Erik and Bob take your questions. Tesla reduces electric car prices in the United States as tax credit begins to phase out. China's censors reportedly learn "real" history to stop it from spreading online. Weather Channel app accused of deceptively amassing user location data. Apple profits slump as users opt for reduced cost battery replacements instead of new iPhones. A user who has an unstable, crashing five-year-old laptop wonders if he should fix it or replace it. A new laptop user wonders which anti-virus protection he should buy. We recommend using Webroot anti-virus along with OpenDNS web filtering to help keep your computer safe. An HP laptop user has problems keeping his laptop battery charged and properly calibrated. PepsiCo "snackbot" is a "vending machine on wheels" for college students. A caller wonders about which VPN service is best to use. We offer some advice plus a warning about improperly configured VPN services that can "leak" private information. A Galaxy S4 phone gets a restart message saying that the SIM card is not properly connected, plus gets a recommendation for a good consumer-grade laptop.
An iPhone 6 user is reluctant to update his phone operating system and is not able to back up his phone has concerns the update to his phone will not work well. A listener has questions about using an uninterruptible power supply in order to help protect his computer from electrical issues. A caller has concerns about alerts in apps on his browser asking for his location as he is using his computer. We also alert users to a "do not track" feature available in some browsers. A Microsoft Word user has a "subscription expired" message appearing in Word. We explain what this message means, and offer alternatives to use a word processor for free, such as OpenOffice. A listener wonders whether "password manager" programs are a safe way to protect his account password. Also discussed is so-called "two-factor authentication as a way to protect user accounts. We also discuss other methods for protecting passwords, including pencil and paper, plus we cover the use of secure e-mail services. A listener wonders about the reliability of solid state drives. We recommend the Samsung "Pro" series of solid state drives. A caller has questions about backup strategies when using Windows backup. Also, we counsel why there is discrepancies in the amount of "free" hard drive space reported.
