Consumer Tech Radar
Articles by bsnyder
Consumer Tech Radar
Charitable donations made via PayPal may be going astray
Donors who use the PayPal Giving Fund claim in a class action lawsuit that few of their donations reach the proper charity.
Consumer Tech Radar
How ‘super shoppers’ shape the future of online retail
A recent study found that 13 percent of the world's internet shoppers account for nearly two-thirds of all consumer spending on goods online, and the group's shopping habits could impact the rest of the consumer market.
Opinion
How to Extend Your Home Wi-Fi Network
If your router is one room and your TV is in another, your home Wi-Fi network might not be strong enough to reach it. Here are four ways to solve the problem.
Opinion
Aereo Deserves to be Put Out of Business for Stealing Content
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that startup Aereo can't sell broadcast TV content it picks up from the airwaves, effectively killing the small company. CIO.com blogger Bill Snyder, ever the consumer advocate, says the decision was the right one.
Opinion
Microsoft Ups Ante in Cloud War with 15GB Free OneDrive Storage
Microsoft increased the amount of free storage it gives OneDrive users and cut its cloud prices by as much as 70 percent, making OneDrive a much more formidable competitor for Google Drive and Dropbox.
Opinion
Google Makes Mobile Search and Translation Faster and Easier
Need to make yourself understood in a foreign language but can't get online? Google's offline translation for Android makes it easy. The search king has also beefed up mobile search features.
Opinion
How Safe is it to Complain About Your Boss on Facebook or Twitter?
You can still get fired for sounding off about work on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. But if you're trying to improve working conditions, and not just venting, regulators may protect you.
Opinion
Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying Acer’s Super-Cheap C7 Chromebook
Acer’s new, $199 C7 Chromebook is a vast improvement over the first-generation Chromebook, but there are a few things potential buyers should know before purchasing one.
Opinion
With Quicken 13, Your Finances Go Mobile
A familiar desktop application gets better mobile capability, making it easy to track and manage your finances when you're on the go.
Opinion
Firefox 13 Arrives with Snazzy Features that Rival Chrome
It's been a while since a new version of Firefox was more than ho hum. But the latest upgrade -- Firefox 13 -- puts the open source browser back in the game against Chrome.
Opinion
Mad About Facebook/Instagram? Pixlr-o-matic Is for You
Have you lost respect for Instagram now that it has been acquired by the mighty Facebook? Not to worry: Pixlr-o-matic from Autodesk is a solid choice on iOS and Android for photo editing and sharing.
Opinion
Should We Boycott Apple for China’s Human Right Abuse?
No product, no matter how cool, is worth the lives of the workers who built it. Tell Apple that it must force its Chinese manufacturing partners to clean up their act.
Opinion
New Wave of Hacker Attacks Coming
Smarter hackers, and a new generation of "hacktivists" will launch attacks on mobile banking apps, virtual currency and even your local supermarket in 2012.
Opinion
AT&T Surrenders; Drops Megamerger with T-Mobile
Christmas comes early for consumers as AT&T surrenders to pressure from the Department of Justice and drops its $39 billion attempt to takeover T-Mobile..
Opinion
Apple iPhone, Meet Flipboard
Fipboard is pretty cool. But until now, the only folks who could enjoy it were iPad owners. That changed late last week when Flipboard came to the iPhone, and its new iteration is impressive.
Opinion
Lenovo’s X220 vs. Apple’s MacBook Air: Which Is Better?
The older I get, the less tolerance I have for heavy notebooks that I have to schlep to meetings and through airports. Like many of you, I don't mind spending a reasonable amount of money for a good system, so $1000 seems like a good cut off point for us working stiffs.
News
Quicken 2012: A Lot to Offer the Budget Weary
Despite a few blemishes and competition from free cloud-based services like Mint.com (also owned by Intuit), Quicken 2012 offers well-integrated "old school" software that's still the best at helping you budget and control your debt.
Feature