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Customers not as happy with iPhone as they were last year

More customers are satisfied with Apple's phones than any other handsets, but they're not as happy as they were last year, a new report said.

According to an American Customer Satisfaction Index report issued today, Apple received a score of 81 (on a scale of 100) in terms of customer satisfaction. But the company dropped 2 percent from its 2012 position, and the iPhone lags the customer satisfaction rating of 86 for Apple's desktop, laptop, and tablet business.

At the same time, satisfaction with Motorola phones jumped 5 percent from 2012 to 77, and Nokia grew 1 … Read more

Four time-saving iPhone tips

Whether technology saves more time than it squanders is an open question. Some of us may dream of a life off the grid and out of range, but by choice or necessity, we spend much of our waking life connected to the world through some electronic device or another.

If your network device of choice is an iPhone, these tips will improve the quality and perhaps reduce the quantity of the time you spend online. (Note that many of the tips also apply to the iPad.)

Bypass the lock screen to control music or take a picture In last month'… Read more

How to improve security in Firefox, Chrome, and IE

Like their counterparts in the real world, computer criminals are always looking for vulnerabilities they can exploit. Instead of an open window or unattended wallet, malware purveyors watch for holes in software that allow them to install their spying and stealing payloads onto the computers of unsuspecting users.

As the most recent Volume 14 of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report indicates, browsers have become the favorite target of computer crooks. In the last quarter of 2012, JavaScript and HTML were the most likely source of computer infections, according to statistics gleaned by the company from its Malicious Software Removal Tool.… Read more

iPad tops in satisfaction among tablet owners

Owners of Apple's iPad are the most satisfied among all tablet owners, says J.D. Power.

In a poll of 1,857 tablet users for Volume One of J.D. Power's "2013 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study," the iPad rated the highest with a score of 836 out of 1,000, outpacing Amazon's Kindle Fire with a ranking of 829.

Conducted in February and released Thursday, the study was aimed at tablet users who have owned their device for a year or less. Customer satisfaction was measured based on the five following factors in order … Read more

How to lock the Windows 7 Start menu (if you really must)

Three things I don't get:

Face tattoos The popularity of books, movies, and TV shows about vampires and zombies Windows users' devotion to the Start menu

The one thing all three of these mysteries have in common is that they will eventually run their course and fade away -- well, maybe not the face tattoos, at least not without a series of laser treatments.

Since the introduction of Windows 8 late last year PC users have been clamoring for the return of the Start menu. There's more to the widespread disdain for Win8's Start screen than just … Read more

A fix for the multifile-selection glitch in Windows 7 and 8

Sometimes you wish Microsoft would let customers decide when to delete a feature. Reader Dan Baechlin depends on Windows Explorer's ability to retain the selection of multiple files after changing the sort order. The feature has been removed from the version of Explorer in Windows 7 and 8. As Dan explains:

My job requires the ability to highlight multiple files or folders in a directory, and to retain that highlighting while re-sorting them by different fields (modification dates, thematically-based titles, etc.) Windows provided that feature -- until version 7. My work unit indexes, manages, and compares policy documents that … Read more

T-Mobile reports gain of 579,000 customers in Q1 2013

T-Mobile USA's turnaround efforts appear to be gaining traction, according to preliminary first-quarter results released this evening.

The wireless carrier's net customer base grew by 579,000 to finish the quarter with 34 million customers, T-Mobile said. T-Mobile's branded customer base grew by 3,000, compared with a loss of 349,000 in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The carrier also reported "meaningful improvement" in the branded contract segment in the first quarter, recording net losses of 199,000 compared with a loss of 515,000 for the fourth quarter of 2012 and a loss … Read more

Manage your system using MacPilot for Mac

The number of options available in the Mac OS and its applications can be difficult to manage for all but expert users. With MacPilot for Mac, users can track and change settings in a number of areas from one program.

The free trial version of MacPilot for Mac comes with a 15-day usage limit, while the full program requires a payment of $19.95 to activate. The program's native installer set the program up quickly, but a lengthy user agreement must be accepted to use the program. Upon startup, the user is prompted to purchase the full version or … Read more

'Harry Potter' fans get engaged with custom Quidditch proposal

Geeks sure know how to propose to each other. They've done so by planting a field full of tulips, creating an elaborate Lego video, and writing a physics paper. So, how does a "Harry Potter" fan go about proposing to her girlfriend? With a custom-made Quidditch set.

Rachel Allison first met Jaquie Richards in college. Their friendship blossomed into love. As their affection for each other grew, so did a mutual passion for the "Harry Potter" series. When Allison decided it was time to propose, she knew a magic touch was called for.… Read more