How To

How to sync your Chrome bookmarks with Android

I still have bookmarks from the 20th century on my primary computer, and the odds are you've got quite a few more saved links on your desktop or laptop than on your phone. If you want to access them remotely, you can now sync bookmarks between the Chrome browser and your Android devices using a great app called ChromeMarks Lite. Here's how to use it: 

Before you do anything else, you need to set up bookmark syncing in Chrome. It's easy-- Nicole Cozma shows you how right here.  Install the ChromeMarks Lite app from the Android Market.&… Read more

How to add results from popular sites to Google searches

We often use Google as our default search tool, even when we really want a page from Wikipedia or a video from YouTube. This usually gets us what we want, but there's a handy way to guarantee success: Sidebar is a Chrome extension that lets you add results from several popular sites to the side of your Google results. Here's how to use it:

Install Sidebar from here. Click the wrench icon in the upper right corner of Chrome, and select Tools, then Extensions. Scroll down until you find "Sidebar for Google Search," then select Options. … Read more

How to create animated GIFs on Android

Sharing movies while mobile can be fun, but generally will eat a lot of your monthly bandwidth allowance.

Instead of sharing the entire movie while you're out, why not share a quick animated GIF instead? With GIFDroid for Android, you can take a new or existing video and turn it into an animated GIF that you can send off in seconds to a friend or family member.

First you'll need to install GIFDroid from the Android Market, then open the app.

Step 1: Press either the Select Video or Record Video button. Select … Read more

How to save multiple Web pages in one ZIP file

Maybe you want to save Web pages for offline reading, or maybe you want to archive a page you created.

There are all sorts of reason to want to save pages, but it can be hard to tackle saving multiple pages at once. ZipTabs is a Chrome extension that lets you save any or all open tabs in one ZIP file, making the process much smoother and more convenient, Here's how to use it: 

Download and install the SingleCore extension. This is required to use ZipTabs, but you don't need to do any more than install it.&… Read more

How to discover new events and sync them with your calendar

It's a busy, busy world, and that can mean it's hard to keep track of everything that's going on beyond our own lives. Zapaday lets us keep track of events all over the world in a simple, easily customizable format that is easy to send to online calendars. Here's how to use it: 

Visit the Zapaday site. It may look a bit overwhelming at first, but it's simple to navigate. You should see highlights near the top that include worldwide and local events and headlines. Below the fold are categories, countdowns, and more.  … Read more

How to hide Google+ results in Google searches

Google just rolled out "Search, plus Your World," which adds results from Google+ and other sources Google deems right for you.

This can be handy, but it can also be distracting--who needs yet another quick pathway to social sites?

It's easy to choose not to see "personal results" by using the toggle at the top right for the search results page, but if you'd rather turn them off by default, you need to tinker with your search settings. Here's how to do it:… Read more

How to verify an e-mail address

Trying to e-mail someone who isn't in your address book can be a pain--especially if your phone's auto-correct did a fantastic job replacing parts of the address with dictionary words.

You could send them a test message and see if you get a delivery failed e-mail in return, but this can be embarrassing because they'll most likely read it and wonder what's going on. Next time this happens to you, try using eToolz instead. eToolz contains, among other nifty things, a tool that can verify the validity of an e-mail address without … Read more

How to get the best deal on your purchases with Savvy

There are plenty of ways to watch for the best deal online and in stores, but let's face it, there are just too many places to monitor and often times we end up missing out on the best deals.

Enter Savvy. Savvy is a unique service that will monitor your recent purchases, as well as items you plan on purchasing to ensure you have received the best deal possible.

After you make a purchase, take a picture of the itemized receipt from a supported retailer (the list is long and will continue to grow), and Savvy will add the … Read more

How to prevent iTunes Match from exceeding your iPad cell-data limits

Apple's iTunes Match service is running up cell-data charges for some unsuspecting iPad users.

For $25 a year, iTunes Match stores your iTunes library on Apple's iCloud servers and makes them available on any PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and other iOS devices. CNET blogger Lance Whitney describes the iTunes Match service in a December 28, 2011, post; Apple provides an iTunes Match FAQ.

When I signed up for the iTunes Match service, it took several hours to upload via a cable-modem connection about 5,500 MP3s that were stored in the iTunes Library on a Windows … Read more