Tutorials
How to copy photos from a PC to an Apple iPhone or iPod
Although Apple iTunes is a popular and easy-to-use application, it has its restrictions. If you want complete freedom for copying your photos and videos between your PC and iPhone or iPod, you need some extra tools. Check out our guide on how to copy images from your PC to the iPhone (and the other way around) exactly the way you want.
How To Find Out A Mystery Caller's Name Using A Reverse Phone Lookup
Who called me? Should I dial the number, or play it safe and forget about it? What if it was a new Facebook friend, telemarketer or a prank caller? Well, you'll never know unless you know a way to find out the mystery caller's identity. We'll show you how you can use the Internet to match an unidentified phone number with a person or organization.
How to copy music from iPhone and iPod to the iTunes Library on a PC
Sooner or later, many iPhone and iPod users find themselves in a situation where they desperately want to copy music stored on the device to a PC. Maybe they need to recover a crashed hard drive on a PC, maybe they just want to have a backup copy of all the files stored on the small device that can be lost. Check out our step-by-step guide to recovering music and other files from an Apple iPhone and iPod and storing them safely on a PC.
How to Set up a Webcam for Home Monitoring with Remote Access from Mobile Phone
If you have ever wondered what your dog is chasing when alone at home, or how many cars pass by your window when you are somewhere else, a simple do-it-yourself home monitoring system can solve your problem. A low-cost webcam can easily be turned into a home surveillance system that can be remotely monitored from a mobile phone or PC. The free EyeSpyFX software can transmit your webcam images to the Internet where you can view video from your home practically in real time.
How to Upload Photos and Videos to Facebook from a Camera Phone
Facebook is such an addictive online destination that many users would like to let friends know what is going on even in the middle of a visit to a shopping mall. If you have a camera phone and want to update your Facebook page, you don't have to wait until you have access to a PC. You can upload photos and videos to Facebook directly from a camera phone. We'll show you how.
Tips for Troubleshooting Mobile Phone Bluetooth Connections
Bluetooth is a handy wireless technology for sending photos from a mobile phone to another device, or for connecting a wireless headset to the phone. Even new devices, however, may fail to transmit information via Bluetooth. Locating communication problems can be bothersome, unless you troubleshoot your Bluetooth problems with this practical guide.
Upload Your Camera Phone Movies to a Video-Sharing Site
CNET Do-It-Yourself Camera and Music Phones Projects
Practically all camera phones that can capture photographs can record video clips. It is fun to watch the recorded clips on the phone screen, but it is even more fun to share them with family and friends. No matter how entertaining the clips may be, you shouldn’t just e-mail your videos to every person you know. Even a short video clip tends to make up a large file that quickly fills up e-mail boxes. There is a better way to show your movies: upload them on a video-sharing service on the Internet.
How to Automatically Record Telephone Calls on a Mobile Phone
Maybe you made an important deal on the phone or your friend gave you driving instructions to a secluded place, but sometimes, you wish you could remember every detail of a particular conversation. Total Recall is a software application that runs on a smartphone and can be set to automatically record all calls made and received on the phone. You can even hide the application, so that it only wakes up to record when a new phone call is connected.
Tips for Solving Battery Problems on Symbian OS Smartphones
Without a warning, the battery life on our recent Nokia smartphone dramatically dropped. Since mobile device batteries tend to gradually die after 12-24 months of regular use, we figured that the problem had to lie somewhere else. It was, but it wasn't easy to find. The tool that helped us discover the problem was a piece of software called ActiveFile.
How to Make Free Phone Calls on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet
The Nokia N800 Internet tablet is a fun device for surfing the Web, watching videos, and listening to music. Although the selection of included applications is limited, Linux programmers are developing new software products for the tablet at an amazing pace. For example, the N800 doesn't include mobile phone hardware at all; however, since it has high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, it could be made into a VoIP phone. Skype is a VoIP application, and now, it can be installed on the Nokia N800 for free phone calls over the Internet.
Quick Cure for Blackberry Envy: Consilient Push Email Can Deliver Messages to Ordinary Phones As Well
One of the reasons why Blackberry became a desired object was its responsive and easy-to-use email system. Some users love the device so much that they feel it in their aching thumbs; too much tapping of the keyboard. If you don't have a Blackberry, but want a similar email system that Blackberries have – push email that can deliver new messages to your phone's inbox – take a look at Consilient Push email.
Tips for Troubleshooting Windows Mobile Smartphones
Many Windows Mobile smartphone owners have noticed that after a few months of active usage, the phone runs slower or it is reluctant to save new photos. The phone may even claim that there's not enough free memory space even though a 1GB memory card is only partially full. If this scenario sounds familiar, it's time to take a look inside the phone to learn a few tricks that can help solve common problems that are often caused by active mobile life and neglecting housekeeping. Check out our tips for troubleshooting Windows Mobile smartphones >
How to fight mobile security threats
I was attacked at an airport in Europe. It happened a few years ago while I was minding my own business near a departure gate. The attack was targeted at my smart phone, so I wasn't physically harmed. And, fortunately, my phone wasn't harmed either, because I rejected the persistent Bluetooth connection attempts. Beware, text message scams can be even nastier.
The Easy Way to Post Photos with Geographic Coordinates on a Map
It's easy and fun to post photos and videos from a camera phone to shared, online photo albums, such as Flickr, Buzznet, or YouTube. After uploading a number of pictures, however, you may realize that it's not easy to remember exactly where you took your master shots. Attaching photos to a map is an excellent visual way to show both the pictures and where they were shot. The Shozu application for camera phones, when linked to the Flickr photo service, lets you post your photos to a map on the Internet. After trying out this new GPS-based system, we are convinced that it is the best thing in photography since the megapixel camera was invented.
How to Add Security to Your Wireless Hotspot and Wi-Fi Smartphone
In Part 1 of our wireless network setup guide, we discussed how to establish a Wi-Fi hotspot for public access. However, as you may have heard, there are hackers who drive around, trying to find unprotected wireless networks that they can use for their own purposes. Don't worry; practically all wireless routers and Wi-Fi smartphones come with security technologies that are strong enough to keep you safe. So, let's add security to your wireless network - and secure peace of mind for yourself as well.
How to Watch Movie Clips from Video-Sharing Sites on a Phone
Watching video clips available on sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, or blip.tv has become so popular that it's time to ask "why can't we watch the same flicks on our multimedia-capable phones?" It's easy to upload videos from a camera phone to a video-sharing site, after all. Of course, many tech-savvy people have also downloaded movies from DVDs to their phones and viewed them on the go. You don't have to deal with those complexities, however, because we'll show you the way to view Internet videos on your phone without any extra trouble.
Tips for Troubleshooting Symbian OS/S60 Smartphones
If you have a sneaking suspicion that your phone is running slower than before, you might consider recycling it, taking it to a service center, or slowing the pace of your life to sync with your phone. We have a better solution. Learn to look inside your phone and determine if any foul play is going on in there. Check out our tips for troubleshooting S60 smartphones, like the Nokia N-series and E-series devices >
An Elegant Solution to an Old Problem of Saving Contact Information on a Phone
Finally, there's a simple solution for a problem that has troubled phone owners for the last 10 years. You save valuable contact information on your phone, but it is very difficult to move it to another phone. A new service, Zyb, lets you back up the information from your phone, edit it on a web page, and sync it with any phone you want. You can use Zyb for backups, for keeping exactly the same information on two phones, and for sharing your calendar or contacts with friends and family >
If an imitation of a speeding motorcycle can become a hugely popular ringtone, why not something even more annoying? Nestle Purina has realized the promotional value of ringtones and has made ringtones of cats and dogs available for free. Whether barking or meowing is lovely or annoying depends on your relationship to these pets. We decided to join the choir and give away our version of the ringtone pet sounds >
How to Migrate from the Apple iPod to another MP3 Player
Apple iPods and other MP3 players have been around for long enough so that many music fans are ready to consider upgrading their first portable player to a new product with higher capacity, better looks, or a larger screen. However, what will happen to the music that is stored in the old player? You may have spent hours extracting tracks from your CDs or spent a handful of dollars to fill the player with songs from an online store. Is it possible to transfer music from an iPod to a new MP3 player >
How to download movies to a phone (and watch them, too)
You've heard about camera phones, music phones, camcorder phones and email phones - but how cool would a movie phone be? As ridiculous as the idea first may seem, it is not only possible, but also fun, to watch a movie on a phone when you are on the go but have some time to kill. Let's see you what you need to do to make your camera phone or smartphone into a movie player >
Share your videos on the Internet, but edit them first
If you get bored easily when you're watching someone else's home videos, you probably know what you have to do before you show your own home videos to the world. You may want to make your video snappier by clipping, cutting, or trimming it a bit. We examined a few entry-level video editing products >
How to upload video clips from a camera phone to YouTube
Sharing pictures on Internet photo albums has quickly become popular among camera phone and digital camera owners. And why not? It's fun to let friends and people on the other side of the world see our pictures, and maybe get feedback from them. It's not a huge surprise that we might want to share our video clips as well. Maybe it's even more fun. Let's take a look at techniques for posting camera phone videos on YouTube >
Create your own MIDI ringtones for free
We have heard our share of lousy ringtones. More than once or twice, we've been sure that it would be easy to compose a better tune, even with our non-existent musical talent. We wanted to find out if it was really possible to do a better job, so we tested a few software products that let you compose music. When these tunes are saved as MIDI files, they can be used as ringtones on most modern phones >
The Gentleman’s Guide to text messaging
A well-mannered and considerate person knows when to send a text message, when to make a phone call and when to be silent. The gentleman's guide >
Even if you don't have a fancy music phone that can play MP3 songs as ringtones, it is possible to get nice, melodic ringtones for your phone. If your phone can play MIDI tunes, you can find plenty of tracks on the Internet, or you can create your own ringtones using a MIDI application on your computer. We'll show you an easy way to download MIDI ringtones >
Setting up a digital photo frame for free
Have you noticed that you tend to view old photographs more often when you have them organized on a computer instead of in traditional photo albums or in shoeboxes? Digital picture frames are a fine solution for anyone who doesn't want to use a computer, but still wants to view new photo slideshows on a bright screen. You don't have to be a computer wizard to create a digital photo frame out of an old notebook computer >
Downloading songs from an online music store directly to a phone
We have been downloading ringtones to our phone from online services for ages (before we discovered that we can make our own ringtones for free). Now, as music phones that can play MP3 songs are becoming more popular, why don't we download full tracks directly to the phone from online music shops? We powered up our smartphone and tried services that charge for downloading tracks and other services that offer free downloads and were surprised at what we discovered >
Tips for finding and downloading video films to a portable media player
As far as music and podcasts are concerned, we can be pretty sure that every portable device can play them, because they tend to come in MP3 format. The same goes for photos, as we can be sure that all portable media players can display JPG pictures. But when we want to watch video on mobile devices, it’s suddenly pure rocket science. There are plenty of videos, TV programs and films available to download and watch, but the problem is to find the right type of video that plays on your portable media player. This guide will help you find and download videos for your portable media player >
Free your phone by unlocking it for any GSM network
Not so long ago, you made a firm decision and chose a phone, a network and a plan, but now you've changed your mind. Maybe you want to get a new phone and trade the old phone to the man next door, or you want to be able to use a pre-paid card on the phone when traveling overseas. If your phone is mysteriously tied to the one and the same network, you'll have to unlock the phone to give you more flexibility >
Switching to a new phone without losing valuable information – Part 2
You've got a new phone in your hand and you'd love to call someone, but there's not a single phone number in the phone's contact list. Don't worry, you don't have to re-key all the names and numbers that you had on your old phone when you have them stored somewhere safe. Let's find out how you can move the saved information to your new phone >
Switching to a new phone without losing valuable information – Part 1
You've decided to get a new phone, and you're feeling all excited. But then, you wake up in the middle of the night just before the great day screaming: what will happen to my contacts, messages, photos and calendar entries I have saved on my old phone? Well, it won't be as easy as taking a blurry photo on a camera phone, but there are a few tricks that can help you move your valuable information to a new phone >
How to copy songs from a CD to a portable MP3 player – Part 2
It's one thing to build a digital music library on a computer, but a totally different affair to fit the song collection into a portable MP3 player. Fortunately, new software products make it easy to download tunes to the MP3 player once you have your music library organized as explained in Part 1 of this guide. Find out how those songs on your computer can be copied to your portable MP3 player.
How to copy songs from a CD to a portable MP3 player
It's fun to shop at iTunes, Napster, MSN Music, or at another online music shop and download new songs to the computer and into a portable MP3 player. Most music lovers, however, already have a collection of music CDs full of fabulous tunes that are just waiting to be re-discovered and squeezed into the small MP3 player. When you learn to copy your CDs to the computer as MP3 files and download the songs from there to your MP3 player, you can build a digital music library without any extra costs.
Using paper maps for GPS navigation
Even in the age of navigation aided by GPS satellites, there are plenty of reasons not to throw away your old paper maps. They are still valuable when planning trips and can serve as a backup while traveling, but they are also useful when linked with entry-level GPS devices that can't display maps on their screens. How to make paper maps, mapping software and GPS devices work together >
How to create ringtones for free for your phone
No matter what your favorite song happens to be this week, you can make it a ringtone for your phone for free. All you need is the hit song, a piece of computer software that can turn audio CDs into digital music, a phone that can play MP3 or MIDI music and this guide >
How to listen to music from your MP3 player in your home and car stereo
If you can picture yourself jamming to MP3 music on your powerful home stereo system, or cruising down the road with all the songs on your playlist available and no worries about disks or headphones, you want to connect your MP3 player to your home, or car stereo set >
How to copy ringtones, pictures and other fun stuff to your phone for free
Wouldn't it be nice to have a new ringtone to reflect the mood of each new day, or to be able to change the background picture on your phone whenever you feel like it? It's easy and free, once you learn how to copy information from a computer to your phone >.
How to send photos from a camera phone to an email address
You've just snapped a lovely photo on your camera phone and you are dying to show it to your friends, but you happen to be stuck in a place without Internet access. It's time to use the email functionality in your phone, and get mobile photo messaging work for you >
How to copy photos from a camera phone to a computer
What do you do when your camera phone is full of precious photo memories, but you desperately want to snap new images? The solution is easy with the right tools: all you need is a memory card reader, a camera phone with a removable memory card, and this guide >
How to arrange a digital photo show in the living room - Part 2
In addition to great photos and exciting stories behind them, you'll need cables for connecting the display and photo equipment. Also, consider downloading a photo album software that will improve your odds for running a sucessful show. Advice on digital photo slideshows >
How to arrange a digital photo show in the living room - Part 1
It's show time: a photographer's hour to present her work in front of an audience. Setting up the required technology in your own living room allows you to prepare yourself well. After all, you'll want your photos look great and your guests to enjoy the show. Advice on digital photo slideshows >
Take better photos with your camera phone
Many memorable moments in life have disappeared into a haze, because photos snapped on a camera phone have miserably failed. Keep your phone steady, and learn seven other valuable tips that will quickly improve the quality of photos you capture on your camera phone. Advice on camera phone photos >
Don't lock yourself in a restrictive digital music technology
Today, shoppers of digital music are forced to deal with technical details they shouldn't even be aware of. For avoiding costly re-investments in the same songs in the future, you'll have to learn the basics of digital audio technologies. Now. Advice on digital music >
Special Issue: Digital Cameras
What is the best digital camera for your needs? Does your family need more than one digital camera? How to share and print digital photos? Download your practical guide to digital photography >
How to extract perfect MP3 music
There are many software products that can extract MP3 music from intact CDs, but getting great sound from worn-out CDs is another thing. We'll show you how to get the best music of the world - your own CD collection - ready for download to your portable MP3 player. Advice on extracting MP3 music >
Quit smoking with a little help from your mobile phone
Cold turkey, patches, gum, hypnosis, even shock therapy are used to help people quit smoking. Now, there are also programs for mobile devices that might just provide the extra help you or a loved one needs to kick the habit. Advice on health management with a mobile phone >
The basics of Internet browsing are the same on mobile devices and computers, although they look very different. For the best browsing on a mobile device, mastering some of the browser technology principles will help you to decide on the type of a browser you want to use in your mobile device. Full story >
Downloading new life to a mobile device
Downloading software, music, and images brings new life to an old and trusty mobile device. Understanding the principles of downloading helps you to judge for yourself what to download, where to find it, and how it is done. Full story >
Good to know about mobile messaging costs
