Category: Guides

  • Staff Picks: The Best Tech of 2010

    The holidays are over and the new year is here, time to recover from your multiple food-induced comas and get back to work (or school). But before the year 20-double-matchsticks gets under way, we here at Techerator decided to take a  look back at what 2010 brought us. So here it is: our Best Tech…

  • Progress Bars use Optical Illusions to Appear Faster

    I’d rather not think about how many hours I’ve spent staring at progress bars in my life. They’re a lot faster than the used to be because of better processors and internet connections, but we still have to wait patiently while transferring large files, downloading video games on Steam, or streaming videos online. Have you…

  • “Catch” the New Way to Organize Notes with Smartphones and Browsers

    We’ve all done it; emailed yourself a note or reminder while at work or on the go, then weeding through your bursting inbox trying to find it. There is the option of a mailbox search with keywords, but it’s pretty much a bust if you can’t find something in 10 seconds. With the birth of…

  • So You Got a New Kindle for Christmas, Now What?

    Like many of you lucky people out there, I got a new Kindle as a present this Christmas (thanks, Mom!).  I’m an avid reader so I know I’ll make good use of it, but I’ve come up with a few simple tips that can help you get the most out of your new toy. Oh,…

  • Everybody Wins When Google Teaches Your Family About Technology

    Ah, the holidays.  A time spent with family opening presents, reminiscing, sharing, and diagnosing any computer problems.  Okay, so maybe that last one isn’t in the normal holiday routine for most people, but for all the tech gurus out there it is all too familiar. If you are like me, the holiday season is spent diagnosing…

  • Review: Nook Color from Barnes & Noble

    [ad name=”Nook Color1″] The market for small tablets and digital book readers can be fierce in its own ways.  The Nook Color from Barnes & Noble is a combination of these two devices – being an eReader and an Android tablet – but it doesn’t quite excel at either. I am not a big book…

  • Easily Share Photos this Holiday Season with Min.us

    It’s very likely you will be surrounded by loved ones with itchy camera trigger fingers this Christmas.  The amount of picture-taking will be incalculable, as everyone is locked and loaded with gigabytes to spare on their cameras.  But after the party is over, and the ‘awkward smile’ pictures are removed, you will be left with…

  • How to Close Pidgin Chat Windows with the Escape Key

    Pidgin (formerly known as Gaim) is a free, multi-protocol instant messaging application for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  Pidgin is highly customizable and supports popular instant messaging networks like Google Talk, MSN/Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Chat, and can connect to services like Facebook Chat through plugins (or directly through the XMPP messaging protocol). In recent…

  • How I Used the Internet to Save Time and Money While Shopping

    As I believe I’ve stated on most (if not all) of my past articles, I am kind of lazy. I did not line up at 2:30am on Black Friday in hopes of scoring huge deals. In addition to that, I am in college, therefore I am, let’s say, not as financially well off as I…

  • Holiday Gift Guide: The Gifts You Want (But Can’t Necessarily Afford)

    As Mick Jagger once said, “You can’t always get what you want.”  And around Christmas time, this statement holds especially true.  In a time of giving and sharing, Christmas is always about making a personal wish list, checking it twice, and waiting for the 25th to roll around to see what items can be crossed…