Rick's Daily Tips

Review: HP Elitebook X360 1030 G2 13.3″ Flip Design Notebook

Posted on August 8, 2019

The lines between notebook computers and tablets are becoming more blurred by the day.

“Convertible laptops” can also be used as fully-functioning tablets, offering you the best of both computing worlds in a single device.

The HP Elitebook X360 1030 G2 13.3″ Flip Design Notebook (#ad) is one of the more powerful “convertible” notebooks on the market today.

Like other convertibles, you can either flip up the lid and use it like a traditional notebook PC or fold it all the way back and use it as a tablet. The choice is yours.

This little gem weighs in at a mere 2.8 pounds but it packs plenty of power into its relatively small frame. Here’s a quick run-down of what’s inside: [Read more…]

Review: Audio Technica AT-LP60XUSB-GM Turntable

Posted on August 7, 2019

Do you enjoy the retro sound of music played from a good old fashioned vinyl record?

Or do you have a stack of old LPs and “single” records that you’d love to transfer onto CDs?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, a high-quality USB turntable will allow you to listen to your favorite vinyl records using the latest in modern audio technology.

I have checked out several very nice USB turntables, and one that I really like is the Audio Technica AT-LP60XUSB-GM Turntable. (#ad)

The sound quality produced by this turntable is superb, and the built-in pre-amplifer lets you plug it directly into a set of powered speakers or a stereo system with standard phono inputs. [Read more…]

How to make a Desktop Shortcut for quickly creating a System Restore Point

Posted on August 7, 2019

A while back I wrote a post that explains how to force a Desktop shortcut to always “Open as administrator”.

As an example I mentioned a shortcut that I had created that quickly saves a System Restore Point without having to navigate any of the usual Windows menus.

Several people wrote in asking how to make their own shortcut to create a new Restore Point, so I thought it might be a good idea to write a post explaining how to do it.

Luckily, it’s very easy to make a shortcut for creating a new Restore Point. Just follow the steps below: [Read more…]

3 great “back to school” laptops for students

Posted on August 5, 2019

Well, it’s August, and that means schools all around the country are starting back up for their fall classes.

In fact, several of the school systems in my area have already welcomed their students back into the classroom!

The start of a new school year always means shopping for items like notebooks, pencils and such, but nowadays many schools have added a notebook computer to their back-to-school shopping lists.

If you’ve been shopping for a new computer for the student(s) in your family, you’ve no doubt noticed that there are a ton of laptops to choose from.

Picking the perfect student laptop can be a daunting task, but I hope to make it a little easier for you by recommending three of my favorites. [Read more…]

‘Find My Device’ lets you locate and control a lost or stolen phone or tablet from another Android device

Posted on August 4, 2019

Google has updated their awesome “Android Device Manager” app and given it a new name.

It’s now called the more intuitive Find My Device, and it works even better than ever.

In a nutshell, this fantastic app helps you locate and control a lost or stolen Android phone or tablet using another Android device.

With all the personal information that’s stored on smart phones these days, it makes sense to do whatever we can to keep that data out of the hands of would-be scammers and identity thieves.

This app is a great tool for accomplishing that if your Android device ever gets lost or stolen.

Find My Device lets you use another Android device to: [Read more…]