Harry Potter Books For Free on Amazon

Not being a Harry Potter fan, I really don’t care that I can now get those books for free with my Amazon Prime membership. But some of you just might be interested. I was actually more interested in the two stories about tablets…what to expect from the three big names in tablets in the next few months…and the story the Microsoft will ban Firefox from its ARM-based tablets running Windows 8.

Now that is just dumb! I guess that means you will be forced to use IE when using a Windows 8 tablet. To me that is just another nail in the coffin of Windows 8 computers. Why would I upgrade to an operating system that gives me less than what I have now? As I said in the last edition, Microsoft seems to have lost its way. Of course, time will tell if I am right or wrong…but whatever happens, I am sticking with my Windows 7 computer and my Apple iPad tablet.

Of course, there is more to this edition than those two stories, so let’s get to it. - JRC

Microsoft bans Firefox on ARM-based Windows, Mozilla says

Raising the specter of last-generation browser battles, Mozilla launches a publicity campaign to seek a place for browsers besides IE on Windows devices using ARM chips.

Every Single Harry Potter Book Will Be Free on Amazon Prime

Do you have an Amazon Prime account? Then you have all seven books of the Harry Potter adolescent warfare odyssey. Amazon just told us the entire series will be made free as part of its Kindle Lending Library.

Bing's Major Overhaul

Over the next few weeks, Microsoft will roll out a brand new three-column version of Bing that incorporates a social sidebar filled with related info from your social networks and a new center column with supplemental information related to your search.

Tablet Outlook 2012: What's Expected from Apple, Google, Microsoft

Just about every tablet maker, including Apple, is rumored (or expected) to announce (or launch) a new tablet version within roughly the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple and bigger in the case of Amazon.

Facebook to launch its own app store in the coming weeks

Facebook on Wednesday announced it will be launching a new App Center in the coming weeks on the Web, iOS and Android. The company hopes the center will give developers a way to more effectively distribute apps and create new opportunities for more types of apps to be successful.

Camera megapixels: Why more isn't always better

It's time to forget megapixels as the measure of smartphone camera performance and pick a new yardstick.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

In this week’s webinar, you’ll learn about nifty keyboard shortcuts in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. There’s a lot more than Ctrl+X for Cut and Ctrl+V for Paste. A 16 minute video

Exploring Windows’ Administrative Tools: Part 1

Windows has a long and honorable history of including advanced tools and options that help unlock the operating system’s full potential. In this first installment of a series of articles on these tools, you’ll see how a few easy tweaks can give you two-click access to hundreds of Windows’ most powerful features.

100 best ever free PC system tools

There's a tool for just about anything you can think of in Windows. And if you look hard enough, you'll find a freebie is more than capable of doing the job you want – in some cases, free tools outclass their shareware or commercial rivals.

What? No DVD Playback in Windows 8?

Has the leadership at Microsoft gone completely off its rocker? If and when you get a computer running Windows 8 in the future, just try and play a DVD. It won't work. There is no way to do it. Can you believe this new nonsensical move by the boys from Redmond? I can't. Why in the hell would anybody buy Windows 8 when some of the best features of Windows will be gone.

Now there is a caveat to this. You can still get get DVD playback if you buy Windows 8 Pro version for more money...then spend even more and buy the Windows Media Player add-on. But, there is no doubt enterprising folk will provide a DVD player app to work in Windows 8...just like someone will provide a Start Button to replace the one Microsoft removed.

I predict here and now that Windows 8 will be a flop. Businesses will not adopt it and folks running Windows 7 will not upgrade. There is no doubt in my mind that Microsoft has lost its way. New leadership with vision is needed from the top on down or they will continue to flounder. Just my opinion, folks. -JRC 

FBI Aims to Pry Open New Channels for Web Surveillance

The FBI is pushing for a change in 1994's CALEA law that would make social networking websites and online chat services more easily accessed by law enforcement surveillance teams. The bureau has asserted that a change in the way people communicate has lessened its wiretapping ability, a problem it refers to as "going dark."

Osama bin Laden didn't use encryption: 17 documents released

Osama bin Laden didn’t use encryption to protect the thousands of files stored in the Pakistani compound where he was killed. 17 of the 6,000 documents have now been publicly released.

The real story behind the big Microsoft and B&N deal

How could Microsoft and Barnes & Noble launch a historic joint venture when they were at each others' throats a few month ago? Read on

Microsoft goes green: data centers, offices to be carbon neutral come July

The program will begin in July, at the start of Microsoft's 2013 fiscal year, and includes a company-wide carbon fee, whereby various divisions will be held accountable for their own energy usage.

No Windows 8 DVD playback will mean increased costs, and consumer confusion

Windows 8 users who want out-of-the-box DVD playback capability will not only have to purchase the higher-priced Pro edition, but also the optional Media Center Pack. This is bad news for consumers because it means increased costs, more confusion, and the potential for more 'crapware' to be installed on new PCs.

 The iPad Has Killed The Netbook

While we can debate how much the iPad cannibalizes Apple’s MacBook sales, there’s no doubt that the device is continuing to kill of the entire netbook industry. While iPad sales are literally selling as fast as Apple can make them, netbook sales continue to plummet

New ZoneAlarm antivirus-firewall combo competes for free

For years, the firewall has been a feature restricted to paid upgrades in comprehensive security suites. ZoneAlarm just upended that paradigm with its new ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus+Firewall.

Manage multiple online storage accounts from one place with Otixo

Otixo is a free online service that will connect with multiple cloud storage accounts and present them to you in a single, easy to use dialog.

Versatile Free Program for Saving or Printing a List of Your Windows Files and Folders

One of the features lacking in Windows Explorer is a way to create a list of the files in a folder. A new program called Karen’s Directory Printer solves this problem and comes with a selection of features that are quite useful.

Is Google in Trouble Again?

Lots of news and features to report in this edition...so, without any further ado, lets get to it...JRC

Google's Wi-Fi spygate troubles have only just begun

 

Google probably thought it was tossing water on that smoldering Wi-Fi spying controversy by releasing the full version of that FCC report a few days ago -- turns out it was gasoline instead. Now Google is looking at a raging inferno that could engulf the company.

Organ donations spike after new addition to Facebook Timeline

 

Organ donations saw a spike after Facebook added a feature to Timeline Tuesday that allows users to register to become organ donors. Results from the launch are staggering. Within hours of Facebook's announcement, the registry Donate Life California reported donor signups increased by 800 percent compared with Monday.

Amazon tries to catch up in personal cloud storage and falls further behind

 

If you don't know the Amazon Cloud Drive, like the other personal cloud storage services, it offers you 5GBs of free storage for starters. You can also store any MP3 music files you buy from Amazon in it without those counting towards your limit.

MS Patch Tuesday heads-up: 7 bulletins, 23 vulnerabilities

 

All versions of Microsoft’s flagship Windows operating system are affected by this month’s releases, including the newest Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

 

Microsoft Is Killing the Windows Live Brand

 

Microsoft revealed today that it is killing the Windows Live brand though many of the current Windows Live applications and services will continue with different names or, in Windows 8, as new Metro-styled apps. This move was long anticipated and parallels a related move to kill the Zune media brand.

Google Privacy - Free Firefox Add-in

 

Google Privacy is a Firefox add-in that allows you to control which search result links are tracked by Google and other websites, including Bing, YouTube, Yahoo and Facebook. 

Best smartphones for under $100 (roundup)

 

When it comes to picking out a smartphone that'll cost you less than $100, there's plenty of good news to go around. Constant sales on older-model phones mean that carriers are giving away great handsets in exchange for your two-year contract commitment.

The Rise of Beautiful Apps

 

A noticeable trend this year is beautiful apps or websites. It's all part of a larger trend that I'm calling The Visual Web, meaning that images and video are becoming an increasingly important part of what we consume online. 

Stupid tech support tricks: IT calls of shame

 

Pronoun problems, IT ghosts, the runaway mouse -- when it comes to computers, the customer isn't always right. Some funny stuff here.

Microsoft and Barnes and Noble Cuddle Up

First, they are suing them...then they make them partners. How weird is that? Not really...at least not in the world of high tech. Windows 8 users will be able to access hundreds of thousands of books for downloading on to the B&N Nook tablet. Of course, this move is Microsoft's attempt to disrupt the stranglehold Apple and Amazon have on tablets. In fact, don't be surprised if sometime in the future Barnes and Noble put out their own tablet running Windows 8. More in our first story.

And speaking of tablets, I continue to use and love my own Apple iPad 3. My biggest worry was integrating my iPad with my Windows world. That turns out not to be an issue. They mesh together quite well. I can use most of my most favorite Windows applications quite easily on the iPad. And now with the addition of Skydrive to both my desktop computer and my iPad, all my files are now available to me everywhere. 

I downloaded two apps that let me use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on the iPad for free, plus there is a version of OneNote for the iPad. I've also integrated my mail, calendar, to-do lists, and contact lists directly from Outlook to the iPad via iCloud. And, of course, the retinal display on the iPad is the most gorgeous screen I have ever seen. So, if you are thinking about a tablet in your future, my recommendation is to get an iPad.

That's it for now...enjoy the rest of the show. -JRC   

Microsoft Partners with B&N in Nook Venture

The new partnership between Microsoft and Barnes & Noble gave a peek at one of the first fruits of their venture: a Nook application for Windows 8. The Nook app will extend the reach of Barnes & Noble's digital bookstore to hundreds of millions of Microsoft Windows users around the world, allowing access to Barnes & Noble's digital catalog. 

Report: Apple Legally Sidesteps Billions in Taxes

A published report says Apple Inc. uses subsidiaries in Ireland, the Netherlands and other low-tax nations as part of a strategy that enables the technology Relevant Products/Services giant to cut its global Relevant Products/Services tax bill by billions of dollars every year.

iTunes users griping about Apple's security questions

Apple recently ramped up stricter security measures for iTunes and iOS users in an attempt to prevent accounts from being abused or compromised. Beyond just entering a password, some users are now being asked to choose three security questions and a backup e-mail address when they try to download content.

Facebook's 'life-saving tool' -- an organ donor feature

The wide-reaching social network now offers the ability to share whether you are an organ donor, in the hopes that this will save more lives on a daily basis. 

Do I Really Need to Worry About Security When I’m Using Public Wi-Fi?

Is protecting yourself worth all of the fuss? We think so, and while we understand that VPNs and other security tools can slow down your system or be buggy and quirky at times, we have to fall back on the old adage, "Security through obscurity is no security at all."

Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive: which one is right for you?

If you’re a Windows user looking for free online storage, three services stand out from the rest. Although Dropbox, SkyDrive, and Google Drive are superficially similar, there are some big differences. Here’s what to look for. 

How To Automatically Backup My Documents Folder To SkyDrive

I am sure many of you love to save your documents in the cloud so you can access it from anywhere and also for the backup purpose. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could automatically backup all documents and files in My Documents folder to your SkyDrive account? Well you can.

MySites for Chrome Transforms the New Tab Page into a Metro-Inspired Speed Dialer

If Chrome's built-in new tab page looks a little plain to you, or if you like the look of Microsoft's Metro UI, MySites is a Chrome extension that changes the new tab page into a start page decorated with a web search bar and colorful tiles that you can click to go straight to your most commonly accessed sites and favorites.

FotoSketcher - Free

Convert your photographs into high-quality, realistic artworks for free using FotoSketcher.