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How to add variety to a Pandora station

Did you wait until Pandora went public today to try out its service? If you are new to the gold standard of Internet radio, your first stop should be Donald Bell's video, which covers the basics of Pandora, such as creating a station, giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down to a song, finding lyrics, and buying a song from iTunes or Amazon.

After listening to a given station for a time, you might begin to notice the same songs cycling through the playlist. There are two features that can shake up the song selection, two features that … Read more

How to set up Appointment Slots in Google Calendar

Many of us have blocks of time we make available to others people, such as professionals, academics, coaches, tennis buddies--the list is endless. Google Calendar just added a new feature that makes setting aside and scheduling appointment times incredibly easy. Here's how to get started:

Log on to your Google account and open up your calendar. Click and drag an open space in your calendar and select "Appointment slots" from the bubble (Note: this will not work in the Month view.) Give the block a title and select which calendar it lives in, then select the type (… Read more

How to turn off Google Instant

Opinions vary on whether Google Instant is a time-saver or very distracting. I hear Ross Perot's Texan twang--"Can I finish? Can I finish?"--each time Google anxiously starts returning search results as soon as I enter the first letter into the search bar. Thankfully, there is a way to turn off this feature, and the hardest part about it is knowing where to look.… Read more

How to erase your Google Maps search history

Google Maps is a superconvenient tool for locating, getting directions to, and curiously exploring places around the world. Enter an address and soon the cross-streets and other local venues can be seen with just a few clicks. However, if you've done a lot of exploring on Google Maps, chances are your search history is relatively large. Having so many locations in the history can be cumbersome when entering new addresses or when simply trying to protect your privacy. Follow the steps below to clear out your Google Maps search history.

Step 1: Head to Google Maps http://maps.google.… Read more

7 fun ways to interact with your Foursquare account

Foursquare is set to reach 10 million users this month. With the continued increase in popularity, developers are beginning to use Foursquare's API in some very fun and intriguing ways. This guide will show you seven fun ways to interact with your Foursquare account.

1. 4sqmap 4sqmap is a great way to visualize many different aspects of not only your own, but your friends' Foursquare activity. In addition to viewing activity, you can view a full map of nearby specials, tips, trending venues, and even use Foursquare's recently launched Explore feature on your computer, which is a feature … Read more

Welcome to CNET How To

For more than a decade, people like you have flocked to How To stories and videos we've produced on CNET. (iPod your car, anyone? Wow, that's a blast from the past.) Whenever we write a roundup of iPhone tips or a collection of Chrome shortcuts, you click like crazy, discover inspiring new tricks, and share your newfound tech knowledge with your friends.

We're finally putting all these hacks, tips, tricks, and ideas into one home: CNET How To. We're launching with more than 700 How To posts, and we'll give you a steady stream of … Read more

How to stay synced with iCloud

Finally, Apple has given users a way to sync their purchased music, apps, and books wirelessly. With iCloud, whatever you download on one device--your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or computer--can be set to automatically download on all other devices.

For example, when you purchase a song from iTunes using your computer, it'll immediately be downloaded onto your iPad also. Or, if you purchase a book on your iPhone, it'll be downloaded to your computer and your iPad as well.

More iCloud features, including calendar syncing and Photo Stream, will launch in the fall. Until then, you can use the iCloud beta for free to sync your music, apps, and books. Here's how:

Note: iCloud syncing is not yet available for Verizon subscribers.

… Read more

How to save pictures from Facebook albums

Until fairly recently, Facebook made it easy to download pictures from your friends' galleries--or at least as easy as any other Web site. Just right-click on the pic in question, select "Save image as..." and drop it in a folder of your choice. Facebook's new gallery app may look slick, but it kills off that easy way to download. Fortunately, there's a simple workaround. 

From the album page, right-click (or control-click if you're using a Mac) on the picture you want to download and select "Open link in new tab" or "… Read more

How to avoid, remove Facebook malware

We've all seen Facebook posts that say things like, "Finally! Facebook got a dislike button! Click here!" or "See who is viewing your profile OMG I cannot believe it!!!!!!" or something else equally enticing.

Some of us, overwhelmed by desire, have fallen for these posts and learned an important lesson the hard way: Facebook is full of spam.

Many of us fled MySpace in hopes of a cleaner, spam-free, and polished platform, but it was only a matter of time before hackers figured out how to attack us on Facebook, too.

On Facebook, there are … Read more