The biggest tech turkeys of 2014 - CNET

The biggest tech turkeys of 2014 - CNET: "Technology companies can make our lives easier and even change the world. But just as often they can mess up. Spectacularly.

And 2014 delivered ample proof that even smart people do stupid things."



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Everything You Need to Know About Using iCloud Drive and iCloud Photo Library

Everything You Need to Know About Using iCloud Drive and iCloud Photo Library: "Apple introduced iCloud Drive in iOS 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite. It’s designed to be a more easily understandable cloud storage location, working more like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

Previous versions of iCloud could sync your “documents and data,” but iCloud Drive now exposes a sort of file system to you. You can sync any file you like and browse your saved files."



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Don’t Panic, But All USB Devices Have a Massive Security Problem

Don’t Panic, But All USB Devices Have a Massive Security Problem: "USB devices are apparently more dangerous than we’ve ever imagined. This isn’t about malware that uses the AutoPlay mechanism in Windows — this time, it’s a fundamental design flaw in USB itself.

Now you really shouldn’t pick up and use suspicious USB flash drives you find lying around. Even if you ensured they were free of malicious software, they could have malicious firmware."



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Stop Trying to Clean Your Infected Computer! Just Nuke it and Reinstall Windows

Stop Trying to Clean Your Infected Computer! Just Nuke it and Reinstall Windows: "Some people spend hours — maybe even days — trying to clean an infected Windows system and ensuring it’s actually clean and safe afterward. It’s usually not a good idea to do this — just reinstall Windows and start over."



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How to get the most free online storage - CNET

How to get the most free online storage - CNET: "With the market for cloud storage services starting to get crowded, we take a look at how to get as much storage from the different providers as possible."



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Your complete guide to Apple's iCloud Drive - CNET

Your complete guide to Apple's iCloud Drive - CNET: "iCloud Drive will store and sync your files across all of your devices. It's a good idea to learn as much as you can about it."



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What’s the Difference Between Chromium and Chrome?

What’s the Difference Between Chromium and Chrome?: "Chromium is the open-source project that forms the basis for Google Chrome. Because it’s completely open source, Chromium is available in many Linux distributions’ software repositories for easier installation."



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HTG Reviews the Amazon Fire TV Stick: The Most Powerful HDMI Dongle on the Block

HTG Reviews the Amazon Fire TV Stick: The Most Powerful HDMI Dongle on the Block: "With the skyrocketing popularity of the Google Chromecast and to a lesser degree the Roku Streaming Stick, 2014 sure shaped up to be the year of the HDMI dongle. Read on as we put Amazon’s brand new entry into the market, the Fire TV Stick, through the paces."



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How to Boost and Increase Your Internet Speed

How to Boost and Increase Your Internet Speed: "Looking for a way to increase your Internet speed without upgrading your ISP Internet plan? Well, Internet speed can depend on a several factors, both internal to the network and external. Starting from the operating system, you have the network card, network cable, wireless router, broadband modem, and possibly other devices before you even get out of your house."



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How to Move Files From One Cloud Storage Service to Another

How to Move Files From One Cloud Storage Service to Another: "You may want to switch to another cloud storage service — perhaps moving to Microsoft’s OneDrive to get that now-infinite cloud storage. Yes, you could just download and re-upload all your files, but you can also do this a faster way."



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How To Boot Into Safe Mode On Windows 8 or 8.1 (The Easy Way)

How To Boot Into Safe Mode On Windows 8 or 8.1 (The Easy Way): "One of the most common steps when troubleshooting a PC is to boot into safe mode. For a long time this has been achieved by pressing the F8 key, this all changes with Windows 8 and its Automatic Repair mode. But what if we want Safe Mode?"



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6 Customization Tricks Only Possible In Firefox

6 Customization Tricks Only Possible In Firefox: "Firefox is a great browsers for many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is how it can be customized. Mozilla has worked hard to ensure the latest versions provide options and features you won’t find without add-ons in other browsers. By making these available by default all users can have the same access without the hassle of installing extensions that may cause compatibility or security concerns. Here are a few important tricks that prove you should be using Firefox."



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Why Your Computer’s Hard Drive Lights Flash When You Aren’t Doing Anything

Why Your Computer’s Hard Drive Lights Flash When You Aren’t Doing Anything: "It’s happened to all of us. You step away from your computer and come back a few minutes later. While you were gone, your computer’s hard drive lights start flashing — but what exactly is it doing? It’s natural to be a bit suspicious."



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How Apps Can Help Any Freelancer Or Small Business Owner Be Productive

How Apps Can Help Any Freelancer Or Small Business Owner Be Productive: "If you’re running your own small business or making a living as a freelancer, then you already know quite a bit about getting things done on your own. You have to, otherwise everything falls apart. So I’m not about to tell you how to do your job."



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ASUS Chromebox M075U Review and Giveaway

ASUS Chromebox M075U Review and Giveaway: "We’ve lauded praise on Chromebooks before because they’re useful and cheap – but now Google is coming for your desktop. Today we’ll see if the ASUS Chromebox (starting at $159, but $379 as reviewed) is a competent desktop replacement."



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Fire TV Stick vs. Chromecast vs. Roku Streaming Stick: Measuring the sticks - CNET

Fire TV Stick vs. Chromecast vs. Roku Streaming Stick: Measuring the sticks - CNET: "Each device has its pluses and minuses. The Chromecast is cheapest but doesn't include a physical remote. The slightly more expensive Fire TV has a remote but worse app support than the others (cough, HBO Go, cough). The Roku stick has the best app support and a remote, but it costs the most."



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Why You Need To Install Windows Updates Automatically

Why You Need To Install Windows Updates Automatically: "Once again there are urgent security patches released for Windows, and this time the problems they fix are “potentially catastrophic” issues with the encryption stack. This is why you should have Windows install updates automatically."



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iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 4: A closer look

iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 4: A closer look: "Before this year, comparing the Galaxy Note to the iPhone was kinda like comparing Shaquille O'Neal to Rhea Perlman. But with Apple's first phablet arriving this year, the iPhone and Note are fighting in the same weight class. Join Gizmag, as we take a hands-on look at the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4."



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10 cheap or free ways to make an old PC run faster

10 cheap or free ways to make an old PC run faster: "Teach an old dog new tricks
There’s a reason that unboxing videos and the phrase “new car smell” are firmly ensconced in the public groupmind. New stuff is exciting! New stuff is (theoretically) better! New stuff is just plain cool."



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How to Mount a Flash Drive on Your Android Device

How to Mount a Flash Drive on Your Android Device: "Although mobile devices have more storage space than ever before it’s so easy to fill up, wouldn’t it be nice if you could just pop a flash drive right into your device and expand your storage on the fly? Read on as we show you how mount a flash drive on your Android device."



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Is it Safe to Sell a Google Chromecast Device?

Is it Safe to Sell a Google Chromecast Device?: "Is there anything you need to do if you decide to sell your Google Chromecast device due to a lack of use or for some other reason? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has some helpful security advice for a reader who is ready to sell and move on."



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Create a Web-Based Survey the Easy Way With Google Forms

Create a Web-Based Survey the Easy Way With Google Forms: "There are many different websites for creating web-based surveys, but all you need is a Google account and Google Docs. Easily create a survey with Google Forms, sending the results directly to Google Sheets."



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The Top 10 Most Controversial iPhone Apps - Slideshow from PCMag.com

The Top 10 Most Controversial iPhone Apps - Slideshow from PCMag.com: "t's hard for app creators to stand out in the insanely crowded marketplace that is the App Store. With dozens if not hundreds of new apps going up every day, many get lost. But one thing that almost always works is controversy. Although Apple does vet software that goes up on its platform, it's not a foolproof process. Every once in a while, something will sneak through that skirts the line of decency for one reason or another."



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Why YouTube's Music Key service is a big deal

Why YouTube's Music Key service is a big deal: "The world's No. 1 home for discovering new music is set to launch a paid subscription service Tuesday. For $10 monthly, you can listen to virtually any music you can think of — just not Swift's complete 1989 album. More on that in a minute."



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Wearable tech's most important race: Turning heartbeats into cash - CNET

Wearable tech's most important race: Turning heartbeats into cash - CNET: "When Apple releases the Apple Watch next spring, people around the world will want to know what this long-awaited wearable can do, how it feels and what it means. But as all-consuming as that will be, the discussion misses the bigger issue: the value of the data the Apple Watch and its competitors churn out."



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The Galaxy Note Edge Is A True Cutting-Edge Phablet | TechCrunch

The Galaxy Note Edge Is A True Cutting-Edge Phablet | TechCrunch: "Samsung either plays it entirely safe – see most of the Galaxy Tab line – or entirely gonzo. Whether it’s the chimerical Galaxy K Zoom or their curved TV, it’s as if the company has one floor dedicated to making vanilla ice cream an another dedicated to making unicorn-tear-flavored gelato. And it’s on that latter floor that the Galaxy Note Edge was born."



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The 10 Best Tablets | PCMag.com

The 10 Best Tablets | PCMag.com: "It's tough to believe the tablet market has exploded as quickly as it has since the first iPad debuted four years ago. After all, smartphones, tablets, and laptops all fulfill similar needs, and the feature sets of these devices don't vary wildly. Often it comes down to whether you want to check Facebook, email your pals, or watch Orange Is the New Black on a 6-, a 10-, or a 13-inch screen."



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Windows Users Beware: You've Got A Serious Security Issue

Windows Users Beware: You've Got A Serious Security Issue: "Running Windows? You should probably run your updates about now. A serious new vulnerability has been confirmed as present in all versions of Windows from Vista onwards which has the potential to let hackers execute their own arbitrary code."



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Windows autoloading programs: You don't want too many, but you may want these | PCWorld

Windows autoloading programs: You don't want too many, but you may want these | PCWorld: "After reading my article on stopping autoloading programs, Quietone asked “What programs are really needed during start up?”

Most Windows PCs autoload a ridiculous number of programs every time you boot. And as I explained in the previous article, disabling most of them could improve performance. The programs will still be there when you want them, but they wouldn’t be hanging around in RAM, using up resources, when they’re not needed."



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▶ When your ethernet won't connect | PCWorld

▶ When your ethernet won't connect | PCWorld: "If you've got working Wi-Fi and apparently dead ethernet, the first thing to do is turn off the Wi-Fi. Believe it or not, this might tell you that the ethernet is working. If Windows has access to both, it will give top priority to ethernet, but display the Wi-Fi icon in the notification area. There's likely a hardware switch on your PC for turning off Wi-Fi."



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Excel Vs. Access - Can A Spreadsheet Replace A Database?

Excel Vs. Access - Can A Spreadsheet Replace A Database?: "The above table should provide you with an outline to the key comparisons between using MS Access or MS Excel for your data requirements. In an ideal world we all use Excel and Access interchangeably, one for its advanced mathematical calculations and statistical comparisons, the other for its ability to organise and display rafts of data in a structured manner."



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Android 5.0 Lollipop: What It Is And When You'll Get It

Android 5.0 Lollipop: What It Is And When You'll Get It: "Lollipop is the name given to Google’s latest Android operating system update. Also known as Android 5.0, it will become the sequel to Android KitKat, which ran from versions 4.4 to 4.4.4. The OS was announced along with three new Nexus devices via the company’s official blog on October 15th and will start to become available to compatible devices via an over-the-air update in the coming weeks."



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Kickstart Your Smart Home With 4 Easy Projects

Kickstart Your Smart Home With 4 Easy Projects: "Creating a smart home might sound like a huge undertaking, and it can be difficult to know where to start. But it’s not as hard as you might think! There are a lot of projects that you can do in just a few minutes or over the course of an afternoon to get started. These four will introduce you to some of the principles of creating a connected home and add a bit of cool factor to your house."



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AT&T is no longer developing a Gogo competitor

AT&T is no longer developing a Gogo competitor: "Don't count on AT&T to make faster in-flight internet, as the carrier has just announced that it's no longer working on a Gogo competitor. Ma Bell first revealed its plans to develop an air-to-ground network that has comparable speeds to LTE in April this year. Unfortunately, the company's execs have changed their minds after reviewing their investment portfolio and cutting next year's budget by 14 percent. Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt also said that one possible reason why the company decided to drop its in-flight WiFi plans is because most airlines are locked into long contracts with Gogo and other providers."



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How to use Facebook's new News Feed controls - CNET

How to use Facebook's new News Feed controls - CNET: "Prior to today, the process for removing Facebook posts from a friend or page was a chore. You had to tap or click around the often confusing settings found on Facebook, until you wound up at the right spot. And that only covered a single account."



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Mobile Threat Monday: The Top Four Android Threats

Mobile Threat Monday: The Top Four Android Threats: "n this weekly feature, we like to examine a single Android threat and try to figure out what it means for regular users like you (dear reader). But this week, we're going to look at the four categories of apps security company Lookout recently named as the most "relentless.""



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Pixelmator for iPad review - CNET

Pixelmator for iPad review - CNET: "The Good Pixelmator for iPad has tons of advanced photo-editing tools and each have intuitive controls for making precise adjustments.
The Bad There is no version for the iPhone.
The Bottom Line Advanced photo editing features and tons of artistic tools for creating and editing images make Pixelmator a must-have for photo enthusiasts and well worth the price"



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The Best AT&T Phones | PCMag.com

The Best AT&T Phones | PCMag.com: "Now that you've chosen AT&T as your carrier, it's time to pick a phone. Luckily, AT&T has a plethora of choices—especially if you're looking for a touch-screen smartphone. But with so many options, and so many phones with unique capabilities, it can be tough to make a decision. And with most users signing up for two-year contracts, you certainly don't want to get stuck with a dud"



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Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know | News & Opinion | PCMag.com: "What used to be Microsoft Office Mobile for Office 365 Subscribers is now a set of three, free apps that you can install on your iPhone separately.
The all-in-one Office app has been replaced by the Word iPhone app, Excel iPhone app, and PowerPoint iPhone app."



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Give your old smartphone a smart home overhaul - CNET

Give your old smartphone a smart home overhaul - CNET: "The smart home market is expanding. The Dropcam-Nest contingent, SmartThings, Wink and others have captured much of the early attention, but some plucky startups are taking a decidedly more DIY route."



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How to Securely Delete the Trash (Recycle Bin) in Windows

How to Securely Delete the Trash (Recycle Bin) in Windows: "Deleting files from your Recycle Bin doesn’t mean they are gone forever since a myriad of file restoration programs exist to recover deleted data; which is why you may need to use a program like Eraser to securely delete your personal data."



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Ask HTG: Can I Plug a USB Device Right Into My Motherboard?

Ask HTG: Can I Plug a USB Device Right Into My Motherboard?: "We’re all familiar with plugging in a USB cable or dongle into the external ports on our computers, but is it possible to plug a USB device directly into the motherboard so the device is hidden away and safely contained within the case of the computer? Read on as we show you how you can easily retrofit a computer with this feature."



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How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Windows

How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Windows: "Duplicate files waste precious space on your computer’s hard drive — especially if you have an SSD — and make your computer’s backups bigger for no good reason. Here’s how you can free up some disk space."



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How to Use OpenDNS on Your Router, PC, Tablet, or Smartphone

How to Use OpenDNS on Your Router, PC, Tablet, or Smartphone: "Most home networks rarely have one single type of client connecting to it. Usually, there’s a blend of Windows, Android, iOS, and maybe even Macs. How do you keep all these clients connected while keeping younger users out of trouble?"



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iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Notes: Phablet shootout redux - CNET

iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Notes: Phablet shootout redux - CNET: "When I mentioned I was a long-time Note user in my review of the iPhone 6 Plus , a lot of folks asked me about how I thought the two devices compared. So, I wrote a series of articles covering that very topic. Then, everyone wanted to know why I wasn't comparing the new, economy-sized iPhone to the Note 4 instead of the older Note 3. Conspiracy to make the Android device look bad? No, it's simply that the Note 4 wasn't yet available, and the Note 3 was my daily driver."



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Using Your Router for (Very) Basic Home Network Family Safety

Using Your Router for (Very) Basic Home Network Family Safety: "Most people probably don’t think of themselves as an “administrator” but if you have computers all using the same access point, then that’s what you are. It’s important to understand how to ensure the safety of children using computers on your network."



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3 Free Tools to Build A Website With No Technical Skills

3 Free Tools to Build A Website With No Technical Skills: "A couple of years ago I run a survey to know more about my readers, and I was surprised to find that around 15% of them didn’t have a blog or website yet. They said they wanted to build one, but didn’t have any technical skills, so they were afraid to get web hosting, install WordPress and so on."



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Why You Should Connect a PC to Your TV (Don’t Worry; It’s Easy!)

Why You Should Connect a PC to Your TV (Don’t Worry; It’s Easy!): "Connecting a PC to your TV is dead simple. All you’ll usually need is an HDMI cable, and then you can access every media service, streaming site, and PC game — on your TV.

Simple streaming boxes like the Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, Apple TV, and others are still slick and convenient. But not every app is on every box — a PC gives you access to everything, plus web pages, plus PC games."



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Tips and Tricks every iOS 8 user should know

Tips and Tricks every iOS 8 user should know: "If you have taken some private or embarrassing photos and hand your phone to someone, you might not want those images to be viewed. In the Photos app, tap and hold the picture you want hidden and then select Hide. Photos placed in that folder will be kept for 30 days, and after that they're automatically deleted."



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Why Memory Optimizers and RAM Boosters Are Worse Than Useless

Why Memory Optimizers and RAM Boosters Are Worse Than Useless: "Many companies want to sell you “memory optimizers,” often as part of “PC optimization” programs. These programs are worse than useless — not only will they not speed up your computer, they’ll slow it down.

Such programs take advantage of inexperienced users, making false promises about boosting performance. In reality, your computer knows how to manage RAM on its own. It will use RAM to increase your computer’s performance — there’s no point in having RAM sit empty."



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How to Find The Best Wi-Fi Channel For Your Router on Any Operating System

How to Find The Best Wi-Fi Channel For Your Router on Any Operating System: "Choosing the best Wi-Fi channel on your router helps to reduce interference and improve your WI-Fi signal. These tools will help you identify the least congested Wi-Fi channel in your area.

Wi-Fi channels overlap with nearby channels. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the most frequently used for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. These three channels are the only ones that don’t overlap with each other."



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Android USB Connections Explained: MTP, PTP, and USB Mass Storage

Android USB Connections Explained: MTP, PTP, and USB Mass Storage: "Older Android devices support USB mass storage for transferring files back and forth with a computer. Modern Android devices use the MTP or PTP protocols — you can choose which one you prefer.

To select a USB connection protocol, open the Settings app, tap Storage, tap the menu button, and tap USB computer connection. You’ll also see the protocol your device is using as a notification when it’s connected to a computer via USB."



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Use “Send to” to Easily Transfer Files to Your Android Device

Use “Send to” to Easily Transfer Files to Your Android Device: "The “Send to” menu has been around since Windows 95; so long a lot of users might have forgotten about it. You may not know it, but you can use “Send to” to smartly transfer files to your Android device.

What do we mean by “smartly”? When you use “Send to” to put files on your Android phone or tablet, they won’t simply be placed in your storage’s root folder. Instead, they’ll be copied to the folder most appropriate to the file’s type."



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FBI Ransomware Hits Android: How To Avoid Getting It, And Remove It

FBI Ransomware Hits Android: How To Avoid Getting It, And Remove It: "One of the most intimidating malware threats, FBI Ransomware, has hit Android – pretending to be the FBI while leaving users who install seemingly innocuous apps feeling pressured into paying $300 to release their data.
Fortunately, the malware is straightforward to remove, and if your phone is correctly secured you shouldn’t even be able to install it."



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