Tag: BTSFEATURES

Going back to school may not be fun, but it's a great excuse to buy new gear. Whether it's college or high school that calls you back, rest assured that the dozen gizmos the Switched.com crew has found will make your weekdays less painful. ...

The first thing you should do when you get your new laptop or computer is uninstall all that free trial crap that gets loaded on by the manufacturer. Six Months of Earthlink, two weeks of Adobe Photoshop Elements, McAfee Anti-Virus, one month of MusicMatch... who needs it? Not you! (Besides eventually charging you money, a lot of these programs you didn't ask for can slow down your computer.) ...

During those days of the week that college students aren't partying – somewhere between two and five, probably – they're expected to be somewhat responsible adults. Juggling assignments, schedules, finances, and the prospect of life out of school isn't easy, so we scoured the Internet for the best Web sites that make a student's life easier. The fall semester will be here before ...

Driving Miss Bluetooth With the criminalization of driving while talking on a cell phone on the rise, the need for a proper wireless headset is starting to creep in. Sure, you could just get one of those headsets that plug right into your phone -- they're certainly affordable -- but anything with wires tends to get caught in your arms, or worse, a gear shift. As such, we recommend going ...

Mac or PC – it's the perennial debate for anyone looking to buy a new computer (or win an argument). Passionate and valid points exist in both camps, but it ultimately boils down to your personal tastes, needs, and budget. We played around with all shapes and sizes of Macs (Mini, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro) and PCs (Gateway One desktop, Gateway M-Series laptops, Dell Adamo laptop, ...

Mac or PC – it's the perennial debate for anyone looking to buy a new computer (or win an argument). Passionate and valid points exist in both camps, but it ultimately boils down to your personal tastes, needs, and budget. We played around with all shapes and sizes of Macs (Mini, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro) and PCs (Gateway One desktop, Gateway M-Series laptops, Lenovo x300 laptop, ...

You've heard about them, you've seen them, perhaps you've been had by one: e-mail scams. Millions of people are cheated over e-mail every year. In 2005 alone, consumers lost nearly $14 million dollars to Internet scams. Sadly, that number is on the rise as crooks come up with new methods to get at your money and information. We capture eleven of the worst on the following pages. Usually, ...

With the possible exceptions of ramen and the occasional sixer of Natty Ice, there's nothing quite as essential for the scholarly life as music. And with all your music on your iPod, a quality dock can be just the thing to give your dorm room the moodiness it so desperately needs. Check out this handful of winners. Next >> ...

digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2008/07/09/five-things-to-consider-before-buying-a-digital-camera/'; Like most purchases that require forking over a bunch of hard-earned cash for a long-term piece of electronics that you're going to use all the time, figuring out which digital camera to buy isn't easy. There are so many options out there at this point that it can be overwhelming -- and ...

While few of us have actually received a cell phone bill as large as this poor fellow, we've all been privy to the occasional shockingly huge cell phone bill. It's no surprise, considering the ways in which carriers can hit us with hidden fees, exorbitant rates for going over our monthly minutes, or extra charges for seemingly innocuous extra feature such as call waiting. Fool us once, shame on ...

Not too long ago, all it took to put together the coolest room on your dormitory floor was a black light, a Led Zeppelin poster and one of those crappy 13-inch TV/VCR combos. But on the teched-out college campus of today, it'll take a lot more than those old relics to impress your new floormates. Luckily, we've but together a shopping list of the ultimate gadgets for pimping a dorm room. Some ...