Blog Posts by Becky Worley

A laptop is stolen every 53 seconds in the United States. To put that in perspective, one out of every ten laptops will be lost or stolen. So how do you prevent your device from joining these horrifying statistics? Beyond keeping your portable gadgets under your constant supervision, there are a few simple tools you can use.

A 2011 survey found that over half of US employers are monitoring their employees' computer usage. How can you find out if you are one of them? And if you are, what should you do about it?

I recently read an article that proclaimed you should never sell or recycle an old cell phone. It was based on a security researcher who said it is incredibly easy to get personal information off of a phone, making identity theft and credit card fraud a snap. But when you can get upwards of $100 for an old smartphone, and the environmental impact of recycling is so positive, I wasn't so sure this was a security mantra that made sense. So I did a little experiment of my own.

Typing on your phone can be a pain, but hidden shortcuts can reduce repetitious tasks and save you tons of time. So here are our top Android touchscreen shortcuts:

(Looking for iPhone and iPad touchscreen secrets? Click here.)

You know that awful feeling: you're at a party or — worse — at a business meeting, and you're horribly embarrassed that you've forgotten someone's name. While some tips for remembering names are probably as old as names themselves, technology has enabled a few new tools that might just save you from certain embarrassment.

I love a good do-it-yourself gadget.  But only if it's not too hard, and not too expensive.  So here are solutions to the toothpaste mess on your counter and cable clutter on your desk, an on the fly speaker for your phone, and a stylus made from a candy wrapper.

Sponges go bad. Regardless of whether it's old or new, a sponge can pick up a funky smell that gets on your hands, the dishes, the counters… YUCK. And while many recommended solutions don't work, there is one that does.

It's not the cost of the hardware that's keeping you from upgrading to a smartphone — it's the cost of the data plan, right? Or maybe you already have a smart phone and the monthly charge is killing you?

You're not alone. Smartphones can add $40-$60 a month per line to your phone bill, bringing it up to a national average of $107 a month! Good news: there are ways to cut your data bill in half.