"Are discount ink cartridges a good deal? I've heard they can ruin your printer, void your warranty, and that the quality is lacking. Others have told me they're great and can save you lots of money. What's the scoop on cheap ink cartridges?"

"Does Skype offer a good conference calling experience if you have multiple participants? I know Skype is free, but are there any limitations on conference calls with Skype? Are there other free conference calling services I should check out?"

How is game maker Sega taking "real-time streaming" to bizarre new levels in Japanese pubs? Will your light fixtures soon be hogging all the wifi? Zappos was hacked and Kodak is bankrupt - why should you NOT worry? And why are there so many neurotic narcissists on Facebook? Get answers to these burning questions, and the scoop on the latest tech news, in this edition of the Geekly Update. It's guaranteed to make you 146% smarter, read on...

Want to speed up your Internet? A slow, crawling Internet connection is a source of great frustration. Sometimes the slowdown is beyond your control; the Internet is subject to traffic jams just like any other highway. But there are some things you can do to maximize whatever speed you are able to get.

"Is Google Docs a good alternative to Word? My new computer has no word processing software, and I'm thinking about just using Google's online word processor instead of spending the money on Microsoft Word. Are there are significant features I'd have to live without, or other factors to consider?"

Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your financial life. This one number summarizes your creditworthiness, and it's the first thing lenders look at when you apply for a loan, and often the last. Learn how a credit SCORE is different from a credit REPORT, and find out how to get your credit score, for free...

Adding more memory to your computer is usually the most cost-effective way to get a significant performance boost. But choosing the right RAM for your computer, and finding the right amount at the lowest price, is often a mysterious challenge. A memory configurator can help you get it right. Here's how...

For seasoned audio purists, nothing compares to good old-fashioned analog recordings on vinyl records. But those old records are fragile... here's a step-by-step guide to help you convert vinyl to CD so you can enjoy them for years to come.

Are iPads falling from space and crash landing in Area 51? Why can't you has cheezburger on Wednesday? And oh, I hear a whirring sound.... is that Steve Jobs rolling in his grave? Get answers to these burning questions, and the scoop on the latest tech news, in this edition of the Geekly Update. It's guaranteed to make you 146% smarter, read on...

The Opera web browser is an unsung hero of the Internet. It's been around since 1994. Opera is the source of many innovations that competing browsers have copied. Yet many users have never heard of Opera, let alone tried it. Opera ranks dead last among the five major browsers in terms of market share, and yet it has a lot going for it. Should you switch? Let's take a deeper look...

Although Google is often used as a verb that's interchangeable with "search," it's not the only search engine. It's not even the runaway favorite that it used to be. In December 2011, Google still ranked first among search engines with a market share of 65.9 per cent. But that was down from over 84 per cent a year earlier. Let's see who's giving Google competition, and some other search tools that you should keep handy...

"Do we still need both anti-virus and anti-spyware protection? I've always been told that, but I use Norton AntiVirus 2012, which claims to handle viruses, spyware and other threats. Is this sufficient, or should I still download an anti-spyware tool?"

Is Google peeking inside your refrigerator, and flicking your lights on and off during the night? Has the first edible big-screen TV arrived? And will Sony's latest tablet offering include a toaster slot? Get answers to these burning questions, and the scoop on the latest tech news, in this edition of the Geekly Update. It's guaranteed to make you 146% smarter, read on...

"I've had it with the phone company, so I'm checking out how to make free or cheap phone calls over the Internet. MagicJack seems popular, but some of the negative reviews are concerning to me. Are there any good alternatives to MagicJack that you can recommend?"

"I'm just getting started with Chrome, after becoming fed up with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. What addons do you recommend to make it even more useful? I'm especially interested in productivity apps and things that integrate with other tools on the web."