Tech Recipe: Optimum Hardware Components for a Perfect Hackintosh
Thinking of building a Hackintosh? You can make a Mac Pro for half the price of the real thing. I put together a custom Hackintosh using information gleamed from several Hackintosh enthusiast sites. Even with such help, picking each part required a great deal of work. Here's how you can learn from my mistakes.
5 Stunning Android Icon Packs to Beautify Your Android Device
Looking to beautify your Android icons, but don't want to pay money? I tested out a large number of free custom icons packs and found five of the best you can find anywhere — without paying a dime! My criteria for evaluating icon packs focuses on three elements: First, how does the pack handle icons that it lacks an icon for? Second, how aesthetically well-designed do the icons look? Third, how large is the icon library?
Can The Cheap Blu Dash 4.5 Android Smartphone Compare With The Nexus 4?
Blu Products just released the Blu Dash 4.5, an unlocked quad core Android 4.2 smartphone for $139.99. For budget devices, it offers great value: The phone features all the components of a modern smartphone, and despite its relatively minuscule 512 megabytes of RAM, it runs pretty smoothly. But was it worth the money and how does it compare to a $350 Nexus 4?
Impress Your Friends and Shame Your Enemies With 6 Stunning Android Themes
Custom themes can turn your phone from boring to awesome in minutes, it just takes a few configuration tweaks and apps. Recently, I raided the Reddit subreddit, /r/androidthemes, for some of its latest and best work. After spending hours pouring through page, after page of material, I discovered several themes with astounding beauty. Read on for my list of the top six custom themes.
Google Voice Mail Not Integrating With Your Carrier? Try Conditional Call Forwarding
Is your Google Voice voicemail broken? Or do you use multiple phone lines? A common issue among MVNO users is that their Google Voice voicemail no longer functions. For those using multiple phone lines, juggling multiple cell phones can require spider-like appendages. Both situations can go from complicated and dysfunctional to awesome by using a little known secret called "conditional call forwarding". Let me show you how that's done.
3 Bitcoin Alternatives Tested & Compared: Litecoin, Feathercoin, And Terracoin
Lately, I’ve been trying to earn some money by mining the Bitcoin alternatives, Litecoin, Feathercoin and Terracoin. After spending the entirety of last week attempting to get free money, I may have succeeded, to an extent. This introductory article covers how I got started mining cryptocoins and which coin provides the best returns on investment, for beginners. It's shockingly easy.
Get Two Android Apps That Display Crucial Phone Information for Free
Sometimes I need to check information on my phone that the notifications bar doesn't show – such as GPS signal strength and CPU temperature. For example, when traveling, knowing whether your mobile is on the verge of an overheated shutdown or if your GPS signal might soon conk out, helps a lot. I spent a lot of time puttering around with different ways of visualizing this data and discovered two apps that stand out: Power Line and Cool Tool.
How To Check New & Used Devices For Problems Using Simple Tips & Software
Are you thinking of purchasing a new or used smartphone or computer? While you absolutely must test used electronics, even brand new smartphones and computers can suffer from defects that you may not notice until after a 30-day return policy expires. Before you take the plunge, there’s a variety of stress-tests and diagnostics you should perform. This article details several methods of vetting a new or used device on Windows and Android to identify problems before you encounter them.
Get HD Netflix Video on Android With Two Apps From XDA Developers
Does Netflix on your Android device either not work, or not work properly? If so, you might benefit from using a hacked version of the Netflix installable file, also known as an APK file. This article covers two modified versions of Netflix for Android, from XDA developers, that can solve a lot of your video watching woes: One employs customizable backgrounds, fixed subtitles and enables autorotation while playing video. The other allows for higher definition quality video.
The Best Way to Manage Your Files in Android: Dual-Pane File Managers
Do you occasionally need to move and organize files in Android? For this purpose, Android's conventional methods of organizing files sucks. Don't get me wrong – ES File Explorer provides one of the best file management tools, but when you need to move files from one directory into anther, it can feel confusing and awkward. That's because tiny cell phone screens aren't designed with file manipulation in mind. Fortunately, "two-pane" file managers can make moving files around a snap.
The Art of Stopping Phone Thieves With Uglification
Smartphone theft worldwide reached epidemic proportions in 2013, prompting manufacturers, like Samsung, to announce plans to create a device kill-switch. The kill-switch design will turn stolen phones into lifeless hunks of glass and plastic. Can we really trust a kill-switch or can other methods reduce theft?
3 Affordable AMD APU-Powered DIY Computers That You Can Build
The Accelerated Processing Unit, or "APU", design integrates a graphics processing unit onto the same die as the CPU, resulting in a faster, more efficient hybrid design. For those of you seeking to build a low-wattage, low-price, low-end Steam Box or HTPC, APUs are ideal. This article presents three build variations on the APU, ranging in price from $200 to $400.
AOL Reader: Feedly Competitor Or A Google Reader Alternative Runner Up?
Like a phoenix, Google Reader’s death led to its resurrection. After its death, half-a-dozen alternatives arose from Google Reader's ashes – some of which barely work. Others, however, eclipse even Google Reader’s functionality. One such beta software comes from a surprising source: America Online, or AOL.
Missed Out On The Bitcoin Gold Rush? Get In On The Litecoin Silver Rush Instead
If you missed the Bitcoin mining craze and still want to get in on pick-axing a virtual currency, you’re in luck! In 2011 Litecoin established itself as a major player within the world of electronic money. It gained prevalence when Mt. Gox announced plans to trade in it. It operates on the same principles as other cryptographic coinage, where miners solve cryptographic puzzles and receive Litecoin when a “block” is solved.
The Best Technologies That Will Drive Your Tablet In 2013
This year, the tablet market will become saturated with a variety of CPUs designed specifically for tablets. Many major computer manufacturers unveiled all manner of touchscreen devices sporting such chips, with dramatic increases in performance and battery life. This article covers the latest and best of these tablet chips scheduled for release in 2013.
Easily Find Anything You Want On eBay, Amazon, Etsy, And Craigslist With RSS
Do you ever find yourself wanting a hard-to-find game, comic book or electronic part? Manually searching through Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist can waste a tremendous amount of your time – so why keep acting like a sucker? You can get notifications automatically delivered to you on virtually anything sold on Etsy, Craigslist, Amazon or eBay. This article details how to get RSS feeds for Etsy, Craigslist, Amazon, and eBay.
How I Helped My Mom Buy The Perfect Smartphone
Are you looking to buy your mother the perfect smartphone? Finding the right device for the woman who carried you around for nine months takes a great deal of research and planning. Here's the story of how I found the best smartphone for one of my favorite people in the world. Meet my mother, a retired pay-roll service specialist for the State of California and a cyborg. Yes, my mother is literally a cyborg. We'll get to that later.
Can the Aging Titan LauncherPro Hold its Own Against the New Gods of Android Launchers?
LauncherPro was one of the first alternative launchers available for Android. Even today, it's considered one of the longest-enduring staples among great launcher apps. Even after surviving the arrival of newer titans, such as the ultra-minimal Atom Launcher and the "better than default" ADW Launcher, which Joel recommends, LauncherPro retains a large fan base. Given the fierce competition, can LauncherPro compete with more modern launchers, or has it become obsolete
The Seven Best Nexus 4 SIM Cards in the United States
Want to get the absolute best cellular plan for your Nexus 4? As all American cellular users know, carriers charge budget-breaking prices for smartphone plans. The only way to save money is through cellular wholesalers who lease broadcast spectrum from the major networks and sell to the little guy at a substantial discount. Yeah, I know it sounds like a scam. It's not. Just buy the prepaid SIM card from an Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and cut your cell bill in half.
How to Choose and Mount a CPU Fan: Everything You Need To Know
Are you looking to mount a new CPU fan? Finding the right CPU fan requires a great deal of research. Not only do different fan sizes populate the market, a byzantine maze of CPU socket types, bearing technologies, fan speeds and more greatly complicate the selection process. Fortunately, you've come to the right place. This how-to guide explains the nitty-gritty of getting the right fan and mounting it to your PC's CPU.