Facebook to Debut a News Reader Next Week (Yawn)

Apple and Microsoft both announced their earnings reports this week. And, to no one’s surprise, both made money…Microsoft made most of their money in the commercial division. Apple made their money in the iPhone arena. Interestingly Apple made more than double the bottom line profits of Microsoft. Microsoft touted their 1.9 million sales of the Surface tablet. Apple sold 26 million iPads. Go figure.

Google will shortly announce their earnings, but they just took a huge hit by selling its money-losing Motorola Mobility Division for $10 billion less than they paid for it.

Facebook did well in its earnings and today announced a News Reader premiering next weak on iOS (see story #1). I will take a look at it next week and let you know what I think.

So, why not just read on and see what else this edition holds. Enjoy your weekend and the Super Bowl.  - JRC

 

News and Opinions

Facebook Announces Paper, A Curated Visual News Reader Launching Feb. 3

You miss great content because you aren’t subscribed to the right sources. So Facebook wants to bring you that content. It launches to everyone in the U.S. on February 3rd, the day before Facebook’s 10th birthday

How the 'Netflix of books' won over the publishing industry

Oyster has grown its library of books available to its all-you-can-eat subscribers to more than 100,000 titles. CEO Eric Stromberg tells us how it happened, and how the company is changing the world of reading.

Apple's iPod: is the end nigh?

Few pieces of technology can genuinely claim to be iconic. But Apple's iPod, first launched in 2001, arguably fits the bill. But 12 years, and 26 devices later, the generation-defining iPod range looks like it's about to fade into history without so much as a whimper.

Google+ Is Getting Harder And Harder To Avoid

As Google continues its effort to tie all its services together in a neatly wrapped package, users are slowly feeling the pressure to conform to Google’s standards. Many don’t like it.

Target hackers may have exploited backdoor in widely used server software

The malware used the privileged insider access to temporarily stash payment card data siphoned out of the terminals used in checkout lines so it could then periodically be downloaded to a different service for permanent storage.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Going small(er): Trading spinning disks for SSDs

Solid-state drives can give a significant boost to system performance, but at the cost of storage space. Here’s how to sort out the data on a big spinning-platter drive and fit what you can onto a smaller SSD.

Top Free Software Picks: System Maintenance Utilities

It always comes as a bit of a surprise when—after months or years of use—the device that previously zipped along like a puppy on speed seems to have slowed, now a geriatric hound no longer interested in chasing the ball. Here is some software that might help bring the zip back.

How to get started with subscription music services

Need help getting starting on all-you-can-stream services like Spotify and Beats Music? This primer fills you in on the good and the bad of subscription music services, and how to choose between all the options out there.

The Best Password Managers

Passwords are most people's security Achilles heel; but that doesn't have to be the case if you use a service to manage your passwords.

Use OneNote anywhere with the OneNote Web App

With no download required, you can use it anywhere: at your friend’s house, at the airport, or even on a device that doesn’t have OneNote already installed.

 

Portable Computing

Android in 79 percent of smartphones sold

The report by the research firm Strategy Analytics confirms the ascendancy of Android, which has extended its lead over Apple's iOS, which is used on the iPhone.

Tablets with the best battery life

Battery life is the one metric that truly affects all other aspects of a tablet's functionality. Let's be real: if you run out of battery life, there's not much you can do with a dead slate.

Top 10 iOS Shortcuts and Gestures

Sometimes, the simplest way to do something isn't the most obvious way. A lot of gestures and shortcuts aren't exactly intuitive, but they can make certain tasks a lot faster. Here are 10 of our favorite shortcuts and gestures on iOS

Evernote 7.3 makes taking notes simpler, more colorful

Evernote for iOS has been updated to version 7.3, making some changes to the user interface, as well as other improvements, all in an effort to make Evernote simpler and more responsive.

Seed Mail (for iPhone) Review & Rating

After tinkering with an app called Seed Mail (free, App Store) for a few days, I'm ready to keep this one on my iPhone for good.

Another Giant Retailer Possibly Hacked!

Gosh I am getting tired of this recurring story. But you need to be up-to-date on the rolling credit card hijack that is enveloping our land. Today, its Michael’s art and craft stores that may join the ever-growing list of retailers whose customers may have had their credit card numbers stolen. An investigation is underway to verify that this has indeed happened. Target was the first retailer to find the breach, followed by Niemen-Marcus.

The FBI has warned retailers to expect more attacks and said the agency has reviewed 20 incidents over the past year that were similar to the recent breaches. This is getting very scary.

Today I read of a growing phone scam where criminals are phoning victims to trick them to give their PIN numbers on the back. They don’t need the credit card info on the front as they already have it. I read the script they use and they sound completely legitimate on the phone. So be careful.

In other news, Microsoft is changing the name of SkyDrive to OneDrive. If you remember back in August, British TV giant Sky threatened legal action because they own the name “Sky.”  Microsoft agreed to change the name.

Well, I am tired of typing so why don’t you just get started and see if there are any stories here that might be of interest. -JRC

 

Computer News and Opinions

Michaels Warns Customers of Possible Credit/Debit Card Leak

Here's hoping that the two top stores on your weekly shopping trip aren't Target and Michaels. If so, you might as well take out your credit cards and throw them into the nearest shredder.

A few security lessons from the Target breach

The Target breach points out some facts of life on the Web: We’re all targets (pun intended) of cyber thieves. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves. Here’s how to protect yourself from the next big breach.

SkyDrive Becomes OneDrive

The sky isn't falling, but the SkyDrive name is. Nothing else changes about the cloud-based storage service, Microsoft says, just the branding.

Windows 9: Can Microsoft pull off another miracle?

It may be a long time before Windows 9 becomes available, but computer makers have already started looking past Windows 8, as witnessed at CES 2014. Microsoft has a lot to do to put Windows 9 back in the win column.

Netflix To Carriers: Hands Off Our Service

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has a blunt message for Internet providers: Don't mess with net neutrality.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Six clicks: Can your browser do these tricks?

All web browsers are not created equal. Each of the top six browsers has a unique killer feature.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Preview: More Good News for PC Users

The big news: Mouse-style context menus everywhere in Metro. But wait, there is more!

Get Organized: Tips for Going Paperless

Kiss that filing cabinet goodbye. If you're ready to become truly paperless, these tips will help you do it right and in a way that will last.

tinySpell Adds Spell-Check to Notepad, Wordpad, and Other Windows Apps

Most office suites and word processors have spell-check built in, but if you're working in a tool like Notepad, Wordpad, a web browser, or another tool that won't automatically check your spelling, tinySpell is a Windows utility that'll cover your bases.

Here’s A New Way Facebook Is Pushing You To Share Your Contact Information

Facebook would always rather you share more, not less, on the social network. Its latest tweak now puts your friends to work to cajole you to part with personal information you may not have wanted to put out there.

 

Portable Computing

5 Useful Ways to Organize Photo Albums on Android

Digital photography has made us picture hoarders. We will snap a picture of anything just because we can. But then we end up with an unorganized mess of images. Sometimes you really need external help to properly organize photo

How to Organize Photos on Your iDevice

If you like to take photos with your iDevice, your Camera Roll is full of pictures. If you want to find one picture The best thing you can do is organize all the photos in your Camera Roll by creating Albums.

The 100 Best iPhone Apps

New year, new apps. This list of the 100 best iPhone apps will help you discover cutting-edge releases as well as tried-and-true favorites.

iPhone 5s gobbles up 'unprecedented' amounts of data, research finds

JDSU Research revealed this week the iPhone 5s, the high-end flagship device in Apple's tag-team smartphone line-up, gobbles up to seven times as much as the benchmark iPhone 3G.

How to personalize your listening experience with iTunes Radio

iTunes Radio is a great way to discover and enjoy music on the go with iPhone and iPad, or when you're in the office using iTunes. Even though you can always choose from featured stations that are constantly changing, it's always more fun to create your own stations.

Windows 7…Alive and Well

In the last edition, we reported the story of how HP is bringing back Windows 7 “by popular demand.” Well, that isn’t exactly the whole story. Windows 7 has never left us…and according to our third story, it is doing better than ever. What HP did was start marketing Windows 7 in a big way. No one has done that since Windows 8 appeared on the scene. But HP is doing it now! I am sure Microsoft is not happy about it.

In another surprising story, Microsoft, in its latest earnings report, said the Surface tablets did extremely well during the holiday season, racking up nearly $900 million in sales. But, don’t forget, Microsoft wrote off nearly $950 million dollars in Surface tablets earlier this year. So technically they did make money, but one can do almost anything with magical accounting tricks. When viewed as a single item over the last 6 months, Microsoft lost their behinds on the Surface.

At first when I read about the sales success of the Surface, I was surprised as I would not spend a dime on one. But, upon further review, I realize that Windows 8 and Windows RT were designed for tablets, so they could do better in that market. Where Microsoft ran into difficulty was trying to jam it down our throats in Windows 8 for the desktop and laptop. Metro is designed for touch, like the iPad. Since 99% of us don’t use touchable computers, it is a waste.

The moral of this story is if you are looking for a new desktop or laptop computer, you can still find lots of computers running Windows 7…and that is great news.

There are lots of good tips and tricks in this edition for computers, tablets and phones, so be sure and pay close attention. Onward and upward! - JRC 

 

News and Opinions

Microsoft reportedly planning Windows 9 release in April 2015

Windows "Threshold" plans will involve a release of Windows 9 around April 2015. Microsoft will allegedly unveil its vision for Windows 9 at the company’s Build 2014 developer conference in April, with a release planned for a year later.

Google poised to shake up airline ticket biz

RyanAir CEO says Google's project "blows the competition out of the water." This new project could go live in March.

Where can you still find a PC running Windows 7?

If you want a PC running Windows 7, where do you look? Skip your local office superstore or big-box retailer and go where the business buyers go. In those channels, you'll find that Windows 7 never went away. In fact, it's not just alive, it's thriving.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Preview: Now with More Integration

A newly leaked set of shots from a prerelease version of Windows 8.1 Update 1 suggests that Microsoft is going to further integrate the Metro and desktop worlds in this important coming update.

Believe It: Microsoft Surface Is Turning Out to Be a Moneymaker

Those reports of Microsoft's Surface 2 being in short supply during the holiday season weren't apocryphal. The Surface sold well in the calendar fourth-quarter, racking up $893 million in revenues, according to Microsoft.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Make Your Laptop Easier to Use with Windows Mobility Center

Did you know that Windows 7 and 8.x have a special feature just for laptops and other portable platforms? It provides quick access to settings for brightness, volume, power, and other useful features. Here is how to use it

Five free Chrome tools for faster, easier searches

These free tools from the Chrome Web Store work with the Chrome browser to make searching easier, or help you tweak your search queries to minimize unwanted results.

Five Steps to Take Immediately If You're the Victim of Identity Theft

If you know or suspect that you are the victim of identity theft, there are steps you should take immediately to stop the theft and minimize the damage.

Keep a healthy PC: A routine-maintenance guide

As with all devices, regular maintenance will keep your Windows PC operating smoothly through the years. Here are the essential tasks that can help PC users — of all levels — maintain strong, secure, and stable systems

Download Over 250 Free Art Books From the Getty Museum

Getty Publications just announced the launch of its Virtual Library, where readers can freely browse and download over 250 art books from the publisher’s backlist catalogue.

 

Portable Computing

Thinnest (and lightest) large tablets

Thin tablets are usually sleeker, sexier, and easier to handle. Also, their relative girth does not necessarily preclude them from including plenty of useful connections. Being so thin, all the tablets listed here are also the lightest on the market.

T-Mobile Gets Into Mobile Banking With The New Mobile Money Service

T-Mobile is doing a lot of unconventional things for the mobile industry, and now it's branching out to banking as well

Watch the Super Bowl from Your iPad Thanks to Fox Sports Go

This year will be the first time that the Super Bowl will be available through an app. Fox Sports Go will include an English-language stream and a Spanish-language stream. According to Broadcasting Cable, Spanish simulating of the Super Bowl is another first.

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks

A virtual plethora of tips and tricks to help you use your iPad better. Whether you are new user or an iPad veteran, there is much to make your day.

How to Print from Your Android Tablet or Smartphone

Smartphones and tablets are very handy but what if you want to print something? What to do then? Printing from a mobile device is not as straightforward as from a standard PC but here is one method for Android platforms

Thanks CNet and Sweetpacks for trying to ruin my computer

A few months ago, I warned you about using CNet’s “Download.com” Web site. The reason, if you remember, is many of their downloadable files contain malware that can infect your machine so that ads are popping up all over the place. I know because I was infected by some of them, the worst of them being “Sweetpacks.” It took me four separate attempts to get rid of it. The last of it was cleaned by AVAST antivirus…or so I thought.

Just a few days ago, strange things started happening. Whenever I opened up Firefox and clicked on a link, I would get and AT&T ad. And I found words on my own Web site were being automatically linked with ad sites. This only happened in Firefox, not Internet Explorer of Chrome browsers.

After some deep investigations on my own part to see what was causing the problem, I ran SuperAntiSpyware software that I have used for a few years. It found nothing. Then after doing more research, one article I read suggested using Malwarebytes. So I downloaded it and ran a scan.

Not only did it find several pieces of malware that SuperAntiSpyware missed, but it found Sweetpacks had again invaded my system. It was buried deep in my browser, my hard drive, and my registry. It then removed every trace of it. My Firefox browser returned to normal and all trace of the links put on my site were gone.

You will find a link to Malwarebytes in one of the stories below. I can’t recommend it enough for what it did. It is free, but I am going to spend a one-time fee of $25 and have it for life. I wish I could charge it to CNet.

In other news, be sure and read the lead story about how HP is bringing back Windows 7 for its desktop and laptop computers. After using Windows 8, it makes perfect sense to do this. Wake up Microsoft and smell the coffee! Windows 8 stinks while Windows 7 is the best operating system you ever made.

Enough rambling. I leave the rest of the stories up to you. - JRC

News and Opinions

HP brings back Windows 7 'by popular demand'

HP woke up and figured out people are not buying their desktops because of Windows 8. So now, Windows 7 is their default choice for many computers. Smart move.

What to expect from Microsoft in 2014

2014 looks to be even bigger than 2013, with the company expected to ship a number of major updates to existing products as well as expanding into new product lines thanks to the Nokia acquisition.

Microsoft CEO search proves again it's still Gates' company

Microsoft's lack of progress suggests a board still deeply divided in terms of what it wants in a CEO.

New Pew Poll Finds That E-Books Are Booming but Print Holds Its Own

While the number of people reading e-books continues to climb (17 percent in 2011, 23 percent in 2012, and 28 percent in 2014), the figure for people who read printed books remained fairly constant for the same period.

We should be worrying about Google’s assimilation and consolidation, and here’s why

For Google, all this integration means better user profiling and more accurate ad targeting – never forget that Google is above all an advertising firm.

 

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

An Online Office Suite That's A Real Alternative To Microsoft Or Google

There's nothing to install, you're always running the latest version, and you can access your files from anywhere that has web access. Which is especially handy if you travel a lot, or like to work at both the office and at home, or if you collaborate on documents with other people.

Click this: All about mechanical keyboards and why you need one

Keyboards are of two kinds: (1) the cheapo, no-name slabs that are bundled by the millions with PCs, and (2) the ones that are actually worth using—and in most cases, that’s a mechanical keyboard.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE

You and your antivirus need a wingman. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.

The Most (and Least) Reliable Hard Drive Brands

Backblaze uses 25,000 hard drives for its online backup service. This has provided some interesting information, such as how long hard drives are likely to last and the difference in reliability between enterprise and consumer drives.

Amazing! Create A Windows Font From Your Own Handwriting

Here is a new web-based service that will do the job instantly, and for free.

 

Portable Computing

Ripoff nation: How Verizon and AT&T stacked the deck against cellphone users

If you live in America, there’s a good chance you’ve not been overjoyed by your wireless plan. Simply by using a device essential to your daily life, you have been screwed. Let us count the ways.

Apple users hit with "Update using new SSL servers" phishing email

"Your online access has been blocked," says the fake email equipped with the Apple logo and color scheme.

6 apps you need to delete from your iPhone right this second

I bet there are some great apps on your iPhone. I mean, why else would you have downloaded them, right? But some apps just don't live up to their billing, and others lose their luster over time.

10 ways to pay without ever whipping out your wallet

The mobile wallet dream may still be a way off for the average consumer, but a cashless and cardless utopia is closer than ever before for the adventurous technophile.

Box rebuilt its iOS app and is offering 50GB of free storage for downloading it

Box's normal free storage limit is 10GB, so this special offer comes with a considerable boost in storage.

Microsoft Dumping Windows 8 As Fast As They Can

Windows 8 (and 8.1) just sucks! You have heard me repeat that phrase many times over the last 20 months. I said it for the first several months of its existence before I owned a copy. I said it even louder after I bought a new laptop with it installed on it.

Apparently enough other people said it too…so much so that it has been a sales disaster for Microsoft. Now, Microsoft finally awoke to the truth of it all and is now trumpeting Windows 9…even though it is at least 15 months away from release. Very little is known about it, although the first article here will give you a little insight. Microsoft will tell us all of its “Vision” for Windows 9 in April. Stay tuned for that.

Good news for all you XP users: Microsoft has reversed itself and will continue to provide security updates for it. However, that is all they will do for it. I still recommend you update your computers to Windows 7.

I am sure many of you are aware of Google’s Chrome Operating System (as opposed to the Chrome Web browser). It is available on many cheap laptops and has had some success in the market place. Its major problem is that it only works with an Internet connection…no local storage is available. Without a Net connection, it is a brick.

Well, Google has snuck the operating system into its latest version of the Chrome Web browser. If you use Windows 8 and make Chrome your default Web browser, you can see how it works. Who knows…you may like it better than the Metro interface. I will be trying it out on my laptop soon and will let you know.

OK, time for me to get on with other things, so I will let you read the rest of the stories on your own. Happy Computing to all!! -JRC

 

News and Opinions

"Threshold" to be Called Windows 9, Ship in April 2015

Microsoft tries to put Windows 8 in the rear-view mirror. Here is what we know so far. We will learn more about it at the "Build Conference" in April.

Microsoft extends security updates for XP

Microsoft has pledged to continue updating Windows XP's antivirus protection after the OS hits end of life in April. The ageing OS will no longer be officially supported by Microsoft from 8 April, despite hundreds of millions of people still running XP.

Google's latest Chrome release tries to replace the Windows 8 desktop

This week's Google Chrome update added some significant new features to its Windows 8 mode, effectively turning the browser into a stripped-down version of Chrome OS, with its own taskbar and window-management tools. But who's it for, really?

Light Patch Tuesday for Microsoft

There's only one interesting patch from Microsoft on the first Patch Tuesday of 2014: MS14-002. This patch from Microsoft should be at the top of everyone's priority list.

Why you should care about Net neutrality (FAQ)

Last time, we told you that a federal appeals court has thrown out the FCC's Net neutrality rules. CNET explains what the ruling means to the average consumer -- and why it really, really matters.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Five Places to Learn How to Use Windows 8.1 Better

Upgrading from an even older version of Windows? Then you have a truck-load of new features to learn. Either way, here are some places to go that will help make the transition to Windows 8.1 easier.

The Best Tuneup Utilities

Has your PC gotten slow, sluggish, buggy? Chances are, it's gotten gunked up through use; clean it up with these effective, ease-to-use tuneup utilities. PS: The winner of the Editor's Choice Award is free!

Get Organized: Scan Your Old Photos

If you have boxes of old photos you'd like to digitize, here are some tips for managing the project and preserving your memories the right way.

Outlook.com Gets Improved Sweep, Search and More

Microsoft announced some interesting changes coming to its Outlook.com email service, including a simpler version of the popular Sweep tool and improved Search. These features will begin rolling out to user inboxes over the next few weeks.

Everything You Didn't Know You Could Do with Google's Voice Commands

Voice search is one of those features that seems silly, but is awesome once you start using it. Not convinced? Here are a few ways to turn voice search from a silly gimmick into a useful productivity tool.

 

Portable Computing

The 10 Best Android Games

The advent of smartphones has changed the game, and now phones compete against consoles and PCs for your dollars and attention. The mobile game scene has exploded.

7 Tips for Better iPhone Photography

With all the benefits and fun that come with these new smartphones, people everywhere are starting to play with iPhone photography. Here are just a few tips to help make the most of your iPhone photos.

So who has the superior wireless network, anyway?

Verizon Wireless and AT&T both claim victory after the release of a recent study. This article breaks down who actually won. Or did they all?

BBB Warning: Smart Phone Apps May Share Your Information

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to make sure the apps they download don’t take more information than they need to do the job.

Apple settles with FTC over in-app purchases, offering $32 million in refunds

As a result of insufficient parental controls, the company is required to refund customers who have been billed for faulty charges, paying out a total of $32.5 million to 37,000 different customers.

Federal Court Kills Net Neutrality

Lots of news this day, so I will forgo my usual opening comments and let you get right to the good stuff. Besides, I am pretty tired. -JRC

News and Opinions

Federal Court Strikes Down Net Neutrality Rules, Sides with Big Telecom

A U.S. Appeals Court just invalidated the FCC's net neutrality rules that would've made it illegal for telecom companies to favor certain types of traffic over others. The court ruled that the commission lacked the authority to implement and enforce such rules which were embedded in a complicated legal framework. This is not good for us normal Internet users.

What to expect from Microsoft in 2014

2014 looks to be even bigger than 2013, with the company expected to ship a number of major updates to existing products as well as expanding into new product lines thanks to the Nokia acquisition.

2013 PC Sales: Down But Not Out

It should come as no surprise to anyone that PC sales are down year over year, and that simpler, more mobile and personal devices like smart phones and tablets are a big part of the reason why. But it's not as bad as has been reported, for starters.

Credit card hackers hit Neiman Marcus

Its seems Target Stores were not the only target of credit card hackers. Neiman Marcus says that it's the latest victim of data thieves, who made off with the credit card information of an unknown number of customers

The Best of CES 2014

There were plenty of highlights at the show this year, along with some lowlights. Here is PC Magazines roundup of the Best of Show.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Cool and Interesting Websites to Visit When You're Bored

I have added these non-tech related websites in my “weekly” bookmarks folder. I don’t visit them every single day but on weekends or when I am feeling bored and they never disappoint.

Kill your data dead with these tips and tools

You can easily erase an entire hard drive or SSD by using any of the free utilities listed here. All invoke the secure-erase (sometimes called quick-erase) functions integrated into nearly every ATA/SATA drive produced since 2001

A Better Way to Share Web Pages by Email

Instead of putting raw URLs in your email messages that don’t convey anything, you can use Clip Better to effortlessly create a visual snippet of the page and send it through Gmail or any other mail client that supports HTML Mail.

It's Okay to Open More Than Nine Browser Tabs; Here's How to Easily Manage Them

It's okay to have a ton of tabs open, you just need a few tricks to keep them all organized.

Play Hundreds Of Retro Console Games For Free

At the following Website, you can find hundreds of retro console games, all playable for free in your browser. No downloads or installation are required.

 

Portable Computing

Free phone apps can help you lose weight, achieve your goals

Here are three free smartphone apps that can guide you in your quest for self improvement:

How To Speed Up iOS 7! Make Your Older iPhone Run Faster on iOS 7

Although badly written, this article will give you some good tips to make your iPhone run a little faster...especially old iPhones.

How to Activate and Customize iPad's ‘Do Not Disturb’

About a year ago, Apple decided to make it easier for us to continue to receive notifications, but not let them keep us awake all night. The feature is called “Do Not Disturb” and it allows you to silence your whenever you want it so that alerts and FaceTime calls will be silenced.

16 Best New Android Apps From The Last 2 Weeks (12/31/13 - 1/13/14)

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Biggest Android news of 2013

Android has enjoyed a very big year. The platform has been growing faster than the competition. A flurry of new smartphones and tablets has been launched. New form factors and innovations, from voice controls to curved displays, point the way to a brighter future.

Going Shopping at Target? Not Me

Normally, I would lead with all the new devices now showing at CES in Las Vegas. But, the latest stories about the Target Stores data breaches are just too important to ignore. Unless you have never shopped at Target or used your credit card there, I can almost guarantee your credit card information has been stolen. I am sure mine has as I used to shop there on a regular basis.

Notice I said, “used to.” Unless I am prepared to pay with cash only, you will not find me in one of their stores. Don’t get me wrong…I really like Target. But this kind of massive data breach in inexcusable. In fact, I may never go back into a Target for the sins they have committed. I have a feeling that many other people have come to the same conclusion.

Now, I have not forgotten CES. Our CES Roundup story contains many additional articles about what has happened in Las Vegas this week. I have also included a story on this year’s top trends.

And there is much more to this edition of Rants and Raves, so why don’t you get started. -JRC

 

News and Opinions

Target's data breach: It gets worse

Target said names, email addresses and other data was stolen and could affect up to 70 million customers. This disclosure comes on top of a payment card breach outlined in December.

CES Roundup

Here is a plethora of all the major stories that have emerged from the 2014 CES show in Las Vegas. Some interesting articles included here.

The Top Trends at CES 2014

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is turning out to be a blockbuster-and with good reason. Find out what is hot and what is dead.

Microsoft forges ahead toward Windows 8.1 Update 1

An expected update to Microsoft's Windows 8.1 operating system is looking like it's going to make its projected 'spring' deadline.

Senate report explains how companies sell your data for marketing purposes

According to the document, companies like Equifax — generally known for its credit reports — are collecting details as intimate as whether an individual uses a laxative or has visited an OB/GYN doctor within the last twelve months.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

New Gmail Feature Allows Anyone On Google+ To Email You & Vice Versa, But Opt Out Is Provided

You’ will now be able to directly email your Google+ contacts from Gmail, even if you don’t know their email address. And by default, anyone on Google+ will be able to email you as well, thanks to this new option, if you don’t adjust your settings.

The Best Free Antivirus for 2013

Not using antivirus protection isn't just a personal choice, as your unprotected computer could be used as part of a botnet or DDoS attack. There are plenty of free antivirus tools, some quite good, so protect all of your computers now.

Something Microsoft has never fixed: why Windows is slow to start up

Windows today is generally stable, but it is applications that run at startup that cause your PC to start slowly, as well as having some impact on performance later.

Migrating to SSD: Get yourself a new computer without getting one

Here's how you can replace your computer's hard drive with a solid-state drive and be significantly happier with your life."

Chrome Brings Apps to Your Desktop: Are They Worth Using?

Do you use Windows, Mac, or Linux applications? Google wants you to replace them with Chrome apps in the future. Google Chrome is now an app platform, complete with a Chrome app launcher for Windows and Mac.

 

Portable Computing

Best camera apps for iPhone

Today's camera phones are modern wonders, and with more photos being taken on an iPhone every day than any other camera, there must be something that Apple is doing right

The Best Photography Apps for Android: 2014 Edition

The camera in your Android device can vary from exceptional to terrible, depending on the model of phone you have, and even the version of Android you're running. Luckily, there are tons of apps to help you make the most of the camera you have

Best eBook reader Android Apps

There are a couple of big names like Kindle and Nook, but a lot more smaller names that people don’t generally see unless they’re specifically in the eReader niche.

50 Apps That Can Make You More Productive

Get the most out of yourself and your time with these productivity and efficiency apps for mobile devices, desktop computers, and the Web.

Jailbreaking Explained: What You Need to Know About Jailbreaking iPhones and iPads

iPhones and iPads are locked-down devices. You can only install apps Apple has approved, and you can’t tweak the underlying system like you could on a Windows, Mac, or Linux system. Jailbreaking is the act of escaping this figurative “jail.”

CES Now Showing in Las Vegas. Hint: Don’t Go!

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were as wonderful as mine. As always, Santa was good to me. But now its time to get back on track with tech news, tips and tricks. And we start off with a bang!

Today, the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) gets underway in Las Vegas. It’s the biggest trade show of the year where electronic manufacturers of all kinds show their latest wares for the coming year. The show is huge, big enough to wear out your body in just one day…and it’s big enough that you can’t see it all in just one day.

I used to go to these shows every year back in my younger days. First it was Comdex, followed later by CES. The crowds were enormous, the hotel rooms were extremely overpriced and if you were smart, you wore tennis shoes, even if the rest of your wardrobe was made by Armani. But, it was mostly worth it as you saw new and exciting products unveiled and for sale for the very first time.

The Internet changed all that. Now, there are few products that have not already been announced on the Net… and there seem to be more and more products shown that never even make it to market. Some of the bigger companies don’t even show up anymore…like Apple and Microsoft. And many tech journalists don’t even come anymore. Still, it is a very big show.

The only interesting product I’ve seen so far are huge curved screen TV’s by Samsung. No word on when they will be on the market or how much they will cost. But, that is the norm for CES. So, as my headline says, if you get a ticket to go…don’t. Your legs and feet will thank you.

Besides you can read all about it here and many other places if you really want to know all the dirt. And, speaking of this blog, there is a whole lot more to this edition than just CES, so read on.

PS: The next edition of this blog may be delayed a day or two as all new flooring is being installed in my home over the next 2 days. -JRC

News and Opinions

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Computer Tips and Tricks

Automatic Warning If You're About To Install Unwanted Software

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The Top 100 Websites of 2013

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Portable Computing

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The App-Driven Life: How To Stick To Your 2014 New Year's Resolutions

For any given resolution, there are a slew of desktop and mobile apps that can support you in reaching your goals. Here are a few to get you started.

How To Run Free Android Apps On the Kindle Fire

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