Rick's Daily Tips

Do you use Microsoft Messenger? If so, you’ll soon have to start using a different messenger service.

Posted on August 30, 2014

Microsoft has announced that they’ll be shutting down the Microsoft Messenger service on October 31 of this year.

That means if you use MS Messenger to chat with your friends, you’ll need to migrate to a different messaging service before that date.

Current MS Messenger users will automatically be transitioned to Skype, the popular audio/video calling and messaging service that Microsoft recently purchased. But if you’d prefer not to use Skype, there are plenty of options available to you, including these heavily used services: [Read more…]

HP recalls power cords for 6 million HP and Compaq laptops. Is yours one of them?

Posted on August 28, 2014

HP has just announced the recall of approximately 6 million power cords belonging to HP and Compaq laptop owners in the USA and Canada.

The reason? They tend to overheat, leading to melting insulation – and even fires in some cases.

The “brick” section of the power cord and the wire that’s permanently attached to it appear to be fine. It’s the cord that plugs into and detaches from the “brick” that’s defective. [Read more…]

Google releases 64 bit version of the Chrome web browser

Posted on August 28, 2014

Google has finally released a 64 bit version of their popular Chrome web browser, and after putting it through its paces it appears to be a lot faster and more stable than the 32 bit version that we’ve all been using for so long.

Let me tell you, this is one fast browser!

There are other enhancements in the new version as well, one of my favorites being much crisper text on high-DPI monitors. But the increases in speed and stability are by far the most important of all the enhancements. [Read more…]

Apple admits some iPhone 5 batteries are defective. If yours is one of them, they’ll replace it for free.

Posted on August 23, 2014

iphone-5 Apple has just announced that some iPhone 5 smart phones were shipped with defective batteries that won’t charge up correctly and lose their charge too quickly.

The defective batteries were only shipped in a relatively small number of phones, but if yours is one them, Apple will replace the battery for you at no charge.

The first thing you need to do is determine if your iPhone 5 is on Apple’s list of phone’s that shipped with the bad battery. If it is, I recommend that you take advantage of Apple’s free battery replacement program right away. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I use an Acer keyboard with my Android tablet?

Posted on August 21, 2014

Question from R. Saravanan: I’m using an Acer keyboard that’s connected to my PC which is running Windows 7.

Can this keyboard be used as an external keyboard with a tablet running version 4.0.4 of the Android O.S.?

Rick’s answer: My short answer to your question is “probably”. Now, I’ll take a moment to expand on that… [Read more…]