When I wrote about cellphone texting from a Windows PC, I left iPhone owners in the lurch.

There’s no easy way for iPhone users to to text from a Windows computer, though a Mac works fine. “Why not use a portable keyboard with your cell phone?” several readers asked.

I like a foldable keyboard when I travel without a laptop. Mine is similar to the iClever BK06, $40 from Amazon. There are dozens of cheaper models you can find by searching on “Bluetooth keyboard for phone.” I like mine because it connects to my phone as soon as I open it. Plus, it feels roomy and has the keys were I expect to see them. I also have a phone stand. These start at around $10.

If you prefer a keyboard and phone stand in one unit, consider the Zagg Unlimited, $90 on Amazon. A techy reader highly recommends it because it holds his iPad and iPhone at the same time. “One push of a button and you can switch devices,” he said. “It’s great for carrying on two conversations at once.” It has a nice keyboard and a long battery life. It’s multicolor and backlit and can fit a 12-inch iPad or Android tablet in portrait mode. If you place your tablet sideways, it can hold a tablet up to 10.1 inches long.

Printer Blues

After I wrote about my own printer horror stories, I heard from several readers about theirs.

“I find that if I use the black ink primarily, the color cartridge will gum up and have to be replaced,” one reader said. “To avoid that, I print something in color every so often to keep the jets clear and functioning. The ink is too danged expensive as we both know– but they make their money selling ink– not printers!”

Besides an HP deskjet, the reader also has a Canon copier. He learned the hard way not to buy more ink than he needed, just because it was on sale. The last time he did that, the ink was over a year old. “It would not print clearly and left black smears all over the joint,” he said. “At last, I read the packaging, which said it would do that if not used before its ‘use by’ date. Now I order one cartridge at a time.”

Another reader said he only uses a black laser printer, which is more economical in the long run than an inkjet. It’s great if you don’t need color. In the old days, when he used a color printer and tried to print only in black, it drained the other colors anyway. “One Sunday,” he said, “I had to get several hundred pages ready for court the next morning. I burnt it out.” That’s shocking, considering that he only printed two color pages a year.  Now, when he needs color, he finds that “it’s easier to go to the UPS store.”

On a brighter note, a reader shared his joy over an EcoTank printer similar to the ET2800 I bought. “My ET2550 is still going strong on its original ink, although I have had to do a nozzle cleaning twice in four years to restore one color or another due to my limited color printing use,” he wrote. “My black ink is down to a third, but the colors are still 80 to 90 percent full.  When my wife complained a year ago about her expensive HP ink cartridges going bad with little use, I bought her an ET2800 (in white to match her chosen decor in her craft room). It has been working well for a year too.”

Another Way to Browse the Web

I used to browse the web with at least 12 tabs open across the top of my screen. That was before I discovered vertical tabs. With vertical tabs, the titles of the websites you have open appear in a list on the left side of your screen.

Vertical titles are much easier to read, especially if your laptop’s screen is small. The look is also less cluttered. Microsoft Edge has vertical tabs built in, but you have to go into “Settings” to show them. To do that, open Edge and click the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the window. Next, click “Settings,” which is near the bottom of the list. Then click “Appearance,” and scroll down to the “Customize Toolbar” section. Finally, turn on “Show Vertical Tabs.”

If you want to add them to Google Chrome, there’s an extension for that called “Vertical Tabs.” In Firefox, there’s one called “Tree Style Tab.” Both warn you that they can read all your data on all websites. I prefer Edge’s version anyway.

Reader Question

A reader asks: Is there any reason not to use low power mode on my iPhone all the time? It certainly seems to use less battery and the phone doesn’t get hot. I can’t tell any difference in speed.”

According to Apple, low power mode does affect the following features: 5G, except when video streaming, auto-lock (which defaults to 30 seconds), display brightness, display refresh rate, automatic downloads, email fetch, background app refresh, and some visual effects. But you might not notice anything different.

On my Android phone, the only change I notice when I turn on “Battery Saver,” is the brightness of my screen. If it’s not bright enough, though, I turn it up.