John R Quain Archive

Can you train your brain?

Published May 15, 2013

Online cognitive exercises -- or brain training -- are finding a particularly receptive audience these days. I've tried two of them, and found both to be engaging.

In tweets we trust ... or not

Published May 08, 2013

Will technology save us and save the economy or is it just spinning its wheels and contributing to stagnant wages and intellectual torpor?

Going global with your phone

Published May 01, 2013

Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives. Mobile, being the operative word. So it's natural to want to take your phone with you on vacation, just be aware that if you're going out of the country you need to plan ahead, or it will cost you--dearly.

Here's why it's a great time to buy a new TV

Published April 30, 2013

Obsolescence may be the biggest fear shoppers face when considering a high-tech purchase. Perhaps the most difficult choice of all tech decisions: Is it the right time to buy a new TV? The answer: yes.

Do-it-yourself home security

Published April 16, 2013

Now that your taxes are done (they are, aren't they), you can start thinking about that summer vacation. And then start worrying about who's going to watch your home while you're away.

A growing array of high-tech options lets you do it yourself. Log in online and you can get live video feeds from all over your home, text alerts when anything moves, and even adjust the thermostat that you forgot to program before you left.

The end of smartphone thefts

Published April 10, 2013

While there's still no foolproof way to protect your phone (or you) from a mugging, there is a growing trend toward better solutions that one day may mean the end of smartphone thefts.

Will listeners heart Apple iRadio?

Published April 03, 2013

The rumor mill is heralding the introduction of Apple radio this summer -- but it may be too little, too late.

Cars that squeal (on you)

Published March 27, 2013

Just when you thought it was safe behind the wheel of your large automobile, government attorneys are trying again to monitor your movements.

Four for the road: Spring travel gadgets

Published March 19, 2013

When you're traveling, it's the little things that count. With spring arriving this week (snowstorms notwithstanding), our attention turns to vacation plans and travel. That also means, dead batteries and cranky children. Here are four small gadgets than can help you avoid both.

Harvard teaches new lessons in privacy

Published March 13, 2013

Even some of the smartest people can be really dumb about technology. To wit, the recent hubbub at Harvard University over the scandalous, surreptitious searching of academia's finest's e-mails.