Gear Diary » How-To http://www.geardiary.com Everyone can understand technology; sometimes it just takes a little translating. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:00:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Suggestions and Winner: What iPad App to Use When You Want to… Take Noteshttp://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/suggestions-and-winner-what-ipad-app-to-use-when-you-want-to-take-notes/ http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/suggestions-and-winner-what-ipad-app-to-use-when-you-want-to-take-notes/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:00:43 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=177336 We asked… "What iPad App to Use When You Want to… Take Notes" and you answered with a host of good suggestions. Among them: Audionote, Notebooks, Evernote, Noteshelf, Awesome Note, PhatPad, Simplenote and WriteRoom. I've personally used each of them and any single one is a good choice. And while I tend to either use Evernote or the iOS Note app (now that Siri makes it amazingly powerful when used with the iPhone and iCloud moves the notes to the iPad in seconds) any of them would be a good choice. But the comment that really caught our eye and was a great example of one reader helping out countless others came from Mike Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2012/01/05/suggestions-and-winner-what-ipad-app-to-use-when-you-want-to-take-notes/feed/ 1 Antenna + Roku HD + Netflix = $90 Savings Per Monthhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/antenna-roku-hd-netflix-90-savings-per-month/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/antenna-roku-hd-netflix-90-savings-per-month/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:15:27 +0000 Matthew Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=173092

I hate bills.  I also hate paying for things I can get for free. I was at Thomas' house last year just hanging out. We were watching a movie on his Roku box, and I realized that the little box was giving him everything that I watch on TV except for local channels. That was the beginning of my quest to get rid of my cable bill. At first I searched the web and found that all you need is an antenna to pick up local television stations. I could remember back to my childhood, and how we had an antenna that was pointed toward Indianapolis so we would get about 10 channels; that is Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/12/19/antenna-roku-hd-netflix-90-savings-per-month/feed/ 5 An Infographic on Getting More out of Google!http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/27/an-infograhic-on-getting-more-out-of-google/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/27/an-infograhic-on-getting-more-out-of-google/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:15:12 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=171021

If you have been using Google to search for a while, chances are you have picked up a few tricks along the way such as putting quotes to specify phrases to find, or adding a '+' or '-' to specify things that must be included or excluded. But now the folks at HackCollege have come up with a great new infographic to help you see even more possibilities for searching. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/11/27/an-infograhic-on-getting-more-out-of-google/feed/ 0 iOS 5.0 QuickTip: It is Worth the Time to Set Up Keyboard Shortcutshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/ios-5-0-quicktip-it-is-worth-the-time-to-set-up-keyboard-shortcuts/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/ios-5-0-quicktip-it-is-worth-the-time-to-set-up-keyboard-shortcuts/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:00:42 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=166686 I'm a huge fan of the application TextExpander. It is, in fact, one of the key Mac utilities I cannot do without. TE offers a good deal of power but the primary reason I use it is that it allows me to create text shortcuts that have saved me a great deal of typing. For example, instead typing in Gear Diary's URL constantly I simply type "ggear". Less than a second later TE converts that combination into "www.geardiary.com". That's five characters instead of seventeen. It is even more helpful when using HTML code in a post. For example "llike" yields "What I Like: " at the end of a review. TE is also good if Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/31/ios-5-0-quicktip-it-is-worth-the-time-to-set-up-keyboard-shortcuts/feed/ 2 Macbook Pro Utility You NEED for Better Battery Life: gfxCardStatushttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/24/macbook-pro-utility-you-need-for-better-battery-life-gfxcardstatus/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/24/macbook-pro-utility-you-need-for-better-battery-life-gfxcardstatus/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:15:59 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=165958

Perhaps it was because I was using the Sony Vaio S-series laptop with its 15-hour battery, but I never really looked critically at the battery life on my 2011 15" Macbook Pro. But recently I have been using it almost exclusively and have felt that I should be getting more hours between charges. My assumption - particularly how the fans would spin up even when I was doing nothing particularly challenging - was that there was something related to the graphics card. So I looked around and found that the dynamic switching on the graphics cards will often leave the system stuck using the discrete card when the integrated is more than enough (for Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/10/24/macbook-pro-utility-you-need-for-better-battery-life-gfxcardstatus/feed/ 0 IPad Quick Tip: Want to Read Outside on Your iPad? Go Landscapehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/29/ipad-quick-tip-want-to-read-outside-on-your-ipad-go-landscape/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/29/ipad-quick-tip-want-to-read-outside-on-your-ipad-go-landscape/#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 01:00:10 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=146903 20110529-024625.jpg

Now that summer is unofficially here you may be spending more time than ever outside. As great as the iPad is it leaves a good deal to be desired when you are in the sun. There is the glare. There is the overheating and subsequent shut down safety mechanism. And there is the fact that polarized sunglasses do a number on the iPad and can result in a screen that looks blank even on the highest brightness. One solution for getting some reading done is to pick up the least expensive Kindle or nook and use it for reading. But if you don't want to go that route and want to read your books you can at least Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/29/ipad-quick-tip-want-to-read-outside-on-your-ipad-go-landscape/feed/ 3 How To View Free Books and Blogs on the Kindlehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 22:00:32 +0000 Gary Bunker http://www.geardiary.com/?p=143322

Now that the ad-supported Kindle with Special Offers (aka the Kindeal) is out, sales are apparently through the roof again. With that in mind, it seems a good time to bring up the question on many (some?) people's minds - how do I get free stuff on the Kindle?

Books

There are a truly remarkable number of free digital books on the internet, legally. Everything eventually goes out of copyright and becomes public domain (and there's a huge discussion following from that statement we'll not get into today). Project Gutenberg is likely the oldest of the many free-text archives on the internet (OpenLibrary is another big one), filled with public domain works in various Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/05/05/how-to-view-free-books-and-blogs-on-the-kindle/feed/ 7 How to Get Zinio “Unofficially” Working on Your Android Devicehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/18/how-to-get-zinio-unofficially-working-on-your-android-device/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/18/how-to-get-zinio-unofficially-working-on-your-android-device/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:00:18 +0000 Francis Scardino http://www.geardiary.com/?p=136395

If you're like me, and you have been waiting for the official Zinio app for Android, then you're going to have to wait a bit longer. I like to harass Zinio every once in a while on twitter about the Android app, and they usually tell me that it's being worked on and to be patient. That's all fine and well, but in the meantime, since I don't have an apple device it's really not worth buying any subscriptions because I have nothing to read them with. Some of the members of the XDA forums found that unacceptable, so they extracted the Zinio app from the European Samsung Galaxy Tab and were able Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/18/how-to-get-zinio-unofficially-working-on-your-android-device/feed/ 12 How to Fix Ethernet Issues When Running Windows 7 On Your Mac Virtual Machinehttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/09/how-to-fix-ethernet-issues-when-running-windows-7-on-your-mac-virtual-machine/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/09/how-to-fix-ethernet-issues-when-running-windows-7-on-your-mac-virtual-machine/#comments Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:00:44 +0000 Judie Stanford http://www.geardiary.com/?p=134958

I recently upgraded to a 27" iMac [thanks to a spectacular deal from Dan], and the first thing I did was install VMWare Fusion so that I could run Windows when needed. Well, truth be told, there is only one time that I ever really need to run Windows, and that is when I run Microsoft Money. You see, after nearly three years of using OSX, I have yet to find a money management program that I like nearly as much as Money, Microsoft's long in the tooth financial software. It's not an ideal solution, but being able to run a virtual windows machine on my Mac desktop has been a lifesaver. I've tried Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/09/how-to-fix-ethernet-issues-when-running-windows-7-on-your-mac-virtual-machine/feed/ 2 Music Diary Quickie: Quiescence Music Offers ‘Top 14 Tips for Successful Piano Improvisation’http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/05/music-diary-quickie-quiescence-music-offers-top-14-tips-for-successful-piano-improvisation/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/05/music-diary-quickie-quiescence-music-offers-top-14-tips-for-successful-piano-improvisation/#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:15:07 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=134547

Several months ago I wrote about Quiescence Music giving away a book of New Age piano lessons simply for signing up for their email newsletter. I have enjoyed the weekly tips and ideas that Edward Weiss includes in the newsletter, and still encourage everyone to sign up!

Now Quiescence has released a new tip sheet titled 'Top 14 Tips for Successful Piano Improvisation.' The tip sheet contains principles to help students play more freely at the piano.

The creator of the tip sheet, pianist/composer Edward Weiss has this to say about it:

Do you think you can't improvise? Nonsense! All you need are a few chords, the

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/03/05/music-diary-quickie-quiescence-music-offers-top-14-tips-for-successful-piano-improvisation/feed/ 1 With the Apples Rotting Maybe It’s Time to Back Up Your Appshttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/02/16/with-the-apples-rotting-maybe-its-time-to-back-up-your-apps/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/02/16/with-the-apples-rotting-maybe-its-time-to-back-up-your-apps/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:42 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=132352 Talk about a one-sided love affair! Many of us, consumers that is, love Apple but does Apple love us in return? Heck no. Apple loves market share and money. Yes, once again the company that once called on us to "Think Different" is using its new moniker, "We're Apple, we don't care, we don't have to... And by the way that will cost you 30%". Truth be told it is a little (LOT) frustrating. And dumb. Just as Apple's momentum seemed unstoppable they are on the verge or being their own worst enemy... And ours. We're here to help. This is a public service announcement to anyone and everyone Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/02/16/with-the-apples-rotting-maybe-its-time-to-back-up-your-apps/feed/ 10 Surviving My First CES Experience: Learned Some New Rules of Engagementhttp://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/13/surviving-my-first-ces-experience-learned-some-new-rules-of-engagement/ http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/13/surviving-my-first-ces-experience-learned-some-new-rules-of-engagement/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:00:23 +0000 Francis Scardino http://www.geardiary.com/?p=126588

As I sat in my hotel room waiting for my flight home, I had some time to reflect back on my first CES experience. CES for me was as amazing as I ever imagined it would be. More than anything though, it also prepared me for my trip back in 2012. I thought I might write something up that would give you an idea of what it was like and how to prepare yourself. Now that the show is open to the industry as well as the vendors, bloggers, and manufacturers, some simple preparation can maximize your time and coverage at the show. Here is a list of helpful tips and ideas that I'll surely be Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2011/01/13/surviving-my-first-ces-experience-learned-some-new-rules-of-engagement/feed/ 7 Android Market Blues – Are Carrier App Restrictions Beating You Down?http://www.geardiary.com/2010/10/25/android-market-blues-are-carrier-app-restrictions-beating-you-down/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/10/25/android-market-blues-are-carrier-app-restrictions-beating-you-down/#comments Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:30:42 +0000 Thomas R. Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=114958

Ah... Android. The allure of a completely open system. You're in control, unlike on iOS devices. Right? Right? Sometimes, not so much. Turns out, AT&T Android-touting users, for example, can only install applications in the Android Market. Recently, Travis asked about installing non-Market applications on an AT&T Android smartphone, and Francis told him a few possible ways to do this. It's definitely a source of frustration for users on carriers with such restrictions. Removing a standard feature of Android is simply an annoyance to users, and can be circumvented, as the Tested.com article How To Install Apps that are Filtered Out of Your Android Market App points out. Some Android users are Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/10/25/android-market-blues-are-carrier-app-restrictions-beating-you-down/feed/ 3 Are You A Droid User Feeling Stung By No WiFi Tether Coming With Froyo (2.2)? Easy Root Has You Covered!http://www.geardiary.com/2010/08/03/are-you-a-droid-user-feeling-stung-by-no-wifi-tether-coming-with-froyo-2-2-easy-root-has-you-covered/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/08/03/are-you-a-droid-user-feeling-stung-by-no-wifi-tether-coming-with-froyo-2-2-easy-root-has-you-covered/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:00:44 +0000 Michael Anderson http://www.geardiary.com/?p=104091

I have had the original Motorola Droid since last November just after it launched, and I have been extremely happy with the device and the Android operating system. Aside from the mediocre keyboard (which I've gotten used to over time) I have had an absolutely fantastic experience with the Droid - it is my constant companion, and I greatly appreciate how it has improved in many ways during the time since purchase thanks to app updates and operating system upgrades. Back in May I grabbed a Palm Pre Plus on eBay. I was going on a business trip and bringing my iPad as Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/08/03/are-you-a-droid-user-feeling-stung-by-no-wifi-tether-coming-with-froyo-2-2-easy-root-has-you-covered/feed/ 6 iOS4 Tip: Add Custom Words to iPhone Dictionaryhttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/15/ios4-tip-add-custom-words-to-iphone-dictionary/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/15/ios4-tip-add-custom-words-to-iphone-dictionary/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:00:48 +0000 Thomas R. Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=101317

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Antidisestablishmentarianism? Okay, so maybe you don't use those words every day, but what about other words that you do? And they aren't in your iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) dictionary? Judie was running into this issue recently on her iPhone. For some strange reason, she frequently needs to type the word "Kev", and the iPhone kept auto-correcting it to "KeV" (note the upper-case "V"). So what do you do? Buying a bumper won't fix this problem!

Well, with the release of iOS 4, a little-known feature is available to allow you to add custom words to the iPhone dictionary. I was puzzled when Judie said she didn't have a

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/15/ios4-tip-add-custom-words-to-iphone-dictionary/feed/ 38 All In For Web Based Apps: A Desktop Clean In Progresshttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/14/all-in-for-web-based-apps-a-desktop-clean-in-progress/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/14/all-in-for-web-based-apps-a-desktop-clean-in-progress/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:00:58 +0000 LarryGreenberg http://www.geardiary.com/?p=101162

Simplifying one's desktop. For me it's an ongoing, ever-changing process.  I'm constantly tinkering with new applications for my iMac, trying for that seemingly unobtainable perfect set up.  One of the biggest issues I struggle with is managing multiple windows.  I generally use five or six "main" applications on a daily basis.  These usually consist of Safari, Apple Mail, Tweetie, Net News Wire, Skype and Adium.  I'll use other things throughout the day such as Mars Edit or iTunes, but the "main" 6 are always open and running on my desktop. Managing six windows at once on a 24" iMac is surprisingly harder than it would seem.  24" of screen space seems like a lot, but in Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/14/all-in-for-web-based-apps-a-desktop-clean-in-progress/feed/ 2 Engadget Shows How To Resize Your Sim and Change Your APNhttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/09/engadget-shows-how-to-resize-your-sim-and-change-your-apn/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/09/engadget-shows-how-to-resize-your-sim-and-change-your-apn/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:30:12 +0000 Travis Ehrlich http://www.geardiary.com/?p=100502

Image Courtesy of Engadget

Remember the day when you could buy an iPhone from a friend or on another line, switch the SIMs and fire it up as your own?  With the iPhone 4 changing SIM card sizes this little trick no longer works.  For geeks like me that sometimes rely on the spouse's line as the upgrade for the early adoption craze, there must be a workaround.  In fact, I just ordered an iPhone 4 about an hour ago on my wife's line and will need to change it over as mine (of course she will inherit my 3GS) as soon as it comes in.  Our friends at Engadget have

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/07/09/engadget-shows-how-to-resize-your-sim-and-change-your-apn/feed/ 3 Apple 3G iPad on EDGE Using a T-Mobile SIM? Here’s How …http://www.geardiary.com/2010/05/02/apple-3g-ipad-on-edge-using-a-t-mobile-sim-heres-how/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/05/02/apple-3g-ipad-on-edge-using-a-t-mobile-sim-heres-how/#comments Sun, 02 May 2010 18:30:49 +0000 Judie Stanford http://www.geardiary.com/?p=91179

If you were grandfathered into a low-priced T-Mobile data plan (remember the $5.99/month deal?), if you don't mind EDGE speeds, and if don't want to pay an extra $30/month to use the AT&T iPad data plan, this DIY hack may be just what you have been looking for. Granted, you won't be able to pop your T-Mo SIM back into your phone, but why let that stop you? iPadInsider has posted a DIY hack that they say will make your T-Mobile SIM work on your Apple iPad ...
DISCLAIMER: We have not tested this, so this information may be inaccurate or incomplete. iPadInsider.com will not be responsible for individuals
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/05/02/apple-3g-ipad-on-edge-using-a-t-mobile-sim-heres-how/feed/ 3 Step By Step Android/iPhone Dual Boot Instructionshttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/25/step-by-step-androidiphone-dual-boot-instructions/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/25/step-by-step-androidiphone-dual-boot-instructions/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:30:04 +0000 Carly Z http://www.geardiary.com/?p=89910

Click here to view the embedded video.

When the video of the original iPhone dual-booting Android first appeared, I was intrigued about giving it a shot. Unfortunately, I'm not super savvy on command-line activities, and I was lost about 1/3 of the way through the first how-to I found. Luckily, the sharp-eyed folks at Android Central came across more user-friendly instructions over at Redmond Pie. While it still looks like a long, time consuming process, at least now it's easier to understand! If you're a visual learner, check out the above video, or hit up Redmond Pie for the text instructions if you prefer those. This weekend got away from me, but hopefully next weekend I can carve out some time to try this for myself. Who wants Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/25/step-by-step-androidiphone-dual-boot-instructions/feed/ 11 How To View PDF Files on an iPadhttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/12/how-to-view-pdf-files-on-an-ipad/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/12/how-to-view-pdf-files-on-an-ipad/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:00:19 +0000 Thomas R. Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=87189

When Apple announced the iPad, I immediately imagined that it would be a superior way to read PDF books in a tablet-style format. On the Apple iPad Specs page, there is a single mention of PDF support for the iPad - in the Mail application as an attachment. However, there must be a way to view PDF files on the iPad natively, right? Let's walk through two main ways currently available to view PDF files on the iPad. Built-In PDF Viewing Mail Application - The iPad supports viewing PDF files that are sent as attachments via email in the Mail application. Simply download the attachment, click to launch, and you can view the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/12/how-to-view-pdf-files-on-an-ipad/feed/ 28 So How DO You Actually Load Your Own Documents Onto the iPad?http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/11/so-how-do-you-actually-load-your-own-documents-onto-the-ipad/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/11/so-how-do-you-actually-load-your-own-documents-onto-the-ipad/#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:00:42 +0000 Thomas R. Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=87168

Having been one of the people in my social circle to have an iPad, I have been answering a lot of questions for others who don't have an iPad, or that can't be answered by playing with one directly. One of the most frequent questions I get is "How do you load PDFs (and other personal documents) onto the iPad?" If you look at the iPad by itself without a computer running iTunes, you can only explain this verbally. And it's not the most intuitive process (in fact, not very Apple-like). So, rather than re-answer the same question multiple times, let's just go through it here with images stepping through the process...

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/04/11/so-how-do-you-actually-load-your-own-documents-onto-the-ipad/feed/ 32 Gen. Y Dualboot lets you pick your poison…Android or Windows Mobilehttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/28/gen-y-dualboot-lets-you-pick-your-poison-android-or-windows-mobile/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/28/gen-y-dualboot-lets-you-pick-your-poison-android-or-windows-mobile/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:11:07 +0000 Francis Scardino http://www.geardiary.com/?p=72632

Image Courtesy of PocketNow

Tired of your WinMo OS or want to give Android a try? Pocketnow has a nice video of a simple linux bootloader that allows you to choose  between Android or WinMo as a bootup option on your  Windows Mobile phone. I don't know what phones this is compatible with, but I'm gonna assume you can use any phone that has an Android Rom ported for it, or maybe just try out a vanilla Android Rom on your device.

See it in action after the break.

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/28/gen-y-dualboot-lets-you-pick-your-poison-android-or-windows-mobile/feed/ 1 Android Tip: Selecting Text to Copy and Paste Without a Keyboardhttp://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/12/android-tip-selecting-text-to-copy-and-paste-without-a-keyboard/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/12/android-tip-selecting-text-to-copy-and-paste-without-a-keyboard/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:30:00 +0000 Thomas R. Hall http://www.geardiary.com/?p=69988

Yesterday, Carly posted a response to Boy Genius Report's thoughts on some deficiencies in the Android experience. In that post, she described how to select text to copy and paste on her Motorola Droid (or any Android device with a keyboard). But how do you do this on a device without a hardware keyboard, such as the Nexus One? Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/12/android-tip-selecting-text-to-copy-and-paste-without-a-keyboard/feed/ 18 Consolidating Your eBook Libraries, Part II: Can It Be Done?http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/09/consolidating-your-ebook-libraries-part-ii-can-it-be-done/ http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/09/consolidating-your-ebook-libraries-part-ii-can-it-be-done/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:45:20 +0000 Douglas Moran http://www.geardiary.com/?p=67590

When last we saw our lonely hero, he was trying to figure out if it t'were possible to get the Barnes and Noble eReader software for the iPhone to recognize and display his Fictionwise library.  Let us now rejoin him in his quest.

(Caveat:  Neither Gear Diary nor Doug Moran encourages our readers to follow any of the following steps.  Your mileage may vary.  Void where prohibited.  Some states do not participate.  Call your dealer for details.) So we want to, somehow, get our Fictionwise books in the right spot on the iPhone, and get the B&N ereader to recognize them.  Here's what I've done: Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2010/01/09/consolidating-your-ebook-libraries-part-ii-can-it-be-done/feed/ 9 How to: Save Your Phone After A Short Swimhttp://www.geardiary.com/2009/12/30/how-to-save-your-phone-after-a-short-swim/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/12/30/how-to-save-your-phone-after-a-short-swim/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:15:51 +0000 Francis Scardino http://www.geardiary.com/?p=67079

Photo courtesy of DigitalTrends

It happens to everyone at least once in their life, your cellphone becomes a drowning victim. With the price of phones these days it is worth a shot at reviving it rather than declaring your phone DOA. Here is a few steps gathered from various sources on how to dry out your waterlogged cellphone or device. Most are pretty obvious but need to be stated as a reminder in the time of panic and chaos:
  1. Get your phone to safety. Don't just stare in disbelief and feel like all is lost. Get it out of water immediately!!!!!
  2. Remove the battery as quickly
Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/12/30/how-to-save-your-phone-after-a-short-swim/feed/ 3 Getting The Most From Your Toshiba NB205 Netbookhttp://www.geardiary.com/2009/11/14/getting-the-most-from-your-toshiba-nb205-netbook/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/11/14/getting-the-most-from-your-toshiba-nb205-netbook/#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:30:50 +0000 Dan Cohen http://www.geardiary.com/?p=59478 Safari.png

I picked up a Toshiba NB205 netbook shortly after Windows 7 launched and have been enjoying it every since. The netbook shipped with an Intel® Atom™ processor N280 running at 1.66GHz, 1GB DDR2 memory, a 10.1" WSVGA LED-backlit widescreen display at 1024 x 600 resolution, a 160GB 5400 rpm drive and more. It weighs in at only 2.9 lbs. and is 1.3" high. The battery offers up to 9 hours of run time. Over all it is a pretty standard package, but at a current price of $399.99 at Best Buy it is a nice machine. Not content to leave well enough alone, I did three simple mods that have it running better and doing more. I upped the RAM to 2GB, swapped out the spinning platter for an SSD drive and did a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium. The result is a netbook that is quick, quiet and cool... and runs for a long, long time. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/11/14/getting-the-most-from-your-toshiba-nb205-netbook/feed/ 3 Making a bootable USB stick to upgrade to Windows 7http://www.geardiary.com/2009/10/30/making-a-bootable-usb-stick-to-upgrade-to-windows-7/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/10/30/making-a-bootable-usb-stick-to-upgrade-to-windows-7/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:08:55 +0000 Clinton Fitch http://www.geardiary.com/?p=56477 windows_7

So you have Windows 7 and you are all fired up about installing it on your netbook. The problem is that your netbook doesn't have a CD or DVD player built in which means that DVD media that Windows 7 comes on is pretty much a coaster. You can solve the problem by popping $80-90 bucks on an external drive, but what if you could make that 4GB USB flash drive do the magic for you? Well you can, and it is pretty straight forward to do. All you need is a 4GB or bigger USB flash drive, a little bit of patience and your Windows 7 media. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/10/30/making-a-bootable-usb-stick-to-upgrade-to-windows-7/feed/ 4 How to get more than 11 pages of iPhone Appshttp://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/12/how-to-get-more-than-11-pages-of-iphone-apps/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/12/how-to-get-more-than-11-pages-of-iphone-apps/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:08:58 +0000 LarryGreenberg http://www.geardiary.com/?p=42050 3810290709_821728e947

By default the iPhone limits the user to a total of 11 visible springboard aka home screen pages.

Dayna from PHP-Princess has discovered a way around this limitation. Yes needing more than 11 pages of applications (180) is truly for the hardcore iPhone app user, but there are a lot of them floating around.

This was a trick I discovered while moving around my icons. First, you have to be an app-aholic and have 11 pages of iPhone apps (and more hidden ones since they can’t be displayed). Then move some of the default apps you do not use like “Weather,” “Stocks,” “YouTube,”

Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/12/how-to-get-more-than-11-pages-of-iphone-apps/feed/ 3 Gmail Drops “On Behalf Of”http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/03/gmail-drops-on-behalf-of/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/03/gmail-drops-on-behalf-of/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:00:16 +0000 Jeff Frantz http://www.geardiary.com/?p=40472 If you take advantage of Gmail's option to send messages within Gmail using one of your other email addresses in the "from" line, you may be aware that your email is depicted in some email software as being from your Gmail address "on behalf of" your other email address. In the Gmail blog last week, Google announced a new option that eliminates the need to show your Gmail address and the "on behalf of" text. The option is available if your other email provider supports POP or IMAP access.  To take advantage of this new option, go to the Accounts page under Settings, and click "edit info" from the "Send mail as" section.  Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/08/03/gmail-drops-on-behalf-of/feed/ 0 Updated: A Gear Diary “How-To”: Run the Slingbox iPhone application on 3Ghttp://www.geardiary.com/2009/07/20/updated-a-gear-diary-how-to-run-the-slingbox-iphone-application-on-3g/ http://www.geardiary.com/2009/07/20/updated-a-gear-diary-how-to-run-the-slingbox-iphone-application-on-3g/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:11 +0000 LarryGreenberg http://www.geardiary.com/?p=38709 wifi_small

Back in May I wrote this tutorial which detailed the process for using the iPhone application VOIPover3G on your Jailbroken iPhone to get around Apple's limitation of only being able to use the Slingbox application for the iPhone over Wifi. Once iPhone OS 3.0 was released the VOIPover3G application stopped working.  It was not compatible with the 3.0 update. Turns out that's not such a bad thing. 3G Unrestrictor is a just released application for Jailbroken iPhones that does the same thing as VOIPover3G but in a much easier to use interface.  And it's all done on your iPhone (VOIPover3G require editing of files on the iPhone and transferring them back and forth from your computer.) The application could not be any simpler to use. Click through for the tutorial. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...]]> http://www.geardiary.com/2009/07/20/updated-a-gear-diary-how-to-run-the-slingbox-iphone-application-on-3g/feed/ 3