Rick's Daily Tips

000webhost has been hacked. Account holders need to take action now!

Posted on October 30, 2015

000webhost is one of the largest free web hosting companies on the web, because…well, they don’t charge anything for hosting their customers’ websites.

Approximately 13 million businesses and individuals have websites hosted with them, and now every one of those customers are at great risk of having their websites and other online accounts hacked.

I won’t post the link to 000webhost’s website because it is currently in maintenance mode as they try to mitigate the damage from the hack (you can Google it if you’re curious), but if you are one of their customers you need to take immediate action to protect your website’s information and sensitive customer data. [Read more…]

Review: Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Series 2-in-1 Convertible Touchscreen Laptop

Posted on October 29, 2015

If you love the convenience and ultra-mobility of a tablet PC but also need the power and functionality of a full-blown laptop, the days of having to choose between the two are over thanks to a new breed of PCs known as convertible laptops.

In a nutshell, convertible laptops combine a powerful tablet PC with a standard keyboard and pointing device. When used in the traditional way, these PCs give you all the power and flexibility of a laptop, but swiveling the keyboard 360 degrees converts it into a powerful windows tablet! [Read more…]

Quickly uninstall unwanted Windows apps with CCleaner

Posted on October 29, 2015

Microsoft first introduced the Windows Store along with Windows 8, and now that Windows 10 is here the Windows Store and its many available apps are included with it as well.

The Windows Store is simply a collection of lightweight Windows apps that you can download and install on your Windows PC.

Some of those apps are actually quite useful, but many others offer little if any real value at all. Even worse, a few of them are nothing more than adware and junkware. A perfect example is the much-hated “Get Office” app that I wrote about in a previous post. [Read more…]

Review: Microsoft Surface Book

Posted on October 27, 2015

When I heard that Microsoft was planning to release a high end laptop to compete with the MacBook pro, I was a bit skeptical. But after actually taking the Microsoft Surface Book for a spin I came away quite impressed.

The Surface Book that I tested has a Intel Core i5 2.1 GHz CPU, 8GB of RAM and a super-fast 256GB SSD. It also has an amazing 13.5-inch PixelSense 3000×2000 touchscreen display that’s simply stunning.

First of all, this is so much more than a typical convertible notebook. This is a full-blown high performance laptop that can also be used as a tablet. And it works extremely well in both configurations. [Read more…]

Review: Canon EOS Rebel T5i Digital SLR with 18-135mm STM Lens

Posted on October 24, 2015

Canon EOS Rebel T5i with 18-135mm STM Lens

Canon is known for making top-quality cameras for everyone from the rank beginner to the seasoned pro, and their DSLRs are among the best in the business.

I’ve used several Canons over the years, and I can’t recall a single one of them that I didn’t like.

I recently had the opportunity to check out the Canon EOS Rebel T5i Digital SLR with 18-135mm STM Lens combo, and it’s a fantastic setup for taking most any kind of photo under a wide range of conditions. And now that the T6i is out, this is the perfect time to pick up its predecessor at a great price. [Read more…]