Geek Tip Nov 28, 2013

6 Free Apps Essential to Surviving Black Friday

Ever wish you could take on Black Friday with a secret weapon?

by Lisette Mejia

Ever wish you could take on Black Friday with a secret weapon? One that would help you brave the crowds and come out victorious? Well we've got, not one, but five of 'em to help you out! After you've stuffed yourself with turkey, load up on these apps that will make your shopping experience not just tolerable but enjoyable. Bring on the challenge!

ShopSavvy — Scan a bar code to see if the product you're about to buy is actually discounted. ShopSavvy scans available prices for identical products online and in nearby stores so you can see if you're getting the best deal.
Aisle411 — Android and iPhone users can get custom views of participating stores with Aisle411 to help you find what you're looking for fast. Or at least faster than the folks that don't run to the electronics section. Also included is a list maker so you know what to grab.
BFAds — Scan the available Black Friday ads, make your shopping lists, and reference items on the go. You can search by item or category, and even compare prices between stores.
Amazon Price Checker — Even though you won't likely find any Black Friday prices on this app (available for Android and iOS), you will be able to see the regular price of an item, which will tell you if they've actually been discounted, or if you're about to get scammed at the register.
BuyVia's Black Friday 2013 — BuyVia has a standard, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday app (available for Android and iOS), each of which compares prices at different stores. This one even alerts you to real-time deals on desired products so you're one of the first to know about a discount.
Shopkick — For all the shopping you're doing, you might as well get some rewards. Shopkick (available for Android and iOS) has partnered with stores like Macy’s, Best Buy, and Target to not only help you discover the best products available but to give you points just for walking into the store or making purchases. You can then redeem points for gift cards. Score!

Geek Tip Jun 22, 2013

Apps to Customize Your iPhone's Home Sweet Homescreen

Ever wish you could change the look of your app icons?

by Lisette Mejia

Ever wish you could change the look of your app icons? Well, turns out you can. Some apps let you switch up the background, color, and design of the graphics and even customize the text. All you have to do is download one of the following options — or check out the more advanced option below— to get a new feel for your homepage.

App Icons ($1) — Use templates to create cool icons or make your own designs from scratch; either way, you can customize your homepage look based on several themes (like nature and cartoons). Mix and match icons for apps and contacts, and even modify them down to the font, color, and size of the text.
CocoPPa (free) — Easy to use, CocoPPa lets you choose your favorite images from a pool of designs that are searchable by tag, color, and category. Look for versions of well-known icons (for example, an F with a leopard-print background for Facebook) or choose a completely random picture (like a panda) to represent one of your existing apps. Keep in mind that what you download is just an extra shortcut, not a replacement icon — so you'll end up with two icons on your home screen for the same app.
App Icons (free) — The same name as the other app, this one lets you select from a number of backgrounds and borders or import your own photos to create icon designs. Choose from endless combinations of built-in backgrounds and borders to snag a style for your shortcut icon that's all your own.
For more advanced iOS users — You can create your app icon designs in a different, more involved way. You'll first need to download iPhone Explorer and then follow a few steps in the Apps folder to get the look you want.

Source: Instagram user stephinthecity222

Geek Tip Apr 04, 2013

"Is Facebook Down or Is It Just Me?" How to Check a Site's Status

You know the drill: you can't access Twitter or Facebook, and you refresh and refresh before asking your co-worker if it's down for her, too.

by Lisette Mejia

You know the drill: you can't access Twitter or Facebook, and you refresh and refresh before asking your co-worker if it's down for her, too. Next time that happens, skip the hassle and try a simple solution: visiting one of these sites that checks for you. With just one click, you'll see whether everyone else is having trouble with a certain site or if it's a problem on your end.

Down Right Now: Combining user reports and official announcements, the site monitors the status of most social networks (plus other services like Yahoo! Mail) with accurate updates. Bonus: it lists when a site's last service disruption was.
Is It Down Right Now?: Similar to Down Right Now, Is It Down Right Now? differs with graphs that display service status activity, gives you a response time, and monitors a much larger pool of sites (besides social media) that includes Chase.com and T-mobile.com.
Down For Everyone or Just Me: It doesn't get much simpler than this. Just fill in the blank to the question "Is ___ down for everyone or just me?" and voilà, you have your answer without many ads or graphs on the page to distract you.

DIY Mar 22, 2013

31 Days of Spring Cleaning: Organize Spare Cables in Style

Cables, cables everywhere. With every new gadget we purchase comes a bag of cables we already have but toss onto the growing tangle of cords anyways.

by Kelly Schwarze

Cables, cables everywhere. With every new gadget we purchase comes a bag of cables we already have but toss onto the growing tangle of cords anyways. Master the labyrinth with one of the most basic of household objects, the toilet paper roll.

We got our crafting on with empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Cover the basic cardboard rolls with art-store kraft paper and Japanese washi tape for a nearly effortless Spring cleaning session with adorable results.

All you need is 25 minutes to organize pesky cords; see our photo tutorial after the break.

How To Mar 03, 2013

31 Days of Spring Cleaning: Clean Your Cell Phone

Neglecting to clean your cell phone is a nasty tech habit to break this year.

by Kristy Korcz

Neglecting to clean your cell phone is a nasty tech habit to break this year. Cell phones have been proven to carry bacteria, germs, even feces. Yes, feces. If there's one new routine to create for yourself this Spring, it's keeping that smartphone shiny and clean. Your health will thank you. Check out a few of our tech-friendly tips to clean that gadget, below.

Cleaning your touch screen smartphone is kind of like cleaning your LCD monitor — you don't want to use any harsh chemicals or, even more damaging, water. Using a tried-and-tested cleaner like iKlear ($21) will ensure you won't damage your phone's sensitive bits. Use the included microfiber cloth (or one of your own) and shine that baby up.
If you don't want to spring for a special formula, a 40/60 alcohol-to-water mixture on solid phone parts and keyboards should be OK for your devices (use a damp cloth and/or cotton swab for small and hard-to-reach places). However you do not want to use any sort of alcohol, ammonia, or harsh cleaning agent on touch screens.
If you're in a pinch and want to quickly rid your phone of dirty crevices and fingerprints, use a piece of Scotch Tape to peel away dirt and dust in between keys, and rid your phone of fingerprints. Perfect for when you're at the office (without a microfiber cloth), but unfortunately it won't help the germ situation.
Serious germaphobes can ensure a clean device with the UV Cell Phone Sanitizer ($50), which wipes your device clean of 99.9 percent of strep, E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and H1N1 viruses in three minutes flat. Just drop it in once a day for germ-free surfing and calling.

In the mood to refresh your tech life? Here's nine more bad tech habits to break this Spring!

Geek Tip Jan 03, 2013

The Best IFTTT Recipes For Weight-Loss Resolutions

The "If This Then That" recipe box has great hacks that put the Internet to work for you, and we've collected the most timely recipes for our 2013 weight-loss resolutions.

by Nicole Nguyen

The "If This Then That" recipe box has great hacks that put the Internet to work for you, and we've collected the most timely recipes for our 2013 weight-loss resolutions. These IFTTT users have already created custom actions that'll remind you to eat breakfast and send a congratulatory text when you've hit the gym — all you have to do is activate the recipe! We've looked at FitSugar's weight-loss tips and tricks and found the best IFTTT recipes to help you meet your goals.

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Geek Tip Nov 26, 2012

3 Ways to Hide Your Online Shopping From the Boss on Cyber Monday

Black Friday is a thing of the past — today is all about finding your holiday deals and savings online with Cyber Monday!

by Kristy Korcz

Black Friday is a thing of the past — today is all about finding your holiday deals and savings online with Cyber Monday! While sales actually started at many stores online Sunday, with some others continuing on as Cyber Monday Week, scanning the sales from your cubicle puts you at risk for being reprimanded for browsing the virtual racks, or in some cases (seven percent according to a new study), even fired for holiday shopping at work. If you must hit the Cyber Monday sales on the boss' dime today, do so with caution. Here, a few tips to keep your online shopping habit a secret from the higher ups in your office.

Toggle screens — Quickly toggle between open applications with the Alt + Tab (for PC) or Open Apple + Tab (for Mac) keystrokes. This will allow you to quickly switch from your open web browser and work applications when you hear the boss tromping down your aisle.
Use your desktop wallpaper — Take a screenshot of an important spreadsheet, document, or collection of open applications and set it as your desktop wallpaper. Commence shopping. If someone approaches, use the keystroke of Windows + D on your PC or F11 on your Mac to switch focus to your desktop, which will conveniently be populated with your busywork instead of a photo of your boyfriend, dog, and/or kids.
Fake an Excel spreadsheet — If you're tweeting or Facebooking your finds, don't forget to keep that on the down low too. Applications like Spreadtweet and ExcellBook keep your social networking under wraps by disguising your feed as an excel spreadsheet.

Travel Nov 20, 2012

Travel Tips For the Holidays

Traveling this holiday? If you can't take a car or a train, be sure to check out these packing and travel tips to make your life easier while booking flights, getting through security checkpoints, and beyond.

by Kristy Korcz

Traveling this holiday? If you can't take a car or a train, be sure to check out these packing and travel tips to make your life easier while booking flights, getting through security checkpoints, and beyond.

Booking Flights

TripIt — Once signed up for the free service, forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt, which will automatically create a master itinerary of an upcoming trip accessible through the web or a mobile device. The itineraries even include the tidbits we seem to forget like weather updates, local maps, and directions.
Google Flight Search — Book that plane ticket before prices rise any further! Google's flight search engine incorporates travel basics like price point, maximum number of connections, and preferred airline with an easy-to-use interface.
Hotel Tonight — If there are too many relatives in one house, scan the last-minute hotel deals at Hotel Tonight for a chic getaway at a discounted price. Every day three hotels in a city reveal their discounted rates starting at noon, and you then have until 2 a.m. to book the deal and take advantage of a peaceful room.
My TSA — Can homemade fruit cakes go through security? How early should you show up to the airport for a flight on the eve of Thanksgiving? Answer the pressing travel questions that could otherwise cause delays or stress by adding the TSA's free iOS app to your device. The app's airport security line estimator may become the most crucial feature on your phone when planning your airport arrival.
HearPlanet ($3) — Take the time to discover the cultural side of your holiday destination. This interactive app highlights attractions in over 300,000 locations and uses geolocation features so that you don't miss any of the nearby fun, plus it's a great excuse to get out of the house and move around in fresh air.
GasBuddy — Hitting the open road instead of the air? Use the free GasBuddy app to locate the cheapest fuel on the interstate. Show your fellow travelers some love and share the low-price gas station you discover within the app.

Gadget Essentials

iPad or Tablet — If you have the luxury of spending upwards of $500 on a tablet, it's probably the only gadget you'll need to tote during travel season since it can hold your ebooks, surf the Internet, and keep you connected.
eReader — If you're sans tablet, pack up your favorite ereader. Whether it's the latest Kindle or the new Nook Simple Touch, you can read the entire Game of Thrones series without all the paper weight.
Compact laptop — Though the MacBook Air is arguably the most popular lightweight laptop out there, there's plenty of compact PCs and ultrabooks to choose from as well.
Chargers — If you're toting all these gadgets, you're going to (obviously) need some chargers to keep things juiced. Thankfully, many airlines are offering charging stations in the terminal and even seat-side outlets on board, so you can stay 100 percent charged throughout your trip.
Headphones — Keep the roar of 35,000 feet at bay with some nice sound-isolating headphones. If you're going over-the-ear, consider Skullcandy Aviator ($150), which offer great sound and deep bass and are even comfy for those geeks who wear glasses.

Get more tips on how to pack your bag and save some dough after the break.

Geek Tip Oct 16, 2012

Putting the Internet to Work: The 10 Best IFTTT Recipes

Why do all the heavy lifting online when, naturally, there's a technology that can do it for you?

by Nicole Nguyen

Why do all the heavy lifting online when, naturally, there's a technology that can do it for you? "If This Then That" is a website that automates online activities, like a personal secretary that works exclusively on the web. Users create custom actions or browse through their extensive collection of prebuilt Recipes.

An IFTTT Recipe needs a Trigger (the "if" part) and an Action (the "then" part). For example, one Recipe is if it is going to rain, then send me a text message. We've scoured the IFTTT Recipe box for more amazing automated actions and found 10 Recipes that will help streamline and automate your online life.

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Airplane-Mode Activities For Your iPhone

Geek Tip Sep 15, 2012

8 "Airplane Mode" Adventures For When WiFi's a No-Go

"Airplane mode" could be the modern synonym for "boredom," as it leaves tech addicts Internet-less when soaring the skies.

by POPSUGAR Tech

"Airplane mode" could be the modern synonym for "boredom," as it leaves tech addicts Internet-less when soaring the skies. When a flight's lack of WiFi keeps you from refreshing Instagram, checking Facebook, or catching up on email, have no fear; as long as a smartphone is handy with full battery life, the entertainment and productivity options are endless. Read this list to get familiar with the ways to stay entertained in flight, even in airplane mode.

Rediscover classic tunes: It's so easy to get into the habit of only listening to the "recently added" playlist that old favorites often go forgotten; use flight time to rediscover songs from yesteryear. Create a playlist during your flight that combines classics with current hits for a fresh array of music when you land.
Deep read: Before taking to the skies, download a few good reads and stay occupied for hours. Just make sure the book or magazine is completely downloaded; you wouldn't want to miss out on a good ending.

Keep reading for more "airplane mode" tips!