EU Slams Apple with $14.5 Billion Back Taxes Bill

Now that is a piece of news that would ruin Tim Cook’s morning. Here is a quick summary of this story: The European Union has ordered Apple to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes and penalties to the government of Ireland. Apple will fight it of course. But, strangely enough, so are the governments of Ireland and the US.

Ireland says the EU has no right to regulate Irish tax laws. American officials says the EU is overstepping its power since that taxes are typically left to national governments to oversee and that European officials should not retroactively issue penalties in past tax rulings.

Apple has about $270 Billion cash in Irish banks. Most of their overseas operations (and some US sales) are run by Apple’s Irish Division. The reason: US corporate tax rates are at 35% while the Irish tax rate is 12%. But with other tax breaks, the EU claims the Irish effective tax rate for Apple is .005%.

This decision is going to be appealed, of course, and the battle may go on for years. It is going to be interesting to watch this battle unfold. For more in-depth info on this story, read our first story. Our second story is also about Apple: The next big Apple event is next week where they will probably announce all new hardware…probably the iPhone 7, new Apple watches, and much more. So stay tuned. -JRC

 

Tech News and Opinions

 

Apple gets slapped with $14.5B tax bill

The European Union on Tuesday hit Apple with a $14.5 billion tax penalty, ruling its deal with Ireland was illegal.

Apple sends invites for September 7: iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 most likely on tap

Rumored no longer: The company sent out invitations for its event, confirming the date of Apple's next product announcement.

 

Outlook.com Upgrade Completion Delayed Until First Half of 2017

Last year, Microsoft announced they would be upgrading Outlook.com accounts to a new infrastructure and it would be completed by the end of the summer in 2016. But, it looks like that deadline will not be met.

 

Microsoft Tries to Silence Internet Hate Mongers

Microsoft is taking harder stance against hate speech. It says it wants to make it easier for people to report online abuse in its consumer communities, which includes everything from the internet search engine Bing to gaming community Xbox Live.

 

How Facebook censors your posts (FAQ)

High-profile videos involving the police and the black community have gripped the country in recent months. We've put together the FAQ Facebook doesn't have to help you understand how, when and why you're being censored.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Prevent Malware Infection

While no single method is ever 100 percent fool-proof, there are some tried and true cybersecurity techniques for keeping malware infections at bay that, if put into practice, will shield you from most of the garbage of the Internet.

 

Troubleshooting and repairing Windows 10 problems

Here's some specific fixes for known issues with Windows 10 Anniversary Update along with time-tested troubleshooting tools and techniques.

 

How to Turn an Old Hard Drive Into an External Drive

It takes surprisingly little effort to turn an old (or new) hard drive into an external drive perfect for stashing your extra files on.

 

Everything You Need to Know About “Reset This PC” in Windows 8 and 10

Windows 10 includes a “Reset your PC” option that quickly restores Windows to its factory default configuration. It’s faster and more convenient than reinstalling Windows from scratch or using your manufacturer’s recovery partition.

 

Speed up your internet connection by resetting your router

Resetting a home router will restore it to the condition it was in when you bought it and can help clear some networking issues.

 

Mobile Computing

How to Find Accessible Wi-Fi Hotspots

You can fire up a Wi-Fi finder app on your smartphone to find the closest wireless hotspots.

 

Everything You Need to Know About Improving Your iPhone’s Battery Life

Phones have gotten faster and faster, but their battery life hasn’t improved much. Modern iPhones still struggle to make it through a single day if you’re using them heavily, but there are ways to extend that battery life and keep your iPhone going.

 

Turn-by-Turn Navigation Showdown: Google Maps vs. Waze

Even just a glance at Google Maps and Waze shows how different they are. They might both be owned by the same company, but they work completely differently.

 

Best Essential, must-have free Apple iPhone apps

After years of try and fail, we’ve come with a list of essential iPhone apps that we keep on coming back to every time we put our SIM card in an iPhone.

 

Your phone may never get Android 7.0, but does it really matter?

Unless you bought a phone from Google, it's going to take a while to see Nougat — if you ever see it at all. But that doesn't matter as much as you might think.

 

39 Ways to Soup Up Your Current Car With Tech

Adding the right technology to an older car can make it feel brand new. Here's where to start.

Apple and Microsoft Stores…in One Afternoon

This photo is of the new Apple Store in San Francisco…right across the street from famous Union Square. It looked just like this yesterday when I popped in for a visit. The front windows were open on both the ground floor and 2nd floor…even though it was a rather chilly day.

Let me back up a little first. I got to SF by taking the BART train from Walnut Creek to the Powell Street Station. When I got to street level, I could either turn right and walk out on Market Street and see the famous cable cars right across the street…or turn left and enter the Westfield Center, a very large shopping mall, both vertically and horizontally. I went into the center and went up the the second floor to visit the Microsoft Store.

It is a very nice store, laid out very much like an Apple Store. There were computers of all kinds on tables, including the Microsoft Surface Tablets as well as laptops and desktops from different manufacturers. I focused on some desktop computers as I will be in the market for a new PC in a few months. All their computers, no matter what brand, are all Signature certified…meaning there is absolutely no crapware on any of them. Hooray for that.

The Microsoft agent who helped me made no attempt to sell me any computer but answered all my questions about the products they carried. This is the same methodology employed in Apple Stores. We chatted for quite a while about various Microsoft products. And when he found out I was having a problem using OneDrive on my iPhone, he got hold of a tech rep to help me out. He solved the problem in no time. I left the store with a good impression of their store…and with a free bottle of water.

From there, I headed out across Market Street and on up Powell…past the cable cars and three blocks up to Union Square to the Apple Store. I wandered about the first and second floors taking in the sites. Lots of Apple products on lots of tables, just like all their stores…Except this one is huge! Upstairs was another area in front for more products, but also an area for tutorials. I sat in for a few minutes on a tutorial on using the Photos App on the iPhone.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see a huge TV screen on a wall that shows Apple product propaganda videos. Behind that wall is the Genius Bar where customers can come in to get help with their Apple products…except this Genius area accupies to entire length of the floor. There are also several large trees in big pots, exactly like those trees you see in the photo in front of the store. It is quite impressive.

Behind the store is a large area outside filled with many tables and chairs and featuring a large fountain. It has Wi-Fi and is for anyone who wants to sit and work on their computers. It is open to Stockton Street so anyone can come in and use it.

Both stores are very impressive and are designed to help their customers and sell them any products they may wish to purchase without any pressure. Of course, the Apple Store is its own building and not subject to the restraints of being in a shopping center. But this Apple store is the road map for all their future stores. Here in Walnut Creek, Apple is building a new store in a nearly complete upscale shopping area in the downtown area. It is using the SF store as a benchmark. One has to hand it to Apple for taking this bold venture into retail and making a major success of their efforts.

Lots of good info below so I hope you find something of interest. -JRC

 

Tech News and Opinions

Google will punish sites that use annoying pop-up ads

Google is about to deal a small blow to some of the most annoying ads on mobile: pop-ups and interstitials. It’s not a stretch to argue that readers don’t like these ads.

 

Steve Wozniak Says Apple Should Not Eliminate Headphone Jack in iPhone 7

“If it’s missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that’s going to tick off a lot of people.”

 

Appeal to remove password from WFi after Italian earthquake

Multiple organizations and institutions have asked people to temporarily remove passwords from their WiFi after the strong earthquake that struck central Italy early Wednesday, leaving dozens dead.

 

Apple's Siri is using neural networks

The secretive Cupertino, California, company adapted Siri's voice recognition to use a cutting-edge artificial-intelligence technique called neural networks and switched it over on July 30, 2014.

 

NASA to make all its research available free on the Internet

The Obama administration has been pressing its science agencies to make its research more accessible believing it increase the popularity of science and advance public knowledge.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

10 Hidden Tricks Inside Windows 10

With such a complex, nuanced, and vast piece of software, it makes sense that there are little tricks and UI flourishes that most people don't even know about.

 

A Primer on The Best Encryption Software of 2016

Just because you install antivirus software doesn't mean a zero-day Trojan won't steal your personal data. Encryption keeps it safe from malware (and the NSA).

 

Tech Term Confusion: “Memory” Means RAM, Not Storage

Some people say they have “a smartphone with 64 GB of memory”, but they don’t.

 

Google saying buh-bye to Chrome Apps for Windows, Mac, Linux

New apps will be available only on Chromebooks by the end of this year, and will stop loading on non-Chrome OS machines in 2018.

 

How to Shop Online Like a Pro

Here are the best online shopping tricks to keep more cash in your bank account, and less in your shopping cart.

 

Mobile Computing

Apple advises immediate update to iOS 9.3.5 after discovery of targeted iPhone spyware

Independent researchers tracked down malware sent to a Middle Eastern human-rights activist and alerted Apple, which patched three separate zero-day exploits.

 

10 awesome iOS photo editing apps you need to try

There are hundreds upon hundreds of different photo editing apps for iOS in the App Store. But these 10 may be the best.

Microsoft Authenticator for Android - Free download and software review

Introducing the updated Microsoft Authenticator! One app to quickly and securely verify your identity online, for all of your accounts. This app provides an extra layer of protection when you sign in, often referred to as two-step verification or multi-factor authentication

 

Google Android Nougat Release Date, Price and Specs

Version 7.0 of Google's operating system for Android phones has been a long time coming.

 

Turn Your Smartphone Into a Pocket Scanner

Depending on the hardware you are using, you just need a smartphone (or tablet) with a working camera and an app to handle the scanning.

 

5 things to do with your old phone (other than sell it)

That old phone could be doing so much more than just collecting dust.

Is Your Webcam Working after Upgrading Windows 10?

Will spare you any words of wisdom in this issue as I don’t have any burning issues to rant (or rave) about this day. But there is good stuff in this edition so make sure you give it at least one look-over before hitting the delete button. Thanks. -JRC

Tech News and Opinions

Samsung will reportedly sell refurbished phones

The world's largest phone manufacturer is said to be looking for ways to maintain its market lead.

 

T-Mobile vs. Sprint: The battle for unlimited data

The carriers unveiled new unlimited data plans that are significantly less expensive than previous offers. But which one is really the better deal?

 

Microsoft Has Broken Millions Of Webcams With Windows 10 Anniversary Update

If your webcam has stopped functioning since the release of the Anniversary update, you are not alone but the good news is a fix is coming, hopefully in September.

 

Massive Locky ransomware campaign targets hospitals

FireEye researchers have spotted a surge in cyberattacks on hospitals in the US - and they're using a new infection technique.

 

Apple and Google Are Teaming Up to Kill Robocalls Forever

Robocalls are more than an annoyance. They’re a threat. Scammers, identity thieves, and other unsavory types use them to target victims.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

The 100 Best Free Google Chrome Extensions

All of these extensions are free; there's no harm in giving them all a try as you can easily disable or remove them.

 

Microsoft Edge's bookmarks bar is called the Favorites bar, and here's how to enable it

Strangely, it's not enabled by default, but that's easily fixed.

 

20 fixes for a Windows 10 update meltdown

Latest Win10 update got you fuming? Here's how to get your PC back on track

 

When your computer beeps at you, that's a cry for help

Those annoying beeps are actually like a Morse code in computer BIOS language.

 

How to Insert the Current Month and Year in a Word Document That Automatically Updates

You can easily add the current date and time to your Word documents, but what if you only want to add the month or month and year, but no date? It’s easy to manually add a custom date field and we’ll show you how

 

Mobile Computing

How to backup images in device folders to Google Photos

If you want to save screenshots, Instagram pictures, or photos from other social networks, you need to go through a few steps.

 

6 easy ways to customize Safari on iPhone and iPad

Keep oft-visited sites to yourself, hide the Favorites and tabs bars, pick a new font and background for Reader mode, and more.

 

101 Greatest iOS 9 Tips and Tricks for iPhone and iPad

Here is the greatest collection ever of tips and tricks for you iOS devices. Bookmark this one!

 

5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week!

Plus a look at the current Android News

 

Google's ​Android Nougat is finally here for your Nexus phone and tablet

The next version of Android is here! Free over-the-air upgrades for most Google Nexus devices start now. The rest of you may have to wait awhile.

Opera brings its free and easy-to-use VPN service to Android

Browser developer Opera has launched a free VPN app for Android, allowing you to run apps and visit sites anonymously on your mobile device with ease.

The New Windows is Pretty Darn Good

For my trip to Northern California, I brought 2 laptops: my Apple MacBook Pro and and my Samsung laptop running Windows 10. Before I left Tucson, I could not get the Anniversary Update to install on my desktop or my Samsung laptop. But as I documented last week, once I got here, I was able to mysteriously install it on the laptop as well as its latest updates. Can’t wait to get back to Tucson to see if I can somehow get my PC to install it.

Anyway, I have had a chance to play with a few of the new features that came with the Anniversary Update and here are some of my observations:

First, the mail app. From what I read prior to installation, the new Windows 10 mail app is much better. And I can so testify that it is. In fact, on this laptop, it has become my default mail app. It is quite good. I was able to flawlessly add my 3 favorite e-mails, including my Apple e-mail. They all work just fine. I was also able to easily link all 3 addresses so that they show up in one inbox. It is definitely a plus.

Second, the Edge browser. It is improved and I was able to easily add most of my favorite extensions like LastPass and Adblock Plus. The browser is very fast and I can easily move from site to site. Some tech journalists do report that some sites are very, very slow in loading, but I have not played with Edge that much to verify their claims. I like using it, but some of my most used extensions are not available so will have to continue to use Firefox for most of my heavy duty work. PS, Edge has crashed on me a couple of times.

Third, the Calendar app. It works well enough and it easily connects to my Google Calendar and shows all my events, but there are so many better calendar apps out there that I will not be using it.

Fourth: The Photos app is OK. I don’t have any photos stored on this laptop, but it automatically went to my OneDrive files in the cloud to show me those photos. I can’t see myself using this app as I use my MAC for most of my photo work. But, it did a good job linking to my OneDrive photos. However, there are no photo tools yet available to do editing and improving. I think this app will probably get better in the future.

Cortana works well enough, about the same as Siri on my iPhone and iPad. But I have not given it many tough tests yet. It is supposed to be much much better in the Anniversary update, but I don’t see it. More testing is needed.

There are many more apps, most of which I will never use. But I am mostly impressed with what Microsoft is trying to do in Windows. So I hope they keep up the good work.

Time for me sign off and sit outside on the patio and enjoy this great weather here in the Bay Area. Quite a change from Tucson. I hope there are some articles below that will be of use to you. -JRC

 

Tech News and Opinions

 

More airline outages predicted as carriers grapple with 1960s technology

Airlines will likely suffer more disruptions like the one that grounded about 2,000 Delta flights this week because major carriers have not invested enough to overhaul reservations systems based on technology dating to the 1960s,

 

All Windows 10 PCs will support HoloLens apps next year

Microsoft has announced a partnership with Intel that will make all future Windows 10 PCs able to support mixed reality applications.

 

Intel's next-gen Kaby Lake processors: Everything we know so far

Kaby Lake isn't your typical chip upgrade. Here's everything we know so far.

 

How to Calibrate Your TV

You don't have to spend a fortune to get a better picture from your TV. Our instructions and a $30 disc are all you need to perform a basic calibration.

 

How to Start Purging Your Digital Life

Bogged down with digital clutter? Start purging junk from your digital life with these tips.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

How to Create an Anonymous Email Account

The Internet doesn't make it easy to go completely anonymous. Here's how you can stay hidden even when emailing.

 

10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

To get the strongest wireless signal from your wireless router, check out these quick tips for achieving optimal reception.

 

12 Tips to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection

Before you call your ISP, try these easy router tips to get back online ASAP.

 

We ignore our computer's security alerts up to 90 percent of the time

Humans aren't too good at multitasking -- even if one of those tasks is reading a security alert and the other is watching a video

 

 Learn more about your SSD and make it last longer!

"SSDs still fall short in a few places compared to normal hard drives, in particular regarding their write endurance. This means you can only write a finite amount of data to an SSD before you can't write anymore. Here is how to improve that.

 

Mobile Computing

The 100 Best Android Apps of 2016

Whether you've got a brand-new Galaxy Note 7 or an older Android phone or tablet you just want to spruce up, these are the apps that matter.

 

Android antivirus apps are useless — here’s what to do instead

Android is by its very nature more secure than a desktop computer, so maybe you don’t need these security apps. You’ve probably already got what you need.

 

Google is bringing Google Now smarts to Chrome

Google is currently testing a New Tab page with Google Now smarts. You can try it on you Android Phone.

 

T-Mobile brings back unlimited data for all

The carrier is getting rid of lower-tier data plans and offering new customers only unlimited data, but you'll have to pay $70 for the first line to get in on the action.

Microsoft Visio is Coming to the iPad

Microsoft has announced a limited new Visio on iPad Insider Program that will help bring Microsoft’s diagramming solution to Apple’s tablets. But you need to act fast if you want to join.

 

Best NFL 2016 fantasy football apps for iPhone: Draft, drop, and track your players like a pro!

From cheat sheets and draft kits to professional recommendations, these are the best fantasy football apps for the 2016 season! You'll find these will do well on iPad, too.

Is Cable TV Slowly Slipping Away?

If you read our first story, you just might think so. More and more people seem to be saying goodbye to cable TV to find alternate methods for their video entertainment. I did it some time ago. For my TV watching, I use a Roku box and a small Mohu antenna in my living room window to pick up the local channels.

Now, I admit I am not a television fanatic. I try to use it as little as possible. But with the help of some great apps on the Roku, I have more than enough entertainment to keep me busy for many hours, if I chose. I subscribe to Netflix for movie and TV shows; Amazon Prime channels are loaded with free TV shows and movies; for $5 a month, I get Acorn TV for loads of  British TV shows; for sports I subscribe to MLB to get every baseball game every day and for football I use my local channels. I can watch tons of movies and Game of Thrones on HBO Now. Plus there are a ton of channels on the Roku that are not available anywhere else. I almost forgot to mention that YouTube is also on Roku and can be controlled by my iPhone or iPad.

Sometimes patience is a virtue with the Roku channels. For instance all the Downton Abbey episodes are available on Amazon Prime, but the latest ones took a couple of months to get there. But I could watch them one day after they aired on PBS using the PBS channel on the Roku. Same with most of the PBS program. So it is not necessary for me to be in front of my TV at 9:00 PM on Sunday night.

So, for me, cable TV is completely unnecessary. Being here in the Bay Area, my friends have cable, but I don’t watch it. I am fed up with all those adds on all the channels...not to mention that most cable channels are of pathetic quality and a waste of time. So I watch all my TV here on their Roku.

Bottom line is you might want to think about cutting the cable yourself. Just a thought. Anyway, take a look at all the articles here and see if their is something you might find useful. -JRC   

Tech News and Opinions

Pay TV providers post record subscriber losses

The cable, satellite and telecom pay TV industry lost at least 665,000 subscribers in the second quarter of this year, more net losses than any previous quarter.

 

Google is working on a new operating system named Fuchsia

The fledgling OS has a number of interesting features, but so far Google has yet to comment on its intended function.

 

Microsoft to move to monthly patch rollups for Windows 7, 8.1 as of October 2016

Microsoft will begin delivering patches for Windows 7, 8.1, Windows Server 2008 and Server 2012 as single rollups starting this October.

 

8 things Microsoft gets criticized for (but not Apple or Google)

There is one aspect in which these companies differ: Microsoft is often unfairly criticized for things which the other two companies also do.

 

North Korea’s Olympians never received their Olympic edition Galaxy S7 Edges

Samsung actually tried to deliver the phones to their intended recipients. But, according to sources inside the Olympic Village, the North Korean team’s manager confiscated the devices.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

When will your PC get the Windows 10 Anniversary Update?

Version 1607 is rolling out to Windows 10 users slowly, via Windows Update. Here's how you can take charge of the upgrade process and avoid unpleasant surprises.

 

How to Recover a Lost or Corrupt Document in Microsoft Word 2016

Have you ever had a troublesome .doc or .docx file Word that you can’t seem to open? Or even lost a document completely, with all your hard work gone with it? Here are some solutions.

 

Here are all of the free Edge extensions that launched this week

We’ve given all the extensions a look, and have included Microsoft’s download links, and descriptions for you below.

 

10 ways to customize the taskbar in Windows 10

We were all excited to get the Start menu back in Windows 10, and we wasted no time in customizing it to the best of our abilities. But what about the poor, neglected taskbar, who never left us in the first place? Here's how to make the taskbar look pretty and work for you"

 

How to Easily Reinstall Windows 10 Without the Bloatware

The “Reset Your PC” feature in Windows 10 restores your PC to its factory default settings…including all that bloatware your PC manufacturer included. But a new feature in Windows 10’s Anniversary update makes it easier to get a clean Windows system.

 

Mobile Computing

Microsoft Updates Office for iPhone, Adds Support for Draw

We might not be able to use the Apple Pencil with our smartphones, but Microsoft has nevertheless updated Office for iPhone adding support for its Draw feature.

 

Oh no! My current iPhone might be 'good enough'

With all the rumors of what's going to be on the new iPhone 7, it just might be that I won't upgrade to the latest and greatest.

 

15 Android Apps Actually Worth Paying For

Really, when you think about it, apps—truly worthwhile apps—are some of the best bargains available.

 

Top 10 Android app updates this week

One of the best ways to discover useful apps is to find the ones that are actually being updated by the developers rather than selecting the apps with the most installs.

 

How to check transit times in Google Maps

Use your smartphone to find out exactly when the next train or bus is coming with this handy feature that's built in to Google Maps

Hello from the Cool Bay Area

I made it north to the San Francisco Bay Area after a two day stop in La Quinta. It is so much cooler here and the nights are wonderful. Such a change from Tucson. While I love my adopted city, summers there are unbearable. I will be here a month, but, as promised the blog will continue on.

When last we spoke, after several attempts, two of my three computers failed to install the Windows Anniversary Update. I brought the Windows laptop with me as I use it to do this blog (I also brought my MacBook Pro and iPad). Yesterday, I decided to give the laptop one last try to do the installation. If it failed, I was ready to hop on a BART train to the Microsoft Store in San Francisco to let them figure it out. But to my surprise, the laptop completed the installation…and immediately upon completion, it started updating the update with a brand new cumlative update (see story #1). That went well also.

So now I have a fully functional Windows laptop with all the latest additions. I have been playing with it much of this day and I like some of its new features. The Edge browser works very fast and it so much better now that it uses 3rd party extensions like LastPass, Evernote Clipper, and Ad Blocker Plus. They are easy to install. I will play with Edge much more before I make a final judgement.

I have also had fun playing with Cortana, the voice-activated search engine. It works much better than it ever did. Bottom line: Windows is even better now. I am glad I finally was able to update Windows as I like what they have done.

On another topic, I had the pleasure of witnessing a minor miracle this morning. Brendan Miller, the grandson of my dear friend Paula, has been color blind all his life. In a week or so, he will be off to Oregon State as a Freshman. Today, Paula, Brendan, his Mother, and I went to an optometrist office in San Ramon who features the new EnChroma Lenses to try them out. They have only been on the market for a few months and they can correct the vision of a color blind person so he or she sees the real colors that most of us see.

With a pair of glasses in hand, we walked outside and I stood next to Brendan as he put them on for the first time. He stood there in silence for a couple of minutes with his mouth wide open…staring at trees and flowers. He was shaking with excitement to see the colors of our world that we take for granted. He was blown away by the colors of trees. Even the red and green of a stop light amazed him. What a joy it was to watch this happen. They were able to shape the lenses into a frame of his choice and he walked out with them on, seeing the world, literally, with new eyes.

The EnChroma Lenses are an amazing technology. So, if you know someone who is color blind, let them know about this.

OK, time for you to take over, so I hope you find something of interest. -JRC

 

Tech News and Opinions

Microsoft rolls out several new Windows 10 cumulative updates

Microsoft is making a number of fixes and reliability and performance improvements available across a variety of different flavors of Windows 10 via new Cumulative Updates.

 

Delta system outage: Here's what went wrong

Updated: Airline chiefs have explained what was behind the technology failure that grounded more than 1,800 flights.

 

Facebook will show you an ad, whether you block it or not

Analysis: The world's largest social network is turning to technology to put an end to ad blocking.

 

Walmart is buying Jet.com for $3 billion

The deal for Jet.com comes as big brand companies and retailers are trying to shore up their defenses against an all-out assault on their business from Amazon.com.

 

T-Mobile vows to match Verizon's coverage in next 12 months

The nation's third-largest carrier believes it will be able to match Verizon's industry-leading wireless coverage within the next 12 months, and maybe sooner

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

One of the oldest rules about passwords is totally wrong

Your school or workplace may require you to change your password every couple of months or so to keep your account safe. It’s a widely implemented security recommendation. Except it’s totally wrong.

 

How to Find and Remove Malware With Windows Defender Offline

With Windows 10’s Anniversary Update, this tool is included with Windows, and even easier to launch. Here’s how to use it, no matter which version of Windows you’re on.

 

Excel: 5 timesaving power tips

Help with formulas, and filling and fixing spreadsheet data.

 

19 Incredibly Useful Websites

Whether you’re looking to learn how to code, build leadership skills, or otherwise improve yourself, here are 19 awesome places to learn the critical skills that will change your life.

 

The Best Windows 10 Universal Apps of 2016

Windows 10 lets you easily install apps that run on all manner of devices from tablets and phones to PCs and Xboxes. Here are our favorites. And most of them are free.

 

Mobile Computing

How to Use Your iPad as a Second Monitor for Your PC or Mac

Multiple monitors are awesome. With two screens side by side, you can more easily see all your windows at once, keeping you productive. Got an iPad? You can use it as a second display for your Mac or PC.

 

Studies show people use only 5 apps on their smartphones

It will come as no surprise that one of those apps is Facebook. The other most common apps — which we all know from stats about user counts — include WhatsApp and Snapchat

 

Find, download, and install Android apps safely

Search for Android apps efficiently, spot fakes, and check compatibility in Google Play, the Amazon app store, and Download.com.

 

6 phones with the best battery life

If a long-life battery tops your list of phone needs, you can't do better than these. Did yours make the list?

 

This app organizes iPhone screenshots and makes them useful

It is not the first screenshot manager, but the app hopes to go beyond simply organizing screenshots.

 

Send documents over WhatsApp or Telegram

Prefer texting to email? You can still share documents, presentations, and PDFs with your contacts. Here are the best apps for messaging files, plus tips for messaging directly from Microsoft Office apps.

Maybe You Should Hold Off Upgrading Windows 10

It appears that Windows 10 Anniversary Update may not yet be ready for prime time. While it has only been available for a couple of days, the list of problems it causes is getting larger and larger. I know that to be true as I have had my own problems with it.

I have 3 computers running Windows 10: a desktop PC, a laptop, and my MAC with Windows running inside Parallels. Two of them failed to upgrade after several attempts. The third one installed just fine the first time. Can you guess which one succeeded? You got it…only the MAC upgrade succeeded. How ironic is that?

Both failed computers gave me the same error message. In checking an article on Windows install failures, turns out that error message is sort of a generic message and Microsoft offers no solution at this time. Thanks for nothing. But many people are getting different error messages while others are getting weird problems after they do the update. I have not spent any time with it on my MAC so I can’t tell you if anything is wrong with my one installation.

I think the bottom line is don’t upgrade yet. You can give it a shot, but I recommend a complete backup first, just in case. FYI, after my failures, Windows 10 worked just fine. I made several attempts to clean up my system and remove questionable software that might be the cause of the problems, but nothing worked. But, as I said, the original Windows 10 works just fine…if it didn’t you would not be seeing this blog. Just make sure you read our first story.

Just a quick note: I will be leaving this weekend for a month-long stay in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I will still publish this newsletter. However, next week I will probably only have time to do one blog instead of the usual two. But, after that, it should be business as usual. Hope you have a great weekend. -JRC

Tech News and Opinions

The case against Windows 10 Anniversary Update grows

With myriad problems now evident, it may be best to skip the Anniversary Update for now

Hack the vote: Could cyberattackers disrupt the election?

Stealing votes with software. It may have been a plot in the political thriller TV show "Scandal," but it could happen in real life, too. In fact, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday that it's a major concern.

 

Microsoft Cuts Windows 10 Rollback Period To 10 Days

With each new version of Windows 10 that is released, Microsoft has included the ability to roll-back to a prior version of Windows within 30 days of installation. That time frame is now 10 days

 

See ya later, passwords

Google has announced that by the end of this year they plan to replace digital passwords with biometrics.

 

Watch Apple sell 18 iPhones in the time it took you to read this headline

The website everysecond.io lets you see for yourself: it has running sales totals for each of Apple’s main product ranges, together with revenue, profit and more. Fun!

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

Mint.com Review & Rating

Because it does so much, is free, and is completely automated, Mint is the best personal finance software hands down.

 

Microsoft Fortifies Windows Defender In Latest Windows 10 Update

Defender scores improve substantially over the last 12 months improving to 99.8% detection in prevalence testing in April 2016 – a more than 11 percent improvement year over year

 

How to install Microsoft Edge browser extensions

With the Anniversary Update Microsoft Edge can finally use browser extensions. Here's how to install them

 

How To Protect Your IP Address

You might not know it, but every time you go on the Internet, from checking your social media to playing games and chatting with friends, you are identifiable to the rest of the world by a numeric address.

 

OneDrive Photos Improved with Automatic Albums, More

Stung by the superior functionality in services like Google Photos, Microsoft has begun to improve OneDrive to follow suit.

 

Mobile Computing

How USB charging works, or how to avoid blowing up your smartphone

With the obvious exception of Apple’s Lightning connector, micro USB has destroyed the industry’s penchant for custom ports.

 

This site lists all the Siri commands you'll ever need

Hey Siri is a new site that lists nearly 500 commands you can use, as well as more than a thousand variations on them. They’re also neatly categorized to make it easy to find commands you’re interested in learning.

 

Everalbum: Explore your life's memories

One of the most useful photo storage apps of all the time. For someone who hates getting rid of pictures but constantly needs space, this app is a godsend. For IOS and Android

 

11 best downloadable keyboards for Android

There is no shortage of options when it comes to replacement keyboards on Android. Here are some of the best to choose from.

 

How to Mirror Android's Notifications to Windows 10 Using Cortana

Now, you can mirror your Android notifications from your phone to your computer, and even control it with a few voice commands. You just need the Cortana app.

 

Download Amazon videos to your Android SD card

Good news for storage-strapped Android phone and tablet owners: The Amazon Video app finally supports expansion cards!

Today is the Big Day…Well, Maybe

What is so big about today? Microsoft is releasing the Windows Anniversary Update to the masses. I say “maybe” because you may or may not get it today, or tomorrow, or the next day. Microsoft is rolling it out in stages so as not to overwhelm their servers and upset their customers along the way. After all, 350 million devices now run Windows 10 so that is a great many computing devices to update.

If you use Windows 10, do you have a choice to upgrade or not? Nope. With the Windows 10 release, Microsoft has taken away the option of accepting or declining the updates. But the good news is Windows 10 is an excellent OS and the Anniversary Edition just makes it better. I have 3 computers running Windows 10 and so far none have received the update. I keep checking every so often.

Our first story in the Computer section is an in-depth look at what is new in Windows, including photos. So be sure and check it out. As is my habit, I have included more good info about using your computing devices so go check them out. And thanks! -JRC

Tech News and Opinions

Comcast sued for $100 million for 'near-worthless' service plans

The state of Washington is suing Comcast for more than $100 million, alleging it willfully and knowingly deceived customers into paying for services it never intended to provide.

 

Windows 10’s Free Upgrade Offer Is Over: What Now?

Let’s get something out of the way: This isn’t like the Windows XP deadline, where Microsoft was going to stop supporting Windows XP. Both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are still supported by Microsoft with security updates, and will be for years to come.

 

Is it dumb to trust smart technology?

Automation is nice, but it doesn't mean you should hand over responsibility to the machines.

 

Amazon saw spike in US demands for customer data

Its third transparency report showed an eight-fold increase in search warrants.

 

Google is on a 'journey,' but we won't really know where it leads until fall

The tech giant is embracing artificial intelligence in a transformation aimed at making its searches smarter. But, as second-quarter earnings show, Google's doing pretty well in the meantime, topping Wall Street expectations.

 

Computer Tips and Tricks

First Look at Microsoft Windows 10 Anniversary Update

There might never be a Windows 11, but Microsoft isn't done adding to it by a long shot. With plenty of pictures and videos.

10 Cool New Features in Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Though the update is far from the overhaul we saw from Windows 7 to 8 or 8 to 10, it tightens up the interface and enhances features, mostly in response to massive user feedback from the Windows Insider program.

 

19 ways to stay anonymous and protect your online privacy

Whether you’re a political activist or simply someone who hates the idea of third-parties scrutinizing your surfing habits, there are plenty of tools available to keep prying eyes off of your traffic.

 

30 Hidden Chrome Features That Will Make Your Life Easier

Think you know absolutely everything your Chrome browser can do? (You don't.)

 

How to use multiple desktops on Windows 10 PC

Windows 10 has made it extremely easy to set up and use multiple virtual desktops in Windows 10. Multiple desktops are great for keeping unrelated, ongoing projects organized, or for quickly hiding from the boss that browser game you can't stop playing.

 

Mobile Computing

Best Free iPhone Apps: 11 paid iOS apps on sale for free

These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free.

 

6 ways to make the most of iOS 9's Notification Center

If you find you aren't using Notification Center, maybe you just don't have it set up the best way for you.

 

Google Maps can now navigate to multiple destinations on iOS

Google Maps for iOS will finally allow you to set multiple destinations on your trips – a month after the feature arrived on Android.

 

Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi calling

Curious about Wi-Fi calling and what it entails? Here is what you need to know.

 

10 best new Android apps of July 2016

It’s difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you’re getting bored with what you’ve got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month!

 

Google Apps' new Android notifications for device activations are better than emails

Google Apps is rolling out a new feature to Android accounts that sends direct notifications to users when a new device is activated.