Why is Printer Ink so Expensive?
Posted by admin on Sep 12, 2012
The short answer: because printer manufacturers can get away with charging you that much. Without ink, your printer is just a big paperweight, and companies know it. That is how they can afford to sell you a printer for under $100 – they are betting that most people will continue to invest in the ink cartridges to keep their printer working.
Third-party refilled or remanufactured ink cartridges may be a lower cost alternative, but some are messy to install or deliver inferior print quality. You might not realize it, but printer ink is very complex and is difficult to replicate. In fact, printer ink is a technological marvel – capable of remaining fluid at extremely high temperatures, and then drying instantly on paper after being shot through a tiny nozzle at a speed of roughly 30 miles per hour. Good luck getting your ball-point pen to match those specs!
Of course, printer ink is less expensive if you buy a printer that matches your printing needs. If you choose the correct printer (two cartridge, four cartridge, six cartridge, etc.) for your printing needs, you will end up spending less on ink.
Help! Spammers Hijacked My Email Account
Posted by admin on Jul 1, 2012
Do you suspect that your email account has been hijacked? Are your friends receiving strange emails that seem to be coming from your email account? A few things could be happening, but here are some steps that you can take.
The first thing you should do is change your email password. Try not to use a real word or phrase, and if you can, add some capital letters, numbers and even symbols.
Then, we need to figure out if your email account has been compromised or spoofed. Now that you have changed your email password, you should scan your computer for viruses and malware. If your system appears to be clear of malware and is otherwise running fine, then it is most likely that your email has been spoofed.
What is spoofing? That is where a spammer sends out emails from their computer, but changes the “from” address in the email header to your address. That way, it will look like the email came from you, and you will receive all the bounce-backed messages. Spammers use spoof email headers to fool spam filters into letting the message through. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to prevent or fix a spoofed email account. You can change your email account, but eventually, the spammers will move along and spoof someone else.
The best solution, long term, is to have at least two email accounts. Your main address is the one that you tell your close friends and family, and give out to trusted companies such as your bank or insurance company. Then, create a second account (Gmail is a good choice) that you use on Facebook, YouTube, or any other place where you have to enter your email address to gain entry. Because this account is not as important, you can easily change it whenever you need to.
Secure Your Home or Office Wi-Fi
Posted by admin on Apr 6, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, April 2012 Edition
By default, wireless routers and access points have security turned off. Without the security enabled, anyone nearby can leach off your wireless Internet, see where you’re browsing, capture your passwords to some websites, and possibly gain access to your PCs and files. Some models help you turn security on via a wizard during initial setup or recommend using buttons or PINs; others require you to enable it manually via the router’s Web interface.
But even with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 enabled, hackers can exploit vulnerabilities to crack your Wi-Fi security. Here’s how to combat these weaknesses. If your router supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), it is vulnerable. The best answer is to turn that feature off. If you cannot turn it off, then consider upgrading the firmware for your router. Each router has different ways to complete these tasks, so check out your manual for instructions.
If you have done these things and are still worried about someone hacking into your wireless connection, consider hiding your SSID (essentially making your wireless connection invisible) or using MAC addressing. There is no way to completely protect your wireless connection except to turn it off when you are not using it… but that is not convenient.
Six Basic Steps to Picking the Right Workgroup Printer
Posted by admin on Apr 3, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, April 2012 Edition
The good, and perhaps daunting, news about buying a workgroup printer is that you have a lot of choices. The standard monochrome laser or LED printer is now joined by colour laser and LED models, as well as by multifunction variants that offer scanning faxing and copying. Higher-end inkjets claim good speed, better image quality, and comparable or better consumables costs. So, how do you decide? This might help…
Match the printer to the task and volume. If your workgroup prints mostly text documents, a monochrome laser or LED printer will do the job.
Check compatibility. If you use Macs, Linux or different versions of Windows, check to make sure that appropriate drivers are available before you purchase.
Know who needs colour and who doesn’t. Monochrome printing is the bulk of printing for many businesses. If you only need a few colour prints occasionally, an inkjet printer can handle low volumes easily.
Balance volume with versatility. If you already have a copier, a fax machine, and a networked scanner, you may get better performance from sand-alone printers. Multifunctions are versatile, but have to juggle more.
Research costs and reliability. Cost of ownership includes the long-term need for replacing ink or toner, plus components such as a laser’s fuser or waste toner bottle. Gather all the pricing and page yields up front to make sure they’ll work with you print content and volume.
If you still cannot decide what printer is right for you, then talk to your I.T. provider or local computer store. The have experience that can help you decide what is best for your home or business. A reputable dealer will not sell you something that you don’t need. They want to make you happy, so that you will return and purchase the ink and toner you need!
How to Choose an ISP for Your Small Business
Posted by admin on Mar 29, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, April 2012 Edition
All Internet connections may seem the same, but you can find some differences – beyond price – between Internet service providers, and between the types of connections that an ISP offers. Here are tips on choosing an ISP and the connection that best suit your small or mid size business.
Internet Connection Types:
DSL – generally the cheapest connection type, uses traditional telephone lines, can support a dozen typical users.
Cable – usually faster than DSL, uses standard television cable, fast enough for a few dozen users.
Fiber – superior performance, can be expensive, great for more than 24 users and VOIP phone systems.
Bandwidth Speed:
ISPs offer different service levels or plans for each connection type. The main point of distinction between levels is the bandwidth speed. Choosing a suitable speed is one of the key decisions that you must make. Generally, the greater the number of people who’ll be using your connection, the more bandwidth you’ll need. In addition, the more performance-intensive your users requirements are (streaming video or VOIP phones) the more bandwidth you will need.
Bandwidth Cap:
Some ISPs have begun to cap data usage. Under a data cap, if you exceed the data transfer limit during a billing cycle, the ISP may automatically throttle back your speeds for the remainder of the cycle, or it may apply a surcharge to your bill.
The Fine Print:
Read the fine print of a service provider’s contract before signing up. The prices most companies post online are conditional: Many require contracts of 1 to 2 years to get the advertised monthly rate.
Equipment/Installation Fees:
Consider the hardware each ISP provides. Some services furnish nothing more than a basic model; others may give you a gateway that includes a router or even built-in WiFi. Some companies provide free installation and activation, but most make waiving the associated fees contingent on accepting a contract.
Add Tabs to Your Office Applications
Posted by admin on Feb 24, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, February 2012 Edition
If you’ve lamented the lack of tabs in Microsoft Office, lament no more. Now you can enjoy the one feature Microsoft seems determined to keep out. Tabs let you keep multiple documents, pages, or the like readily accessible within the same window. But Microsoft hasn’t done much with tabs. Sure, Internet Explorer got the feature in version 7, by what about Word or Excel?
The smart and effective OutlookTabs (outlooktabs.com) plug-in lets you open Outlook folders in tabs – and not just email folders, but also calendars. Once installed, it adds a New Tab option below the Ribbon, as well as to context menus. You can reorder tabs by dragging and dropping them, and use keyboard shortcuts to cycle through them. It requires Windows XP or later, and supports Outlook 2007 and 2010. It costs $25 for one license, but a free trial is available.
Want some tab love for Word, Excel and PowerPoint too? Office Tabs (office-tabs.com) is free, and it’s awesome. With Office Tabs you can manage multiple documents in the same window, just as nature intended. In fact, this surprisingly versatile add-on gives you plenty of control over managing tabs, determining their colour and font style, and so on. You can apply different settings across the three programs, and even disable Office Tabs for one or two of them. Other than that, your newly “tabbed” Office works just as the Office you know and love. It works with Office 2003, 2007 and 2010, and supports the 32- and 64-bit versions of each. If you’re an Office user, I can’t recommend it highly enough. (Are you listening Microsoft?)
What Makes an Ultrabook Different from other Ultraportables?
Posted by admin on Feb 21, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, February 2012 Edition
Since Intel has trademarked the Ultrabook name, the company isn’t going to let PC makers slap the lable on just any skinny laptop. A few requirements are involved. According to Intel, a laptop has to meet these five characteristics to qualify for the Ultrabook label.
Quick Startup – Going from hibernate to keyboard interaction must take 7 seconds or less. Resume from sleep should be even faster than that.
Long Battery Life – The minimum for a single charge of the battery is 5 hours, and some models promise up to 8 hours.
Thinness – Ultrabooks need to be less than 21mm (0.82 inch) thick. Most models that have come out so far are much thinner.
Enhanced Security – The laptop firmware has to support Intel’s Anti-Theft and Identity Protection Technology.
Powered by Intel – You didn’t expect Intel to allow AMD CPU’s did you?
Three Surprising Things About Defragging
Posted by admin on Feb 17, 2012
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, February 2012 Edition
Back in the bad old days, hard-drive defragmentation was a big deal. You needed to run a good-quality “defragger” at least once a month to ensure optimal system performance. But times have changed: These days, PCs and drives are so much faster that fragmentation isn’t the problem it once was. What’s more, if you’re a Windows 7 user, you shouldn’t have to worry about fragmentation at all. Check out these three important facts about hard-drive defragging.
1) Windows 7’s Disk Defragmenter utility runs automatically at scheduled times, usually once per week. This happens by default, so your hard drive is likely already defragged. And by most accounts, the utility’s performance compares favourably with that of third-party alternatives, so don’t buy another defragging tool unless you have specific reasons for doing so.
2) You don’t have to leave your PC on overnight. If Disk Defragmenter isn’t able to run at night, it will kick in the next time your computer is idle.
3) Never defragment a solid-state drive. Doing so can shorten its life span. If your drive is an SSD, be sure to disable scheduled defragmentation in Windows 7.
By the way, if you have an external hard drive that you don’t always keep connected to your PC, it may not get the chance to benefit from Windows’ scheduled defragging. Run it manually on that drive every month or so.
The Best of The Best
Posted by admin on Jan 7, 2012
Taken from PC World Magazine, January 2012 Edition
A survey of more than 63,000 people produced the following results…
LAPTOPS
The top five laptops – based on reliability – are Apple, Samsung, Toshiba, Asus and MSI
The top five things that go wrong with laptops are operating system, hard drive, power supply, video, and keyboard
Tops in customer support… Apple, Dell, Toshiba, Asus, Lenovo
The worst brands overall are Acer, and Dell
DESKTOPS
The top five desktops – based on satisfaction – are Apple, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, HP
The worst brands overall are Compaq, eMachines and Gateway
TABLETS
The top five tablets – based on reliability – are Apple, Asus, Motorola, Toshiba and Acer
The easiest to use… by far… is Apple
The worst brands overall are Acer and Dell
SMARTPHONES
The top five phones – based on user satisfaction – are Apple, HTC, Motorola, Palm and Samsung
The top five things that go wrong are operating system, battery, touch screen, mic/speaker, and bluetooth
Tops in customer support… Apple, LG, HTC, Nokia and Motorola
The worst brand overall is Blackberry.
HDTVs
The top five TVs are LG, Samsung and Panasonic
The worst brands overall are Philips, Westinghouse, JVC and Philips
PRINTERS
The best were Brother, Canon, Samsung, Epson and HP
The worst were Lexmark, Kodak, Ricoh and Dell
Canon and Lexmark were the best for support.
CAMERAS
The best are Nikon, Panasonic and Canon
The worst are Kodak, GE, and Fijifilm
Do You Speak Securitese?
Posted by admin on Jan 4, 2012
Taken from PC World Magazine, January 2012 Edition
Like many other topics we cover here, security has a language all its own. Listening to a group of security experts carry on a conversation, for instance, can be a frustrating experience for mere mortals. And sometimes, technical jargon seeps into everyday security news. Knowing what the following five key security terms mean, however, can help you stay better informed about the threats around you.
ZERO DAY = The expression refers to anyt newly discovered software security flaw that has yet to be fixed by the software’s maker.
REMOTE CODE EXECUTION = This is a fancy way of saying that a cybercriminal could use a vulnerability to gain access to your computer from afar and run malware on it.
SANDBOXING = This technique isolates apps and other software processes in such a way that, even if attackers figure out a security hole in a piece of software, they can’t exploit it to install malware on your computer.
SSL = Stands for Secure Socket Layer, is a way of securing the information being passed between you and the site you’re visiting.
CERTIFICATES = A digital document – or ID badge – that verifies a site’s identity… issued by organizations known as “certificate authorities”.
