I’ve always been attracted to technical books that offer to get rid of annoyances or reveal secrets (or both). These are the kinds of books that begin with the notion that the reader’s got things pretty well in hand already, but is eager to find some (as one of my friends jokingly puts it) "sooper sekrit" information to make everything work even better.

Thus, I was happy to get the chance to review Windows 8 Secrets, because with a title like that I thought it’d definitely be my kind of book. Did it meet my expectations? Let’s take a look.

Lately, I have been searching for a really good wireless N router, able to provide both good speed and coverage, while battling successfully with all the other wireless networks available in my area. I did a bit of research and I have learned that many people were talking about ASUS RT-N56U and how fast it is. While hype is a good thing to have for a product, it doesn’t mean it is always deserved. Is the ASUS RT-N56U truly one of the fastest routers you can find?

Besides having a very long name, Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2013 also stands out as one of the very few products which piggyback on the Windows Firewall to provide firewall protection. But that doesn’t mean the suite doesn’t pack plenty of useful tools and features. If you evaluate it in detail, there’s quite a lot being offered to users. But does everything work well? Is the suite able to fully protect your system? Let’s find out from this detailed review.

Over the past few weeks, I have reviewed a comprehensive, in-depth, everything-you-need-to-know guide to Windows 8 (Windows 8 Step By Step) and a just-the-basics, bare-bones, beginners-only guide to Windows 8 (Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8.) Based on past experience, I thought that Windows 8 Plain & Simple, written by Nancy Muir, would be somewhere in the middle, not too detailed and not too simplified. Was I right to approach it this way? Let’s find out.

Recently I have found myself in need of an HD webcam. I did a bit of research, found a few models and ended up picking the Microsoft LifeCam Studio due to the unrivaled driver support offered by Microsoft for its devices. But was I wrong to choose this webcam? Does it really deliver HD quality? Does it work well? Let’s find out from this review.

I’m sure by now I don’t need to say how much I like simple, concise, well-illustrated guides. (But for readers who are new to my book reviews, yep, that’s what I like.) :) Since I am a newcomer to Windows 8, I had high hopes that Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8 would be exactly right for someone like me. It’s part of a well-regarded series that’s known for being consistent in the way it simplifies complex tasks for the beginner. The book states right up front that it’s designed for the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application. So, was this book just what this beginner wanted? Let’s see.

I have been a fan of the How-To Geek website for a long time. They’ve got a great mix of interesting articles, created by some of the liveliest and best informed writers on the Internet (next to the crew from 7 Tutorials, of course). So it was only natural that I had high expectations for The How-To Geek Guide to Windows 8. Did the book live up to those expectations? Let’s find out.

Recently, I got my hands on the Belkin @TV. From the moment I touched it, I was very intrigued: Mobile television? Remote streaming? Interesting concepts I have not fiddled with until now. Imagine my curiosity while unpacking the device and setting it up for the first time. I was very eager to learn how this concept works, if it is useful, to whom, etc. If you want to see what I have learned, read this review.

Windows 8 is now on sale, and the interface is something radically different from any previous version. There are features that are entirely new, features that work differently from their previous incarnations and features that are pretty much the same. What’s the best way to hit the ground running with Windows 8?

Windows 8 Step By Step is part of a series that has a well-deserved reputation for explaining things in a simple, straightforward manner that nearly anyone can understand, and for helping new or inexperienced users gain confidence quickly. Does Windows 8 Step By Step fit this pattern? Let’s find out.

One of the things I was interested to learn about Windows 8 is whether Internet Explorer 10 is a good browser or not. Is it worthy to use as your main browser? Does it offer good enough performance to be considered a relevant browser in the future? I ran a few tests and also compared it with Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Also, I compared the data from my previous tests with Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the Release Preview and I have noticed some very interesting changes. Let’s see what I have learned.

AVG is a rather popular company in the security business, mostly due to its free product offerings. For their 2013 edition of products they revealed a new user interface, inspired by Windows 8, and promised compatibility with this new operating system. But do they provide top notch protection in AVG Internet Security 2013? Let’s find out in this review.

We’ve already published quite a few articles about Windows Phone. That’s not surprising for a website devoted to all things Windows! We don’t really cover Android devices in any detail, which is also not surprising. Apparently, Ciprian is very happy with his new Windows Phone. :) While I... well, I suppose I’ll have to admit it, I just got my very first smartphone and it’s an Android.

I always read the directions for new gizmos, but holy smokes, my phone came with a 300+ page manual! Even finding out that it’s really only half that size because it contains both the English and Spanish editions, didn’t make the prospect of plowing through it much less daunting. There had to be a better way to figure Android out. This is why I was happy to get my hands on Android Phones for Dummies. I’ve had mixed experiences with the For Dummies series in recent months, so I really hoped that this book would be the easy introduction to Android that I needed. Was it? Let me tell you what I found.