hardware
Gaming 2019: Virtual Reality
Oculus released two virtual reality headsets a couple of weeks ago. Doesn’t mean anything to you? Trust me – this is the most fun you can have with technology in 2019. I’ll try to describe it but more important: if you have a chance to get a demo of a VR headset, take advantage of the opportunity, even if you know full well you’re not the kind of person who will ever own something like it. […] continued
Read moreImprove Your Home Wi-Fi By Meshing It Up
Got any Wi-Fi dead spots in your home? You can improve Wi-Fi coverage in your home more easily than ever before. There’s new Wi-Fi technology – “mesh networking” – that dramatically improves Wi-Fi signal strength without requiring any technical expertise. You’re feeling smug because you know all about Wi-Fi “extenders”, right? […] continued
Read moreAm I The Only One Who Didn’t Know That Surge Protectors Wear Out?
Surge protectors wear out. A few thunderstorms, or just day to day use for a couple of years, and they are completely useless for power surges.
And you know how you can tell? You can’t. They keep sending power to whatever is plugged into them. But unbeknownst to you, they are providing no protection whatsoever against power surges. […] continued
Read moreConnecting The Always Connected PCs
Previously: Looking Forward: Always Connected Computers
If you were paying attention during the previous lecture, you know that Microsoft is working with Qualcomm on “Always Connected PCs.” HP, Lenovo, Asus and other manufacturers will soon be selling laptops that are always on and always connected and offer long battery life. […] continued
Read moreLooking Forward: Always Connected Computers
Stretch your imagination.
Imagine that you pull your laptop out and pop the lid open and start using it right away. There’s no delay, no swirling circle – it’s just on, bang, every time. You put your finger on the fingerprint reader and you’re logged in immediately.
Now imagine that the computer is always online with a working internet connection. […] continued
Read moreLooking Forward: Increasing Your Core Strength
Nothing will stand still in 2018. You’ll be bombarded with new technology and more jargon. As always, some of the changes will be useful advances that will make your life better, and some of them will . . . not.
We’re going to start the year with a look at some familiar technology that will be changing in unexpected ways in 2018. […] continued
Read moreWhy Your Next Laptop Might Be A Chromebook
Chromebook series
Why Your Next Laptop Might Be A Chromebook
Which Chromebook Should You Buy?
Chromebooks are laptop computers. They don’t run Windows or Mac programs, but they’re powerful computers that can do many useful things. They’re simple, secure, fast, they feature long battery life, and they’re always up to date. […] continued
Read moreGoogle Bets That Artificial Intelligence Will Make You Buy Its New Devices
Today Google introduced eight new devices that will be released this fall – phones, home assistants, a laptop, a virtual reality headset, and more. It’s the most diverse new product lineup from a technology company in recent memory. Apple just announced three new phones, Amazon just announced a slew of new variations on the Echo, but Google outdid both of them for sheer quantity and variety. […] continued
Read moreTechnology Is Boring
Technology in 2017 is just a bit . . . dull. There’s not much going on. You hadn’t really thought about it but now that I mention it, you know it’s true, right?
Choose your metaphor. It’s a plateau. It’s the calm before the storm. We’re in a holding pattern. We’re almost – but not quite – at a couple of tipping points. […] continued
Read moreChromebooks Will Change The World (Someday. Not Today.)
Chromebooks are poised to change the world. Delicately balanced. Teetering on the edge. Any day now, they’re going to take off. Whoosh! Any day now.
Not today.
Chromebooks are low-cost laptops that run Google’s ChromeOS instead of Windows. ChromeOS is basically the Chrome web browser taught a few new tricks and dressed up so it works with laptop hardware. […] continued
Read moreFujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Is Still The Best Small Business Scanner – Now With Extra Cloud
Fujitsu has made the best small business scanner for many years. You should have one on the desk of every employee who deals with paper.
The Fujitsu iX500 was introduced almost eight years ago. It was designed so well that it is almost unchanged today, and it continues to be the best choice for home and small business use. […] continued
Read moreThe 2016 Bruceb News Year In Review
Did you miss any Bruceb News articles in 2016? Maybe they slipped out of sight in your Inbox. Fun fact: when I look over my clients’ shoulders, I see that many of them file my articles in folders that have whimsical names like “Deleted Items” and “Junk Mail.” Such impish senses of humor! […] continued
Read moreThunderbolt And Lightning, Very Very Frightening
Remember the lyric in Bohemian Rhapsody? “Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening me!” It’s right before “Galileo, Galileo” and the part where everybody starts shaking their heads back and forth.
This article has nothing to do with Bohemian Rhapsody. I want to tell you what you need to know about Thunderbolt and Lightning ports on computers and phones. […] continued
Read moreYou Might Not Want To Know How Much Google Knows About You
You have a vague idea that Google knows a lot about you.
You’re right.
Google has nothing to hide. It’s prepared to show you everything it has collected about you.
Are you sure you want to know? It’s a bit . . . creepy.
A few months ago Google created a tool named “My Activity” that gathers all its personal information about you into one place. […] continued
Read moreStylish Desktop PCs Are Just Myths, Right?
The gently curved triangular cylinder in the above picture looks like a particularly attractive speaker. Wrapped in thick-threaded fabric, a lid that looks like it’s made for distributing sound evenly – obviously it must be a subwoofer or all-in-one speaker. And in a sense you’re right, because that’s a high-quality Bang & Olufsen speaker blasting out through that lid. […] continued
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