Reviews Archives - Page 34 of 39

Review: Windows 8.1 For Dummies

Posted on January 21, 2015

In my opinion, Windows 8.1 is a vast improvement over Windows 8 because of the tweaks Microsoft has made in order to make it work more like previous versions of Windows.

But even after all the tweaks, the look and feel of the Windows 8.1 Start Screen as well as the new menu structures ensures that Win 8.1 still comes with a fairly steep learning curve.

I have read several great books on configuring and using Windows 8.1 in recent weeks, and as expected, Windows 8.1 For Dummies is one of my favorites.

I have always liked the way the “Dummies” series of computer books cuts through the fog of all the tech jargon that’s out there and explains things in ways that are easy to understand and follow. I can tell you that this excellent volume on Windows 8.1 follows that same tried and true recipe. [Read more…]

Review: Hello FAX – Send FAXes for free without a FAX machine

Posted on December 8, 2014

Most folks probably think FAXes are about as obsolete as Morse Code in today’s digital world, but the fact is there are still times when we need to send and/or receive an occasional FAX.

But that doesn’t mean we need to keep a physical FAX machine plugged in and waiting 24/7.

In fact, we no longer need a FAX machine at all in order to send the occasional FAX. Instead, we can use one of several popular online FAXing services.

I recently found myself needing to send a FAX for the first time in years, and since I had ditched my old FAX machine several years back I found myself scrambling to find a good online FAX service. One that really stood out to me was a service called HELLO FAX, so I decided to give it a try. [Read more…]

Review: Adobe Photoshop Touch for iPhone and Android

Posted on December 1, 2014

adobe-photoshop-touch Before I begin, let me be upfront and tell you that I love Adobe’s photo editing software. In my opinion, while they tend to be a little pricey, Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom are the best image editors out there. That’s why I downloaded Adobe Photoshop Touch with high expectations.

Photoshop Touch promises to bring many of the most used (and most useful) features of the full-blown Photoshop program to your mobile device, and Adobe pretty much succeeded in that regard. But that being said, I found several important features and tools difficult to use on a tablet and smart phone. [Read more…]

Review: Automatic Smart Driving Assistant

Posted on November 20, 2014

automatic-smart-driving-assistant People have been driving cars for well over a century now, and for most of that time there was precious little we could do with our cars except simply get from point A to Point B. But modern technology has brought newer automobiles into the 21st century.

Every car built since 1996 includes a data port that outputs a plethora of info to a hand-held scanner. This data port is most often used by mechanics and car dealers, but a new class of hardware/app packages puts all the info that was previously only available to the pros in the hands of the average driver.

I recently had the opportunity to check out one of these handy gadgets, and I really like it. [Read more…]

Review: Samsung 840 EVO 1TB 2.5-Inch SATA III SSD

Posted on November 10, 2014

I’ve written several posts in the past explaining how replacing your PC’s hard drive with a solid state drive (SSD) is the best upgrade you can make for the money, and that’s still the case today.

The only real drawback to upgrading to an SSD has always been the real possibility of sacrificing valuable storage space in exchange for an SSD’s blazing speed.

The good news however is the capacities of solid state drives are steadily increasing even as their prices continue to drop.

Nowadays you can buy a super-fast SSD with plenty of storage without having to pay a small fortune. A great example is the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB 2.5-Inch SATA III SSD. [Read more…]