Piriform Tools, Part 2

Last week I talked about two of Piriform’s excellent tools for keeping your computer in good shape. CCleaner and Defraggler. Today we will look at two others. Speccy is a very good application from Piriform; however, it is one I rarely use. You should download it and run it anyway just so you can have…

Piriform Tools, Part 1

I recently mentioned the site Piriform.  I received several emails asking about what it offers, so today we will take a look at some of the excellent free utilities they have. Their most well-known tool is CCleaner.  When the company first started out this was their first app and then it stood for, "Crap Cleaner." …

Things Wanted, Part 4

I never realized the past three articles would provide me with so much email from readers.  So today I will close out the series with one final shot at discussing things people want to know most from me.  One follow up to last week.  I did not recommend the $49 version of various tablets and…

Things Wanted, Part 3

Following the past two weeks’ columns, I’ve received many responses. So, I thought I would continue the series addressing common suggestions I offer regarding questions I frequently receive. For instance, I am often asked, “Which is the best e-reader app?” I use Android tablets and phones, but my suggestion holds true for most all systems….

Things Wanted, Part 2

I received quite a few emails following last week’s column. First, with regard to Thunderbird – the email client mentioned – several users said they enjoy it and have been using it for some time. David suggested another similar program, "Windows Live Mail," by Microsoft. Next, several readers chimed in with questions regarding the appeal…

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Flightradar24 Pro is free today and Friday…

A great app for following air traffic.  There is a free version but with this one you can get much more information, like altitude, speed, destination, expected touchdown time and more. For today and tomorrow only it is free (along with several other apps) on the Amazon.com Android Apps site. If you have an account you…

Things Wanted, Part 1

I get emails frequently asking a basic, "Ron is there a site (or application) that I can use to do…?"  You can fill in whatever you are wondering about for the last part of that question.  Today I thought I would mention a few of the more popular requests. Many people have several email accounts. …

Your Abandoned Smartphone May Betray You

(from TechNewsWorld, http://www.technewsworld.com/) By Richard Adhikari That phone you so callously turned over to another may be harboring some of your secrets — and it may be all too willing to spill its guts. An examination of 20 used phones purchased on eBay turned up more than 1,500 family photos of kids, 750 photos of…

Antivirus Needed?

Last week’s column generated a very interesting email. We were discussing how your browser tries to protect you from sites that promote viruses and other sorts on nasty cyber-stuff. I told you how each browser attempts to notify you. The notifications vary anywhere from a small red lock to a full page warning. I received…

Gmail Filters

(This column ran originally on October 5, 2010) Thanks for the response to last week’s column about Gmail Aliases.  I received a “bunch” of emails regarding that feature.  And, “you are welcome” for pointing out that out to you. I also received a lot of questions from some of you folks who are newer to…