Tech News Archives - Page 85 of 135

HP releases firmware update to reverse ban on third-party ink cartridges

Posted on October 13, 2016

Back in September HP stealthily released a new firmware update that blocks the use of third-party ink cartridges in some HP Officejet printers.

Customer backlash was quick and fierce, prompting HP to apologize and pledge to remove the ban just a few days later.

At the time, they said a new firmware update to reverse the ban would be released in the near future. As promised, the company has now released the new firmware update.

If you own an HP Officejet printer that was affected by the third-party ink cartridge ban, you should now be able to download and install the “ban reversal” update. Here’s how: [Read more…]

HP reverses course on their new third-party ink cartridge ban

Posted on September 29, 2016

hp-officejet-pro-8610 A few days ago I wrote a post explaining how a new firmware update for some HP printers effectively banned the use of third-party printer cartridges.

Well, it appears that they received so many complaints that it prompted them to reconsider the move and even apologize for it in a post on their corporate blog.

Of course they worded the apology in a way that frames the issue as a “communications” problem, but the real problem is the ban itself in my opinion, not the way they chose to “communicate” with their customers about it. [Read more…]

New update makes HP Officejet printers incompatible with third-party ink cartridges

Posted on September 26, 2016

hp-officejet Do you currently use third-party ink cartridges in an HP Officejet printer?

If so, your non-HP cartridges might no longer work after you install your printer’s latest firmware update.

A few days ago HP released a new firmware update for several Officejet models that force the printer to display an error message when it detects that you have installed a non-HP ink cartridge. [Read more…]

Twitter: Photos no longer count against the 140 character limit when tweeting

Posted on September 21, 2016

One of the most frustrating things about using Twitter has always been having to limit the total number of characters in a tweet to 140 or less.

Simply put, it’s often pretty hard to get your message across in just 140 characters!

Even worse, photos and various other “extras” that are often added to a tweet can make that job harder still.

Although users have complained about the 140 character limit for years, Twitter has always resisted making any changes to the iconic, but frustrating limit. [Read more…]

How to check if your Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is on the recall list

Posted on September 16, 2016

galaxy-note-7 As I mentioned in this post, Samsung issued a world-wide recall a couple of weeks ago for all Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that have been sold to date due to a dangerous battery issue.

Since then they have been able to determine which specific phones have the defective batteries, and they have modified the recall to cover only the affected devices.

If you own a Galaxy Note 7 you can now easily check to see if your phone still falls under the recall notice. You can choose either of two methods for checking your phone’s recall status: [Read more…]