Home Tech

Do you miss the days when phones were for calling people, batteries lasted more than four hours, and the only distraction available was playing Snake? Good news, luddites, because Nokia is bringing back their beloved 3310, the dumb phone to end all dumb phones. “Serial leaker” Evan Blass announced on Twitter that Nokia would be debuting the resurrected 3310 later this month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, along with a few Android-based smartphones.

Arm yourself with these six nuggets of knowledge (that actually matter), and some comfort around the jargon, and you'll be set to buy the perfect set.

I’m not one to linger on the good ‘ol days of yore, wishing for simpler times and a past where change plays no part. But the advancement of smart phones and other devices inevitably alter our lives — sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, and sometimes without us realizing it. What were once comfortable rituals that grounded and provided structure to our home life have gone by the wayside. Instead we get the information and entertainment we need, right when we need them.

Last week’s much debated and nicely reader participated discussion on whether a single mother of a 7-year old child should get rid of her land line sparked some important discoveries – several important points about landline telephones during an emergency were brought to light. Here are some of the great reader comments and important points to keep in mind when using a landline telephone service in an emergency situation at home.

You might already use your email or notes apps on your smartphone to keep track of little everyday reminders. But your camera app and photo album can be just as useful as a memory aid. Here are a few things that can easily be remembered with a quick snap of your camera phone’s shutter button: • A reminder of where you parked. Parking in the city is no joke. • Your printer cartridges. Make sure you can see the refill numbers. • Your family members’ clothing sizes.

When it comes to absolutely waking up for an important date, taking a chance on missing your alarm clock is not an option. But by setting up multiple alarms and customizing the alarms themselves, you can wake up in stages and make it to that appointment that just can’t be missed.1.

Around February 2011 I picked up an Apple 27″ LED Cinema Display for my home office, as a way to help upsize the screen real estate on my 2008-era MacBook Pro. I loved it, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it when the Thunderbolt Display came out, so I didn’t think anything of it. Then I bought a 13″ MacBook Air, and next thing I know, I’m putting the original 27-incher on Craigslist…But why would I do that?

Last night we were confronted with a predicament we never could have imagined possible: we went to use our desktop computer and our mouse was gone! Immediately we remembered that we had brought the mouse to school for a presentation but left it there overnight. But what were we to do? Our laptop was also at school which left us only with our iPhone. It was quite a paralyzing experience to be sure! But not for long.

The spookiest thing to happen in our house this past Halloween weekend was a toaster oven that mysteriously turned itself on. Was it a visit from a long deceased Bagel-Bites-loving ancestor? Probably not. It turns out that it’s part of a sporadic phenomenon that popularly plagues small appliances like toasters, microwaves and coffee makers. Has it ever happened to you?

Ah, the internet. Where else would we find answers to all of our random questions? Our latest internet research: Whether or not your cell phone can help you identify leaks in your microwave. The legend says that if you place your phone in a microwave and close the door, it will only be able to receive an incoming call if there’s a leak. But is that true?Paranoid about cell phone radiation? You’re not the only one.

From Gmail to Microsoft Word, here are our favorite computer software. We use these programs daily and have generally try to keep them updated as much as possible. While it can get costly for some of them, they are definitely worth keeping.1. Microsoft OfficeNo matter what people say, I’ve gotten to used to using MS Office, especially MS Word. Even though some people dislike it, I find that it works well, no matter what I plan on writing.

One of the best ways to protect your home while you’re away is to appear you never left. Leaving a light on in the front window doesn’t cut it any longer and sometimes you need a little extra believability to help others think you’re still home (though anti-social) while away on vacation.Here’s a few of our favorite choices for making your home a little brighter when you’re away. Do you have a favorite that didn’t make the list?