how-to

Use Google Drive on Android to save receipts

Do you keep the receipts for everything you buy? Like me, you've probably noticed that the ones printed on thermal paper can begin to disappear over time. Soon, you're left with only a blank piece of paper that can't act as a proof of purchase or help you at tax time.

Wednesday's update to Google Drive on Android lets you easily store all of your receipts and even search through them. Doesn't a nice digital archive sound better than piles, folders, or boxes of receipts all over your home? Here's how to … Read more

Make Sony NEX-7 videos more natural

I'm a big fan of Sony's Alpha NEX-7 and NEX-5n mirrorless cameras. They're practically more lens than camera, but both deliver exceptional image quality and advanced features for their small size.

For the past month I've been casually shooting photos and videos on the NEX-7 and scouring the Web for advice on getting the most from this camera. One tip that really changed the way I shoot video is Camera Dojo's advice on matching shutter speed with your camera's frame rate.

In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps to optimize … Read more

Google Reader: Get your feeds and data out alive

Google Reader will soon be closing its virtual doors. In a move that shocked the Web, Google's SVP Urs Hölzle announced on March 13 that, despite the RSS service's "loyal following," the company would "retire" Google Reader on July 1. More than any of the other 69 products that Google has killed over the past two years, Google Reader's demise has shaken a longtime community that depends heavily on the service.

Foofaraw and conspiracy theories (about why Reader was killed) aside, if you use the service and want to save any … Read more

Use Postable to send personalized thank-you cards

Last year I wrote about how using Postable makes managing your address book less of a hassle. The service lets you request contact information from friends and family so you can easily send letters, cards, and gifts, knowing they're headed to the correct destination.

A recent update to Postable adds the ability to send thank-you cards to those who deserve a little gratitude, for $2 plus postage. With your address book stored in Postable, sending cards is supereasy. Here's how to get started:

Share pics quickly on Imgur with a Chrome extension

Imgur is one of those sites that becomes a huge time sink if you let it. For some reason, browsing the random photos that people upload is really addictive, and so is reading the comments on said photos.

If you like to share your own images, you probably already know there are four ways to do so: uploading from your computer, putting in a URL, dragging and dropping, or with the paste command. But if you notice that you're often sharing pictures you find online, whether they're in your Facebook Timeline or just random spots on the Web, … Read more

Add handwritten notes in Polaris Office on Galaxy Note devices

Sometimes only so much explaining can be done with text on the screen. Adding a handwritten drawing or diagram can help pull together and solidify an idea. This is especially true when you're following along on a document that was given to you, like a business plan or notes for a class.

Polaris Office works with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files. When using this app on a Galaxy Note series device, you can use the included S Pen to draw directly in your documents. Here's how:

First, open a document or presentation in Polaris … Read more

Hooked Up: Check out the set of NCIS with Pauley Perrette and her tech toys

In this week's episode of Hooked Up, Kevin Frazier hangs out on the set of "NCIS" with actress Pauley Perrette, who plays Abby Sciuto, the show's fan-favorite quirky forensic scientist. She talks about her role as the social media ambassador for CBS during "Tweet Week" and how she used Twitter to help keep the Hope Gardens shelter for families open.

Pauley bring hers own tech on set, including the dirtiest Macbook you've probably ever seen, and she shows us some of the fun set pieces in Abby's lab. She also talks about … Read more

Take creative photos with the HTC One

One of my favorite features on the HTC One is its camera. Beyond the picture quality, which is great, HTC really went the extra mile to pack in a bunch of cool software extras.

Two of these extras that really caught my eye are called Sequence Shot and Zoe, and you can see them in action in the above video.

Using the Sequence Shot feature allows you to composite multiple images into one picture. The trick to this one is to hold still and fire off a bunch of snapshots by holding down the camera button. This will create a … Read more

Set up quick access to the Galaxy S3 or Note 2 camera

This How To isn't about lock-screen widgets. Yes, they are exciting. And yes, they bring additional functionality to your lock screen -- but unfortunately, a lot of people have not had their devices updated to Android 4.2 as of yet. If you have, check out Jason Cipriani's post on how to set up lock-screen widgets.

Instead, let's work with the wonderful world of TouchWiz that comes preloaded on your Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note 2. TouchWiz, in short, is a home replacement for Android (think Facebook Home), that adds proprietary theming and options. … Read more

Set up Reading Mode on the Galaxy Note 8

Using a tablet as an e-reader can save you money and lighten your load while on the go. Unfortunately, a lot of tablets aren't optimized for reading text for long periods of time (like e-books, RSS feeds, or just long Web posts) and may cause mild eyestrain. Luckily, the Galaxy Note 8 comes with a feature to help solve this issue: Reading Mode.

However, Reading Mode isn't turned on for all of your apps by tapping on the icon in the notification panel. Why doesn't this mode work in all apps by default? No idea, but fixing … Read more