This Week on Tom's Guide: Minecraft 101 and More!

Minecraft 101: The Newbie Survival Guide

Minecraft is the sandbox gaming sensation that's taken the internet by storm. If you haven't ever played before, it's easy to let the talk of advanced players intimidate you. But trust us when we say you shouldn't let the game's seemingly crude graphics confuse or intimidate you. It's a surprisingly deep freeform play experience that allows players to mine, build, farm, and adventure to their heart's content. It's easy to get started, and our Minecraft 101 guide will equip you with everything you need to get on your feet. It covers everything from mining, to building weapons, and offers tips on how to protect yourself (and take on!) things that go bump in the night.

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While smartphones and tablets definitely make our lives an awful lot easier, they also make our lives a lot more fun. And the success of Angry Birds and Draw Something have shown us that the market for mobile gaming is huge. For those of you that don't like to cough up cash for your mobile games, we've put together a list of 15 of the best puzzle games out there. Some are as simply as can be, others require a little more brain power to progress, but they all have one thing in common: They're free.

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Chances are you have a bunch of videos sitting on your computer that you've been meaning to convert or edit for ages. If you're not familiar with converting media files from one format to another, it can be a daunting task. Monday's article on Tom's Guide teaches you how to use HandBrake, a simple open source program designed to convert videos, movies, and obscure media files into formats that can be read by various devices such as the iPod, Apple TV and others. You'll be converting videos in no time!

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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.