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What you own when your printer is on a subscription
Cancel the subscription and the cartridge stops working, ink and all. HP writes it down, and so do Brother, Canon and Epson. What the contracts say, and how to leave without a dead printer.
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Explainers and how-tos that stay useful long after the news moves on.
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Do you need antivirus on a Mac?
macOS already runs three layers of protection for free. What XProtect and Gatekeeper cover, the one rule that does more than any scanner, and who should still install something.
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Your library card is a subscription you already pay for
Free audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines on the phone already in your pocket. No card? You can probably fix that today without leaving home.
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Before you price hearing aids, take the test that came with your earbuds
AirPods Pro carry an FDA-authorized over-the-counter hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss, plus a free hearing test. What it does, what it does not do, and what Medicare covers.
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Do you need antivirus, or is Windows Defender enough?
Windows Defender is free, already on, and tests level with paid antivirus for most people. What the labs found, who should still pay, and how to cancel McAfee or get a Norton renewal refunded.
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Can somebody steal a passkey?
New research says malware can reach Google's synced passkeys on Windows. Here is what has to go wrong first, and why a clean computer is the whole defense.
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Five shortcuts I wish somebody had told me about
Five small things your phone and computer have always done. I learned most of them late, and I use every one of them almost daily.
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Your doctor wants to record the visit with AI. Here is what to ask before you say yes.
Your clinic will tell you the tool is HIPAA compliant. That doesn't actually mean much. Four questions to ask before you agree, and what to do if you would rather not.
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Your phone says storage is almost full. Don't delete anything yet.
The standard advice is to delete some photos. On the wrong phone, that advice destroys the only copy. Answer one question first.
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The AI boom is showing up on price tags
AI data centers are buying up the memory chips that go into every phone, laptop, and game console. The bill has reached store shelves. The cheapest devices are taking the biggest hit. Here is a real answer on whether to buy now or wait.
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The school laptop is a work computer. Here's what it does and doesn't monitor.
Every adult knows how to behave on a work laptop. Your child was handed one at school and nobody explained the distinction. Here is what the school district can see, and what to check before you sign the packet.
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Check Your Router's Expiration Date. No Manufacturer Is Required to Tell You It Has One.
Washington spent this month regulating where your router was manufactured. The far more dangerous question is how long anyone will keep patching it, and on that one you are entirely on your own.