Because of superior characteristics of lithium batteries (which I've already purchased) I would like to employ a 3.6V power source for a job which requires only 2.4V. What would the easiest, the best, or the most effective way to do this? -- How would you do it. This seems to be a very basic problem, but I do not have training in electronics, so I don't know how to go about this.

From looking around, it seems I need a buck/step-down voltage regulator. So will this do the trick, a National Semiconductor LM2614 "400mA Sub-Miniature Adjustable DC-DC Converter Optimized for RF Power Amplifiers"? Or is there something important I should know before I get started.

Here is the writeup:
"The LM2614 DC-DC converter is optimized for powering RF
power amplifiers (PAs) from a single Lithium-Ion cell. It steps
down an input voltage of 2.8V to 5.5V to an output of 1.0V to
3.6V at up to 400mA (300mA for B grade). Output voltage is
set using an analog input to VCON in the application circuit.
The device offers three modes for mobile phones and similar
RF PA applications. Fixed-frequency PWM mode minimizes
RF interference. A SYNC input allows synchronizing the
switching frequency in a range of 500kHz to 1MHz. Low
current hysteretic PFM mode reduces quiescent current to
160µA (typ.). Shutdown mode turns the device off and reduces
battery consumption to 0.02µA (typ.).
Current limit and thermal shutdown features protect the device
and system during fault conditions.
The LM2614 is available in a 10 bump micro SMD package.
This packaging uses National’s chip-scale micro SMD technology
and offers the smallest possible size. A high switching
frequency (600kHz) allows use of tiny surface-mount components.
The LM2614 can be dynamically controlled for output voltage
changes from 1.0V to 3.6V in <30µs. The device features
external compensation to tailor the response to a wide
range of operating conditions."