Earlier this week, we covered the story of two Mac users whose AppleCare warranty was voided simply because it was used in a smoking home. In one instance, Apple said the presence of cigarette tar presented a biohazard. In the other, it claimed that the substance caused damage to an iMac’s hardware. Is there any proof behind this claim?

In short, no, but cigarette computer smoke isn’t exactly the best thing. While smoke itself usually flows up away from the system unit, over time the air in the room housing it will become full of contaminants. This dirty air will then enter the computer through the intake fans. Eventually, the components will be covered in a small layer of sticky tar.

It’s not the tar itself that causes problems, but the the dust it attracts. Computers operated in the homes of smokers tend to gather dust and dirt more quickly. This isn’t likely to cause major damage, but dust can trap heat and slightly decrease hardware life span.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s no need to worry about smoking around a computer. Smokers might want to clean the inside of their machines regularly to mitigate the effects of cigarette tar, however.

Is your iPhone or iPod Touch feeling a bit bland lately? The stock wallpapers Apple provides are nice, but let’s be honest here– everyone has them and they get old very quickly.

If you want to spruce up your iPhone or iTouch for the holidays, why not check out the Flickr iPhone Wallpapers Pool? It features more than 14,000 perfectly sized backgrounds. For the price of free, Flickr can’t be beaten.

Via | TechnoBuffalo

Installing an operating system takes long enough, but  the tedious process of installing applications later on often takes longer. Thankfully, a new application for Windows called Ninite promises to speed the process up.

Ninite is a system admin’s dream come true. Dozens of free widely-used applications can be installed in just a few mouse clicks, including Firefox, Google Chrome, Audacity, iTunes, FileZilla, 7-Zip, uTorrent, Adobe Reader, Flash, VLC, and Open Office.

Best of all, it’s free for personal use. Features such as local and network caching are also available, but will soon be removed from the free version when a paid premium version is launched. No word on pricing is available yet, but considering how many man-hours it could save in an IT department, it looks like it will be a worthwhile investment.

Photography is a fun hobby, but unfortunately, it is also quite expensive. No matter how much gear a photographer has, true followers of this obsession are always looking to get more. First you buy the camera body, then you need a new lens, next comes the new flash, then you need a flash diffuser, after that you need a battery back, and finally, you need a backpack to carry it all in. Before you know it, you’ve burned $2,000 on your camera setup. It’s a little shared secret among photo enthusiasts that a good setup doesn’t have to cost that much money. Through buying used or refurbished cameras and accessories, one can get the same high quality equipment for 30%-40% less. In this guide, you’ll learn how to find good deals on camera gear and avoid getting ripped off.

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One problem some Mac users experience is compatibility with certain audio file types. iTunes is great, but its format support is rather limited. What is most annoying, however, is people still package audio in proprietary formats without giving a second thought to universal compatability. Such was the case when I downloaded some music last night only to find it wouldn’t play in iTunes because of the FLAC file extension. Rather than go through the pains of finding a utility to convert it to MP3, I downloaded Fluke.

Fluke is great in that instead of converting the files, it installs the necessary codecs and files for iTunes to play FLAC files. It’s as simple as downloading and installing the program, closing iTunes, and then opening the offending files with Fluke. The songs are then automatically imported into iTunes. What more could you ask for? Granted, the songs won’t be able to be exported to an iPod, but given how easy Fluke is to use and the fact that it’s free, who’s complaining?

Keeping up with the Joneses is an expensive proposition. From that new boat to replacing the pool filter to booking vacation to Hawaii, there are quite a few expenses involved. It might be hard to keep track of all the junk in your yard, but how do you track those pesky expenses? Thank goodness for Mint.

Mint is an online personal finance tracker that can keep tabs on bank accounts, credit cards, and investments. The cool thing about it is it automatically categorizes your spending, making it easier to analyze. It will tell you how much you burned at P.F. Chang’s last week, exactly how much you are paying in interest on your VISA, and will even let you make custom budgets. Best of all, it’s free! It can even travel with you on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The economy stinks, and everyone is looking to cut back and save money right now. Unfortunately, the idea of cutting back and technology don’t often go together. Believe it or not, but it is possible to waste money on useless tech and there are ways you can save money.
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Yes… we have seen a lot of strange things being bought and sold on eBay. Some of them have been disgusting (like people selling their children), some have been normal, and well…one guy has decided to sell his life.

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Looking to get more from your Canon point-and-shoot camera? With CHDK, you can get features normally found in pricey SLRs for free, including support for RAW, manual override, bracketing, a battery status indicator (many Canons do not have this), and more.

CHDK does not install over your existing camera’s firmware, but instead sits on a memory card. Therefore, it is virtually risk-free to use. It works on a host of Canon digital cameras, including most PowerShot models. Take it for a spin today and get hundreds of dollars of extra functionality for free.

As much as we all love technology, those quad core computers and 80-inch TVs don’t come cheap. That’s where a site called Tech Bargains comes in. I’ve browsed this site daily for the last two years, and don’t know why I didn’t post about it until now. The site posts deals on all sorts of gizmos and gadgets from Internet retailers and brick and mortar stores, including computers, LCD TVs, hard drives, cell phones, and just about everything else under the sun. If it has to with tech, Tech Bargains has a deal for it.Though I rarely buy what I see on the site, it’s always nice to keep with price trends. Some items I have bought after seeing on TechBargains.com include a Viewsonic 20″ LCD for only $199.99, an Inspiron 1501 notebook for $600, and more. The website also features consumer information to help buyers make informative decisions, recall notices, and news when new products are released.

Visit Tech Bargains.