18 August 2017

Smart Lighting Showdown: Bluetooth Smart vs. Wi-Fi vs. ZigBee


smart-lighting-showdown

It seems everyone is selling smart lighting products — from big box and specialty stores to local food markets. And that’s to say nothing about the many online stores out there! With so many vendors selling these products, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that more manufacturers are getting in on the fun. In doing so, however, it becomes increasingly harder to tell the differences between one smart lighting solution and another. Thankfully, we’ve done the research for you. In this article, you’ll learn the differences between the three most popular smart home lighting standards and see some examples of...

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10 Apps You Didn’t Know Were in the Windows Store


windows-store-apps

Finally. Almost a decade after Apple launched its App Store and more than five years after the Windows Store first became available to the public in February 2012, Microsoft has, at last, managed to forge an app store worth spending time in. Maybe I’m being harsh. The horror of the Windows 8 version, which was cluttered with fake apps and security issues, is a distant memory. The Windows Store has been on solid footing for almost two years. But in the last few months, it’s taken another giant leap forward. We knew it was going to happen: Microsoft said we...

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You Can Now Upload Videos Directly to Reddit


Reddit now supports native video. This means you no longer have to upload your video to a third-party service (such as YouTube) and then post the link into Reddit. Instead, you can just upload the video directly to Reddit. This is a win-win for both Reddit and its legion of loyal users. Love it or hate it, Reddit is one of the most important websites on the internet. It’s popular too, with hundreds of millions of users racking up billions of pageviews. However, until recently, Reddit has been reliant on third-party services, which has somewhat inhibited its ambitions. Reddit Now...

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The Ultimate Mobile Internet Showdown: Hotspots, Routers, Dongles, and Tethering


mobile-internet-showdown

The internet is rapidly changing how we interact with the world. At the same time, how we interact with the internet is also changing. Gone are the days when most of us connected via phone lines. Gone, too, are the days when a Ethernet cable was necessary to achieve high speeds. Not only can we get online wirelessly, but we’re no longer limited by the range of our routers. We can get online anywhere with a strong connection to a cellular tower. There are multiple ways to go about doing so. Do you connect everything via a portable wireless hotspot,...

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9 Podcasts to Increase Your Online Security Awareness


podcasts-online-security

Digital security can sometimes feel like a minefield of jargon, technical content, and time consuming tasks. Online security courses and YouTube videos are a great way to learn more about the field, but it can be difficult to carve out the time to sit down and watch large chunks of content. The answer to the conundrum is security podcasts. The podcast is currently experiencing something of a golden era, with shows for almost every interest and hobby readily available on a multitude of platforms. The best part? Most podcasts are completely free. Being security-minded you may wonder why you should...

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How to Get the Best Support on Linux Forums


linux-forums

Linux isn’t just a kernel — the people around it are just as crucial. They provide support where it’s needed most: for those just starting their foray into Linux. It’s a community that expects you to slowly become part of them, learning as you go. And it’s why there are numbers of websites out there ready and willing to help out with any troubles you find along the way. That being said, it’s important to approach support in a certain way. This is doubly the case when asking questions from something like an internet forum. It’s easy to forget that...

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The Perfect Meeting Blueprint (Templates Included)


meeting-blueprint

Have you ever received a meeting request at work and simply scratched your head? You wonder what exactly the meeting is about, what will be discussed, and maybe even why you were invited. You look at the other invitees hoping for a hint, but are still clueless. Some say if you receive a vague meeting invitation, you should just decline it. Now, whether you agree with that or not, if you are the coordinator, is it worth the risk that head-scratchers will decline just because they are baffled? With a little forethought and the right tools, you can make sure...

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Tamagotchis Are Back! Here’s How to Keep Them Alive


tamagotchi-back

Did you grow up in the 90s? If so, then you probably remember those Tamagotchi virtual pet toys from Bandai that debuted in 1996 for Japan and 1997 for the rest of the world. Well, they’re back just in time for their 20th anniversary. Read on to find out how you can enjoy training a virtual pet with no internet connection required, and the best tips for keeping your Tama healthy. How Do I Get a Tamagotchi? Bandai has brought back the original Japanese Tamagotchi toys, just like the ones you remember from your childhood. Unfortunately, these re-releases are only available...

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You Can Still Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free!


No, Windows 10 is not worse than XP. No, it’s not slower than Windows 7. And no, it’s not buggier than Windows 8. Windows 10 is the cleanest, fastest, and most advanced Windows operating system of its line. Anybody who tells you otherwise is either lying, in denial, or wearing rose-tinted glasses. Also can't wait to get home so I can work with a faster computer. I swear it moves slower after the upgrade to Windows 10 from XP — Tori Gwathney (@danniebear87) August 17, 2017 Is it perfect? Of course not. But it’s a significant improvement on everything that’s...

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The Best Interactive Introduction to Ruby for Newbies


There’s a battle royale going on between Ruby and Python. The two great rivals have big communities behind them, and both remain popular for web development even as mobile languages move into the limelight. Let’s just say that both object-oriented languages are efficient at solving a vast array of problems. Both are easy programming languages for beginners. But maybe you’re a bit confused about which language to pick up first. If you’re leaning toward Ruby, here’s a great baby step you can take. A Gentle Introduction to Ruby Try Ruby is a simple interactive code sandbox from CodeSchool that can help...

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How to Create Professional Reports and Documents in Microsoft Word


ms-word-templates-business

If Microsoft Office had been a country, it would have been the third most populous country in the world. 1.2 billion people using a single suite of apps is mind-boggling. And, they “speak” 107 languages! But right now, you and I are speaking in English and we are going to talk about the most popular tool in the Microsoft Office arsenal — Microsoft Word 2016. This document editor is used for writing a variety of documents. From a simple application to the necessary resume. From a plain bucket list to an office memo. We think we can work with Word. But...

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Learn About Locations With Google Maps Q&As


Google has added a Questions and Answers feature to Google Maps. This means you can ask businesses questions (and hopefully receive answers) before you visit them. You can also see questions other people have asked, and learn more about different locations as a result. Result! As shocking as it may sound to younger generations, there was a time in the not-too-distant past when the internet wasn’t a thing. This made it a lot harder to know where you were going and what you were going to do once you got there. But now Google Maps does the hard work for...

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6 Tips to Help Speed Up Your Favorite Streaming Service


There seems to be no end to the human hunger for media. It’s how we keep tabs on current events and entertain ourselves. And while we’ve seen a proliferation of next-generation media channels recently, all of them serving content in a variety of formats, some media puts a greater strain on our technology than others. Anybody who streams music or video regularly knows this. All-you-can-eat music and video is a great thing… until your stream slows to a crawl or your video dissolves into a maddening mess of buffering pixels. We’re here to help, with some simple tips to speed...

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How to Change Your Android Keyboard


change-android-keyboard

The keyboard app on your phone might be outdated, featureless, or worse, insecure. You might be using the same basic stock keyboard that came with your Android phone — something that hasn’t been updated in two years. When it comes to Android keyboards, there are better, faster, and more secure options out there. Try a Third-Party Keyboard App Switching to another Android keyboard doesn’t cost you anything. In fact, it will only make you more productive. You’ll be able to type faster, and you’ll have quick access to emojis and GIFs. Gboard — Google’s own Android keyboard has been rebranded...

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