Titan Platform’s Frank Trevino shows Larry the company’s cute little Google powered AI speaker that senses your mood, smiles at you and dances around — among other things

ALex Santos of Fortress talks about how his company protects consumers’ Internet of Things devices with “commercial grade security.”

Whirlpool’s Poncho Eddie talks about his company’s Yummly app that suggests what to cook based on what you on hand as well some of Whirlpool’s smart kitchen appliances

Jeffrey Ray talks about Omrons new smart watch that takes blood pressure. It will be available later this year after it gets approved by the FDA as a medical device. It’s expected to sell for below $400.

Laurent le Pen o the Omate smart watch with a big red button to alert a call center in case of an emergency

HP’s Mike Nash on the new PCs HP introduced at CES

Larry speaks with Hennary Zhwong from Gamesir on a game controller for smartphones

Bob Stroher from Canary talks about their latest security camera

Bryan Mitchell talks to Larry about Carrier’s ductless air conditioner that you control with an app

Learn about a pair of small stereo Bluetooth speakers for $39. Very portable

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

For more than 50 years, tech professionals and journalists have been coming to what used to be the Consumer Electronics show, now known as just CES. Its sponsor, too, has changed its name from Consumer Electronics Association to Consumer Technology Association as a way of broadening the appeal of the organization and the show. These days, with technology so integrated into our products and lives, it could be called the Lifestyle Show.

The products on display among the more than 4,000 exhibitors range from the mundane — iPhone cases and USB cables — to the exotic, such as Fisker’s super luxurious autonomous concept car with a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if it ever ships.

There was the usual array of wacky products such as suitcases with built-in motors that follow you around the airport. If you want a laugh, check out Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern video review of the Puppy 1 to see how the suitcase, literally, falls down on the job if it encounters an obstacle.

The biggest take away from CES (aside from Samsung’s 146-inch TV that’s unfortunately too big and too expensive for me to take away) is that just about everything can now be controlled by voice. Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home are being built into a dazzling array of products including Lenovo’s Smart Display that sits on a kitchen counter to show you recipes, cooking videos and just about anything else controlled by your voice and Google Assistant. It’s also at home in the bedroom where it can read aloud or show you your schedule, the traffic on your commute and anything else you program in for your morning routine.

Almost all the appliance makers showed voice-controlled devices, and Samsung is building its Bixby voice assistant into TVs, alleviating the need for a remote.  Smart voice-controlled devices are even invading the bathroom.  Moen showed a smart shower than you can control through an Amazon Echo before you step in. Delta has a voice controlled faucet that lets you adjust temperature and quantity without having to touch anything. Kohler showed off its Numi intelligent toilet that lets you flush or adjust the temperature of the seat or the “warm water cleansing.” And you can enhance the sound of your bathroom experience through Alexa-powered music.

One feel-good product is My Special Aflac Duck robot based on the insurance company’s famous mascot. It looks like a stuffed animal, but it’s also stuffed with sophisticated electronics that allow it to mimic the child’s mood.  Unlike most toy robots shown at CES, you can’t buy it. It’s just for kids with cancer and is distributed through health care facilities. The duck can even get its own emulated chemotherapy as a way of sharing the child’s experience. A child can touch a card with an emoticon to the duck’s chest to have that duck express whatever the child is feeling. A lot of CES products are wacky but this one is “quacky.”

Not all products shown at CES make it to the marketplace, others fail within a short time and some are just concepts. Just about every car maker shows off concept cars that are years, if ever, away from being built. Intel showed off its Volocopter, an electric flying drone that could someday transport passengers across town.

Voice control is coming to the car. Automakers will build it into new vehicles, and there will be lots of aftermarket products to enable you to use your voice to control your car’s audio and information system.  When I heard about products that bring Alexa to the car, I thought they’d be expensive, but San Jose-based Speak Music has a product for $69 and Anker has one for $49 that allow you to use Amazon’s Alexa with most car audio systems. The Anker Roav Viva is billed as “the world’s first Alexa enabled car charger.” It’s a single unit (no wires) that plugs into the car’s power connector. There are two USB ports plus the Alexa controller that you pair with your iPhone or Android. You can then use your voice to play music through Amazon Music, Pandora and iHeart Radio as well as podcasts, audio books and radio and some TV stations via Tune-In. I used it to turn on my porch light and make sure my garage door was closed. You can also use it to make phone calls and get directions via Google Voice more easily than using Google Assistant. Even though my power adapter is relatively far from the driver’s seat, it easily picked up my voice through its two built-in microphones.

The Muse product also connects to your power adapter and comes with a USB outlet, but there’s a small mic connected by wire that you attach to your dash. Its functions are similar to the Anker device except you can’t currently use it to make calls or control Google Maps, though you can make calls and use Google Maps the usual way while Muse is running in the background. One plus for the Muse product is that it has a 3.5 mm plug that goes into the auxiliary port of car stereos that don’t have Bluetooth and turns those systems into speaker phones. Neither device currently works with Spotify but both companies say that’s coming soon.

As impressive as all this technology may be, much of it requires electricity, which turned out to be a big problem when the power went out in parts of the Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon.

As I was driving down Las Vegas Boulevard last night I asked Alexa to play Elvis Presley and seconds later the King was crooning in my car, just as he did thousands of times on that very same strip during his lifetime. I then asked to hear KCBS News from San Francisco and that local news station started playing through my car speakers. Seconds later I changed the channel to MSNBC (audio only) from TuneIn and then, using my voice, I asked Alexa for driving directions to my hotel.  Finally, I called my wife — again using my voice — by simply saying “Alexa, call home.”

Read the full post at Forbes.com

Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 all-in-one PC

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

There was a time when nearly every PC was a desktop and only “road warriors” spent the extra money to buy a laptop. Now, laptops outsell desktops, and a lot of people use them at home, at the office and on the road. They’ve become so ubiquitous that I often hear people refer to “laptop” as a generic name for a personal computer.

But there are still plenty of desktop PCs on the market as well as people, including me, who prefer using a desktop PC whenever possible. Of course, I travel a lot so I have a desktop and a laptop, and thanks to cloud storage systems (I use Dropbox but others include Google Docs, Microsoft OneDrive and Apple iCloud), I’m able to keep them synchronized.

Until recently I was using a Mac Mini attached to two monitors, giving me plenty of desktop real estate for all my programs. Whatever I am working on would be right in front of me while other windows — perhaps web pages — would be off to the side so I could refer to them as needed. The Mini worked great, but now I’m using a Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 all-in-one PC whose built-in 27-inch screen offers so much real estate that I don’t even need a second screen. Nevertheless, because I had an extra screen, I hooked it up anyway, making my desk look a little like the deck of the Starship Enterprise.

All-in-one PCs are machines whose monitors and other components (other than mouse and keyboard) are built into a single chassis. They’re generally more energy efficient than standard desktop machines because they only require a single power supply. They also take up less space in your office. At first, I found the 27-inch screen a bit overwhelming — if you don’t count peripheral vision, it takes up nearly my entire field of view. But, after a few days I got used to it. I can see my entire Microsoft Word window on the left side of my screen and an entire web page on the right. My only complaint about this model is that the bottom of the lowest portion of the screen’s glass can be no less than 4½ inches above the desktop. I can mitigate this by tilting the screen downward, but I would prefer having it lower. Other solutions include a lower desk, a higher chair or adding a pillow.

I also like that this is a touch screen. I find it handy to be able to use my hand on the screen to scroll through webpages or touch icons to issue commands. I’ve also come to appreciate the touch screen on my laptop, which is available on Windows machines but not on any Mac.

Lenovo is one of several companies that offer all-in-one machines, along with HP, Dell and Apple among others. The IdeaCentre AIO 520 comes in three configurations, starting at $989.99 for a model with 8 GB of memory and a terabyte hard drive. $1,214 buys you one with 16 GB of memory and a two-terabyte drive. Both drives include a 16 GB “SSD Optane,” which is basically a cache or hybrid that significantly speeds up disk access over a traditional hard drive. The less expensive model comes with a 7th Generation Intel Core i5 processor. The higher-end one comes with a faster Core i7 processor.

Get tech news in your inbox weekday mornings. Sign up for the free Good Morning Silicon Valley newsletter.

HP offers several all-in-one machines starting at just under $400 for one with a 20-inch non-touch display, but HP has higher-end models with larger screens and plenty of memory and storage. If money and desk space are no obstacle, the HP ENVY Curved All-in-One is an impressive looking machine with its curved 34-inch display, 16 GB of memory, 2 terabyte hard drive and — for extra speed — a 256 GB SSD.

HP recently released an even more impressive EliteOne 1000 series of business-oriented all-in-ones that feature optional screens including a 23.8-inch non-touch display, a 27-inch touch and a 34-inch curved touch screen. The design allows you to add screens or swap them out if your needs change. Prices range from $1,259 for the non-touch 23.8-inch model to $2,681 for the one with the curved 34-inch screen.

Before buying any machine, I suggest shopping around. Costco and Best Buy usually have a good selection of all-in-one machines, often starting at prices below those reviewed in today’s column. When shopping, consider screen size, whether it’s touch or non-touch and storage. Faster processors and memory above 8 GB are usually not that important unless you’re using the machine for heavy graphic or video editing or plan to run multiple applications at a time.

USB-C Travel Dock from Other World Computing

Sometimes little things can make a big difference.  When I was at CES this year I had a problem. HP had loaned me a very cool (and small) EliteBook 1020 that only has two USB C ports and no “standard” USB A ports. That’s still twice the number of ports as an Apple MacBook but not enough for me at CES when I needed one of those USB ports for my power supply, another for my USB microphone and a third for an ethernet adapter.

During my podcast interviews at Showstoppers during CES I had to run on battery power because of a shortage of ports but, fortunately, one of my interviews was with Larry O’Connor, the CEO of Other World Computing who happened to have the OWC USB Travel Dock with him. The $49.88 3.4 ounce dock punches way beyond its weight.

This little device plugged into one of my two USB C ports and gave me an additional USB C port, two USB A ports, an HDMI port (for video) and an SD slot, which is handy if you have a digital camera or other device that users SD cards.

Other World Computing CEO Larry O’Connor

What’s cool about this is that you can plug your regular USB C charger into the device and it will provide up to 60 watts of  power for your laptop and all your USB peripherals, which is important with some devices like portable drives that require more power than typically comes from a laptop’s USB

The company says that in addition to USB Type-C connectivity, the OWC USB-C Travel Dock is also fully compatible with Thunderbolt 3 equipped Macs and PCs, and may be connected directly through a Thunderbolt 3 port on a computer or Thunderbolt 3 device.

To learn more, listen to this freewheeling interview with Other World Computing CEO Larry O’Connor from the noisy Showstoppers event at CES.

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

by Larry Magid

Sunday is “Data Privacy Day,” when a host of companies, nonprofits and government agencies remind people to take steps to protect their privacy. The event is sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)

Alliance executive director Russell Schrader said in a recent interview that “everyday should be Data Privacy Day,” and I agree. We need to think about our privacy regularly. Still, it’s a good time for industry and the government to concentrate on policies, procedures and their enforcement, and for the rest of us to focus on our personal privacy. On a similar note, Feb. 6 is “Safer Internet Day,” which is hosted by my nonprofit, ConnectSafely.org. We’ll be holding an event that day for middle and high school students in Austin, Texas, that will be live-streamed at SaferInternetDay.us/livestream.

Click below to listen to Larry Magid’s 3 minute conversation about data privacy with National Cyber Security Alliance Executive Director Russell Schrader

When I asked Schrader to share his top privacy tips, his answers seemed like a primer for security, which makes sense because privacy and security go hand-in-hand. “Always update your software,” was his main advice. “There are bugs that are constantly being fixed behind the scenes,” he said, “but they don’t do any good unless you install them.”

I agree, even though there are occasional updates that backfire, such as Intel’s much maligned “fix” to the recently disclosed security flaw in its processors. After rolling out the patches, Intel recommended that “OEMs, cloud service providers, system manufacturers, software vendors and end users stop deployment of current versions, as they may introduce higher than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behavior.”  The company is working on another fix, which hopefully won’t cause machines to spontaneously reboot.

Despite this unfortunate situation with Intel, I continue to make sure my devices are updated with the latest versions of operating systems, browsers and other essential software because the risk of a bad fix is significantly lower than the risk from not applying these security updates.

Schrader’s second tip is to beef up your passwords. He recommends a “pass phrase” rather than simply a password. Such a phrase should be relatively long – perhaps 20 characters or so and consist of seemingly random words strung together along with numbers, symbols and upper and lower case letters. Think of something that you can remember but others couldn’t guess such as YellowChocolate#56CadillacFi$h.

Don’t use the same phrase for every service. They can be similar but slightly different by adding a word or letters that will remind you of the service associated with this particular variant of your pass phrase. Another trick is to come up with a phrase and use the first letter of each word such as I met my friend Sally Smith at a dance party at Lincoln High School in 1988.  That would be “ImmfSSaadpaLHSi#1988,” which is both long and meaningless.

Schrader also advises people to “think before you share to own your online presence, and always be aware of what you’re posting.” He compares personal information to money: “you should value it, and you should protect it.”

I’ve also seen people post publicly on Facebook or Twitter when they meant to send a private message. Both services allow for private messaging, but you had better learn how to do it so it’s really private.

Another thing I’ve experienced is accidentally forwarding emails to the wrong person or having private information as part of a thread of a message that eventually gets shared with others. A number of years ago I got a slightly unpleasant email from an editor, which I forwarded to my wife with a comment but instead of hitting forward, I hit reply. Remarkably, my career at that newspaper didn’t end that day, but it could have.

There are tools we can use to protect our privacy and security, but we need to know their limits. Most browsers have a private or “incognito” mode which prevents the browser from keeping a history of what you do, but that doesn’t prevent the servers you interact with from recording your activities.

A virtual private network such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN can make your computer look as though it’s located in another city or country through a secure connection. VPNs go a long way toward protecting your privacy and security, but if your machine is infected with a keylogger, that data can still be captured. VPNs can sometimes affect performance, although my recent experience with ExpressVPN has been pretty good as long as I route my communications through a city in the U.S. When I routed through Europe, it got noticeably slower.

While some aspects of our privacy are under our direct control, some aren’t, which is why it’s important to try to deal only with reputable companies, know their privacy policies and hold them accountable. There are also privacy policy issues that individuals can weigh-in on but not control such as Congress’ recent act that gives internet service providers more rights to use our data. To influence those important privacy policy issues, we need to be vigilant and make our voices heard.

A coalition of organizations, led by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, have issued an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to “discontinue Messenger Kids, Facebook’s first social media app designed specifically for children under the age of 13.” They say that “younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts” and cite “mounting concern about how social media use affects adolescents’ wellbeing.” MORE

I disagree.

Read the full post at Forbes.com

by Larry Magid

Tuesday, February 6th is Safer Internet Day. The big U.S. celebration will be in Austin, but you don’t have to come to Texas to participate. It will be live streamed starting at 11:30 AM eastern. This year’s theme is  “Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you.” FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will be the keynote speaker.

Safer Internet Day started in 2004 as an initiative of the European Union. It gained official recognition in the U.S. in late 2012, with a joint agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the European Commission to work together to build a better internet for youth. ConnectSafely.org, the nonprofit internet safety group where I serve as CEO, was asked to become the U.S. host.

As we say on our SaferInternetDay.us website, “Safer Internet Day aims to not only create a safer internet but also a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.” It’s an important reminder of how the internet can empower individuals and communities to improve their lives and make the world a better place.

Although aimed primarily at youth, Safer Internet Day is a good time for all internet users to think about how they create, connect and share respect. You don’t have to be an artist, musician or a poet to create online. In the world of social media, we’re all creators, even if our contribution is as simple as sharing recipes, our thoughts on world events or an occasional photo. Even commenting on other people’s posts is a form of creativity.

Of course we do want people to be safe, which includes making sure your devices are secure with unique and hard-to-guess passwords or biometric security such as fingerprints and facial recognition backed up with secure passwords. I also recommend using two-factor authentication, so before anyone can log into your accounts on a new device, they must enter a code that’s sent to a smartphone or other device. Facebook, Google, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft and most other online companies offer this feature. You’ll find links to instructions at ConnectSafely.org/TwoFactor.

Safety also includes thinking before you post or respond to other people’s posts. We don’t tell people not to interact with strangers. Getting to know people is one of the great benefits of the internet. But we do advise that you be extremely cautious until you’ve met people in the real world and have good reason to trust them. Online, kids and adults can be victimized by seemingly wonderful people who are not who they claim to be. This is especially true when it comes to romantic encounters or financial offers. Anyone or anything that seems “too good to be true,” probably is. And it’s not just kids who need this advice. After years of focusing on kids safety, ConnectSafely last year published The Senior’s Guide to Online Safety (connectsafely.org/seniors) for seniors and those who care for them.

Getting back to this year’s Safer Internet Day theme, it’s also important to “share respect,” in the way you treat yourself and others online. This not only includes avoiding bullying and harassment, but also being kind and respectful even to those who don’t share your views. Being mean online is a little like road rage — the disinhibition we experience when surrounded by thousands of pounds of steel and glass. I’m reminded of a time when I accidentally cut someone off as I was pulling into a parking lot. He expressed his extreme anger through facial expressions and hand gestures until I rolled down the window to apologize. Once that human interaction was established his expression softened and his hand gesture switched to a friendly wave.

Of course, online threats have changed since Safer Internet Day was established. Some of those rude online comments aren’t even from fellow social media users. They could be from bots designed to stir up trouble or professional trolls paid to divide people. And, as the New York Times pointed out last Sunday, they could be impersonators, falsely representing themselves as celebrities, politicians or just regular folks such as Minnesota teenager Jessica Rychly whose photograph and bio were reportedly used on a fake Twitter account that wound up “hawking Canadian real estate investments, cryptocurrency and a radio station in Ghana.”

There are sometimes tell-tale signs of bots such as slight changes in spelling of a name, accounts that follow thousands of people yet have few of their own followers or accounts with an excessive number of posts or tweets, but these subtle clues can be difficult to discern.

There’s also the risk of an account being hijacked, which is sometimes detectable through posts or tweets that seem out-of-the-ordinary for that person. Twitter and Facebook often assign small blue verification badges to celebrities, journalists, politicians and other public figures as well as organizations and brands to indicate that their identities have been verified.

When it comes to children, parents remain the best internet safety resource available, and you don’t need to be tech savvy to help your kids protect themselves. Start with conversations — not lectures — and ask your kids what they do online and how they protect themselves. Ask them about the apps they use, but don’t make it seem like an FBI investigation. Know that keeping safe is less about specific apps and technology and more about best practices across all apps such as being careful what you share, being nice to others and knowing how to configure your privacy settings, block unwanted people and report abuse.

There’s nothing magical about this coming Tuesday, but because it’s Safer Internet Day, it’s as good a time as any to sit down with your kids, your partner, your colleagues or just your friends to talk about how you can help make the internet safer for yourself and those you care about and better for everyone

Call it a hoax, an urban myth or even fake news, but Facebook has not changed its algorithm to limit your news feed to only 26 friends despite what you may have seen from friends on Facebook. The reason you may have seen this is because someone posted this fake information and others have shared it, copied and pasted it and spread it so that it’s now viral.

Read the full post on Forbes.com

If you subscribe to a cable or satellite package that includes NBC (just about all do) then you can log into NBC Olympics and watch for free. The site will provide some free coverage for anyone, but it’s limited. Here is NBC’s FAQ about what you need to know to watch the Olympics on its site. And here’s the full schedule.

But even if you’re a cord cutter there are reasonably inexpensive ways to watch the Olympics online through a number of pay services. Click these articles below to find out about such options as Sling TV and Direct TV Now, Hulu and other services that are streaming the Olympics. Some of these services offer free trials so, in theory, you could sign up, watch till the free trial ends and then cancel. But if you’re going to do this, be sure to cancel on time or you will be billed. Perhaps a more “honest” approach would be to just sign up for a single month.

Using a VPN to pretend you’re in another country

Another option is to sign up for a VPN service that will let you access sites in other countries that are restricted to people in that country. For example, I have an ExpressVPN subscription that lets me pretend I’m in the UK or several other countries. With it, I was able to access the BBC’s TVPlayer.com which has some free content and other content for about 6 British pounds for a montly subscription with a two-week free trial.

More advice:

How to watch the Winter Olympics without cable, for about $30 (USA Today)

Wired on how to watch online

How to Watch the Winter Olympics If You Don’t Have Cable (Slate)

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

I recently wrote a positive review about a  $1,214 Lenovo All-in-One PC with 16 GB of memory and a 2 TB drive. But, at the end of the column, I advised readers, “Before buying any machine, I suggest shopping around. Costco and Best Buy usually have a good selection of all-in-one machines, often starting at prices below those reviewed in today’s column.”

Well, after I finished reviewing that loaner machine, I took my own advice and went to Costco where I wound up spending $699 for an HP Pavilion 24-b227c All-in-One 24-inch touch-screen PC. That particular deal might no longer be available, and similar deals are available locally and online.

On paper, the PC I wound up buying is a major downgrade from the one I reviewed. It has an older, slower processor, a smaller touch-screen (24 inches vs. 27 inches), less storage (1 TB vs. 2 TB) and a little less memory (12 GB vs. 16 GB). But none of that matters because the screen is big enough, the memory is more than adequate, and I don’t have data or software to fill even a 1 TB drive. And if I need more storage, I can buy a 2 TB external USB for about $70. It’s also possible to upgrade to 16 GB of memory for under $50.

My machine’s Intel Core i5 processor is more than adequate for anyone who isn’t doing a lot of intense applications such as computer-aided design or extensive video editing. But if I ever do need a faster processor, such as the i7 CPU in that Lenovo machine, that can be installed as an upgrade.

I prefer the 24-inch screen to the larger 27-inch screen on the more expensive PC. That bigger screen was a bit overwhelming, and I have an external monitor plugged into the PC’s HDMI port that gives me plenty of “screen real estate.” I know it uses more electricity, but I prefer having those extra pages on a separate screen, slightly out of my line of sight.

I’m not suggesting that everyone looking for a new PC follow my lead. First, not everyone needs an all-in-one machine. If you’re replacing an existing desktop, it’s going to be cheaper to buy a new “tower” PC and keep your existing monitor. And, if you’re only going to have one PC, it makes sense to consider a laptop. They’re more versatile, they’re more energy efficient, and you can use them anywhere.

Typically, a laptop is more expensive than a desktop PC, but not by much. And even if you prefer a big external keyboard, a mouse and even a large monitor, you can hook those up to nearly any laptop.

Another key factor is operating system. There are many people who prefer Macs, which may or may not be more expensive than similarly equipped Windows PC, depending on the model. At various times over the past 30 years, I’ve been in and out of the Macintosh camp. I fell in love with it early on and used only Macs for years until I switched to a Windows desktop and laptop. Then, about five years ago, my Windows laptop broke and I bought a MacBook Air which, at the time, was undeniably the best lightweight laptop on the market. I then replaced my Windows desktop with a Mac mini, which I enjoyed for years. But time marches on and so does competition.

During the past couple of years, Microsoft and its hardware partners have gotten their act together. HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus and even Microsoft now have some amazing new machines. Windows 10 is easier to use and more reliable than Windows 8, and some of the new laptops are sleeker, lighter and better built than various Apple offerings and are often less expensive.

Apple still doesn’t have touch-screen machines, unless you count that “touch bar,” which is basically a single row of reprogrammable function keys below the screen on MacBook Pros that start at $1,800.

Having said that, I still recommend Macs to a lot of people, especially those who are looking for something simple and reliable and who want to be able to take advantage of the free Genius Bar at Apple stores. Though, if you happen to live near a Microsoft Store, you can get similar free services and advice for Windows PCs, even if they’re not from Microsoft.

Another option is to forgo buying a new PC and see if you can squeeze more life out of the one you have, assuming it has enough memory and storage. If your PC is slower than it was when you bought it, the issues are with your data, operating system and software that can probably be fixed by backing up your system, reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling everything. I’ve done it many times, and it always speeds things up and solves problems. If you don’t know what you’re doing, get free help or advice either from a Microsoft or Apple store or other qualified expert. Even if you have to pay for help, it will be cheaper than a new machine. If storage is an issue, consider buying an external drive and moving the files you don’t use often to free up space.

Google announced that it is rolling out a feature for its Chrome browser that will block ads that are really really annoying. They won’t block all ads – that would be self-defeating for a company that makes its money on ads — but the type that really annoy users, causing many to install far software that tries to block all advertising. Among these are my least favorite ads, those that start playing audio automatically. Scroll down for a Google video that explains what they are doing.

Google is going with guidelines from the Coalition for Better Ads, which published its own list of annoyances including the following that were identified by user surveys:

Ad Density Higher Than 30%

When ads on a mobile page take up more than 30% of the vertical height of the main content portion of the page, the result is a disruptive ad experience, regardless of whether these ads are text, video, or static images. This includes “sticky” ads and in-line ads. This kind of density makes it very difficult to focus on text content on a mobile device, and can lead to frustrated users.

Flashing Animated Ads

Ads that animate and “flash” with rapidly changing background and colors are highly aggravating for consumers, and serve to create a severe distraction for them as they attempt to read the content on a given page.

Postitial Ads with Countdown

Postitial ads with countdown timers appear after the user follows a link. These ads force the user to wait a number of seconds before they can dismiss the ad, or for the ad to close or redirect them to another page.

These ads frustrate users by breaking the flow of content in a manner that can prove distracting — if a user is trying to navigate from one page to another, only to be delayed by this ad, they might abandon the page entirely.

Full-screen Scrollover Ad

Full-Screen Scrollover ads force a user to scroll through an ad that appears on top of content. These ads take up more than 30% of the page and float on top of the page’s main content, obstructing it from view. The result can be disorienting for users, as it obscures the content a consumer is attempting to browse. These are different from similar ads that scroll in-line with the content and more smoothly scroll out of sight.

Large Sticky Ads

Large Sticky Ads stick to a side of a mobile page, regardless of a user’s efforts to scroll. As the user browses the page, this static, immobile sticky ad takes up more than 30% of the screen’s real estate.

A Large Sticky Ad has an impeding effect by continuing to obstruct a portion of the mobile page view regardless of where the user moves on the page. A Large Sticky Ad’s positioning disrupts and obscures a page’s main content — unavoidably leading to a negative user experience.

Auto-playing Video Ads with Sound

Auto-playing video ads with sound automatically play with sound, without any user interaction.

This ad experience is especially disruptive because it catches the reader off guard and often compels them to quickly close the window or tab in order to stop the sound — especially if they are on their mobile device and in a public place, where such noise can be a public nuisance and personal embarrassment.

Source: Coalition for Better Ads

The annual tax deadline is fast approaching. If you’re like most Americans, you need to file a return. You could hire a CPA or go to a tax preparation service such as H&R Block. You could even do it on paper, but for many taxpayers, it’s cheap and easy to use a tax preparation program, website or app.

For most filers, TurboTax.com, TaxAct.com and HRBlock.com provide the easiest and most economical ways to do taxes.

Returns for 2017 are covered by the old tax law, but next year’s filings will be based on recently enacted legislation, which could prompt some people to seek professional advice to deal with the changes.

For most filers, TurboTax.com, TaxAct.com and HRBlock.com provide the easiest and most economical ways to prepare your forms. I’ve used TurboTax for several years. It’s really well-done and easy to use. It walks you through all the questions, and it stores your information so you can access it from any device at any time. There are even mobile apps for iOS and Android, which allow you to complete your return from your phone or tablet. The app is free, but you pay when you file. H&R Block and TurboTax also offer software that you can purchase in a box or download. If I were filing only one return, I’d use the online service; however, the boxed software allows you to create additional returns for family members. For some families, it’s a cheaper option.

Whether you use an online service or boxed software, check whether it covers the cost of preparing both federal and state returns or whether there are additional fees to e-file either return. These vary by product.

Also, think about what level you need. TurboTax, for example, offers a basic version, a deluxe version and one for home and business for people who might have self-employment income.

Before you buy a suggested upgrade, make sure you need it. For example, I bought TurboTax Deluxe. When I told it I had rental property, it suggested I spend an extra $30 for TurboTax Premier. It would have provided more help, but the less expensive version still let me enter my rental income and expenses.

Some taxpayers will be able to file for free, especially if they have a simple return. According to its website, TurboTax’s free edition can be used by people who make less than $100,000, don’t own a home or rental property, didn’t sell investments, don’t own a business or have 1099-MISC income and don’t have any major medical expenses. The IRS has a “free-file” page that lists other services that allow some taxpayers to file for free.

I’m far from a big-time financial tycoon, but like many Americans, I have an investment portfolio which includes mutual funds that buy and sell securities throughout the year. These transactions (which are made by fund managers, not by me) create taxable events. Keeping track and entering them would be a nightmare if it weren’t for the software or app’s ability to import the data from the financial institution. Just give it the username and password of your financial account, and it takes care of the rest.

Whether you buy boxed software or do your taxes online, you can still file online, which means no last-minute trip to the post office. I’ve been known to file as late as 10 p.m. on deadline day, but I recommend you get yours in a little earlier, just in case there’s a glitch.

I also suggest you save and print a PDF of your return. I not only store that PDF on my computer and my cloud backup service, but I send it to a relative to hold on to for me, just in case something happens to my copies.

Security

Whatever type of product you use, you need to think about security. Make sure you have a strong, unique password for your accounts and any online backup service. Be sure to keep a “clean machine” with the latest versions of your operating system, browser and — of course — your tax software. Use anti-virus software to be sure there are no keyloggers or other malicious software to steal your information, and never use public Wi-Fi for highly confidential transactions. If I must do my taxes or banking when in public, I tether my laptop to my smartphone and use my own cellular data plan, which is much more secure than a public Wi-Fi network. Even if you pay for data, you probably won’t use much for things such as banking and tax preparation, so it’s well worth it for extra security.

Facebook has expanded its crisis center to include information and help offers from businesses and organizations. Read the full post at Forbes.com.

The 37-page indictment (read or download PDF) from the Justice Department alleges that defendants and co-conspirators purchased space on U.S. computer servers and, says CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid, hid their Russian identity and location by accessing those servers using virtual private networks that made them appear as if they were in the US.

The allegation is is section 39 of the indictment that appears at the bottom of page 15 (see below)

CNET’s Maggie Reardon points out that Verizon is, once again, selling locked phones just like its competitors. And that means that a phone you buy from one carrier might not work on another carrier’s network. But, as she points out, you can still purchase unlocked phones that can usually be easily switched between carriers or used overseas by purchasing a local SIM card.  Still, there are exceptions, which is why it’s important to read her post before buying any unlocked phone.

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

I recently reviewed a couple of all-in-one computers, and though I had good things to say about them, they both had a problem that plagues almost all PCs with hard drives. They were slow to start and restart. And by slow, I mean it could take as much as five minutes before the machines were ready. One of those machines was a 24-inch Hewlett Packard Pavilion that I bought at Costco for $699. But after upgrading it with a solid-state drive, it boots in less than 12 seconds.

The machine came with a 1 TB hard drive, but this week I replaced that drive with a 1 TB MX500 2.5-inch SSD from Micron Technology’s Crucial.com. That 1 TB model sells for $260, but you can buy a 500 GB SSD for $135 or a 256 GB version for $80. I was impressed by Crucial’s free phone support. I had a question and got through immediately to a knowledgeable and helpful person in Idaho. That was a pleasant surprise, considering how bad many companies are with tech support.

An SSD is faster than a hard drive because it has no moving parts. A hard drive consists of magnetically encoded platters with arms attached to read/write heads that travel across the platter to the needed location. The heads must arrive at the proper spot before they can read or write data.

An SSD is non-volatile memory like smart-phone storage. There are no moving parts, but there is a processor that helps the PC instantly access that memory. Bottom line, it’s not only faster but quieter, more energy efficient and less likely to fail, especially if the machine is dropped or jostled.

Many laptops today come with SSDs, which is a good thing in the event they are dropped or banged around. Last year I dropped an SSD-equipped MacBook Air. Upon inspection, the screen was fine, the case only slightly bent and the drive – as I expected – was still operational. A hard drive might not have survived such a fall.

The Crucial SSD drives are marketed for self-install, and it’s basically a three-step process. First, you connect the new drive to your PC via a SATA to USB cable (not included but available online or at electronics store for about $7). Then you download and run the free copy of the Acronis True Image cloning software to make an exact copy of your current hard drive. Then you take apart the machine, remove the old hard drive and install the new SSD.

I found the cloning process to be fast and easy. If the computer had been a standard desktop PC, I would have installed the drive myself, but it’s an all-in-one so I was nervous about having to take it apart and possibly needing to pry off the back.

Get tech news in your inbox weekday mornings. Sign up for the free Good Morning Silicon Valley newsletter.

I took it to my local Microsoft Store that charges $49 for hardware installation or does it for free for those who pay $149 a year for Assure support service. I’m glad I did. Even the technician found it challenging to take the machine apart. I needed to track down instructions on the HP website, and, even then, he had to use a special screwdriver that I don’t own. Another wrinkle was that he needed an adapter to place a 2.5-inch drive in a case designed for one that is 3.5 inches. That only cost me $6, but required a trip to Fry’s Electronics.

Most desktops and some laptops are easy to take apart and others aren’t, so it pays to check around – including on YouTube – to see how your machine comes apart.

The SSD upgrade was worth it. Once the machine was back together it worked perfectly. The cloning process put all my software, settings and data exactly where they had been on the old drive so there’s no need for any additional configuring. The machine is quieter, and not only does it boot faster, it’s faster to launch applications and to save and load data and copy files. Crucial provides software that uses some of your system memory to make the drive even faster, but it’s fast enough without that software.

Some Macs can be upgraded with SSDs but — as with any machine — check first. Not all machines can be upgraded.

Even if you don’t want to spend $260 for a 1 TB drive, you can get a lower-capacity drive such as that $80 256 GB model that’s likely big enough for the operating system, all your software and all the data you need for current projects. You can store the rest of your data on an external USB drive. You might even by able to use the hard drive you pulled from your machine by spending as little as $20 for an enclosure and power supply that lets you use it as an external USB drive.

When it comes to a PC upgrade, an SSD is probably the best investment you can make assuming your machine has at least 8 GB of memory — the minimum I recommend for modern PCs. But before you do any hardware upgrades or replace your PC, make sure that you’ve done all you can to speed up your machine. Make sure your machine isn’t wasting time and memory by loading unnecessary programs during start-up. Both Macs and PCs let you control which apps load automatically, but if you’re not experienced with this, seek expert advice to make sure you’re only eliminating non-essential programs. You might benefit from a “tune-up” utility such as Iolo System Mechanic (search for PC Mag’s “Best Tune-Up Utilities of 2018“).

Use Microsoft utilities to optimize your PC’s hard drive (that’s rarely needed on a Mac). If the machine is really slow or buggy, it sometimes pays to completely restore it to factory settings. You have to reinstall your software and restore your data from a backup, but you may notice a remarkable improvement in performance and reliability. Good sources of help and advice — in many cases for free — are Microsoft store’s Answer Desk and the Apple store’s Genius Bar.

Like many, I have been deeply moved by the actions of student survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shootings on Valentine’s Day.  These teens – some who lost friends and teachers – have been courageous, articulate and passionate in turning their grief into action – demanding that our leaders do everything possible to prevent more tragedies like the one they experienced.

As CEO of ConnectSafely, I’ve been struggling to find ways to support these students and make a connection between the gun safety issues they’re fighting over and the internet and connected technology safety issues that ConnectSafely works on. The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is a connection between the two.

Hugs and picket signs

Obviously, our mission to protect children and teens online does extend to their offline presence as well because there is no real dividing line between online and off, especially for youth. But it goes deeper than that because we have long argued that media literacy and critical thinking are essential to online safety and that student engagement and activism along with supportive adults, are the keys to creating a safe environment in school. And that’s exactly what these students are demonstrating.

These kids are supporting each other not just with hugs but also with picket signs and social activism.  That emotional support they offer to each other is critically important, but soothing words and hugs can’t prevent further attacks. For that we need the types of policy changes that they are demanding in Washington, their own state capitol and other centers of power throughout the country. And it’s starting to pay off. Although not going nearly as far as many students would like, Florida Governor Rick Scott has just called for minimal reforms, such as banning weapon sales to people under 21, clearly in response to the student demands. A lot more should and can done to keep weapons of war from our schools and streets in all 50 states, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Media literacy

As I mentioned, media literacy is an important part of both physical and online safety and we’ve seen incredible media literacy on the part of these youth – not only in their resistance to fake media and their response to vicious and fallacious online attacks, but in the way they have used media to promote their cause. Many of these young people who have grown up making and being in videos posted in social media, are showing that these same skills can be applied to mainstream media as well. The poise, articulation and emotional impact of their TV appearances has been breathtaking. They are already starting to take full advantage of online tools to organize and raise funds for their March for Our Lives rallies on March 24th.

ConnectSafely works on cyberbullying issues and all types of bullying play a role in school violence, especially in terms of contributing to the alienation that might lead a person to commit a violent crime. But student led and staff led antibullying programs can also help create a culture of kindness and respect at schools. That culture can’t stop a bullet once it’s fired, but it can protect students in many other ways.

Social media and this great generation

The actions of these young people are also further evidence against those claims that smart phones and social media has “destroyed” a generation, as claimed by psychology professor Jean M. Twenge in The Atlantic. Twenge argues that “Across a range of behaviors—drinking, dating, spending time unsupervised— 18-year-olds now act more like 15-year-olds used to, and 15-year-olds more like 13-year-olds. Childhood now stretches well into high school,” implying that less drinking, dating and driving are somehow a bad thing. But what we are seeing from these Florida students is quite the opposite of childhood stretching well into high school. Instead we’re seeing impressive and mature behavior beyond that of most actual adults.

I not only applaud these young people, I want to stand beside them and support them in anyway possible.

In the words of Bob Dylan,

Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call. Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the hall. For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled. There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’ It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin’

Larry’s recent posts

Teens and Social Media: It’s a mixed bag

Facebook  beefs up safety staff

This post first appeared in the San Jose Mercury News

The recent school shooting in Florida and the example of the remarkable teens who are responding through activism have caused me to revisit an Atlantic article from September 2017 by San Diego state psychology professor Jean Twenge, whose title asks “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The article went on to pretty much say “yes.” Facebook

Twenge said that “around 2012, I noticed abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states.” She claims that social media is having a profoundly negative effect on today’s teens. She said that they are less independent, less mature and less likely to date. She also said they’re less likely to engage in sexual activity, drive and drink alcohol. “Across a range of behaviors — drinking, dating, spending time unsupervised — 18-year-olds now act more like 15-year-olds used to, and 15-year-olds more like 13-year-olds. Childhood now stretches well into high school.” Twenge, who has written extensively on the differences among generations, was writing about the so-called “iGen,” kids born between 1995 and 2012.

One of the things that puzzled me about her 2017 article was that, in 2015, she wrote in the same magazine, in article titled “Young People Are Happier Than They Used to Be, a nearly opposite opinion. “In the last five years, the once-reliable correlation between age and happiness among adults has vanished. Adults 30 and over are less happy than they used to be, while, teens and young adults are happier; in fact, adults over 30 are no longer happier than their younger counterparts. It seems that mature adults’ happiness has waned, while young people’s happiness has flourished.”

I was so bewildered by the change, that I asked her to explain the shift that took only two years. She said, “Yes, teen happiness did change that quickly. It was still high, though leveling off.” She added that “it’s possible that teens want to think of themselves as happy — after all, that’s how they are supposed to look on social media — even if they are struggling with depression and anxiety.”

As you might expect, there’s been quite a bit of pushback against Twenge’s observations. NetFamilyNews blogger Anne Collier summarized comments by a number of prominent researchers including Stetson University psychology professor Christopher Ferguson who pointed out that “time spent online is a poor predictor of mental health functioning. Problems come when some individuals use social media to negatively compare themselves to others. For people who engage in authentic self-presentation, time spent online is associated with improved mental health.”

Collier also cited a tweet by London School of Economics psychology professor and researcher Sonia Livingstone who found “Lots of interesting data here but too little analysis of multiple factors underlying social change.”

Vicky Rideout, founder of VJR Consulting, which specializes in research on youth and media, wrote on the London School of Economics digital parenting blog that “Twenge is right to be concerned about the mental health of adolescents.  Depression and suicide among young people have increased notably … But the suggestion that getting teens to put down their phones would have a meaningful effect on this mental health challenge is overly simplistic; indeed, it could serve as a dangerous distraction from the hard work that needs to happen in adolescent mental health.”  In other words, correlation isn’t the same as causation. There are multiple factors that affect mental health, besides social media.

Even though the Twenge article and reaction is months old, I’m bringing it up now for two reasons. One is because there is increasing conversation about the negative effects of social media in the wake of proof about Russia’s campaign to use social media to influence U.S. voters. The other is because of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida.

The shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was a social media user with some alarming posts on Instagram that telegraphed his fascination with guns and dead animals, according to news reports. But the fact that he demonstrated his angst on Instagram says nothing about the cause of his mental condition. While Instagram may have been one of the messengers of his mental state, there is no evidence that it was one of the causes. There is plenty of other evidence, unrelated to his social media use, that depicts him as a very disturbed young man.

But there are problems associated with technology including smartphones and social media. Like any technology, these devices and services have unintended consequences and are subject to abuse and misuse.  We need to study that, and the industry needs to think about how it can improve while the rest of us ponder our own use and potential policy changes. I’m not going to claim that, in all ways, “the kids are alright,” or that kids from an affluent community in Florida necessarily reflect their entire generation. But I have plenty of reason for optimism.

Just last month, my nonprofit, ConnectSafely.org hosted the U.S. Safer Internet Day event in Austin, attended by hundreds of middle and high school students from a variety of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. They demonstrated an amazing amount of thought, discipline and compassion regarding the use of connected technology.  The students in Florida, the kids at our event in Texas and others I interact with in my family, community and schools give me a great deal of hope and confidence.

Larry Magid is CEO of ConnectSafely.org, a nonprofit internet safety organization that receives financial support from tech companies including Facebook, Twitter and Snaphcat.