Shopping via smart speakers is not taking off, report suggests

U.S. consumers aren’t adopting voice-based shopping as quickly as expected, according to a new report today from eMarketer. While consumers have been happy to bring smart speakers into their home, they continue to use them more often for simple commands — like playing music or getting information, for example — not for making purchases. However, the overall number of voice shoppers is growing. It’s just slower than previously forecast, the analysts explain.

By the end of this year, eMarketer estimates that 21.6 million people will have made a purchase using their smart speaker. That’s lower than the Q2 2019 forecast, which expected the number to reach 23.6 million.

Still, it’s important to point out that the overall number of people making purchases via a smart speaker is growing. It will even pass a milestone this year, when 10.8% of all digital buyers in the U.S. will have made a purchase using their smart speaker.

EMarketer attributes the slower-than-anticipated growth to a number of factors, including that security concerns are leading people to not yet fully trust smart speakers and their makers. Many consumers would also prefer a device with a screen so they could preview the items before committing to buy. Apple and Google have addressed the latter by introducing smart home hubs that include screens, speakers and built-in voice assistants. But consumers may have already bought traditional Echo and Google Home devices and don’t feel the need to upgrade.

In addition, the report upped the estimates for percentage of users listening to audio (81.1%) or making inquiries (77.8%).

“Though there are thousands of smart speaker apps that do everything from let you order takeout to find recipes or play games, many consumers don’t realize that they need to take extra and more specific steps to utilize all capabilities,” said eMarketer principal analyst Victoria Petrock. “Instead, they stick with direct commands to play music, ask about the weather or ask questions, because those are basic to the device.”

To be fair, a forecast like this can’t give a complete picture of smart speaker usage. Many consumers do ask Alexa to add items to a shopping list, for instance, which they then go on to buy online at some point — but that wouldn’t be considered voice-based purchasing. Instead, the smart speaker sits as the top of the funnel, capturing a consumer’s intention to buy later, but doesn’t trigger the actual purchase.

That said, Amazon, in particular, has failed to capitalize on the potential for voice shopping, given how easily it can tie a voice command to a purchase from its site. Perhaps it became a little gun-shy from all those mistaken purchases, but the company hasn’t innovated on voice shopping features. There are a number of ways Amazon could make voice shopping a habit or turn one-time purchases into subscriptions, just by way of simple prompts.

Amazon could also develop a set of features, similar to Honey (now owned by PayPal), that allow users track price drops and sales, then alert Echo owners using Alexa’s notifications platform or even an “Amazon companion” skill, that could be added to users’ daily Flash Briefings (e.g. “The item you were watching is now $50 off. The new price is…$X…would you like to buy it?”). The companion could also track out-of-stock items, alert you to new arrivals from a favorite brand, or even send product photos to the Alexa companion app, as suggested deals.

Instead, Alexa voice shopping remains fairly basic. Without improvements, consumers will likely continue to avoid the option.

EMarketer also today adjusted its forecast for overall smart speaker usage. Instead of the 84.5 million U.S. smart speaker users, the 2020 estimate has been dropped to 83.1 million users, indicating slightly slower adoption.

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Couchbase launches a fully managed database service

Couchbase, the popular NoSQL database, today announced the launch of Couchbase Cloud, a fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offering for enterprises. Once the service is generally available later this summer, users will be able to spin it up on AWS and Microsoft Azure, with support for Google Cloud coming a bit later this year. This, the company claims, makes it the first “SQL-on-NoSQL DBaaS that supports multiple cloud providers.”

What’s probably more important for its customers, though, is that Couchbase Cloud will allow them to retain full control of their data inside their own Virtual Private Cloud. Couchbase promises that deploying the service only takes a few clicks and, as you would expect from a fully managed service, the company will handle managing and upgrading the database service.

The underlying infrastructure stack uses open-source technologies like Kubernetes, Prometheus and Grafana, but as a fully managed service, that’s not something the users will actually have to worry about all that much. Indeed, Couchbase stresses how its service decouples the underlying infrastructure from its database solution. That includes pricing. Couchbase doesn’t charge its users for the infrastructure they consume. Instead, they’ll continue to pay their cloud provider as usual, which also means they can take advantage of cost savings from reserved instances and other discounts that the various cloud providers make available to their customers. The Couchbase Cloud service itself offers multiple pricing options, including hourly and volume-based pricing.

Traditionally, Couchbase’s focus was on its server and mobile offerings. Adding a fully managed service to this line-up makes a lot of sense, though, as not every company has the expertise to manage its database servers itself.

Couchbase’s mobile database gets built-in ML and enhanced synchronization features

 

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Facebook board adds Zuckerberg’s pal, Dropbox’s CEO

Shareholders have repeatedly tried to oust Facebook’s chairman Mark Zuckerberg. The board has repeatedly rejected that demand. Outside investors are unlikely to get much help with that push from Facebook’s newest board member: Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston.

The addition of Houston is the first since the departure of Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann from the board in October. She was the lead independent director; that role remains empty. While the “independent” status relates to financial ties, business aside, Houston and Zuckerberg’s personal relationship might have complicated the storage startup leader assuming that position.

Zuckerberg and Houston have been close for eight years, appearing in photos together since at least 2012 when they rode around the exclusive Allen & Co Sun Valley conference together (seen above). A less flattering moment saw Zuckerberg and ex-Uber CEO Travis Kalanick celebrating Houston’s birthday at a “Babes & Balls” themed party at ping-pong bar Spin in San Francisco.

Mark Zuckerberg plays ping-pong at SPiN in San Francisco while Drew Houston (to his right) watches on. Image by via Ryan Soule of SPiN via USA Today

Houston has also found a mentor in Zuckerberg, who went through the trials of an initial public offering with Facebook a few years before Dropbox made the journey. Houston told Bloomberg in 2015 that “[Zuckerberg’s] given me a lot of advice just on company scaling, how do you organize people, how do you set up these systems.”

Houston is an accomplished technologist, graduating in computer science from MIT where he came up with the idea for Dropbox. As Facebook undertakes an integration of its messaging apps to expand end-to-end encryption, Houston’s guidance could serve the company well.

But given Dropbox has come under less scrutiny for its content moderation and impact on society, two issues constantly facing Zuckerberg and Facebook, he may have less to add on the topics than Desmond-Hellmann. She had been the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation philanthropy and the chancellor of University of California, San Francisco.

Facebook’s shareholders have multiple times proposed removing Zuckerberg from his role as chairman of the board, including in late 2018 and mid 2019. But the rest of the board have continued to support Zuckerberg, who has accepted blame for failing to emphasize safety earlier and warned of the current profit slowdown as Facebook invests in security and content moderation. Despite constant backlash and a rough reaction to its earnings last week, Facebook’s share price remains near its all-time high.

Facebook’s board now includes Zuckerberg, Peggy Alford of PayPal, Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz, Kenneth I. Chenault of General Catalyst, Sheryl K. Sandberg of Facebook, Peter A. Thiel of Founders Fund, Jeffrey D. Zients of the Cranemere Group and Houston.

Those hoping for board members who will put more pressure on Zuckerberg may need to look toward who eventually fills the independent board director spot. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who was known to push back at Zuckerberg more than other members, left the board last year.

Facebook would benefit greatly from an independent board director with a healthy level of skepticism about how the social network impacts democracy, human rights and people’s attention. Zuckerberg and his inner circle are known as optimists who see the potential of technology to improve our lives. But Facebook has done a better job at fulfilling that opportunity than safeguarding against the side effects of connecting everyone — particularly those happy to exploit or degrade others out of greed for wealth or power. Facebook’s 2.5 billion users would gain more if its next board member had more perspective on the consequences of technology and the upheaval it can cause in developing nations around the world.

 

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Tiny robots with giant potential | Paul McEuen and Marc Miskin

Tiny robots with giant potential | Paul McEuen and Marc Miskin

Take a trip down the microworld as roboticists Paul McEuen and Marc Miskin explain how they design and mass-produce microrobots the size of a single cell, powered by atomically thin legs -- and show how these machines could one day be "piloted" to battle crop diseases or study your brain at the level of individual neurons.

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

Messenger Kids adds expanded parental controls, details how much kids’ data Facebook collects

Facebook’s messaging app for families with children, Messenger Kids, is being updated today with new tools and features to give parents more oversight and control over their kids’ chats. Now, parents will be able to see who a child is chatting with and how often, view recent photos and videos sent through chat, access the child’s reported and block list, remotely log out of the app on other devices, and download the child’s chats, images and videos, both sent and received. The company is also introducing a new blocking mechanism and is updated the app’s Privacy Policy to include additional information about data collection, use and deletion practices.

The Messenger Kids app was first introduced in late 2017, as a way to give kids a way to message friends and family with parental oversight. It arrived at a time when kids were already embracing messaging — but were often doing so on less controlled platforms, like Kik, which attracted predators. Messenger Kids instead allows the child’s parents to determine who the child can chat with and when, through built-in parental controls.

In our household, for example, it became a convenient tool for chatting with relatives, like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as few trusted friends, whose parents I knew well.

But when it came time to review the chats, a lot of scrolling back was involved.

The new Messenger Kids features will help with the oversight aspects for those parents who allow their kids to online chat. That decision, of course, is a personal one. Some parents don’t want their kids to have smartphones and outright ban apps, particularly ones that allow interactions. Others, myself included, believe that teaching kids to navigate the online world is part of your parental responsibility. And despite Facebook’s reputation, there aren’t other chat apps offering these sort of parental controls — or the convenience of being able to add everyone in your family to a child’s chat list with ease. (After all, Grandma and grandpa are already on Facebook and Messenger, but getting them to download new apps remains difficult.)

In the updated app, parents will be able to see who a child has been chatting with, and whether that’s text or video chat, over the past 30 days. This can save parents’ time, as they may not feel the need to review chat with trusted family members, for instance, so can redirect their focus their energy on reviewing the chats with friends. A log of images will help parents to see if all images and videos being sent and received are appropriate, and remove them or block them if not.

Parents can also now see if a child has blocked or reported a user in the app, or if they’ve unblocked them. This could be useful for identifying those problematic friends — the kind who sometimes cause trouble, but are later forgiven, then unblocked. (Anyone who’s dealt with tween-age drama can attest to the fact that there’s always one in every group!)  By gaining access to this information, parents can sit down with te child to talk about when to take that step and block someone, and when a disagreement with a friend can instead be worked out. These are decisions that a child will have to make on their own one day, so being able to use this as a teaching moment is useful.

With the update, unblocking is supported and parents are still able to review chats with blocked contacts. However, blocked contacts will remain visible to one another and will stay in shared group chats. They just aren’t able to message one-on-one. Kids are warned if they return to or are added to chats with blocked contacts. (If parents want a full block, they can just remove the blocked contact from the child’s contact list, as before.)

Remote device logout lets you make sure the child is logged out of Messenger Kids on devices you can’t physically access and control — like a misplaced phone. And the option to download the child’s information, similar to Facebook’s feature, lets you download a copy of everything — messages, images, and videos. This could be a way to preserve their chat history when the child outgrows the app.

The Messenger Kids’ privacy policy was updated, as well, to better detail the information being collected. The app also attempts to explain this in plain language to the kids, using cute photos. In reality, parents should read the policy for themselves and make a decision, accordingly.

The app collects a lot of information — including names, profile photos, demographic details (gender and birthday), a child’s connection to parents, contacts’ information (like most frequent contacts), app usage information, device attributes and unique identifiers, data from device settings (like time zones or access to camera and photos), network information, and information provided from things like bug reports or feedback/contact forms.

To some extent, this information is needed to help the app properly operate or to alert parents about a child’s activities. But the policy includes less transparent language about the collected information being used to “evaluate, troubleshoot, improve, create, and develop our products” or being shared with other Facebook Companies. There’s a lot of wiggle room there for extensive data collection on Facebook’s part. Service providers offering technical infrastructure and support, like a content delivery network or customer service, may also gain access to collected information, but must adhere to “strict data confidentiality and security obligations,” the policy claims, without offering further details on what those are.

Despite its lengthiness, the policy leaves plenty of room for Facebook to collect private information and share it. If you have a Facebook account, you’ve already agreed to this sort of “deal with the devil” for yourself, in order to benefit from Facebook’s free service. But parents need to strongly consider if they’re comfortable making the same decision for their children.

The policy also describes things Facebook plans to roll out later, when Messenger Kids is updated to support older kids. As kids enter tween to teen years, parents may want to loosen the reigns a bit. The new policy will cover those changes, as well.

It’s unfortunate that the easiest tool, and the one with the best parental controls, is coming from Facebook. The market is ripe for a disruptor in the kids’ space, but there’s not enough money in that, apparently. Facebook, of course, sees the potential of getting kids hooked early and can invest in a product that isn’t directly monetized. Few companies can afford to do this, but Apple would be the best to take Facebook on in this area.

Apple’s iMessage is a large, secure and private platform — but it lacks these advanced parental controls, as well as the other bells and whistles (like built-in AR filters) that makes the Messenger Kids app fun. Critically, it doesn’t work across non-Apple devices, which will always be a limiter when it comes to finding an app that the extended family can use together.

To be clear, there is no way to stop Facebook from vacuuming up the child’s information except to delete the child’s Messenger Kids Account through the Facebook Help Center. So consider your choices wisely.

 

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Messenger Kids adds expanded parental controls, details how much kids’ data Facebook collects

Facebook’s messaging app for families with children, Messenger Kids, is being updated today with new tools and features to give parents more oversight and control over their kids’ chats. Now, parents will be able to see who a child is chatting with and how often, view recent photos and videos sent through chat, access the child’s reported and block list, remotely log out of the app on other devices, and download the child’s chats, images and videos, both sent and received. The company is also introducing a new blocking mechanism and is updated the app’s Privacy Policy to include additional information about data collection, use and deletion practices.

The Messenger Kids app was first introduced in late 2017, as a way to give kids a way to message friends and family with parental oversight. It arrived at a time when kids were already embracing messaging — but were often doing so on less controlled platforms, like Kik, which attracted predators. Messenger Kids instead allows the child’s parents to determine who the child can chat with and when, through built-in parental controls.

In our household, for example, it became a convenient tool for chatting with relatives, like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as few trusted friends, whose parents I knew well.

But when it came time to review the chats, a lot of scrolling back was involved.

The new Messenger Kids features will help with the oversight aspects for those parents who allow their kids to online chat. That decision, of course, is a personal one. Some parents don’t want their kids to have smartphones and outright ban apps, particularly ones that allow interactions. Others, myself included, believe that teaching kids to navigate the online world is part of your parental responsibility. And despite Facebook’s reputation, there aren’t other chat apps offering these sort of parental controls — or the convenience of being able to add everyone in your family to a child’s chat list with ease. (After all, Grandma and grandpa are already on Facebook and Messenger, but getting them to download new apps remains difficult.)

In the updated app, parents will be able to see who a child has been chatting with, and whether that’s text or video chat, over the past 30 days. This can save parents’ time, as they may not feel the need to review chat with trusted family members, for instance, so can redirect their focus their energy on reviewing the chats with friends. A log of images will help parents to see if all images and videos being sent and received are appropriate, and remove them or block them if not.

Parents can also now see if a child has blocked or reported a user in the app, or if they’ve unblocked them. This could be useful for identifying those problematic friends — the kind who sometimes cause trouble, but are later forgiven, then unblocked. (Anyone who’s dealt with tween-age drama can attest to the fact that there’s always one in every group!)  By gaining access to this information, parents can sit down with te child to talk about when to take that step and block someone, and when a disagreement with a friend can instead be worked out. These are decisions that a child will have to make on their own one day, so being able to use this as a teaching moment is useful.

With the update, unblocking is supported and parents are still able to review chats with blocked contacts. However, blocked contacts will remain visible to one another and will stay in shared group chats. They just aren’t able to message one-on-one. Kids are warned if they return to or are added to chats with blocked contacts. (If parents want a full block, they can just remove the blocked contact from the child’s contact list, as before.)

Remote device logout lets you make sure the child is logged out of Messenger Kids on devices you can’t physically access and control — like a misplaced phone. And the option to download the child’s information, similar to Facebook’s feature, lets you download a copy of everything — messages, images, and videos. This could be a way to preserve their chat history when the child outgrows the app.

The Messenger Kids’ privacy policy was updated, as well, to better detail the information being collected. The app also attempts to explain this in plain language to the kids, using cute photos. In reality, parents should read the policy for themselves and make a decision, accordingly.

The app collects a lot of information — including names, profile photos, demographic details (gender and birthday), a child’s connection to parents, contacts’ information (like most frequent contacts), app usage information, device attributes and unique identifiers, data from device settings (like time zones or access to camera and photos), network information, and information provided from things like bug reports or feedback/contact forms.

To some extent, this information is needed to help the app properly operate or to alert parents about a child’s activities. But the policy includes less transparent language about the collected information being used to “evaluate, troubleshoot, improve, create, and develop our products” or being shared with other Facebook Companies. There’s a lot of wiggle room there for extensive data collection on Facebook’s part. Service providers offering technical infrastructure and support, like a content delivery network or customer service, may also gain access to collected information, but must adhere to “strict data confidentiality and security obligations,” the policy claims, without offering further details on what those are.

Despite its lengthiness, the policy leaves plenty of room for Facebook to collect private information and share it. If you have a Facebook account, you’ve already agreed to this sort of “deal with the devil” for yourself, in order to benefit from Facebook’s free service. But parents need to strongly consider if they’re comfortable making the same decision for their children.

The policy also describes things Facebook plans to roll out later, when Messenger Kids is updated to support older kids. As kids enter tween to teen years, parents may want to loosen the reigns a bit. The new policy will cover those changes, as well.

It’s unfortunate that the easiest tool, and the one with the best parental controls, is coming from Facebook. The market is ripe for a disruptor in the kids’ space, but there’s not enough money in that, apparently. Facebook, of course, sees the potential of getting kids hooked early and can invest in a product that isn’t directly monetized. Few companies can afford to do this, but Apple would be the best to take Facebook on in this area.

Apple’s iMessage is a large, secure and private platform — but it lacks these advanced parental controls, as well as the other bells and whistles (like built-in AR filters) that makes the Messenger Kids app fun. Critically, it doesn’t work across non-Apple devices, which will always be a limiter when it comes to finding an app that the extended family can use together.

To be clear, there is no way to stop Facebook from vacuuming up the child’s information except to delete the child’s Messenger Kids Account through the Facebook Help Center. So consider your choices wisely.

 

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How to Transfer Contacts From iPhone to iPhone

Whether you just upgraded to a new iPhone or got one from work, the first step you need to take is getting your contacts on it. It isn’t always obvious how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone; it’s a bit confusing since there are several options available to you.

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You can transfer data to a new iPhone using Quick Start, restore everything from a backup, use iCloud to sync just your contacts, or share individual contacts over AirDrop.

We explain how to use each of these iPhone contact transfer methods below.

1. Transfer Contacts to a New iPhone Using Quick Start

If you just got a brand new iPhone, you can transfer contacts and all the other data from your old iPhone during the setup. Apple calls this Quick Start because it lets you start using your new device as soon as possible. In fact, you can even transfer contacts from an Android device during the setup as well.

Quick Start transfers everything from your old iPhone to the new one, including your contacts. If you only want to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone and nothing else, skip ahead to the iCloud section (#3) below.

If you have an iCloud backup, you can choose to transfer the most important data immediately and restore the rest over Wi-Fi in the background. This means you can start using your iPhone, with the contacts on it, after around 15 minutes.

Alternatively, you can choose to transfer everything from one iPhone to the other during the setup. This takes much longer, depending on how much data is on your original iPhone, but you don’t need to depend on a fast internet connection or a recent iCloud backup to do it.

Quick Start is only available while setting up a new iPhone. If you’ve already finished the setup, use the other methods discussed to transfer contacts instead.

Alternatively, restore your iPhone to factory settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. If you do this, you’ll lose everything already on your new iPhone, but will have the option to use Quick Start again.

To use Quick Start, turn on your new iPhone and move it next to your old one. A message should appear on the old iPhone asking to use your Apple ID to set up the new iPhone. Check to make sure it shows the right account and tap Continue.

When a swirling pattern appears on the new iPhone’s screen, use your old iPhone to scan it with the camera. Now enter your old iPhone passcode on the new iPhone and follow the onscreen prompts to finish the setup and transfer your contacts.

2. Restore a Backup to Your New iPhone

You can’t use Quick Start to transfer data if you already traded in, sold, or gave away your original iPhone. However, you can still transfer contacts and everything else to your new iPhone using an existing backup.

This only works if you made a backup of your original iPhone before getting rid of it. If you still have the iPhone, you can make a new backup now, but it’s easier to use the Quick Start method above. Again, if you only want to transfer contacts and nothing else, skip to the iCloud section below.

On your new iPhone, follow the onscreen setup prompts until you reach the Apps & Data page. From here, choose to Restore from iCloud Backup or Restore from Mac or PC, depending on where you made your original iPhone backup.

For iCloud, sign in using the Apple ID details from your original iPhone and choose the latest backup to restore. It may take several hours to restore all the content and data from your backup, depending on your internet speed.

For a Mac or PC, connect your new iPhone to the computer you used to back up your original iPhone. Open iTunes or Finder and click Restore Backup from the iPhone summary page. Confirm which backup to restore and wait for all the data to transfer to your new iPhone.

3. Sync Contacts From iPhone to iPhone With iCloud

The simplest way to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another is to connect both devices to the same iCloud account. You can use iCloud to back up or sync all kinds of data from your Apple devices. When you choose to sync contacts, your iPhone uploads all its contact data to iCloud, then iCloud pushes it out to your other devices.

iCloud only gives you the option to sync your entire contact library. However, you don’t need to transfer any other data to your new iPhone like you do with the previous two methods. If you only want to transfer a selection of contacts, skip to the next section.

Make sure both iPhones are connected to Wi-Fi and signed in to the same Apple ID account. Go to Settings > [Your Name] to see your Apple ID username at the top of the screen. If you need to, scroll down and tap Sign Out, then sign in to the correct account.

It’s fine if you don’t want to use the same Apple ID on both iPhones permanently. Just change them to the same account while transferring your contacts. When you sign out of iCloud later, you can choose to keep a copy of your contacts on the iPhone.

With both iPhones signed in to the same account, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and turn on Contacts. If given the option, choose to Merge your iPhone contacts with iCloud. It’s best to sync contacts from your original iPhone first, since it needs to upload them to iCloud before they transfer to your new iPhone.

Allow plenty of time for the contacts to upload and sync to your new iPhone.

4. Transfer Groups of Contacts Using Finder or iTunes

If you can’t use iCloud—either because you have no free storage or your internet connection is too slow—you can sync contacts using a computer instead. This way, you can also choose to transfer groups of contacts from iPhone to iPhone, rather than your entire address book.

Because you can’t create contact groups on an iPhone, you’ll need to open iCloud.com on your computer and access the Contacts app there to make new groups. Make sure you’ve set up the groups that you want to sync before proceeding.

To sync with an iPhone, your computer needs to have the latest version of iTunes installed, or macOS Catalina or later (which uses Finder instead of iTunes).

You also need to turn off the Contacts option in your iCloud settings on both devices. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud to do so. If given the option, choose to keep contacts on your iPhone.

Open iTunes or Finder on your computer and connect your old iPhone using the charging cable that came with it. If prompted, agree to Trust the connection on both your iPhone and computer.

In iTunes, click the iPhone icon in the top-left corner. In Finder, select your iPhone from the sidebar. Then go to the Info page.

Turn on the option to Sync contacts onto [Your Device] and choose the groups of contacts to transfer. Click Apply, then Sync and wait for the sync to finish.

Now connect your new iPhone to the computer and repeat the steps above to transfer your contacts to it.

5. Transfer Individual Contacts From iPhone to iPhone

Sometimes you only want to transfer a single contact or a small selection of contacts to your new iPhone. If this is the case, you can share individual contacts using AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or other services.

Find the contact you want to share in the Phone or Contacts app on your iPhone. From the contact information page, scroll down and tap the option to Share Contact.

A Share Sheet appears with various methods to share the contact details. Tap your preferred method and send the contact to your new iPhone. You then need to Accept the transfer on your new iPhone and save the contact to your device.

If you use AirDrop to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone, make sure the recipient is set to receive AirDrop requests from anyone. To do this, open Control Center on your new iPhone (scroll down from the top-right corner on iPhone X and newer, or swipe up from the bottom of the screen on iPhone 8 and older).

Then tap and hold on the top-left section with the airplane mode and Wi-Fi icons to reveal an AirDrop button. From there, you can choose who sees the device using AirDrop.

Erase Your Old iPhone Before Getting Rid of It

If you plan to get rid of your old iPhone—now that you’ve transferred all the contacts from it—make sure to erase all your content and data first. This is important to do as it protects your privacy, but also means the iPhone is ready for a new owner to set it up.

There are several ways to factory reset your iPhone. It usually only takes a few minutes and avoids activation and security problems down the line.

Read the full article: How to Transfer Contacts From iPhone to iPhone

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Fix the “Wi-Fi Doesn’t Have a Valid IP Configuration” Error Now

Seeing the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error in Windows 10? This problem is frustrating since it prevents you from going online.

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We’ll explain why you see the message that Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration and how to fix it so you can get connected again.

What Is an Invalid IP Configuration?

Before we dive into the fixes, it helps to know a bit about why this error appears. In short, when you connect to Wi-Fi, your router assigns an IP address to your computer so it can get online.

If something goes wrong with the IP configuration, your computer and router won’t be able to communicate. For instance, your computer might try to use a different IP than the router expects it to. This prevents you from reaching the internet, and results in the “doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.

Let’s look at how to resolve this issue.

1. Restart Your Computer

Like most issues, your first troubleshooting step should always be to restart your computer. You might be seeing the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” message due to a temporary hiccup. Before you spend time on more intensive fixes, you should perform a quick restart to begin from a clean slate.

If you reboot and still see this error, continue on.

2. Reboot Your Router

The other simple fix for networking issues is to restart your wireless router. Because this error involves the router handing an IP address to your computer, it may have run into a problem. Like rebooting your computer, a quick router restart will clear out any short-term glitches and let it start anew.

If you still can’t get online after a power cycle of all equipment, we’ll next look at more advanced steps.

3. Release and Renew Your IP Address

Using a Command Prompt tool, you can give up your computer’s current IP address and request a new one. This is a good way to clear up the invalid IP configuration issue.

To do this in Windows 10, right-click on the Start button or press Win + X to open the Power User menu. Select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the list to open a command line.

At the command line, type the following and press Enter:

ipconfig /release

This tells your computer to release its current IP address back to the router’s pool of available addresses. Next, enter this command (press Enter to send it) to request a new address:

ipconfig /renew

With your new IP address, try to get online again.

4. Reset Network Protocols

Continuing on, you can also use the command line to reset the Winsock, which is the specification that details how your computer accesses the network.

Open an administrator Command Prompt or PowerShell window as described above, then run the following commands one at a time:

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

Try to get online again afterward.

5. Check for a Manual IP Address Setting

By default, your computer and router use a protocol called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to assign an IP address to your system without any manual intervention. If you’ve set a static IP address in the past and something changed, this can cause the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.

To check for this, open Settings (the Win + I shortcut is handy) and browse to Network & Internet > Status. Here, select Change adapter options. In the box that appears, double-click on your Wi-Fi connection.

You’ll see a new window containing information about your connection. Click Properties at the bottom, then double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 from the list of options. This will open the properties window, where you can change IP settings.

Most people should have the Obtain an IP address automatically button selected. If you have Use the following IP address enabled with addresses listed below, try changing this to automatic and hitting OK. Then see if you can get online with this change.

Setting up a static IP address could help solve this problem, but it’s probably not necessary and overkill for most users.

6. Update Your Wireless Driver

Since this “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error involves a wireless connection, you should make sure the driver your computer uses for Wi-Fi is working properly.

To do this, press Win + X again and select Device Manager. Expand Network adapters and find your wireless driver listed. Right-click it and choose Update driver > Search automatically for updated driver software.

This may not find a new driver. In that case, you can instead right-click the device name and choose Properties to see who manufactured it (chances are it’s Intel or Realtek). You may be able to find an updated driver version on the hardware provider’s website; see our guide to updating Windows drivers for help with this.

Failing that, you can right-click the wireless device and choose Uninstall device to remove it from your computer. When you reboot, Windows should reinstall a new wireless driver. However, if it doesn’t do this automatically, you’ll need to reinstall it yourself, either using another computer or a wired connection.

7. Check for Malware and Antivirus Interference

If you’ve reached this point, it’s worth running a scan for malware on your computer. Viruses and other malicious programs can sometimes mess with your internet settings to prevent you from getting online. While it may not result in this particular “doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” issue, it’s still worth a try.

Run a scan with Windows Defender or another antivirus you have installed on your system. If you have access to another computer that can get online, download the free version of Malwarebytes and copy it over to the affected computer to run an anti-malware scan.

As another troubleshooting step, try disabling your antivirus and trying to get online again. Some third-party antivirus programs can interfere with normal network operations and block your network connection.

8. Increase the Number of DHCP Users

Image credit: Linksys

Most routers have a default limit on the number of devices that can connect using DHCP. If you have lots of online devices in your home, there’s a chance that you’ve hit this limit, which is causing the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error when your computer tries to get an address.

You’ll need to log into your router, find the DHCP settings, and increase the limit to fix this issue. How to do this will depend on your router, so we can’t provide exact instructions. For a start, see the basics of logging into a router, and consult your user manual if you need more specific help.

9. Reset Network Settings

At this point, you’ve tried the major fixes. You should now reset your Windows 10 network settings, as there may be a deep-rooted issue.

Visit Settings > Network & Internet > Status and click Network reset at the bottom of the page. Note the warning that doing this will remove all your network adapters and reset everything back to the defaults. If you’re OK with that, click Reset now. The process will restart your PC.

IP Configuration Errors No More

Hopefully you didn’t need to reset all your network settings to resolve the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” message. This error is usually a temporary glitch that goes away with one of the early steps.

If you’re still having a problem or want to learn more about home networks, have a look at our full guide to Windows network troubleshooting.

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Modem vs. Router: What’s the Difference?

While we sometimes use modem and router interchangeably when talking about our home internet hardware, these two devices are not the same thing. In fact, their roles are very different.

So what is a modem? What’s a router? And what is the difference between a modem and a router? Here’s what you need to know about these two devices.

What Is a Modem?

A modem converts the incoming and outgoing signals between an ISP and a user’s home or workplace. The modem’s job involves converting these signals to compatible formats, which enables the transmission of data required to connect to the internet.

An ISP sends data using a variety of signals (radio, electric, satellite, fiber-optic, etc), while computers and electronic devices use digital signals. This means that the modem is needed to essentially translate and convert the signals. This allows these two endpoints to communicate.

The conversion process involves the modulation and demodulation of signals—hence the name of the device: a portmanteau of the term “modulator-demodulator”.

Depending on your internet connection type, the type of modem you need varies. For example, for cable internet, you need a cable modem. Meanwhile, LTE internet requires an LTE modem and DSL internet requires a DSL modem.

Regardless of the type of modem, however, the core purpose remains the same.

Without a modem, your computer or phone would not be able to send and receive the data needed to connect to your internet service. The hardware establishes and maintains your internet connection.

However, a standalone modem can only connect one device to the internet at a time. That’s where a router comes in…

What Is a Router?

A router creates a local network of devices, allowing these devices to send data to your modem and each other. A router technically wouldn’t be required if you wanted to only connect one device to the internet. However, the majority of modern homes have multiple devices that use the internet, such as smartphones, tablets, and multiple PCs.

For these devices to seamlessly transmit data in your local network, you need a router. It routes data and traffic between devices (hence its name).

Your router does this by assigning local IP addresses to each device, so that the data ends up in the right place. Otherwise, the same data would go to every device on the network.

Modern routers include a built-in switch and hub, providing the ports needed for each of your devices to have an uninterrupted connection to the web. Hubs and switches are also available as standalone devices—but this is usually for the workplace where many more users or devices need to connect to the network.

Routers can technically also function without the internet if you only want to share files between your local devices. This means you can use a router without a modem to share files from your PC to your printer, or to send files between two computers on the same local network. However, your router needs to connect to your modem to provide internet access.

You can find out more about routers in our guide on routers and what they do.

Modem Vs Router: What’s The Difference?

The essential difference between a modem and router is their role when it comes to connecting you to the internet. While the modem is the bridge between your home and the internet, the router is responsible for creating your local network within the home.

You could imagine the router as a traffic guard. It helps vehicles (your devices) gain access to the bridge (modem) that leads to the internet. The router makes sure that every device stays in its lane and doesn’t interrupt the connection of other devices or intercept their data.

Another difference between a modem and router is that a modem has a single, public IP address. However, a router assigns a variety of local IP addresses for communication within the network.

Then, there’s there the necessity that each device plays when it comes to connecting to the internet. No matter what, a modem is necessary to connect to the internet. That’s why small modems are built into devices like smartphones, to translate the internet connection provided by your mobile service provider.

Without a router, a modem can still connect to the internet. The same is not true the other way around. Furthermore, a modem is used solely for connecting to the internet, whereas a router can technically be used without the internet to create a home network between devices.

Modem/Router Combinations

Image Credit: Misha Feshchak/Unsplash

The line between modems and routers has become so blurred in the minds of consumers for a reason. After all, many manufacturers sell modem/router combination devices. These come with both a modem and a router built into a single piece of hardware.

As technology advances, these combined devices have become increasingly common. Many modern households use a combined modem and router. Meanwhile, small mobile or portable modems also combine both technologies into one device.

However, it’s important to understand the distinction between modems and routers since they are still often sold as standalone devices. You don’t want to buy one when you actually need the other. Furthermore, it can be cheaper to buy them as standalone devices when it comes to upgrading specific aspects of your home internet network or replacing old modems and routers.

What About 5G Routers and Modems?

With the hype around 5G, more people are wondering whether they’ll need special modems and routers to connect to this internet technology.

Like with any other type of internet connection, you will need a compatible modem to connect to 5G internet. 5G-enabled smartphones and tablets have these modems built into them. But those who want to use a 5G connection for their home will need a 5G modem. These are already available, along with 5G modem-router combinations, from 5G ISPs and certain retailers.

Some companies also offer 5G CPEs (customer-premises equipment) with a built-in modem and router to connect customers to 5G networks.

Older routers should still work with 5G modems. But you may want to upgrade your router to take advantage of the full speed of 5G. Slower single-band routers may create a bottleneck for a fast 5G internet connection.

However, this will largely depend on your internet plan and how fast your 5G connection actually is. Don’t go upgrading your devices just yet until you know that 5G is available in your area, the details of your plan, and which devices are compatible.

Understanding Your internet Wi-Fi

Now that you understand the roles of modems and routers better, you may still be wondering about other aspects of your home internet network. For example, where does Wi-Fi come in?

To find out more about Wi-Fi standards, and how they play a role in your connection to the internet, read our guide on understanding Wi-Fi.

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How to Decide Between Buying an iPad and a MacBook

If you’re an Apple fan, you might wonder whether an iPad or MacBook is best for you. As it turns out, it really depends on what kind of person you are and how you get work done.

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The best choice for you also depends on what devices you’ve been most comfortable with in the past. Today, we’ll walk you through the most important questions to help you decide whether an iPad or a MacBook is worth your money.

Do You Value Portability?

If you travel a lot and want a lightweight device that you can carry around everywhere, then the MacBook is an acceptable option, especially for the power it packs.

But while the MacBook gets the job done, the iPad is simply unbeatable when it comes to portability. It’s more portable than even a MacBook Air, which is the lightest MacBook that Apple makes.

For example, the 2019 13-inch MacBook Air weighs around 2.75 pounds. The 2018 12.9-inch iPad Pro (the biggest iPad) weighs only half of that, at 1.39 pounds.

So if you want a lightweight, carry-anywhere device, the MacBook is fine, but the iPad is miles better.

Do You Need a Robust OS?

In 2019, Apple renamed the iPad’s operating system from iOS (which also powers the iPhone) to the new iPadOS. This marks a distinction between the two devices, as iPadOS offers more powerful features such as Split Screen, desktop-class Safari, a full Dock, and others.

But macOS offers much more, with traditional desktop features like robust file management, full desktop software, and complex multitasking. If needed, you can even install Windows alongside macOS—check out our guide covering how to install Windows on a Mac if you’re interested in this.

That said, it’s certainly possible to get work done on iPadOS, but its applications offer limited features when compared to their desktop counterparts. For example, Photoshop for iPad has been a mess since its release in late 2019, and is lackluster compared to the full edition Photoshop on macOS.

In summary, if you’re looking to get professional work done, iPadOS is a decent option with some major limitations. macOS, on the other hand, likely has everything you need.

Do You Value Ease of Use?

iPadOS may not be as robust as macOS, but it makes up for that with its remarkable ease of use. This means an iPad is a good choice if you’re looking to buy it for a child or an elderly person. Of course, this also can apply for yourself, if you appreciate an easy-to-use device above all else.

An iPad isn’t just easy to use on the software side. Unlike MacBooks, iPads have touchscreens, which add a lot of practicality for tasks like drawing and writing. If you like, you can use the Apple Pencil for added precision.

For some kinds of use, a touch screen is superior. However, if you often work in spreadsheets and other tools that require precisions, a trackpad or mouse will better fit your needs.

What About Powerful Hardware?

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Due to their size and use cases, iPads and MacBooks have different kinds of hardware. As a result, the devices offer varying levels of power.

As one example, the iPad Pro has an advantage in the visual department thanks to the ProMotion display technology. This is Apple’s name for the high refresh rate (up to 120Hz) that these screens can reach, which makes everything look extremely smooth. This is great for tasks like browsing and drawing.

On the other hand, an advantage that any MacBook has over any iPad is a far greater amount of RAM (Random Access Memory), which greatly improves multitasking. Combined with the more powerful processors in MacBook models, heavy tasks like 4K video editing are much faster on a laptop.

Both devices offer great hardware for their respective uses. If you don’t need the heavy horsepower of a MacBook, an iPad will suit you well. On the other hand, those looking to multitask with dozens of apps and use powerful software will need find the resources of an iPad lacking.

Do You Want to Game?

Neither the MacBook nor iPad are dedicated gaming machines, but both offer some good gaming options. Both iPadOS and macOS let you enjoy a variety of games on Apple Arcade if you have a subscription.

The Mac App Store offers many games for sale, including both desktop versions of casual games and more mainstream titles. Steam is also available for Mac, and while Mac doesn’t support as many titles as Windows, there’s still a great selection of Mac games to choose from.

Meanwhile, the iPad has a wealth of games on its App Store. However, these are mostly casual games that are free to start but soon hinder your progress with in-app purchases and play limits.

What’s best for you ultimately depends on how you like to game. If you like keyboard/mouse controls and are an enthusiast gamer, then you should go for a MacBook. But if you don’t mind touch controls and prefer casual gaming, then an iPad is a better choice.

Are You on a Budget?

Another important factor that will help you decide between the two devices is how much money you’re willing to shell out for them.

The cheapest MacBook that Apple currently makes, the 13-inch MacBook Air, starts at $1,099, which isn’t cheap. On the other hand, the least expensive iPad on offer at the time of writing, the 10.2-inch iPad, starts at just $329.

It’s clear that the iPad is a lot better if you’re on a budget. In addition, there are more iPad variants available at different prices. The iPad Air starts at $599, while the iPad Pro is available from $799. If you’re looking for a tiny device, Apple offers the iPad Mini beginning at $399.

Obviously, a $400 iPad can’t match the capabilities of a $1,100 MacBook. If you already have a solid desktop computer, the iPad might make for a better complementary device.

iPad vs. MacBook: What Will You Decide?

In the end, the most important factor to help you decide between an iPad and a MacBook is what style of device you feel more comfortable with.

If you’ve worked with laptops in the past and want a professional desktop experience, then you just won’t get that on an iPad—a MacBook is best suited for you. But if you love the simplicity of iOS on your phone and want a slight sprinkle of laptop capabilities, plus unrivaled portability, then an iPad is all you need. Also, if you’re money-conscious, an iPad is clearly better.

Hopefully, this helped you decide which device is right for you. For the next step, check out our MacBook model comparison or iPad buying guide to nail down a specific model for your needs.

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Record Perfect Audio From Any Source With Audials One 2020 — Now 66% off

Most of the time, streaming music and videos works just fine. But if you want to conserve data or you’re heading for an area with no connections, you might want to save some content offline. Audials One 2020 on Windows makes it easy to record high-quality audio from music-streaming platforms, radio, movies, TV, and most other audio sources. Right now, you can download the app for just $19.99 at MakeUseOf Deals.

Record Like a Pro

No matter what kind of sound you want to record, Audials One 2020 has you covered. This powerful Windows software lets you save sounds at UltraHD, HiFi, or Master quality.

In terms of music, the app works with Deezer, Amazon Music, Soundcloud, and many more streaming platforms. You can even drag and drop songs from Spotify; Audials One automatically saves a perfectly trimmed version of each track.

You can also record content from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Hulu, and live streams. In addition, the software can handle podcasts, online radio, and more.

Audials One 2020 has a built-in library for recordings, and you can send audio straight to your phone or cloud storage.

Download Now for $19.99

This impressive app is normally priced at $59.90, but you can grab it now for only $19.99.

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The Theory of Evolution: 5 Cool Sites You Must Visit on Darwin Day

Evolution is fascinating, often misunderstood, and sometimes controversial. These websites make it easier for non-scientific folks to understand and visualize evolution.

When we think about evolution, we mostly focus on the basics: man evolved from primates, life evolved from other life, and so on. While that’s apt, there is so much more to it. Evolution is an interesting branch of science with a million stories waiting to be explored. Plus there’s always the debate about evolution and creationism. Heck, even Google gives answers from creationism sometimes.

February 12 is Darwin Day. A day to commemorate the birth of Charles Darwin, the proponent of the theory of evolution. What better reason to refresh your understanding of evolution, and perhaps learn something new?

1. Everything Evolution (Web): Evolution Without Jargon

They say the best way to truly understand a subject matter is to teach it to someone else. So biology student Laurie Luckritz created a blog to explain evolution to regular people, without using jargon as much as possible.

Everything Evolution has only 10 blog posts, but in these, Luckritz covers the basics of evolution masterfully.

For example, the first post covers the origins of the theory and the difference between macroevolution and microevolution. I won’t lie, I had forgotten about these terms, but Luckrtiz’s simple explanation is all one needs to process the concept.

Through the posts (illustrated with helpful images and infographics), you’ll understand how evolution works, some of the jargon words like taxonomy and phylogeny, and even clarify the basics of the evolution of human beings.

If you want to avoid being overwhelmed with reading matter, Everything Evolution is a great blog to start with.

2. Evolution 101 (Web): Berkeley’s Guide to Understanding Evolution

Whether you’re a student or a teacher, you must visit the University of California, Berkeley’s mini-site on evolution. It is a comprehensive source to understand everything about the theory, get some teaching materials to explain it to others and use interactive elements.

Start at Evolution 101, an in-depth course that gives a simple introduction to the concept of evolution, aided with helpful graphics.

All the graphics are free to download, making it a great resource for teachers who want to explain it to their students. Berkeley also teaches you how to read “tree of life” phylogeny, which you’ll encounter often in reading about evolution.

Once you’re done with the course, browse the website for interesting insights into evolution, scientific investigations, news, and other resources. I would particularly recommend the Misconceptions About Evolution page.

While primarily aimed as a teaching tool, it breaks every common myth and misunderstanding about evolution, without getting too scientific. Of course, if you want the hard science for more information, it’s always a click away.

3. OneZoom (Web): Interactive Tree of Life Explorer

At OneZoom, you can zoom, scroll, pan, and browse an interactive Tree of Life representation like Google Maps. It plots relationships between 2,235,362 species of life on the planet. Each species is a leaf and each branch is how they connect.

It’s not exactly a tree in the physical sense. Instead you see a long spiral, which branches out into different species at different points. There’s a handy search bar to quickly dive to any species. At each branch, you will find information about when the species came into being or went extinct, as well as other tidbits like its current conservation status and some trivia.

It’s fascinating to click around and find so much more to zoom into. The connections between different living creatures on our planet aren’t as obvious as you might think. For instance, did you know rodents are more closely linked to rabbits than anything else?

You can also sponsor each leaf or species to keep the website going. So the next time someone checks out a German Shepherd dog or a deadly venomous Cobra, they might see your name.

4. MinuteLabs Tree Of Life (Web): Recommended Trees and Customizable Maps

MinuteLabs, made by the people behind popular YouTube channel MinutePhysics, created its own Tree Of Life. This simple node-based tree is a lot cleaner than other online charts. And you can control what you see.

Each node represents any taxonomic rank (species, family, genus) with the common name and the Latin scientific name. You can customize the tree you’re seeing by expanding, collapsing, or removing entire branches. For example, if you’re interested in canines but not jackals, snip it off.

Search for any species and it’ll immediately pop up on the tree you’re already seeing, showing how long the connection is. It’s a neat way to make a custom tree for you to see how one animal connects to another.

MinuteLabs has also made a list of “curated trees” worth checking out. How do dinosaurs connect to us and which of their descendants are still around? Who survived from the prehistoric age to now? And what are all these peculiar-looking animals?

5. Systematic Classification of Life (YouTube): Video Series to Explain Evolution

The Phylogeny Explorer Project is yet another “tree of life” encyclopedia, telling you how every living creature is connected. But no, you’re not here to dive into another one of those. Instead, focus on the YouTube channel of Phylogeny Explorer creator AronRa.

In a series of videos (handily compiled in a playlist), AronRa explains the “Systematic Classification of Life” in the simplest way possible. The videos have him standing in front of a green screen that changes images according to what he’s talking about. AronRa speaks in simple language and not like a scientist, breaking down the basics of each node of the tree.

The style of teaching is wonderful, as it gives you a larger worldview of our earth and how different environmental factors affected evolution. The changing of the land masses, for instance, had major impacts. Plus, AronRa also talks about how humans have studied these to come to our current conclusions.

Each episode is roughly 10 minutes, although a few clock above 15 minutes. There are currently 47 episodes, and the series is still ongoing. If you want shorter videos, check out the Stated Clearly channel for an explanation of the basics of evolution and natural selection.

Visualize the Progress of Mankind

The first part of evolution is to visualize everything from the birth of the first living creature to the human beings of today. But the evolution of humans and our impact on the world is fascinating in itself. Check out these websites to visualize the progress of mankind and the earth.

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