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Buying used Android phones can save you a bunch of money, but there are a few things you should check out before forking over your hard-earned cash. Things like water damage, cracks in the phone's body or screen, and of course actual functionality of the device are the obvious things to check -- but what about being blacklisted from a carrier?

That's right, a phone can become blacklisted off a network because it was stolen, or its previous owner neglected to pay a bill or 10. So how can you protect yourself in this case? Luckily, if you'… Read more

It may seem like those who pay for AT&T's unlimited data plan don't necessarily get their money's worth of service, but by how much and how many of them? As it turns out the numbers are quite substantial.

According to a report published today by Consumer Reports, almost half of the carrier's unlimited subscribers use just 300MB or less, effectively wasting $10 a month. This is similar to my personal experience.

Being one of those who got grandfathered in with the $30 unlimited data plan, I was quite happy since I don't have to worry about ever going over the limit. However, I found out recently that I actually never used more than 200MB per month.… Read more

With SXSW and Coachella on the horizon, Foursquare and VH1 have partnered to increase visibility and raise money for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, according to the tech news site Mashable.

How it works is concertgoers can follow VH1 on Foursquare to earn a limited edition "VH1 Save The Music" badge, then when they check-in at music venues across the country they'll be able to unlock the badge and $1 will be donated to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

This foundation launched in 1997 with the goal to give public schools musical instruments and also … Read more

How do you improve a staple function like copy and paste? Simple. Make it smarter.

Clipboard is a content-centric utility designed for copying and saving content on the Web. With Clipboard, you can copy and paste custom elements from any Web page, whether it's images, articles, videos, or a combination of all three. No more worrying about precise highlights and tedious Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, etc. Simply register and log in to the Clipboard site. Clipboard will show you a quick tutorial video on how to add Clipboard to your bookmark bar.

After finding an … Read more

Many programs install services such as update helpers that start with Windows yet are rarely needed. Turning off or modifying the startup behavior of unnecessary services can cut the time it takes Windows to boot and boost your system's performance. Power users are familiar with such tweaks, but the inexperienced user who has the most to gain is often too intimidated to even try it.

Help is available in the form of Vista Services Optimizer, a free program that tweaks your Windows PC's performance by shutting down or modifying services that you don't need or don't … Read more

Please bear with me while I explain the process for accessing a message draft that you just started, but had to save in order to check something else in the Mail app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Take a deep breath.

First, assuming you have more than one e-mail account (I have four on my iPhone) and you are starting in the "All Inboxes" window, you'll have to tap "Mailboxes" in the upper-left corner. Then, scroll down to the Accounts section and select the proper account for your draft. Now, tap the "… Read more

Everyone with a live mind who happens not to work for an oil company knows that we must harness our energy.

The possibilities are vast. Consider, for example, Heather Patron of Studio City, Calif., and her Prius. Everything plastic on it began to melt. The side-view mirrors, for example.

This seemed a little odd. She took it to Toyota. The company said there was nothing wrong with the car.

And then she noticed her neighbor's energy-efficient windows that seemed to be directing a concentrated beam of energy-efficient light towards her energy-efficient vehicle.

Patron told CBS Los Angeles: "I'… Read more

When it comes to protecting your PC, there's no substitute for full backups capable of resurrecting your system from total disaster. But we're also big fans of regular targeted backups of personal files, favorites, and other data you don't want to lose, especially if your big backups are fairly infrequent. To be sure none of your important stuff falls between the cracks, we recommend a specialized backup application like Yadis Backup from Codessentials. This free tool creates full, one-to-one backups of your important personal data, settings, and documents that you can access normally, without having to restore … Read more

Default Folder X is a system preference pane that can save you a lot of time finding and flipping through folders, especially when opening and saving files.

The primary interface pops up with every open and save dialog, across all your applications, giving you faster access to multiple folders and commands. You can jump to favorite and recently used folders (even by clicking on open windows), enter Spotlight metatags, and manage files and folders right from the dialog--so you don't need to go to the Finder for simple tasks like renaming and deleting.

Default Folder X also lets you &… Read more