This and That

A couple of weeks ago, I recommended you look at a new program called Advanced Uninstaller Pro. It looked pretty good, and after further testing, I can tell you that it is better than Revo Uninstaller…a decent program that I have used and recommended for years. Over time, I noticed Revo missed finding a few programs I wanted uninstalled. AUP doesn’t seem to miss any and has found some programs installed that I didn’t know I had.

It also adds addition features that make it a more complete program. One caveat: It offers a nice feature called “Daily Health Check.” It is easy to use and does a nice job getting rid of junk files. However, I did notice that a couple of my programs started acting twitchy after I used it. Nothing major and I was able to fix them. So if you use the health check, just be aware of that. But don’t let that deter you from using this fine program.

If you ever used the latest iterations of Microsoft’s Office, you are probably aware of the Ribbon. Frankly I never liked it. If you would like to use an exact replica of Office without a Ribbon, check out the free WPS Office Suite (see story #6). This software is so close to being Office I am surprised Microsoft has not sued them.

I recently joined the Adobe Creative Cloud for photographers. Which means for $10 a month, I always have the latest versions of Photoshop and Lightroom. If you use either or both of those programs, do the math…it is definitely worth the money.

I took myself completely out of the Android world when I sold my Nexus 7 tablet.  I am much happier and life is simpler. My mobile computing life is all Apple now and my desktop and laptop computers are all Windows. And believe it or not, they all talk to each other. Android phones are pretty good, but their tablets leave much to be desired.

I must admit that I still don’t like my Samsung laptop very much (the computer more than Windows 8.1) and am thinking I might replace it with an Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Screen. But I won’t do anything until after the next Apple event in August or September. Those computers are expensive so will have to think long and hard. And we will see if the promises of the next Mac and iOS systems are fulfilled. I will let you know.

So that’s all for me, so let’s get to the stuff you might find interesting. Have a great 4th of July weekend. -JRC

 

News and Opinions

Windows 8 usage declined in June while XP usage increased

Net Applications says overall use of Windows 8 declined from May to June, reversing a long-standing trend of tiny increases

Windows 9: The empire's last hope

Microsoft looks to reboot the franchise with a morphing Start-enabled take on the troubled two-faced Windows 8

Sheryl Sandberg Stops Short Of Apology For Facebook Mood Study

Facebook’s chief operating officer said Wednesday she was sorry a controversial study that manipulated nearly 700,000 people's Facebook accounts was “poorly communicated. But she stopped short of actually apologizing for the study itself.

Internet Connection Speeds Are Up Globally, Lag in the U.S.

Although the U.S. did see a quarter-over-quarter increase of 10% at 10.5 Mbps, its growth is not on pace with the rest of the world, and it now ranks 12th out of the 98 countries surveyed.

Hackers Infiltrated Power Grids in U.S., Spain

Hackers operating somewhere in Eastern Europe have penetrated the networks of energy companies in the U.S., Spain, France and several other countries and may have gained the ability to carry out cyber-sabotage attacks.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Best Free Office Suite: WPS

WPS is ideal for those familiar with Microsoft Office 2003 prior to the creation of the 'ribbon' feature in 2007. It will let you feel perfectly at home. To say that it is similar to Microsoft Office would be the understatement; they are practically identical.

Outlook ties in Office Web Apps for document collaboration

Beginning Friday, Microsoft's Outlook Web App integrates features that allow saving changes in documents attached to emails-all without the hassle of downloading the files, saving changes, and emailing them back.

Digital independence day: Your guide to DIY, open-source, anonymous free computing

The Founding Fathers may never have considered digital independence, but you can. Technology's marching toward smaller, non-upgradable devices and oodles of free cloud storage threatens to chain you to specific services or platforms. Fight back with our tips.

Share a hard drive with everyone on your Wi-Fi network

Take advantage of your router's USB port with a little trick that lets you share a hard drive with anyone on your Wi-Fi network.

Maximize your Wi-Fi

Does your home Wi-Fi need some help? Here are some great tips for squeezing your network connection for all it's worth.

 

Mobil Computing

Early Android L tests show serious battery life improvement

Under tightly controlled conditions, Ars Technica managed a whopping 36 percent better battery than KitKat, without even using the battery saver mode.

The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones

These top-rated headphones let you block out the world around you, and enjoy your music or the sweet sound of silence.

Make your Android Device Smarter with These Apps

The onset of powerful third-party apps spurred that progress into overdrive, so much so that most of what we do on our phones these days isn’t even possible on the full-size desktop computers they are derived from.

101 iPad Tips & Tricks

This list of over 100 iPad tips and tricks is broken down by tips to help you get started, use the keyboard better, surf the web on the iPad easier, sync your photos, data and calendars as well as get the most out of your iPad with entertainment apps and services

Find Saved Passwords on iPhone & iPad in Safari

The Autofill feature of Safari makes logging in to websites much easier in iOS, not having to remember and type in every single password for every website under the sun that you come across.