According to a New York Times article from last fall, Android devices are a new target for “ransomware”. These malicious software apps act similarly to the fake FBI virus scams that have been attacking Windows PCs for years. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to help protect your Android smartphone or device from these scammers and their malware apps.

So you splurged over the holidays and bought a brand-spanking-new laptop. Or you decided to pool all those gift cards and upgrade your home computing hardware. Let’s face it – you needed to put that old desktop that was still running Windows XP out to pasture. Feels better, doesn’t it?

It’s that time of year again. Time for togetherness and fellowship, Holiday parties and Open Houses, seeing old friends, entertaining relatives and sitting down for large, traditional meals. In today’s world, your guests will bring more than cheese balls and fruit cakes – many will be visiting with their own devices and special technology needs.

In part one of our Holiday Light Show series, we showed you how to set one up using computer hardware with a light controller. In part two, we covered how to control it using specialized software. In our final segment, there are a few extra items to consider before settling down with a big bowl of candy for the trick-or-treaters to arrive.

Windows 8 is finally here — and everywhere you go, people are talking about it. Most electronic retailers are now carrying Windows 8 devices (laptop & tablets) pre-loaded & ready to use, and people are beginning to purchase them and take them home.

While holidays may bring out our creative side, they also bring out our crazy side. Few things bring out both like holiday decorating. As a Geek Squad Agent I love to use technology, which in this case means one thing – a computer-controlled holiday light show. Here’s a break-down of how to to put together this year’s Halloween show.

If you get excited at the thought of new technology releases, you are probably keyed up for the release of the new Windows operating system on October 26. Windows 8 is the first major overhaul of Windows since the launch of Windows 95. I was lucky enough to go get a pre-release copy of the system and take it from me, it’s a big change. And change isn’t always a bad thing.

So you’re sitting there, innocently using your computer, when a window flashes on the screen, bearing the logo of the FBI. You’ve been locked out of your computer for breaking some not-too-specifically-identified copyright law. The solution on the screen? Pay a fine to the “FBI” to “unlock” your computer and use it again.

This can happen from interference from other devices or your phone / cable company making adjustments to their systems.

Not to panic… most connection issues can be resolved by following a few simple steps.