Rick's Daily Tips

Review: AGPtek Tape to PC Super USB Cassette-to-MP3 Player Converter

Posted on April 22, 2014

Do you have a stack of old cassette tapes filled with songs that you’d love to add to your MP3 collection?

If you do, there’s an easy and inexpensive way to convert all those great songs that you thought were forever trapped inside your cassette tapes to MP3 files.

The AGPtek Tape to PC Super USB Cassette-to-MP3 Player Converter connects to your PC via a USB cable. Simply load the software onto your computer, plug the cassette player into a USB port, insert a tape and press the “Play” button. [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it possible to buy an Android app without owning an Android device?

Posted on April 21, 2014

Question from Sheila T.: I have an iPhone right now but in three months I can get a new phone for free on my Sprint plan. I plan to get an Android phone and there’s a specific app that I really want to get for it.

That app is on sale right now at a great price, but when I go to the app’s page in the Play Store it tells me that I can’t buy the app because I didn’t log in with an Android device.

I’d really like to buy the app now and save over 70%, but Google won’t let me because I don’t have my Android phone yet. Is there any way around this?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Change your most-used settings right from your Android phone’s Pull-Down Menu with ‘Notification Toggle’

Posted on April 21, 2014

By default, the typical Android phone will let you change 4 or 5 settings from the handy Pull-Down Menu. But if you’re like me you probably have several settings that you change on a regular basis that aren’t accessible from the Pull-Down Menu.

For example, I put my phone in Airplane mode and adjust the screen brightness several times on a typical day, and on my Samsung phone I have to open up the expanded settings menu every time to perform either of those tasks. [Read more…]

Ensure that your important files are always backed up in Windows 8.1 with ‘File History’

Posted on April 20, 2014

windows-8-1 I have written several posts in the past that explain various ways to back up your primary hard drive because it’s extremely important to always have a current backup of your entire boot drive available.

That being said, Windows 8.1 also has a pretty nifty feature that makes it extremely easy to keep multiple, up-to-date backup copies of just your user-created files. [Read more…]

Q&A: Do I need to worry about the Heartbleed bug even though I use an iPad?

Posted on April 19, 2014

Question from Lisa K.: Hi Rick. I have a very simple question for you. Should I be worried about the Heartbleed bug even I only connect to the Internet with my iPad? I never use a computer anymore, only my iPad.

I’m asking you about this because I use several online services that I have to log into on a fairly regular basis and I’m afraid of having my identity stolen. Do you think I should be or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question Rick. I really love this site and I tell people about it every chance I get!!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]