Marte Brengle

I began connecting online in 1983 & have been connected ever since. I've done online tech support for Toshiba & repaired computers in a big box store.I manage the WUGNET group of tech forums on CompuServe and have published two novels (so far).

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iClever IC-BTS05 waterproof Bluetooth speaker - Is it singing in the shower?

Portable music players have come a long way in my lifetime. In the beginning, transistor radios were the latest and greatest. Then the Walkman portable cassette player wowed the world and introduced the concept of personal music. You could listen to your cassette player all by yourself, even in public. If the player had any speaker at all, it was tiny and tinny. Then there were portable CD players. If you wanted to share your music with the world around you, you had to get a boom box.

Best free weather apps for Windows computers and devices

Ever hear the old saying "Everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it?" Today, although we still can't change the weather, we have many ways of checking the forecast so we can at least be prepared for what's coming. Every operating system offers a variety of weather apps to suit nearly anyone's needs. After checking out the offerings for Windows 8.1, iOS and Android over the years, I figured that getting similar apps from the new Windows Store would be easy. Mmmmm… not so much. Here's why:

Book Review: Office 365 for Dummies, Second Edition

Subscription software is a relatively new concept. Even though licensing agreements have always made it quite clear that you don't actually own the software that you believe you have bought, people have always tended to ignore that (if they read the EULA at all). So the notion of software that you have no physical copy of, and that you have to pay a fee to use every month, raised some hackles when it was first introduced. Microsoft got into subscription software in a big way with Office 365, and it has been increasing in popularity, especially for business use.

Reviewing the Aukey CC-T7 dual port car charger

All of us have mobile devices that are, well, mobile. And they all need to be charged from time to time. And we can't always just run home to use the plug-in wall-wart charger the device came with. :) Thus, chargers designed to be used in cars are almost a necessity, and the better those work, the happier we all are. Aukey's CC-T7 Quick Charge 3.0 Dual Port USB Car Charger (to give it its full official name) claims to be able to charge devices up to four times faster. Is it really the quicker charger-upper? Let's find out.

Book review - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

As you may have noticed, here at Digital Citizen we take cyber security very seriously. Our long-running Security for Everyone series has kept our readers up to date with the latest security software for years now, along with reviews that tell it like it is. While our series does a great job of comparing what's out there, and explaining which audiences might find a particular program to their liking, how does the average person really understand the reasons for installing the security products we recommend?

Book review: Cooking for Geeks, Second Edition

I've been aware pretty much from the beginning that my mind does not work like other people's. But, like other people, I can learn almost anything, if it is explained to me in a way that makes sense. This is why I so often gripe about the constant complaints that older people "just don't get it," when what the older people really need is a better explanation! What does this have to do with reviewing a cookbook?

Reviewing the Jawbone UP3 - Is it really the most advanced fitness tracker?

Fitness bands are quite naturally popular these days. They offer people a lot of options for keeping track of what they're doing in the course of a day. From the simplest step-only pedometer to the most sophisticated track-everything wristbands, a fitness tracker can be a great addition to anyone's quest for better health. Jawbone offers several fitness trackers with varying features. I've been wearing an UP3 for a little over two weeks now. Does it live up to the company's description as "The world's most advanced tracker?".

Book review: Home Automation for Dummies

Home automation has come a long way from the days when all that was available were manual timers that might or might not have offered anything more than the ability to turn a lamp or appliance On and Off at one set time, or the X-10 modules and controllers that drove almost everybody nuts trying to get them to work properly. Nowadays we have what seems like endless choices, with no two systems being alike in either products or complexity. How to make sense of it all? Home Automation for Dummies tries to straighten it all out. Does this book succeed? Let's find out:

Book Review: Build Your Own Website: A Comic Guide To HTML, CSS And Wordpress

Sometimes the best way to make a complex subject easy to understand is to use a comic-book format (as anyone who's ever seen one of Larry Gonick's amazing "cartoon history" series can testify). Things that look awfully dry and confusing when they're put forth as words on paper can look much more appealing when an artist has put them into pictures. Since I still haven't mastered writing HTML code, I had high hopes for Build Your Own Website: A Comic Guide to HTML, CSS and Wordpress. Did I get what I hoped for? Read on to find out.

Reviewing The Inateck HB4009 USB 3.0 3-Port Hub & Magic Port: Is It Really Magic?

Years ago there was a program called LapLink, that used a proprietary cable to transfer and sync data between computers. As the name implies, it was originally intended to sync files between desktop and laptop computers, but it actually worked on any PC and was very useful for making backups as well. The software was deservedly popular and very good at what it did (The LapLink company is still active, but their focus is a bit different these days).

Popular Reviews

ASUS RT-AX58U is part of a recent wave of more affordable Wi-Fi 6 wireless routers. While it still bundles all the advanced features that you expect from an ASUS router, it also provides support for Wi-Fi 6, and its price is lower than that of the first wave of Wi-Fi 6 routers. Does this lower price translate into less performance? Is ASUS RT-AX58U a reliable wireless router that you can buy to future-proof your home's Wi-Fi network? Read this review and find out:

ASUS RT-AX58U: Who is it good for?

This wireless router is a suitable choice for:

Fitbit makes great fitness trackers that are polished, good looking, and very useful. However, in the smartwatch space, they are not a big player, lagging behind Apple. In the last quarter of 2019, they launched their best smartwatch to date: Fitbit Versa 2. We tested it for about a month, daily, and tracked everything we could with it, from sleep and daily steps to workouts. Here is what the Fitbit Versa 2 has to offer to users interested in buying a new smartwatch:

Fitbit Versa 2: Who is it good for?

This smartwatch is an excellent choice for:

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 is an affordable health and fitness device that does not empty your pockets and doesn't let you down on hardware specifications. Featuring a color RGB AMOLED screen, a battery that can theoretically last for up to twenty days, water resistance, and an accurate heart rate tracking sensor, all for a low price, you can see why many people are considering purchasing it. If you are too, read this review and find out if it is worth buying and why:

Marte Brengle

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iClever IC-BTS05 waterproof Bluetooth speaker - Is it singing in the shower?

Best free weather apps for Windows computers and devices

Book Review: Office 365 for Dummies, Second Edition

Reviewing the Aukey CC-T7 dual port car charger

Book review - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Book review: Cooking for Geeks, Second Edition

Reviewing the Jawbone UP3 - Is it really the most advanced fitness tracker?

Book review: Home Automation for Dummies

Book Review: Build Your Own Website: A Comic Guide To HTML, CSS And Wordpress

Reviewing The Inateck HB4009 USB 3.0 3-Port Hub & Magic Port: Is It Really Magic?

How to use Skype on Windows 10 like a Pro

How to turn your iPhone or iPad into a webcam for your Windows PC

ASUS products for remote work and online learning

ASUS RT-AX58U review: Wi-Fi 6 at a more affordable price!

Fitbit Versa 2 review: A smartwatch with great fitness tracking!

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 review: It offers a lot for little money