Switched Summer Fun Guide

Gadget picks and tips for warm weather trips and outdoor activities

Reviews

Reviews of the latest gear and gadgets for taking on the road -- or to the beach.

News

Breaking stories and updates on the latest travel and outdoor gadgets, sites, and services.

Features

In-depth stories on the best summer gadgets, wired celebrities, and tech-related travel articles.

Advice

Tips and tricks on making the most of your gadgets, as well as quick fixes and how-tos.

Posts with tag summeradvice

Best Grill Tech, Courtesy of the BBQ Blogger

by Christine Whitney, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 6:50AM

Barbecue season is upon us! It's Independence Day weekend and nothing says patriotism like gathering together around a smoking pile of drumsticks and hamburgers.

Robert Fernandez, editor of BBQ blog 'Get Your Grill On,' dishes about technology and barbecue, with tips on how to get the best flavor faster.

Fernandez cautions that many BBQ purists prefer simple contraptions like the traditional charcoal grill, (they just love that smoke flavor) and would not be into the new-fangled advances that may "take all the flavor and excitement out of outdoor cooking."

Now gas grills are king, but, says Fernandez "gas adds no flavor to the food." Despite this unfortunate side effect, gas grills are the biggest cash cow of the barbecue business.

Grilling monolith Weber has been tossing around ideas to help grillers get the best of both worlds -- the instant gratification of the gas grill + the flavor of the charcoal classic.

Weber came up with useful shortcuts such as "chimney starters," cylinders with sawdusty stuff in them that help get the charcoal going, and also a gas ignition system to easily light charcoal.

Another crazy innovation is the searing station, which involves 900-degree blue-flame burners and can cook a steak in a fraction of the usual time. Don't worry, it promises to keep the juices intact.

Rival company Char-Broil has unveiled infrared RED grills, stainless steel and glass contraptions that cook with evenly distributed heat and prevent scary grill "flare ups." They will cost you: $599-$899, at Home Depot. We will stick with the George Foreman thing.

(Not directly grill-related, but fascinating: Char Broil also has a product called the 'Big Easy,' which is an infrared, oil-less turkey fryer! "No oil, no mess, and great fried foods" says Fernandez, a Big Easy fan.) H.O.T.!

Fernandez is also into a few high-tech smokers, though he's really all about cooking over a trash barrel, really! But he's repping his Weber Smokey Mountain ($199 on Amazon), which he calls a "great and efficient smoker." There's another one he likes called "The Big Green Egg" which is ceramic, and expensive, but great! He affirms.

Last thing: temperature is the key to the barbecue. Many people don't know this. Their pork comes out dry and foul. Says National BBQ association prez Howard Miller, "pork is ready to be used at 145 degrees." Remember it.

Remote thermometers can help you impress friends and family with perfectly cooked meats. Fernandez recommends: On the cheap, one from Taylor ($17). Moderate Williams-Sonoma's ($50), and if you are throwing money around the Thermapen from ThermoWorks ($95) is apparently all the rage. [Source: Newsvine/MSNBC]

This iPod Doctor Makes House Calls

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 26th 2008 at 12:45PM

Housecall Making iPod Doctors Appearing in NYC

It's easy to think of today's pocketable gadgets as disposable -- use 'em for a few years, then toss 'em when they're obsolete or broken. That's not always necessarily the case, though, as busted iPods and other players can be fixed by repair shops (or even yourself) if you have steady hands. But if you're not the mechanically inclined type, can't bear to be away from your player long enough to mail it to a repair shop, and you happen to live in NYC, you can call the iPod Doctor, or one of his competitors springing up across the boroughs.

The iPod Doctor is Demetrios Leontaris, who makes house calls in the City for $70 a pop -- possibly more, depending on the service. He can do most repairs right there while you wait, without even leaving the drivers' seat of his car, though some, like a hard disk replacement for iPods with ailing storage, might require a return visit a day or two later. Given the $200-plus cost for most new players, the charge is a bargain. If it'll keep you from having to replace your broken but beloved player, it definitely seems like a worthwhile service to us (particularly if the rest of your money is going towards sky-high New York City rents!).

Now if only he could help with the gadget obsolescence problem.... [Source: CNN Money]

Click Here to Find Out If Your iPod Can Be Fixed

Top 3 Free, Must-Try Cell Phone Services

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Jun 12th 2008 at 5:32PM

Cell phones make life easier in every way imaginable, but man, can they ever be expensive. From the ubiquitous, painfully expensive 411 to extra fees for text messaging, cell phone charges can overwhelm even the most savvy user. We highlighted a few ways to save time and money with your cell phone a few months back, but we came across this piece that offered up some additional options. Take a look.

The following services are free and and simple to use. We are talking super simple.

800-GOOG-411. Fast, efficient 411 clone run by Google. It has no ads and is free of charge. Uh, hello. Suck it phone companies. It is awesome.

800-FREE-411. For residential listings. There is a 20-second ad in the beginning, but it is totally free.

800-2CHACHA. Now check this out. With this service, you can literally ask any question. Anything. Not every answer is perfect (there is an actual fallible person looking up the answer for you), but overall, a great service.

These are just some of the free services you can use to boost the search power of your phone while cutting costs at the same time. [Source: NY Times]

3-D Google Earth Disney World Maps Make Trip Planning Easier

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 6th 2008 at 5:37PM

If you haven't been to Disney World in Orlando, Florida in a few years, you might be surprised to see just how huge the thing is these days. Like, really huge -- in fact, it's overwhelmingly large enough to make the longest of family vacations feel woefully inadequate. Trying to even see the highlights over a long weekend will require some serious planning. Thankfully, organizing your trip to Disney World is now even easier than ever with a few free online tools.

The first is Google Earth, Google's high-power globe viewer. There's a plug-in you can download that drops a 3-D representation of Disney World onto the map, which you can fly over and plan your route. But, before that, hit up Twisney, a site where tourists post up the status of individual rides and events at the park, so you can know whether the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is shut down for renovations before dragging your kids all the way over from Blizzard Beach! [Source: cnet: Geek Gestalt]

How to Take Better Snapshots (Video)

by Ben Chertoff, posted Jun 5th 2008 at 12:10PM

Summer's here and that means you'll be using that fancy new digicam you just bought. But if you're like many of us, you just set your camera to "Auto" and hope that the pictures you take turn out okay. If that's the case, you may want to tune in to our latest How-To video, in which we get expert tips from photographer Rachel Been, who shoots many of the rock stars that swing by AOL studios for interviews. With just a few small tweaks to your camera's settings, or slightly different positioning when shooting subjects, you'll be on your way to taking expert snapshots this summer.

Also, make sure to check out our tips on "How to Look Better In Photos," in which we tell you how to make you or your subjects look thinner, taller, and younger in snapshots.

How to Protect Your Personal Data While You Travel

by Will Safer, posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 6:21PM

Add one more concern to travel safety: information security.

Your personal and work information is at risk every time you travel, according to experts, who say what you carry on your laptop can easily fall into the hands of nosey authorities at airports, especially in foreign lands. Also, Internet connections in hotels are sometimes not secure, so confidential work or personal messages can be compromised, even if you follow the typical security practices you'd use at home.

What's the answer to this leaky problem? Encrypt everything, or don't travel with your information at all. For business travelers, especially, this can be a tough rule to follow, since catching up on e-mail during a flight is sometimes the only time an executive has to clear out an overloaded inbox.

Even top government officials aren't immune. Chinese officials allegedly secretly copied the contents of a government laptop during Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez's visit there. Here's the advice: if you're traveling with a Windows Vista machine, use Bitlocker to encrypt your whole hard drive. But remember, if you don't lock the computer every time you stop working, all your data will be accessible.

Sending and receiving data is also vulnerable, so make sure to encrypt any data streams you use. For file transfers, use a secure virtual private network, or VPN, connection, and for e-mail, use a secure sockets layer, or SSL, to protect yourself.

Some companies have their executives travel with laptops that have been completely wiped of all valuable data. They work exclusively "online" while overseas, getting what they need via e-mail and wiping it clean before traveling again. This can take a big bite out of productivity, though, if a secure connection isn't available.

The most secure way to travel? Don't bring a laptop at all. [Source: Newsvine]

How to 'Geotag' Your Photos

by Will Safer, posted May 19th 2008 at 10:39AM

Taking pictures with digital still cameras has been popular for years. Now GPS devices are the johnny-come-lately of the tech you cool kids want. So what happens when you combine the two capabilities? Why, geotagging your photos, of course!

Geotagging is the process of marking on each digital photograph the geographical location of where you took the shot. This information can be used to enhance how you review pictures from a vacation, maybe viewing them on a map online or comparing them to pictures taken by other people who have similarly geotagged their shots. It can be both fun and informative.

One easy way to geotag your photos is to use a new SD memory card introduced by Eye-Fi (read our post on this announcement here). This SD card automatically detects where you are and writes this information into the image file as you take a picture. Ingenious, we say!

We also liked learning how Flickr, the online photo-sharing site, lets you drag and drop your photos onto an online map to identify where they were taken. (We'll admit we could spend hours doing this.)

And these were just two of the easy methods. Read the whole article for more. [Source Wired]

Slim Down Your Wallet By Scanning Its Contents Into Your iPhone

by Tim Stevens, posted May 16th 2008 at 7:02AM

With all the high-tech toys and gadgets we carry around every day, there's one thing that's always seems to drag us back to the twentieth century: the wallet. Whether it's made of leather or vinyl or even Tyvek, the wallet feels incredibly dated and often quite bloated-- especially when over-stuffed with faded and torn membership cards. It creates an unsightly bulge that's even more pronounced with the smaller and shorter summer clothes most of us are about to start wearing

For one enterprising blogger, the solution to the overstufed, George-Costanza-style wallet is an iPhone. Albert Alberts used his scanner to digitally replicate many of his membership cards. He then created an album called WalletCards on his iPhone and loaded the images of the cards in. Surprisingly, most establishments had no problem accepting the copied cards, and bar code scanners even read them.

Naturally you won't be able to replace anything that relies on a magnetic strip or embedded RFID chip, but if you can replace everything else, you might that this trick could help you slim down that beat wallet by a good margin -- just don't try it with your driver's license. [Source: Lifehacker]

How to Look Thin In Photos

by S.E. Kramer, posted May 12th 2008 at 4:47PM

It's spring. And if you're like us, the results of your swimsuit diet aren't quite showing yet. If you've got any graduations or weddings coming up in the warmer months ahead, you're likely to get your picture taken. If the thought of a photographer makes you want to run, relax: We've found a few tips -- online, in books, from experts -- on looking thinner in pictures.

1. Use flashes in sunlight. According to Geek Sugar, it's all about the lighting. Flashes are good because they override the shadows that overhead sunlight might cast on your face, making for pronounced under-eye and chin shadows.

2. Lean in towards the camera. Digital Camera Tracker says leaning slightly towards the camera is helpful: "Think of having a long neck like a gazelle, and tilt your chin down just a bit to avoid the appearance of a double chin," the site suggests.

3. Stand like a ballerina. No, we're not kidding. While it stops short of recommending you wear a tutu, the 'Rocky Mountain News' says you need to pose like a ballet dancer: "The most flattering (read slimming) pose: Face front and cross one leg in front of the other, then turn your body at a 45-degree angle away from the camera and turn head and shoulders toward the camera. Place feet in ballet third position (one foot angled in front of the other)."

4. Put your hands on your hips. The 'Rocky Mountain News' says your shoulders might look less rounded this way.

5. Get a shot from below, as if you were on the runway. In Camilla Morton's new advice book for women, 'How to Walk in High Heels,' model Gisele Bundchen (pictured) is interviewed about how to look good, both in front of and away from the camera. For pictures, the runway-veteran agrees that lighting is crucial, but she adds a few tips on angles and poses: "For long legs, point one leg into the center of the frame and get the photographer to shoot looking up your body," says Bundchen. We just hope it's not up your nose, Gisele!

6. Get a shot from above. The best way to hide that double chin is to have someone shoot your face from a few inches above your head. Just find someone who's taller than you. Either you'll look up at them, which makes double chins disappear, or the area below your chin will be in shadow, and won't show up in the picture at all. For a group picture where you want everyone to look good, stand on a chair and have everyone look up at you: We've been using this technique at parties for years. It works!

7. Forget about looking thin and just relax. Not all experts agree with the stand-up-straight, pose-like-a-movie-star advice. We spoke to Edward Keating, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning photographer for the 'New York Times,' who was the principal photographer for the newspaper's 'Vows' column for seven years. He says that the best thing a subject can do to look good in photographs is to be relaxed and happy. "Look at the photographer, not at the camera," says Keating. "If they're connected with me, they're not thinking about the camera and the lens."

Top 11 Ways to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer

by Ian Rowan, posted Feb 12th 2008 at 1:10PM

Cell phones have come a long way in terms of features and styling, but the issue of battery life, or having enough of it, remains strong. Yes, you can keep your battery juiced up for days if you don't talk on the phone ever, but what's the use of that? And sure, you can carry your admittedly portable charger with you to work, but try taking it out with you for a night out on the town -- it's just not practical. Luckily, all hope is not lost -- with a quick adjustments here and there, you can extend the battery life of your phone by hours and sometimes even days. We've compiled a list of tips and tricks to keep your phone battery running longer -- take a look, follow a few, and you'll never have to say "sorry, my phone battery died" again.

Turn your cell phone off to save battery life

Turn your cell phone off.
Sure, it might seem obvious, but when was the last time you actually shut off your phone when not using it? Well, do it next time, and you'll see just how much longer your battery lasts. When you're asleep, while you're in a dead cell phone reception area, or, the next time you're at the movies....Next time you find yourself in a theater as the previews start, try turning your phone off instead of putting it on silent. You shouldn't be checking your phone during the movie anyway.

Next >>

How to Keep Your Gadgets From Getting Stolen

by Switched Staff, posted Jan 31st 2008 at 11:57PM

Every day, the gadgets we use become smaller, more portable, and more valuable. Unfortunately, this increase in convenience also raises the appeal of these devices to potential thieves. Here, Switched presents tips to avoid becoming a theft victim for the five common gadgets, as well potential ways to recover your property if it's stolen. And no, we're not recommending using a taser for any of them.

iPods

Since iPods and other audio players are valuable, don't require subscriptions to use, and lack built-in theft deterrents, they're very popular for thieves. Major cities have begun cautioning commuters, like New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, which released a poster reminding subway riders that "Earphones are a giveaway. Protect your device." In San Francisco, iPod robberies on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system accounted for 23% of the increase in citywide robbery from 2004 to 2006.

How to prevent theft (or minimize the consequences of theft):

Switch out the headphones. The standard white iPod buds make you an obvious target for anyone who specifically wants the generally-more-coveted iPod or iPhone, so go for something less expensive looking.
Conceal it. Avoid clipping your audio player onto your belt, which not only looks dorky, but also makes it much easier for robbers to grab than if it were hidden inside your clothing. As an alternative, go for an armband or something that secures it to your body.
Be careful where you take it. Schools and subways are common areas for these kinds of thefts.
Install tracking software, such as GadgetTrak. When connected to a computer, the software on your stolen device sends all the robber's computer information, including username, ISP, network address and more back to the company, which can very well lead to recovery.
Never leave it unattended, anywhere. Duh.

Next >>

How to Replace a Broken Laptop Screen

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 7th 2007 at 3:31PM

Laptops are wonderful things -- most of the time. They let workaholics think they're productive while watching 'CSI' at night, they let bloggers post away from coffee shops and other out-of-the-way places, and they can even bring hope to developing nations.

But, like many expensive gadgets, laptops are not the sturdiest things on the planet, especially those big, bright LCD screens. All it takes is one accidental fall from a desk or a clumsy step on your laptop case and that horrible crunching noise you hear is money being flushed down the drain for a fix. Luckily, we found a helpful guide that shows you how to do the repair yourself, and save big bucks.

Now, mind you, not everyone will be quite capable of doing this, as it does require disassembly of the LCD housing and removal of the fragile panel, which may even be oozing toxic chemicals. But the process is fairly straightforward, since it essentially just requires that you remove the screws around the edge of the screen (assuming your laptop has some), then pry the thing in two, Nextm you peel the actual LCD display away from the back of the housing, then unplug it and swap in the new one. It's no worse than changing the oil in your car, but requires a bit more precision.

The one thing the guide doesn't do is tell you just where the heck to purchase that replacement LCD. After doing some looking around we've found that ScreenTek seems to be the most highly regarded replacement LCD reseller, and it even makes finding the right screen for your lappy a piece of cake.

Even so, you're still going to drop between $300 and $600 depending on the size of your display, and potentially even more if you pay someone else to do it for you. Yeah, ouch.

Maybe you should just watch where you're stepping (or dropping) next time, clumsy.

From A partment Therapy

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How to Resize Your Photos For E-Mail

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Oct 9th 2007 at 3:29PM

You know all of those extra megapixels you shelled out for when you bought your digital camera? Well, while the higher picture quality will certainly come in handy for running off prints of your more frame-worthy snaps, the bloated file sizes of your photos can be an e-mail killer. Most of the time, the photos coming off of our cameras are a few megabytes each, at least . Chain a couple of those together in an e-mail and it's likely your message will be too big to go through. If it does go through, you run the risk of annoying friends and family who are forced to spend time downloading the photos. What to do? Watch our simple tutorial on resizing photos for e-mail and you'll be spreading the memories in no time.

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How to Get Rid of Killer Bacteria in Food

by Evan Shamoon, posted Oct 3rd 2007 at 12:25PM

Hype Check: CulinaryPrep

What it is: CulinaryPrep is a device built to prepare your food and eliminate food-borne bacteria, including in the process.

How it works: You put your food (non-ground meat, pork, poultry, veggies), eight cups of water, and an all-natural powder (citric acid, salt, etc) into the canister, screw on the top, and use the included tube (which stretches from the main unit) to remove all of the air from said canister, creating a vacuum-sealed environment inside. You then place this canister on its side, install it on the device, and let it to roll around automatically for about 20 minutes. Presto, you've got safe and succulent food that's ready to cook.

The idea is that exposing food to the vacuum environment and the solution will kill bacteria, including E. Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella -- the manufacturers even have the independent studies to back it up.

Why it's different: There really hasn't been anything quite like it, not for the consumer or pro markets.

What we like: First off, we didn't die of food poisoning, which is a miracle considering we used CulinaryPrep to secure some smelly frozen shrimp that had been left in a car to fester for a few hours. Post-treatment, the shrimp was not only non-threatening, it also tasted moist and delicious after we fried it up – even when we had some the next day. The CulinaryPrep is superb as a tenderizer for otherwise lackluster meats – the normally dry and bland chicken breast we prepared came out tender and flavorful, despite being in the oven for 30 minutes. Same goes for the meat we cooked up.

What we don't like: This thing is huge, which is helpful when you're trying to tenderize an entire chicken or 75 fingerling potatoes, but is only practical if you've got a big kitchen. Also, set-up can be complicated, thanks to the vague directions (where to put the random plastic pieces that come with the box – one clear set-up image would have done the trick, manual-making people!)

Does it live up to the hype? We're alive, and we're now four-for-four on tasty, zero-prep meals, so we're giving it the thumbs up. If at any point in the near future we die of food poisoning, though, you'll be the first to hear about it. If you take you're a serious cook who doesn't like to waste food, you may want to add this to your cooking arsenal.

Price: $399, at the CulinaryPrep Web site. The company also sells a bunch of custom-made marinades specifically designed to be used with the Culinary Prep, like Texas Mesquite and Lemon Pepper, as well as additional ProPrep packets for about $1.25 a pop).

Related Links:

How to Connect Your iPod to Your Car (Without a Cassette Deck or CD Player)

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Aug 29th 2007 at 11:30AM

It used to be that when you wanted to listen to your portable CD player in your car, you'd just get one of those cassette adapters be done with it. Problem is, few cars these days have cassette decks. No worries, Switched faithful -- this video describes your two best options to get virtually any stereo playing tunes from your iPod (or MP3 player of choice).

Related Links:

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Switched Summer Fun Guide

Reviews

News

Features

Advice

Best Grill Tech, Courtesy of the BBQ Blogger

This iPod Doctor Makes House Calls

Top 3 Free, Must-Try Cell Phone Services

3-D Google Earth Disney World Maps Make Trip Planning Easier

How to Take Better Snapshots (Video)

How to Protect Your Personal Data While You Travel

How to 'Geotag' Your Photos

Slim Down Your Wallet By Scanning Its Contents Into Your iPhone

How to Look Thin In Photos

Top 11 Ways to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer

How to Keep Your Gadgets From Getting Stolen

How to Replace a Broken Laptop Screen

How to Resize Your Photos For E-Mail

How to Get Rid of Killer Bacteria in Food

How to Connect Your iPod to Your Car (Without a Cassette Deck or CD Player)

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