If you are a mac user this site is something you need to know about.  There are tips that are updated constantly throughout every day and some you may have already known, but others you will be surprised to learn.  One of the most useful tips that surprised me was the ability to use your Facebook chat with iChat.  All you have to do is setup a few quick things with the iChat server, and you are done. Each post is put into a category such as, web browsers, 10.6, iPhone and much more. This allows for easy access to what concerns you.  Additionally, there are help forums for any problems you have with your mac computer or apple product.  Everything from applications to X11 can be discuss there, and there is a section for any feedback you'd like to give out about the site.
          Also, the tips aren't always given by the writers themselves, but you can submit your own.  The writers will check it out and post it if it works.  I visit this site everyday, because they always have something new for me to learn.  I have subscribed to it in "My Blog List" so you can see the latest tip there or you can subscribe to it yourself.  Obviously if you use Windows the site wont be of much use, but you can still find out new things about your competitor.
          Thanks for reading and as always, if you have any comments or questions please leave them.

Here is the link to the website : Mac Hints
Also, this is the link to the Facebook chat with iChat: Mac Hint Facebook

          

          If you didn't know, there is a way to download different parts from a website using Safari.  Such as an image, .GIF animation, .SWF animation or even a video.  If you click on "Window" in the top menu bar and then "Activity", you will see all of the contents of the website(s) you are looking at.  It may not seem useful, but it is a great simple way to download a video from a site such as Youtube.  When you are on a website with a video you want to download, you just go to "Activity" and look for that video file.  Make sure that you are looking at the content of the page with the video because "Activity" will show every window or tab you have open.  Now to locate the video, you just have to scroll down slowly and pay attention to the file sizes while you scroll.  For the most part, everything should be a few kilobytes (KB) or bytes until the video.  The video will normally be the largest file you see, that is in megabytes (MB).  With Youtube you will have to wait until the video has fully loaded until you can download it.  So it will look something like "4.0 of 11.0 MB", until it has fully loaded the video.  Once it is finished you just double click the file in "Activity" and it should download to your desktop.  I've noticed that some files download as a flash file (.FLV) or mpeg4 (.MP4), so you can use your own video converting software if needed.  Now this wont work with every site, because some sites are more protected than others, so don't expect to download everything you see.  I find this very useful instead of downloading some other software to just simply download videos from different web pages.  What do you think?  Did you already know this? Please leave any questions or comments below and thanks for reading.

          

          Are you one of those people who have an extremely large amount of media?  Is the iPod Classic's 160gb hard drive not big enough for you?  Or maybe you have a 5th generation video that you think is worthless. Well its time you took that baby out and upgraded it to become a large massive beast.  If you have a 5th generation 30gb iPod, then you can upgrade that hard drive to a 120gb for $139.  If you want to swap in a fresh battery as well, thats only $19 more.  If you have the 60gb or 80gb 5th gen (Not Classic) iPod video you can upgrade your hard drive to 240gb for $169 and your battery for $25 more.  With Apricorn's iPod hard drive and battery upgrade kit, you should be able to do the process safely and quickly.  It comes with a hard drive (if you ordered it), a battery (if you ordered it), a very thorough video manual, and case opening tools.  The hard drive and battery also come with a 1 year limited warranty.  They say that the process takes from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how comfortable you are with taking things apart.
          I would definitely do this with my 5 gen 30gb iPod, but I want a iPod Touch.  Hoping they come out with a 128gb soon.  Anyways, do you think that it's worth upgrading  your old iPod?  It'll have a new battery, so it will last as long as a brand new iPod.  If you are curious about how to take your iPod apart, check out this youtube video: iPod Upgrade video.  It is a lot easier than I thought it'd be.  Also here's the link to Apricorn's iPod upgrade page: Apricorn iPod Upgrade.  So how many of you will do this?   If you have any questions please feel free to leave them, thanks for reading.

        

          Lately I've been interested in finding ways to stream music to/from portable devices and computers, I recently found Lala.  Lala is an online music store that allows you to buy web songs/albums.  Web songs are only 10 cents to buy and you can listen to the song as many times online (not a download) and a web album is the same, but range from around 50 cents to $1.50.  What is even better is that buying a web song or album, deducts that cost from the full download.  So if you wanted to listen to a new song or album online for awhile before making a full purchase, you won't have to worry about paying twice for something you already have.  I have actually found that most individual songs are either 79 cents or 89 cents, with very few 99 cent songs.  Even albums are occasionally cheaper than other music stores like iTunes and Amazon.
          Now what does all of this have to do about streaming your music?  Well every song or album you buy is put in your online library.  You can go on any computer, sign into your account and start playing a song.  So simple and nice because of the easy access.  However, the fun doesn't end there because you are also able to upload your music library from your computer.  With the free Lala Music Mover application, you just effortlessly select your music folder and it does the rest of the work.  So you can have access to your entire music library from any computer with internet (and flash).
          Since it uses flash you can not use Lala with a mobile device (at least not yet), but with Lala's merger with Apple there may be hope for an iPhone app soon.  So tell me what you think of it.  I'm definitely going to be using this site often for my music purchases.  Thanks for reading and I hope this was useful to you.  If you do want to sign up, please use this link: Sign Up 

        

          One of the biggest problems with portable gadgets is that their battery life never seems to last as long as we had wanted.  Which then you have to continue to plug in and recharge which can take hours.  Or if your not near a plug-in outlet you will have to bear without your device for the time being.  I'm sure you as hate it as much as I do, and luckily there are some solutions to fixing your short battery life misfortune.  Such as buying a battery case.  Now and days, more and more cases are having a battery extenders built in.  Such as Seido's Innocase Surface, which is a case for the Blackberry Tour 9630.  There are also a few different battery cases with the iPhone as well.  The Power Slider Case for the iPhone 3g and 3gs which contains 120% of your iPhones battery.  Giving you a chance to fully recharge and then a little more.  There are also battery cases made by Mophie that allows for a full charge and more.

          Additionally, there are separate battery packs that provide more compatibility between different devices.  Along with the option to charge more than just one device, separate battery packs normally contain a larger battery than in a battery case.  And maybe for the same price as a case that can charge your device one full time, you can get a battery pack that is able to charge it twice or more.  The Satechi iCel 4400 mAh Battery Pack can charge your iPhone at least twice, and it is able to charge other cell phones and media players.  Another major battery pack company is imaxpower.  Their IMP500 can charge your iPhone four times, the IMP880 can charge it six times, and IMP19500 can charge it 20 times!  Not saying that anyone needs to have that big of a battery with them, but its a great option for long trips or hikes.  The packs aren't limited to iPhones either, other media players, cell phones and laptops are covered too.  Check them out for yourself and please leave any comments if you've had any experience with the packs.  Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this.

          Then you need to keep your eye on these sites.  AppShopper and 148Apps, they both post apps that have recently changed in price.  As well as provide ITunes store links so you can easily download them.  It's perfect because for people like me who don't want to spend a lot of money (if any) on apps, they save me from spending when I don't need to.  I've downloaded about 15 different apps that would have cost me around $20.  It's really smart shopping and every Ipod touch and Iphone user should know about it.  Everything from GPS, games, and utilities apps are shown on the sites.  So you may find an app that you've never even heard of or thought of.  Each site is updated daily, so you wont miss a thing.
          Just think of all of the money you'll save.  You could use it to buy a case, so you can prevent scratches from your very precious and delicate device.  Just thought I'd post this quick notice so you readers could start keeping money in your wallet.  Thanks for reading, and as always feel free to leave a comment or two.

Everyone has been in a situation where their phone or media player dies when they need it the most. And usually you aren't lucky enough to be around a plug-in or have your power adapter, but with this compact and easy to use charger you can be at ease. It uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery that includes a USB to Mini USB adapter. Seems like a good idea for those long road trips.
Check out this review on AnythingButIpod's page: Duracell Instant Charger Review
I think this charger should run you around $25, so I'd give it a look. It even works with Ipods, and has an on and off switch to preserve its charge as best as possible.  Here's a link for Amazon's description, and customer reviews: Duracell Instant Charger
If you have used this or know someone who has, please leave a comment tell me your idea of it. Thanks for reading.

For those of you that don't know what Ipod Wizard is, it is software used to edit the Ipods background, fonts and overall look.  As of now, I've only known that Ipod Wizard could be used on Windows computers, but TODAY IS A NEW DAY!  Now this method is FREE and very easy to use.  One problem (at least for me) is that you need an intel mac with Tiger or Leopard and X11.  

What's X11?  Well I'm not exactly sure myself, but it is used to run Windows applications.  Now, if you have Leopard, it should already be installed on your computer, but with Tiger it may not  (You can type X11 in spotlight to see if it shows up).  For those Tiger users that don't have it installed, you can download it from the Tiger installation CD, just put it in and go to optional installs and find X11.  If you lost or just never had a CD don't fret.  Luckily I found this website to download X11 for free (legally too).  On the site are instructions on how to install X11.

Download X11

Next, you will need this FREE program called Darwine and download the link that says (Universal).  After Downloading unzip the file and drag the Darwine folder into your applications folder AND YOU'RE DONE!  Now you can use most if not all windows .exe files (as far as I know).  Next time you download a windows .exe file the Darwine icon should be next to it showing that it will work.  As for Ipod Wizard, just download the file and open it like usual.  I think that this is a Significant alternative to buying VMware or Parallels if you just want to use a few windows applications.  Any questions? Comments? BRING THEM OUT and I'll try to answer them.

Ever have your phone die on you when you really need it? (I that has happened to me TOO many times) Well with a portable Solio solar powered phone charger that problem is solved. Now I know most of you are picturing some ugly clunky gadget, that takes days of sunlight to charge. But on average it takes 8-10 hours of light to fully charge the internal battery and with that power you can charge the average cell phone twice, if not more! Also with about an hour of charging, a phone can provide 25 minutes of talking and 10 hours of standby time. As for the design, it may be a little big for a pocket, but it would easily fit into a small purse/handbag and it only weighs 5.8 ounces. It comes in white so it's not to flashy or very noticeable. To start charging, you just have to fold out the 3 panels and away you'll go! Now this device doesn't only charge phones, there is an adapter for the Ipod too. And with every hour of charging, that will give you about an hour of music playback. Another thing to add about it is that there is an included wall adapter and USB cord to charge it like you normally would and it takes only 4 hours to fully charge. The price isn't cheap (at $99), but I would expect that as solar powered gadgets become more popular, the price will drop. I absolutely LOVE the idea and will probably get one (as soon as I get enough money). Click the link above to visit the website and see it for yourself.  Or check out Amazons description with customer reviews: Solio Solar Charger
Tell me, would you be willing to cough up $99 for a charger that takes on average 8-10 hours to charge? *With Direct Sunlight*

Update!: Just stopped by the T-Mobile Store today and I noticed that they were selling these!  Not only that, but at only $60 bucks, almost half of what you pay on the Solio website.  Also that there are many other adapters for other devices, like cameras and more!  So stop by your local T-Mobile store to check it OUT!

I am sure that many people know that you can record shows with a Tivo box and save them for your own use, but not many people know (at least no one I know) realizes you can do the same with a regular Comcast DVR. I've been using it for sometime and it is fairly easy to use. First let me tell you that this program only works on a mac (There may be another thing like this for windows) and you will need to download the Firewire SDK.

CLICK HERE FOR TIGER

CLICK HERE FOR LEOPARD

(For the leopard link you'll need to create a free apple account)


After downloading, the website below has very detailed instructions:
http://jpicune.wordpress.com/2006/10/13/record-shows-from-your-comcast-hd-dvr-onto-your-mac/

It is great because you can even record shows that you recorded already on your DVR!
One problem though is that the original playback file is mpeg-2 and to convert it to a format I can watch on my Ipod, I use Senuti. Now Senuti's latest versions are not free to download, but versions before are and here is a link to the Free Senuti
If you want to be up to date with the newest versions of senuti, you can download the free trial and then if you like it buy it, only $18, Latest Senuti. After that it's very easy from there. Although the files do take up a lot of space, you can delete those big files after you convert them with senuti.

Also if you have any questions feel free to ask. Hope you find it as cool as I did.
Note: You are able to record from most channels off the DVR, but not any of the movie channels (A.K.A HBO, Showtime, Encore...)

Well let me start by saying that even though it may seem impossible to get music for free LEGALLY, there are a couple of sites i've found. One is www.Qtrax.com, which offers a wide selection of music. The only catch is that it is only compatible with windows computers and it does not work with Apple's Ipod or Microsoft's Zune! This is because while you download your song, it is encoded with a DRM, so that way you can't illegally share it with others. I say that it is nice to have a place to legally get free music, but it isn't really compatible with the very popular brands of mp3 players. There have been stories of Qtrax creating an ipod compatible song base, along with it being available to macintosh users, but that has sadly yet to come.

Along with Qtrax, www.Spiralfrog.com is another windows only compatible site. The reason is because the songs are encoded with protected-WMA, which is not compatible with Ipod's or Zune's. Both of these sites use advertisements to pay for the music. I think that Qtrax makes you listen to a few ads before you listen to a song, and Spiral Frog just has ads all around their site. So if you have a windows device, and don't mind advertisements, then these sites are just right for you. (Personally I use a mac and an Ipod 5th gen, so I'm not able to use these sites, instead I use Itunes) If you have any questions or comments PLEASE feel free to ask or say them.

Update:I have just found out that Spiral Frog has been shut down. For good? I'm not sure, but ad supported sites are not easy to keep up.