how-to

Clean up iTunes with one playlist

My iTunes library is a graveyard. It's a place for my media to slip away and die in silence.

Sure, there are some well-worn albums in my iTunes collection, but there's also an increasing portion of dusty, old podcasts, audiobooks, TV shows, and random music that I honestly don't remember how (or why) I acquired.

To break free from all the crud in my iTunes collection while leaving the good stuff intact I could methodically comb through the collection and delete the duds. But frankly, I'd rather chew a mouthful of tacks.

Wouldn't it be … Read more

Use Nextcall to schedule calls, point out neglected contacts on Android

You could keep your call logs for months at a time, but chances are your phone wouldn't appreciate that too much. Instead, take a look at Nextcall.

This app will help you see how long it has been since you were in touch with someone. Additionally, it will let you schedule calls with someone every X days or weeks. This can come in handy if you need to remember to follow up with someone for business. Sure, you could add them to your calendar and get a reminder, but it might get lost among all the other things you … Read more

Take quick notes on your Android tablet with Hovernote

Android is great about multitasking in the sense that background applications will be suspended where you left them. That means you can go back and look at the previous app you were using, but it's going to be in full-screen covering whatever you're trying to look at now. This makes note-taking for research really difficult when you're always having to tab back and forth and can only see one app at a time.

Hovernote seeks to remedy this issue by adding a floating notepad to your Android tablet screen. That way, you can read a … Read more

How to control your Xbox 360 with an iPhone

Microsoft's update to the My Xbox Live app 1.5 brought along support for controlling an Xbox 360 straight from an iPhone. (The update was rolled out across all iOS platforms, but for whatever reason, this feature only works with an iPhone.) Here's how to get it to work.… Read more

Open social-reader links on Facebook without installing them

Facebook is a place for sharing (and sometimes oversharing) information between friends and family. As of the last few months, more and more "social reader" apps have been making their way to your Facebook timeline. You'll see that a friend watched a video on something like SocialCam, and when you go to click the video, you're asked to grant the service access to your Facebook.

Instead of authorizing a bunch of social-reader apps to post on your Facebook wall or gain access to your information, you should try Unsocialize. With this Web browser add-on you can … Read more

Track Android data usage with Onavo Count

As more wireless carriers switch to tiered, capped, and throttled data plans, it's becoming more important to be aware of your data consumption. By knowing just how much data you need when mobile it becomes easier to select a plan that fits your needs. After all, the prices of unlimited data plans have gone up, and even the medium tier plans can cost a pretty penny. So how can you find out which apps are eating all your data and ultimately pick the right plan?

Onavo, mostly known for its work in data compression on iOS, offers an … Read more

Add an extra monitor to your computer

I hesitated writing this How To. Compared with the olden days of installing and configuring video cards and giant CRT displays, the process of adding a secondary monitor to any modern computer is practically plug-and-play.

But when I sat down to write a tutorial on this that included both Mac and PC, I realized there's still a surprising amount of variables to the process, and plenty of details that I hadn't considered before.

"Is VGA video quality inherently worse than HDMI?"

"Will generic Mini DisplayPort cables work in a Mac's Thunderbolt port?"

I … Read more

Switch the font on your Samsung Galaxy Android device

Customization is a major perk offered by Android devices. From widgets to menus to live wallpaper, you can make the device feel like your own. For some, going the extra mile of rooting their device for ultimate customization is no big deal. However, if you're not ready to root your Android but want to learn about another feature you can customize, you're in luck. Samsung's Galaxy Android devices will let you change the system font with just a few simple steps.

Note: Depending on your device, you may have preinstalled fonts to choose from; if … Read more

Introducing Always On, coming June 19 on CNET

Welcome to Always On (almost)!

This is the home of my new show, Always On, which premieres right here on CNET on Tuesday, June 19, at 11 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern (and I could not be more excited). Every episode will air with a live chat, hosted by me, so make sure to tune in at "showtime" to get a behind-the-scenes pre-show and so that I can get your thoughts on the episodes in real-time!

Oh, right, what's the show about. Think of it as "the CNET show," on steroids. Each weekly, … Read more

CallApp adds informative contact management to Android

Remembering all the details about a contact can be difficult if you're speaking with many people across many companies. To combat this issue, CallApp for Android will provide a wall of information about each person you're contacting.

You might be wondering: why do I need another app when I can add notes to contact profiles on my phone? Well, that little text box is definitely handy, but it simply doesn't compete with CallApp's features.

CallApp will let you see publicly available social media and other related information for individuals and businesses. For individuals this is helpful … Read more