Q&A: Fitting More on a DVD and Finding the Perfect Phone

Q. When I burn a DVD, I have room for about two hours of recorded video on the disc. However, I recently bought a DVD recording of the opera “Carmen” that is more than three hours long. How can this much video fit on a DVD and why can’t I do it, too?

A. Digital videodiscs can store different amounts of information, depending on the number of data layers available. A DVD with a single layer for storing data can hold up to 4.7 gigabytes. A DVD with a double layer for storage (also called a “dual-layer” DVD) can store up to 8.5 gigabytes of data.

So the amount of recorded video you can fit on a disc varies based on the type of DVD you use (and what your recorder can handle), as well as the quality of your recording. Some DVD burners and recording programs also offer different video-quality modes, where the lower the quality, the more video you can squeeze onto a disc.

Your DVD recorder is probably using single-layer discs. Most commercial DVDs, like those for Hollywood movies or opera performance recordings, use the dual-layer discs to hold a greater amount of video at a higher quality — and still have room for things like bonus features. If you have ever watched a movie on DVD and noticed a slight pause or stutter about halfway into the film, you are most likely seeing the DVD player shift from one data layer to the next on the disc inside.

Finding the Perfect Phone

Q. I will soon have to replace my ancient 10-year-old cellphone with a smartphone — but which one? I have not been able to find up-to-date substantive details comparing the major Apple and Android smartphones. Do you have any advice on where to find such information?

A. The amount of smartphone choices out there can be overwhelming, but there are a few factors to consider when beginning your search for the device that suits you best. Your wireless carrier won’t carry all models, so unless you plan to change companies, you may want to start with the handsets your carrier supports. The company’s Web site should list the models it sells and you can find reviews of those phones on sites like CNet and PCMag.com.

If you don’t have a wireless contract or loyalty to your carrier, be sure to check that the mobile company you choose has adequate coverage in your area. You can find coverage maps on the carrier Web sites.

One way to approach the phone search is to make a list of features you want — like a good camera, a big screen, a particular hardware brand — and then see what smartphone meets your wish list. Comparison sites like WhistleOut, FindTheBest and PhoneArena give you a screen full of options to check off and whittle down your choices to specific phone models.

TIP OF THE WEEK Google Plus can automatically back up pictures taken with Android phones and tablets, but Google’s social network has a few other friendly features as well — like photo-editing right in the Web browser. When in your Google Plus Photos collection, click a picture to open it. On the next screen, click the Edit button to get to a set of tools you can use to crop, rotate and resize the image right in your Web browser.

On the editing screen, you can also adjust the photo’s exposure and color balance manually — or click the Auto-Fix button to have Google Plus automatically enhance the shot for you. You can also add filters, text and other elements to jazz up the picture.

You're the Boss Blog: Finding Alternatives to Building a Web Site

Generating revenue along with the buzz.

Over my last two columns, I’ve discussed how not to hire a Web developer and how to build a Website you love. But for some small businesses, there are other options — alternatives to building or refreshing a Web site.

One option is a one-page site. This is a specialty of Carbonsquare, a design shop that builds business sites of up to 10 pages using customized templates on the Weebly platform. One of Carbonsquare’s clients is a fashion-accessories retailer, Debra Wood, who has a mobile fashion boutique, DebiFashion. Ms. Wood decided a one-page site worked best for her side business. “It was so much work to constantly change my shopping-cart Web site, so for a $249 investment, I can make the changes I want and not break the bank,” she said.

For a basic 10-page site, Carbonsquare charges $549 plus a monthly hosting and maintenance fee that runs about $30. “We decided to use the Weebly system because it’s a simple drag-and-drop system,” said Christopher Rippie, founder of Carbonsquare. “We want to help our customers understand smart design. Too many people over-design their Web sites. We did not use the WordPress platform, because it takes more time to build a Web site, which drives the cost up. We are trying to eliminate the sticker shock in Web site design and give people something they can manage themselves after we build it.”

Carbonsquare does have some drawbacks. WordPress plug-ins won’t work with the Weebly platform, search-engine optimization functionality is not built in the way it is with WordPress, and if you are blogging heavily, the system has limitations. Mr. Rippie suggests building a blog in WordPress and integrating it with the Weebly Web site.

Another option is to use Tumblr, a very easy-to-use blogging platform, as your Web site. With more than 100 million bloggers, Tumblr has an active community of users who search for content based on keyword tags. This can make it easier to build an audience quickly. It allows users to post text, photos, quotes, links, music and videos from a desktop or phone and from a  browser or through e-mail. A Tumblr page works best for visual businesses, such as retail, design, food, or fashion. Some small businesses use Tumblr in addition to a WordPress blog. Tumblr allows owners to link back to e-commerce sites with coupon codes, QR codes and links to other social media accounts. Its templates are easy to use and there’s nothing to download to get started.

Diane Souter of Absolutely Fabulous Unique Gifts and Décor in Huntington Beach, Calif., uses a Tumblr page to highlight her latest products and attract a younger audience. “Tumblr is so easy to do that I could do it,” she said. “I’m able to take a photo with my iPhone and upload it to Tumblr with the hashtags and keywords, within seconds literally, and it links to my Web site.”

Ms. Souter said that while the traffic from Tumblr leads to some sales, it mainly drives buzz. “It would be great if people could click on the picture and the price comes up with the ability to make a purchase through Tumblr,” she said. That might be a way Yahoo will attempt to monetize the site, now that it has bought it for more than $1 billion.

Three months ago, Innate Family Chiropractic, based in Pasadena, Calif., started using RebelMouse to host its Web site. RebelMouse allows companies to display the latest updates on their social media accounts on the company home page; in fact, those updates can be the homepage or they can an embedded addition. Users can customize a RebelMouse site or choose from previously designed theme pages. They can also post a full-text blog post directly to RebelMouse and then add an image or a video. And they can add RSS feeds from their own blog or from other blogs they read frequently.

Paul Berry, former chief technology officer of Huffington Post, says he created RebelMouse to save small-business owners time and frustration. “We just so saw so many people struggle with their Web site almost to the point of giving up,” he said. “We knew there was a simple solution that didn’t involve developers or designers. We wanted to make people’s content shine and amplify their social media efforts.” The service costs $10 a month and integrates seamlessly with MailChimp, the e-mail service.

Innate Family Chiropractic picked RebelMouse to save time with its Web marketing and because it wanted a central place to share content on pediatric chiropractic care. The three-year-old family wellness and chiropractic center uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest to share and generate health-related tips and articles. “I used to spend so much time educating clients and putting our content on all our social media accounts,” said Christopher Vargas, a chiropractor and owner of Innate Family. “Plugging everything into RebelMouse just made things easier.” The company pays $19.99 a month to use the service on two Web sites.

Melinda Emerson is founder and chief executive of Quintessence Multimedia, a social media strategy and content development company. You can follow her on Twitter.

This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: June 7, 2013

A previous version of this post referred incorrectly to the Web platform Weebly.

Gadgetwise Blog: Finding Inner Peace, iPhone in Hand

The Inner Balance app from HeartMath.

HeartMath, a creator of science-based solutions to reduce stress, recently turned to a stress inducer, technology, to create a tool to help users achieve serenity.

HeartMath may seem like an odd name for a stress reliever; the word “math” can cause some people to break into a sweat. But its new app, called Inner Balance, is a better indicator of what the company is offering.

The app, available free for Apple iOS devices, provides instructions and feedback on techniques for breathing and focusing. It works with the company’s sensor, which costs $99.

Clip the sensor to your earlobe, and Inner Balance reads your pulse and develops a pattern to help you synchronize your heart and breathing rhythms. A typical session takes about three minutes.

The sensor does not have a Lightning connector, so it is not compatible with the iPhone 5. It does include an adapter for other iOS devices, so I downloaded Inner Balance on my iPad and prepared for my journey to inner peace.

I found the app simple to use and remarkably soothing. Once I focused my attention on the rainbow flower on the screen, I was able to match my breathing to its pulsating pattern. After only a few minutes, I felt calmer and more rested.

After a session, you get lots of charts, graphs and numbers (again, math). But the app does a thorough job of tracking your progress and providing goals for improvement without feeling too New Agey.

In fact, HeartMath went a long way to make Inner Balance appear scientific. A little too far, because the interface felt technical and cold, like something you might encounter in a doctor’s office. I don’t need Deepak Chopra whispering positive affirmations in my ear, but some calming music or even white noise would help me relax.

The HeartMath app and sensor can be beneficial tools for reducing stress, but with dozens of competitors it doesn’t feel worth the cost. Heck, you could just close your eyes and count to 10, free.

Gadgetwise Blog: Q.& A.: Finding and Using Windows Contacts

I tried to follow your instructions for printing out my Windows 7 contacts, but I didn’t find a Contacts app when I searched for it or looked in my Programs menu.

Windows Contacts, which works as a stand-alone address book or companion to the Windows Mail program, arrived with Windows Vista and replaced the older Windows Address Book feature of previous versions of the operating system. Some e-mail programs, like Windows Live Mail and others, may not automatically share their own address books with the Windows Contacts, which may account for missing contacts files in the Contacts folder. (These other e-mail programs, like Microsoft Outlook for example, have their own methods for printing as well.)

If you search for Contacts and find none from the Start menu’s search box, try searching for wab.exe instead. An alternative method for getting to the Contacts folder is to go to the Start menu, search for (or open) the Run box, and type in C:\Users\YourUserName\Contacts (put your own user name in that string, of course). Press the Enter key. Even if your e-mail program’s contacts are not in the Contacts folder, you should see one for yourself that was created when you set up your user account on the computer.

Once the Contacts folder is open on screen, you should see a menu bar along the top edge of the folder window with commands for creating new contacts, editing contacts, printing them and importing contacts from other programs. (Maximize the window or click on a contact if commands seem to be missing.) The contacts themselves appear as individual files within the folder.

If your e-mail program has not stored its addresses in the Contacts folder and you did not manually add them yourself, you might be able to import the information into Contacts so you can manage and print them. Microsoft’s steps for importing and exporting address files between Windows Contacts and other programs outline the process. CSV (Comma Separated Values), vCard and Outlook Express contacts are among the compatible formats; the HowTech.PC site has a YouTube video that demonstrates how to export Windows Live Mail contacts as a CSV file if you want to see the procedure in action. The page also has links to articles for managing contacts and using them with other mail programs in Windows Vista and later.

Exporting and importing contacts between programs may seem like a hassle just to print them out, but it does give you a backup of your address book in case something happens to the computer or your e-mail program. Having a stand-alone manager like Windows Contacts can also save time if you want to look up someone’s mailing address or phone number quickly with a Start menu search for the name without having to switch to your e-mail program.

Gadgetwise Blog: Q&A: Finding a Simplified Smartphone

Are there any smartphones designed for the eager-to-learn, but still-on-training-wheels senior citizen?

With the right amount of help and training, many people — regardless of age — can learn the basics of smartphone operation. To help make things easier for those who do not have a lot of experience or patience with modern gadgetry, some manufacturers are making smartphones specifically designed to be easier to use.

Such products include the Pantech Flex, an Android smartphone that offers an optional Easy Experience interface with larger text and home screen shortcut buttons. GreatCall, which makes the big-buttoned Jitterbug flip phone, now has a touch-screen smartphone, the Jitterbug Touch.

The Doro PhoneEasy 740, another simplified Android handset with a large touch screen and a keyboard, is scheduled for introduction in the United States next spring. The CNET site has an early review of the PhoneEasy 740.

If a bigger screen is the most desired feature, standard smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy Note line, which has a 5.3-inch display and can be used with a stylus, may be easier to use than a smartphone with a smaller screen. Apple’s iPhone 5 model features a more petite four-inch screen, but Apple offers free workshops for new users at its Apple Stores in most major cities.

Gadgetwise Blog: Q&A: Finding a Simple Computer

I am trying to find the easiest computer for my elderly mother to use. She has never used one before and only needs e-mail and the Web, so it needs to be really basic. What’s out there?

The Telikin is one such specialized system that touts itself as an “easy-to-use” machine for anyone seeking a basic computer. The system is based on has a touch-screen interface with large icons and includes built-in applications using Web and e-mail. Several reviews of the Telikin can be found around the Web and more information is on the Telikin site. Enablemart also sells computers for those with limited or specific needs.

Another approach is setting up a standard user account, (which can help thwart viruses, unintentional deletions and settings changes) on a standard Mac or PC and configuring the desktop with easy-to-see icons for the mail and browser programs. Accessibility options like screen magnifiers and audio alerts are available in both Windows and Mac OS X may help make things easier to navigate for those with visual impairments.

This approach may take more time on your part, but it also offers a wider array of software and activities should your mother finds she likes the computer. Computers running Windows 8, which has touch-screen capabilities, are expected at the end of the month.

A tablet computer — like an iPad, one running Android, or a coming Microsoft Surface model — may be the most portable and cheapest option for easy access. In addition to configuring a mail account and any third-party apps, though, you need to factor in setting up a wireless network to use for Internet-related tasks on the tablet — or get a model that can use a 3G or 4G cellular data connection.

Advertising: Finding the Best-Fitting Bra With Technology’s Help

The retailers are vying to draw women away from in-store fitting rooms and persuade them that it is more convenient and private to use new online tools to find the best-fitting bras.

Proper fit is so central for women that 20,000 of them signed up within 36 hours after True&Co, a San Francisco start-up retailer for intimate apparel, opened its Web site in May. Two former Microsoft employees devised a computerized method to connect customers to a correct bra fit.

“It’s one of the most emotional purchases out there,” said Michelle Lam, one of those former employees and chief executive of True&Co. “There are a lot of body image issues around buying a bra.”

Specialty stores, along with outlet stores and Web sites, are siphoning off bra sales from traditional sellers like department stores. Victoria’s Secret and Soma Intimates (owned by Chico’s), which also have Web sites, had $3.6 billion in bra sales last year, according to NPD Group research.

Department stores trailed with $1.1 billion in sales, according to NPD figures. Online sales are still a small percentage of overall bra and intimate sales, NPD estimates. So far in 2012, sales have risen 1.5 percent at outlets, mass merchandisers and the Internet, according to NPD figures.

“E-commerce is becoming more popular because women don’t want the same experience they’ve had” in the stores, said Susan Anderson, a retail analyst for Citi Research. “Department stores haven’t changed their intimates departments in decades, and consumers are more willing to buy now online.”

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Last year, bras made up 45.8 percent of intimates sales, which also include panties and shapewear, according to NPD figures. The average price of a bra is about $65 at higher-end sellers and $13.90 at mass marketers, Citi Research found.

Online retailers are trying to address women’s consistent complaints about the experience of buying bras in stores. Women bemoan the long wait for sales help and then the failure to find a bra that fits well and looks good. Using surveys and questionnaires, online sellers are finding out details about body type that are crucial to a correct bra fit but not easily shared with a sales person.

“Specialty retailers have been able to capture the fashion part of it,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD Group’s retail analyst. “But the Internet provides an unlimited supply of product, and a broader assortment of styles to find a bra that fits better.”

Online questionnaires, like the “Know Your Breasts Bra Finder” set to be introduced Friday on herroom.com, put forth more than a dozen questions, including the spacing of breasts, their fullness, shape, position, breast bone prominence and shoulder slope.

“I want to take away the misery of buying a bra,” said Tomima Edmark, founder and chief executive of HerRoom. The Dallas company, begun in 1998, carries more than 200 brands, including Vanity Fair, Wacoal and Spanx.

“The industry is heavily skewed to certain sizes and colors,” she said. “The sweet spot is 32B to 38D, which most manufacturers make. But other sizes can be more difficult to find, and there is no consistent cup sizing.”

Ms. Edmark, who also created the TopsyTail hair accessory, spent years collecting information from expert bra fitters, designers and manufacturers, as well as feedback from clients. The new breast analyzer, she said, “will help women to explore the specific attributes of their breasts — many of them they have probably never thought of — to find the perfect fit.”

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Web sites like Soma and Victoria’s Secret and Maidenform’s Bra Finder require a measuring tape, but HerRoom and True&Co focus on the customer’s self-assessment. True&Co, for example, asks about breast shape, dress size and current bra size and comfort.

Ms. Lam and another former Microsoft employee, Aarthi Ramamurthy, were commiserating about bra shopping experiences over coffee last fall, and concluded the market was ready for a more scientific method of shopping.

“Each place I tried told me I was a different size,” said Ms. Ramamurthy.

After fittings and consultations with experienced fitters — “the kind who know what size you are when you walk in the room,” said Ms. Lam — the pair developed an algorithm to come up with bra choices, across brand lines, based on a two-minute quiz on its Web site, trueandco.com (the ampersand version was already in use). Five bras that fit the profile are sent to the customer for a $45 deposit. She can chose any or none of the bras, and pay for what she buys. Shipping is free.

So far, Ms. Ramamurthy said that its technology found customers reporting “that three out of five styles in their box of bras fit well.”

Sales are increasing, said Ms. Lam, who declined to disclose financial figures. She said the company is planning “to build an online destination for everything underneath the dress.”

App City: Tricks to Finding Food, and to Paying for It

Here are a few more to consider adding to your phone.

Foodspotting is an app whose basic function is to let people share photographs of food, with the idea that once you see what you want to eat, you can go to the restaurant that serves it. Lots of people are adding photos, not all of them inspiring: I clicked the “nearby” tab while sitting in my apartment, and the closest image was a photograph that someone from the corner bar had taken of a Bud Light. An Italian restaurant seems to be adding images of its entire menu, and one of my Facebook friends is posting dozens of images from restaurants around town. When you upload an image, you have to indicate the restaurant the food came from, so other users can find their way to the dishes themselves.

If you want to find a restaurant recommendation another way, the app also allows you to follow specific users, or to browse guides where people have posted recommendations for vegetarians, or people who love nachos. And a deals function is built in under the “specials” tab (free for iPhones and other Apple devices, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry).

If deals are really what you are after, check out BiteHunter, which aggregates offerings from various daily deals sites and places them on a map. It’s a fine idea, and there are plenty of opportunities to eat for cheap. It is not without its glitches, though. On the two consecutive days I looked at the app, none of the deals from Restaurants.com, a large deals site, were working. (BiteHunter blamed Restaurant.com, but really, do I care whose fault it is?) Also, the world of daily deals has its annoyances, and BiteHunter does not help you avoid them. I settled on a Groupon and bought it through BiteHunter with no problem. But in exchange for the cheap meal, Groupon started sending me an alarming number of e-mails about other ways to spend my money (free for iPhones and other Apple devices with iOS 4.0 or later).

Of course, once you have found a restaurant and eaten your fill, the check will show up. A new app called Foodivide helps you end an otherwise pleasant evening without grumbling about how so-and-so never pays for all the wine he drinks. The app, which is strikingly well-designed, lets a user tally up what each person had, and will even divide items between people for the sharers in your group. Once the bill has been entered, decide how much of a tip you’re leaving, and Foodivide tells everyone exactly what they owe (99 cents for iPhones and other Apple devices with iOS 5.0 or later).

Have a favorite New York City app? Send tips via e-mail to appcity@nytimes.com or via Twitter to @joshuabrustein.

App City: Tricks to Finding Food, and to Paying for It

Here are a few more to consider adding to your phone.

Foodspotting is an app whose basic function is to let people share photographs of food, with the idea that once you see what you want to eat, you can go to the restaurant that serves it. Lots of people are adding photos, not all of them inspiring: I clicked the “nearby” tab while sitting in my apartment, and the closest image was a photograph that someone from the corner bar had taken of a Bud Light. An Italian restaurant seems to be adding images of its entire menu, and one of my Facebook friends is posting dozens of images from restaurants around town. When you upload an image, you have to indicate the restaurant the food came from, so other users can find their way to the dishes themselves.

If you want to find a restaurant recommendation another way, the app also allows you to follow specific users, or to browse guides where people have posted recommendations for vegetarians, or people who love nachos. And a deals function is built in under the “specials” tab (free for iPhones and other Apple devices, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry).

If deals are really what you are after, check out BiteHunter, which aggregates offerings from various daily deals sites and places them on a map. It’s a fine idea, and there are plenty of opportunities to eat for cheap. It is not without its glitches, though. On the two consecutive days I looked at the app, none of the deals from Restaurants.com, a large deals site, were working. (BiteHunter blamed Restaurant.com, but really, do I care whose fault it is?) Also, the world of daily deals has its annoyances, and BiteHunter does not help you avoid them. I settled on a Groupon and bought it through BiteHunter with no problem. But in exchange for the cheap meal, Groupon started sending me an alarming number of e-mails about other ways to spend my money (free for iPhones and other Apple devices with iOS 4.0 or later).

Of course, once you have found a restaurant and eaten your fill, the check will show up. A new app called Foodivide helps you end an otherwise pleasant evening without grumbling about how so-and-so never pays for all the wine he drinks. The app, which is strikingly well-designed, lets a user tally up what each person had, and will even divide items between people for the sharers in your group. Once the bill has been entered, decide how much of a tip you’re leaving, and Foodivide tells everyone exactly what they owe (99 cents for iPhones and other Apple devices with iOS 5.0 or later).

Have a favorite New York City app? Send tips via e-mail to appcity@nytimes.com or via Twitter to @joshuabrustein.