@methodshop

One of the biggest hassles about flying, is finding a spare wall outlet to recharge your gadgets. Empty wall outlets are almost never near gate seats and when you do find one, it's usually taken.

However, the search for a power outlet to recharge your iPod, laptop or cellphone just got a whole lot easier. Major cities are slowing starting to add "Power Poles" outside of boarding gates. For example, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has added "power poles" to all major New York area airports including La Guardia, Kennedy and Newark. Newark International Airport has over 50 power poles alone.

In most cases, airport power poles are sponsored by advertisers, like Samsung, and provide free recharging services. And based the image below, power poles are also a great place to meet girls.





methodshop

Labels: tech news

Privacy is a constant issue in today's technology enabled society, but there is plenty you can do to protect yourself starting with your web browser.

One of the most useful and at the same time, most dangerous things about web browsers is the amount of data they store. Did you forget your password for that photo sharing site? Can't remember which travel company you bought your plane tickets with? Don't worry... your web browser remembers. Web browsers are constantly collecting information about you. They can do everything from store passwords to let you search your browsing history.

However, this stored data may be useful for you, but anyone who snoops around on your computer can use your web browser data to discover your habits, history, passwords, account names and preferences. This information can then be used by ex-spouses, advertisers of even hackers to take advantage of you.



methodshop

Labels: internet, tutorial

Oops! Did you accidentally change you iPod's language to Chinese, Japanese or Icelandic? Want to switch it back to English or another language you understand? Here's how:

1. Press the Menu button like 20 times. You want to be sure you are on the Main Menu screen.
2. Scroll all the way down to the last menu option - but don't select it.
3. Scroll up one menu item. This should be the Settings option.
4. Press the Center (Select) button.
   
5. You are now in the Settings menu.
6. Scroll down to the last menu option. It should say "Reset All Settings" in English - but don't select it.
7. Scroll up to the third menu item from the bottom. This should be the Language option.
8. Press the Center button to select Language.
9. Select your preferred language from the list.

For more tutorials and help articles, checkout the methodsop.com iPod/iPhone Help Section.


methodshop

Labels: gadgets, ipod, tutorial

If you grew up during the 1980's, then perhaps you might remember playing an 8-bit shooter called Duck Hunt. Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, Duck Hunt was one of the first games to use the "NES Zapper" or light gun.

Finding a working NES, light gun and original Duck Hunt cartridge 25 years later can be a little tricky and require some time searching around on eBay. But if you're looking for a quick Duck Hunt fix, you can play an online version of Duck Hunt here, or buy an iPhone version from the iTunes Store.

The iPhone version of Duck Hunt isn't exactly legit, so buy it while you can. It's clearly a quick port of the original game. Because the iPhone version of Duck Hunt was done without Nintendo's blessing, it's missing some of the core elements that made the NES version such a classic. For example, 1) the iPhone version is missing the dog that picks up the ducks or laughs at you when you miss, 2) the Zapper gun and 3) sound.




A lawyer from Nintendo will probably pull the game from the iTunes App Store before the end of the month. And don't expect Nintendo to make an iPhone version of Duck Hunt anytime soon. Remember, Nintendo has their own portable gaming system, the Nintendo DS.

So if you really want to play Duck Hunt on your iPhone, buy it soon. The unofficial version of Duck Hunt sells for $0.99 in the iTunes App Store.




methodshop

Labels: games, iphone, tech news

What's your favorite song? You may find this surprising, but iTunes can probably answer that question for you. Each time a song is played in iTunes, the Play Count of that particular song increases by one.

But what if a song you loathe and only play as a gag for friends happens to creep into your ‘Most Listened To' playlist?

The following tutorial explains how to reset the Play Count of one or more songs in your iTunes library. Most savvy iTunes won't need a tutorial this in-depth, but everyone is a newbie once.

Labels: itunes, tutorial

During the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign, Barack Obama became a Twitter phenomenon. After signing up for a Twitter account on March 5, 2007, his campaign slowly grew his Twitter following until in August 2008 Obama became the #1 person using the service. Obama not only had thousands of more followers than his opponent John McCain, but more followers than anyone else using Twitter.

If you follow Obama on Twitter, you probably know 2 things: 1) he doesn't tweet that much, and 2) moments after you follow Obama on Twitter, he follows you. How did the the Obama campaign do this? Do they have a dedicated staff person managing his Twitter account or is it automated?

Honestly I don't know the answer, but there is a way to auto follow your followers on Twitter. This auto follow Twitter trick can be can be pretty useful if you find yourself managing a Twitter account for a public figure or celebrity.


In order for this auto follow trick to work, you need to send your new follower Twitter emails through a Gmail filter that automatically forwards the message to an awesome service called TweetLater.com. Don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it really is.


methodshop

Labels: internet, tutorial

The original Ninja Cat video has earned an amazing 8 million views and 19,000 comments on YouTube in only 4 months. It's truly become an Internet sensation and was even featured in Andrew Bancroft's Digg Reel podcast. In the clip, a cat stealthy manages to approach the camera apparently without moving. Honestly, it's one of the best clips on YouTube.



However, one of the byproducts of success, is imitation. And unfortunately, the latest attempt to recreate the YouTube Internet sensation "Ninja Cat" resulted in the cat's owner being attacked. The clip is appropriately titled "Ninja Cat Fail." When you get owned by your own cat, is that considered reverse ownage?



If you want to download any of the Ninja Cat videos and convert them for your iPhone, iPod or Apple TV, then check out this tutorial: How to Copy Videos Off YouTube.


methodshop

Labels: internet, video

Photo from datapanik

Yesterday Apple CEO Steve Jobs sent a letter to employees explaining that his health issues are more "complex" that he initially thought and that his medical leave will now likely extend until the end of June.

Tim Cook, Apple's COO, will step in to oversee day-to-day operations in his absence. This will be the second time Cook has taken over for Jobs. Cook is considered a Silicon Valley outsider. He's very low-key, but respected.

But what happens if Jobs doesn't come back? Many bloggers and Twitter users are speculating that this may be that time we will ever see Mr. Jobs.

WIRED and nytimes.com even published articles titled: "Steve Jobs Probably Won't Come Back to Apple" and "What If Steve Jobs Doesn't Come Back to Work?"

Most people want Jobs to come back. Jobs has done amazing things while CEO of Apple. Jobs has even become a cult-like hero among techies and Apple fanboys. But Apple should have a plan B and the company should live on and flourish for decades to comes.

"Following the initial news around Macworld Expo that Jobs was going to forgo the keynote and had a hormonal imbalance, whispers grew to loud murmurs, saying that Apple needed a backup plan for CEO - and fast - but now that murmuring has become a roaring crescendo," said Louis Gray from LouisGray.com. "And while I put myself at significant risk at being labeled a fanboy who kneels at the multi-colored altar, I have to express how losing Jobs for more than a few months will be a significant blow, not just to Apple and its customers, but to Silicon Valley and the world at large."

Jobs has done wonders for not only Apple and the personal computer, but he also transformed digital media itself. The way music and videos are purchased and enjoyed is a direct result from the success of the iPod and iTunes. Love him or hate him, Jobs has used Apple's technology to revolutionize the world.


methodshop

Labels: apple, tech news

Move over iFart, iSteam is now the hottest thing in the iTunes App Store.

iSteam turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a foggy glass surface and allows you to wipe it clean with your fingertips. Exactly like a mirror after a hot shower.

The concept behind iSteam may sound simple, but it has already earned the 22-year old kids who created it $100,000 in only one month. Since being released on December 30, iSteam has sold over 1 million copies and overtaken iBeer, iFart, Ocarina, Whoopie Cushion and Pull My Finger to become #1 "entertainment" application in the App Store.

iSteam sells for $0.99 in the iTunes App Store [link].




methodshop

Labels: iphone, ipod, itunes

According to NetApplications and Computerworld, the total number of Windows users decreased in December 2008 by 0.94% to 88.7%. As a result of this Microsoft decline, Apple's total share of the operating system market is now over 10%. This is the first time Apple has breached the 10% mark in decades.

Comparing new Apple users is even more impresive. Mac OS X's 2008 market share grew by 31.7% compared to 2007.

Apparently a lot of people woke up Christmas morning to find a new Apple computer under the tree.


methodshop

Labels: apple, tech news

Happy New Year!!! Shhhh. That was loud. Too hungover to even read status updates on Facebook? Then play some games. Bubble Shooter is pretty mindless and easy enough to play while your still a little crispy this morning.

The goal of Bubble Shooter is very easy: you have to clean off the field by matching 3 or more bubbles of the same color. But hurry. More bubbles will appear on the field in timed increments. In order advance to the next level you must detonate every ball on the board. Master your skills and have fun! (Stop yelling already!)



methodshop

Labels: games