GeekSugar

Guess the Tech Talker

GeekSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:00:32 PDT

Which of these celebrities said this, regarding how her on-again, off-again man always knowing what's going on in her life?

"For some reason, (he) has me Google Alerted."

Source

Take the Quiz

Geek Tip: Get Google Alerts For Videos

GeekSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:00:00 PDT

Google alerts - email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic - just got more lively. Alerts have long been a great way to stay on top of what your favorite celebrities, cousin or company has been up to and now you can keep up with all the new videos with video alerts. This week the Google blog announced you can add video to your other Google alerts. Here's more:

Video Alerts enables you to specify any topics or queries of interest so we can deliver interesting and relevant videos on a daily, weekly, or as-it-happens basis (your choice) to you via email. To start receiving Video Alerts, you can visit the Google Alerts homepage directly or set up the alert during your normal video searches. Videos may come from Google Video, YouTube, or many other video sources on the web.

Now I can rest assured I'll never miss out on a Crockermania video again!

Earn Discounts and Deals With These Location-Based Apps

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:11:23 PDT

Checking in on Foursquare or other geo-location apps can get you more than mayorship - it can get you some pretty sweet deals if you know where to look. More and more businesses are offering up discounts for their mayors, frequent customers, and even passers-by, kicking back a little coin just for visiting. Find out how you can save money, get a great deal, and even make a little cash, just by using Foursquare, Loopt, or these other location-based apps.

Foursquare - The current king of geo-location apps, participating Foursquare businesses can offer deals and discounts for mayors and frequent visitors, ranging from free frapps at Starbucks to 25 percent off at stores like Sports Authority.
Loopt - Loopt has been known to offer an automatic 25 percent off purchases at Gap and deep discounts on Virgin America flights, and even show you available rewards near your current location. Now it's even integrating Groupon's Groupon Now deals into the app, so you can find great deals on the go.

See the rest of the list (there's quite a few) after the break.

The New iPad Goes on Sale Tomorrow at 8 a.m.: Camping Tips to Keep You In Line

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:29:29 PDT

The new iPad with the fancy high definition Retina display goes on sale tomorrow, and if you didn't get your preorder in, you'll have to battle the crowds if you want a new tablet on day one. But standing outside for hours (or overnight, if you must) isn't an easy task. Should you go for it? Prepare and keep yourself entertained, hydrated, and safe with these iPad line camping tips.

Do some recon - Scope out your local Apple store, AT&T retailer, or other launch-day location and use Google Maps to pick out a prime spot, preferably with shade and/or overhead coverage.
Know when to arrive - Apple stores will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 16, while AT&T and Verizon stores have also been known to open doors early to greet tired Apple fanatics.
Bring some reading material - Load up your ereader with some books you've been meaning to tackle - you'll be in line for a while!
Keep your gadgets charged - With all these gadgets you're toting along, you're going to need some juice. Obviously, you'll be far from an outlet, unless you post it up in Starbucks while someone saves your spot. Keep your gadgets charged with a solar charger by day, so you can power them through the night.

Get the rest of our tips after the break.

10 Smart Ways to Remember Things

Emily Co — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:05:29 PDT

If you've got too much on your plate, chances are you'll start forgetting things you need to do. Fortunately, there are plenty of tricks when it comes to remembering things. Here are a couple of them:

Tying a string around your finger. You can go the old-fashioned route and tie a string around your finger to remember something. Having a string on your finger is something out of the ordinary and will cause you to reflect back on the reason you tied on the string, which will then help you recall what you wanted to remember more easily.

Physical Post-it notes. If you want to remember a task, write it down on a Post-it note and stick it somewhere visible or someplace you know you're going to check regularly.

Digital sticky notes. If you're always on your computer, perhaps it's better to use digital sticky notes such as the Stickies app, which lets you leave notes on your desktop. You'll be saving paper and you'll have a less messy desk.

Writing on your hand. Writing what you have to remember down on your hand is a very effective way of reminding yourself what you need to do. The benefit of this method is that you can write out what you're supposed to do, but the downside is the not-very-professional look of ink on your hands.

Read on for more.

The Top 5 Fashion Apps You Should Download Now

Chi Diem Chau — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:53:11 PST

ShopStyle Mobile: We like to think of ShopStyle as our Google search engine for all things related to shopping, and it's not just because ShopStyle is a sister site in the Sugar Network! If you've ever wondered where we find all of those amazing shopping products for you, here it is. Not only does ShopStyle mobile cull clothing, shoes, and accessories from over 500 ecommerce sites - ranging from big retailers like Barneys to smaller boutiques - but this handy app also lets you put "sale alerts" on your favorite items and will let you know once the piece goes on sale. Pretty genius if you ask us.
Vera Wang on Weddings: Planning a wedding? Let Vera Wang provide inspiration for your big day via photo galleries of cakes, flowers, and real weddings along with style boards where you can see Vera's take on different bridal styles. Additionally, you can load images in the app from your own photo library and insert them in your own interactive inspiration board and share them with friends and family.

Click here to see three more amazing fashion apps.

Details on Demi Moore's Scary 911 Call

Lauren Turner — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:39:44 PST

Demi Moore's 911 call released - People
Nicole Kidman debuts a big new hairstyle - Lainey Gossip
Has Miley Cyrus finally gone too far? - Huffington Post
Red Bull may be part of Demi's problem - D-Listed
Celebrities who have swapped houses - The Daily Beast
Katherine Heigl and other blondes who went brunette for the big screen - NextMovie
Paula Deen can't catch a break with her health - Zap2It
Matthew Broderick is back as Ferris Bueller - Insider
Will LMFAO and Cee Lo Green be part of Madonna's Super Bowl show? - JustJared
Rihanna doesn't seem to mind wearing a see-through top in public - Hollywood Tuna
Pink and baby Willow share a sweet birthday message for Ellen - TooFab
David Arquette to join Courteney Cox on Cougar Town - Pink Is the New Blog
Gerard Butler denies even knowing Brandi Glanville - The Superficial
Kim Kardashian keeps up on Google alerts about herself - popbytes
Is a SoHo House Hotel opening in LA? - Hollywood Reporter

Black Friday Shopping Tips

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:21:47 PST

Thanksgiving is next week, but is quickly followed by the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. Whether you've got your eye on a big screen TV, a laptop, or a new smartphone, follow these tips that will help make your early morning shopping rush a breeze rather than a hailstorm of stress.

Make a list - Just because there's a sale doesn't mean you should buy. Make a list of the items you need and steer clear of those you don't. Black Friday may be great for a discount, but buying gadgets you don't need (or won't use) won't help your credit in the long run.
Plan it out - Before you set your alarm clock, scour all the ads to get an idea of what's on sale and compare prices. Once you've decided where to go for the best deals, map out all your stops for an efficient shopping route based on store hours. You can DIY, or use a site like FindTheBestRoute to cut down on planning time.
Check return policies - Many stores implement special holiday return policies on tech items and usually have year-round restocking fees for big-ticket items like TVs, DSLRs. Know and understand what you're getting into before you buy, so that if by chance you have to return it, you know what to expect.
Use one credit card - Designate one credit card for all of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. Alert your credit provider ahead of time to let them know you'll be shopping up a storm next week, so you don't end up denied at the register. Not only will this help you from overspending (especially if you have a low limit), but it will help keep your risk of fraudulent charges at a minimum since you'll know exactly which credit bill to pull up if there's any questionable activity. Leave your debit cards in your wallet, too; they aren't as safe to use online since they feed directly from your checking account. If there are any disputes (depending on the bank), you might not get your money back right away.
Utilize apps while shopping - If you happen to find an item you weren't planning on buying, use the Amazon Price Checker app or ShopSavvy to compare prices and confirm you're getting the best deal possible.
Keep in contact - If you're shopping in teams (this is a competitive sport, isn't it?), use free apps like iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Google Voice, or Twitter (why not make your own family shopping hashtag to follow?) to keep tabs on each other's whereabouts without racking up the SMS fees.

15 Web Sites For Finding Deals Online

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:59:08 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

We've tested and picked 15 Web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money all year. Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you hit the stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices. We also list three smart-phone applications that will help you get deals in stores. Take a look:

Find deals

If your number-one goal is to score deals, start by checking out sites that do the bargain hunting for you. Deal sites scour the Web for discounted items - saving you both time and money.

Our favorite deal site still is dealnews, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site's visitors tip them off to bargains. The deal hunters hand pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, founder and chief executive of dealnews.

The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you're interested in and get gift ideas from the site. Dealnews also has added a local deals section to help you find discounts at brick-and-mortar stores near you.

GottaDeal.com is another great source of deals. You may find some here that you won't find at dealnews (we did recently).

A reader favorite is Slickdeals.net, a user-driven deal sharing site. It features a few deals on its homepage daily, but its forums are where you'll hundreds of deals posted daily.

Read on for more great deal websites.

Apple Confirms Battery Life Issues, Software Update Fix Coming Soon

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:11:32 PDT

Apple confirmed some users are experiencing "lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices" yesterday, and promised that a software update can be expected in the next few weeks, which should wipe the problem clean. Can't wait that long cause your battery drains too fast? Below, a few tips to save your battery life until the problem is resolved.

Lower your screen brightness - Just like on your laptop, you can lower the screen brightness on your iPhone to increase battery life. Just head to Settings > Brightness to adjust.
Use WiFi where you can - Instead of downloading apps, making Google Voice calls, or browsing the web over your cellular or 3G connection, find a WiFi hot spot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down and will improve battery life since your phone won't be searching for a data signal.
Block GPS tracking in apps - If you're using lots of apps that include automatic GPS location and tagging (à la Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), your phone is working overtime to locate you. If you don't need to geotag your posts and updates, keep the GPS off.
Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off - I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but bad for your data and battery. To turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.
Shut down apps often - Do you shut down your apps after you're done using them? If not, you're using up lots of battery by allowing those apps to run. To shut down apps after use, double tap on the home button to get to your app drawer. To close open apps, just hold down on one until you see the wiggle, then click on the "X" to shut down.