Adding Album Cover Art or Images in iTunes
Scan or download album cover artwork from CDs that you rip into iTunes in a graphics format that iTunes understands and link those graphics to the songs and albums you play on iTunes. [more…]
Modifying Songs in iTunes
Although iTunes was never meant to be a song editing application, it offers a simple control over the starting and stopping points for playing back a song. You can use this feature to cut out unwanted [more…]
Load an Application onto Your BlackBerry
To load applications onto your BlackBerry, you need to work closely with your PC. On your PC, you use an application called BlackBerry Desktop Manager [more…]
Considering Surround-Sound for Your HDTV System
The profusion of surround-sound standards is a confusing area in the audio arena. Surround sound is multichannel audio designed to produce spatial audio cues [more…]
Setting Up iTunes for Windows
Before installing iTunes for Windows, make sure that you're logged on as a Windows Administrator user if you're using Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Quit all other applications before installing and disable [more…]
Measuring Stuff with a Multimeter
A multimeter is an electronics testing device that, um, tests multiple things, including resistance, voltage, and current. Using certain multimeter models, you can test to be sure that components — such [more…]
Electronics Basics: Using a Breadboard
A breadboard is a rectangular plastic box filled with holes, which have contacts in which you can insert electronic components and wires. A breadboard is what you use to string together a temporary version [more…]
What Is Soldering and How Do You Use Solder Tools?
Soldering (pronounced "soddering") involves a material called solder that melts when placed on a hot object; the melted solder cools and forms a bond between two items. Your most basic soldering tool is [more…]
Hooking Up Your Stereo to Your PC or Laptop
If you're turning a computer into a music machine, why not just do the obvious: Hook it up to the stereo? If you want to make audiotapes of your MP3s (or even streaming audio concerts) for your car's tape [more…]
Buying a DTV Digital-to-Analog Converter Box
If you have an older TV — one manufactured before March 1, 2007 — in order to pick up over-the-air digital television (DTV) signals, you'll need to purchase and install a digital-to-analog converter box [more…]
Why Are We Switching to Digital Television Signals?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided that, by June 12, 2009, all full-power TV stations must cease broadcasting on their current analog channels and switch completely over to digital [more…]
HDMI Digital Video Home Theater Connections
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the latest and greatest digital audio/video cable connection and can give you great HDTV resolution. Besides HDTVs, [more…]
Switching from One BlackBerry to Another
So you just got a new BlackBerry and want to jump-start it with the programs and data you have on your older BlackBerry. Basically, you just back up your old BlackBerry and then load that backup to your [more…]
Turning Electricity On and Off
You've scrounged around your growing electronics bin and come up with wires to connect a circuit together and batteries to power the circuit. So how do you turn the power on and off? You use switches and [more…]
Choosing a Calendar View on Your BlackBerry
To open your BlackBerry Calendar, go to the Home screen, press the menu key, and then select Calendar. The first time you open Calendar, you'll likely see the Day view, which is a default setting, as shown [more…]
GarageBand Audio Files: Understanding Compression
GarageBand exports exactly one file format — the Audio Interchange File Format (with extensions of aif, aiff, AIF, or AIFF). Fortunately, AIF files are the gold standard of audio files, the highest-of-high-quality [more…]
Connecting Your iPod to a Home Stereo
Home stereo systems come in many shapes and sizes, from an audiophile's monster component racks to a kid's itty-bitty boom box. We're not talking about alarm-clock radios, but stereos with speakers that [more…]
Recording TV Shows with Windows XP Media Center PC
Controlling Live TV is a great thing. When the phone rings (darn those telemarketers) or the dog has to go out, pausing your favorite program seems like a life saver. But sometimes you want to record entire [more…]
Setting Up Your Pocket PC Wireless Network Connection
Even if you have set up your own wired network in the past, you probably aren't familiar with setting up a wireless network. The whole process is fairly simple, and you can be up and running in just a [more…]
Ripping Music from a CD with Zune
The Zune desktop player wouldn't be a true, top-flight player if it couldn't rip CDs — it kind of goes with the territory. The Zune software uses WMA (Windows Media Audio) file compression as the default [more…]
Designing Disc Labels and Case Inserts with Roxio Label Creator
The Roxio Label Creator program in the Roxio Creator 8 Suite makes it a snap to create professional-looking disc labels, covers, booklet inserts, and jewel case inserts for the audio CDs, MP3/WMA discs [more…]
Steps to Great Car Audio Sound
It takes a lot to create a good car audio system. Here are six basic steps every car audio enthusiast should take on the path to great sound. [more…]
Tuning In to Local HDTV Broadcasts
If the thought of paying for cable or satellite TV service hurts your head, consider free over-the-air (OTA) HDTV. Nearly every household in America can tune into at least one HDTV station [more…]
Setting Up Your BlackBerry for GPS
For GPS to work on your BlackBerry, it needs navigation maps, which are usually downloaded in little pieces as required. And because these maps are downloaded, you must be subscribed to a data plan and [more…]
Ten (Or So) Cool Electronics Testing Tool Tips
Okay, so you're ready to graduate to the electronics big time. But you can't do it alone. You need a laboratory full of impressive-looking gear with blinky lights, bright knobs, and spinning dials. You're [more…]
