Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Skip Annoying YouTube Ads by Hitting the Refresh Button]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/08/11/skip-annoying-youtube-ads-by-hitting-the-refresh-button/http://www.switched.com/2010/08/11/skip-annoying-youtube-ads-by-hitting-the-refresh-button/http://www.switched.com/2010/08/11/skip-annoying-youtube-ads-by-hitting-the-refresh-button/#commentsFiled under: ,

Skip YouTube Ads

Honestly, we just don't have the patience to watch those 15- to 30-second ads that play before some YouTube videos. But, as one Lifehacker reader points out, you can skip the ads and get straight to watching the video by simply hitting the refresh button on your browser. After doing so, the video will load minus the ad. It's a simple way to save yourself time and prevent annoyance. Enjoy this neat trick while you can; we're sure YouTube and its legion of advertisers will put the clamps down as soon as they get wise to it. [From: Lifehacker]

Continue reading Skip Annoying YouTube Ads by Hitting the Refresh Button

SwitchedSkip Annoying YouTube Ads by Hitting the Refresh Button originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adsadvertisingonlinevideostreamingvideotechtiptechtipstipstopvideoWebyoutubeyoutube tutorialYoutubeTutorialWed, 11 Aug 2010 08:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Condoms, Plastic Bottles Double as Waterproof Casings for Gadgets]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/06/19/condoms-plastic-bottles-double-as-waterproof-casings-for-gadget/http://www.switched.com/2010/06/19/condoms-plastic-bottles-double-as-waterproof-casings-for-gadget/http://www.switched.com/2010/06/19/condoms-plastic-bottles-double-as-waterproof-casings-for-gadget/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

condom wrapped around a camera
It's summer, which means your gadgets will be spending some time around water. But a trip to the beach or lake doesn't have to spell doom for a camera or cell phone. Lifehacker recently wrote about some cheap and easy ways to waterproof a gadget (and protect against STDs, too!) Believe it or not, you can use a clear, non-lubricated condom as a waterproof bag for cameras and other hydro-sensitive devices. Just "wrap" the gadget, tie the condom shut and coat the knot with wetsuit glue. A more obvious, albeit boring, waterproof housing is a plastic bottle. Lifehacker deftly points out, "If they can keep liquids in, most of the time they can keep liquids out." Just make sure the cap is screwed on tight and there are no cracks. You can protect your batteries, too, by simply covering the top with a urethane waterproof coating.

With a DIY attitude, even gadget hounds can enjoy summer vacation at the beach. Sure, your condom-wrapped camera might draw a few stares, but it's better than "abstaining" from using your gadgets at the beach. [From: Lifehacker]

Continue reading Condoms, Plastic Bottles Double as Waterproof Casings for Gadgets

SwitchedCondoms, Plastic Bottles Double as Waterproof Casings for Gadgets originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>batterycameracellphonecondomsdiyhackhackslifehackersummertechtipstopwaterproofSat, 19 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How to Restore Scratched CDs With Vaseline]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/04/10/how-to-restore-scratched-cds-with-vaseline/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/10/how-to-restore-scratched-cds-with-vaseline/http://www.switched.com/2010/04/10/how-to-restore-scratched-cds-with-vaseline/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you lived through the MP3 revolution and still managed to hold on to a few of those ancient relics known as CDs, they're probably in pretty bad shape. A few scratches here and there, though, don't necessarily mean that you have to toss your entire Van Halen box set out with the Thursday morning trash. [Ed. note: Although you should've done so with the Sammy Hagar era stuff long ago.] The only thing you need to bring your battered CDs back to life, in fact, is a simple dab of Vaseline, and a piece of soft cloth.

DIY site Instructables has an easy, four-step guide to restoring your CDs, and it doesn't even involve anything as complex as fresh produce or dental hygiene products. Basically, all you have to do is take some petroleum jelly from your nightstand, thoroughly apply it to the CD and then use a rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton ball to wipe away the surplus grease. We have absolutely no idea about the chemistry at work behind the entire process, but it certainly sounds reasonable enough to give it a shot. As for all your worn-out floppy disks, we can't really help you. [From: Instructables, via: LifeHacker]

SwitchedHow to Restore Scratched CDs With Vaseline originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cdcdslifehacklifestylemusictechtiptechtipstopvaselineSat, 10 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Fix DVD Scratches Using a Banana and Toothpaste]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/02/11/fix-dvd-scratches-using-a-banana-and-toothpaste/http://www.switched.com/2010/02/11/fix-dvd-scratches-using-a-banana-and-toothpaste/http://www.switched.com/2010/02/11/fix-dvd-scratches-using-a-banana-and-toothpaste/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Whether it's from careless roommates or too many viewings, we've all had our favorite DVD get scratched and skip as a result. But you don't have to give up on your beloved disc; there could be hope for it yet -- in your pantry and bathroom.

The folks over at Unplggd have compiled a step-by-step guide to removing scratches with nothing more than a banana, some toothpaste, and window cleaner. First, you'll want to squirt some toothpaste onto the disc and gently rub it around with a clean rag. Let that sit for a few minutes. Next, using another rag, wipe off all the toothpaste. Cut a banana and rub it on the disc in a circular motion, resisting the urge to eat the fruit just yet. Let it sit, and then wipe off all the banana residue with a rag. After that, spray some window cleaner onto the DVD and wipe it clean. When it dries, you should be able to pop it into the player and continue watching the movie without missing any of your favorite parts.

Continue reading Fix DVD Scratches Using a Banana and Toothpaste

SwitchedFix DVD Scratches Using a Banana and Toothpaste originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bananasdvdhow-tomoviesrepairtechtiptoothpastetopThu, 11 Feb 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Save Space -- Make Your Mac Monolingual]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/18/save-space-make-your-mac-monolingual/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/18/save-space-make-your-mac-monolingual/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/18/save-space-make-your-mac-monolingual/#commentsFiled under: ,

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By default, Macs come loaded to the gills with language files for the operating system, printer drivers and such, as well as all of the iApps (iTunes, iPhoto, Safari, iEtc). For multilingual types it's nice as it allows them to use their Mac in their native tongue with just a couple mouse clicks. For the rest of us though, it also means there are literally thousands of useless files crowding your Mac which collectively waste several gigabytes of space -- not a huge deal for massive desktop hard drives, but certainly an issue for most laptops. So the fix is to delete the ones you don't use. In our experience we freed up about 5 gigs on an old laptop with a 60 gig hard drive -- a substantial difference.

The files you're looking for have the file ending .lproj but don't do a willy-nilly search and destroy for them -- if you accidentally chuck the English (or Br_Eng, which is British English) you may be locked out of your Mac. Also, the system software requires a specific set, and there are some programs (like MS Office in particular) that will bug out if you delete them. So the best way for most users then is to open Applications, select an Apple app and then right-click (or control+click) and select Get Info. In the window that pops up go to Languages. Then select all but the English (or Br_Eng where applicable) and hit remove; you can select several at a time by holding shift down and clicking on them. As you do this, notice in the top of the window how the file size of the app is cut nearly in half in many cases! Now try running the application. If all is hunky-dory, empty the trash and move on the next app.

Continue reading Save Space -- Make Your Mac Monolingual

SwitchedSave Space -- Make Your Mac Monolingual originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>foreign languageForeignLanguagelanguage filesLanguageFileslprojmacos xOsXtechtiptopMon, 18 Jan 2010 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Download Free Kindle Books]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/21/download-free-kindle-books/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/21/download-free-kindle-books/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/21/download-free-kindle-books/#commentsFiled under:

Among the thousands of books and periodicals available on the Kindle Store, there are hundreds of free, or extremely cheap, items listed. To find them, go to the Kindle Store, via your Kindle or Amazon.com, and type "-domain" (minus the quotes) in the search bar.

SwitchedDownload Free Kindle Books originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonfree downloadFreeDownloadkindle storeKindleStoretechtiptopMon, 21 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Kindle2 Keyboard Shortcuts]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/18/kindle2-keyboard-shortcuts/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/18/kindle2-keyboard-shortcuts/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/18/kindle2-keyboard-shortcuts/#commentsFiled under:

The Amazon Kindle2 offers dozens of useful keyboard shortcuts, but here are a few of the particularly nifty ones:
  • To take a screen shot, hit Alt+Shift+G. A .gif file will appear in your Documents folder, which you can access when connected to a computer.
  • Play Minesweeper by hitting Shift+Alt+M from the Home page. Hit M to mark, R to restart, and use the controller to move around.
  • Refresh the display or a Web page by hitting Alt+G.
  • Change the spacing between the lines of text shown onscreen by hitting Alt+Shift+(any number between 1 and 9). By default, the spacing is set to 3.
For a complete list, hit up geektonic.com.

SwitchedKindle2 Keyboard Shortcuts originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>keyboard shortcutsKeyboardShortcutskindlekindle2techtiptopFri, 18 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Macs: Drag Widgets to the Desktop]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/17/macs-drag-widgets-to-the-desktop/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/17/macs-drag-widgets-to-the-desktop/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/17/macs-drag-widgets-to-the-desktop/#commentsFiled under:


For many Mac users, widgets trapped in the Dashboard are all but useless since you can't use them without flipping the Dashboard on and off. Follow these instructions to festoon your desktop with your favorite widgets -- including those you create yourself with Safari's Web Clip feature!
  • Open Terminal (in Utilities) and type in the following:
    • defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode YES
  • And then:
    • killall Dock
      • (This restarts your Dock, which controls Dashboard.)
  • Now, whenever you want to drag a widget to your desktop, just hit F12, click on the widget you want, and -- while still holding the mouse button -- hit F12 again. The widget will float over all windows.
  • To return the widget back to your Dashboard (which you have to do if you want to keep it; closing it will delete it), just do the reverse. Click on the widget, hit F12, and then release the mouse button.
This is especially powerful if you use Safari to make Web Clips of your favorite Web-based functions, like video streams, Flash games, calculators, etc. Make a Web Clip and then follow the above steps.

If you want to return your Mac to "normal" mode, and out of Dashboard developer mode, open Terminal and repeat the above commands. But, instead of "YES," type "NO" at the end of the first line.

SwitchedMacs: Drag Widgets to the Desktop originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appledashboardmacsafaritechtiptopweb clipsWebClipswidgetwidgetsThu, 17 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Get Back Space on a Mac Laptop]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/16/get-back-space-on-a-mac-laptop/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/16/get-back-space-on-a-mac-laptop/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/16/get-back-space-on-a-mac-laptop/#commentsFiled under:

As handy as iPhoto may be for organizing your digital snaps, it's an absolute glutton for hard drive space. The application alone takes up a half gigabyte of space, and even just a few thousand photos can take up tens of gigabytes -- a considerable amount considering the typically smaller size of laptop hard drives. As it turns out, that's because iPhoto keeps an original copy of every photo you import, as well as full-size copies of every edit you make to them (e.g., cropping, rotating, and color correction). If you're comfortable with your photo library as it is, and don't think you'll need to revert to the unedited original images ever again, hit up this link to read how to delete them. (Obviously, photos that haven't been edited are left untouched.)

Note: As always, you should make a backup of all your photos on a separate hard drive before attempting this, just in case something goes awry.

SwitchedGet Back Space on a Mac Laptop originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>delete originalsDeleteOriginalsiphoto dietiphoto storage spaceIphotoDietIphotoStorageSpacetechtipterminaltopWed, 16 Dec 2009 06:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Zune HD Tips]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/15/zune-hd-tips/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/15/zune-hd-tips/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/15/zune-hd-tips/#commentsFiled under:

Use these handy tips to get the most from your Zune:
  • To restart a crashed or frozen Zune, press and hold the On/Off button for 10 seconds.
  • If you want to completely erase all content from your Zune, press and hold the Home and Media buttons until it restarts.
  • To add a favorite item to the main menu (up to 10), press and hold on an item and then select Pin to Quickplay.
  • To quickly shuffle all music, simply press play beside the Music icon on the Home screen.
Click here for more power user tips.

SwitchedZune HD Tips originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>techtiptopzunezune hdzune restartzune tips tricksZuneHdZuneRestartZuneTipsTricksTue, 15 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Use a Photo Memory Card as a Flash Drive]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/14/use-a-photo-memory-card-as-a-flash-drive/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/14/use-a-photo-memory-card-as-a-flash-drive/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/14/use-a-photo-memory-card-as-a-flash-drive/#commentsFiled under:


The next time you need to tote a giant data file to or from work, don't fret if you don't have a flash drive handy. Simply pop the SD (or other memory card) out of a digital camera and use it instead, assuming it's large enough for your purposes. For large files you'll get the best performance using faster SDHC cards, an SDHC card reader (instead of a plain SD reader) and plug into a USB 2.0 port -- older computers and the USB slots on many older Macs are USB 1.0, which may take forever or be simply unable to support a card reader).

SwitchedUse a Photo Memory Card as a Flash Drive originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>card readerCardReadercompactflashportable storagePortableStoragesdsdhctopMon, 14 Dec 2009 06:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Speedy BlackBerry Navigation]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/11/speedy-blackberry-navigation/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/11/speedy-blackberry-navigation/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/11/speedy-blackberry-navigation/#commentsFiled under:


When cruising e-mail on your BlackBerry, rather than scrolling relentlessly to get back to the beginning of a long message, tap the letter T and you'll be popped instantly to the top. Hit N and you'll go the next e-mail in your in box; hit P and you'll see (you guessed it) the previous one.

SwitchedSpeedy BlackBerry Navigation originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blackberrykeyboard shortcutsKeyboardShortcutstopFri, 11 Dec 2009 06:36:00 EST<![CDATA[Watch Internet Video on TV]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/10/watch-internet-video-on-tv/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/10/watch-internet-video-on-tv/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/10/watch-internet-video-on-tv/#commentsFiled under:


With online services like Netflix Watch Now and Hulu offering full-screen, high-quality streaming video, there's no reason to keep it confined to your laptop or monitor. Netflix's Watch Now is available already on a bunch of devices, however, if you don't have those you can still hook your PC or Mac up to your HDTV (or regular TV) to watch. Depending on the type of TV and computer you have, you may be able to use (in order of best to worst) an HDMI cable, a DVI cable, a VGA cable, or an S-video cable, along with an 1/8-inch to RCA audio cable for sound.

Once you've plugged your computer into your TV, toggle through the TV's inputs to whichever one you plugged into. Depending on the operating system of your computer and how it's set up, it may automatically mirror the monitor on your TV screen. Otherwise: for Windows PCs click on Desktop/Properties/Settings and select the second monitor (labeled 2) and click the box "extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" and hit save (and be sure to boost the settings to the highest possible quality). Now drag your Web browser to the right of your computer's screen and it will appear on the TV -- bring up Hulu or Netflix, select full-screen viewing and watch.

For Macs, your computer will likely autodetect your TV and the correct settings, however, you can tweak them by clicking on System Preferences/Displays.

SwitchedWatch Internet Video on TV originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hdtvhuluhulu.comhuludesktopnetflixnetflix watch instantlynetflixwatchinstantlytopThu, 10 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[BlackBerry Quick Trick for App Switching]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/09/blackberry-quick-trick-for-app-switching/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/09/blackberry-quick-trick-for-app-switching/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/09/blackberry-quick-trick-for-app-switching/#commentsFiled under:


A life-changing tip for BlackBerry power users to add to their keyboard-command arsenal: Switch instantly between applications by holding down Alt and tapping Esc. Icons of your open apps will pop up; tap Esc until the one you want appears, then release Alt. It's akin to hitting Alt-Tab on a PC (or Apple-Tab on a Mac).

SwitchedBlackBerry Quick Trick for App Switching originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>application switcherApplicationSwitcherblackberrytopWed, 09 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Solve the X Files]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/08/solve-the-x-files/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/08/solve-the-x-files/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/08/solve-the-x-files/#commentsFiled under:


If you've ever received an MS Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document that just won't seem to open, odds are it's because it was created using Office 2007 or 2008 and you're still using an older version of Office. You can tell by looking at the file extension: if there's an x on the end (such as docx. xlsx, pptx) then it's Microsoft's newfangled XML-based file type. If you don't feel like ponying up a few hundies for the latest version of Office, there are a few workarounds for opening these files. The first is to ask whoever sent it to you to save it as a file that is backwards compatible. Otherwise, Windows users can go here to download a file format converter that will let older versions of Office convert new files (although there are apparently many instances where some things simply can't be converted, in which case you're SOL-X, as it were). Mac users can go here for their version. Note, however, that after installing these converters you will be required to input your valid Office serial number or you'll be locked out. If you've lost the serial number, the other option is to install Open Office, which reportedly can open most x-files.

SwitchedSolve the X Files originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>docxdocxconverterfile conversionfile formatFileConversionFileFormatms officeMsOfficepptxtopxlsxxmlTue, 08 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Monitor Your Bandwidth Usage]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/07/monitor-your-bandwidth-usage/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/07/monitor-your-bandwidth-usage/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/07/monitor-your-bandwidth-usage/#commentsFiled under:


Care to know exactly how much you procrastinate by watching Web videos all day? Download a bandwidth meter and you'll learn how much you use in a day, what speeds you actually get (despite what your service provider may claim), and -- if you have metered billing -- when to call it quits.

For Windows, check out the now open source NetMeter. (Note: it may not work with Vista.)

For Macs, try SurplusMeter, also free and open source.

SwitchedMonitor Your Bandwidth Usage originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bandwidth meterbandwidth monitorBandwidthMeterBandwidthMonitornetmetersurplusmetertechtipMon, 07 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Easy Way to Clean Up iTunes Song Tags]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/04/easy-way-to-clean-up-itunes-song-tags/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/04/easy-way-to-clean-up-itunes-song-tags/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/04/easy-way-to-clean-up-itunes-song-tags/#commentsFiled under:

While iTunes does a solid job of correctly labeling music files that are imported from a commercially made CD, it's pretty lackluster when it comes to identifying music from other sources. For that, there are dozens of third-party file-taggers out there, both free and otherwise. Many, if not most, though, are either unreliable or far too complicated to use. One shining example is beaTunes 2 for Windows or Mac, a paid downloadable utility (or 14-day free demo) that can clean up your iTunes library in a few extremely useful ways. For one, it can scan completely unlabeled songs, identify them, and tag them with the correct information. It can also scan your entire library to find misspellings, inconsistent labels, incorrect genre tags, and compilation/various artist albums (so that they can be grouped). For advanced users, it also does a host of DJ-style tricks like beat-matching, smart playlist creation, new music discovery, and color-coding by genre.

SwitchedEasy Way to Clean Up iTunes Song Tags originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beatunesfile tagsFileTagsid3 tagsId3Tagsitunes taggingitunes tagsItunesTaggingItunesTagsmissing track informationMissingTrackInformationtechtiptopFri, 04 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Cut Facebook Down to Size]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/03/cut-facebook-down-to-size/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/03/cut-facebook-down-to-size/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/03/cut-facebook-down-to-size/#commentsFiled under:

Veteran Facebookers will attest to the steady increase of unwanted clutter on the social networking site. If you want to stay connected, but hate wading through the flaky, browser-clogging interface, definitely check out one of the many free phone versions. (The iPhone and Blackberry versions are especially streamlined and stable). And when you're at a computer, check out lite.facebook.com, a slimmed-down version of the site that trims all the fat. It's still in beta and some of the functions aren't available yet, but you'll be amazed at how clean and useful it feels.

SwitchedCut Facebook Down to Size originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookfacebook liteFacebookLitetechtipThu, 03 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[iPod Battery Myths Debunked]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/02/ipod-battery-myths-debunked/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/02/ipod-battery-myths-debunked/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/02/ipod-battery-myths-debunked/#commentsFiled under: ,


There's a lot of confusion about the best way to treat an iPod's battery (e.g., Is it better to charge it often, or to fully empty it? Is it okay to leave it charging when it's full?), so here's the official word.
  • Because the iPod has lithium-ion batteries, it doesn't matter whether you charge it a little bit at a time, or run it down before recharging fully. The battery will last for several thousand full charges (called charge cycles), and at least a couple years; there are many iPods out there that still hold a decent charge despite being several years old.
  • It doesn't matter if you leave your iPod on a charger after it's fully charged; it has internal circuitry that stops it from overcharging. So leave it on all night and sleep well.
  • If you leave your iPod in a drawer fully charged, it will drain in about a month. That being said, because the batteries do tend to degrade if they aren't charged with some frequency, it's best to give it some juice every few weeks or so -- even if you aren't using it.
  • Charging with an AC charger is faster than doing so via a USB cable and computer.
  • You don't need to instantly charge your iPod's battery upon first purchasing one, nor leave it on a charger for a set period of time. If the battery is full, use it. If it's near empty, charge it if you like, but you don't need to "prime" the battery.

SwitchediPod Battery Myths Debunked originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applechargingipodipod batteryIpodBatterymythstechtiptopWed, 02 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Download Flash Videos for Free]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/12/01/download-flash-videos-for-free/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/01/download-flash-videos-for-free/http://www.switched.com/2009/12/01/download-flash-videos-for-free/#commentsFiled under:

While it won't work for all Flash videos (such as those from Hulu.com), the site vixy.net lets you quickly and freely download non-DRMed video from sources like YouTube. You can then easily upload the files to a phone or portable media player (e.g., iPod, Zune, etc). Simply copy the URL of the video you want to download, paste it into vixy.net, choose your preferred video format, and hit Start. Within seconds, the file will appear on your desktop. There are also ad-supported, beta, standalone software packages for both Windows and Mac.

SwitchedDownload Flash Videos for Free originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>converterdownloadflash videoFlashVideotechtiptopvixy.netyoutube.comTue, 01 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST