If you've shopped for a used car in the past few years, you've probably heard of Carfax, Autocheck, and similar vehicle history reporting services. They purport to give you a reliable, independent look at a car’s major service records, title history, and other factors to help you gauge a used car’s value. But where does this data come from, and how complete is it? Here's the scoop...

Google's Gmail service is getting some major updates that will begin rolling out over the coming weeks. But don’t panic; the “send” button won’t move out of your sight (hopefully). Several of the changes look quite welcome, so let’s take a look at what’s in store...

Are the brains of today's young people being re-engineered by their smartphones? Is a Russian hacker squad poised to take over the U.S. energy and utility infrastructure? And is your government planning to give legal personhood to smart robots? Get answers in today's Geekly Update -- it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

A reader asks: 'I want to send emails to a fairly large group of people on a regular basis. But I've heard that if you do it wrong, you'll get tagged as a spammer, and your emails will never be delivered. What software or services do you recommend for sending email to a list of people?' Read on for some good options, and a few you definitely want to avoid...

I recently did some Spring house cleaning on my computer the other day, furiously sweeping away the detritus of years of web browsing, software downloads, photo editing, grocery shopping lists, and other geekly pursuits. My hard drive was clean, shiny, and well organized. And then I asked myself 'How can I keep it this way?' Read on for the answer to that question, as well as some tips on scrubbing and optimizing your own hard drive...

Attention Stargazers... If you're an amateur astronomer, or you just enjoy looking up into the night sky, the Internet is full of resources for you. For the best star pictures, astronomy websites, user groups and telescope reviews, read on...

Would you drive your car over a 3-D printed bridge? What did Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg tell Congress in his testimony about online privacy this week? And does a newly-discovered flaw in Microsoft's Windows Defender enable hackers to take over your computer? Get answers in today's Geekly Update -- it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

Social media is awash in little quizzes, games and surveys that pop up in your timeline and charm you into participating in them. Who can resist reminiscing about their first car, first love, or first job? But watch your responses carefully -- they may reveal the hidden keys to your online privacy. Here's what you need to know...

Old-school car insurers are using new-fangled “connected car” technology to save drivers up to 30% on their auto insurance premiums, while making driving safer and more fun. Sounds good, right? But the devil is in the details...

Your phone rings, and a quick glance at the area code helps you decide to answer the call. But instead of a forgotten friend or a local business client, you get “Heather from Account Services,” offering to lower your credit card interest rate. Again. Just like yesterday. And the day before. Here's the scoop on what you can do about this annoying problem…

The words “anti-virus,” “anti-malware,” and anti-whatever are entirely inadequate these days. Show me a software tool that only sniffs out viruses and I’ll show you an application that deserves the trivializing abbreviation “app.” Read on to learn how Sophos can secure your digital domain…

A reader asks: 'Is there a way to get free wireless Internet access? My budget is very limited, so I'd like a solution that works both at home and with my mobile phone.' Read on to learn about free wireless Internet -- it's not just in coffee shops anymore...

What's the latest news on cell phones and brain cancer? Should your dog be playing video games? Which Internet company has gathered even more of your personal data than Facebook? And how many lives could be saved each year by driverless cars? Get answers in today's Geekly Update -- it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

The year’s first of two major feature updates to Windows 10 will occur in April (the second will come in November). Microsoft allows some customers to delay major updates for up to a year. Are you among those chosen ones? Should you postpone major updates or let them happen on schedule? Read on to learn the answers to these and other burning questions about Windows 10 Spring and Fall updates...

Did you miss the headline? “Millions Affected by Massive Data Breach” If so, just wait until tomorrow, when another example of how lax corporate America is with your privacy will be announced. Many consumers are seeking additional means to protect their privacy themselves, disregarding pious assurances from companies that obviously don't care or don't know how to protect their customers. Here are some of the most often recommended privacy-protection tools, and some thoughts about how well you can expect them to work...