How to use free public Wi-Fi without hackers stealing your data

Free public Wi-Fi hotspots are terrific. They offer users quick and reliable Internet connections where cellular reception is spotty. And even in areas with strong cellular signals, users can connect their phones, tablets and laptops to public Wi-Fi hotspots in order to conserve data on their mobile plans and steer clear of those pesky data caps.

Of course, there is one problem with public Wi-Fi networks, and it's a big one: They're completely open, which means any data you send or receive while connected to these networks is vulnerable and can easily be stolen by hackers.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, April 23

Apple Releases iMac Graphics Update to Fix JPEG Freezing Issue on OS X Yosemite [Mac Blog]

Apple today released an iMac Graphics Update for users of the more recent iMacs, fixing an issue that caused the computers to freeze up after viewing very large JPEG Files.

Affected iMacs include the late 2014 27-inch Retina iMac, the late 2013 21.5-inch iMac, and the late 2013 27-inch iMac.


Apple has also released an accompanying support document that describes the issue in more detail, suggesting the problem occurs when opening a large JPEG image in Finder or Preview on OS X Yosemite 10.10.3.

If you're using using OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 and one of the following iMac models, viewing certain very large JPEG (.jpg) images in the Finder or Preview can cause your iMac to briefly stop responding, display a black screen, and restart to a message that your computer restarted because of a problem.

People who own one of these three iMacs are encouraged to update their machines right away to fix the bug.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, April 23

Massive camera shootout pits the Galaxy S6 against the iPhone 6, Note 4, Galaxy S5

Early reports we've read about the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge's camera are quite good. Now GSMArena has come through with one of its patented smartphone camera shootouts that pits the Galaxy S6 not only against the rival iPhone 6 but also against Samsung's own Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S5. The results found the Galaxy S6's camera offered some significant improvements over the other devices used, although as always there's still room for improvement.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, March 20

FEATURED -- Galaxy S6 vs. HTC One M9: The definitive showdown

Sunday was easily one of the biggest days of 2015 for smartphone fans around the world, who watched along as three of the most impressive phones that have ever been created were unveiled at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show. HTC was up first, and the company showed off its next-generation HTC One M9 flagship phone, a sleek and elegant handset that continues HTC's long tradition of class leading design. Then Samsung's event kicked off, and the company unveiled its stunning new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge smartphones.

Now that all three of these great new Android phones are official, it's time to run through a quick comparison and find out how they stack up against each other.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, March 02

Google employee posts horrifying video that will convince you to never buy a Nest smoke alarm

It's a safe bet that Nest CEO Tony Fadell is not too happy with Google staff engineer Brad Fitzpatrick right now. Fitzpatrick last week posted a video that showed Nest's Nest Protect smoke alarms badly misbehaving in his home. In fact, despite the fact that his house was not on fire, the alarms kept going off and he was unable to find a way to get them to shut up. Fitzpatrick says he posted the video for one reason: To warn people away from buying Nest Protect.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, February 18

The funniest thing you’ll see today: ‘The Daily Show’ destroys Google Glass

Google Glass is indeed no iPad. The device that many touted as the wearable computer of the future has hit a rough patch as Google finally comes to terms with the fact that people aren't going to pay $1,500 for a ridiculous looking wearable that sits on your face. As I said back in 2013, Google Glass is not the future — but... it may indeed help steer consumer electronics companies toward less abrasive devices that could proliferate in the future.

That, of course, remains to be seen. In the meantime, Google Glass is still pretty fun to laugh at.

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Posted in 2015 at 04:25PM, January 19