originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speedy Hard Drive = Speedier PC

Jon Chase — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Other than adding as much RAM as possible, a quick, relatively cheap way to gain noticeably better performance from your aging PC is to upgrade the hard drive to a faster model. The faster a hard drive spins (measured in revolutions per minute or rpm), the more quickly it can access data and pass it back and forth to the processor. For desktop computers, you should get at least a 7,200 rpm drive, although 10,000 rpm is ideal. For laptops, 5,400 rpm (standard on new machines) should do the trick, but 7,200 rpm is recommended. As always, before buying, check to make sure your computer can handle the specs of whatever drive you select.

Speedy Hard Drive = Speedier PC originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donate Old Cell Phones to Help Others

Jon Chase — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:31:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

Rather than sell or recycle your old cell phone (or throw away, God forbid!), consider donating it to one of the many charitable organizations that put them to good use. Hit charityguide.org for a list and description of places that accept used cell phones. And as always, make sure to delete all personal information from your phone before putting it in the mail (including the memory card). Usually, you can simply go to Settings/Security and choose to restore your phone to factory settings. If not, Google for instructions.

Donate Old Cell Phones to Help Others originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take iPhone Screenshots

Jon Chase — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:35:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

If you need the content of a Web page but can't be bothered to cut and paste text, or want to memorialize your amazing word stack on Bananagrams, use your iPhone's built-in ability to take screenshots. Hold down the Home button, and then press and release the Sleep button (on top). Once you hear the familiar shutter sound effect, you'll be able to access your new snaps in your Photos collection. It's especially useful for taking self-portraits, a notoriously difficult task since it require that you hit a touchscreen button without seeing the screen. Just go to the Camera app, and then repeat the above steps. (The downside is that your shot will, of course, include the image of the shutter button bar, too).

Take iPhone Screenshots originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$1 DIY Camera Monopod

Jon Chase — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:36:00 EST

Filed under: Tech Tips

When requiring a stable camera for tricky subjects, the resourceful (or broke) photographer needs no more than an eye-hook bolt, a nut, and a simple piece of string to construct a makeshift monopod. All you'll need is a 1/4-20 eye hook, a 1/4-20 nut, and a length of string that is about your height. First, screw the nut halfway up the bolt, tie or loop the string to the eye hook, and then screw the bolt into the bottom of your camera. (Almost all cameras use the same size bolt and thread type.) Gently tighten the nut, only to make sure the bolt doesn't back out. Drop the other end of the string to the floor so that it is hanging from the camera. Next, frame your shot, step on the string so that it is taught (and you're comfortable standing), and simply maintain tension. That's it! It seems hokey, but you'll be able to keep a camera far more stable than you would if you were to simply brace it against your body. Hit instructables.com for a more detailed version and explanation.

$1 DIY Camera Monopod originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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