How-to: Brushed iPhone 3G/3GS Chrome Bezel

After having my iPhone 3GS for about a year, the chrome bezel had a couple of scratches on it so I decided to brush it with a Scotch-Brite sponge. This method has been over youtube for a bit and I always wanted to do it. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to do it too..

• Roll of electrical tape
• Scotch-Brite scrub-sponge
• X-acto knife

First, you’ll have to tape up the front and back of your phone covering all the plastic parts of the phone. Instead of taping the front of my phone, I opted to use an old screen protector. Since the bottom of the screen protector didn’t fully cover the bottom of my phone, I taped it up. Use the X-acto knife to cut off any excess tape covering the bezel.

After that, you just scrub away! Use the green side of the sponge and try to make long, forceful swipes. If the tape starts to peel or burn, you’ll have to retape that part. After your bezel reaches the desireable look, peel off all the tape. There should be minimal residue.

That’s it! Here’s the finished pictures!

iMoshi iGlaze 3G Review

I just got a new case for my 3GS! I got it on eBay for around $6 shipped.

Protection: Not much protection here as this case is super thin and almost as no shock protection. The cut outs for the buttons are a little too big, the top and bottom are left uncovered, and the iPhone’s chrome bezel is left exposed. Overall, protection is poor, but this case is more about design and style anyways. =)

How to Make Free iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes

Did you know you can STILL make your own free ringtones for your iPhone using JUST iTunes? This tip works with all unprotected mp3 songs, and works on both Windows and Mac.

Step 1: Open up iTunes, and in the settings, click on the general tab, and then click on the “Import Settings…” button.

Step 2: Make sure “AAC Encoder” is selected under the “Import Using” dropdown menu. Hit “OK” and go back to your iTunes Library.

Step 3: Right-click the song you want to make into a ringtone and select “Get Info”.

Free Wallpaper: “Natuur” by worC

Click to Download

MacTips: Three Ways to Take a Screenshot with Mac OS X

I love the way Mac OSX handles screen captures. Unlike Windows, it’s built right into the OS itself so it’s available whenever you need it. You’ll need the following hotkeys to take a screenshot.

Full Screenshot Hotkey: cmd+shift+3;
After using this hotkey, your screen will flash and a png file with the date and time will appear on your desktop ready to use.

Cropped Screenshot Hotkey: cmd+shift+4;
After using this hotkey, your mouse cursor will turn into a crosshair. Just hold down the left mouse button, and highlight the area of your screen that you want to capture and bam! There will be a nicely cropped png file on your desktop.

Element Screenshot Hotkey: cmd+shift+4, then spacebar;
This one is useful if you need to capture a specific program window that’s open. As with the previous method, hold down cmd+shift+4 until you see the crosshair. Once you do, just hit the spacebar and your crosshairs should now turn into a camera. Hover over the window you want and click the left mouse button. Boom! You’re desktop should now have a perfectly cropped screencap of the window you clicked on, shadows and all.

Note for new Mac users: The cmd key is the one with apple one it ;)
Another Note: Holding the ‘ctrl’ key instead of the ‘shift’ key in the above hotkeys, will result in the screencap being saved to the clipboard instead of your desktop!

iPhone Apps: SoundHound and Ambiance

SoundHound: When thinking of music identifying apps for the iPhone, most people only know about Shazam. But IMO, SoundHound is superior to Shazam in the following ways: faster identifying, humming/whistling support, better user interface, “what’s hot” section, and iPod music playback. With, that last feature, SoundHound has the ability to replace the iPod app on your phone.
($4.99, free version limited to 5 tags, iTunes Link)

Ambiance: Out of all the white noise apps out there, this one’s my favorite. There’s a huge selection of free downloadable sounds that are constantly being updated. From white noise to burning sounds, and urban noises to womb sounds, there’s a sound for everyone. With the newly updated multitasking support, this app is even more useful! It’s especially helpful when trying to fall asleep, studying in a loud area, etc.
($2.99, iTunes Link)

SwitchEasy Capsule Rebel M Review

Hey guys! For my first review, I’m gonna be looking at the SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel M iPhone case. As you may know, this is the newer version of SwitchEasy’s CapsuleRebel, which was probably their best selling case for the iPhone 3G/3GS. I’m going to try to keep these reviews as short as possible.

When I first saw this case, I thought it looked really cool. The bone/spinal chord-like look on the back really made it stand out to me. The edges of the case also cover up the chrome bezel which gives it a clean look from the front as well. Overall, I think it’s one of the better looking cases out there.

Windows Download: CD Art Display

I kinda have an obsession with album art. Ever since iTunes introduced its coverflow, I’ve been spending a lot of time finding high-res covers for my music. This program serves two functions; not only can it search for the missing album art in your library, it displays them on your desktop with media controls!

There are a bunch of different themes available for download and all of them are fully customizable! And when I say fully customizable, I mean fully customizable! You’re able to include and position any element (ie. Title, Artist, Album, Rating, Genre, Cover, etc.) by the pixel, just the way you like it.

Anyways, one of the programs that I miss when I’m not on my Macbook is CoverSutra and this helps a bit as I don’t have any media keys on my old school keyboard. =)

Download available here: http://cdartdisplay.com/

Ohh.. Orange

Hello world! Makin’ my own blog here. I’m gonna try to keep this thing updated as best I can with news/thoughts on technology, movies, tv, gadgets, food, music and life in general! So.. pretty much random stuff that interests me =)