Technology

The Latest on Windows 11, Converting an Old PC into a Chromebook, Sharing Webpages Without Ads, Saving, Recovering Storage Space on Your iPhone

July 14, 2021

Back on June 24th, 2021, Microsoft unveiled its next operating system “Windows 11.” Although this new operating system is not scheduled to become available until this fall, Microsoft has announced the minimum computer hardware specifications/requirements for this new version of Windows. As I am writing this, Microsoft has not yet formally released its “PC Health…

Text Messaging/E-mail Tips, Improved Gmail/Google Photo Integration, Website Monitors, Cairo Desktop and Improving Sound on Android

June 10, 2021

Did you know that in many cases you can send a Smartphone user a text message by e-mail? If this is news to you and you would like to learn more about it, please review the following article that I found at digitaltrends.com titled “How to send a text message from your e-mail account.” Here…

The Latest on: Mouse/Touchpad Settings, Better Webpage Printing, Smartphone Keyboards and Some Browser Tips

May 11, 2021

In my experience, most computer users (myself included) do not fully utilize their computer’s mouse and/or touchpad capabilities. Since mouse and touchpad settings are usually hidden from view, they often remain unknown and unused (out of sight, out of mind). To help you discover all that your mouse and touchpad has to offer the following…

The Latest on Microphone Muting, Troubleshooting Windows 10 Problems, Mini PCs, Browser Tracking

April 13, 2021

When it comes to mute buttons on computers, they are often found on a computer’s keyboard and are usually configured to mute audio that is playing from speakers. However, these days, increasing numbers of people are using audio and video conferencing applications that sometimes do not provide a quick and easy way for users to…

Realtors Should Revisit HGAR.com and Find Out the Latest on Chrome Extensions on Android and ProWritingAid.com

March 12, 2021

Often the help you need can be found at HGAR.com! When was the last time you explored (or re-explored) the site? There’s helpful information, news, resources and more to be (re)discovered. If you don’t have the time or interest in doing a deep dive at the site, consider at least visiting (and bookmarking) the following…

The Latest on Online Calculators, Blocking Webpage Elements, Chrome Tabs Help, Phone Lanyards and Cable Management

February 17, 2021

It’s time for some friendly reminder nudges... 1) Is it time to back up your computer(s) and other devices? 2) Is it time to check for operating system and software/app updates? 3) Is it time to do some computer and other device maintenance activities? 4) When was the last time you ran a full antivirus/malware…

Google Alerts – Robocall Help – Headset Help – ANC tip – Product Tips

January 15, 2021

Happy New Year! Before jumping back into things, as usual, I want to first mention some random, but exciting and consequential topics that I've been following, and would encourage you to consider following as well. The topics are: Quantum Computing; Protein Folding; Artificial Intelligence (a.k.a. "AI"); Augmented Reality (a.k.a. "AR"); Solid-State Batteries; and CES 2021…

The Latest on Highlighting Webpage Text, Route Planning, New Phone RCS Issue, Lesser-Known Gmail Features and More

December 11, 2020

Imagine you are a sales manager who spent the last 10 minutes reading an article that discussed some helpful sales tips. If you decide to send the article to 10 others, about 100 minutes of reading time will cumulatively be invested by all who received your message. If you continue to send articles to others,…

CoStar to Acquire Homesnap in $250M Deal

November 23, 2020

WASHINGTON—CoStar Group Inc. reported on Sunday that it had reached an agreement to acquire Homesnap, Inc. for $250 million in cash. Homesnap is an industry-leading online and mobile software platform that provides user-friendly applications to optimize residential real estate agent workflow and reinforce the agent-client relationship. More than 300,000 agents nationwide use the application an…

The Latest on Phrase Express, Oleophobic Coating, and Reader View/Mode

November 12, 2020

Phrase Express (Windows, Mac & iOS) is one of my favorite and most used software applications. I use the application to help me quickly insert commonly used text(s) into e-mails, text messages, documents, online posts, and just about anywhere I need to enter text. Sometimes I use Phrase Express to help me insert as little…

The Latest on Wi-Fi Calling, Headsets, Popupoff, Automate Social Media Posting, iOS 14 Camera Improvements and Screen Sharing Services

October 19, 2020

If you live in an area where your mobile phone's reception is weak or unreliable, you may be able to improve things by using your phone's "Wi-Fi calling" feature. Fortunately, most mobile phones have a Wi-Fi calling feature built-in, but unfortunately, it's not always enabled by default. If you're unfamiliar with Wi-Fi calling and would…

Check Out Some File Management Tips, RE Lead Generation Ideas, PDF-Xchange Editor, Win 10 Home/Pro, Dictation and Transcription Tips

September 16, 2020

Computer file management can be challenging! For example, what can you do if you want a file to exist in multiple locations (folders), but you don't want to create and manage duplicate files. The following links will lead you to articles that will introduce you to file labeling/tagging and symbolic links, which might be a…

Joseph Rand Named Executive Director Of Broker Public Portal with Homesnap

September 9, 2020

ARROYO GRANDE, CA—The Board of Managers of the National Broker Portal, a joint venture between Broker Public Portal (BPP) and Homesnap, announced on Sept. 9 that Joseph Rand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate|Rand Realty of Nanuet has been named executive director of the Broker Public Portal with Homesnap. Rand will remain the Chief…

What You Need to Know About ‘Pinning’ Browser Tabs, Innovative Laptops, Headphones for Sleeping and Windows 10 Tips Archive

August 10, 2020

Most popular web browsers now use "tabs." Web browser tabs enable you to have multiple webpages loaded within a single window and easily switch between them. An underutilized tab-related feature that you should familiarize yourself with is the ability to "pin" tabs. When you pin web browser tabs, they become locked so that they stay…

TECH TALK: The Latest on SiriUserGuide.com, Reading on iPhone, Signing PDFs, iPhone Tips

July 8, 2020

Editor’s Note: With this column, John Vrooman has logged 20 years as the Computer Technology columnist for Real Estate In-Depth. Siri is the name of the voice-controlled personal assistant that's available on Apple devices that run iOS, watchOS, macOS, and tvOS. Although Siri has been around for a decade now, it's still underutilized by many.…

Tech Talk: The Latest on Reddit & Quora, Search Operators, Reclaiming Disk Space, MicroSD Cards and Bookmark Managers

June 11, 2020

"Googling" for answers to questions is common and can often be achieved. However, there are times when a question needs to be further qualified and explained. When that situation arises, I would suggest you consider asking your question(s) at Reddit.com and/or Quora.com. Both sites are wide-ranging in focus, so most questions can likely be answered…

CoStar Group Agrees to Acquire Ten-X Commercial for $190M

May 19, 2020

WASHINGTON— CoStar Group, Inc., a leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, announced today that it plans to acquire Ten-X for $190 million in cash. Ten-X was launched in 2009 with the goal of providing a digital transaction platform for effectively liquidating the large volume of distressed commercial real estate assets…

What’s New with Social Media Services Privacy Settings, Screen Sharing Solutions, Smartphone and Driver Updaters

May 14, 2020

Grr!! Managing social media privacy settings isn't easy. Staying current with social media services', privacy-related settings, and options is challenging. While most social media services do supply adequate amounts of information about their service's privacy options, many users don't take the time to read and work their way through everything. The result of this situation…

The Latest on Docking Stations, Network Help, Grammarly, Microsoft PowerToys, Laptop Stands

April 14, 2020

To get the most out of your laptop computer, consider getting a "docking station." Docking stations enable you to quickly and easily connect your laptop computer to things such as external monitors, wired networks, USB devices (e.g. printers, scanners, webcams, flash drives, keyboards, mice, etc.), SD/MicroSD memory cards and more. Since everyone's computers and needs…

The Latest on TheClose.com, PowerPoint Help, Drive Cloning, Imaging and Online OCR

March 17, 2020

The Close is the name of a real estate-focused website founded in 2017. If you are not familiar with the site, the following two paragraphs come from the site's "About Us" web page that describes the type of content the site has... "The Close is a new kind of real estate site designed to give…