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!

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

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.

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.

Battery-Saving Tips For Your iPhone 4S

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:11:25 PDT

Over the past week, iPhone 4S owners have been complaining about poor battery life on their new devices. Apple is currently investigating the issue by reaching out to customers for information, but there are a few things you can do to lengthen the life of your iPhone 4S battery (or any cell phone) in the meantime. See our tips for prolonging your iPhone 4S battery life below.

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 hotspot 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 (a 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.

Have any tips of your own to keep your iPhone battery juiced up?

Geek Tips For Keeping Your Cell Phone Bill in Check

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:30:51 PDT

We never need an excuse to save a few bucks, and if your cell phone bill has been spiraling out of control recently, it's likely that you're going over your data allotments and sending too many texts. Keep it all in check by following these simple tips every day in order to save some cash each month.

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 hotspot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down.
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 very bad if I'm out and about (or worse - traveling abroad) since it uses 3G data instead of my known WiFi networks. 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.

See more tips when you read more

6 Personal Finance Tips For Forgetful People

Emily Co — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:50:02 PDT

Your intentions may be good, but sometimes your memory ruins your best attempts at trying to save more. Being forgetful when you're managing your finances can actually be quite damaging. For example, if you continually forget to pay off a bill, not only will it result in penalty fees, it may very well lower your credit score. And lower credit scores will cost you in many ways, which include being charged higher interest rates and fees when you're trying to take out certain types of loans. For those of you who are prone to forgetfulness, read these tips:

Automate: If you're like most people, you'll have to transfer money to several accounts - savings, bills, investments, and more - every month. Make your life simple by scheduling these payments. Automating is great because you're paying off what needs to be paid off first and you'll never forget to move your money to where it needs to be.
Use Mint alerts: Sign up for a free Mint account to conveniently manage your money online and set alerts for reminders. Mint has more than 20 different types of alerts and will send you email or text prompts to let you know if you go over your set budget, if you're late on a bill, if your balance is low, and other important money reminders.
Set aside a day to pay bills: If you're not going to rely on the bill alerts for Mint, you might want to use a simple system of setting aside one day to pay your bills. Just mark it on the calendar and talk to the companies you're dealing with to see if they're willing to move the payment date so you can better align the dates the bills are due.
Use your digital calendars: Spend a day on the weekend to organize your Google, Outlook, or any other type of digital calendar, and mark some important dates. Set days you want to review how much you're contributing to your different accounts, when you should check your credit score, file insurance claims, do your taxes, and other important personal finance tuneups.

Read on for more money tips forgetful people should keep in mind.