Tezzo's Technology Blog

"It’s one of life’s little unwritten laws — like toast always falling butter-side down — that when you get your headphone cables out, no matter how neatly you put them away, you’ll inevitably be faced with a pile of wire spaghetti. Don’t let those cable gremlins get the best of you. Employ a headphone cable management solution that is both effective and adorable. We’ve found 10 fun options for you that won’t break the bank, and will help you store your headphones neatly, keep them tidy on the go, or both." More at: Mashable :

I've talked to a lot of digital photographers who are disappointed with basic photo editing tools because they don't always have the intended effect. Take sharpening tools, for example: Somewhat counterintuitively, sharpening doesn't sharpen blurry pictures. But you can increase your subject's apparent sharpness by blurring everything else. This is also an awesome trick for adding a sense of depth to your photos. A long time ago, I mentioned four ways to get a deep depth of field in your photos. This week I'd like to focus on one of those techniques in particular: blurring the background of your photo using layers. More at: PCWorld-Dave Johnson

"With Chrome, Google single-handedly set off a revolution in the Web surfing software on several fronts: Its blazingly fast JavaScript performance kicked competitors like Firefox (Free, 4.5 stars), Internet Explorer (Free, 4 stars), Safari (Free, 4 stars), and Opera 11 into a speed race. Chrome also started the trend of minimizing the application's window to let the Web page shine unimpeded, which has influenced the user interface design of all those competitors. If you want a fast and fluid Web experience, Chrome can't be beat, and it's updated more frequently than any other browser, too, at version 9 after just two and a half years." More at: PCMag.com :

A top-notch MP3 player is only half of the audio equation. No matter what your budget, we've got advice on picking the best headphones to maximize your listening experience.  These days, some people happily spend more than half a grand on a new tablet or portable media device with an estimated lifespan of around three years, yet the question I'm asked most often is still, "What's the cheapest pair of headphones I can buy that don't completely suck?"  Headphones, earbuds, and earphones (I'll describe the difference between them in a bit) are generally viewed as the least essential link in the musical chain—the part you can easily skimp on. In reality, your headphones are the  most  important link in that chain: A quality pair has a larger impact than the player itself on how your tunes will sound. Also, if well cared for, they will long outlive your planned-to-be-obsolete tablet, phone, or MP3 player. And you don't have to break the bank, either. For ...

It's hard to imagine a modern home or business network without a wireless router, but that doesn't mean it's easy to pick the right router. Our guide can help you choose the best one for your network. You'd think that hardware as ubiquitous as the wireless router would be easier to choose, configure, and manage; you'd think that, by now, manufacturers would all be delivering dead-simple hardware that worked right out of the box, no matter what the RF environment in your office. Well, routers  are  better,  faster , and simpler than ever (at least the good ones are). But you still need to be an informed customer if you want to pick the right router for your needs. And you'll still need to know some (mostly) simple tricks to get the most out of your router, even if the basic setup has become pretty simple. Our guide can help you on both counts. More at:  PCMag.com

Networking a new tech toy has become the modern equivalent of the dreaded "some assembly required." But setting up a secure, robust network isn't hard—if you know what you're doing. Since you're a PCMag.com reader, chances are you got a shiny new tech toy as a holiday gift. Maybe it was an 802.11n wireless router, a NAS device, a new Netbook, or an iPad. One thing all of these devices have in common: they need to be attached to your home network. The introduction of a new piece of hardware is the perfect time to set up or reorganize your home network. For many people, this is the most painful part of the tech experience. Let's face it, networking a new piece of tech you got for the holidays is the latter-day "some assembly required." No matter what networking hardware makers tell you, setting up your home network involves more than just purchasing and plugging in a router. But that doesn't mean that it has to be a nightmare, either. You  can  s...

"If you're afraid of buying used technology, when it comes to a factory refurb, there isn't much to fear. Here's what you need to know. We've all had the experience of buying something expensive, getting it home, taking it out of the box, and finding that something just isn't right. Maybe it's scratched or dented. Maybe it lacks a feature you desperately wanted. Maybe the product in question just doesn't work properly. And in all of these cases, the natural thing to do is return it. So what happens to it then? When it comes to technology products like desktop and laptop PCs—even printers, phones, and more—unless they are beyond repair, the chances are that what you send back will ultimately end up going back on the shelves. And, it's likely you'll see it at a much better price." More at:  PCMag.com :