Rick's Daily Tips

You’ll soon be able to use your current phone when you switch to a different carrier

Posted on February 9, 2015

iphone Would you like to switch cell carriers but are hesitant to do so because switching would require you to buy a new phone?

Well, starting on Wednesday, February 11 you’ll be able to switch to a new carrier and keep right on using the phone you already own.

One of the most irritating things about owning a mobile phone has always been the way most of them are “locked” to prevent them from working with any carrier except the one they were originally intended to work with. But thankfully that’s about to change. [Read more…]

Review: HP Stream 7 32GB Windows 8.1 Tablet

Posted on February 7, 2015

Inexpensive Android tablets are selling like hotcakes because of their affordable sub-$100 purchase price.

But a new generation of low-priced Windows tablets has arrived, and they are quickly becoming the tablet of choice for budget-minded consumers. A great example is the attractive 32GB HP Stream 7 Windows 8.1 Tablet. (#ad)

The 7 inch screen makes it easy to carry this tablet in a pants pocket, yet it comes packed with plenty of power. In fact, its speed and versatility rivals that found in some entry-level laptops.

Although it’s quite inexpensive, this tablet comes equipped with a beautiful 7 inch 1280×800 color touch display, a 1.8 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, and two USB ports.

Windows 8.1, a complimentary 1 year subscription to Windows 365, and 1TB of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage is also included!

What’s more, this isn’t some cheap tablet with an unpronounceable name. It’s made by HP, one of the most trusted brands in the tech world. [Read more…]

Google’s Matt Cutts on how Keyword Density affects Search Engine Rankings

Posted on February 7, 2015

Google’s algorithm for ranking web pages takes numerous factors into consideration when deciding which pages deserve to be ranked highest in the search results pages (SERPS).

One ranking factor which is very often misunderstood (and frequently abused) is an article’s Keyword Density.

Many webmasters and bloggers believe that using a keyword or key phrase as often as possible on a page will cause that page to rank higher in the SERPS, but that isn’t really the case at all. [Read more…]

How to prevent the Charms Bar from displaying automatically in Windows 8.1

Posted on February 6, 2015

windows-8-1 Microsoft completely changed the look and feel of the Windows operating system with the release of Windows 8, and it became apparent almost immediately that most seasoned Windows users hated it.

Well, Microsoft eventually took all the criticism to heart and released Windows 8.1 in an attempt to regain some of the good will they had lost, and for the most part I think they succeeded because 8.1 is a vast improvement over Windows 8. [Read more…]

Bypass the Start Screen and display the ‘All Apps’ screen by default in Windows 8.1

Posted on February 5, 2015

windows-8-1 Windows 8.1 still includes the colorful Start Screen that Microsoft introduced as the focal point of Windows 8.

And depending on who you ask, the Start Screen is either the best thing since the discovery of fire or a scourge on all humanity.

Many users – myself included – have discovered that the ‘All Apps’ screen is a lot more useful than the Start Screen since it lists every app that’s installed on your computer instead of just the ones that Microsoft thinks are important. [Read more…]