Category: Hardware

  • Protecting While Sharing

    When loaning your smartphone to someone else, you can do a few things first to limit what they can do. On iPhones, turn on Guided Access (Settings>Accessibility, and slide on Guided Access), and use Passcode Settings to set a different code from your normal unlock code. Explore Time Limits for other options. Limit use to…

  • Gmail Changes; Saving Space

    Did you finally get used to the last round of changes to Gmail’s website? More changes are coming, slowly rolling out, primarily to better incorporate Google Chat (to compete with Slack) and Google Meet (to compete with Zoom.) There will be another sidebar with these options, and Google has said that by summer 2022 this…

  • Virus Updates and Trackpad Hacks

    Despite ending support for Windows 7 on January 14 of this year, Microsoft will continue updating the virus signatures for Microsoft Security Essentials, their anti-virus software. This doesn’t mean total protection, but Microsoft seems to be realizing that not everyone is going to jump to Windows 10 by the middle of January. Google’s Chrome browser…

  • Tips for Holiday Wishlists and More

    For the coming holiday season computer purchases for Mac or Windows, look for desktops or laptops that have 8 GB of RAM, ideally a solid-state drive, and at least two USB ports (you might want to buy a USB hub to expand that number). And avoid the lower end and slower processors like the i3…

  • What to Do When Tech Gets Wet

    Whether you get caught in the rain or spill a glass of water, it’s good to review what to do if your phone or laptop gets wet. The first thing to do, as soon as possible, is power off your device. Hold the power button down on a laptop for 10 seconds or hold it…

  • iPhone Hacks and Online Photo Fun

    The iPhone/iPad Lightning charging port is great at collecting lint that ends up making it hard to tightly plug in the charging cable. You might even think the port is broken. But save your money, because it is easy to clean out with a tweezer. Do you sometimes have trouble on your iPhone with moving…