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Eliminate files from your computer with Blank and Secure

When you dump a file from your Recycle Bin, it's not really gone for good. You need a special program to get rid of it. Blank and Secure does the job very efficiently. You can tweak the settings to find the perfect mix of security and speed for you.

The program lets you pick any file on your hard drive and drag and drop it right into the queue for deletion. You can also wipe blank space on your hard drive, eliminating the chance of someone reviving a deleted file. The program fills the deleted file with junk to … Read more

Iriver Blank Sound Donut looks yummy, tastes a tad pricey

O-shaped speakers are apparently in fashion these days. I recently reviewed Philips' SoundRing and now I notice Iriver is about to release its Sound Donut here in the U.S.

The speaker comes in a chocolate flavor, as well as a version that's a bit chocolate and mostly vanilla. As you might have already guessed, this is a Bluetooth speaker and it has a built-in microphone for making cell phone calls.… Read more

Get a 50-pack of double-layer DVDs for $26.99

If you were among the many folks who grabbed the (now-expired) free DVD-copy software yesterday, you may find yourself in need of some blank DVDs.

(By the way, I know some of you had trouble finding or using the registration code. I'm not sure what to tell you, other than it worked fine at this end. If you weren't able to successfully register the software, your best bet is to contact Giveaway of the Day. Be polite; remember, no one intentionally tried to put one over on you.)

Amazon has a Memorex 50-pack spindle of 8.5GB double-layer DVDs for $26.99 shipped. … Read more

Mail messages appearing blank

There may be times when mail messages will appear in Mail but will not have any content. When this happens the whole message may appear to be blank, or there may only be a few of the message's fields being used, so you only get a subject, or a sender.

The first thing that comes to mind when a message is received like this is that it is spam, and is just not being handled by the junk mail filter either on your mail provider's servers or on your system. If this is the case then you can … Read more

iOS 4 troubleshooting: Unable to view e-mail previews, receiving blank messages

One of the oddest things I have encountered while using my new iPhone 4 running iOS 4 is the occasional blank e-mail message or lack of message preview in Mail. A few simple steps can help alleviate the issue and have you back to your normal message-reading sanity.

After setting up a new account on your iOS 4 device, you may find that the Mail App will not load message previews or show that you have a message from "(No Sender)."

First, be sure message previews are enabled for each of your Mail accounts. Navigate to Settings > … Read more

More options for DIY dress shirts

Options abound for those of us too lazy to go to the store who like to take a more active role in what we wear. I wrote about ShirtsMyWay awhile back, and recently, the folks at Blank Label asked me to give their site a look-see as well.

The process is much like that of ShirtsMyWay, where you design your own shirt by picking out fabric, styles, details--the whole nine yards. And while both sites look nice, Blank Label gives off a more youthful, edgy vibe; this is neither better nor worse. In fact, I kinda dig it because depending … Read more

Workaround for iPhone eating draft e-mail

I recently posted my experiences with a serious bug that I discovered on my iPhone 3GS after it lost the entire contents of two different e-mail messages. The bug appears to be caused by a problem with my e-mail accounts on MobileMe or Gmail and accessing them later on my iPhone.

The steps that I have used to demonstrate the bug, which I've been able to successfully replicate every time on my iPhone running OS 3.1 or 3.1.2 and my MobileMe account are posted in My iPhone eats draft e-mail--yours could too.

After providing Apple with … Read more

My iPhone eats draft e-mail--yours could too

I discovered a serious bug recently on my iPhone 3GS after it lost the entire contents of two different e-mail messages I had sent to my CNET editor. The bug appears to be caused by a problem between my e-mail accounts on MobileMe or Gmail and accessing them later on my iPhone.

The steps that I have used to demonstrate the bug, which I've been able to successfully replicate every time on my iPhone running OS 3.1 and my MobileMe account are shown below. I've submitted a bug report to Apple engineering.

Log on to MobileMe on … Read more

Give your Apple keyboard a total makeover

If you are unhappy about Apple's new two-tone keyboard design, you are not alone. And there's not much you can do about it, either, unless you are creative.

Designer Steve Lee decided to take matters into his own hands, and with just a cheap can of white spray paint, he transformed the keyboard into something he calls "possibly the most pretentious keyboard in existence."

These pictures are for your viewing pleasure and hey, now you know what you can do with that keyboard of yours. Oh, and if you are wondering whether Lee took the keys … Read more