TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

Lots of photography topics this week as we take a look at applications that run on Android smart phones and tablets, then consider how to turn a scanned newspaper photo into something useful. The crooks who run CryptoLocker malware may be honest thieves, but they're still costing victims millions of dollars. In Short Circuits: Speaking of LOTs, hackers grounded many of the Polish airline's airplanes this week and Microsoft continues to clarify conditions under which Windows 10 will be without charge. Maybe some people are just trying too hard to misunderstand. In Spare Parts, only on the website: How icons that you'll see in Windows 10 have changed during development and thoughts on the importance of carefully reviewing a laptop computer's specifications before buying it.

Password management company LastPass says that it found hackers on its network and I'll explain why this isn't a surprise or something to worry about. Adobe Creative Cloud 2015 was released this week and brings several new and welcome features. In Short Circuits: IBM fully commites to an open source application, Kaspersky warns about some high-powered malware that has set its sights high, and those who want a Microsoft Surface Hub can order it starting on July first. In Spare Parts (only on the website): An app designed to help with beer and wine is about to expand, auto dealers might find an application that assists with recalls helpful, and the demand for video on demand is up. Way up.

ThumbsPlus is preparing to release an updated version of its photo management application, security is suddenly becoming a VERY BIG TOPIC for business managers and government officials, and in Short Circuits: a clever way to manage messy wires, the text you send could end up in court, and most of us are carrying more devices around these days. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A new security offering from a start-up company promises better protection against state-sponsored cyber-crime and BlackBerry is reported to be considering a big change.

Between now and Labor Day, you'll probaby take lots of pictures. Picnics, visits to the zoo, maybe a vacation, and family get togethers. But then what? Why not make a slide show without the slides, the projector, and the screen? The cost of data breaches has increased greatly over the past year. In Short Circuits: Launch day for Windows 10 is now official: July 29 and Amazon has a new program that ships even low-cost items for free. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A follow-up on Android data usage, an examination of the popularity of tablet computers, and trying to apply technology to the battle for human rights around the world.

Sometimes you can't install a program update and attempting the usual fix (uninstalling) doesn't work either. Microsoft has a helpful application. Research by Google makes it appear that many of us can't remember where we were born, but it's worse than that. If you've recently installed Android Lollipop on your smart phone, check the phone's data usage. In Short Circuits: Finding a way to eat and drink where the locals do when you're traveling. In Spare Parts (only on the website): New Jersey and IBM work together to improve traffic flow, a new approach to Internet security, and are you ready for a cannabis investor summit?

We know more about Windows 10 now, including how many versions will be provided, but still not when. In Short Circuits: I received a firm reminder of how sneaky phishing messages can be, the United States continues to be the largest supplier of e-mail spam, and after several years of rapid growth tablet sales are off a bit this year. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Look who's the biggest threat to corporate data, China plans to spend more than $200 billion in the next couple of years to improve Internet speeds, calls to implement a Canadian anti-piracy program in the US, and RadioShack receives permission to sell its name.

I never fail to be amazed by how many applications are available either for free or at a very low cost. There's no question that commercial software often gives users the largest number of features, but sometimes not all of the available features are needed. Sometimes what's available from a free program is enough. And sometimes what's available from a free program is better than what's available commercially. Let's explore some of the possibilities. In Short Circuits: Are you smarter than a CEO? It turns out that even executives can't always tell the difference between a real e-mail message and a phish, and AVG promises that some of its new applications will enhance your Windows PC, Mac, or Android device. And in Spare Parts: Dealing with Support when Things Go Wrong -- the story of a star-crossed attempt to obtain an answer from Microsoft.

If your Android smart phone's battery life is far too short after you upgraded the phone to Lollipop, I have some suggestions; Microsoft's Ignite Conference in Chicago this week shows how committed the company is to winning over IT managers; In Short Circuits: The speech recognition market is growing fast, Microsoft has filed suit against a fraudster, and you'll be shocked by how much Comcast and Time Warner spent on their failed merger. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Android users continue to upgrade to Lollipop; Opera's new Mini browser is a hit; and Microsoft pushes Android and IOS developers to port their applications to Windows 10.

Adobe's latest version of Acrobat goes a long way toward fulfilling absurd demands from users; Samsung has finally started pushing updates to the latest version of Android (Lollipop) to phones, but not yet to tablets; Microsoft is now at build 10,074 of Windows 10 and Project Spartan has a real name. In Short Circuits: This week is the 34th anniversary of the first commercial mouse, if you have an Apple watch, you can have a portable dictionary, and we'll look at another threat to traditional radio. In Spare Parts, only on the website: Tiny storage devices are even larger and you can hang a weatherproof Wi-Fi access point outside to cover the neighborhood.

Sometimes a single event or a single topic is enough to fill the entire program. That's the case this week with Adobe Lightroom 6. In Short Circuits: Looking for ways that bad guys might hack vehicles that are connected via the Internet of Things and a few more Microsoft 10 tea leaves. In Spare Parts, only on the website: You can't get coffee from your smart phone, but you can pay for it with one; a new app promises to encrypt text messages and let you fix auto-correct errors; and sort of a dress code for wearable devices.