Computer Tips Archives - Page 223 of 231

Best Buy claims they are no longer ‘Amazon’s Showroom’

Posted on February 19, 2013

best-buy A while back I wrote a post about how Best Buy was losing tons of business to Amazon and other large online retailers by serving as their local “showroom”. Well, now the company claims that a new price matching policy will effectively end “showrooming” for good.

Beginning on March 3, 2013, Best Buy will immediately match the prices of 19 major online competitors and all local retail stores in all product categories and on virtually every in-stock item – but only when a customer asks them to.

It’s that last part that has me a bit skeptical. Unless the stores decide to display huge honking banners letting customers know about the new price matching plan, how many of them will even know to ask? Time will tell I suppose.

Anyway, here is a list of the 19 online competitors that Best Buy plans to match beginning on March 3: [Read more…]

Charge your iPad from any computer with a USB port

Posted on February 18, 2013

meritline-usb-ipad-charger The USB ports in a typical laptop computer simply cannot supply enough current to charge an iPad, but now there’s an awesome little device from Meritline allows you to charge your iPad from any computer’s USB port, including your laptop.

As you can see in the photo, the dongle looks somewhat like an over-sized USB drive. Just plug it into a USB port, then plug in your iPad and you’re all set!

While I haven’t tried it personally, the customer reviews I’ve read on the Meritline website give it high marks, and independent testing by at least two national computer magazines seem to confirm that the praise is warranted. And the best part is you can get your hands on one for just $4.99 – and that includes the shipping fee!

Click here to check it out at the Meritline website.

Skitch – The best screen capture tool I have ever used

Posted on February 16, 2013

Like many of you, I have used the Windows Snipping Tool to capture screenshots for quite some time, and I must say that it does what it’s supposed to do extremely well.

But a few days ago a reader (thanks Shirley!) sent me an email recommending that I download and try out a free screen capture utility called Skitch.

After using Skitch for a couple of days I removed the icon for the Windows Snipping Tool from my Desktop and permanently replaced it with the one for Skitch. Read on and I’ll tell you why… [Read more…]

How to keep your POP3 email when upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7

Posted on February 12, 2013

migrate-mail One of the first things most people notice after upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is that there is no POP3 email client included with Windows 7. Why Microsoft decided not to include one is rather baffling, but it’s really no big deal.

It’s easy to download and install Windows Live Mail and import your emails accounts, settings and emails from Vista’s Windows Mail into Live Mail.

It’s usually easier to make the transition from Windows Mail to Windows Live Mail before you upgrade to Windows 7 because everything will usually be imported for you automatically. Here’s how to do it: [Read more…]

Q&A: If I upgrade to Windows 8 will I be able to go back to Windows 7?

Posted on February 10, 2013

Question from Elizabeth A.: I’m thinking about upgrading my computer to Windows 8 but I have a question first. If I try Windows 8 for a while and don’t like it will I be able to go back to Windows 7 without losing my files?

Rick’s Answer: Elizabeth, the short answer is yes, but you’ll have to prepare for the potential downgrade from Win 8 to Win 7 before you install the upgrade by creating a System Repair Disc and Backup Image for your current Windows 7 installation (click the link for instructions).

You should create this backup set right before starting the Windows 8 upgrade process to ensure that none of your user-created data files will be lost if you end up deciding to downgrade back to Windows 7 later. [Read more…]