Tech News Archives - Page 3 of 112

Protect yourself with a lapel camera when interacting with others

Posted on July 9, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

A while back I wrote a post explaining why it’s a good idea to install an inexpensive dash cam in your vehicle, and it generated a lot of interest.

A few days later one of my Facebook friends messaged me to ask if there is a way to protect yourself by capturing video when you aren’t in your vehicle because she frequently has to interact with people who get easily upset.

Luckily, the answer is yes. You can clip a small, unobtrusive lapel camera to your clothing and record audio and video of everything that’s going on around you. [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the dangerous “Get a Free Gift Card” scam

Posted on June 28, 2020

Email scams have been around almost as long as email itself, and the problem seems to be getting worse instead of better.

Add in all the scams that are constantly making the rounds on social media and it’s easy to see that fraud is a major problem in today’s connected world.

There’s a rather tempting email and social media scam that pops up every now and then, and unfortunately it’s making the rounds again right now.

Unfortunately, this scam is quite easy to fall for because of the way it’s perpetrated.

It’s called the “Get a Free Gift Card” scam, and there are several variations of it that I’ve seen to date. Here are the three that rear their ugly heads most often: [Read more…]

Protect your privacy when using Windows 10 with Microsoft’s “Your Privacy” dashboard

Posted on June 24, 2020

As you probably know by now, Microsoft designed Windows 10 to be quite intrusive when it comes to your privacy.

By default, the operating system collects all sorts of sensitive user data and stores it on your PC’s hard drive and/or sends it back to Microsoft via the Internet.

Luckily, most of Windows 10’s “spying” can be either mitigated somewhat or disabled completely if you know where to look for the various settings.

Unfortunately, finding (and understanding) all of Windows 10’s privacy settings can be a challenge to say the least. [Read more…]

Have a device that’s covered by AppleCare? It might already qualify for a new replacement battery.

Posted on June 23, 2020

For reasons I explained in this post, I usually recommend skipping the extended warranty if you are offered the option to purchase one when you buy a new computer.

That being said, plenty of folks disagree with me, and that’s fine. If having your new computer covered by an extended warranty gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling and lets you sleep well at night, then I’d say it’s money well spent.

If you happen to have an Apple device that’s covered by an AppleCare Protection Plan, it just might already qualify to receive a new battery under the plan. [Read more…]

Are antivirus software makers planting malware in order to keep their business afloat?

Posted on June 21, 2020

I don’t usually subscribe to conspiracy theories, and the last thing I would ever want to do is create one.

That being said, I have often wondered to myself whether the antivirus software companies could be creating malware and spreading it over the Internet in order to perpetuate the demand for their products.

If you think about it, an ever-replenishing supply of new malware is essential to the overall health and future growth of the antivirus software industry.

If malware were to ever become a thing of the past (and I don’t believe it will), there would be no further need for us to have antivirus software running on our machines – and that would put the antivirus software companies out of business. [Read more…]