Do you cook over a stove a lot while camping? Buying multiple propane bottles to fuel a camp stove can get expensive; refilling empty bottles is much cheaper.
Everyone loves to get a good deal, but when it comes to laptops, there are some deals that are just plain bad and should be avoided when shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Miniature desktop PCs don't have to be so sluggish. Adding more RAM can add a little zip and bring more value to older hardware that you might not be ready to replace so soon. These instructions apply to the HP ProDesk 600 G1 DM and EliteDesk 800 G1 DM models.
A data cap is a limit that a cell phone or Internet provider enforces to prevent any single user from overloading a network. A data cap from your cell phone or cable/satellite Internet provider can be a real nuisance. Understanding data usage is key to avoiding overage fees or throttled speeds.
Uninterruptible power supplies are good for more than just keeping your desktop computer running when the power goes out.
I decided to give Vance Fry's AlphaSmart Dana Battery Hack a try when Dana's battery showed signs that it was on its last legs. This is my documentary of the hack and experience with it.
Replacing the backup battery in your AlphaSmart 3000, Neo or Neo2 is quite easy and can save a lot of heartache if you use your AlphaSmart to get a lot of writing done.
The AlphaSmart Dana, the predecessor to the AlphaSmart Neo and Neo2 word processors, can still be just as useful and sometimes even more so to writers who want to avoid distraction.
If you or your kids love playing with a Nintendo Wii often, buying batteries can be expensive. Get some rechargeable batteries or battery packs instead and save your money!
With winter temperatures upon us, the thermostat is cranked up and zoom goes the electric bill. A space heater may make more sense if you don't need to heat the whole house.
If you're looking for a no-frills word processor that offers excellent battery life, minimal distraction, and maximum portability, then look no further than the AlphaSmart word processors.
If you're looking for an inexpensive turntable, the Jensen JTA-230 likely fits your needs, whether its for your own personal listening or as a gift to someone else.
Power outages can be a nuisance but there are some things you can do to get by, stay safe and have fun.
Mini fridges are almost a must have for any students going to college and preparing to move into a dorm. What mini fridges are the best buys and which ones are should you stay away from?
The Dell Latitude D430 is still a decent ultra portable notebook for basic web browsing, email and word processing needs for someone on the go, and upgrading the RAM in it can boost performance.
Surplus auctions can be a source for used laptop and desktop computers to either refurbish for personal use or flipping laptops for a profit through places like eBay and Craigslist.
If you already have your bare necessities, shelter, water and food covered for extended outages or disaster, make sure you have power for your phone to contact emergency services or family members.
Winter can be a lot of fun, but we all dread those hefty heating bills. Electric blankets and mattress pads are inexpensive ways you can reduce your electric bill!
Not all Android devices support moving apps to your microSD card to make room for more apps. There is a workaround through Link2SD, which can help you force your device to allow apps to store some or almost all of their data on your microSD card.
If you have an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, unit such as one from APC, if your battery goes dead, APC presents you with two choices, replace the battery with a fairly expensive one from them or buy a new unit altogether. There is another option!
Do you own an Apex TM772 7" tablet and want to root it? There is an easy way to do it yourself without messing with command prompts from your PC so you can unlock full control of your tablet.
An inverter can be an inexpensive way to get some electrical power in an emergency. Here is how to install one in a Toyota Prius.
New gas cans are shiny and clean, but they acquire a layer of grime over time. Here's how to clean a gas can—inside and out.
Are your kids ordering pay per view movies? Seeing charges for adult movies on your bill? You should set up locks on your Hopper to require a password to place one of these orders.
Depending on your needs or printing habits, it may be more worth your money to buy an older printer and stick with re-manufactured or refilled ink cartridges and avoid overpriced new ink cartridges.
This guide will show you how to disassemble and clean a box fan easily and ensure that it functions properly for years to come.
Cleaning the battery-cooling fan in your Prius can help extend its lifetime by many thousands of miles, especially if you frequently carry furry passengers in the rear.
The Hopper and Hopper with Sling allow you to pair a Bluetooth enabled device for streaming audio without disturbing others in a quiet environment, and is simple to setup.
ScanGauge can be expensive, but now you can have the same functionality with an inexpensive Bluetooth adapter for any vehicle including the Prius.
If you change the oil in your Toyota Prius yourself, don't forget to reset the Maintenance Required light when you're done. Check out the simple steps below to do so.
Doing basic maintenance on your Prius, like changing the oil, isn't dangerous or difficult at all. Here is how to do it: it's simple and only requires simple tools.
Do you know how old the 12-volt battery is in your Prius? Think it needs replacing? Read on to find out how easy it is to perform a battery test without even breaking out a wrench!
It's very easy to install Windows Vista in VirtualBox on either a PC or a Mac. Installing Vista in a virtual machine can also be a great learning tool for certain certification exams.
Window air conditioners need a regular spring cleaning to keep them in working order. Read on to find out how to clean your window air conditioning unit.
Learn how to install Windows 2000 Professional in a virtual machine with VirtualBox from Oracle.
Anyone who grew up in the 80's can probably remember playing the original Super Mario and Zelda games. Now, you can play those same games on your Windows PC!
The Acer Aspire One D250 is a very handy netbook. Speed it up by replacing the hard drive with a faster one or by switching to an SSD!
Portable air conditioning units are easier to install than window ac units and can be moved from room to room as desired. But do you know the difference between a single or dual duct portable ac unit?
Pots and soil can be messy, but it's easy and cheap to grow houseplants in nothing more than a vase, water, and some liquid fertilizer!
A TI-83 Plus is a great tool for students and is even more handy outside of class. Here's how to emulate a TI-83 Plus in Windows.
Basilisk II makes it easy to emulate an older Macintosh running System 7.5.3 on a Windows PC. What can you do with such an emulator anyway?
VirtualBox is great for testing out different operating systems and makes it easy to prepare for CompTIA exams. However, wouldn't it be great if you could carry all of your virtual machines on a USB drive? Here's how to do it!
1 GB of RAM isn't enough in a netbook. Here's how to easily upgrade the RAM in your netbook to its maximum capacity.
LEDs have several advantages over incandescent and CFL light bulbs. However, as a relatively new option for residential lighting, they do have some disadvantages as well.
Germinating tomato seeds indoors can be a rewarding task. You can get an early start on raising a delicious harvest.
Starbucks provides used coffee grounds to customers free of charge. You can use them to improve soil structure and provide plants with nutrients or compost the grounds with other materials.
With IDE hard drives becoming hard to find and their price tag increasing, SSDs make a lot of sense for replacing older hard drives when they fail. However, commercial SSDs use SATA connectors and not IDE connectors that older computers use. Using a CF card and a CF-to-IDE adapter, you can make...
A block heater can help you improve your fuel economy by pre-heating your engine and allowing it to burn fuel more efficiently.
Do you have a Retail DVD of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard? Do you also have an older PPC Mac that is supported by Leopard but don't have a Dual Layer DVD drive that can read the Install DVD? Then we need to make a copy that will fit onto a Single Layer DVD!
Modern computers support booting from USB drives. Here is how you can copy your Windows OS installation media to a flash drive and make it bootable.
RAM is one of the most easily upgradeable components in any PC or Mac. Adding more RAM to your computer can bring a significant performance boost and doesn't have to be very expensive.
The Lasko My Heat Personal Heater is a great, inexpensive little heater that can save you money on your heating bills. By turning the thermostat down in your house and using this little guy to keep yourself warm, you can save quite a bit of cash.
Lowe's now offers LEDs made by Utilitech for less than $20. This is my review of the Soft White version of their 7.5 watt bulb.
Chest freezers are more energy efficient than space-saving upright freezers. But why are they more efficient?
Compact fluorescents can be bought in a range of colors. Here is a brief breakdown of what they all mean and how you can decide which one or ones to purchase to replace your incandescent bulbs.
Low rolling resistance (LRR for short) tires can be a great investment and can save a lot of gas in hybrid and non-hybrid vehicles alike.
Phantom loads consume energy when you're not using them. Often they can waste several dollars worth of electricity in the average home over a year.
Producing your own power with a kit from a retailer has never been cheaper or so easy. I detail my own usage of a kit that I purchased and set up myself.
Drying racks are an inexpensive way to dry your clothes indoors and save money. They're also a great way to prolong the life of your clothes because they don't use high temperatures. And, if you're serious about reducing your carbon footprint, they're another tool you can use.