http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology RSS Feed for AZ Family - Blogs - Personal Technology en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 18:08:17 GMT http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Tips-for-better-battery-life-208061621.html Smartphones are an amazing bit of technology, but all those features come at a high cost: battery life. Understanding which features eat up your battery and only using them when or if you need them is the best way to extend the life. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Faster-Windows-8-shutdown-206811281.html I bought a new computer that has Windows 8. I'm not loving it, but I'm trying to warm up to it. Is there an easy way to shut it down? The new way seems a bit cumbersome. Thanks, Mr. M. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Review-Pinterest-update-cleaner-easier-to-manage--206751431.html Don't worry, Pinterest fans: Your sprawling virtual pegboards of wedding dresses, handmade jewelry, craft projects and food porn haven't changed dramatically. They're just easier to manage. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Alert-awareness--206477181.html Q. I recently received an alert that said my PC has a number of security problems. It was accompanied by an offer to scan for malware, etc. My McAfee Security runs daily and shows no problems. I'm inclined to think this is a scam. What do you think? http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Is-Free-Antivirus-Too-Weak-To-Protect-You-206193171.html The FBI virus (a.k.a. the MoneyPak virus) is what we call 'ransomware' and its become the most pervasive infection that we've seen in many years. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Tech-gifts-for-grads-206000161.html Graduation season is here! Ken Colburn of Data Doctors shared some great gift ideas for grads, particularly for those who are heading off to college next year. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Control-unruly-mouse-205277581.html Q. I bought a new computer and now I can't control the mouse. Every time I move it even the slightest little bit, the on-screen pointer (cursor) flies across the screen. Is there some way I can slow it down or do I need to buy a new mouse? http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Fake-Microsoft-call-scam-on-the-rise-AGAIN-205142171.html The sophistication level of this scam continues to fool people, but the bottom line is that Microsoft (or any other legitimate company) will never call you out of the blue to help you with a problem you didn't know you had. http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/-Slow-connection-tweak-for-YouTube-203652041.html Q. I've got a slow Internet connection, so I'm constantly having problems viewing YouTube videos. Is there anything I can do about this short of getting a faster connection? http://www.azfamily.com/community/blogs/personal-technology/Tips-for-better-tracking-of-stolen-laptops-203683301.html Mobile devices, especially laptops, will always be a big target of thieves, so everyone that owns one should just assume that someday they'll be faced with a theft.