Trade in Your Old Cell Phone for a New One

Lots of news happening in the cell phone world these days…or should I say Smart Phone World. Verizon is now taking orders for the iPhone; two companies are offering trade-in programs (see below); all the major carriers will soon have 4G systems (or something they call 4G anyway); AT&T is launching its free calling to any cell phone in the US'; and, of course, new cell phones are constantly being released.

I have not covered wireless phone service much in this blog, but maybe I need to expand that coverage as that is the fastest rising market in technology today…as these smart phones are really portable computers. I will say, in the fairness of full disclosure, that my cell phone contract is up and am looking around to see what I want to do next. Regardless, I think the world of smart phones are worth covering more than I have in the past. Let me know if you have any thoughts on that matter. - JRC

AT&T, Verizon Wireless trade-in programs may change smartphone buying process

Verizon Wireless launched a trade-in program ahead of the launch of the iPhone and AT&T quickly followed. These efforts may just change the smartphone buying process and minimize the reliance on two-year contracts.

Microsoft gives Hotmail users instant access to chuckaway email accounts

The chuckaway email addresses are generally used by people who sign up for free coupons and newsletters that they would otherwise not want delivered to their real account. Microsoft currently permits users to add up to 15 aliases per email account, so they can read all messages from alternative emails within one inbox.

Learn the Sounds of a Failing Hard Drive to Avoid Lost Data

Most hard drives make certain sounds when they start failing, but every drive and brand of drive is different. Data recovery company Data Cent has put together a database of sounds that let you know what's going wrong with your drive.

Windows 7 and SSDs: Cutting your system drive down to size

Solid-state drives are wicked fast. They can breathe new life into a PC whose performance is being dragged down by a slow conventional hard drive. They’re also expensive and (at least for now) limited in total capacity. So how do you get the performance benefits of an SSD upgrade without breaking the bank?

Create Your Own DVD Menus for Free With DVDStyler

DVDStyler accepts any unprotected video file format under the sun. Simply drag and drop or browse for your AVI, MP4, WMV (or whatever) unprotected videos, and put them where you want on the DVD. I liked how straightforward DVDStyler is to use. Set each video file as its own Title (like an episode on a TV on DVD disc), or set each one up as a Chapter within a single Title (like how a movie on DVD is divided into chapters).