Tech

indulgences into my geek side

  • Considerations before renaming your Microsoft Account

    Considerations before renaming your Microsoft Account

    For a while now, I’ve been waiting to rename my Microsoft Account.  The @live.com email address was feeling dated and I wanted my account to use the new @outlook.com name. I delayed, expecting this to require erasing my Windows Phone, but this is not actually the case. Sort of.

    Read more →

  • What I Use: 2013

    What I Use: 2013

    I get a lot of questions about the hardware and software I use and recommend, so I’ve decided to publish the list. Here’s the devices and services I use the most.

    Read more →

  • Open SkyDrive as a Desktop Folder in Windows RT

    Open SkyDrive as a Desktop Folder in Windows RT

    With limited storage capacity, it’s not surprising that RT tablets do not sync your cloud-stored files for offline access. Take my SkyDrive for example, which holds over 60 GB of my stuff. While Windows RT does provide a SkyDrive app for access, there are times when it would be useful to open this cloud storage […]

    Read more →

  • Pin Your Stuff All Over Windows

    Pin Your Stuff All Over Windows

    Today it occurred to me that the pin action has really taken off at Microsoft across all products and divisions.  Just like the physical version, pins are used to personalize and post your stuff in-place, wherever you want to place it.  Here’s just a few places you can find this metaphor in Windows, and how […]

    Read more →

  • Sync Unmoveable Folders to SkyDrive

    Sync Unmoveable Folders to SkyDrive

    I’ve shown you how to make SkyDrive the storage location for your Windows libraries, as well as sync your desktop and other shell folders to SkyDrive and your other PCs. But what if you have files that need to stay on another drive, or that can’t be moved to the SkyDrive folder?

    Read more →

  • Sync the Desktop across all your PCs with SkyDrive

    Sync the Desktop across all your PCs with SkyDrive

    If you’ve been following me here or on twitter, you know I’m a huge proponent of SkyDrive, the online storage space service from Microsoft. SkyDrive makes sharing files a breeze – whether it privately among your private personal computers and devices, discreetly with individuals and colleagues, or publically with the world. SkyDrive is a great […]

    Read more →

  • Visual Effects and Performance Options in Windows 8 and 10

    Visual Effects and Performance Options in Windows 8 and 10

    I’ve written before about the non-intuitive nature of visual effects in recent versions of Windows, where offloading the desktop rendering duties to the graphics card can result in considerable performance improvements.  While this is true for nearly any modern PC, including those with ‘integrated’ graphics cards, there are still steps one may take to enhance […]

    Read more →

  • Verizon Cripples Group Communication

    Verizon Cripples Group Communication

    Sorry Verizon, there’s no easy way to say this. For a communications company, you really suck at enabling your customers to communicate with their world.  In a day where real-time collaboration is a necessity, consumers expect a certain level of functionality. This includes the ability to communicate in text conversations with a group of colleagues.

    Read more →

  • First Impressions of Nokia Drive+Beta for Windows Phone 8

    First Impressions of Nokia Drive+Beta for Windows Phone 8

    The Nokia Drive app, previously exclusive to Nokia’s Lumia line of phones, is now available as a Beta to all Windows Phone 8 devices.  As a HTC 8X user, which does not include a free navigation app, I was excited to test such a highly rated app.

    Read more →

  • Remove Recycle Bin from the Desktop

    Remove Recycle Bin from the Desktop

    I do not suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, but I do display some OCD tendencies.  One of these is habitually emptying the Recycle Bin on my desktop — I just cannot stand to see those virtual papers in there (if only I took out the trash at home with as much fervor).

    Read more →