Years and years ago before VPN (Virtual Private Network) Services became a common term for the corporate workforce, Microsoft created PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol.) Like VPN, PPTP allows you to securely connect to remote networks such as your home network or your friend’s/parent’s PCs (in the event they need some tech support.) Additionally, the beautiful thing about Microsoft PPTP is you don’t need $10k of dedicated VPN hardware or a Network Admin to set it up....

What is it? Well, if you’re a Tetris fan, Shades is a must have — especially at the price of free. Shades adds a whole dimension to the classic Tetris genre using color. It spins a puzzle with gradients and sound that’s simply mesmerizing and a challenge for all ages. Here’s a quick teaser video from he Dev shop: From the Devleoper – UOVO APS: Feel free to checkout the UOVO APS Site for more info on the game....

First, download the Splashtop Win8 Metro Testbed app from the iTunes App Store on your iPad. It works on any version of the iPad running iOS 3.2 or higher. For a limited time, it’s only $24.99. When you launch Win8 Metro Testbed, you’re prompted to download the Splashtop Streamer for Windows 8. The Splashtop Streamer program is free. Now install the streamer on any Windows 8 system that you want to access from the iPad....

Spotify Premium Update The new updates are for subscribers of its Premium tier that upgrades the radio feature that will provide users a personalized station that uses the same algorithms that the company uses for its popular Discover Weekly and personalized playlists. “If a subscriber wants a great playlist based on one of their favorite musicians or songs, they can simply search for it and start listening to one of the brand-new Artist Radio playlists,” Spotify writes in its announcement....

Facebook made this announcement under the guise of making ads better and giving you more control over which ones you see. But in reality, if you start taking part in this, you’re just giving more precise data to the advertisers. Data and information you might not care to be giving out. According to the Facebook announcement: Opt-out of Facebook Targeted Ads To opt out of this new “ad preferences” program, you need to head over to the Digital Advertising Alliance page....

What Does Redo / Repeat do? Redo is exactly the opposite of Undo in that it will Undo the Undo command or repeat the last command you performed. Sorry… Confusing I know. To add to the confusion, the Redo command in some Windows Apps cannot be performed unless you’ve just used the Undo command. Of course, the limitations will differ with each application that you try to use it in so just keep that in mind....

With the introduction of Microsoft Office 2013, PowerPoint has been significantly improved and tied with lots of useful and time-saving online services. But when it comes to creating a good presentation, it’s not just the software and the features – it’s about all those small things that pile up and make a really good impression. Choosing the Right Aspect Ratio for Your PowerPoint A barely noticeable feature of PowerPoint 2013 is that it automatically adjusts your presentation aspect ratio based on your current display resolution....

Eye-Fi has been around for a few years now. These great little SD memory cards can connect to WiFi networks while in your camera, and upload your photos automatically to your computer or up to 25 other online services. Google Picasa has also been around for a while, and someone over at Google came up with the idea that it would be great to pair the two together. Now for a limited time, Google is giving out a free 4 GB SDHC memory card with every purchase of a 200 GB storage upgrade for Google Web Picasa and Gmail....

The key to the smartphone method is Google Authenticator. Google Authenticator is a groovy app that provides Two Factor Authentication for multiple online services, including Dropbox. But do note that Google Authenticator is not compatible with the printable grid authentication method, so you have to use one or the other. You’ll need the Google Authenticator app and an iOS or Android phone. Download Google Authenticator for iOSDownload Google Authenticator for Android...

Reading Mode on Chrome for Android If you want text-only while reading articles in Chrome, you can enable “Simplified View” on your Android device. This will strip out ads, navigation bars, boxes with related content, and images. It only displays the article text on the page – it doesn’t strip links, though. To get it, open Chrome on your phone or tablet and head to Settings > Advanced > Accessibility and check the box to show Simplified View....

Scan Individual Files for Malware Perhaps you have a file on a flash drive or CD – or one you downloaded. To scan just the file manually, right-click it and select Scan with [your antivirus program]. In this example, I’m using Microsoft Security Essentials. No matter which antivirus program you’re using, it should be listed as an option on the Context menu. Luckily in this instance, nothing malicious was detected....

Now, this is all Fine and Dandy UNTIL…you go on vacation for a few days, those email size warnings come and go, and then bam! Your mailbox is full, and you can no longer send/receive the email from your mobile or even OWA (Outlook Web Access) for that matter. I’ve received the call a million times. My iPhone can’t send emails, help! So, what to do?Is there a solution to these insufficiently sized mailboxes?...

Hi, Alt Key Sometimes called the Option Key, the Alt Key is the third key from the left on a Mac keyboard. The key won’t do anything when pushed separately since it can’t independently execute a system command. When combined with other keys, however, you can quickly access hidden functions and special characters. Fun Fact Interestingly, your Mac comes with two Alt Keys. The second one is also located on the final row of keys on the Mac keyboard, but in this case, it’s located on the right side....

Your CPU is actually one of the most important parts of your PC or Mac and it’s a term that’s been in use since the 1950s. There are actually CPUs in many of the electronic devices that you’ll use, including mobile phones and other smart devices. What is a CPU, exactly? What does a CPU do, and what do the different CPU specifications mean? Let’s explore this topic below....

GUI History Long-time Windows users might think the transition from text-based systems to GUI occurred when Windows 95 replaced Windows 3.1. Though this was an essential milestone in GUI adoption, you have to go back to 1963, when the first graphic computer-aided design program was introduced. With Ivan Sutherland’s Sketchpad program, users could create and manipulate objects in engineering drawings using a light pen. Sketchpad was followed by Stanford’s On-Line System (NLS) later that decade....

Apple announced the card in March at an event where it also introduces some new services including Apple TV+, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade. Here is a look at this new endeavor by the company with its continued foray into the financial sector and what you can expect. What is the Apple Card? Announced in March 2019 with a U.S. launch date this summer, Apple Card’s introduction didn’t come as much of a surprise....

Launching Google Now Before we get into the way Google Now works, let’s see how to activate it on the Nexus 7. Just hold the Back or Home button at the bottom of the screen, and a circle with the word Google inside it will appear. Slide your finger towards it, as I did below, and you’re in. Verify you want to use the service, and you’ll be taken to its main page....

The main reason I’m interested in the Startup folder is that it provides one of the easiest ways to make a program start when you log in to Windows. All it takes is for you to drop a shortcut to your favorite installed program into the folder. Here’s how to find it. In Windows 8, the Startup folder can be found using Windows Explorer, but it is hidden. To get there, do a search for %appdata% and click the Roaming link that appears....

Which Wi-Fi Radio Should I Use? That answer depends on the environment where your router is set up. The ultimate goal is to choose a WLAN channel with the least amount of traffic, and therefore the least potential for radio interference. In this article, I’ll run through some quick tips for choosing the best Wi-Fi radio channel. Doing so will make your WLAN connection more reliable and perhaps faster, too....

Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB3124262 You’re not going to see any changes to the UI in this update, everything that’s being updated is under the hood. According to Microsoft’s support page this update addresses the following: You’ll get this latest update automatically at some point, but if you don’t want to wait, you can grab it manually by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Windows 10 Version 1511 updates are cumulative....