Tips, guides, and reviews about software, web apps, technology, mobile phones, and computers.

  • Simple Droid X Hack Can Greatly Improve Call Quality

    There are many reasons why the audio quality of mobile phones isn’t great. One simple, but fixable reason is that the phone is most likely configured to use an outdated voice encoder algorithm by default. Luckily for us, Motorola includes hidden programming menus in most of its phones where we can adjust advanced settings like voice…

  • Review: Kinect for Xbox 360

    [ad name=”Xbox Kinect”] Remember when the PlayStation EyeToy came out? How about the Wii with its ground-breaking motion sensing controls? You can throw those gimmicks out the window, Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 is the new way to play! The Kinect gained huge popularity over the holiday season. Microsoft has finally done motion controls right…

  • iPhone 4: Coming to Verizon on February 10

    After years of wanting and months of speculations, the iPhone is finally coming to the Verizon network. I honestly never thought this would happen! Announcement A press conference was held this morning in New York City. At the press conference, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam and Apple COO Tim Cook, along with Verizon Wireless CEO Dan…

  • Fix: Advanced Search Fields in Microsoft Outlook are Disabled or “Grayed Out”

    Group policy is a feature in the Microsoft Windows operating system that allows administrators to set rules and privileges for users on a network. One of its abilities is to disable indexing of files on your hard drive, which can be done for security or performance purposes. A common problem that can occur when indexing gets disabled…

  • 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…

  • Microsoft Unveils a Slimmer, Smarter Surface 2.0

    How’s that for alliteration? When Microsoft first unveiled their Surface technology in 2007, I was impressed with the possibilities that could be had when combining advanced displays with accurate, multi-touch optical recognition. Their original product combined a 30” display with a series of cameras to establish the position of inputs (like your hands), which produced…

  • 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…

  • How to Prevent Facebook and Google from Tracking You Online

    These days it’s impossible to casually surf the web and avoid sites that use tools from Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others that make the experience more social and immersive.  Still, with privacy issues at the forefront of technology news, it is worth noting that many of these social media tools make your e-life more convenient…

  • “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,…