By the time someone hacks into your Facebook account and sends all of your friends plaintive messages about being mugged in London, it’s too late to do anything about it. However, Facebook does have an early-warning system of sorts. Using a security setting, you can have the service alert you whenever your account is accessed from another location, giving you a chance to (hopefully) force the intruder out and change your password.
computers
Acer Netbook Fails After 3 Weeks; Repair Facility Helpfully Breaks It More
By 4.30.10
The Acer netbook that Danielle bought for law school is light and portable, but not so great in the “actually working as a netbook” sense. She tells Consumerist that problems with the wireless card began in the first few weeks she owned the machine. When she was finally able to send the netbook in for service, Acer somehow managed to send it back to her in worse condition than it was originally. On the first repair attempt, they sent the computer back with the display non-functional. On the second, they somehow broke the M key. [More]
Sony Kills The Floppy Disk
By 4.27.10
Citing “dwindling demand,” Sony announced it’s terminating the floppy disk for good. It has already stopped selling the 3.5 inch disks in most areas, and will stop selling them in Japan in March 2011. I have fond memories of copying shareware games to play on my Mom’s Macintosh Plus in the 80’s. Ah, those were more naive times. Share your floppy disk reminisces in the comments. [More]
Should You Abandon McAfee Or Take Their Free 2-Year Extension?
By 4.27.10
If you use McAfee’s anti-virus program and have Windows XP with SP 3, you may have noticed last week that your PC was shutting down every 60 seconds. That was because McAfee pushed out an update that it now admits wasn’t properly tested. To apologize, the company says it will reimburse you for repairs (although it hasn’t provided details on this yet), and it’s offering everyone who was affected a free 2-year extension of the service. Should you take the offer and call it even? Seth Rosenblatt at Cnet says you shouldn’t bother. [More]
If Only You'd Bought Apple Stock Instead Of An Apple Computer Back In '97
By 4.26.10
Apple fans boast of the company’s hardware and software reliability, but product performance has got nothing on Apple’s ability to rock the stock market. According to KyleConroy, it would have been much smarter to have invested in Apple stock rather than computers. [More]
Reach Toshiba Executive Customer Service
By 4.16.10
Your laptop is a craptop, the hold music won’t stop and the call center won’t talk, so you’re looking for a guy at the Toshiba top to get you back on top. Guy Lugo is that guy: [More]
It's Never Too Early To Get Your Child Her First Cubicle
By 4.14.10
If you have a child, you want him or her to be prepared for the future. So why not begin their dreary cubicle farm confinement before they even learn how to read? That’s what the Little Tykes Young Explorer does, combining a home cubicle and child-sized seating with a computer loaded with kid-friendly software, all at a rather inflated price. Which is a lot like real office furniture, come to think of it. [More]
iPad Is A Total Babe Magnet
By 4.8.10
The iPad has replaced the borrowed puppy as the lure of choice for bachelors on the make. Jim Colgan from The Takeaway took the latest Apple gadget out for some field testing and found himself besieged with admirers. Ok, really they were admiring the new tablet, but some of that adoration washed over on to its owner. To wit: “two women emerged from behind him and screamed and pointed. They all wanted a go.” Here is the recording of different reactions to the iPad on the streets of New York, recorded using an iPad: [More]
Macbook Pro Shocks Owner, Leaves Marks
By 3.31.10
Karen says Apple is shocking her. Not with their innovative product design, but literally, her 2004ish 17″ Macbook Pro is shooting electricity into her arms. “We’re not talking, little static shocks,” Karen writes, presumably, using the selfsame laptop, “these are fully legitly painful shocks.” [More]
Don't Count On That Rebate From MSI
By 3.22.10
My advice on mail-in-rebates is to ignore them when you’re trying to decide on a purchase. They take too long to receive, during which time you’ve paid a higher amount on the product. Even worse, it’s easy for a company to deny a claim and refuse to cooperate with you, and it’s hard for consumers to get misbehaving companies to play fairly. [More]
Laptop Sets Off Smoke Alarm, HP Just Keeps Putting New Defective Parts In
By 3.13.10
Ryan tells Consumerist that his HP dv2700se laptop has been problematic, losing wireless connectivity, and overheating a bit. And when I say “a bit,” I mean “tried to set his desk on fire.” HP’s solution? Keep replacing the graphics processing unit (GPU) with the same flawed part until his warranty runs out. Ryan does not find this solution acceptable. Here is his story, with pictures. [More]
Don't Let Your Battery Charger Expose Your PC To Hackers
By 3.9.10
If you’re using the Energizer Duo battery charger, and have connected it to your PC to check the charge levels of the batteries, you may have inadvertently exposed yourself to a program that could give hackers access to your computer. The charger has been discontinued, and Energizer recommends removing the software along with the file that enables the backdoor. [More]
Reduce Your Chances Of Laptop Theft By Turning Off Wi-Fi
By 3.3.10
A security company says that one easy way to find recently closed laptops hidden in cars or bags is to search for Wi-Fi radios, because some laptops can take half an hour or more before going into sleep mode. You need a specialized scanner to do sniff out Wi-Fi radios, but NetworkWorld.com says you can get one for about $50. The security company, Credant Technologies, says a group of lottery scammers in Jamaica were using stolen laptops that they found in this way. The solution: disable your Wi-Fi before you close the lid on your laptop. [More]
Don't Press The F1 Key
By 3.3.10
Windows: pressing the F1 key might make your computer go boom. A security exploit deployed by certain malicious websites hides in the Windows help files and could get launched if you press the F1 button. It will only happen, if the following is true: [More]
What's Next For Apple? This Stuff!
By 3.1.10
In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, and the world exploded. In 2010, just moments after the world had reformed, Apple introduced the iPad, and the world exploded again. What will happen in 2012 and 2014? This chart attempts to explain. [More]
Toshiba Is Holding My Computer Hostage For $140
By 2.25.10
Getting something fixed under warranty is rarely a pleasant task. It often takes longer than expected and occasionally lapses into bouts of back-and-forth finger-pointing between the manufacturer and the owner of the faulty product. Just ask Consumerist reader Art, who says that Toshiba has not only had his busted laptop for three months, but they’ve reneged on their promise to replace it and now want $140 for his troubles. [More]
7 Things You Should Do Before & After Your Laptop Is Stolen
By 2.25.10
Considering that laptops are designed to be easily carried and stowed away — and considering just how much important personal and financial information is often stored on them — it’s no surprise that they’re such a target for thieves. But there are some simple things you should do now in case it’s stolen in the future. [More]
Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging Still Not Quite Working Out For Electronics
By 2.24.10
Tom wishes Amazon would use better packaging when it comes to shipping things like hard drives. Their “frustration-free packaging” is meant to save shoppers from dealing with blister packs and unnecessary boxes. For the Western Digital hard drive Tom was trying to buy, it meant bouncing around a half-empty box from the fulfillment facility to his doorstep, where it arrived broken. Twice. [More]
