2025 April eBytes
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What Is Copilot? Microsoft's AI Assistant Explained
I've Tried the 11th-Gen iPad: It's Great if You Keep It Basic
5 Simple Steps to Purge Digital Clutter
Is AppleCare+ Worth Buying? Apple's Extended Warranty Explained
How to create a searchable database of anything - easily and for free
This new tool lets you see how much of your data is exposed online - and it's free
Make Your Phone Last for Years With These Easy Tips
23 iOS Settings You're Not Using Enough for a Better iPhone Experience
Not Just Skype: Microsoft Is Killing This 34-Year-Old App, Too
The Best Laptops Under $500 We've Tested
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What Is Copilot? Microsoft's AI Assistant Explained
Microsoft’s Copilot generative AI is popping up in Windows, Edge, Office apps, and Bing. But just what exactly is it? Here’s everything you need to know.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/what-is-microsoft-copilot
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I've Tried the 11th-Gen iPad: It's Great if You Keep It Basic
What do you actually want from an iPad? If you're keeping it simple, this is the Apple tablet to get.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/ipad-11th-gen-review-great-if-you-keep-it-basic/
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5 Simple Steps to Purge Digital Clutter
Cleaning up emails, documents, photos, and other digital junk can reduce stress and simplify your life. Here's how to streamline and declutter your devices.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/get-organized-how-to-start-purging-your-digital-life
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Is AppleCare+ Worth Buying? Apple's Extended Warranty Explained
Apple offers a basic one-year warranty on its new devices, but AppleCare+ takes that protection up a notch—for a fee. Here's what to consider before signing up.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/is-applecare-plus-worth-it-extended-warranty-explained
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How to create a searchable database of anything - easily and for free
Need to keep track of collections of things for your home or business? Here's all you need to get started, add new items, and search for them.
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This new tool lets you see how much of your data is exposed online - and it's free
Want to keep your personal info safe? Use this tool from ExpressVPN to see how much of it is out there.
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Make Your Phone Last for Years With These Easy Tips
Here's how to squeeze more life from your iPhone or Android phone and save money in the process.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/make-your-phone-last-for-years-with-these-easy-tips/
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23 iOS Settings You're Not Using Enough for a Better iPhone Experience
Think you've unlocked your iPhone's full potential? These lesser-known features might surprise you.
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Not Just Skype: Microsoft Is Killing This 34-Year-Old App, Too
Microsoft Publisher's capabilities are also available on Word and PowerPoint, so the company is removing the app from 365 subscriptions. Here's how to save your work.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-publisher-dead-after-34-years-how-to-save-your-work
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The Best Laptops Under $500 We've Tested
A decent laptop for under $500—sounds impossible, right? We've reviewed some great options, including Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1s.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-laptops-under-500
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Links - News, Tips, & Downloads
Running Low on Storage? Save Money With These Google Drive Hacks - Try these tricks first before you subscribe to Google One.
Running Out of iPhone Storage? Clean Up Apple Messages to Free Up Space - Don't let videos, photos, GIFs, and stickers buried in text messages fill up your storage. We show you how to dig them out of the Messages app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/running-out-of-storage-clean-up-apple-messages-to-free-up-space
How to Use AI to Quickly and Easily Enhance Your Photos - Need to fix a wonky snapshot or jazz up a boring image? A variety of apps can help you repair and perfect your photos with assistance from AI.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-use-ai-to-quickly-and-easily-enhance-your-photos
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz vs. 5GHz: Which Wi-Fi Band Is Better for Your Home? - Did you know that the Wi-Fi band you use can affect your internet connection's speed and overall performance? Here’s what you should know.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/wi-fi-2-4ghz-vs-5ghz-which-wi-fi-band-is-better-for-your-home/
I use GIMP every day and I'm loving its 3.0 release. Here are my 4 favorite upgrades - After seven years of development, GIMP 3.0 is finally here - and this free alternative to Photoshop is better than ever.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/4-new-gimp-3-0-upgrades-im-loving-as-a-power-user/
Top 100 Best Budget Buys: Affordable, Tested Tech That's Actually Worth It - Our experts review more than 1,500 technology products each year. Our mega-guide, updated monthly, scopes out the very best cost-conscious products across 15 key categories.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/top-100-best-budget-buys-affordable-tested-tech-worth-buying
The 11 Microsoft apps I ditch on every new Windows install - and the 11 I keep - A default installation of Windows 11 includes dozens of Microsoft apps. Which ones are worth keeping, and which ones should you uninstall? These are my top picks.
The State of Wyze Cameras in 2025: Not Quite Ready for Recommendation - We're keeping Wyze cams off our best lists for now -- but we're also keeping an eye on the progress the company is making.
102 Expert iPhone Tricks You Should Know - Think you know iOS inside out? Trust us, there's way more to uncover. Unlock your iPhone's full potential with these hidden tweaks.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/expert-apple-iphone-tips-tricks-to-know
Clear the Clutter: How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad - Is the storage full on your iOS device? Here's how to figure out what's taking up the most space on your iPhone and iPad so you can decide what to delete.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-free-up-space-on-your-iphone-or-ipad
How to Organize Your Files in 4 Simple, Foolproof Steps - Our veteran productivity expert details her method for managing digital files: It's simple to implement, and since it's foundational, it will help you organize practically everything in your life.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-to-organize-your-files-in-4-simple-foolproof-steps
How to Record the Screen (With Sound) on Your iPhone or iPad - Need to capture exactly what’s on your screen? Apple's built-in Screen Recording tool can help you create a video of your screen activity or grab a screenshot.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/record-screen-iphone-ipad-sound-audio
How to Make Sure iCloud Is Backing Up, Syncing Your Data - If you've felt the pain of losing all the photos, videos, and documents saved on your iPhone, or want to avoid it, iCloud is your friend. Here's how to make sure everything's set up and syncing.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-make-sure-icloud-is-backing-up-syncing-your-data
What Is Canva? All About the AI Editing Tools and Image Generator - Canva's Dream Lab and Magic Studio artificial intelligence tools are designed to make your creative life a little easier.
10 Common Problems With Microsoft OneDrive and How to Fix Them - Microsoft OneDrive doesn’t always behave itself, but you can get the file backup and syncing service back on track if you know the right tricks.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/common-problems-with-microsoft-onedrive-how-to-fix-them
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Ask a Question - Send any Tips & Downloads, Ask a Question, For Sale, or articles to: TheMiningPCC@gmail.com
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Q. From a PCC Member - I look forward to the April 16 PCC meeting. It might be helpful to spend more time on passkeys and less on password managers. Your presentation about password managers during the Feb 2024 PCC meeting was excellent and pretty thorough (as a result, I now use Bitwarden!). One exception might be 2FA for Bitwarden. I read recently about a breach of a password manager (it might have been 1Password) that had not been set up for 2FA. Regarding passkeys, I want to make the switch but am still confused by them and am hesitant to try for fear of getting locked out of one of my accounts.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. I will plan to spend time on passkeys and maybe do more of a demo of both. Most people in the club are not using a manager today. Some info on Bitwarden 2FA for bitwarden logon and 2FA for other sites/apps. https://bitwarden.com/help/bitwarden-field-guide-two-step-login/
You do not want to make it too hard to get into bitwarden so if your device supports local biometrics that can make it easy to use the manager.
Password managers for the most part can not be breached, because the data is encrypted, so no one can see values unless they have your password. Hackers try to use Phishing and fake sites or logins to try to sell your password. Keep your password long, strong, and unique and you will be safe. No one at Bitwarden can even see or reset your password.
I would recommend you start using passkeys, they are better than 2FA and available on more sites and services every day. You can choose which devices and when you use a passkey. The password and 2FA to a site is still in place for devices not setup or you delete or remove a passkey. You will not be locked out of your account. Bitwarden lets you share passkeys with multiple devices or you can set up different passkeys on each device and not use Bitwarden for your passkeys.
Lots of options with people doing what makes the most sense for them.
Many new laptops support fingerprint or face biometrics. All iPhones and iPads do. In the Bitwarden settings you need to turn it on to use it. The nice thing with at least one device that supports it, you can get into Bitwarden if you forget the main password. Be sure to add an entry in Bitwarden with Bitwarden logon info so you can lookup the password and other info.
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Q. From a PCC Member - My mother-in-law is medically incapable. Her daughter is trying to get her Mom's Facebook accounts deleted. Someone has copied (or whatever they do) her accounts and there are at least 5 accounts using her name and her pictures for a profile. The daughter asked me if I can delete the accounts, but I can figure out a way to do it. And calling Facebook does not seem to be an option. So, do you have any advice? It's a mess because the daughter tried some ways to delete and may have actually created another account...neither the daughter or my mother-in-law knew what they were doing with Facebook.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Sorry to hear.This is a very common scam done on Facebook and the way to stop it is to report it to Facebook. The fix is not too hard. You need the account and password and email for your mother that is the oldest one created. This is the proof needed so Facebook can do anything. All other accounts would have her name and photos, but would have been created usually in the last months.I am assuming someone else does not have access to the original account and password. If anyone has gained access to that original account change the password ASAP before you do anything. Video of what to do:
The member responds - The video did not help.Have you ever heard of anyone calling Facebook to get accounts deleted?
Tom Responds - Here is an text article on what to do: https://www.androidauthority.com/remove-cloned-facebook-account-3215006/
Most people find the video easier to follow and see the screen. There is no Facebook phone number, because most companies can not use a phone to validate who they are talking with, so all reporting must be done in Facebook. I have had 20-30 people of years follow the steps and have cloned accounts removed as soon as 1 day or up to several days.
Do a Facebook search using your Mothers name and you should see multiple people with the same profile photo. If you are not seeing multiple people with the same profile photo, you do not have a cloned account. With 5 billion Facebook accounts in the world there can be 100s or 1000s people with the same name. If there are clones follow the directions to report the cloned account and they will 100% be taken down.
If your Mother created multiple accounts with different info and photos, the only way to remove them is if you know the Facebook account and password or can reset the password if she setup a backup email or phone text number. If you do not know that it is best to forget about the old account, create a new Facebook account, only friend people you know, and change the Facebook settings and posts a person does to only allow Friends to view. By default all posts, profile photos, and other info are public for anyone in the world to see.
There is no phone to call or magic button to push. Everything in Facebook is done by reading and following the directions. Read the page and follow the steps to reset a password that you do not know.
https://www.facebook.com/help/213395615347144/?helpref=uf_share
In some cases you can use a device the person has used in the past, email that was set when the account was created, or a mobile phone if that option was setup. If you do not have access to reset you will just have to forget about the old account and start over on Facebook with a new account. Anyone can create a new account. I would recommend new photos for the new account and limit who you Friend with the new account to only trusted close friends.
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