Google has added a notable addition to its line of “Go” edition apps – the lightweight apps designed primarily for emerging markets – with the launch of Gmail Go. The app, like others in the Go line, takes up less storage space on users’ smartphones and makes better use of mobile data compared with the regular version of Gmail. The app offers standard Gmail… Read More
Many people say moving to a new home is one of the most stressful things in life. But according to the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, that’s not strictly true. It’s not even in the top 30 most stressful events. So if you’re about to move homes, relax. Just focus on getting as much money for your property as possible. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to add value to your home—even simple things like landscaping can add thousands of dollars. But can tech also play a part? Can smart home upgrades increase your home’s resale value? Let’s take a...
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The Essential Phone, still among the best deals you can find in smartphones today, is now set to be available in three new colors, including “Ocean Depths,” “Copper Black” and “Stellar Gray.” These include two previously announced colours, the aquamarine-ish Ocean Depths and the dark matte “Stellar Gray,” but also the surprising third options,… Read More
The Essential Phone, still among the best deals you can find in smartphones today, is now set to be available in three new colors, including “Ocean Depths,” “Copper Black” and “Stellar Gray.” These include two previously announced colours, the aquamarine-ish Ocean Depths and the dark matte “Stellar Gray,” but also the surprising third options,… Read More
Project Fi, Google’s multi-network cell service, now provides you with data coverage in 170 countries. That’s up from the 135 countries the company has long offered service in. New countries where service is now available include the likes of Belize and Myanmar. The good thing here is that Project Fi still doesn’t charge you extra for your data usage in these countries. Read More Project Fi, Google’s multi-network cell service, now provides you with data coverage in 170 countries. That’s up from the 135 countries the company has long offered service in. New countries where service is now available include the likes of Belize and Myanmar. The good thing here is that Project Fi still doesn’t charge you extra for your data usage in these countries. Read More
These days, it seems every website you ever visit tries to encourage you to use two-factor authentication (2FA). One of the most common ways to use 2FA is to input a unique code from your mobile device. Typically, you receive the code in a text message or you use a third-party 2FA app to generate one. The two methods are both popular ways to use codes due to their convenience. However, both methods are also weak from a security standpoint. And because your 2FA code is only as secure as the technology used to deliver it, the weaknesses are important. So, what’s wrong with using SMS...
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TechCrunch has learned of a potentially serious new bug affecting a wide range of Apple devices. During their development work on an international news feed, software engineers at Aloha Browser discovered two unicode symbols that can crash any Apple device that uses Apple’s default San Francisco font. The bug instigates crashes on iPhones, iPads, Macs and even Watch OS devices that… Read More
The Windows Store, recently rebranded as the Microsoft Store, is the official marketplace for downloading games, apps, themes, and more. It’s not uncommon for it throw out errors, many of which are hard to resolve. We’re here to help. Whether your Store is apparently missing, has a damaged cache, stuck downloading, or something else entirely, we’re here to offer all sorts of solutions that should hopefully get everything sorted. If you have an error to report, or a resolution to give, please head to our comments section below. Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter Before we begin looking at specific error messages,...
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Facebook is amping up its Community Help efforts, now enabling companies like Lyft, Chase, International Medical Corps and Save the Children to easily provide information and services, like food, transportation and shelter, to people in crisis. “Our priority is to build tools that help keep people safe and provide them with ways to get the help they need to recover and rebuild after a… Read More
Is your Android phone always listening to you? Does Google keep a log of everything you say? And if so, what can you do about it? In an age where every device has a microphone and they’re made by companies who love to track what you’re doing, these are valid questions. Let’s take a look at the facts behind Google recordings and how you can stop them. How Is Google Listening? Before we continue, we should explain what exactly Google records from your Android device. If you have a certain setting enabled on your phone, saying OK Google will cause...
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MVPindex and Umbel, two companies delivering social media data to the sports and entertainment industries, are teaming up. The combined company will be led by MVPindex’s co-founders, with Stan Woodward serving as CEO, Shawn Spieth as president and chairman and Kyle Nelson as chief marketing officer. Umbel will be represented on the executive team as well, with CFO Iser Cukierman becoming… Read More
Signatures confirm authenticity. While electronic signatures aren’t always legally binding, they do inspire trust. And adding an electronic signature is fairly easy. We show you how to set up your electronic signature and add it to a Microsoft Word document. 1. Use Word to Insert a Handwritten Signature If you prefer putting a personalized touch on your Word documents, opt for a handwritten signature. Note that this option requires using a scanner. First, sign a white piece of paper. Then scan it to capture the image and import it into your computer. Once the picture appears on your screen, you...
Read the full article: Electronic Signatures in Microsoft Word Are Easier Than You Think
Years ago, you’d pay a flat price for a video game and get everything included. These days? You might pay full price for a game and still end up having to pay more cash to unlock bonus content as DLCs. Or you might download a “free” game only to get swindled by psychologically manipulative tactics that seek to suck your wallet dry. It’s just one of the many ways in which modern gaming has ruined fun for gamers, and because these tricks are so profitable, freemium games aren’t going anywhere. The good news is, not all developers are so greedy!...
Read the full article: 20 Best Free Steam Games That Won’t Trick You to Spend Money
The Photos app was refreshed with the arrival of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. One of the updates will catch your eye if you like sharing photos and videos. Windows calls it Choose a Star and it can turn you into an impromptu filmmaker within a few minutes. With the help of “Choose a Star”, you can build a video around the person you choose. And you don’t need any special video making skills at all. How “Choose a Star” Works in Windows 10 In the new Windows 10 Photos app, you can pick someone and make them the center...
Read the full article: How Windows 10’s “Choose a Star” Helps You Make Special Videos
If you’re not using Google Authenticator or some sort of two-factor authentication app, you should be. If you’ve opted for Google Authenticator, but have switched to a new phone, switching your phone is not an entirely straightforward task. Here’s what you need to do. How to Switch Google Authenticator to a New Phone You’re going to want to do this while the old phone is still in your possession with the Google Authenticator app still installed. Install the iOS or Android Google Authenticator app on your new phone. Load the Google Authenticator page in a browser. You’ll be prompted to...
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Fujifilm’s mirrorless lineup of X Series cameras has an excellent reputation, especially thanks to their ability to produce great-looking images comparable to full-frame competitors from crop sensors due to their unique image processing. Among still photographers, the X-Pro 2 and X-T2 especially have earned top marks and even replaced the standard Canon and Nikon gear of more than a… Read More
If you’ve ever read our Roku and Android TV articles, you may have noticed a stark difference in the quality of screenshots between the devices. Roku makes life hard if you want to take screenshots—you need to put the device in Developer Mode and access your Roku’s IP address from a browser. On Android TV, the process is much easier, though not as simple as taking screenshots on Android mobile. In this article, we’re going to explain how to take a screenshot on your Android TV. How to Take Screenshots on Android TV Taking a screenshot on Android TV is straightforward. You just...
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There’s beauty in the double-blind opt-in. That’s the way you match with someone on Tinder. You like them, they like you, you both find out and get connected. But to date the feature’s largely been trapped in dating apps that match you with randos or that not everyone wants to be on. That means this anti-loneliness technology is leaving some people out. Facebook, meanwhile, is… Read More
There’s beauty in the double-blind opt-in. That’s the way you match with someone on Tinder. You like them, they like you, you both find out and get connected. But to date the feature’s largely been trapped in dating apps that match you with randos or that not everyone wants to be on. That means this anti-loneliness technology is leaving some people out. Facebook, meanwhile, is… Read More
I’m a big fan of the Netgear Orbi line of mesh access points and now there’s more to love. Netgear is now shipping the RBS50Y, a new satellite that is weatherproof and allows you to add coverage to your back yard or garage without worrying that your access point will short out in the rain. Read More
Pinterest is finally listening to its hundreds of millions of users and making it easier to keep your boards organized. To this end, Pinterest has rolled out a number of new tools designed to help your pins, boards, and sections looking exactly the way you want them to look. With Pinterest having been around for so many years at this point, some people’s boards will likely be getting out of hand. Which isn’t good for anyone’s OCD. Thankfully, Pinterest has introduced four new tools designed to help you organize your boards and pins… Archive, Reorder, Sort, and Rearrange The first...
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Fresh off a public spat between Uber investor Benchmark Capital and former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley took the stage in front of a large room of bankerfolk at the Goldman Sachs Internet and Technology Conference to talk about how startup boardrooms are now filled with a lot of cheerleaders that aren’t holding founders accountable. “There’s… Read More
Translating is difficult work, the more so the further two languages are from one another. French-Spanish? Not a problem. Ancient Greek-Esperanto? Hard. But sign language is uniquely difficult because it is fundamentally different from spoken and written languages. All the same, companies like SignAll are working hard to make accurate, real-time machine translation of ASL a reality. Read More
If you’ve ever made a video call, it was probably via Skype. But just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s the best. And more importantly, it’s not the most secure, either. A security researcher has discovered a dangerous exploit in Skype that could grant attackers access to your entire PC. Here’s what you should know about the security risk and the best free programs to replace Skype. Skype’s Security Flaw Researcher Stefan Kanthak discovered a flaw in Skype in September 2017 and made it public in February 2018. It’s a relatively simple exploit that works by abusing Skype’s update process. While Skype is owned...
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Google’s lightweight Chrome OS for desktops doesn’t need a large PC. Loaded on mini PCs you can mount at the back of your monitor, these inexpensive Chromeboxes are excellent purchases. You should know that as these desktop PCs get smaller, so does their capability. But that affects the Windows operating system more. Chrome OS is light, fast, and runs smoothly even with basic hardware. So what should you buy? These are your best options. Best Chromebox: Asus Chromebox 2 G095U Processor: 1.7GHz Intel Broadwell Celeron 3215U Memory: 4GB RAM Storage: 16GB SSD, SD card slot Ports: HDMI, DisplayPort, 4 x...
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MIT researchers are working on a new steering system for drones that uses uncertainty to ensure that they don’t hit obstacles as they fly autonomously. The system is a bit complex but it’s called NanoMap and it quite simply finds ways to get from point A to point B without crashing and while handling random objects in its path. Spectrum describes the system in detail but basically… Read More
Browser notifications let websites announce important updates. Websites send notifications to alert you to new emails, blog posts, or special offers. These notifications are genuinely useful in some cases like Gmail where it can notify you of a new email. But sadly, most websites these days have “abused” this feature to the point where you get bombarded with notifications. Notifications can interrupt your browsing experience and distract your focus thus they quickly turn into an annoyance. You can deny permission when a website requests you to send notifications. You would just have to do it for every website. So, wouldn’t...
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Google Chrome now has its own built-in ad blocker. We first found out about this in April 2017, and by July 2017 Google was testing its new ad blocker. In December 2017 Google revealed more details about the Chrome ad blocker, and informed us it would be arriving in February 2018. Google is enabling Chrome’s new built-in ad-blocker on February 15. This won’t block all ads on all sites, but will sniff out bad ads and then punish the sites serving them up to readers. And in order to clear up any confusion, Google has explained how Chrome’s new ad...
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One of the most popular project ideas in the do-it-yourself (DIY) space is creating a retro arcade. Among the retro gaming software options, there are operating systems such as RetroPie and Recalbox, or roll-your-own solutions using EmulationStation or RetroArch. Using the power of RetroArch, Lakka is a retro gaming solution with a Linux foundation that’s easy to install and use, yet comprehensive and customizable. Learn how to make a retro arcade with Lakka for Linux, from installation to gaming! What Is Lakka? Lakka is an open-source gaming Linux distribution. It’s based on the just-enough OpenELEC operating system. Among the many...
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