Tutorials

Changing your Android's default keyboard

#950 / 2011-09-07 09:30:00 / 1:43 min.

While the default Android keyboard is good, there are other options. Though we must say that it is always better to download keyboards from respected vendors via the Android Market, there are keyboard there that can save you time and improve your typing skills. We show you

how to change the default Android keyboard

in this tutorial.

Tutorials

Changing wallpaper on your Android home screen

#942 / 2011-08-26 09:30:00 / 2:19 min.

Android gives you a number of ways that you can customize your home screen to your liking, so it would be a shame to leave your home screen something boring like the default. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to

change your Android home screen

whether you want to use an image from your own photo gallery or whether you want to try something different like a

live wallpaper

.

Tutorials

Creating custom ringtones on your Android phone

#933 / 2011-08-15 09:30:00 / 1:33 min.

Ringdroid allows you to create your own

custom ringtones for your Android smartphone

. Since the number of default ringtones available on Android devices can be limited at times, this can be a great help. We'll show you how to use the

free Ringdroid app

to create custom ringtones using audio files on your Android in this episode.

Tutorials

Assigning contact specific ringtones on Android

#931 / 2011-08-08 09:30:00 / 1:29 min.

An easy way to find out who's calling you without even looking at your phone is to

assign custom ringtones to your contacts

. On

Android smartphones

it's a fairly simple process, as we'll show you in this tutorial.

Tutorials

Choosing a new notification sound for SMS messages

#928 / 2011-08-03 09:30:00 / 1:42 min.

If you want to change the notification sound that you hear on your

Android smartphone

when you get a new SMS message, you might have trouble finding the right settings menu. That's because the option isn't found in the main settings screen... but there is a way. Just follow the steps outlined in this tutorial in order to

change your SMS notification sound

.

Tutorials

Adding widgets to your Android phone

#924 / 2011-07-25 09:30:00 / 1:22 min.

Your

Android smartphone widgets

can quickly give you information at a glance about anything from the weather to Facebook updates, so they can be pretty handy. Depending on the widget, you can

customize what information is displayed

so that it suits your preference. We'll show you

how to add and manage your widgets

in this tutorial.

How do I use the HP TouchPad

Changing the settings of your HP TouchPad

#9 / 2011-07-10 10:00:00 / 3:29 min.

The

HP TouchPad

has a number of settings that you can change to customize it to your liking. In this episode, we'll walk you through your options. From your various

accounts and applications

to

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections

, almost everything has settings that can be changed if needed.

Lab Rats

Ten Android switcher tips

#276 / 2011-06-06 17:00:00 / 24:35 min.

Andy, once again flouting Lab Rats convention, decided to make the switch from the Apple to the Android camp. He's ditched the iPhone 4 and moved over the the reference design Google phone, the Nexus S. The Lab Rats have compiled their top-ten tips for Android switcher or really, anyone trying to come to terms with and get the most out of their shiny new Android phone.
On a related note: Anyone in the market to buy a lightly-used iPhone 4?

Tutorials

Customizing your Android's look

#920 / 2011-06-01 09:30:00 / 1:09 min.

There are a number of ways that you can

customize your Android smartphone

to your liking. In this tutorial we'll show you how to

change your Android's look

and style using the

Android Settings

. We'll also show you how to

hide your number during calls

and

create a blocked numbers list

.

Lab Rats

Top 5 Apps for Tweens

#271 / 2011-05-02 17:00:00 / 22:42 min.

This week, Andy and Sean welcome 12-year old super fan Quinn Mitchell to the show all the way from Calgary, Canada. Quinn has been watching Lab Rats since 2002 and amazed the guys with his almost encyclopedic knowledge of the show. Not only could Quinn identify the episode number of favorite segment Episode 25: Multi-Core Processors Demystified, but he also remembered the name of the infamous Episode 0 of Lab Rats: Testing 1-2-3.
Quinn is also something of a computer whiz-kid: creating his own video content for his YouTube channel as well as putting together desktop computers by himself. On today's episode, he wanted to show off some of his favorite apps for Tweens. Because he's an avid Android user, all his choices were for that operating system, however, he points out that many of these also appear on iPhone and other mobile platforms.

How do I get to know Mac hardware

Expansion card slots on your Mac

#4 / 2011-04-28 10:00:00 / 1:58 min.

Macintosh computers

aren't generally considered to be as expandable or customizable as PCs are, but there are

expansion slots

that allow you to make some adjustments. The available

PCI Express slots

can be used to

change the video card

,

add USB ports

, or add something else that didn't come with your system.

How do I use the HTC HD7

Using the Settings menu on the HTC HD7

#10 / 2011-04-22 10:00:00 / 4:57 min.

In our last episode, we'll show you how to

change the settings

of your

Windows Phone 7 device

.

Using the HTC HD7

we'll show you what to expect in the

system settings

, show you how to

personalize your phone

, change your individual

application settings

and more.

Tutorials

Using iTunes to make an iPhone ringtone

#898 / 2011-04-05 09:30:00 / 2:07 min.

You can use a portion of any of your

iTunes songs

to

create a ringtone for your iPhone

as we'll show you in this tutorial. We'll walk you through the process step by step so that you can

make ringtones out of your favorite songs

, sound effects, speeches or what have you.

Tutorials

Creating a package of URLs with bit.ly

#895 / 2011-03-14 09:30:00 / 1:50 min.

In this tutorial, we'll show you

how to use bit.ly

to

share multiple links with friends

through what bit.ly calls a bundle. We'll show you

how to create a bit.ly bundle

while

shortening your URLs

right here. It's a great way to easily

share multiple websites

without worrying about long web links.

Accessing YouTube from your iPhone

Customizing shortcut buttons

#5 / 2011-03-11 09:00:00 / 1:17 min.

In our last episode of this series, we'll show you how to

customize your YouTube iPhone app

so that you always have access to the features you use most. The buttons at the bottom will act as

shortcuts to YouTube menus

but you can change these in your

application settings

so that you can

access whatever videos you want to watch

quickly and easily.

Tutorials

Disabling Places on Facebook

#889 / 2011-03-03 09:30:00 / 1:30 min.

Facebook allows you to

check in to places

so that you can

share your location

with your friends. You can also allow your friends to check you into places too. If you want to, you can

disable those features

or just

protect your Facebook privacy

by

disabling places

or by allowing specific users to see what spots you check in to.

Customizing your Tumblr account

Customizing your theme on Tumblr

#1 / 2011-02-21 09:00:00 / 1:40 min.

If you have a

Tumblr account

, then you might be interested in finding some ways to spruce up your

Tumblr page

. Fortunately, Tumblr has many themes available and you can customize each Tumblr theme to your liking. We'll show you how to

change your Tumblr theme

and

customize your theme's appearance

in this episode.

Miss Download

An enhanced Mac OS X Dock with DragThing

#114 / 2011-01-25 17:00:00 / 3:04 min.

Mac OS X keeps a few of your most commonly accessed items neat, clean and organized in the Dock. Add too many things to the Dock though, and you've got a Start Menu-like mess on your hands. For those of us who want to mess with the program and keep shortcuts to loads of our apps, documents, folders and URLs handy without Dock Overload Syndrome (DOS), DragThing is the thing.

@

CES 2011 - Customize all your gear with Gelaskins

#404 / 2011-01-14 12:06:28 / 4:05 min.

Gelaskins lets you customize just about any mobile device you can imagine; iPod, iPhone, laptop, iPad, Galaxy Tab... you name it. These removable skins come in a whole world of different designs. If none of those fit your taste, create and upload your own. Sean gets the rundown on what's new with Gelaskins.

Expand your iPhone use using myPhoneDesktop

Changing myPhoneDesktop settings

#2 / 2010-10-12 09:00:00 / 3:05 min.

Once you have the

myPhoneDesktop application

installed on your iPhone and the

desktop client

installed on your computer, you're ready to go. In this episode, we'll explain some of the

myPhoneDesktop settings

and ways you can customize the app to your liking, including

setting alerts

and choosing how your app will fetch data.

Beginner's Guide to Installing Ubuntu

Ubuntu tips and recommendations

#10 / 2010-10-01 09:00:00 / 4:38 min.

Once you have

Ubuntu installed

, you'll probably want to get some software to try with it. By default, Ubuntu comes with several applications that you can use on a day to day basis, but there are many more

software packages

available for free. In this episode, we go over some

Ubuntu tips

and must-have apps.

How to set up the Nintendo Wii

Creating your first Mii

#5 / 2010-10-01 09:00:00 / 5:51 min.

In this episode, we'll show you

how to create a Mii

. A Mii is your avatar when

playing Wii games

and you can

create and customize your Mii

as you see fit. You can have it be a likeness of you, a parody or just your own creation. We'll also show you how to

control your Mii

s and arrange them in the Mii world.

Beginner's Guide to Installing Ubuntu

Installing and configuring your Ubuntu

#9 / 2010-09-30 09:00:00 / 3:34 min.

If you followed our last episode then you should have successfully

installed Ubuntu

to your machine. In this episode, we'll show you

how to customize your settings

and

tweak Ubuntu

to your liking so that you can get the most out of your experience.

How to microblog with Tumblr

Using your Tumblr dashboard

#6 / 2010-09-13 09:00:00 / 2:04 min.

Your Dashboard is the hub of your Tumblr account, which is why we're going to show you

how to use the Dashboard

in this episode. Your Dashboard is where you go to

create a post

,

view your followers

and

customize your Tumblr account

. You can also

track your Tumblarity rating

,

see your Tumblr rank

and more.

How to microblog with Tumblr

Advanced customizing with Tumblr

#4 / 2010-09-09 09:00:00 / 2:44 min.

There are plenty of options at your disposal to

customize your Tumblr account

in more advanced ways. You can

import feeds to your Tumblr

from Twitter, Blogger and YouTube, and you can access

advanced account options

in order to

change your time zone

,

enable high-res photos

,

open links in new windows

and more.

How to microblog with Tumblr

How to customize your theme

#3 / 2010-09-08 09:00:00 / 2:03 min.

You can

customize your Tumblr account

to give it more personality. Not only can you

name your blog

, you can also

add a blog description

and

add a photo

for people to see on your account. If you want to make your account, you can also

choose a theme for Tumblr

that you can even customize.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your PC case with interior lights

#47 / 2010-09-02 17:00:00 / 5:50 min.

Installing LED, strip or cathode lights inside your pimped PC seals the deal. Your geek friends will bow as you walk into your next StarCraft II LAN party. Lucas finishes off his four part case mod series by lighting up the inside of his Green Lantern themed case with cathode tubes.

How to use Google Sites

How to edit your Google Site

#3 / 2010-09-01 09:00:00 / 2:03 min.

Once you've created your website using

Google Sites

, you'll no doubt want to

customize your website

. There are many ways to

edit your website

with the

Google Site tools

. We'll show you how to

personalize your website

in no time.

How to use Google Sites

How to pick a template

#2 / 2010-08-31 09:00:00 / 1:10 min.

In this episode, we'll show you some of the

website templates

available to use with

Google Sites

. When you

create a website

using one of these templates, you can see previews of what your site would look like with each template so you can find one that matches your taste.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin the inside of your case with fan mods

#46 / 2010-08-26 17:00:00 / 5:49 min.

Changing out the fans in your case mod is a simple pimp but makes all the difference. LED lit fans are available in a wide array of colours, plug in easily and will light up your case, nay, your life.

Pimp my PC

Pimping your PC with a UV decal

#45 / 2010-08-19 17:00:00 / 5:36 min.

For those times when you want to take your PC out to the night club (chicks dig it, trust us), a UV light pimp is what you need. Lucas continues his Green Lantern case mod project with a Green Lantern logo that black light reveals. He also builds a DIY black light so you can see the magic when you're at home too.

How to use Etsy to buy and sell online

How to customize your shop appearance on Etsy

#4 / 2010-08-19 09:00:00 / 1:44 min.

If you want to

sell items online through Etsy

, it's a good idea to

customize your Etsy shop

. In this episode, we'll show you

how to post banners

,

how to post messages

and how to make your Etsy storefront more presentable to

potential buyers

.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your tired Twitter page

#43 / 2010-08-05 17:00:00 / 6:37 min.

Whether you've got 100 or 100,000 Twitter followers, the standard Twitter background and aesthetic just won't cut it. Lucas shows

how to customize your Twitter page

with a unique background, custom text colors, fonts and much more. There's no excuse for having a lame, default Twitter background.

Going Mobile

Three great Android interface enhancements

#22 / 2010-08-02 12:00:00 / 4:45 min.

When you get your Android phone, it comes with a default screen setup. For example, the HTC Incredible, used in these tutorials, comes with the HTC "Sense" home interface. Many people like to customize their devices, including changing out the "home interface." Doc takes a look at three of the best home replacements for Android phones.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your Windows login screen... the lazy way

#42 / 2010-07-29 17:00:00 / 5:00 min.

Forget the registry hacking and command line pimping. Lucas finds the lazy man's way to hack your Windows login screen. This handy app lets you change every element of your Windows login screen with a simple click through interface. Change your login screen wallpaper no matter the size of the file or the resolution of the image file.

How to keep your Facebook account private and secure

Changing your application and website privacy

#3 / 2010-07-28 09:00:00 / 1:09 min.

If you're one of those

Facebook users

who has installed a lot of

applications and games

then you might want to take another look at your

privacy settings

. There is an entire category of privacy settings that applies purely to applications, games and websites and changing these settings may help

keep your Facebook account secure

.

How to keep your Facebook account private and secure

Customizing your Facebook privacy settings

#2 / 2010-07-27 09:00:00 / 1:31 min.

If

using Facebook

's

default privacy settings

isn't for you then you can always

customize your privacy settings

. This way, you can have complete control over your

sharing settings

and what people can see from your profile, even allowing you to

block other users

from seeing certain things.

Pimp my PC

Pimp out your lame Xbox 360

#41 / 2010-07-22 17:00:00 / 5:41 min.

Pop the top on your Xbox 360 to reveal its innards and replace its drab case with a pimped one. Sure, you'll void your warranty but if you think that's a small price to pay for a pimped out rig, this is the show for you. Lucas runs through all the steps of cracking the case on your Xbox 360 to add a brand new case.

Tutorials

How to change a color scheme in Office 2010

#759 / 2010-07-22 09:30:00 / 1:28 min.

If you like to

customize your software

then you'll be pleased to know that you can

create color schemes

for your

Office 2010 Suite

. Each program can be given it's own

unique color scheme

so that

Microsoft Word

could be blue,

Excel

could be black and so on.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your MacBook's Apple logo

#40 / 2010-07-15 17:00:00 / 6:06 min.

Lucas turns his attention away from software mods for his laptop and focuses on the hardware. This week he rolls his sleeves up, cracks the case on his trusty

MacBook

and, with the help of some Torx screwdrivers, some sandpaper, a little elbow grease and ingenuity, comes out with the coolest hardware mod for the

MacBook's Apple Logo

yet.

Pimp my PC

Getting centered in the Windows 7 taskbar

#39 / 2010-07-08 17:00:00 / 5:06 min.

Take a deep breath, get in touch with your qi and focus on getting your Windows 7 icons centered in the taskbar. Can't do it, right? Not to worry. Lucas Cochran has a no-software-required tweak to move your icons from left-justified to centered. Or, slightly off-center even, if your attempts to harness your qi in the first part of this exercise failed.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your Windows 7 transparency

#37 / 2010-06-24 17:00:00 / 5:26 min.

Windows 7 brings over some of the Aero features and glassy effects of its predecessor Windows Vista. This time, they actually work though and chances are good you now have a computer that doesn't choke under the extra load. Lucas tweaks the glass effects in Windows 7 to enable full window transparency to his Explorer windows.

Introducing iOS 4 for iPhone and iPod Touch

Other improvements with the iOS 4

#5 / 2010-06-23 09:25:00 / 3:30 min.

There are other improvements that come with the iOS 4 besides those we mentioned. Among the

iOS 4 iPhone improvements

are a new ability to

change your default search engine

, an option to

change wallpaper for the lock screen

or the home screen, and multiple

improvements to iPhone's spell check

system.

@

E3 2010 video - MusicSkins at E3 2010

#274 / 2010-06-17 07:30:00 / 2:41 min.

Video from the E3 2010 show floor

: E3 isn't just about the latest and greatest games, it's about

customizing your gaming experience

, your gaming console and your controllers too. We chat with Jed Seifert, co-owner of MusicSkins about skinning just about every electronic device under the sun.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your Mac with SuperDocker

#35 / 2010-06-10 17:00:00 / 5:41 min.

Lucas does a little OS X housekeeping, getting rid of dock clutter and making his dock easier to use with SuperDocker. He also delves into Stacks to add a custom color background to this erstwhile aesthetically boring feature.

Tutorials

How to change your Android phone with SlideScreen

#734 / 2010-06-10 09:30:00 / 2:40 min.

Your

Android phone

comes with its own default themes and wallpaper. It also has a default home screen. For those who want to express themselves a little more, there's a program called

SlideScreen

. It's available on the

Android Market

and allows you to

customize your home screen

. It's a free download and we'll show you what it looks like in this tutorial.

Pimp my PC

Cleaning up your Mac desktop

#34 / 2010-06-03 17:00:00 / 4:10 min.

A messy desktop is the bane of pimps everywhere. Seriously, just ask Iceberg Slim or Don "Magic" Juan. They'll tell you that a cluttered desktop is a sign of a cluttered mind. Lucas demonstrates the digital equivalent of stuffing all the junk on your desk into a drawer to give the illusion of cleanliness. One way requires some Terminal bashing, the other uses free software to clear the clutter.

Pimp my PC

Pimping the Mac OS X Terminal

#33 / 2010-05-27 17:00:00 / 5:48 min.

We've learned that the Mac OS X Terminal is the door to all kinds of sweet pimps for your Mac desktop. However, it's not immune to being pimped out a little itself. Lucas rolls up his sleeves and hacks the Terminal to look a little less generic and a little more, well, pimped.

Pimp my PC

Further hacking the Windows 7 login screen

#32 / 2010-05-20 17:00:00 / 6:34 min.

Previously, Lucas pimped out his Windows 7 login screen with a custom image. Now, he's back in the login screen to get rid of the Windows 7 branding and the accessibility button so your custom image really shines.

Tutorials

How add alarms and notifications on your Android phone

#709 / 2010-05-20 09:30:00 / 1:18 min.

Some phones make it difficult to

add alarms or notifications

sounds to your phone. Other phones will often have default tones that are annoying or just downright hideous. Fortunately for all the

Droid users

out there, you can add all the sounds you want so that your Android phone will have

customized sounds

for everything from alarms to notifications and more.

Gmail 401: Graduate Studies

Google Apps in Gmail

#10 / 2010-05-14 09:00:00 / 2:07 min.

Google Apps is a set of applications and

features offered by Google

. They offer individuals or businesses alternatives to office software suites, Gmail with more storage and much more.

Google Apps

are used by over one million businesses worldwide and Google claims that they can save businesses up to $50 per person per year. Here we'll show you some of the features and how they could benefit you!

Pimp my PC

Command line pimpin' for Mac OS X

#31 / 2010-05-13 17:00:00 / 5:34 min.

Lucas rolls up his sleeves and delves into the Terminal to show you a few of his fave command line hacks for Mac OS X. These sweet Stack hacks make this handy OS X feature even more so. As a bonus, Lucas unveils a bonus

OS X Terminal Easter egg

in the form of

Star Wars: A New Hope in ASCII

.

Tutorials

How to change the number of icons on your BlackBerry screen

#697 / 2010-05-12 09:30:00 / 1:53 min.

Your BlackBerry screen comes with a default number of icons. But if you want to

change how many icons your BlackBerry

displays, it's actually pretty easy. We'll show you how to do that right here so you can

customize your BlackBerry

more to your liking!

How to use Skype

Advanced Skype settings

#10 / 2010-05-07 09:00:00 / 1:50 min.

There are many more options to Skype beyond the basics that we have already covered. We'll go over some of the more

advanced settings in Skype

here and show you how to do things like

change notifications, allow call forwarding and voicemail, and set up hot-keys

. You'll be a Skype pro in no time!

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your wardrobe with SnapShirts

#30 / 2010-05-06 17:00:00 / 5:06 min.

You've got the pimp roll, the pimp cane and perhaps most important, the pimp hand. However, you don't have the pimp wardrobe. This simply won't do. Lucas shows off how to make your very own and completely unique word cloud shirts online with SnapShirts to rectify the situation.

How to use Skype

Changing your ringtones

#8 / 2010-05-05 09:00:00 / 1:16 min.

Just like many other phones,

Skype allows you to change the ring tones for individual contacts

, so that each has a unique tone. You can also change any of the sound effects that Skype uses. We'll show you

how to modify all of those audio settings

in this episode!

Pimp my PC

Making fat stacks and other Windows 7 pimps

#29 / 2010-04-29 17:00:00 / 5:11 min.

Apparently, Pimpin' is paying off for our man Lucas; he's making fat stacks on his Windows 7 install. Mac OS X users will be familiar with stacks. They offer instant access to any folder or group of files on your computer, right from the dock. In Windows 7, it's easy to accomplish about the same thing using 7Stack. He also lays his pimp hands on the Nexus Dock and switches up the task switcher with Vista Switcher.

Tutorials

How to find free themes for your BlackBerry

#675 / 2010-04-27 09:30:00 / 2:02 min.

You love your BlackBerry and you want to make it your own. One way to do that is to customize it with a cool, new theme. Here's where you can find some

free themes for your BlackBerry

!

Pimp my PC

Pimpin your Windows desktop with BumpTop 3D

#28 / 2010-04-22 17:00:00 / 5:56 min.

Lucas learns of the wonders of the 3D desktop. No lame 3D glasses required. BumpTop 3D lets you take a new view on your Mac OS X or Windows desktop. Sure, it sucks some system resources but in return you get a 3D space that you can completely customize and pimp out.

Pimp my PC

Mac Finder and Spaces customizations

#27 / 2010-04-15 17:00:00 / 5:00 min.

Lucas discovers new pimps for the erstwhile boring Finder and the previously un-pimped Spaces. Simple pimps to

get custom wallpaper in different Spaces

and to make your Finder windows a little more representative of your personality.

Tutorials

How to add an extension to Google Chrome

#655 / 2010-04-13 09:30:00 / 2:23 min.

When Google Chrome was first released, it was a little blah; not that colorful, not very exciting, and no support for add-ons or extensions. All that is in the past and now there are lots of

extensions for Chrome

. Here's how to add one!

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your game gear with MusicSkins

#26 / 2010-04-08 17:00:00 / 6:08 min.

As Lucas learns, skins aren't just for hitting. MusicSkins brings a wide array of sweet and simple skins to customize your computer, your netbook, phone, MP3 player and more important perhaps, your game consoles and peripherals. After all, and let's be completely honest with each other here, you don't look at anything quite the same way you look at your gaming console of choice, and your controller has become an extension of your own arm... much to the chagrin of your loved ones.

Pimp my PC

Customizing the Mac OS X menu bar

#25 / 2010-04-01 17:00:00 / 5:53 min.

He did his dock, lit up his login screen, iced out his icons and something that starts with W his widgets. In this episode, Lucas turns his attentions toward

customizing the OS X menu bar

. In addition to car alarm for your Mac, he also shows off a menu bar iTunes remote, a weather app and a few others perfect for pimping that menu bar.

Tutorials

How to create a ringtone on your Android phone

#632 / 2010-03-26 09:30:00 / 3:25 min.

Your Android phone is not truly your Android phone until you customize it to your tastes. The first place you'll likely start is by switching up the ringtones. Utilizing a free utility called RingDroid you can

create custom ringtones for your Android phone

easily and without spending a dime.

Tutorials

A better way to read articles online

#631 / 2010-03-25 09:31:00 / 1:47 min.

Generally speaking, online articles don't offer the best reading experience. Readability gets rid of the online article clutter and presents you with just the article you want to read, presented in a clean, reader-friendly format. Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan demonstrates.

Tutorials

How to update the dictionary on your Android phone

#628 / 2010-03-24 09:30:00 / 1:45 min.

The intelligent auto-complete dictionary in your Android phone does a good job of speeding up general communication. What if you're doctor, a lawyer or involved in some technical or other trade with a vernacular all its own though? You can

update and add to the Android auto-complete dictionary

so it'll recognize the terms and words you use often in your communication.

Pimp my PC

Mac OS X Widget pimps

#23 / 2010-03-18 17:00:00 / 6:05 min.

Lucas returns to the Apple camp to show some OS X love. He demos off a few of his favorite Apple Widgets, shows us where we can go to search for and find our own soon-to-be faves, and unveils an awesome Terminal hack to get Widgets from the Dashboard and onto the desktop.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your Windows 7 Start orb

#21 / 2010-03-04 17:00:00 / 5:24 min.

The

Start button in Windows 7

looks a little different that you may be used to. Especially if you wisely sidestepped that whole Vista thing. Sure, it's shiny and purdy, but it's still the factory default and Lucas has no time for factory defaults. In this episode, Lucas pimps out the

Start orb in Windows 7 with a custom logo

pimp.

Pimp my PC

Windows 7 gadget pimpin

#20 / 2010-02-25 17:00:00 / 6:07 min.

Gadgets

were a must-have in

Windows Vista

... and not in a good way; you had gadgets in your sidebar and unless you went to the effort of getting rid of them, you were stuck with them. Now that gadgets are optional in Windows 7, they're much more appealing. Lucas runs down a few of his faves in one of his easiest pimps yet.

Tutorials

Change the wallpaper on your BlackBerry

#588 / 2010-02-24 09:30:00 / 1:35 min.

If you've gotten tired of the

background on your BlackBerry

there's no reason to be stuck with it. There are a huge number of wallpapers you can download and it's easy to put a new wallpaper in place.

Tutorials

Add pictures to contacts on your Android phone

#586 / 2010-02-23 09:30:00 / 2:17 min.

It's one thing to have information on your contacts like email address, phone number, and so on. It really personalizes things, however, when you

add a picture to a contact

. This pic will pop up when a specific person calls, making it easy to see at a glance whether you should take the call or call them back later.

Tutorials

How to in enable auto-fill in Firefox

#585 / 2010-02-22 09:31:00 / 1:24 min.

Firefox does its part to prevent repetitive strain injury buy

auto-filling URLs

for you, if you so choose. Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan explains how to turn this handy feature on... or off, if you're so inclined.

Tutorials

How to customize the date display in Windows 7

#583 / 2010-02-19 09:31:00 / 2:01 min.

If you wish, you can

display the date and time as part of the toolbar in Windows 7

. You may not know, however, that you can also

customize how the date and time information is displayed

. You can select from many different international time and date formats, select military or standard time and more.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your Windows 7 login screen

#19 / 2010-02-18 17:00:00 / 5:00 min.

Windows 7 is still pretty new and shiny, even with the factory default settings. However, we're not interested in factory defaults. Lucas demos how to pimp out your

Windows 7 login screen

with a little regedit hacking. In this case, pimpin' may not be easy per se, but it's worth the effort.

Pimp my PC

Creating pimped themes in Windows 7

#18 / 2010-02-11 17:00:00 / 6:13 min.

While Windows 7 is looking newer and shinier than its computing cohorts, it's still in dire need of a little personalization. Redmond's latest actually has its nose open and doesn't require any third-party software, any hoop jumpery or skullduggery to enact your pimpery.

Creating a custom theme in Windows 7

is so easy, it wouldn't be worth doing if the end product didn't look so sweet.

Pimp my PC

Enabling motion desktop wallpaper in Windows 7

#17 / 2010-02-04 17:00:00 / 5:00 min.

With the switch to Windows 7, Lucas finds the Microsofties have removed DreamScene. Sure, the slideshow desktop in Windows 7 is nice, but it's not the active, full motion desktop that DreamScene offered up in Windows Vista. As Lucas discovers, nothing makes you want something more than when someone threatens to take it away.

Pimp my PC

Drop it like it's dock in Windows 7

#16 / 2010-01-28 17:00:00 / 4:34 min.

Until the Microsoft sees their way clear to add a

dock into Windows

, Lucas is forced to take matters into his own hands. Mac users can be so pious with their aluminum-clad MacBooks, their as yet largely virus free OS and Docks. Lucas silences them (well, on the last point at least) by

bringing some hot dock action to Windows 7

.

Web Watch

Five free Twitter background sites

#28 / 2010-01-19 12:00:00 / 2:53 min.

Your Twitter profile isn't really your Twitter profile until you

customize it with a background image

. Stacy Reed show us

where to find Twitter background images

with her picks for

top five free Twitter background sites

. Hit up the show notes for a link to a tutorial on

how to customize your Twitter profile

.

Nexus One - the Google Phone video tutorial

Finding your way around the Nexus One

#4 / 2010-01-19 09:01:00 / 4:12 min.

We continue our

Nexus One hands on

by taking a look at the "Google Phone" homescreens, choosing new widgets, selecting a wallpaper that's more to our liking. We also take a look at the primary and secondary functions of the capacitive buttons that appear along the bottom of the phone's screen. We set a new lock pattern to secure the device and take a look at the phone's menu systems in this part of our

Nexus One video tutorial series

. We'll also take a look at the

camera and video functions of the Nexus One

.

Nexus One - the Google Phone video tutorial

Initial setup of the Nexus One

#3 / 2010-01-19 09:00:00 / 4:00 min.

Before we can really take an

in-depth look at the Nexus One Google Phone

we need to complete an initial setup. If you have a Google account, all your data will be pulled by the device automatically. In this part of our

"Google Phone" up close and personal

series, we complete the initial setup process, connect to the cellular network and choose a new wallpaper in preparation for the other parts in our

Nexus One video tutorial series

.

Pimp my PC

Pimping your gadgets and gear... with lasers at HiTech Tattoos

#14 / 2010-01-14 17:00:00 / 6:31 min.

Clearly not adhering to the love 'em and leave 'em pimp mantra, Lucas follows up with John from the HiTech Tattoos to ask the burning questions that were left simmering after his last visit to the laser etching studio.

Gadget TV

Mimobot C3PO and Hello Kitty 4GB flash drives

#75 / 2010-01-11 12:00:00 / 3:00 min.

Mimobot makes

USB flash drives

. Not a big deal. However, said USB flash drives have some of your favorite characters from some of your favorite sci-fi epics, Japanimations, video games and twisted online toons. We have the C-3PO 4GB drive and one from the Hello Kitty collection on the Gadget TV set to take a look.

Pimp my PC

Taking tattoos HiTech

#13 / 2009-12-31 17:00:00 / 9:03 min.

Lucas is sleeved out with Star Wars tatoos, making him look a bit like an enforcer in some kind of sci-fi Yakuza. Carrying around a decidedly factory default-looking laptop is not befitting a man who clearly holds customization near to his heart.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin Windows XP to look like Windows 7

#12 / 2009-12-17 17:00:00 / 6:12 min.

Lucas demos a poor man's pimp to in his quest to get that Windows 7 look and feel without having to mail his next paycheck to those fat cats in Redmond and without docking his pimp ship in the pirate bay. With a few perfectly timed pimps, Lucas gets his weak

Windows XP install looking more like Windows 7

. Line up, ladies.

On Deck

On location at HiTech Tattoos

#45 / 2009-12-11 17:00:00 / 3:02 min.

Matt Harris departs the deck once again to go on location at HiTech Tattoos, site of an upcoming Pimp my PC episode all about laser etching of your high tech gear.

Web Watch

Six sweet sites for wallpaper downloads

#24 / 2009-12-01 12:00:00 / 4:07 min.

Get rid of that boring desktop and choose something a little more fitting your tastes and the season. Stacy Reed runs through

six sweet sites for desktop wallpaper downloads

. Grab something seasonal to make your computer fit your mood, get

animated wallpaper

and much more with these sweet spots to grab

free desktop wallpaper

.

Pimp my PC

Tricking out OS X

#10 / 2009-11-26 17:00:00 / 6:00 min.

Lucas lays his pimp hand upon the Mac OS X to take it from the default to the dope.

Customize the menu bar, the Apple menu logo, the Dock.

Even the calculator and iTunes get some Lucas love as he turns out sweet

Mac OS X skins and customizations

using Magnifique. You'll never look at OS X the same way again.

Pimp my PC

Pimp your Mac icons with CandyBar

#9 / 2009-11-19 17:00:00 / 5:10 min.

Sure, it's got a cute name but CandyBar is pure pimp. Trick out the attractive but static icons on your Mac to replace stock with sweet. Grab icons from IconFactory and turn your Mac OS X dock and system icons into something a little more personalized, customized and tricked out.

Tutorials

Always-on Gmail in Firefox

#485 / 2009-11-16 09:31:00 / 3:18 min.

Like to have you Gmail always handy, but don't want it to be your home page? If so here's a little tweak that

puts Gmail in Firefox

so it's always ready to go and can't be accidentally closed down.

Pimp my PC

Four sweet Firefox pimps

#8 / 2009-11-12 17:00:00 / 5:41 min.

Lucas turns his attention to the lowly browser this week, offering up four sweet

Firefox add-ons

that make for a more personalized online experience. From browser skins to colorful tabs and a new way to view images online, these add-ons take Firefox from weak to unique.

Pimp my PC

Pimp your Mac OSX Dock

#6 / 2009-10-29 17:00:00 / 6:19 min.

Lucas turns his attention from XP to Mac OSX as he demonstrates how to

pimp out your OSX Dock

. Sure, the Dock is already pretty, but we're looking for more. We want brains and looks in multiples. Lucas abides as he shows off

how to customize the Mac OSX Dock

and even how to run game on more than one Dock at once on your machine.

Cool new features in Windows 7

The new Windows 7 desktop

#2 / 2009-10-27 09:00:00 / 2:09 min.

The

Windows 7 default desktop

is a study in minimalism. No more desktop clutter (at least until you start saving all your files to said desktop). The only icon on the Windows 7 desktop by default is the Recycle Bin. Here's what you need to know about the new

Windows 7 desktop

.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' media players

#5 / 2009-10-22 17:00:00 / 5:58 min.

Lucas turns his pimpin' attention to the oft overlooked media players. As one of the easiest pimp mods to add to your system, he goes through the process for skinning Windows Media Player, WinAmp and even iTunes with custom skins. If you're like us, your media player is one of your most used applications. Stop having a boring media player, stop having a boring life.

Pimp my PC

Pimpin' your personalized homepage

#4 / 2009-10-15 17:00:00 / 5:41 min.

Google's personalized home page option is pretty sweet, but it's pretty boring to look at too. Lucas puts his pimp hand on the page and takes it from blah to bling in no time flat. If that's not enough, he hits up Protopage that offers way more options for your inner pimp.

Safari 4.0 in the wild

Top Sites features in Safari 4.0

#7 / 2009-10-13 09:00:00 / 2:10 min.

We all have certain sites that we visit over and over again. With

Safari 4.0

, a new feature puts your "

Top Sites

" front and center.

Top Sites

gives you a visual image of the sites you visit most. You can edit these sites, delete them, save them and move them around.

Pimp my PC

XPimping an ancient OS

#2 / 2009-10-01 12:01:01 / 4:52 min.

We don't have to like it, but we do have to face it:

Windows XP

is going to be with us for some time yet. Using WindowBlinds, Lucas pimps out just about every aspect of his

Windows XP

install from taskbar to Start menu, cursor to wallpaper. The result: A less lame version of XP.

Pimp my PC

Pimping that boring old skool laptop

#1 / 2009-10-01 12:01:00 / 3:15 min.

Pimpin' ain't easy, but Lucas knows how it's done. These

quick and easy pimps

for a washed up old laptop take your portable from ghetto to fabulous in just a couple of simple steps.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Learn more about how to use Gmail with our 201 series

#11 / 2009-09-11 14:17:01 / 21:01 min.

Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan runs us through Gmail Intermediate Studies in this 10-part tutorial series. Learn how to

tweak your Gmail inbox, use labels, colors and filters in Gmail, get offline Gmail access with Google Gears

and much more. If you've watched our 10-part Gmail for Beginners tutorial series and are ready to

take control of your inbox

, the Doc abides with Gmail 201.

Breaking news tutorials

Google launches themes for the Chrome browser

#43 / 2009-08-06 10:30:00 / 1:12 min.

When Google launched its

Chrome browser

one thing everyone could agree on was that it was plain. No flair, not much color, just blah. But no more! Google recently announced the launch of

themes for Google Chrome

. You can install the one you want or change themes every day, should the mood strike. However for the time being, you'll have to

get the beta version of Google Chrome

to partake in themes.

Tutorials

Change how the Home button works on your iPhone

#334 / 2009-08-03 09:30:00 / 0:52 min.

The only button on the front of your iPhone is the

home button

. You can

customize your iPhone's home button

to open your contacts, launch the camera or iPod app and much more. Here's how.

Tutorials

How to set your screensaver in Ubuntu

#325 / 2009-07-27 09:31:00 / 1:50 min.

Although most monitors today don't really need a

screensaver

, they're still a fun way to liven up your desktop computer when it's not in use.

New Ubuntu users

will be happy to know that, while largely unnecessary, there are still a ton of

Ubuntu screensavers

to choose from. Here's how to

preview and choose your Ubuntu screensaver

.

Getting to Know Windows Live and Spaces

Windows Live Spaces

#9 / 2009-07-16 09:00:00 / 2:42 min.

You may have a home page in your Web browser. You may have it customized to have the news and other information you want. With Windows Live, however, you get your own

personal space

that you can customize completely. Customized the Web address, the theme, the content, and more. You can maintain your own "blog" and keep it updated. You can invite family and friends to your space so they can see your photos, blog, and whatever else you want to share.

The Finer Points of Facebook

Completely customize Facebook privacy settings

#9 / 2009-07-09 09:00:00 / 2:59 min.

You may worry about

how much information you and your friends share on Facebook

. But did you know you can

completely customize Facebook privacy settings

? You can make it so that certain users can only see certain items,

block your boss from seeing your wall or photos

or videos, keep your friends from seeing private exchanges with your significant other and much more. While you can't

delete your Facebook account

without contacting Facebook staff, you can deactivate it if you want or need to.

The Finer Points of Facebook

Fine-tune your Facebook profile

#8 / 2009-07-08 09:00:00 / 2:27 min.

Filling out your

profile on Facebook

gives your Facebook friends an idea of what you're into. Movies, music, books, even religions and political leanings and much, much more is all fair game in the

complete Facebook profile

.

The Finer Points of Facebook

Customizing your Facebook news feed

#3 / 2009-07-01 09:00:00 / 2:04 min.

Many

Facebook users

accept the

default Facebook settings

. However, you can

customize your Facebook news feed

to show what you want to see by default. Just drag and drop to re-order. You can choose to see photos first, see notes, status updates and more. This is

web 2.0

, after all. You can also

create your own Facebook filters

to see updates from, for example, family or colleagues.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Using Labs features in Gmail

#6 / 2009-06-29 09:00:00 / 2:39 min.

The basic foundations of Gmail are solid. However, the system is designed to work the way Google thinks it should... that may not be the way you like to work. Google has created Google Labs so they can a toss out a variety of features and see which ones users really like. There are

Google Labs

features available that

give Gmail more functionality

.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Using Labels and Colors to create Gmail Folders

#5 / 2009-06-26 09:00:00 / 2:54 min.

When Gmail was first released one thing that troubled some users was that it wasn't going to use folders. Folders are used everywhere, right? In Windows, on a Mac, in Linux, in Outlook, in Thunderbird, they all have folders. How can you

work without folders

? In short, better. If you give good

labels

to your incoming email and

filter

that email intelligently, by the time you add colors you have essentially made yourself folders without boundaries. Folders that aren't conventional folders, but they serve the same purpose.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Getting more from Gmail's Filters

#4 / 2009-06-25 09:00:00 / 2:34 min.

Most of us get quite a bit of email each day. Email from friends, family, colleagues, and more. We get email from businesses we deal with, newsletters from groups we belong to and confirmation emails from payments or orders. Through the use of colors, in conjunction with Labels and Filters, Gmail gives you a powerful way to manage and take control of your inbox and organize your email.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Getting more from Gmail filters

#3 / 2009-06-24 09:00:00 / 3:01 min.

Nearly all email clients use folders for organizing your email. Gmail doesn't. It has

Labels and Filters

. With the clever use of

filters

you can make your email more efficient and make yourself more efficient as well.

Filters

can go through your incoming mail and put things exactly how you want them before you ever have to look at an email.

Tutorials

How to use the improved User Account Control in Windows 7 RC1

#274 / 2009-06-22 09:30:00 / 1:48 min.

Windows Vista has its share of problems. One of the biggest annoyances for users turned out to be the

User Account Control (UAC)

which harassed users with permission dialog boxes every time they tried to make a system change. Microsoft shows it's been listening and in Windows 7 RC1 you can

change the UAC settings

for the way you work.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Improving the Gmail interface

#1 / 2009-06-22 09:00:00 / 1:54 min.

For doing email

Gmail

works very well. At the same time it looks rather plain and ordinary. Lots of white background with blue text links and so on. It doesn't have to be that way, however, if you take a little time to improve it.

Tutorials

How to open applications with your voice on your BlackBerry

#271 / 2009-06-18 09:31:00 / 1:27 min.

There are times when you may want to open a program on your BlackBerry, but you just can't take the time to navigate to the program icon. No problem. With Vlingo installed you can use your

voice to open or launch any application

on your BlackBerry.

Tutorials

Tweak the Dock on your Mac

#243 / 2009-05-29 09:31:00 / 2:17 min.

When you get your Mac the Dock is set with certain defaults. You may like it like that, but then again you may not. You can easily tweak the way your Dock looks and acts to get a very personalized Dock that performs the way you want.

Tutorials

How to clean up the Mac Open With dialog

#216 / 2009-05-12 09:30:00 / 3:07 min.

After installing a lot of programs on your Mac the "Open With" dialog can get completely overloaded. At some point you may get tired of seeing the huge list of programs every time it comes up. There is a solution. We'll show you how to clean the Mac Open With menu.

Tutorials

Add your own text to the AutoText function of your BlackBerry

#215 / 2009-05-11 09:31:00 / 2:21 min.

When you're typing on your BlackBerry you can accidentally type "acn" and it will magically change to "can" which is what you intended. This is a function of AutoText and many BlackBerry users aren't even aware that it's there. Once you know you can go into AutoText and add words, delete words, and even edit words.

Tutorials

Set a password for your BlackBerry

#211 / 2009-05-07 09:31:00 / 3:49 min.

Your BlackBerry is much more than just a phone. It holds all your contact information, documents, your email and much more. To protect that data it's wise to put a password on your BlackBerry so only you can access it.

BlackBerry Basics

Change the homescreen wallpaper on your BlackBerry

#9 / 2009-05-07 09:00:00 / 2:17 min.

Many BlackBerry devices come with a nice, serene landscape scene as the default wallpaper. You don't have to keep that wallpaper though. In this tutorial, we'll explore how to change your wallpaper to customize your BlackBerry.

Tutorials

Change your BlackBerry theme

#205 / 2009-05-04 09:31:00 / 2:20 min.

When your BlackBerry comes from the factory, it uses a standard look and feel for the menu system. It doesn't have to stay that way. There are literally thousands of themes you can find all over the Internet. Just search on "blackberry themes." Here we'll show you how to apply a different theme to your BlackBerry device.

Tutorials

Customize folder options in Windows

#204 / 2009-05-04 09:30:00 / 2:11 min.

Windows comes with certain options as defaults. For example, double-click to open something, open new folders in the original folder, and the like. Just because that's the way it works by default doesn't mean you can't change it. Using the Folder Options you can customize how Windows behaves in this regard and perhaps find a way that suits you better.

Tutorials

Choose a custom theme in Gmail

#202 / 2009-05-01 09:30:00 / 2:10 min.

The basic Gmail inbox interface is simple and effective. However, by digging into the settings a little way, you can find a skin for your inbox that better suits your personality. Select a different colour scheme or opt for a completely different look with picture / character themes.

Tutorials

Track your mouse with Cursor Trails

#201 / 2009-04-30 09:31:00 / 1:30 min.

There are times when the mouse cursor can be elusive. It gets hidden under windows or in a corner. To make your mouse cursor more visible you can turn on mouse trails. This leaves a trail of mouse pointers as you move it.

Tutorials

Change your BlackBerry browser homepage

#200 / 2009-04-30 09:30:00 / 1:48 min.

The browser on your BlackBerry will come with a default home page. Often this depends on the carrier you got your device from. It doesn't have to stay that way though because you can change the homepage easily. Here's how!

Tutorials

Tweak your mouse to use ClickLock

#199 / 2009-04-29 09:31:00 / 1:41 min.

For many people it can get tedious when you have to hold down a mouse button while you drag things around. Well, it doesn't have to be that way if you turn on ClickLock for you mouse. Click to drag, click again to let go, it's just that easy. Let's find out how.

Tutorials

Tweak your mouse options in Windows

#196 / 2009-04-28 09:30:00 / 1:55 min.

Your mouse has certain default values, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with the defaults. It is possible to go in and change things to your personal preference. Change the look of your cursors, alter the speed of double-clicking, turn on ClickLock and more.

Tutorials

Mastering your Mac's mouse

#195 / 2009-04-27 09:31:00 / 2:09 min.

If you use a mouse with your Mac you'll find that you have all kinds of configurable options. The famed (and sometimes maligned) Mighty Mouse gives you plenty of buttons and the Mouse options on the Mac give you lots of options to choose from.

Tutorials

Change that boring mouse cursor in Windows

#192 / 2009-04-24 09:30:00 / 2:32 min.

Windows comes with certain mouse cursors as defaults. What many people don't realize, however, is that you can change them to something more to your taste. There are tons of alternative mouse cursors available. You can find some right within Windows and you can find many others on the Internet.

Beginner's Guide to Adium

Completely customize Adium with the Xtras manager

#10 / 2009-04-24 09:00:00 / 2:42 min.

In an earlier segment we talked about how you could make Adium look the way you want it to by modifying colors and the like. The Xtras Manager, however, helps you to take Adium to a new level of customization. Nearly every aspect of Adium can be customized and altered to be just the way you want.

Tutorials

Locate that lost mouse cursor on screen

#186 / 2009-04-21 09:30:00 / 1:44 min.

I work on a dual monitor system. Every now and then I can't find my mouse cursor. I wiggle it, I jiggle it, and still it eludes me. Ahh, but
if you turn on the option to show you where your mouse cursor is you'll
always be able to find it!

Beginner's Guide to Adium

Tweaking Adium to work the way you work

#4 / 2009-04-16 09:00:00 / 3:38 min.

Some people like to use software just the way it comes. Others like to alter it so it works the way they want it to. Adium gives you plenty of options you can change to customize and tweak Adium so it works the way you like to work. From the way it responds in your absence to the colors of messages, Adium lets you decide.

Essential Yahoo

Creating a My Yahoo page

#7 / 2009-04-14 09:00:00 / 2:44 min.

Along with your Yahoo Messenger, your Yahoo Mail and your Yahoo Answers logins, a Yahoo account also gives you a My Yahoo home page. We'll show you how to make your Yahoo home page a little more you by customizing what you want to see on it.

Essential Yahoo

Searching with Yahoo

#2 / 2009-04-07 09:00:00 / 2:00 min.

Before it grew to offer the array of services it does today, Yahoo search was Yahoo's killer app... by virtue of the fact that search was its only app. Times have changed and Yahoo now offers a wide array of other online services too, but its powerful search engine still stands and is sure to help you find what you're looking for.

Windows Live Messenger

Cool features in Windows Live Messenger

#10 / 2009-04-03 00:09:00 / 2:45 min.

We've covered most of the major functions of Windows Live Messenger, but there are lots of fun features that we haven't looked at yet. Here we'll go over just some of the little features that you can take advantage of when you use Windows Live Messenger.

Tutorials

Customize your Windows Taskbar

#154 / 2009-03-30 09:30:00 / 2:40 min.

Everyone knows the Windows Taskbar. How can you not? It's sitting there at the bottom of every copy of Windows since version 3.1. Even Windows 7 has a taskbar, albeit a much improved one. There are some clever tweaks you can use with the taskbar that you might not know about, so here they are!

Windows Live Messenger

How to customize Windows Live Messenger

#5 / 2009-03-27 09:00:00 / 2:38 min.

Windows Live Messenger looks pretty good right out of the box, but there are lots of things that you can do to tweak, customize and personalize it. You can determine how the program looks and acts: Customize your sounds, colors, alerts, security settings and more. You can set a default download folder, block specific users, and check on your Internet connection. You can even add custom emoticons or change the background picture to give your Windows Live Messenger a new look.

Tutorials

How to create a Stack on the Mac

#143 / 2009-03-20 09:31:00 / 1:35 min.

Sometimes you have folders you use a lot, like your Documents or movie folders. If you like you can put folders into the Dock and at that point they're called a "Stack." Stacks are handy to have and you can have as many as you want. They are a great way of getting quick access to the folders you use on a regular basis.

Tutorials

How to clean up your Windows Desktop

#142 / 2009-03-20 09:30:00 / 3:20 min.

You install programs, you create shortcuts, your programs create shortcuts. Before you know it your neat Windows Desktop is a battleground. You have to hunt to find anything other than the things you use most. Ah, but there is a solution.

Tutorials

How to clean up your Start menu in XP

#141 / 2009-03-19 09:31:00 / 3:14 min.

Every time you install a program it creates a folder. In general, you seldom if ever need those folders. If you keep the icons of the program you need most on your Desktop, then you can hide away all those folders. That makes your Start menu much easier to navigate.

Tutorials

How to change the folder icons on the Mac

#140 / 2009-03-19 09:30:00 / 2:01 min.

Mac folder icons suffer from the the B's: Blah, Bleh, and Blue. They're not very appealing to the eyes, but we don't have to live with them if we don't want to. It's a simple process to replace the blah icons with some colorful, sexy icons that tell you at a glance what the folder contains.

Rocking with Winamp

Change the look of Winamp with skins

#9 / 2009-03-19 09:00:00 / 2:27 min.

What's the point of having a media player if you can't have it look and feel the way you want it to? Winamp gives you loads of user configurable options so you can make it your own. It's easy to make Winamp look and act the way you want.

Beginner's Guide to Blogging with Blogger

Blog Privacy 101

#4 / 2009-03-19 09:00:00 / 2:47 min.

Your blog settings is where you can do things like change the title of your blog, add a description to go along with the title or even use your own custom domain for your blog. It's also where you can decide just who can see your blog - anyone on the Internet or select people who you invite. If you want to add additional authors to contribute stories and content to your blog you can do that in your settings as well. Your settings page is like the hub of your blog so make sure you take the time to go through them and create the functionality that you desire.

Rocking with Winamp

Tweaking Winamp the way you want pt. 2

#8 / 2009-03-18 09:00:00 / 3:00 min.

What's the point of having a media player if you can't have it look and feel the way you want it to? Winamp gives you loads of user configurable options so you can make it your own. It's easy to make Winamp look and act the way you want.

Beginner's Guide to Blogging with Blogger

Customizing your blog

#3 / 2009-03-18 09:00:00 / 2:38 min.

Gadgets are extra features that you can add to your Blogger blog. A gadget can be a photo-stream from Flickr, polls that your readers can participate in and even something as simple as a welcome message that your visitors will see every time they visit your site. Gadgets can be easily added and removed from your blog with just a couple of mouse clicks and they help you add even more of your own personality to share with your readers.

Rocking with Winamp

Tweaking Winamp the way you want pt. 1

#7 / 2009-03-17 09:00:00 / 2:24 min.

What's the point of having a media player if you can't have it look and feel the way you want it to? Winamp gives you loads of user configurable options so you can make it your own. It's easy to make Winamp look and act the way you want.

Tutorials

Make a Mac Program Start When Your Mac Starts

#135 / 2009-03-16 09:31:00 / 1:17 min.

Some Mac programs give you an easy way to make them start when you login. You just right-click on the program in the Dock and select Open at Login. With other programs however, you don't have that option. When that's the case there's still a way to have the program you want automatically start. Here's how.

Tutorials

Create an even smarter Smart Playlist in iTunes

#133 / 2009-03-13 09:30:00 / 1:50 min.

In an earlier tutorial we showed you how to create a Smart Playlist in iTunes. That works really well to give you a playlist that's always changing. But I think we can do that one better by having a playlist that always has you listening to something new.

Tutorials

Create a Quick Launch item

#114 / 2009-02-27 09:55:32 / 3:19 min.

That are lots of ways to start a program. You can find it in it's folder and click on the executable file. That's no fun especially when it's a program you use often. You could put program shortcuts all over your desktop, but that gets messy. So, for the programs you run most you can create a Quick Launch item that will appear in the Quick Launch bar that runs across the bottom of your Windows desktp... and here's how!

Tutorials

Create your own toolbar in Windows

#110 / 2009-02-23 09:00:00 / 2:11 min.

Windows provides you with lots of ways to get at your files, folders, and programs. Some ways are more complicated than others. If you'd like a really easy way to quickly access a folder or even a set of folders you can create your own toolbar. These toolbars can be accessed right from the Windows taskbar which makes them quick and easy.

Tutorials

Change icons in Windows XP

#109 / 2009-02-20 09:30:00 / 1:17 min.

Whether you want to change the way shortcut icons appear on your desktop or you want to change the appearance of a particular folder on your PC, changing the icon associated with that file or folder is a great way to customize your PC.

Tutorials

Change your desktop theme in Windows XP

#108 / 2009-02-19 09:30:00 / 1:50 min.

By default, Windows XP uses a blue color scheme, sets a desktop wallpaper you may or may not like. Customizing your PC by changing the color scheme, window appearance and other elements to give it a look and feel you like is easy in Windows XP.

Tutorials

Configure the Speed Dial Firefox extensions

#103 / 2009-02-12 09:00:00 / 2:32 min.

Speed dial is an addon for Firefox that gives you an easy way to visit frequently used sites. You can configure how many columns, how many rows, where prompts appear, and more. If left to the defaults the images that are displayed would be constantly changing, but here's a way to make nice, neat images that are easy to read.

Introduction to Flickr

Setting up your account

#2 / 2009-02-03 09:00:00 / 1:53 min.

Now that you've signed up for your Flickr account, it's time to get personal. Choose an image to upload and use as your buddy icon, select your own personal Flickr URL to share with family and friends and input as many or as few personal details as you'd like to share with the Flickr community at large.

Tutorials

Customize Windows with TuneUp Utilities

#95 / 2009-01-30 09:00:00 / 1:47 min.

Sometimes you just get tired of looking at the same old screen. With TuneUp Utilities you can completely change the look and feel of Windows XP. Everything from the system icons, the login and logout screens, the behavior of windows and more can be customized in just a few simple steps.

Google Reader and RSS feeds

Your personal feed preferences

#9 / 2009-01-29 09:00:00 / 2:15 min.

Delving into the Settings section of Google Reader, we have much more control over the way our feeds behave, how we want to read feeds and whether feeds or folders are shared or kept private. We also find out how to export our feeds from Google Reader and into another RSS reader.

Buying and Selling on eBay

Customize My eBay

#8 / 2009-01-14 09:00:00 / 2:25 min.

eBay users have their own personal section on the site called My eBay. It is the easiest way to keep track of any items you are selling or bidding on and purchasing history and gives you a window into the status of bids on items you're either watching or are interested to buy. In this tutorial we'll examine how to customize this section.

iPhone Basics

iPhone 3G Camera, photos, and setting wallpaper

#6 / 2009-01-12 09:00:00 / 4:14 min.

The iPhone 3G has a built in camera which offers some fun features. Your disembodied host voice, Andy Walker, runs down how to use the Camera and Photo applications to take pictures and do small edits. He also demonstrates how to set a favorite picture as your iPhone wallpaper.

Buying and Selling on eBay

Refine your eBay search results

#3 / 2009-01-07 09:00:00 / 2:16 min.

eBay allows you to further refine search results and find what you're looking for faster with eBay's search results viewing options. You can see a gallery of item pictures with text or even a page of just pictures for a window shopping feel. You can customize a variety of options to show the information exactly as you want them.

Tutorials

Alphabetizing your programs menu

#85 / 2008-12-19 09:00:00 / 1:24 min.

If you hate hunting through your growing list of software shortcuts in your programs menu, there is an easy way to arrange them in alphabetical order to save you time and hassle.

Firefox 101

Privacy and security in Firefox

#8 / 2008-12-17 09:00:00 / 3:02 min.

Digging into Firefox's settings a little, we can tell the browser how we want it to behave; this includes which applications Firefox uses to display content as well as how we want websites to appear within Firefox. We can set the default download location for files, change our home page and much more using the Options window in Firefox.

Firefox 101

Customize Firefox with Add-ons

#4 / 2008-12-11 09:00:00 / 2:51 min.

As it stands, Firefox is a good web browser and a viable alternative to the browsers that are bundled on Mac and Windows PCs. What really sets Firefox apart from other browsers though is the huge library of Add-ons. These are free "extensions" that change Firefox's behavior to better suit individual wants and needs in a web browser.
Permit us to demonstrate.

Tutorials

Getting a panoramic Desktop

#77 / 2008-12-11 09:00:00 / 1:29 min.

Need more space on your desktop but don't want to pony up for a bigger monitor? 360desktop is a fun interface enhancement software that offers a spacious panoramic view.

Tutorials

Change the appearance of Windows

#72 / 2008-12-05 09:30:00 / 3:00 min.

Tired of the way Windows looks on your PC? Using the Windows Appearance options, you can change it quickly and easily. You can make your PC harken back to the days before Windows XP and completely change the color scheme, background color and more.

Tutorials

TuneUp Utilities 2008 overview

#68 / 2008-12-03 09:30:00 / 3:00 min.

Just like your car, your computer needs scheduled maintenance in order to run smoothly. If your PC doesn't seem as fast as it once did perhaps it needs a tuneup. The appropriately named TuneUp Utilities 2008 can help.

Making the Move to Mac

System preferences

#5 / 2008-11-28 09:00:00 / 2:19 min.

Your Mac isn't your Mac until you've customized it. System Preferences is where you need to be in order to do that. We'll run you through where you go to make changes to your desktop wallpaper, to change your screen saver, set up printers, Bluetooth, your Internet connection and more.

Tutorials

Change Folder and Shortcut Icons

#59 / 2008-11-26 09:31:00 / 2:00 min.

Changing the icons of the folders and shortcuts you use often is an easy way to customize, personalize and update the look of your desktop.

Beginner's guide to YouTube

Staying organized on YouTube

#7 / 2008-11-25 09:00:00 / 1:59 min.

As you start uploading videos to YouTube to reside among the millions of hours of footage the site already contains, you'll want to keep your videos organized. Organizing your videos and updating your personal information on YouTube makes it easier for other YouTubers to find you on the site. Whether that's a good thing or not comes down to perspective.

Tutorials

Create a folder shortcut in Windows

#55 / 2008-11-24 13:39:17 / 1:20 min.

It's easy to create a shortcut on your desktop that points to a folder on your computer. You may have a Downloads folder buried away on your PC; creating a desktop shortcut means you'll always have quick and easy access to said folder.

Beginner's guide to YouTube

Customizing your YouTube home

#6 / 2008-11-24 09:00:00 / 3:27 min.

Every YouTuber gets his or her own dedicated channel. By default, this channel shares the same look and feel of YouTube and is named simply with your user name. However, roll up your sleeves as it's time to customize your YouTube channel by changing everything from content to layout, color to page name.

Tutorials

How to customize the system tray in Vista

#54 / 2008-11-21 11:27:38 / 1:39 min.

Windows Vista can be customized to better suit the way you work. The system tray can be modified so that it shows the icons you need quick access to like the system volume and clock while hiding those you don't often need. Here, we'll demonstrate how to customize your system tray in Windows Vista with tips that also translate to other versions of Windows.

Tutorials

How to remove gadgets from the Vista sidebar

#52 / 2008-11-19 09:43:34 / 1:10 min.

Windows Vista includes a bunch of interesting or superfluous (depending on your perspective) features. One of those is the Windows Vista Sidebar. The Sidebar displays a few gadgets by default. They may not be the gadgets you want though. Today we'll show you how to remove gadgets from the Vista Sidebar or, if you subscribe to the superfluous school of thought as outlined above, how to remove it entirely.

Tutorials

Change what the power buttons do in Windows

#51 / 2008-11-18 09:30:00 / 1:38 min.

Customizing your power scheme in Windows helps to conserve energy and also adapts your PC to the way you work. We'll show you how to change what the power button does in Windows and also, how to tweak your power settings to get the most out of your laptop's battery.

Tutorials

Change your desktop wallpaper in Windows

#50 / 2008-11-18 09:15:00 / 1:06 min.

In previous tutorials, we've tweaked Windows by changing the default sound scheme, customizing Windows Vista colors, creating your own photo screen saver and more. In this tutorial we cover how to quickly and easily change your desktop wallpaper from the default options provided in Windows to something more personal and fitting for you.

Beginner's guide to YouTube

Get to know YouTube's home page

#2 / 2008-11-18 09:00:00 / 2:09 min.

Now that you've got a YouTube account it's time to customize the homepage with the content you want to see front and center. Once you've added, removed or shuffled content around on your YouTube homepage, you'll be greeted by your own personalized YouTube portal whenever you log in. This is a great way to keep track of what your network has been up to since you last logged in.

Tutorials

Understanding Windows Explorer view modes

#45 / 2008-11-13 13:27:37 / 2:12 min.

The way Windows presents your files and folders isn't always the best way. In addition to the default icons view, you can have Windows list your files as a list; useful for folders containing a lot of files, as a series of thumbnails or as a filmstrip, useful for folders containing pictures.
When you're working with Windows Explorer you can view files in a variety of ways by toggling through the different view modes.

Tutorials

How to change a drive letter in Windows

#44 / 2008-11-13 12:13:00 / 2:22 min.

When talking about working with Windows, everyone seems to make reference to the "C drive." But did you know that you can change the drive letter of any drive in Windows, provided it's not already in use? If you'd like to change any of the default drive letters on your computer you can do so in a few, simple steps.

Tutorials

How to customize the Start Menu in Windows Vista

#21 / 2008-10-31 09:00:00 / 1:50 min.

Your computer isn't really your computer until you customize it to the way you like to work. That means everything from installing the programs you like to use, changing your desktop wallpaper, changing the Windows color scheme and customizing the Windows Start Menu. In this tutorial, we'll look at the latter.

Tutorials

Getting colorful

#12 / 2008-10-29 15:07:23 / 1:05 min.

When you first boot up Windows Vista, your desktop will look like every other Windows Vista desktop. With a few simple steps, it's easy to customize the color and appearance of the Windows Start menu, taskbar and window borders to personalize your Windows Vista environment.

Tutorials

Turn off Aero effects in Windows Vista

#10 / 2008-10-29 00:00:00 / 1:02 min.

Windows Vista's Aero effects make for impressive eye candy. However, this graphical feast comes at a cost to system performance. We'll show you how to turn off some or all of these of these features and improve system performance at the same time.

Facebook for grownups

Setting privacy on your Facebook account

#5 / 2008-10-28 00:00:00 / 3:38 min.

Facebook's privacy settings allows you to set up privacy on many aspects of your profile. We'll show you how to set these privacy settings to block people from viewing your profile, as well as show you how you can play with the settings to be as visible or invisible as you would like to be. You can also seem more about Facebook's privacy policy.

Lab Rats

Transform XP into Vista

#77 / 2007-06-18 17:00:00 / 17:28 min.

Andy and Sean retrofit a Windows XP machine to look and work like Vista.

Customizing your Tumblr account

If you've ever wanted to do more with your Tumblr account then we've got some tricks to show you. In this series we'll show you how to change your Tumblr theme, use the Tumblr directory and use the Tumblr bookmarklet. We'll also show you how to access Tumblr on your iPhone so you can post to Tumblr from wherever you are.

How to keep your Facebook account private and secure

If you have

Facebook security concerns

then we have some quick and easy advice on how to

secure your Facebook account

. In this series we'll cover all sorts of

Facebook security issues

from your

Facebook default privacy settings

to

blocking users on Facebook

and

making your Facebook posts private

.

The Finer Points of Facebook

Molly McDonald runs us through the Finer Points of Facebook. She demonstrates everything from

untagging yourself from unflattering photos

,

super charging your privacy settings

, creating your own

Facebook family page, adding a

Facebook badge to your site or blog

and even

hiding parts of your profile

from certain people, like your

boss, your co-workers... or your Mom

. In this 10-part series, Molly runs down tips that will make you a

Facebook power user

in no time.

Gmail 201: Intermediate Studies

Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan runs us through Gmail Intermediate Studies in this 10-part tutorial series. Learn how to

tweak your Gmail inbox, use labels, colors and filters in Gmail, get offline Gmail access with Google Gears

and much more. If you've watched our 10-part Gmail for Beginners tutorial series and are ready to

take control of your inbox

, the Doc abides with Gmail 201.

Pimp my PC

Lucas Cochran helps you

customize, personalize and trick out that boring beige box PC

. With everything from theme packs, cold cathode lighting, case mods, skins, stickers, markers, paint and just about anything you can imagine, Lucas makes your erstwhile weak PC into something you'll want to show off at a LAN party.

Understanding and Editing the Windows Registry

The

Windows Registry

has long been the domain of geeks and PC tweakers. However, it's nowhere near as complicated as you might think. With this

five-part video how-to

, Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan explains and shows you

how to edit the Windows Registry

safely and effectively.

Control which programs and services start with Windows

,

speed up a slow PC

and just generally

take control of the Windows Registry

. With these

practical Registry tips and tweaks

, you'll go from Registry editing newbie to pro in five video steps.

Items Tagged with customize

how to change the default Android keyboard

change your Android home screen

live wallpaper

custom ringtones for your Android smartphone

free Ringdroid app

assign custom ringtones to your contacts

Android smartphones

Android smartphone

change your SMS notification sound

Android smartphone widgets

customize what information is displayed

how to add and manage your widgets

HP TouchPad

accounts and applications

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections

customize your Android smartphone

change your Android's look

Android Settings

hide your number during calls

create a blocked numbers list

Macintosh computers

expansion slots

PCI Express slots

change the video card

add USB ports

change the settings

Windows Phone 7 device

Using the HTC HD7

system settings

personalize your phone

application settings

iTunes songs

create a ringtone for your iPhone

make ringtones out of your favorite songs

how to use bit.ly

share multiple links with friends

how to create a bit.ly bundle

shortening your URLs

share multiple websites

customize your YouTube iPhone app

shortcuts to YouTube menus

application settings

access whatever videos you want to watch

check in to places

share your location

disable those features

protect your Facebook privacy

disabling places

Tumblr account

Tumblr page

change your Tumblr theme

customize your theme's appearance

myPhoneDesktop application

desktop client

myPhoneDesktop settings

setting alerts

Ubuntu installed

software packages

Ubuntu tips

how to create a Mii

playing Wii games

create and customize your Mii

control your Mii

installed Ubuntu

how to customize your settings

tweak Ubuntu

how to use the Dashboard

create a post

view your followers

customize your Tumblr account

track your Tumblarity rating

see your Tumblr rank

customize your Tumblr account

import feeds to your Tumblr

advanced account options

change your time zone

enable high-res photos

open links in new windows

customize your Tumblr account