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CostToDrive estimates gas costs for road trips

The other day I picked up a rental car while visiting Los Angeles. In just a few days it ended up costing me well over the price of gas it would have taken to drive my own car there and back. A smart tool called CostToDrive would have helped me figure this out before I made the trip. It calculates how much a trip is going to cost you based on how far you're traveling, combined with the fuel efficiency of your car and average price of gas. Assuming you have to fill up when your tank is about … Read more

Video: Control a Mac and PC with one keyboard

If you've got a Mac and PC holding court on your desk while you roll your chair between them trying to get your work done, stop. You're working too hard. Synergy (for Windows and Mac) is a free, open-source application that has come to many a rescue by consolidating the controls of multiple computers on different operating systems to a single keyboard and mouse.

Each computer gets to keep its own monitor, which gives you more visual real estate while slashing hardware clutter. Here's another bonus: you don't have to physically switch between systems anymore, you … Read more

Use Web apps offline with Google Gears

My laptop's wireless 3G connection has been crapping out for over a week now. It works for a while, and then it quits. I don't know why. I don't know when it will be fixed, if ever.

I only know that when I'm on the road, I've got no way to get work done. While I wrestle with AT&T's alleged support services, I'm stuck in the breakdown lane of the old info highway.

I need access to Gmail and a half-dozen other sites, but for now I'll have to settle … Read more

How to convert video for the iPod

A key draw of the iPod as a portable video player (PVP) is the fact that its complementing software, iTunes, offers a cheap, easy, and legal way to get content that will play on the device. But what if you already own the video files you'd like to watch, but they're in any variety of formats that aren't natively supported by the iPod? iTunes has a built-in converter, but then you'd be limited to the file types that QuickTime supports. If you want the capability to convert from the full gamut of video file types, check out the tip below.

A note before starting: There's quite a selection of free software programs available that convert from nearly every file type to an iPod-friendly format, but many of the ones I tried in the service of this tutorial had drawbacks, such as processor hang ups and unclear conversion progress monitoring. In testing, I found that Videora didn't choke up my system, and it's so clear on its own that you'll scarcely need to follow this tutorial. If nothing else, the walkthrough below will at least give you a feel for the interface--including the extensive ad placement that lets you enjoy the software for free.… Read more

You can't hear digital audio--until it's converted to analog

To hear digital audio it has to be converted to analog. The chip that does that is called a digital-to-analog converter, and there's one in your iPod, computer, and CD, DVD, and Blu-ray players.

Thing is, the quality of the conversion has everything to do with the sound quality you hear. That's why audiophiles pay big bucks for the best ones, and Chord Electronics, a British high-end stalwart has just released the QBD76, which contains a real contender for world's best digital-to-analog converter (DAC) chip.

Chord Electronics are used in top studios, including Skywalker Sound, Abbey Road, … Read more

Adorama's '100 in 100' photography tips rolls on

CNET certainly has its share of digital camera usage and buying tips, but if you're thirsty for more knowledge online camera retailer Adorama has been assembling extensive lists of tips and tricks with a series called "100 in 100" or 100 photo tips in 100 days.

Now in its third round since December 2007, this week's set focuses on improving the results you get from your compact digital camera.

The pieces are entertaining and informative and especially handy this time of year as we head into point-and-shoot holiday season. Definitely worth checking out.

How to split audio tracks

Like to listen to audio books on your MP3 player, but your player lacks a bookmark function? If you have long audio files that haven't already been split into chapters, it can be a pain to fast-forward to the desired point in the track. This tutorial can help you split audio books into shorter tracks on your own. It can also be used with music, although track length and nomenclature will be different than what is described here. (A tip: if you are splitting an audio file with several songs in it, use points of silence as a guide rather than the counter.)

Cost: Free

Time commitment: Varies

System requirements: Mac or Windows

Download and install Audacity For either Windows or Mac. Download and install the latest LAME MP3 encoder Extract the LAME file From the LAME.zip file, extract only the file lame_enc.dll. Save it someplace that's easy to find on your hard drive, such as the desktop. (When you export your files as MP3, Audacity will ask you to locate it.) Open Audacity Go to File > Open, then select the audio file you wish to split from wherever it is stored on your hard drive. In the upper-right corner of the window, ensure that the selection tool (it looks like an uppercase "I") button is highlighted. Highlight selection Starting at the very beginning of the audio file, click and drag the selector so that it highlights a selection of the file. (You can use the keyboard arrows to zero in on "0" if necessary.)… Read more

Best of back-to-school laptops

Just in time for the fall semester, we've gone and reviewed more than two dozen new back-to-school laptops. For this particular roundup, we stuck to relatively recent configurations that were available on the shelves of big consumer electronics stores (so, for example, you'll find the in-store version of Dell's 1525, rather than the configurable version available on Dell's Web site).

You can peruse the entire collection of 27 back-to-school reviews, but we've gone ahead and picked our favorites in four different price ranges.

For the Entry Level category, which is laptops from $600 to $700, … Read more

Digital infrared photography: Do more than take creepy shots of your cat

So I'm currently testing the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 (look for the review next week), one of Sony's high-zoom cameras that among a gazillion other features has an on/off switch for Sony's NightShot infrared shooting mode.

As you can see, I managed to snap a picture of my cat hiding under a table in a darkened room, at which point I thought to myself, "Surely there must be a better way to use this feature." And there is.

Rocky Nook's Digital Infrared Photography by Cyrill Harnischmacher ($24.95) is a guide to infrared photography … Read more