Where and How to Buy Cheap Ink

Buying cheap ink is a choice you should make with your eyes wide open. Third-party cartridges cost less than the manufacturer brands, which is why people buy them. A list of third-party retailers currently selling remanufactured ink cartridges is below.

But even if you ignore the dire warnings from the original printer vendors about voided warranties and subpar print quality, it can be difficult to tell whether the third-party ink you buy is any good. We can't give you any promises, but we can tell you how to shop smarter for cheap ink. 

Go with a big name

One time-tested method is to shop at an established retailer (online or brick-and-mortar) that guarantees the quality of its products. Obvious examples include office supply chains that carry their own branded third-party ink cartridges, such as Staples and Office Depot. Staples.com has an Ink & Toner Finder that can tell you whether your model is covered, as does Office Depot. If you find compatible ink, you can buy it online or check for inventory at your local outlet.

Do your homework

If you’re eyeing products from a vendor you haven’t used before, ask questions. A reputable online ink retailer should be open about how they source their inks. Carrot Ink, for example, claims, "every Carrot Ink brand product that hits your doorstep has been manufactured under stringent ISO 9001/2000 standards." If a particular site offers reviews, check to see whether previous shoppers are complaining about common problems like clogged print heads or low-quality print jobs.

Check the vendor's website or ask the support staff how thoroughly the company inspects used cartridges. “Do they look for cracks? Do they test the electrical characteristics of the cartridge? A cartridge can look fine but have a broken electrical component, and then it won’t work,” Tricia Judge of the International Imaging Technology Council told us in 2008, when we first published this article. The vendor should also test the cartridge after the refill, Judge said.

Check the warranties for cheap inks

Finally, understand your options if your ink cartridge arrives defective or produces mediocre prints. A survey of some of the vendors shown below indicates that vendors are ready to stand behind unopened cartridges for 30 days to a year, though they may charge restocking and shipping fees for returns. 

Once you open the ink, however, it's yours. Of the third-party vendors surveyed, Databazaar was willing to refund an opened cartridge if it still had 70% of its ink supply. In other words, you can't be sleazy and use the entire cartridge before deciding it's no good. 

List of Third-Party Ink Sellers

• 4Inkjets
• Amazon
• Carrot Ink
• Clickinks
• Databazaar
• Inkfarm
• LDProducts
• Office Depot & Office Max
• Overstock.com
• Source4Ink
• Staples

Amazon Buys Video Doorbell Maker Ring in Home Security Push

Amazon has added a new asset in its quest to conquer the smart home market. The e-commerce giant has acquired Ring, a vendor of video doorbells and security cameras.

Amazon has agreed to spend over $1 billion on the acquisition, according to Reuters.

In an email, an Amazon spokesman told PCMag: "Ring's home security products and services have delighted customers since day one. We're excited to work with this talented team and help them in their mission to keep homes safe and secure."

A Ring spokeswoman said that the Ring brand will remain.

The acquisition occurs as Amazon has been pushing its smart speaker Echo  products into consumer homes. Powering them is its voice assistant Alexa, which can answer queries and control other smart home devices like light bulbs, door locks, and power plugs.

Amazon and Ring didn't offer details about the deal, but the two companies will probably integrate their products. Video doorbells and security cameras from Ring can let you view incoming visitors or intruders over your smartphone.

Last November, Amazon also launched a new "in-home delivery" service. It works through the help of a smart door lock that delivery workers can use to drop off packages inside your home. The Ring acquisition may very well end up playing a role in that service, too.

However, Amazon is far from the only company in the smart home space. One of its biggest competitors is Google, which is also selling a smart doorbell product through the Nest brand. Like Amazon, Google has been promoting its smart speaker products, which are powered by the company's own virtual assistant software.

How ad-blocking works in Google’s Chrome browser

Google, as promised, has launched the Chrome browser ad-blocking feature it has touted for nearly a year.

Although not the first such effort by a browser maker, Google's decision - effectively a pre-emptive strike against even more users turning to independent add-ons for killing online advertisements - has both import and impact by virtue of Chrome's dominance.

With more than 61% of all browser users running Chrome as of January, according to analytics vendor Net Applications, when Google's browser whispers, the web listens. Sites that instead tune out last week's move do so at their peril.

Just what is Chrome's ad blocking - Google likes to call it "ad filtering" - really all about? How does it work and what's the reasoning behind it?

All good questions. We've got the answers.  Click here for the full article to find out!

Are you using a Pwned Password? Find out

Pwned Passwords are half a billion real world passwords previously exposed in data breaches. This exposure makes them unsuitable for ongoing use as they're at much greater risk of being used to take over other accounts.  Fortunately, there is a legitimate site that you can use to see if your password is one of them.  Simply check here.

How To Enable Ransomware Protection In Windows 10

Ransomware is a nasty, evolved form of computer viruses. As the name implies, it’s going to cost you money to undo the damage it does. Ransomware basically locks your files and asks you to send money if you want them back. If you’re a victim of ransomware, you have two choices; pay up, or pay someone to get rid of the ransomware. There’s no option that doesn’t cost you money and neither one guarantees that you will get your files back which is why it’s a good idea to be more proactive about this particular type of threat. Windows Defender has a built-in feature that, if set-up, will enable ransomware protection. Here’s how it works.

You must have Windows Defender enabled for this to work. You cannot just opt to use some features of Windows Defender and not use others. Ransomware protection in Windows Defender doesn’t go by that name. It’s more what the feature does that makes it useful for staying safe from ransomware. Windows Defender lets you lock down folders so that unauthorized apps cannot make changes to it. You will need administrative rights to enable ransomware protection in Windows 10.

For the complete article, click here.

How To Transfer Photos Over WiFi From Your Phone To Windows 10

If you want to transfer photos from your phone to your desktop, the easiest way to do it is to use a data cable. This holds true for both Android phones and iPhones. There are other methods to import these photos but the most reliable one is the data cable method. If you don’t have a data cable, you’re stuck looking for other alternatives that won’t need your phone to be connected to your desktop. If you have a Windows 10 system though, Microsoft has just made it incredibly simple to transfer photos over WiFi.

Microsoft has released a new app called Photos Companion for both iOS and Android. This app is a companion app for the Photos app on Windows 10. With this app, you can send transfer photos from your phone to your desktop provided both your devices are on the same WiFi network. This app works with an experimental feature in the Photos app so you’re going to have to enable it first.

For more, check out the full article here.