WanderPlayer Turns Your Smartphone Into a Controller for Flash Games [Video]
Android/iPhone and Windows/Mac: Many Flash-based games would work better with a retro controller than a keyboard and mouse. The free app WanderPlayer turns your iPhone or Android phone into a controller that already works with 100 popular web games right now with more on the way.
The games vary from Classic Mario to Cannonball (via AOL Kids) to Robot Unicorn (via Adult Swim). Many are retro-styled sidescrollers. If you enjoy playing games such as this you'll probably appreciate the added control and if your kids are old enough to have your hand-me-down phone they'll get a kick out of it as well.
Keep in mind that WanderPlayer is currently in open beta so a glitch may be found here or there. That said, the developers seem to respond quickly to bugs and feedback. You may want to give it a try if you play a lot of these types of games.
Add a Fleece Lining to Bandannas to Prevent Frostbite While Enjoying Snow Sports [Weekend Project]
If you enjoy spending time in the outdoors skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, or enjoying other snow sports and don't like wearing a full ski-mask you can protect your face by sewing a fleece insert into a bandanna that you wear on your face.
Instructables user mathiemom came up with the idea when her teenage children wanted to wear bandannas instead of ski masks. Apparently it is fashionable for many professional snowboarders and skiers to cover their face with bandannas. She sewed a fleece cutout shaped to fit their face to the bandanna and shows that you can leave the ends to tie with a square knot or use velcro.
If you're a beginning sewer this project won't overwhelm you—you can even hand sew the bandanna in a pinch. For full details see the writeup and step-by-step photos at the source link below.
Frozen Garlic and Onion Purees Save Time and Money [Food Hacks]
Some people end up buying and peeling an onion and a head of garlic when they only need a portion of that for their recipe and end up tossing the rest, only to need it again a few days later. Freezing a puree of garlic, onion, and olive oil means that not only do you avoid this wasteful routine, but you can prepare several months worth when the ingredients are on sale.
Culinary weblog Vegetarian Perspective came up with the idea originally to placate children who were picky eaters. The adults wanted their food to be flavored with onions and garlic and pureeing them gave the flavor without the bits of onion and garlic for the kids to pick out.
The other thing I like about this method is the time savings. Instead of spending five minutes peeling and chopping I just remove an ice cube or two of puree and let it thaw in the pan. Sure you may only get 75% of the flavor, but for busy weeknight meals it gets the job done. The author of the post at Vegetarian Perspective didn't have any ice cube trays handy so they poured the puree into a cake pan and scored the frozen mass into sections as soon as the puree begins to freeze.
True gourmands will probably scoff at this method, but I think it's worth having in your culinary arsenal.
Whether you're looking for a way to catch the big game this weekend when you're away from your living room, or you just like to catch live television when you're trapped somewhere without either cable or a television, you have plenty of options to help you catch a broadcast on your mobile phone or your computer. Here's a look at five of the best ways to tune in when you're on the go.
Earlier in the week we asked how you tune into live television that you're subscribed to on your mobile device or when you're not in front of the big screen. You responded, and now we're back to take a look at the top five, based on your nominations.
When you need to stream audio or video around the house, to your mobile device, or across the globe when you're away from home, Orb can certainly deliver. We mentioned Orb several times, and it's still a great way to stream your media from your computer to other devices in your home, or, if you're willing to pay for an Orb appliance to connect to your cable box or HTPC, stream live TV or recorded TV to any other device on or off of your home network. Orb supports video up to 720p, and gives you the flexibility to watch live sports, prime time TV shows, or anything else that's currently airing in your living room on your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop over Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G when you can't be in the living room to enjoy it. Pricing varies depending on whether you need hardware (between $79-$99 for the set-top box) to connect to your TV and home network, or you already have a TV tuner in your HTPC (the Orb Live and Orb Caster software are both free, but the mobile apps are $9.99.)
Where other live TV streaming solutions offer complexity, Slingbox offers elegant simplicity. The Slingbox from Sling Media is a set-top box that connects to your TV and your cable or satellite receiver that makes it easy for you to effectively log in to your TV at home and watch live TV on your computer or mobile device as though you were sitting in front of your TV. You can change channels, browse TV listings, and even set your home DVR to record TV that you won't make it home in time to watch. The Slingbox comes in two flavors, the Slingbox Solo and the Slingbox Pro-HD (which predictably supports HD and additional devices connected to it) and will set you back $179.99 to $299.99 (not including extended support options). You'll also need to drop $29.99 for the SlingPlayer app to control your Slingbox from your smartphone or tablet, but the price buys you one of the most feature-rich and hassle-free live TV streaming solutions on the market.
Elgato's EyeTV line of TV tuners and live TV software were, for a long time, the only option for Mac users who were looking for an easy way to use their Macs as TV tuners or HTPCs. They're not the only options anymore, but they're certainly one of the best, and if you plug a TV source in to an EyeTV and then the EyeTV into your Mac via USB, you want watch live TV right there on your computer screen. Combine an EyeTV tuner or DVR with the EyeTV app on your mobile device, and you can stream live or pre-recorded TV on your mobile device when you're out of the house. The EyeTV app will set you back $4.99 in the iTunes App Store for any iOS device, and the tuners vary in price from $99 to $199 depending on whether you need a DTV tuner, a DTV and HD tuner, a tuner with a DVR inside, or a Wi-Fi enabled tuner that can wirelessly stream TV to other devices in your home.
The Vulkano Flow may not be one of the most well known set-top tuners on the market, but it's definitely one of the most powerful. For $99.99, the Vulkano Flow is an easy to install and set up device that connects to your cable or satellite tuner, supports HD video, and your home network to allow you to wirelessly watch live TV on your iOS or Android device on your home network or when you're away via 3G or 4G. You get complete control over your home TV, so you can switch channels, browse a built-in programming guide (that you don't have to pay extra to view), and even connect to other video inputs like a DVR or HTPC and control that as well. Vulkano offers desktop players for Mac OS and Windows (Free), and mobile players for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry ($12.99.)
Hauppage is an old name in TV tuners, and the company is still going strong by offering a range of products to HTPC enthusiasts who want to build their own devices to stream, save, and watch live and recorded television and to people who would rather buy a set-top box to handle the streaming for them. Those of you who nominated the WinTV mentioned that you can easily install a WinTV tuner in your HTPC and download the WinTV application on your HTPC and iOS or Android device to stream TV from your HTPC to your device. Pricing varies depending on which tuner you'd like, whether you want HD video, and whether you want an internal or USB tuner to install at all or you'd just prefer a set-top box like the Hauppage Broadway ($199), but the WinTV Extend app you'll need to stream from your Tuner will set you back $9.95, and the mobile apps are free (although they only support Wi-Fi.)
Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all out vote for the winner.
Honorable mentions this week go out to streaming TV sites like Justin.tv, which many of you said you use to stream your own TV shows to the web so you can catch them when you're away from home, and to The NFL's website, which many of you noted is indeed streaming the big game on their own. Finally, since we mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security had shut down FirstRowSports' primary domain, many of you made note of the fact that the site is still up and running on a different URL.
Have a favorite method that didn't get the nominations needed to make the top five? Want to make a case for it, or for your favorite of the nominees above? Sound off in the comments below.
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:00:00 PST
Throw Together a Last-Minute Super Bowl Party [Super Bowl]
Perhaps you've realized that all your friends are busy and no one you know is throwing a party except that one guy from work you don't want to hang out with. Or just maybe you don't know a football from a volleyball and want to have an excuse for a party. Either way we've got you covered.
Tweak or Upgrade Your TV
If you're going all out for this party, perhaps you've even talked yourself into buying a new HDTV with a huge display. Follow our guide to calibrating your HDTV and boosting your video quality in 30 minutes or less to make sure you've got everything setup properly. If you've got your computer hooked up to your TV, you can also stream the game live from NBC. You may want to stream the game on a nearby computer anyway, according to NBC there will be special camera angles just for the streaming version.
Football and beer go together like tortilla chips and queso—neither of them were originally meant for the other, but now that they've been mixed you never want to go back to life without the combo. About.com gives great tips on what kinds of beer to serve (I like their tip to get a few fresh growlers of local beer) and since you're on a tight deadline you'll definitely want to see Gizmodo's post on 3 ways to chill your Super Bowl beer fast. Also keep in mind that you may want to have a case or two of cheaper macrobrew beer to supplement if you run out of your fancy stuff. Yuengling is my go-to cheap beer. Also check out About.com's pairing of beers with the four basic food groups of the Super Bowl party (hot wings, meat, chips and dip/salsa, and hero sandwiches)
Nothing Says "Super Bowl Party" Like Betting Money
Sure it's technically illegal, but how many Super Bowl celebrations don't involve betting? You can go with the traditional method and make a 100-spot block pool but that can take guests a while to place their bets and there's more accounting for everyone. If you and your guests aren't huge statistics nerds you may want to consider running Yahoo's suggestion of an Idiot Bowl which only needs 10 people with $10 each and since it's completely random no football knowledge is needed to have a chance at winning. Either way, if you have some sort of betting make sure you have plenty of single bills, fives, and possibly quarters on hand to make change with. If someone wants to participate but doesn't have cash you can use Paypal or other similar services but make sure they cover the service fees!
Super Bowl Food: Beyond Hot Wings and Hero Sandwiches
Sure, it's probably in your state legislature that you have to have hot wings and sub/hero sandwiches (aka grinders) at your Super Bowl Party. But expand a bit and check out this bevy of snacks recommended by Lifehacker readers. If you'd planned ahead, maybe you could have something as cool as Break.com's snack stadium, but you'll probably have to set your sights lower with the kickoff just hours away.
Maybe you're just in this for the cheap beer and hot wings? We recommend our guide to Super Bowl party tips for non-football fans to make sure you cater to both hardcore fans and casual party goers. If you want to sound like you know what's going on you might want to check out WikiHow's guide to pretending you understand football.
So don't fear—you can throw an impromptu Super Bowl party that's a blast for those who watch the game and those who watch mainly commercials. Just get plenty of beer/food and read Lifehacker and you'll do fine.
Use Colorblind Assistant to Identify Whatever Color Your Cursor is Pointing At (Windows) If you're colorblind or just need to constantly know what colors are on your screen the free program Colorblind Assistant might be for you. The program tells you whatever color is displayed at the current location of your mouse/trackpad pointer.
CCleaner for Mac Comes Out of Beta, Adds New Browser and Disk Cleaning Features (Mac OS X) CCleaner for Mac has been in beta for awhile, but now Mac users can enjoy the final version of our favorite Windows utilities. If you're a little starved for disk space or just want to engage in some early Spring cleaning on your Mac, CCleaner is now finished, stable, and ready to help you out.
Waze for Android Updates, Adds New Maps, Driver-Friendly UI, and More Social Features (Android) Waze, our pick for the best turn-by-turn navigation app for Android, updated today to include an entirely new UI that minimizes buttons and tools so they're all accessible under one spring-out on-screen menu, easier-to-navigate maps that you can now easily spin around and navigate with one hand, and new location-based information from services like Yelp and FourSquare.
Simplify is an All-In-One Desktop Controller for iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio (Mac OS X) Mini-player apps like previously mentioned Bowtie or GeekTool are great, though they usually only support one or two media players-which isn't great for music junkies that might use multiple programs. Simplify is a simple desktop controller and shortcut customizer that controls iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio.
PacApt Brings Arch Linux's Amazing Manager to Other Linux Distributions (Linux) It's no secret that we love Arch Linux, and one of Arch's best features is the simple, easy-to-use package manager, Pacman. Here's how to get Pacman's simple command structure in other Linux distributions.
Syncly Automatically Uploads Every Photo You Take to Dropbox (Android) Syncly keeps watch over your Android's SD card, automatically uploading new photos to Dropbox as soon as you take them-so you don't need to do anything to keep everything synced to the cloud.
Dashlane Securely Manages Passwords, Form info, and Even Purchases For You (and We'ev Got Invites) (Windows/Mac) There are plenty of services that promise to keep your passwords safe, secure, and synchronized across devices behind a single master password that you can remember, but Dashlane is a new service that does that, audits those passwords for strength, saves your form information for quick entry on new web sites, and even keeps track of the purchases you make with that information so you can see it all in one view-one that's only available to you, not even DashLane employees.
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 PST
Give Each Day a Dinner Theme to Help Plan Family Menus [Meal Planning]
If you try to plan advance monthly or bi-weekly menus it can be difficult to balance variety with the staples that everyone enjoys. Parenting weblog Simple Mom recommends establishing a theme for each day of the week such as pizza day or crock pot meals day. That way you know what type of meal you need for all of your open slots and your family knows what to expect at most meals.
If you're having a weekly pizza day this also makes it easy to stock up on bulk pizza ingredients. The author at Simple Mom tends to use the same theme days for a season and then switch things up. At the time of her post in April 2009 this was her current selection:
M0ndays - pasta
Tuesdays - soup, salad, and/or sandwiches
Wednesdays - stir fry
Thursdays - crock pot
Fridays - pizza
Saturdays - something new
Sundays - something easy
You can see in the source link below how this weekly theme is expanded to simplify making a month's menu plan.
If you're trying to get ahead with meal preparation consider using this technique to save money buy buying in bulk and saving time by efficient planning. You can include ethnic cuisine categories, preparation styles, or any other criteria that will result in a better meal selection. Photo by o5com
Elpis is a Lightweight Desktop Client for Pandora [Windows Downloads]
Windows: Sure the default web client for Pandora is nice, but some of us want to have a desktop version to not take up a tab and memory in our browser of choice. The open source desktop client Elpis does a good job of keeping the essential functions of Pandora active while not using as many resources.
Developer Adam Haile created Elpis to work with any Windows OS running .NET 4.0 framework which means it'll run on Windows XP w/ Service Pack 3, Vista, and Windows 7.
Elpis works equally well on free or paid accounts and includes a laundry list of features: view/sort/select stations, cover and artist art, thumbs up/down and tired of this song buttons, it can minimize to your system tray, create a new station from the currently-playing song or artist, media key support, and automatically playing the station listened to upon launch.
If you're a frequent Pandora user but don't like the amount of memory the official Flash HTML5 client uses you may want to give this a try.
Use the 70/30 Rule to Keep Fish From Sticking to Your Grill [Video]
Many grilling aficionados don't try grilling large fish such as salmon, tuna, or shark as they're afraid the fish will stick to the grill. Culinary site Chow.com recommends using the 70/30 rule when grilling fish: cook the flesh side down first for 70% of the total cooking time, then flip the fish over to the skin side for the last 30%.
The extra time spent grilling on the flesh side will help the flesh develop a crust over the entire surface of the fish. That way when you pull the skin side off the grill it should keep the skin and flesh sides from tearing.
Protect Rubber Gloves from Sharp Fingernails with Cotton Balls [Clever Uses]
If you use rubber gloves for washing dishes or cleaning and have sharp nails, you run a chance of your nails puncturing the gloves and causing leaks. Household simplicity site Real Simple recommends adding a cotton ball to each finger of your gloves to provide a cushion that should keep your nails from puncturing the gloves.
Readers with long nails, what other tips or tricks do you have for making life with sharp fingernails easier? Post in the comments below.
We noted yesterday that the new Snow Leopard Update Breaks Rosetta and that a group of high-schoolers had released a third-party fix. Fortunately, the wizards of Cupertino have either corrected this problem themselves or used the third-party fix—either way, the newest version of that update (Security Update 2012-001 v1.1) is now available on Apple's site or using the Software update function.
Apparently the patch to the ImageIO code was the cause of the break. Further detail can be found at the source link below. Photo by Macpedia
Android: We've covered the free Aviaryonlineimageeditor several times—it is robust enough to work for most people who want to tweak their photos but don't require a full version of Photoshop or GIMP. They've just released a plugin for Android that brings the same functions to your phone or tablet so now you don't have to transfer the image to your computer before editing.
Keep in mind that Aviary is a plugin, not an app. This means that instead of launching from the home screen you will instead go into your photo gallery, select a photo, and select the ‘Share or Edit' option—Aviary will be one of the options.
All the usual tweaks are here: cropping (custom sizes and standard print sizes), adjustments of brightness/contrast/saturation/sharpness, flip or rotate the photo's orientation, red-eye removal, teeth whitening, and blemish removal as well as more advanced effects like auto-enhance, night-enhance, and the ability to draw or add text to the image. There are also a few effects packs available such as the Grunge effects and Nostalgia effects packs that add Instamatic-like photo tweaks.
If you're an Android user and don't already have an image editor you should definitely consider giving this one a try, especially given Aviary's commitment to improving their online image editors.
Aviary Photo Editor (plugin) is a free download from the Android Market.
Top 10 Ways to Travel Smarter, Safer, and Cheaper [Lifehacker Top 10]
A vacation can range anywhere from a dream to a nightmare. While some of that depends on circumstance, there's plenty you can do to make your travel easier, more efficient, and more fun. Here are our top 10 favorite tips, tricks, and hacks to help make your next trip really great.
10. Pack Your Bags More Efficiently
A well-packed bag is one of the best ways to make traveling quite a bit more comfortable. If your stuff takes up less space, you can take a smaller bag—which is especially useful if you're flying and don't want to check your luggage—or you can just leave room for anything you might buy on your trip. Either way, it helps to know how to pack like a flight attendant. They fly all the time, so they've learned to be efficient. For the most part it involves rolling your clothing to fit more and avoid wrinkles, along with packing items in the most efficient order. If that's not your style, you can always try the bundled wrapping method or take some tips from author and super-light traveler Tim Ferriss.
9. Find a Cheap Place to Stay by Renting an Apartment
When I planned an awesome last-minute vacation on the cheap, I saved a ton of money by using a home-renting service called Airbnb. By now you've probably heard of it, or something similar like VRBO and HomeAway, but if you have yet to give it a try you should consider it on your next trip. Not only can you grab an enormous, wonderful place for the price of—or even less than—a hotel room, but you'll even save food on trip costs because most places will have a kitchen where you can cook your own food (if you want to). You are renting from individuals, in most cases, so you will want to read reviews and choose a reputable place in a good area. Also, be sure to ask the owner any questions you may have ahead of time so you don't run into any problems when you arrive. With those things in mind, you should end up having a really great experience for less money.
8. Get a Better Rewards Card and Fly Cheap (or Free)
Travel rewards credit cards are no secret, but if you're going to try and earn miles you should have the best travel rewards card possible. As was explained in the Ultimate Travel Hacking Guide, often times you can sign up for an airline-branded credit card that will award you with several thousand miles as a bonus. Generally you will end up with enough miles to fly for free right away. Earning miles slowly and steadily isn't bad, but if you really want to get some cheap (or free) tickets you'll find the most success by picking the right cards.
7. Easily Refill Your Travel-Sized Items
Travel-sized containers are really useful when you need to pack things like toothpaste, suntan lotion, and other tube-based items. If you're flying, it's particularly important because the TSA limits how much liquid you can take with you on the plane. Whether you're trying to save space or play along with the security theater performed by the Transportation Security Administration, buying tons of tiny tubes can get a little expensive. Instead of making several repeats purchases, just make yourself as simple tube refiller out of sugru. This way you can buy one travel size and refill it using a larger size, allowing you to buy in bulk and save some cash.
6. Compare Transportation Type Costs to Find the Cheapest Method
We make a lot of assumptions about the cheapest method of travel, but sometimes reality can surprise you. When you're deciding how you're going to travel, be sure to check all your options. Sometimes driving may seem cheaper, but the cost difference won't be worth the enormous increase in travel time. To find out, use this time and cost comparison calculator to discover which method of travel is best for you. Perhaps you won't be surprised after all, but it's worth a look to quickly find out if the better option isn't what you think.
5. Get Discounts at Retail Stores by Asking for a Tourist Discount Card
While it won't be an option everywhere you go, it's a good idea to ask if a store offers a tourist discount card to get discounts up to 11% on your purchases. Generally, all you have to do is show your out-of-state (or country) ID and you'll get a card to use with your purchases. This practice is most common at larger retailers and department stores, such as Macy's and Bloomingdales. You don't have to haggle—just ask.
4. Ask Retail Stores to Ship Your Purchases Home to Avoid Taxes and an Overstuffed Suitcase
While shopping isn't necessarily a primary attraction for everyone on vacation, most people come home with something new they picked up along the way. These items can be hard to fit in your suitcase, but most stores will ship them home for you for a small fee. Depending on how much you buy, this fee can be smaller than tax—which you won't have to pay at many stores if your order is being shipped out of state. It can save you money and hassle while traveling, so be sure to ask to have your order shipped home whenever possible.
3. Pack These Items for Added Security When Traveling
Being a tourist can be risky, because you're suddenly thrown into a new environment you don't know. For some additional peace of mind, there are a few items you can pack to boost your safety. A secure bag or purse can help deter a robber. A rubber door stop can provide additional security in your room. An RFID-blocking wallet can help shield your passport from identity thieves. These are all pretty negligible items to bring with you, and there are more options if you want them.
When you travel, your home is particularly vulnerable, regardless of whether you live in a house or an apartment. It isn't too hard to protect your home while you're away, however, by taking a few simple precautions. You can turn your Windows PC or Mac and webcam into a DIY security system. You can use motion-sensing lights and leave the radio on to appear like you're home. And just in case the worst happens, it's good to create a home inventory so you're ready to provide it to your insurance company should you need to make a claim.
Traveling is so much easier when you're prepared to explore a new destination. While you don't want to spend too much of your time behind a screen, it's a good idea to prepare your laptop and smartphone for your trip so you have tools to help you discover great new experiences. This means having your geek vacation checklist in order, getting useful apps on your phone (here are some suggestions for Android and iPhone, knowing where to find free Wi-Fi, and keep track of your itinerary with a service like TripIt. If you don't let your technology become a distraction on your vacation, it can be an incredible asset to help make your trip far more fun and memorable.
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:00:00 PST
Replace a Wooden Knife Handle [Repairs]
If you break the handle on your favorite kitchen knife you will probably either look forward to shopping for a new knife or wish you could give your trusty knife a new handle yourself. For those who'd rather fix what they have, you can remove the pieces of the old handle with a hacksaw and then you can cut and attach a new handle.
After removing the old handle, Instructables user canuckinjapan instructs you to use am older piece of wood that is mostly dry for the new handle. Cut the wood in the rough shape of the handle, then cut a slot down the center of the wood block to fit the blade. At this point you'll want to pare down the wood with files to get the exact shape you're looking for and then drill holes to match the holes in the blade. Finally insert two pieces of heavy gauge copper wire in the holes in the knife, cut the ends of the wire, and use a bit of epoxy glue to seal the handle.
See the step-by-step construction photos and more complete instructions visit the source link below.
Upgrade and Speed Up Your Computer This Weekend [Weekendhacker]
It's a sad fact of life that over time, all of our computers get a little bit slower. Before you start shelling out for a new machine, take some time this weekend to perform some maintenance tasks, upgrade a single piece of hardware, or even overclock your machine for a little speed boost.
These certainly aren't the only ways to speed up your machine, but they're some of the methods we've found most reliable (and with the biggest speed bumps). Got any speed-boosting tips of your own that you couldn't live without? Share them with us in the comments.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 PST
Remains of the Day: Poland Stands up to ACTA [For What It's Worth]
Poland thinks twice about passing ACTA, Google will no longer use CDMA devices as developer units, and a new study begs the question, "Do iOS apps crash more frequently than Android apps?"
Do iOS Apps Crash More Than Android Apps? A Data Dive:A study shows that between December 1 - 15, iOS apps crashed slightly (emphasis on slightly) more than Android apps: however, with so many variables playing a part in the study, it is impossible to pin-point any exact reasons for the crashes. [Forbes]
Snow Leopard Update Breaks Rosetta, Third Party Offers Fix:Due to a recent Snow Leopard update, many applications that relied on Rosetta have experienced various errors, glitches, and crashes. Thankfully, a group of high-schoolers have released a third-party fix that eliminates many of these errors. [Macworld]
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:00 PST
Practice Multiple Skills at a Time Instead of Focusing on One for Greater Results [Learning]
Wired's Garth Sundem sat down with the Robert Bjork, director of UCLA's Learning and Forgetting Lab, to discuss how you can best "[pack] things in your brain in a way that keeps them from leaking out". What he learned? A lot of our basic assumptions are wrong.
For example, rather than blocking out chunks of time to focus on improving one skill or subject, Bjork says you're much better off by interleaving skill sets. As an example, Sundem explains that if you're trying to improve your tennis serve, you're better off working to improve your entire game than focusing specifically on your serve:
Instead of making an appreciable leap forward with your serving ability after a session of focused practice, interleaving forces you to make nearly imperceptible steps forward with many skills. But over time, the sum of these small steps is much greater than the sum of the leaps you would have taken if you'd spent the same amount of time mastering each skill in its turn.
Bjork explains that successful interleaving allows you to "seat" each skill among the others. "If information is studied so that it can be interpreted in relation to other things in memory, learning is much more powerful," he said. There's one caveat: Make sure the mini skills you interleave are related in some higher-order way. If you're trying to learn tennis, you'd want to interleave serves, backhands, volleys, smashes, and footwork - not serves, synchronized swimming, European capitals, and programming in Java.
Check out the full post over at Wired's GeekDad, which also clears the air on a few other common learning misconceptions.
The iPad's Split Keyboard Has a Few Hidden Buttons that Make Typing Easier [Ios Tips]
You've no doubt seen the split keyboard that iOS 5 brought to the iPad, but it turns out it has a few hidden buttons on the edges. Here's how they work.
My biggest gripe with the split keyboard was that it forced me to type certain letters—like T or Y—with certain hands. Depending on what I'm typing, sometimes I prefer reaching to T with my right hand, or Y with my left. It turns out, though, that Apple actually lets you do that with the split keyboard—you just don't see the keys. Try it: tap and drag the keyboard key in the bottom right corner to split the keyboard, then tap next to the Y key. It should type the letter T. Now the split keyboard is quite a bit more enticing!
How to Install Carrier-Blocked Market Apps on Any Android Phone [How To]
Many carriers these days are blocking apps from the Market, like Google Wallet or Wireless Tether. Droid Life shows us a super easy way to install them on your unrooted phone.
Note that this only works for blocked apps, not incompatible apps. If Google Wallet, for example, is listed as incompatible with your hardware, this trick won't work. It'll only work for devices that it's compatible with but blocked in the Market (like the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon).
We've discussed one way to do this before, but this new method works with any phone and doesn't require opening it up to pop out the SIM card. All you need to do is:
Search for the app in your phone's browser.
Click on the Android Market search result from Google (it should have a market.android.com URL).
When prompted, do not choose to open the link with "Market". Pick "Browser" instead.
Tap the "install" button from within the browser, and sign in to the Market if necessary (again, staying in the browser).
At this point, it should redirect you back to the Market page in the browser. You won't be able to hit Install, but if you tap the back button, you'll be prompted to open the Market again—this time, tap Market.
The Market page should open up as normal, and you can install it from there.
It looks like the carriers are really only blocking these apps from Market search results, not the Market itself. Of course, you can often find APKs for apps like this around the net (such as on Wireless Tether's Google Code page), but with other apps that may not be possible—and besides, this is way easier.
Daily App Deals: Get Baby ESP for Android for 60% Off in Today's App Deals [Deals]
The Daily App Deals post is a round-up of the best app discounts of the day, as well as some notable mentions for ones that are on sale.
The Best
Baby ESP (Amazon Appstore) Previously $4.99, now $1.99. Baby ESP for Android is the ultimate app for tracking anything and everything relating to your baby. You can keep statistics on nap lengths, bottle amounts and times, night sleep lengths, diaper usage, and more. The app even allows you to create custom fields to track any activity. Get it for $1.99. (via Apps-aholic)
Skype for Windows Can Now Video Chat with Facebook, Adds Group Screen Sharing and Push to Talk [Video]
The newest version of Skype lets you initiate IMs and video chat sessions with Facebook users, even if they aren't running Skype. It also includes group screen sharing, a push to talk feature, and HD video for certain webcams.
We mentioned some of these features when they came out in beta, but they've now made it to the stable version of Skype, so everyone can get in on them. All you need to do is connect your Facebook account to Skype, and you'll be able to view your news feed, message your friends, and start video chats with them. Premium users can also use the new group screen sharing feature, and all users can set up a "Push to Talk" hotkey in the app's preferences, which is perfect for chatting while playing video games. Lastly, if you have a Logitech C920 webcam, you can enable full HD video calling, since that camera supports video encoding inside the camera itself. Hit the link to read more.
This Week’s Most Popular Posts: January 28 - February 3 [Highlights]
This week we snagged a few more gigabytes of free Dropbox space, skipped out on unnecessary fees, made better use of our personal domains, and more. Here's a look back.
You can never have too much Dropbox space, and now for a special beta period you can grab some additional free space while Dropbox is testing their automatic photo and video uploading feature. More »
A simple mistake like overdrafting from your account can incur lots of unnecessary fees, making you lose money for, essentially, no reason. Similarly, by signing up for simple rewards programs or otherwise cleverly using your bank and credit card, you can get money from doing the things you already... More »
The internet can bring you a lot of joy, but it can also turn into a world of pain the moment you make one stupid mistake. Perhaps you've been feeding the trolls, using "password" as your password, or selling your soul for access to a "free" web app. More »
Dear Lifehacker,
Now that most phones have scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, do I really need a screen protector? Do they offer any additional protection from scratches? More »
You've probably heard too many times to count that "in this economy, you should be happy to have any job at all." Perhaps that's true, but that doesn't mean you can't try to find something better if you hate the job you've got. More »
Buying refurbished electronics can save you some dough, but it can also feel like a game of Russian roulette. In the case of Apple products, Lifehacker alum Rick Broida writes on CNET that it makes sense to choose refurbished every time. More »
You've registered a personal domain name because you thought you'd create a web site and never did. Or maybe you're just hosting a custom email address and you wish you were doing more. More »
Dear Lifehacker, In an attempt to lose some fat and get fit, I've started a new diet and exercise routine. It's been a few weeks and, although I do feel better, I haven't seen any physical signs of progress. More »
When you're applying for a new job, you often have to write a cover letter to accompany your resume and serve as an introduction to who you are. These letters must be brief yet compelling so you don't require much of the reader but still appear unique. More »
The new tab page built into Chrome (and soon, Firefox) is a nice touch, but it isn't incredibly customizable, nor is it particularly beautiful. If you're looking for something a little beyond what your browser's default start page has to offer, here are our favorite extensions and services that add... More »
If you have the opportunity to telecommute regularly, or even work from home every now and again, the temptation can be strong to just put your feet up and forget about work unless you have to check in occasionally and clear out your inbox or dial in to a meeting. More »
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:30:00 PST
The UNDFIND One Bag Transforms Into Whatever Kind of Messenger Bag You Need [Video]
The UNDFND One Bag looks like a designer messenger bag, but is far more dynamic and modular than you'd expect. The majority of the bag is modifiable, allowing you to transform it into the bag you need right now, rather than switching your gear in and out of a variety of different containers.
The One Bag is made of water-resistant neoprene and features several modifiable parts. Most notable is the front cover. It contains its own storage compartment and is completely removable, so you can store different items in different covers and simply swap them out when you need to change your bag's inventory. By default, the One Bag operates as a standard laptop bag, but with an insert you can turn it into a three-lens camera bag. There is also a waist shooter bag that you can use to carry additional lenses. It'll clip on to your belt, or you can use a strap to sling it over your shoulder. This back features exchangeable front covers as well. The covers come in multiple styles, so you don't have to switch them out for utilitarian purposes. If you get bored with one look, you can simply change to another.
However you decide to assemble it, the One Bag is very comfortable to wear. The padded strap makes the weight feel more gentle on your shoulder balances the bag well on your hip. Exchanging covers and inserts is very simply. It's handled by velcro, which seems like it wouldn't be terribly sturdy, but it because the seal is made on both sides and tucked into the bag it holds just as well as if it were sewn in. The only thing I found to be problematic is that the bottom of the photography insert has no bottom. This was intentional, in order to keep the insert's spacial requirements to a minimum, but I think that even a thin layer of fabric at the bottom would be nice just to make it easier to remove all the contents in one simple lift. That aside, the One Bag is very versatile, stylish, and comfortable. If it doesn't suit your needs one day, you can simply change it so it does.
Google Cloud Print: It's Actually Awesome, and Here's How to Set It Up [How To]
Google Cloud Print is an under-appreciated service that can send print jobs from virtually anywhere to a connected printer in any other location. Normally that involves tedious configuration on your network, but Cloud Print can do it in just a few minutes. It's really easy to set up, and there are a few things you can do to extend its support beyond the browser to make all your printing tasks a lot easier. Here's a look at what it can do, how you can set it up, and how to make it even better.
What You Can Do With Google Cloud Print
Google Cloud Print makes it possible to send any document or image to a printer from any location. For example, if you wanted to print out a letter at home while at work, you could use the service to send that letter to your home printer and have it waiting for you when you get back. Normally this kind of setup requires a tedious network configuration, but with Google Cloud Print you just click a few buttons and you're done. The service can also print web pages and other documents to PDF format and save them in your Google Docs account. This is can be especially handy if you're keeping your account synchronized with all your computers using a third-party service called InSync (more info here). Basically, if you want to print anything from any device to practically any location, Google Cloud Print can make that happen.
If you want to get started with Google Cloud Print, here's what you'll need:
Once you've got all of that ready to go, you can start setting it up.
How to Set Up Google Cloud Print
There are two ways to set up your printers with Google Cloud Print. A handful of newer printers have internet connectivity built in and so you can connect them to Google directly. This process varies by printer, so visit this page to learn if your printer is compatible and, if so, how to set it up. If you have a traditional printer that's connected to your computer, however, the setup process is always the same. Just follow these steps:
First, make sure everything is in place. You'll need Google Chrome installed on your computer. Also, ensure that your printer is connected to your computer, it's currently on, and you can print from it normally. (Note: You'll only be able to send print jobs to this printer when it is connected to your computer, so it's best to set this up on a desktop machine where the printer will always remain connected and powered on.)
Once you have everything in place, open up Google Chrome and click the wrench icon in the upper right corner, choose "Options" ("Preferences" on a Mac), and then click the "Under the Hood" tab. Alternatively, just click this link. Now scroll down to the Google Cloud Print section towards the bottom and click "Sign in to Google Cloud Print."
In the resulting window, sign in with your Google Account. This will enable the Cloud Print Connector on your computer.
When a new message appears with a button labeled "Finish printer registration," click it.
You'll receive a confirmation if everything worked properly, and it'll offer a link called "Manage your printers." Click on it to verify all the printers on your computer are now listed.
To test out your new setup, try printing something from within Google Chrome (such as this web page). When the printing options appear, choose "Print with Google Cloud Print" from the Destination menu. Click the "Print" button and you'll be asked to choose one of your cloud printers. Pick the one you want and, assuming everything is working correctly, your printer should print out a document.
Do More with Google Cloud Print
If you followed the instructions in the previous section, you already know how to print from a web page, but there's still more than you can do. Currently there are plenty of ways you can print from your smartphone, and even from your Mac desktop (if you prefer to avoid using Chrome for the task).
Print From Your Smartphone
Google Cloud Print has an tons of support in Android, of course, with a dedicated Android app and cloud printing support in the Google Docs Android app. You can also use third-party apps such as PrinterShare™ Mobile Print and Easy Print to get even more printing support out of Android. iOS users can check out PrintCentral Pro for iPhone and iPod touch or iPad to print with Google Cloud Print as well. Any mobile device can utilize cloud printing services by simply using Google's mobile web apps. Just visit m.google.com on your mobile device to get started.
Print from Your Mac
Strangely, there is no Windows app for Google Cloud Print but there is one for Mac OS X. It is aptly named Cloud Printer, and you can download it for free on the Mac App Store. It's not a perfect application, as it can only handle documents that Google Docs can view. Also, it doesn't function like an actual printer and instead requires you to choose a file you want to print from the dedicated app. You can, however, follow these instructions to use Automator to set up a virtual printer if you really want to use the standard print dialogue. Even with these disadvantages, it's still a simple (and free) way to print from your Mac without the aid of Google Chrome.
For a few other niche options, and to stay up-to-date on the latest Google Cloud Print extensions, apps, and add-ons, keep an eye on this page.
Got any helpful tips for getting the most out of Google Cloud Print? Share 'em in the comments!
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:00 PST
Ask and Answer Questions About Upgrading Your Eating Habits [Help Yourself]
Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.
Eating better is one of the most basic life improvements you can make, whether better means healthier, tastier, more economical or, ideally, all of the above. Often though, a better diet takes more time. Where do you strike the balance? We've covered some basic strategies, debunked food myths, and looked at some brain-boosting superfoods, along with a steady stream of kitchen hacks to make it all easier. What's the best thing you've ever done for your diet: your ultimate kitchen gadget, shopping strategy, or killer recipe? Where are you struggling? Ask and answer questions about upgrading your eating habits in the comments.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:00 PST
Build a Mail Rack or Charging Station from IKEA Magazine Holders [Ikea Hacks]
If you're the type who prefer to open mail as soon as you get in the house—hopefully over a recycling bin so the junk mail goes right inside, this DIY mail shelf can give you a space in your foyer or entryway to stash the important stuff while reading, or leave your gadgets to charge before you leave the house. All you'll need is a small piece of wood and some magazine holders, courtesy of IKEA.
Instructables user kazmataz discovered that the IKEA KNUFF magazine holders are pretty sturdy, take well to staining, and are the perfect size to add some storage to his her entrance hallway. She put a spare piece of wood on top, moved the magazine holders to fit the width of the wood, stained the whole thing, and nailed it into the wall.
The result is a pretty decent looking mail shelf that he has right next to an outlet, so it can be used to store mail and charge gadgets if need be. Best of all, the magazine holders only cost her $20 (two packs of two) and he had the wood lying around already. What do you think? A quick and easy DIY project or would you prefer something else for your doorway? Share your ideas in the comments below.
The Best Calendar App for Linux [Linux App Directory]
Linux users have a few calendar programs to choose from, but none of them are particularly spectacular—in fact, most of them aren't very good at all. As such, we're bending the rules of the App Directory and recommending that you use the awesome Google Calendar webapp for all your scheduling needs.
We understand that some of you might be upset that our pick isn't a "true" desktop app. However, we still think it's the best option on Linux by a good, good margin. That is, if you asked us what the best way to manage your calendar was on a Linux machine, we'd say Google Calendar, hands down—and that's what the App Directory is about. It's about finding the best tool for the job, not getting caught up in technicalities. If you want a desktop app, check out the Competition section below.
Quickly add events with just a few clicks and a phrase like "Dinner on Sunday with Grandma at 5PM."
Set reminders that email you, text you, or display a pop-up window when an event is near, either for individual events or for all events on a specific calendar.
Send invitations for events on your calendar, and let other Google Calendar users RSVP via email or GCal itself.
Sync your calendars down to nearly any desktop or mobile app, so you have it with you wherever you go.
View calendars in a day, week, month, custom number of days, or event-by-event "agenda" view.
Attach files stored in Google Docs to calendar events.
Search for events throughout your calendars using Google's algorithm.
Google Calendar Labs, which enhance the experience by letting you add additional features like less intrusive pop-ups and displaying other attendees on the event's block in your calendar.
Google Calendar's biggest advantage is that it's extremely easy to use without skimping on features. Everything is plainly laid out: you can add quick calendar events with a few keystrokes or more advanced events, full of reminders and other attributes when you need them. Being able to send yourself emails and text messages is also great, as is setting specific events to "free" or "busy". No doubt the coolest feature of GCal, though, is being able to share your calendars with others, and have them share their calendars with you. Never again will you have to call your spouse and ask them if they're busy, or email your friends asking them what dates they've planned for that road trip. It's all in your calendar, all the time. Plus, it's completely free, and can sync to just about any other app out there, meaning you'll always have it on your phone and can access it from any computer.
Now that Google Calendar has offline access, it has most of the perks of a true desktop app, and thus doesn't have a ton of downsides. It's Gmail integration is surprisingly disappointing, though—you can add events right from Gmail, but they don't take on any dates or times from the email, making it a mere link to Google Calendar. It'd be nice if it could try to extrapolate event details from the message and create it that way.
We won't lie; there aren't a ton of great desktop calendar apps on Linux. The best is probably Mozilla Sunbird, also known as the Lightning extension to our favorite Linux email client, Thunderbird. It integrates with your email, gives you a more desktop feel, and can sync with Google Calendar. I've found it to be a bit buggy in the past, but if you absolutely need a desktop app, this should be your first stop.
Evolution also has a calendar app built-in, and it isn't bad—except that there's a pretty egregious bug in the current version that won't let you sync with any online calendars, which means your calendars are either stuck in read-only mode on the web or stuck on your local machine. There is a workaround to re-enable Google Calendar syncing, but unless you're really tied to Evolution for email, it isn't really better than Sunbird/Lightning.
Rainlendar is also a popular calendar, albeit a bit less traditional of one. Instead of having its own big window, it puts a small calendar widget on your desktop and alerts you to upcoming events. You can apply all sorts of different skins and even sync with services like Google Calendar and Remember the Milk. If you want quick access to your calendar while keeping it out of the way, it's worth checking out.
Day Planner is a pretty cool app that, while it can't sync with services like Google Calendar, has a slightly different interface than your run of the mill calendar app. It's more focused on the current day, showing you a small calendar and your upcoming agenda, so it keeps you up to date on what's going on without taking up your entire screen. It's kind of a halfway point between Rainlendar and a full desktop app, which is pretty nice. Still, the lack of support for external services is kind of a bummer—though it does have its own external server with which you can sync your calendar.
These aren't the only calendar apps for Linux, but we think they're pretty much the only ones worth your time. If you have a favorite we didn't mention, be sure to tell us about it in the comments.
Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST
What Are Some Tasty, Healthy Alternatives to Soda? [Ask Lifehacker]
I've decided it's finally time to get rid of my twice-a-day soda habit, but the problem is, I really like soda. What are the healthy alternatives that can still match my cravings?
Cutting soda out of your daily diet is a great idea, but finding a great replacement makes dropping the habit a lot easier to do. We all know soda isn't good for you for a number of reasons, including the fact too much sugar can lead to liver toxicity, soda decays teeth, and studies indicate that even diet soda can increase your risk of a heart attack. Thankfully, a few alternatives to soda will satisfy your cravings without affecting your health. In fact, we asked you this exact question a few years ago and we're including reader suggestions here.
To find the best alternative for you, let's break it down by trying to match what you crave most in a can of soda.
Soda Alternatives for the Sweet Tooth
Sometimes you just want something sweet to drink and there's nothing with that. We've taken a close look at sugar's effect on your mind and body before. In short, you want to stay away from consuming too much of it, but don't cut it out completely. This is especially the case with soda because on top of a considerable amount of sugar, calories and high fructose corn syrup, it's often packed with sodium as well. So what's the best way to satisfy your sweet tooth without resorting to a can of Mountain Dew? Let's look at a few options.
Iced Tea: The nice thing about a cold glass of unsweetened iced tea is that you can sweeten it to your liking with sugar, but skip the high fructose corn syrup. If your sweet tooth is truly tingling for a ton of sugar, a glass of sweet tea will scratch the itch without totalling trashing your teeth.
Fruit juice mixed with sparkling water or seltzer: Fruit juices like apple and orange have more calories per ounce than soda, but tossing a splash of 100% juice into some sparkling water keeps the calorie count low and still maintains a perky sweetness. It's also carbonated, so it closely matches the consistency of soda.
Make your own soda: Food blog Gilt Taste has 11 tasty recipes for making your own soda if you have your own carbonation machine at home. If you don't, you can make your own out of a few odd parts from around the house. This obviously requires a lot more work than grabbing a can out of the fridge, but the fact your recipes won't be filled with excessive amounts of sugar means they're a healthier treat.
If it's the caffeine that attracts you to soda, there's some great alternatives as well. As with sugar, we've looked at how caffeine affects your brain and while it's not particularly nasty for you, it's best consumed in moderation.
Coffee: It might be the most obvious choice, but coffee usually has significantly more caffeine in it than a can of soda, so a single small cup will curb your craving for a caffeine boost. If you don't want a warm cup of coffee, you can make your own cold brew at home easily. Just go easy on the sugar.
Black or Green Tea: Black and green tea typically have more caffeine than soda and both are great alternatives since they come packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Both can be served hot or cold to match your preference. If you're looking to add a little sweetness but don't want to use sugar, honey is a good alternative.
A hot day is begging for a cool glass of liquid, but soda never really feels like it quenches your thirst very well. These options will do just that.
Lemonade: While there's no scientific proof that lemonade is the absolute perfect summer drink (there should be!), it certainly quenches your thirst on hot day better than a can of soda can. Better still, you can improve on the already great taste of lemonade by adding ginger.
Arnold Palmer: Speaking of summer, nothing says a bright sunny day like a round of golf and a cold Arnold Palmer-style drink in your hand. The standard Arnold Palmer is simply 1/2 iced tea and 1/2 lemonade, but we're particular fond of commenter GringatchoDemonto's variation: 2/3 unsweetened black tea, 1/6 limeade, and 1/6 orange juice. This mix provides a caffeinated, sweet, and refreshing supplement to a can of boring old soda.
Water: Yes, there's the, "well, duh," point about the benefit of drinking water on a hot day, but it's much better at hydrating you than a can of soda because there's no sodium in it. For an always ice cold glass of water you can store water bottles in the fridge to make them just as easy to grab as a can of soda.
In the end, it's all about deciding what it is about soda you love and supplementing the craving with a drink that both satisfies that craving and is healthier. These are just a few suggestions, but plenty of alternatives to soda are out there. Speaking from experience, it doesn't take long to cut the soda habit. Get rid of the soda in the fridge and find another drink you enjoy to supplement it. Within a couple weeks you'll forget soda even exists.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
P.S. Have you quit drinking soda by substituting it with something else? What's your favorite alternative?
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:30:00 PST
These Are the Five Repeating Home Maintenance Tasks You Probably Forget To Do [Household]
Whether you're renting or you own a home, it's easy to let repeated tasks of home maintenance slip your mind. Over on Apartment Therapy they've outlined the five repeating home maintenance tasks most people forget and a simple way to remind yourself to do them.
The tasks you're probably forgetting are:
Flip the mattress (every three months).
Replace batteries in your smoke alarm (every three months).
Change your water filter (every two to six months).
Change your air filter (every two to six months).
Clean your fridge coils (once a year).
These tasks are difficult to remember because they're so infrequent, but keeping up on the maintenance will not only extend the life of your appliances, it will also help them run more efficiently. To remind yourself to do them, Apartment Therapy recommends setting up an email reminder, which we covered a few ways to set up in the past, or by making a note on the calendar of your choice. Photos by John Bracken, R/DV/RS, Richard Smith, Amy West, and Bruno Longo.
Android: Dropbox updated its desktop clients yesterday with new photo features, including one that can give you up to 5GB of space, and today the Android app has followed suit with a new beta that automatically uploads photos after you take them.
You can choose to upload photos and videos over Wi-Fi only or over 3G and Wi-Fi, though it won't upload large videos over 3G. Your first photo will give you 500MB of extra space, just like the new desktop client, and you can get up to 5GB of space if you keep uploading photos and videos. This version also does away with file size limits, so you can upload any file you want to Dropbox from your phone. It also supports resuming file uploads if you have a network issue, which is great. Hit the link to read more about the update, and download the APK for installation.
Everybody Takes a Smoke Break in This Week's Open Thread [Open Thread]
It's Friday. It's the open thread. You know what to do.
Same drill as always, open-threaders: You can chat and ask questions with your fellow readers all week long at the #openthread hashtag page, but our weekly open thread post is your opportunity to reach the most people. Ask questions, offer advice, discuss productivity tips, or just chat about whatever's on your mind. You'll need a commenter account to participate, then you're ready to roll.
An extra reminder: If you're not quite satisfied with the interaction in the weekly open thread or in #tips, remember that you can also share your expertise every day on our Expert Pages. Photo by Frederic Knapp.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 PST
How to Get Better Battery Life and Performance on Your Android Phone with a New Kernel [Android]
You may have heard about how flashing a new ROM can improve your Android experience, but flashing a new kernel is one of the best ways to improve your phone's performance, battery life, and even add some saucy new features. Whether you know anything about either, here's what you need to know to make it happen.
What Is a Kernel?
A kernel in an operating system—in this case Android—is the component responsible for helping your applications communicate with your hardware. It manages the system resources, communicates with external devices when needed, and so on. Android uses a variation of the Linux kernel. A kernel is not the same as a ROM, even though you install them in mostly the same way. A ROM is a bit more all-encompassing. It's the operating system you use on your phone, the software your phone uses to get things done—the kernel is the bridge between that ROM and your hardware. All ROMs come with a kernel installed, but you can install a third-party one if you like—and that's what this post is about.
What a New Kernel Can Do For Your Phone
Flashing kernels isn't quite as talked about as flashing ROMs, but it can do a ton for your phone, namely in the way of battery life and performance—though it can also add extra features to your device, too. Here are some things to look for when choosing a new kernel.
Better Performance and Battery Life
This is the big change a new kernel can bring to your device. I'd separate these into two categories, but they're so intertwined that you really need to consider both when picking a kernel. There are a bunch of different kernel features that contribute to this:
Clock Speeds: In a very basic sense, higher clock speeds will improve performance on your phone. Flashing a new kernel allows you to overclock your phone, using higher clock speeds than the manufacturer intended. They can also let you reach lower clock speeds, so you can underclock your phone when you aren't using it, thus saving battery life. Your kernel will only give you the option to do so, however; if you want to overclock, you'll have to flash the kernel in question and then use something like SetCPU or CPU Tuner to tweak the clock speed.
Voltage: Higher clock speeds use up more battery on your phone because they require more voltage. However, some ROMs come with lower voltage limits, which means your phone will run just as fast, but use up less battery. Some will even overclock and undervolt your phone, though all of this comes at the expense of stability—if you notice that your phone goes into a boot loop, or reboots at random times, you'll want to either lower your clock speed or upgrade to a kernel with a higher voltage. Some ROMS have further sub-categories in this section, like Hybrid Adaptive Voltage Scaling (HAVS), which can be better for battery life (at the risk of stability) and Static Voltage Scaling (SVS), which keeps your phone at a steady voltage.
CPU Governors: Different kernels can support different CPU Governers, which manage the way your phone ramps up or down its clock speeds as you use it. There are a few different kinds you'll see, including Conservative, which focuses on battery life by ramping up your CPU very gradually when needed; Interactive, which focuses more on performance and smoothness by scaling up the CPU faster; InteractiveX, which is like Interactive but scales the CPU down when your screen is off (for better battery life); and Smartass, which is similar to Conservative but takes more factors into account when ramping up the CPU.
Task Scheduler: Kernels come with two different types of task schedulers: the Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS) and the Brain F**k Scheduler (BFS). CFS kernels are designed for regular phone use, like texting, web browsing, and otherwise multitasking apps on your phone. Most stock kernels are CFS kernels. BFS kernels focus more on whatever app is in the foreground, which is great for things like games but can be a bit laggier and a bit less stable.
These are the biggest features, but kernel developers add in all kinds of other tweaks to their kernels when possible, whether its introducing a more efficient file system, making the RAM more efficient, and so on. Again, they should list the tweaks in their description, so read up on the kernels for your specific device to learn more. I'd also recommend checking out XDA user mroneeyedboh's HTC Evo 4G kernel starter guide, from which much of this information comes.
Extra Features
Kernels can also add full features to your phone, or fix other issues that the manufacturer hasn't attended to yet. For example, while a lot of phones support Wi-Fi tethering out of the box, some—like the Motorola Droid—don't. If you find your phone isn't letting you tether using apps like Wi-Fi Tether, you might need to flash a new kernel that supports Wi-Fi tethering on your device. Kernels for Samsung phones can add support for a feature called Backlight Notification (BLN), which, coupled with an app, can turn your phone's buttons into notification lights.
Keep an eye out for features you don't want, too. For example, some HTC kernels come with a feature called Superior Battery Charging, or SBC, that can overcharge your battery for better life—but is likely to shorten your battery's life at best, or make it unstable at worst. I'd avoid kernels with this feature. You should also watch out for kernels that disable certain features of your phone—since some features are manufacturer-specific, you won't be able to get them in other ROMs or kernels. A good example of this is HDMI support on the EVO 4G.
Again, just make sure you research all the kernels available for your device, and know what you're getting yourself into before you flash. Most phones should have a large forum thread somewhere on XDA or RootzWiki that lists all the kernels available for their device. Make sure you choose a compatible one, too—the version of Android you're running determines what kernels you can use, so make sure you don't flash a Sense kernel on an AOSP ROM (like CyanogenMod), and make sure you don't flash a Froyo kernel on a Gingerbread phone—they won't play nicely together.
How to Flash a New Kernel
Once you've found a kernel you want to flash, download it to your device. It should be in ZIP format. Flashing a kernel is almost exactly like flashing a new ROM. You'll need to flash a new recovery to your phone, like ClockworkMod, which you can flash with ROM Manager. Put the ZIP file on your phone's SD card, then start up ROM Manager and go to "Install ROM from SD Card". Choose the kernel's ZIP file and continue. Note, however, that some kernels require that you flash them through your recovery mode instead of with ROM Manager—so once again, do your due diligence on its home page before you go a-flashin'.
The main difference between flashing a ROM and flashing a kernel is that you do not want to wipe your data. Wipe the Dalvik Cache only, and back up your ROM if desired (I highly recommend doing so, in case something goes wrong). Other than that, you should be golden. If you haven't flashed a ROM before, I recommend reading up on that first—but if you're familiar with that process, flashing a kernel shouldn't be a big shock to the system.
Flashing a new kernel can sound pretty dramatic, but it's actually quite simple—and it's very easy to try out a bunch of different kernels before settling on one. Whether your preference is battery life, performance, or extra features like color tinting, you have a whole lot of choices to further tweak your Android experience. Got any other kernel-related wisdom to share, or have a favorite kernel for your device that you can't live without? Let's talk about it in the comments.
Title image remixed from an original by Ildi Papp.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:30:00 PST
Keep Clothes from Falling Off the Hanger with a Rubber Band [Clever Uses]
If you have a particularly stubborn shirt that just doesn't want to stay on its hanger, weblog Real Simple shows us how to keep it stationary with just a few rubber bands.
This is much more of a problem with women's clothes than men's (hence the above image), but I've noticed that I even have a zip up sweatshirt or two that just falls off the hanger every once in awhile for no reason. Instead of trying to wrangle them on the hanger all zipped up, you can just wrap a rubber band around each end of the hanger to keep them on. No more clothes on the floor!
FreshBatch for Mac Renames Parts of Files and Converts Basic File Types in Bulk [Mac Downloads]
Mac: If you've ever imported a couple hundred photos from your camera, you know the most common file names a camera uses are essentially meaningless. If you want a quick and easy way to find and replace specific parts of a file name, FreshBatch is a lightweight tool that does just that.
FreshBatch works essentially like a find and replace option, where it only replaces the keyword you list, but retains everything else. It's great for quickly renaming a bunch of files you've just imported or downloaded. It doesn't have a lot of options, but that's part of the appeal. It's simple, lightweight, and makes bulk file changes a painless process. It's also able to swap extensions, which is handy if your camera has the tendency to upload in all caps. FreshBatch is a free download from the developers site below.
Read the Manual Before Making Big Purchases [Shopping]
Have you ever purchased a big appliance only to realize it's not compatible with your home, or you can't perform repairs on it without calling in an expert? Gadget blog Cool Tools has a simple solution: read the manual before you make the purchase.
This is especially handy if you're purchasing a big appliance, but it's just as applicable to smaller gadgets, software, or furniture. If you're shopping online you often don't get all the details about the types of input a device accepts, the building steps, or the installation procedures. Checking out the manual ahead of time ensures you'll be able to handle installation yourself and it will work in your home. Many manufacturers keep their manuals online, but if you can't find one, Manual Stock and Safe Manuals both have a large collection of scanned manuals. Photo by John Bäckstrand.
Avid Studio Is a Feature Rich Video Editor for iPad [Video]
iPad: If you're looking for a video editor for iPad that offers a little more flexibility than iMovie and runs on a first generation device, Avid Studio has more options and control than other iPad offerings.
The bulk of the app is remarkably similar to Apple's iMovie app for iPad 2, but Avid Studio has a few notable features that give you more control over your video. This includes a variety of montage templates, precise edits, layering, and a simple, but well implemented audio editing tool. The drag and drop interface for throwing movies in a timeline works as you'd expect, and the frame-by-frame editing feels more accurate than iMovie. It's not going to replace a desktop application, but it will do the job for short and quick edits.
Avid Studio works on the first generation iPad, but users are complaining in the review section in iTunes that the app crashes when attempting to render video. I didn't have trouble myself, but I wasn't trying to render anything more complicated than two short clips mashed together. Avid Studio is $4.99 in the iTunes App Store.
Bake an Egg in an Avocado for a Fast and Healthy Breakfast Treat [Food Hacks]
Avocados are amazing things—they're delicious on their own, but they also have a lot of healthy fats, dietary fibers, and vitamins, and despite their high caloric value, they're remarkably easy to prepare. If you have an avocado that's too firm to use for something else, or you're just in the mood for something new and healthy for breakfast, slice it in half, remove the pit, and carve out a little space in the center. Crack an egg where the pit was, and bake. In a few minutes, you'll have a delicious, protein and vitamin-packed breakfast treat that's rich enough to keep you going all morning.
The recipe itself is pretty simple, and comes to us thanks to reddit user fungz0r:
preheat oven to 425, have cast iron pan in there
Slice avocado in half, take out pit
take pan out, put avocado half on, crack egg in
put whatever you want on top
place in oven and cook till your eggs [are done how you] desire
Avocados are used in all sorts of breakfast dishes, but this is a great example of using the avocado as a breakfast dish, and pretty tasty one at that.
Do you have any other quick breakfast tricks you'd like to share? Interested in giving this one a try? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Use Flour and Peroxide to Clean Stains in Stone Countertops, Tile, and Concrete Floors [Household]
Stains in stone countertops can be a pain to get out. Ideally, you'll have stone sealed regularly so nothing gets through the seal, but if you're in between cycles or haven't had your sealing done recently, a stray spill can turn your countertop an unwanted color. Thankfully, the fix is probably already in your kitchen, according to the folks at This Old House.
Grab some flour from your cabinet, and some hydrogen peroxide from your bathroom or first-aid kit. Mix the flour and the peroxide together into a peanut butter-style paste, and spread it over the stained area of tile, stone, or concrete. Let the mixture sit and do its work overnight, and then in the morning, gently scrape it off with a plastic edge. You may need to pick up some spot-sealant to make sure the area is fully protected after it's cleaned, but This Old House notes that between the flour, peroxide, and even the spot sealant, you're looking at about $15, whereas a professional would charge you upwards of $200 for even a partial clean and sealing job.
Granted, not all of us have fancy stone countertops or tile, or modern concrete floors, but if you do have any porous area in the house that's prone to staining, this tip can help. Have you tried this stain removal method before? Have a better option? Share your thoughts—and alternatives—in the comments below.
CheapAir Lists Flights with Wi-Fi, Personal TV, and Other Luxury Perks [Travel]
Flying these days is an uncomfortable, difficult process, but if you're lucky enough to snag a flight with on-board Wi-Fi, or individual monitors in the back of every seat so you can watch TV or listen to music while you're in the air, it can be a bit easier. Flight search and booking site CheapAir updated its search engine this morning to help you find flights that offer those kinds of perks so you don't have to guess before you book.
Much like its competitor, Hipmunk, CheapAir also now offers subjective rankings of flights from your origin to your destination based on factors like the airline's on-time record, reputation for passenger comfort, ratings and reviews, and more in addition to the price and duration of the flight. The addition of technology amenities like Wi-Fi, TV, power, and entertainment can help you device whether you're willing to pay a little more than rock bottom for a flight if you know you have a six-hour flight ahead of you but you'll have the option to check in with your friends while you're in the air. To use the new feature, just search for flights as normal—the available amenities will be shown next to each flight listing.
Have any of you used CheapAir to search for flights, or have a better way to find out which flights have the amenities you're looking for? Share your flight-hunting tips in the comments below.
