Investing in a UPS Before we define the issues related to voltage irregularity, let’s find out what a UPS is and how it works. A UPS is a device that provides consistent backup power during inconsistent power issues. The UPS can protect both data and the computer equipment connected to it by stabilizing the voltage passing through. A UPS comes in a range of sizes and models that target different types of equipment....

Windows 10 Build 10074 This new build comes on the heels of the last release, build 10061, and shows that Microsoft wasn’t kidding about releasing builds faster. Another subtle change is these builds are now labeled Insider Preview versus Technical Preview, which is a reflection on the pace of these releases, and the approaching final release date. This new build is available for Windows Insiders who are part of the Slow and Fast ring....

Windows 10 Insider Build 16273 The main improvements are for Windows Shell, Microsoft Edge, and Touch and Pen Input. Windows Shell Improvements We fixed an issue resulting in Start, Action Center and notification toasts at times having a background that was 100% transparent.We fixed an issue from recent flights where the Action Center icon might show it had some number of notifications but when you opened Action Center no notifications were displayed....

Windows 10 Insider PC Preview Build 14366 The general availability of the Anniversary Update is just around the corner, and this latest build brings us a step closer. There aren’t many new features or UI improvements in this latest build. In fact, the new head of the Windows 10 Insider program, Dona Sarkar, said as much in her announcement today. However, there is a lot of “fit and finish” left to do before making the next major update available to the public....

But now the fun really starts, in just 20 days on July 29th we’ll all be running Windows 10, Right? Not exactly. In fact, a lot of you won’t even upgrade at all – certainly businesses won’t be in on day one. And you as a home user simply might not care to either. To Upgrade to Windows 10 or Not on Day One? I get this question a lot....

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices are officially on sale in the United States and elsewhere. Samsung, LG, HTC, and even Dell have jumped in and created phones for all of the major carriers, but with all of the choices available it brings up an important question. That is, if you’re going to get a Windows Phone 7, which one should I get? Overall there aren’t a lot of differences between the Windows phone 7 devices....

Here’s what the new update, one that has the charming name “Update 7.10.8107.79”, brings. It fixes an issue that caused the keyboard to disappear while typing, a Gmail syncing issue, an encryption issue, as well as a voicemail error that appeared on some Asian and European networks. If the ones above are just minor things, there are other more important issues that the new update fixes. Before this update, the know that the Me feature in the People hub would send info about access points and cell towers around your phone....

Windows Phone Store Microsoft recently updated Windows Phone 8 to 8.1, and on the heels of the 8.1 update, improved it with Windows 8.1 update that’s available now if you’re part of the Preview for Developers program which is free to join. The phone store seems to be adding approximately 100,000 new games and apps with 100,000 available in 2012, 200,000 in 2013, and now 300,00 in 2014. Hopefully that number will grow as the popularity of Windows Phone continues to grow, not only in the United States, but around the world....

Am I Eligible for the Free Windows 10 Upgrade? To be eligible for the free Windows 10 upgrade, your computer will need to be running any version of Windows 7 SP 1 or Windows 8.1 Update. Or, if you’re a Windows Insider, you will be upgraded to the final version automatically. Vista is not eligible for the upgrade, nor is XP — no reason anyone should be running that anyway. Windows RT and Enterprise editions are not eligible either....

The around 6.5 million passwords (encrypted as they may be) have made their way to a Russian hackers forum. Norway’s Dagens IT (Google Translated) says that no less than 300,000 of the passwords have already been decrypted. The passwords in the file are hashed using the SHA-1 algorithm and the file does not contain e-mail addresses, too. Still, Graham Cluley, from web data security company Sophos, says that it can be assumed that the attackers may have that data, too....

But when we wrap our heads around the data that we let them harvest, we often think too big. It’s not just the obvious smart devices in our home that are learning about us in a (hopefully) benevolent way. The small, mundane and simple devices are watching us, too. In this article, I’ll go over a few unexpected services and devices that collect your personal data. Check it out—you might be surprised....

Activate Windows 10 Using Chat Support After installing Windows 10, press Windows key + R, then type: slui and hit Enter on your keyboard. This action will launch the activation wizard. Select your country or region and click Next. Then, you will be prompted to call the number listed on the screen at the Installation ID screen. If you have an active Internet connection, you can use the new chat option....

Windows 10 includes new versions of Mail and Calendar apps. They have improved remarkably compared to Mail & Calendar in Windows 8.1. Here’s how to get started and add your Gmail, Yahoo, or Microsoft email (i.e., @live @outlook @hotmail) accounts. But, like a lot of users, you probably have multiple email accounts that you want to add. Microsoft makes it a simple affair in Windows 10. For this article, I am going to add a Gmail account....

Add Podcasts to iTunes that Aren’t in the Store First, go to the podcast’s website and find the RSS subscription feed. Right click the subscription link and select Copy Link Location. In Internet Explorer, right click the link and select Copy Shortcut. And in Google Chrome it’s Copy Link Address. Now open iTunes and click File > Subscribe to Podcast. Then paste the subscription link into the URL field. Click OK....

The Cerber Ransomware is buried in ads on bad or malicious websites. If you click an infected ad, the ransomware will encrypt all of the data on your drive and demand up to $1,000 to get it back. According to security firm TrendMicro: Emergency Flash Player Patch for Adobe Flash Here is the summary of this latest emergency patch according to Adobe’s security bulletin: To check the version of Flash that’s running on your computer, go to the About Flash Player page....

At present you can take screenshots on your Android device by using the Android SDK, or you can use an app from the Android Market. The only catch is that with all existing versions of Android, the screenshot apps require that you have rooted your phones; something not everyone is comfortable doing. But, with the new upcoming 2.3.3 version of Android Gingerbread, rooting is no longer a requirement! Previously there was a worry that if an application could capture your screen there would be nothing to stop it from snapping clips of your credit card information and other personal data when, shopping online or otherwise through your Android device....

On Monday we released a huge tablet comparison chart of the 2011 models, but all of the specs for the iPad 2 still remain closely guarded secret by Apple. But, that should all change next Wednesday, March 2nd at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San Francisco @ 10:00am… Below is the image that was delivered to everyone who received an invitation to the event. It depicts the giant March 2 date being peeled back to reveal the corner of an iPad....

AppShopper AppShopper is a universal app for finding apps. Download it directly to your iDevice to find new apps and when they’re on sale. When you launch AppShopper, you get a list of the most popular apps that got a price drop, have been updated or are new to the iTunes App Store. A feature I really like is the Wish List. It lets you add apps to the list and will notify you if there is a price drop or sale on it....

First, on the iPhone go to Settings » Messages » Receive At. This shows the addresses you receive iMessages at on your iPhone. By default this will be your iPhone’s number and your Apple ID. Add the email addresses that you’d like people to use to send you iMessages. The great thing about this is you can have coworkers, friends, and family all send you iMessages at separate email addresses....

There are a lot of rumors about what will exactly be unveiled, but whatever it is should be exciting for Apple fans. Watch the Apple Live Stream The company is going to attempt to stream an event live again – you may recall the last one was riddled with problems (the first 30 minutes or so was painful to watch). But hopefully this goes well and you can watch it live starting at The event starts at 10am PST, 12pm CST, and 1pm EST from the company’s Town Hall Auditorium in Cupertino....