Category: Tips and Tricks

Over at [H] Consumer (an offshoot site of HardOCP [ http://www.hardocp.com/ ]) some dilligent editors have published a pretty complete roundup of the kinds of service and information you should expect if you head into your average electronics store looking to buy a computer. And since many many people wind up actually going to an electronics store for computer purchasing and rely on the sales and technical staff in the store for accurate information and buying advice, this review is all that much more important.

The editors hit four different stores, Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics, and Circuit City, and came out of the experience with a lot of information about what you can and can’t expect when you walk into one of these stores armed only with the knowledge of what you’d like to do with your new computer and the trust that the staff there will be able to help you figure out what’s best for you-they won’t be able to, and even if they can, they might have an agenda that’ll keep them from giving you exactly what you need. The moral of the story? I’ll go ahead and spoil it for you-do your homework! Buying a computer isn’t a haphazard thing; you need to know what you’re getting into, what the differences between DVD-ROM and DVD-RW are, and why that difference might matter to you.

Regardless, head over to [H] Consumer to read the full article, including the editors’ experiences at each of the four stores, their comparison of the stores’ warranties, and their final advice to you, the consumer. Definitely worth reading!

(This article has been cross posted to our awesome new tech blog, Gears and Widgets! What’s that? Haven’t checked it out yet? Head on over for even more tech news, tips and tricks, articles and reviews, and up-to-date info on all things tech, as well as more commentary on this very story!)

[ [H] Consumer :: Retail Computer Purchasing Experiences ]

Playlist Magazine [ http://playlistmag.com/ ] has an excellent cover story today with some really easy and useful tips to prolong the battery life of everyone’s favorite digital music and media player. I know, I know, in real life, the iPod doesn’t get what Apple says you should get in terms of hours and songs played, but I can tell you that it’s pretty close in my experience, but sometimes even 10 hours of straight play time isn’t enough to sate your hunger for music, podcasts, and episodes of Saturday Night Live. (Or in my case, 10 hours of leaving it on in your suitcase. Yeah, silly me.)

So while the tips include some simple and free things you can do, like using the Hold button to make sure that your iPod doesn’t get inadvertantly turned on while in your bag or in its case and keeping your iPod warm (something I wish I knew the time I left it in the car overnight in the middle of January), they also include some pretty decent ideas that cost money, like buying a new high-capacity battery and installing it (or having it installed) or buying an external battery pack to lengthen the life of your iPod. All this and more, and a definite must-read for all iPod owners and enthusiasts!

(cross posted to our awesome new blog for tech tips, tricks, news, and info, Gears and Widgets!)

[ PlaylistMag :: Prolong iPod Battery Life ]

Over at SciFi Tech, there’s a quick rundown of perhaps five of the worst products I’ve ever seen, and they’re absolutely right in the assertion that no one should buy any of these, ever. I mean ever. Starting off with the “cellular signal booster,” those little plastic things they tell you to stick on your cell phone under your battery, and going all the way to refurb computers, extended warranties, overpriced cables, and floor models, the article hits on each one of those five with some serious buying advice as to why you should never, ever purchase any of them, even if they look like they’re a really good bargain.

I have to admit, I’m with them. Some of these things are a scam (the antenna thing, for example) but some of them might seem like good ideas to save money (floor models, which often have been mishandled and are near death anyway and usually sold as-is) or protect your investment (extended warranties from electronics stores, which are a waste of cash-take the money you would have spent on the warranty and stash it away just in case you actually DO need repairs) and they’re right in getting to the bottom of them.

Hey, don’t say we never taught you anything! Read and be enlightened!

[ SciFi Tech :: Top 5 Things You Should Never Buy ]

It’s not too late to get that geek on your holiday shopping list the perfect present that’ll make them squeal with the oh-so-geeky delight this holiday season! But what do you get that special someone who goes crazy over video games or ga-ga over the latest mp3 player? Well, PCWorld and Digital Life are here with the answers that will hopefully make your holiday shopping that much easier. (especially if you have a lot of geeks on the list!) While you’re out there shopping, pick us up something, will ya?

PC World Holiday Gift Guide
[ http://giftguide.pcworld.com/holiday_guide/index.html ]

Digital Life: Shopping Guide
[ http://www.digitallife.com/att_shopping_guide.html ]

Just in time to help you get a good start to your holiday shopping, Wired has produced their “Ultimate Geek Gift Guide,” which promises to help you find the perfect gift for the geek in your life. But I hope you love that geek in your life a lot, because Wired’s selection of gifts, with the exception of the DVD sets they reccomend, are all pretty pricey, but that’s probably because they’re reccomending things like HDTVs, satellite radios, and home theater components that do it all. The list is definitely good though, and full of quality products, so head on over and check it out-just don’t break the bank, eh?

[ http://www.wired.com/news/technology/giftguide2005/0,2926,69647,00.html ]