TECH TALK: Tweak Here, a Tweak There Equals an Optimized Device

Well it took about two hours, but I managed to make it through the “Apple Special Event Sept. 9, 2015” presentation. Now I want their new: 1) iPad Pro (with the new Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil); 2) Apple TV; 3) Apple Watch and 4) iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus! Of course, after the next big product release events by Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Huawei, etc…I’ll probably want whatever their latest offerings are, too!

Personally, I think many of you should take the time to watch the periodic product release events that many technology companies, such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Evernote, Dropbox, etc. do. Why? Because these events offer everyone the opportunity to learn a bit about each company’s latest products, services and features, in an efficient and entertaining manner. Armed with the information you learn from these events, you can identify those things that you might want to learn more about, and ultimately be able to make more effective/strategic purchasing decisions.

To view the “Apple Special Event. September 9, 2015” presentation, simply visit the following web page…www.tinyurl.com/pn4xofm (Enjoy the show!)

Optimizing Battery Use on Windows 10

Imagine this…You’re deep into an epic computing session. You’re getting things done! You’re in the zone! Then, out of nowhere, your computer pops up a message that warns you that your battery is “critically low” and you don’t have your charger with you. Grrrr. A total productivity buzzkill moment!

If you are running Windows 10 on a mobile computer and would like to learn about ways to better manage your computer’s power consumption, I found a good article for you to check out. The article guides you through some Windows 10 system tools/settings that can help you achieve longer battery-powered computing sessions. By switching from high-power use settings, to low-power use settings, and making some adjustments to how you use your computer when not plugged in, you can (in some situations) gain up to HOURS of additional battery powered computing time. To learn more, please visit www.tinyurl.com/qxxc7bp

Tip That May Speed Up Your Web Browsing

If you’re comfortable downloading software and following just a few step-by-step instructions, the tip you’ll discover when you follow the hyperlink found at the end of this paragraph may help to improve your web browsing speed a bit. Why am I bothering to offer a tip that will likely only result in a small improvement in your browsing speed? The reason is that over time, if you continue to make system optimizations, the cumulative effect of making them can result in overall performance increases that are noticeable. To learn more about today’s tip, please visit…www.tinyurl.com/ppf88ww

Consider Managing Your Computer’s ‘Services’

When you start a Windows computer a lot of “services” are automatically started. Many of these services are important and need to be running for your computer to operate properly. However, on any given user’s computer, there’s a high probability that there are a number of services that automatically start, but aren’t really needed. For most users, no real problems or significant issues arise by having these unneeded services running. However, if you’d like to speed up your computer’s startup/shutdown time and save some battery power…disabling unneeded services can help you to achieve those goals. If you’re willing to do some reading and are comfortable and willing to “tweak” some computer settings, the www.blackviper.com website offers lots of Windows computer system tweaks. Since I’m still pretty focused on helping people to get up and running on Windows 10 these days, the following link leads to a page that identifies some Windows 10 services that you may or may not want to consider tweaking or disabling…www.tinyurl.com/nqorb4u (Tip: Look for and use the “Show / Hide columns” button that’s on the webpage to help you simplify the view!)

USB-C and USB 3.1?

If you’re planning on buying a new computer, you may encounter the new “USB-C” and/or “USB 3.1” specifications. Basically, USB-C refers to a new type of USB connection that allows for USB-C cables to be easily inserted into USB-C ports without having to worry about the cable tips orientation! In contrast, USB 3.1 basically refers to a performance specification. The issue to pay attention to is that, just because a new computer may have one or more USB-C ports, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the new ports are also equipped with the new USB 3.1 technology. If you have an interest in digging deeper into this topic, the following extremetech.com column covers things both simply (early on in the article) and then more deeply (should you dare to keep reading to the article’s end)…www.tinyurl.com/lbjwu8t  (I’m trying to help you avoid the issue of possibly thinking that you’re buying a computer with one thing, but ending up with something that’s less than expected).

Enhanced Copy and Paste Solutions for Android Users

Generally speaking, performing a typical copy and paste function on a smartphone isn’t always all that easy. Fortunately, Android app developers haven’t missed this issue. The link to a makeuseof.com article at the end of this paragraph highlights a number of interesting apps that range from just making copying and pasting a little bit easier, to surprisingly feature-rich copy and paste solutions. If you take the time to both evaluate and learn how to use some of the apps that are covered in the article (or that are mentioned in the article’s comments area), you’re likely going to find one or more of them to be quite helpful. To get your copying and pasting groove on, simply visit…www.tinyurl.com/n9dybl3

Reminders

This column is eventually made available at www.realestateindepth.com (Technology column section).

If you have comments, suggestions, tips, questions or just want to say “Hi,” you are invited to contact me at john@johnvrooman.com. (I always enjoy hearing from you!)

John Vrooman is an experienced Realtor who enjoys staying on top of real estate, technology, marketing, new media and small business trends and developments. John curates information from a wide range of resources and enjoys sharing tips, thoughts and discoveries with a something for everyone approach. He is an Associate Broker with Better Homes & Gardens Rand Realty’s White Plains office.

John Vrooman
John Vrooman keeps an eye out for cool new hardware, software, apps, gadgets; SaaS solutions; social media developments, trends as well as personal/SMB productivity and related solutions. He gathers information for his column from a diverse range of resources and he enjoys sharing his discoveries with others. He has been authoring this column since August 2000 and welcomes feedback from his readers.