SAN FRANCISCO – Ingenuity: It’s the stuff of legends in the geek world. After all, why should you waste your hard-earned cash or spend hours at the old electronics store to purchase items that you can otherwise make yourself? We’re not suggesting that you need to become an everyday geek MacGyver, but it’s worth knowing that a number of household goods can serve as excellent substitutes for computer or gadget accessories that you’d otherwise spend a chunk of change on.

From laptop stands and cable-management tools to wrist-pain reducers and car GPS holders, the world of do-it-yourself accessory building is limited only by your imagination–not your skills. The DIY contraptions we’ll be covering in this brief how-to article won’t require a ton of tools, parts, or headaches. In our DIY land, you should be able to construct something to improve your geek life in 30 minutes or less.

Car Smartphone Holder

Why buy an expensive dashboard mount for your smartphone when you can build one in a variety of ways? We’ll start with the iPhone, since half of the components you need for the project come right in the box–the carrying tray that the iPhone sits in is what you’ll be using to attach the device to your car.

You may be wondering: How are you going to get your iPhone to sit comfortably in the tray if it’s vertical? You have three solutions.

One, buy some heavy-duty Velcro and adhere four strips to the side of the tray in line with the iPhone’s top speaker and its Home button. Use two longer strips to tuck the iPhone into the case securely, and then use Velcro to adhere the case itself to a spot in your car. Two, thread a larger piece of Velcro through the carrying tray’s center hole to form a loop, and use that to hold your iPhone in place (this approach, though, will limit your ability to see part of the screen). Three, find some small but sturdy pieces of plastic, heat them up and bend them to form little clips, and glue these clips to the frame of the iPhone carrying tray to secure the phone in place.

Fear not, Android/BlackBerry/other users, for we haven’t forgotten about you. In your case, try making a phone holder by taking a regular old soda cup–the specific size depends on the size of your phone and/or cup holder–and cutting what amounts to a high-back chair out of it.

Check out our step-by-step instructions to learn exactly how we fashioned our Phone Throne.

Tablet Stand

We’re borrowing this technique from Steph of the blog Upcycle Us, because it’s just that cool: using chopsticks to make a stand for your tablet PC.

To start this DIY project, you’ll need a ton of chopsticks (probably 15). Puncture a small hole near the end of five of them, glue four together on top of one another, and use a tiny nut and bolt combination (probably a 4-40) to attach the fifth. This is the front of your stand. Glue a few more chopsticks together (to fit the depth of your device), and glue them to the chopstick immediately above the swiveling one on the line you just created. That’s the bottom of your holder. Take the rest of the chopsticks and glue them together to form the back of the stand, and then glue them to the previous set such that the end of the line of chopsticks is on the same horizontal plane as the swiveling chopstick.

When you try to swivel that chopstick (the leg that keeps the entire construction upright) back, you’ll notice that it doesn’t quite work correctly. Take a knife and carve out enough room on the rear-chopstick section to allow the front chopstick to swivel, and voilà: one inexpensive tablet holder.

See the step-by-step instructions for this chopstick tablet stand.

Wrist Rest

If you need a brain rest from that last tip, we have just the trick for you. You know all those fancy, silica-gel wrist rests you can purchase to alleviate the stress of day-to-day computer use–specifically on your mouse hand? Well, you can make your own version faster than you can probably read this paragraph. Grab a cotton sock–an athletic sock, preferably–and fill it with either rice, flaxseed, or dried cherry pits.

Tie off the end of the sock with itself if you can, or use a string or band to seal it up (bonus points if you can sew the open end shut). And there you have it: one quick and easy wrist rest. You can even throw it into the microwave or freezer to give your tired arms an added jolt.

Make your own wrist rest with our step-by-step instructions.

The New Mouse Pad

You probably can come up with all kinds of reasons why you wouldn’t want to buy a new mouse pad. Fortunately, you can use a simple substitute. Take some wax paper–or better yet, baking sheet liners–and use cellophane tape to adhere a decently sized rectangle to your desk. You’ve now created an insta-mouse-pad that’s every bit as slick and speedy as the $50 slabs you can purchase online.

Looking for a more personal touch? Buy a blank white mouse pad and some textile acrylic paint. Go to town with your artistic mind, let the paint dry, and then cover the whole pad with two layers of wax paper. Fire up an iron to medium-high heat, and then run it over the mouse pad. Your art will be forever sealed–and, more important, you’ll have the coolest-looking mouse pad on the block.

Pocket-Based Earbud Management

Few things in life are more frustrating than having to sort through a horrible knot of thin cabling before you can start rocking out with your portable media player of choice. It’s the Curse of the Earbuds. Thankfully, the hassle is easily preventable with a few cheap tricks. Here’s the cheapest: Start with a piece of paper measuring 4.25 by 5.5 inches (one-fourth of a standard 8.5-by-11-inch sheet), and fold it so that its two longer edges meet. Now fold the result in half, but along the other axis (making the two shorter edges meet). Then fold that result in half. Crease it, and then squeeze the two edges slightly to form a small paper tube of sorts.

Slip in the earbuds so that they hang off the top of the tube you just created; the wire should dangle out of the bottom. Now wrap the wire around the paper tube, which should seal the whole thing together.

Read our step-by-step earbud-organizer instructions.

Also acceptable: Cut an old credit card in half, and carve two notches into the sides. One notch goes on the upper-left half of the card; the other, on the lower-right side. Make sure to cut a big enough hole such that a cord can wrap into the area, because that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Stick your earbuds in one notch and let the cord dangle out the other side. Now wrap the cord around the credit card piece horizontally (you should be holding the card piece vertically), and then tuck the earbud plug into the second notch once you near the end.

SAN FRANCISCO – Warner Bros. is expanding its Facebook movie rental service with five new films including Inception, the first two Harry Potter Movies, the romantic comedy Life as We Know It and Yogi Bear. The new films are available starting Monday and should cost between 30 and 40 Facebook credits ($3-$4) each for 48-hour unlimited streaming access. The newer movies including Inception, Life As We Know It and Yogi Bear appear to be priced 10 credits ($1) higher than older movies such as The Dark Knight , Warner Bros’ first offering that debuted in early March, and the Harry Potter films. Warner Bros. says the new films are still part of its “test offering of movies.” Warner Bros. has not officially confirmed online movie rental pricing.

How It Works

To get started visit the Facebook pages for each movie (links above) and select the ‘Watch’ link in the navigation column on the left. On the next page click the “Watch Now” link embedded in the movie poster in the center column for each title. You will then be asked to agree to use the app for each movie requiring you to share your basic Facebook information with the app including your name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, list of friends, and any other publically available information you’ve shared on the social network.

After you agree, you will then be prompted to enter your ZIP code and pay with Facebook credits to rent the movie. If you don’t have enough Facebook credits, you can buy more credits on this page by clicking the “buy more” link. Facebook movie streaming is available to users in the U.S. only.
While you’re watching the movie, you will have access to Facebook features such as commenting on the movie, chatting with friends and updating your status.

Better Selection

The new movies on Facebook represent an improved selection compared to Warner Bros.’ debut release of the Dark Knight. The latest Batman film may be a popular movie, but it is also three-years old and many were likely to have seen the film several times over. But Monday’s new titles include a mix of older and newer movies, some of which were only recently released on DVD. Yogi Bear’s DVD release was just six days ago on March 22, and Life As We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, had its DVD release on February 8. Inception was released to DVD in December.

It’s not clear if Warner Bros. plans on releasing a much larger catalog of movies for rental on Facebook or if the studio will only use the service for select titles. Either way, the new service is still not as good a deal as a Netflix subscription, which costs as little as $8 per month and gives you unlimited streaming access to a large selection of titles.

It’s also worth noting that none of the six titles available from Warner Bros. on Facebook are currently available for Netflix streaming, although most are available for DVD rental from Netflix with the exception of Yogi Bear.

A TechCrunch report based on information from “two solid sources” says iOS 5 will be a major revamp focused on cloud-based services, including a possible “music locker”  and location-oriented service. Expect iOS 5 to be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), slated for June.

APPLE IPHONEYS: The iPhone 5 edition

Apple is widely expected to roll out a new iPhone, possibly called the iPhone 5, at WWDC, and there’s speculation that an addition to Apple’s iPad tablet computer line (iPad 3?) might debut in the fall alongside iOS 5. A new iPad might boast a retina display and other new features or size options, going beyond the new iPad 2.

Ever since Apple released the first iPhone in June 2007, the company has provided an iOS preview/roadmap in spring followed by its release with the new iPhone version. While WWDC will be held in June, it will technically still be spring, but the new version of iOS isn’t expected to be available until the fall now.

Apple introduced iOS 4.3 earlier this month, bringing with it Personal Hotspot, faster Safari browsing and iTunes Home Sharing.

Some Apple watchers aren’t so sure Apple will be able to wait until fall to issue its next major iOS update. TiPb writes:  ”Competition is heating up with Google still iterating Android at a breakneck pace, webOS hitting 2.x and 3.0 this year, and the first BlackBerry QNX-based device shipping next month. Apple going 18 months between iOS refreshes would be perceived as falling behind.”

The Phonedog blog says regardless of when iOS 5 comes out, Apple will probably want to launch its next iPhone in the summer to entice current users of the iPhone smartphone to upgrade when their contracts expire.

SAN FRANCISCO – The days when Facebook was nothing more than fun way to waste time with a few friends are long gone. Today, you’re just as likely to run across prospective employers there as you are old classmates–and that’s to say nothing of the scammers and spammers you might find, too. Keeping your Facebook profile and pages polished and professional-looking enough for all comers can be a chore, and keeping them free of spam and scams can be downright impossible. Enter Websense’s TRITON Defensio Social Web Security for Facebook.

Available as a Facebook app (free for personal use; business versions range from $299 to $7,999 per year), Defensio is designed to keep your Facebook pages free of unwanted and potentially harmful content. It’s easy enough to use, but is somewhat hamstrung by Facebook’s limiting APIs.

You can activate Defensio by clicking its Facebook page and granting it permission to access your Facebook account. You can have it protect personal Facebook profiles or Facebook pages (such as those set up for a business or other activity) from profanity, spam, and potentially malicious content, such as viruses and phishing scams.

The problem is that Defensio’s ability to protect a personal profile is limited by Facebook’s API, which does not allow third-party apps to remove content from a user’s profile: The user must delete the content him- or herself. That means that every bit of risky content and profanity–from relatively mild swears like “hell” to more offensive curses, like the f- word–appears on your profile. Defensio simply alerts you (at an e-mail address you supply) that suspect content, such as “possible profanity” has been posted. Unfortunately, Defensio’s e-mail alerts (which you can turn off) always arrived a few minutes after the Facebook message telling me that a friend had posted on my wall. Because I had Facebook’s own alerts enabled, that meant Defensio’s alerts were only telling me what I already knew.

Another issue: Defensio’s default profanity feature isn’t enabled by, well, default. I had to turn it on manually. Before I did so, the app didn’t alert me to any profanity at all. Once the default feature was enabled, the app proved fairly adept at picking up suspect profanity, catching most of the swears sent my way, with no false positives. Unfortunately, though, it missed several posts, including some with the same curse words it had previously identified. Results with porn links were similarly mixed: It failed to notify me of one link to a porn site that had been posted to my wall, even though the link’s description contained the phrase “naked girls.” It did, however, flag a posted link to a more well-known porn site with a more obvious name.

When Defensio does catch posts containing suspected profanity, spam, or malicious content, they’re listed in its “Comment Moderation” section. You’re given two options: “Delete” or “Not Spam.” Opting for “Not Spam” simply removes the comment from Defensio’s list. And while you might think that selecting “Delete” would delete the post, you’d be wrong. Instead, it generates a pop-up message telling you that due to Facebook limitations, you must manually delete the post.

Defensio’s approach would make sense if the Comment Moderation section acted as a queue for holding suspect posts, which you could then delete or approve for posting. I understand that the app is hamstrung by some of Facebook’s rules, which is unfortunate. But its limitations would be less frustrating if the software’s interface made them clearer.

Websense, the company behind Defensio, says that these limitations only apply to personal profiles, not Facebook pages set up for companies and such. If you’re a business user looking to safeguard your company’s Facebook fan page, then Defensio might prove a useful companion. We did not test it on business pages profiles, and thus can’t give an opinion on that service. And if you’re looking for guidance on which Facebook posts might contain suspect content, Defensio might point them out. But if you’re simply looking to keep your Facebook profile squeaky clean for any and all prying eyes, well, Defensio for Facebook doesn’t really do anything you couldn’t do on your own.

LONDON – If you’re on the lookout for a new portable PC, it pays to pay close attention to the specifications on offer before you get out your credit card. Not all laptops are equal, and we’re not just talking about the inherent differences between different laptop formats, such as netbooks and more powerful desktop-replacement laptops.

Check out our laptop buying advice below to get to grips with the specs on offer and learn the bare minimum requirements for today’s portable computers, and then head to our laptop reviews to check out the latest models.

Portability and a lower price tag are the netbook’s main attraction. Speed and comfort are their main problems.

Initially conceived to run Linux from a small internal solid-state drive, the netbook category was soon overrun with near-identical designs locked-down by processor and OS suppliers Intel and Microsoft.

Essentially all netbooks now take an Intel Atom, run Windows 7 Starter; and have a 10.1in low-resolution 1024×600 screen, 1GB memory, 160GB/250GB hard disk, and three USB 2.0 ports.

Following the success of the Apple iPad since its launch in 2010, the category is on the wane, and may decline further, especially if other types of tablet PC prove popular.

Processor: Intel’s Atom is the de-facto netbook processor. It consumes little power and gets the job done eventually. Expect sluggish navigation and slow startups. Look out for AMD’s new APU chipsets in 2011, a combined CPU/GPU solution that fianlly promises competition for Intel in this low-power processor class.

Storage: Early models had small flash-based drives up to 8GB. Now, effectively all netbooks come with either 160GB or 250GB 2.5in SATA hard-disk drives.

Memory: Windows/Intel (Wintel) netbooks are restricted to 1GB of RAM, but you can easily upgrade this yourself to 2GB for around £25. That’s our recommended minimum for running Windows 7, and will help prevent the netbook slowing further as apps are opened.

Wireless: 802.11b/g was the original standard wireless card in netbooks, but most newer models support 802.11n now too. Faster Wi-Fi technology won’t affect browsing speed but will come in handy when transferring large files. All the models currently in our chart support 802.11n

Bluetooth can be useful but is not always a standard fitting. Some netbooks also include built-in 3G modems, needing just a 3G SIM card to gain wireless internet outdoors.

Operating system: Earlier netbooks were equipped with a Linux operating system. Windows 7 Starter Edition is now standard, with slightly reduced performance compared to Windows XP.

Display: Dependence on slower integrated graphics means netbooks are not great for gameplay. The Atom processor allows standard-definition video playback, but to play HD video, you’ll need a netbook that can offload this duty to the graphics processor (‘hardware-accelerated video’).

Keyboard: Cramped keyboards go with the territory, and it’s useful to try out typing on a netbook before you buy it. For keyboards on the smallest netbooks (9in screen in less) touch-typing will be impossible. Watch out for non-standard layouts of some keys; and netbooks sometimes sacrifice dedicated function keys.

Extras: You’ll find few extras – don’t expect to find a DVD drive, FireWire port or ExpressCard slot, nor recent additions like USB 3.0. You’ll find three USB 2.0 ports, often crammed closely together. This can prevent two larger thumbdrives from being inserted alongside each other, for example.

Netbook reviews

Processor: Intel chips remain the dominant force. While some Intel Core 2 Duo processors are still in circulation, most modern laptops currently take Intel Core series chips. Quad-core processors are becoming more acceptable since the arrival of the latest second-generation Core series (Sandy Bridge) processors. Efficiency has improved enough that they’re no longer crippled by heat and battery-life problems.

Processors in Intel’s Core i5 and i7 (and also the i3) families include performance features such as Turbo Boost, for short-term overclocking; and Hyper Threading, which makes a dual-core processor perform more like a quad-core processor. There’s no logic to which processors contain which technology; and beware that some older Intel Core i7 mobile chips are only dual-core. Check specs first if you need a certain feature.

AMD also makes processors for mobile computing, often found in budget full-size laptops. Efficiency tends to be lower, meaning more heat and noise and shorter battery life.

Memory: The minimum amount of RAM commonly fitted is now 2GB. Aim for at least 4GB, although Windows cannot use more than 3GB in its 32-bit versions. If you have 4GB or more of memory, go 64-bit.

Hard drive: The hard disk is still the most popular storage type for laptops, even if solid-state storage is the preferred solution for portables.

A 5400rpm drive from 250GB to 750GB capacity is typical, although capacities of the smaller 2.5in SATA disk drives now reaches 1.5TB. A faster 7200rpm drive improves performance, at the expense of slightly higher heat and noise, and lower battery life. It can be awkward to upgrade a laptop’s hard drive, so get as much storage space as you can.

For best performance and increased reliability, look out for a solid-state drive (SSD). Prices remain much higher than hard-disk drives, but if you have the budget the offer of silent operation, greatly increased performance and resistance to shock make the SSD the best choice for mobile computing. SSDs can be found in 60GB to 500GB sizes. If you can afford it, look to 128GB or 256GB capacity. The 500GB remains a four-figure luxury.

Screen: Laptop screens were once all 4:3 ratio, until 16:10 widescreen became popular. Now most laptops take 16:9-ratio displays. Size of screen dictates the overall size of notebook. If you want a small and easy-to-carry ultraportable laptop, look for a display of 11in to 13in.

The 15in screen size is very popular, offering a good balance between available working screen space and a still-luggable notebook.

At 17in or 18in screen size, the laptop becomes more of a static fixture, better suited for designers or for home entertainment use.

Increasing the resolution of the display means more can be crammed into the screen, at the expense of legibility as screen elements reduce in size. A full-HD 1920×1080 resolution on even a large 17in screen can make work difficult due to tiny text and icon size.

For screen backlighting, white LEDs are now popular, reducing power consumption and reaching full brightness instantly on demand.

The issue of gloss or matt finish can be divisive: shiny screens look initially impressive, thanks to their bolder colours and deeper blacks, but their reflectivity causes visibility problems when used in rooms with windows or overhead lighting. Matt screens appear duller but have better off-axis visibility and are unlikely to cause eyestrain.

Also watch out for cheaper screens with severely restricted viewing angles.

Graphics card: For the smallest or cheapest laptops, the graphics processor will be soldered to the circuit board or even built into the main processor chip – both options are so-called integrated graphics.

Integrated graphics solutions such as those from Intel remain popular, as their power consumption is low and they take little space inside small portables. The latest Intel Core series processors’ integrated graphics are sufficient for very basic gameplay; for more realistic gaming, you’ll still need a decent graphics card. There’s no clear choice between AMD (formerly ATI) and nVidia, as performance varies depending on product. For gaming use, look for at least 256MB of graphics memory.

Some laptops feature switchable graphics, using an integrated chip to preserve battery life, and a dedicated graphics card for maximum performance. You’ll find such switching tech available with both AMD and nVidia processors, and for Windows and Mac notebooks.

Operating system: Windows laptops are less predictable when recovering from sleep and usually appreciate shutting down then restarting on each use, a process typically taking several minutes.

For instant-on accessibility, look to Apple’s MacBook portables with their Mac OS X operating system. These also require less maintenance such as file defragmentation, and do not demand resource-hogging anti-virus software.

Interface devices: the rubber-tipped trackpoint was once popular, a small steering stick lying flush within the keyboard. These only tend to feature on some business laptops now. Most notebook computers use trackpad/touchpad sensors to allow the finger to control the motion of the on-screen cursor.

Multi-touch control, once only found on Apple portables, is now appearing on Windows laptops too in basic form. To make comfortable use of muti-touch, look for a decent size touchpad, at least 100 x 45mm.

Beware of low-cost trackpads fitted to budget laptops which can make cusor control difficult. Also consider the click buttons, which may be ill-placed or too stiff for easy use.

Power Mac Center, a chain of reliable retail shops and service providers of Apple products and premium accessories in the country, significantly lowers the price of all Apple iPad models giving customers more reason to avail of the product.

The iPad 16GB Wi-Fi model can now be purchased for only P19,990 from its original price of P23,990. Likewise, the iPad 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi models are lowered to P24,990 and 29,990 respectively. The prices of iPad Wi-Fi+3G models were reduced as well. Customers also have the option to avail of the three-month installment payment plan.

Get an iPad now at Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3, The Annex at SM City North EDSA, TriNoma, SM City Marikina, SM Megamall, Power Plant Mall, SM Mall of Asia, and Festival Supermall, or go to  www.powermaccenter.com for more information.

Beginning March, Lenovo will provide complimentary computer training lessons to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents or relatives to enhance their personal computer (PC) skills for increased career and business opportunities in a technology-savvy society.

The initiative is a result of Lenovo’s partnership with Microsoft Philippines, the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and the Blas F. Ople Training Center and is aimed at leveraging technology to empower and enable greater career confidence.

Dubbed “Learn & Earn Through Computers”, Lenovo’s one-day seminar is part of Microsoft’s Tulay Program, a 10-day information and technology skills training course available for free to OFWs and their families. The Tulay Program is conducted twice a month in 18 Tulay Community-based Technology Learning Centers (CTLCs) across the country, and eight CTLCs overseas including Malaysia and Singapore.

Lenovo’s course is divided into two modules: the Learn module, which focuses on utilizing PC skills for educational purposes—such as accessing online tutorials for distance learning, and portals such as news websites and blogs, which may be relevant sources of information to OFWs. The second module is the Earn module, centered around PC-based career opportunities, such as running a home business and making use of the Internet for job prospects.

Vicky Agorrilla, country general manager, Lenovo Philippines said: “Lenovo recognizes the important contribution of the OFWs who are the unsung heroes of the Philippine economy. Through this initiative, Lenovo aims to empower the OFWs through the use of technology to make their lives more fun and productive. The “Learn and Earn Through Computers” program serves as a testament to the company’s commitment to empowering consumers.”

“A partnership with Lenovo is definitely one of the highlights that mark our seventh year,” said Dondi Mapa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Philippines. The Tulay Program has been consistently expanding over the years in terms of reach and also in terms of training content. The ‘Learn & Earn Through Computers’ course brings the participants’ learning to a higher level. With Lenovo’s support and contribution, we can raise awareness and train the OFWs and their families to recognize the myriad opportunities and harness their unlimited potential.”

Microsoft Philippines started the Tulay Program in 2004 in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its attached agency, OWWA, and its non-profit organization partner, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute. Tulay Program is under the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Community Skills Program.

The 10-day Tulay Program consists of modules to teach skills in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Internet Explorer. At the end of the program, graduates are presented a certificate issued by Microsoft, OWWA, and the Ople Training Center. As of December 2010, Tulay has trained over 40,000 OFWs and family members.

With this training, participants—especially the OFWs—are armed with skills to maximize their potential while working abroad, and help them gain a competitive edge should they return home or pursue another career. The Tulay Program benefits OFWs who have not completed their formal education, as well as those who have, inspiring more confidence in their various career paths and offering greater employment prospects.

Likewise, relatives of OFWs who attend the training benefit from learning how to keep up with technology, so they can communicate better with their loved ones abroad through email, instant messaging, video calls and more, or even develop skill sets required for managing online businesses.

As of September 2009, there are 1.9 million OFWs, based on the data of the National Census Office. The total remittance sent during the period April to September 2009 was estimated at 138.5 billion pesos. Among the occupation groups, OFWs working as laborers or unskilled workers posted the highest cash remittance of 18.0 billion pesos.

To get the latest Lenovo news and product updates, follow Lenovo Philippines on Twitter (www.twitter.com/lenovophils) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/lenovophilippines).