After Twitter fact-check, Trump threatens to regulate or close down social media platforms

Once again, Trump has doubled down. Following the addition of a fact-checking warning label added to his tweet about mail-in ballots, Trump took to the platform yet again to denounce it. In what may be his strongest words to date against a service that has largely given him free rein to this point, the President suggested that social media services would have to be regulated or shut down. Republicans have long held that social media sites harbor an anti-conservative bias. 

“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices,” he tweeted. “We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016.”

Twitter adds a warning label fact-checking Trump’s false voting claims

That last bit appears to be a reference to the role platforms like Twitter and Facebook played in the 2016 election. Trump then went on to reassert earlier claims about mail-in ballots, accusing a push for easy access to voting amid a pandemic of being a “free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft.”

It was precisely those claims that earned him a Twitter fact-checking label in the first place. As of this writing, however, no such label has been added to the new tweet sent a little after 7AM ET this morning. It’s been a busy couple of days for Trump on his favored social media platform, following the long holiday weekend. Last night he accused the service of “stifling free speech,” in spite of Twitter’s long-standing reluctance to either delete tweets or ban Trump over perceived TOS violations.

This morning the President took to Twitter to once again tie a cable news morning host to an old conspiracy theory about his late-wife host and declare “Obamagate” worse than Watergate.

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Google expands tools to help businesses impacted by COVID-19

Google is rolling out a series of updates aimed at helping local businesses adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to serve their customers across Google Maps and Search. Since the outbreak, Google has made it possible for businesses to communicate to customers things like their revised operating hours or temporary closures, among other things. Now, it’s adding and expanding a set of features that will allow businesses to support themselves, including those focused on gift card sales, fundraising or by marketing their virtual services. Restaurants will also be able to point to their preferred delivery partners, so customers can choose to order through the third-party the business recommends.

That latter item addresses what’s been a particularly sore point for restaurant owners amid the pandemic. Already, restaurants found food delivery apps’ large commission fees difficult to swallow. Now, these apps are profiting from the industry’s collapse as the pandemic rages on.

 

While Google’s update won’t allow restaurants to avoid these commissions, businesses will at least soon be able to communicate which delivery app they’d prefer customers to use — and it will likely be the one offering the lowest fee.

Google also says it has expanded the set of delivery partners it works with across the U.S., Germany, India, Australia and Canada. This makes it possible for Google Maps users to order delivery from more than 25,000 new restaurants and has already pushed users’ food order requests to over half a million per week.

In addition, Google is expanding a recently launched product that will allow businesses to sell gift cards to support themselves during government shutdowns and slower customer traffic after re-opening. Google says businesses were already promoting their gift card links on their profiles, in many cases.

Customers will be able to donate to favorite businesses directly from Google Search in more markets. To make this possible, Google partnered with PayPal and GoFundMe for businesses that opt in to use this feature.

Google began by allowing merchants in six countries to add support links for donations and gift cards, including the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Now 18 more countries will gain the feature, including Italy, Spain, Japan and others.

Merchants will be able to promote a link that directs users to purchase their gift cards either on their own business website or through supported partners like Square, Toast, Vagaro and Clover. This feature will roll out first with merchants in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand before expanding to 18 more countries over the summer.

Another change aims to address the broader way the pandemic is impacting in-person businesses. Instead of shutting down entirely, many have chosen to pivot and go virtual. Restaurants have turned themselves into virtual kitchens, for example. Yoga studios have begun streaming classes online.

In the next few weeks, merchants who are verified through Google My Business will be able to alert their customers that they’re operating in a new capacity by adding to their profiles attributes like “online classes,” “online appointments” and “online estimates.” These will display in both Search and Maps, Google says.

Related to this, Google is expanding its Reserve with Google appointment-setting program to help merchants offer easy online appointment bookings that customers can book directly from a Business Profile, then add to their own Google Calendar. Today, Google’s program integrates with more than 100 partners for online bookings. It’s now adding Booksy, Regis, WellnessLiving and Zooty.Google’s ability to connect customers with local businesses has a sizable impact, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in a surge of new traffic across Google Maps and Search alike. 

For example, Google said it has seen a 260% increase in worldwide search interest in terms like “takeout near me” since February, before reaching an all-time high in April. Global search interest for the phrase “how to help small businesses” reached an all-time high in March 2020, up 700+% from what Google saw in February. And over a million businesses have shared COVID-19 posts on their profiles since March, resulting in millions of clicks to merchants’ websites every week.

Unfortunately, despite the rapid pace of the updates on Google’s part they still may have arrived too late for some businesses. Google saw more temporary and permanent business closures in March and April 2020 than it saw during all of 2019. Economists are now projecting that more than 100,000 small businesses in the U.S. have closed permanently since the pandemic escalated in March.

“The pace of change is really pretty staggering” said Jen Fitzpatrick, SVP, Google Maps.

It’s hard to quantify how much Google could have helped here had it moved even faster, but it’s worth noting that other sizable social networks, including Facebook, Yelp, Instagram and Nextdoor, have already rolled out new features focused on helping businesses sell their gift cards and/or link to fundraising efforts.

Google’s updates, meanwhile, are rolling out in the days, weeks and months ahead, depending on the feature in question and the merchant’s geographic location. By then, the businesses that have survived government lockdowns are those that likely found alternative ways to reach customers and fundraise without Google’s help.

Google knows how critical its tools are, at least.

“There’s a new survey that was recently conducted by the Connected Commerce Council, and what they heard was that nearly 1 in 3 small businesses say that without digital tools they would have had to close all or part of their business,” Fitzpatrick noted. “So digital is suddenly even more at the forefront in terms of how small businesses are looking to operate and help them survive.”

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How to Make Pixel Paintings with Google Spreadsheets

You have been using Google Sheets for budgeting and business but there’s another interesting use of spreadsheets - you can use them to create impressive pixel paintings in minutes.

Marina and Mallory created a bright and beautiful wall mural using Google Sheets. Japanese artist Tatsuo Horiuchi uses Microsoft Excel to draw masterpieces.

The idea is simple. Each cell in the spreadsheet corresponds to a pixel in the painting. You find the color of the pixel and set that as the background color of the corresponding cell in the sheet. Now resize the cells in small perfect squares and your spreadsheet will resemble the original artwork.

How to Paint with Google Spreadsheets

If you would like to create your own spreadsheet art but don’t have the time to carefully paint every cell manually, here’s a simple workaround for you. You can take any photograph, vector art, GIF, or any other image and use Google Sheets to convert that bitmap image into spreadsheet art.

Here’s some artwork created with Google Spreadsheets.

Watch the video tutorial or open this Google Sheet to explore more artwork made with Google Sheets. You can increase the zoom to view individual pixels.

Create Pixel Art with Google Sheets

It takes three easy steps to make pixel art with Google Sheets.

1. Install Pixel Art for Google Sheets.
2. Type sheets.new in the browser to create a new Google Sheet. Go to Add-ons menu, choose Pixel Art and then select Open.
3. Upload any image from your desktop, hit the Draw button and watch as your sheet magically transforms into beautiful art.

Check this Google Sheet for more examples.

How Pixel Art Works?

The underlying Google Script will now parse every single pixel of your image and write the corresponding hex color codes in the cells of the spreadsheet.

It will then set the background color of every cell as the color of the corresponding pixel in the uploaded image. If you have chosen the ‘emoji’ option, the cell will be filled with the closest emoji that matches the color of the pixel.

In the last step, the Google Script will resize the cells and turn them into perfect squares. That’s it. Your spreadsheet art is now ready.

Download Pixel Art

If you choose to transform your picture into emojis pixels, the script takes the average color of the pixel, finds the closest emoji and adds it to the corresponding cell in the sheet. The emoji module is based on the work of Monica Dinculescu.

Live Intraday Trading on 27-May-2020 (Profit 7100)

Live Intraday Trading on 27-May-2020 (Profit 7100)

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Apple begins offering Macs with custom configurations in India

Apple is finally giving customers in India the ability to order customized versions of iMac, MacBook Air, Mac Mini and other Mac computers.

The Cupertino-giant has started to offer a full-range of the Mac portfolio with configure-to-order (CTO) or build-to-order (BTO) option in India, allowing customers in the country to request specific custom needs such as additional memory or storage when they purchase a computer.

Customers in India, a key overseas market for American technology giants, have long requested this feature, which Apple offers in several regions. Prior to this, Apple only offered select variants of its Mac computers in India and gave no option to customers to ask for specific upgrades.

Those interested can get in touch with their local Apple Authorized Reseller to discuss the various upgrade options, pricing information, and place the order. The options are also listed on Apple India website.

Apple is currently committing to deliver customized computers in four to five weeks from the time of order.

“This is a very huge deal,” said Preshit Deorukhkar, a Mumbai-based executive who closely tracks Apple development. “Previously, there was no real way to get a built-to-order or configure-to-order Mac in India. So you were stuck with the base models — say a Mac Mini or 13″ MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM. Now that the company is officially offering this, you get the computer you want and the standard warranty on it.”

“The component upgrade pricing is still whack, though, like charging $400 to go from 16GB to 32GB for the RAM, but at least the option is available now,” he added.

The new move comes as Apple prepares to launch its online store in India this year and open its first brick-and-mortar retail store next year, as chief executive Tim Cook revealed earlier this year.

The company is still on track to launch its online store in India this year despite the coronavirus outbreak, a person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.

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Intraday Trading Calls for 28-May-2020

Intraday Trading Calls for 28-May-2020

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Facebook Buys Giphy: Should You Worry About Your Personal Data?

The GIF-making brand, Giphy, has been acquired by Facebook for a reported $400 million. It joins a portfolio that already boasts Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. This isn’t a huge surprise: Giphy started as a search engine, but users could soon share these GIFs on Facebook. Giphy’s reach grew, as did Facebook’s.

But after the news was announced, users immediately panicked about their security and personal details. After all, Facebook’s suffered a number of privacy breaches recently. So can you trust Giphy now? What data does it actually collect? And how can you ensure your private information stays secure?

What Does Facebook Gain From Buying Giphy?

Facebook reports 50 percent of Giphy’s traffic comes from its brands, predominantly Instagram. That’s why Vishal Shah, Instagram’s VP of product, announced the acquisition, noting that the takeover is in a bid for better integration with Instagram. Shah also says Facebook will work to develop Giphy’s technology and content.

We’re so excited to share some news – GIPHY has been acquired by @Facebook and is joining the @Instagram team! ?

Read more here: https://t.co/U6AYQ16cEQ pic.twitter.com/ATjEY1VK3K

— GIPHY (@GIPHY) May 15, 2020

It already has the largest library of independent GIFs. Its main competitor, Tenor, was bought by Google in 2018, so this once more advances the battle between two internet giants.

And Giphy is certainly a heavy-hitter.

Let’s look at Giphy’s integration across online services. It claims to be “everywhere your conversations are happening”—so that’s social networking sites like Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat. You can also find it on iMessage, Google Chat, and Slack, as well as Facebook properties like Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Then there’s Tinder, Signal, Trello, Mailchimp, and Telegram. Giphy has become an important part of communication apps.

It’s not difficult to see why this is such a valuable asset to Facebook. In particular, Snapchat is a major rival, as it has a predominantly youthful demographic.

However, it’s important to note that we don’t know which services will continue to support Giphy after the acquisition. It may disappear from competitors and be replaced. Or it may be business as usual. Facebook apparently intends for little to change right now. We doubt it will make any difference to apps which encourage logging in via Facebook, like Tinder and TikTok.

What Data Does Giphy Collect?

After so many privacy scandals, it’s only natural users question whether Facebook also wants more access to data, especially on rival systems like Twitter. But this is only an app that provides GIFs—surely nothing personal is collected about you… right?

Actually, Giphy collects data you submit yourself directly, indirectly from third-parties, and automatically. The latter includes your IP address, device information, and cookies, chiefly for targeted ads, although the Privacy Policy also argues it’s to combat spam and malware. Otherwise, Giphy says all information is collected “to personalize, improve, understand and continue to operate the Services.”

Any developers that integrate it into apps have to inform Giphy of the device’s tracking ID.

It’s taken until the acquisition for the most concerning aspect of Giphy to come to light. Whenever you use it, the company can track how a GIF is shared, where (i.e. the platform), and what it expresses. Giphy literally knows if you’re annoyed, happy, or in hysterics.

Giphy can also can track keystrokes—meaning the service can tell what you’re searching for by spying on what you’re typing.

Embedded within GIFs is a tracking identifier which informs Giphy of your online browsing habits: that’s what you search for on the web, and which apps you use.

Couple this with what Facebook already knows about you. Ads might become scarily accurate (if they’re not already).

You might not be on Facebook. You might block its tracking cookies. But through Giphy, Facebook could—potentially—still track you.

How to Keep Your Data Secure

If you want to keep further information about yourself out of Facebook’s hands, your best option is to delete your Giphy account before the switchover occurs.

That isn’t a fix-all solution because other services you use might share data. Check the privacy policies of third-parties; what do they do with your personal information? If you can’t find enough details about sharing, contact them.

Take iMessages, for example. Open a conversation thread, swipe across to More then locate Giphy in the app list. Swipe right to left on it and click Delete. But without it, iMessages uses the search engine, Bing, for its GIFs. This would be fine, except Bing could still source these from Giphy.

Do you trust Apple not to share personal information?

Instead, try another service like the Google-owned Tenor or independents like GIFwrapped. It depends who you want seeing your information—a big company like Facebook or Google, or a smaller entity. You can use software to convert videos to GIFs too.

Of course, you should support services which don’t share details, like Signal. The messenger app acts as a proxy so searches can’t be traced back to you. Instead, searches look like they’re made by Signal.

The same is true of Slack, which refuses to send personally identifiable data.

It doesn’t seem like either will stop using Giphy after Facebook’s acquisition, unless the social media giant forces the issue. We’d be especially surprised, however, if Twitter continues using Giphy without initiating a proxy protocol to mask users’ details. They are, after all, key rivals.

This puts Snapchat in a quandary: will they cooperate with a major competitor to keep delivering a popular image format to its youthful demographic? Will it find a similar service to replace Giphy? Or will it develop its own GIF library?

Should You Stop Using Giphy?

Some @Giphy history pic.twitter.com/SP9heBB18P

— Pasquale D'Silva (@pasql) May 18, 2020

This isn’t the first time Giphy has been involved in some controversy. Artists receive no fees whenever their work is used in GIFs. In fact, they don’t even get credit. Doing this would cause various practical issues, but you can’t blame creatives for feeling irked that their hard work isn’t acknowledged.

But Giphy isn’t all bad. It’s immensely popular because it boasts such an impressive library. It’s also trying to make the world better by, for instance, teaching people sign language—so whether you delete the app or not might be a tougher decision than you initially think.

Read the full article: Facebook Buys Giphy: Should You Worry About Your Personal Data?

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Google removes millions of negative TikTok reviews amid backlash in India

ByteDance’s TikTok app, which has gained hundreds of millions of users in India with its short-form videos, is facing criticism in its biggest overseas market after disturbing videos surfaced on the platform.

Phrases such as BanTikTok, DeleteTikTok, and BlockTikTok have trended on Twitter in India in the past three weeks after numerous users expressed disgust over some videos that were circulating on Chinese giant ByteDance’s jewel app.

Users unearthed and shared numerous recent TikTok videos on Twitter that appeared to condone domestic violence, animal cruelty, racism, child abuse and objectification of women.

The backlash has resulted in millions of Indians giving the app a one-star rating on its Google Play Store listing and posting poor reviews that are critical of the app. The app’s overall rating tanked from 4.5 as of earlier this month to as low as 1.2 — until Google intervened.

A Google spokesperson said the company removed millions of negative TikTok reviews that users had posted as a corrective action to curb spam abuse. After this correction, TikTok’s rating has recovered slightly to 1.6. At one time, the overall “sentiment” of the app that in part describes a user’s satisfaction with the app based on its reviews, dropped from 86% to 39%, mobile insight firm Apptopia told TechCrunch.

Outrages over an app is not a new phenomenon. In India itself, there have been a handful of cases including an incident when an alleged remark made by Snapchat co-founder upset many Indians, many of whom mistakenly deleted — and left poor ratings for — Snapdeal e-commerce app.

But the new incident, which snowballed after Faizal Siddiqui (a social media influencer) posted a spoof video of an acid attack (for which he has since apologized), has put TikTok’s content moderation efforts on spotlight in India, where its app reached 200 million users late last year.

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, an Indian politician, argued that TikTok was not following the Indian government’s order after lapses in its content moderation efforts became apparent this month.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said, “keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and we make it clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines that clearly outlines what is not acceptable on our platform. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks safety of others, promotes physical harm or glorifies violence against women. The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate.”

But ByteDance did not reveal how many content moderators it had in India and how proactively it removes objectionable videos — or if it does. Last year, TikTok grappled with a similar issue when a High Court in India ordered Google and Apple to block the app in the country over porn and other illegal content. The ban was lifted weeks later.

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Google removes millions of negative TikTok reviews amid backlash in India

ByteDance’s TikTok app, which has gained hundreds of millions of users in India with its short-form videos, is facing criticism in its biggest overseas market after disturbing videos surfaced on the platform.

Phrases such as BanTikTok, DeleteTikTok, and BlockTikTok have trended on Twitter in India in the past three weeks after numerous users expressed disgust over some videos that were circulating on Chinese giant ByteDance’s jewel app.

Users unearthed and shared numerous recent TikTok videos on Twitter that appeared to condone domestic violence, animal cruelty, racism, child abuse and objectification of women.

The backlash has resulted in millions of Indians giving the app a one-star rating on its Google Play Store listing and posting poor reviews that are critical of the app. The app’s overall rating tanked from 4.5 as of earlier this month to as low as 1.2 — until Google intervened.

A Google spokesperson said the company removed millions of negative TikTok reviews that users had left as a corrective action to curb spam abuse. After this correction, TikTok’s rating has recovered slightly to 1.6. At one time, the overall “sentiment” of the app that in part describes a user’s satisfaction with the app based on its reviews, dropped from 86% to 39%, mobile insight firm Apptopia told TechCrunch.

Outrages over an app is not a new phenomenon. In India itself, there have been a handful of cases including an incident when an alleged remark made by Snapchat co-founder upset many Indians, many of whom mistakenly deleted — and left poor ratings for — Snapdeal e-commerce app.

But the new incident, which snowballed after Faizal Siddiqui (a social media influencer) posted a spoof video of an acid attack (for which he has since apologized), has put TikTok’s content moderation efforts on spotlight in India, where its app reached 200 million users late last year.

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, an Indian politician, argued that TikTok was not following the Indian government’s order after lapses in its content moderation efforts became apparent this month.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said, “keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and we make it clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines that clearly outlines what is not acceptable on our platform. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks safety of others, promotes physical harm or glorifies violence against women. The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate.”

But ByteDance did not reveal how many content moderators it had in India and how proactively it removes objectionable videos — or if it does. Last year, TikTok grappled with a similar issue when Madras High Court ordered Google and Apple to block the app in the country over porn and other illegal content. The ban was lifted weeks later.

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How To Create Local User Account Without Password In Windows 10

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If you are the sole user of your computer, you might want to have a user account without a password. Or, you might not want to set a password for your child’s account on the computer. Windows 10 supports creating accounts without passwords, although having a password-protected user account is always recommended. Note that you […]

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Google outlines plan to get some employees back to the office

In a blog post, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gave an overview of the company’s plan to return its workforce to some semblance of normalcy—or at least a new normal.

Google will begin opening some of its office buildings in various cities starting on July 6, allowing a small amount of its employees who need a physical workspace “the opportunity to return on a limited, rotating basis.” The idea is to rotate employees in for a day every few weeks to keep facilities at only around 10 percent occupancy.

If all goes well in its initial efforts, Google will scale that 10 percent up to 30 percent around September “which would mean most people who want to come in could do so on a limited basis, while still prioritizing those who need to come in” according to Pichai.

Facebook makes big remote work moves with plan for new hubs in Dallas, Denver and Atlanta

In contrast with bold shifts to all-remote work from companies like Facebook and Twitter, Google’s top executive eschewed sweeping statements about the future of its workforce in favor of encouraging employees who are interested in relocating to speak with their managers and to review guidelines around taxes and health coverage.

Pichai predicted that Googlers will have “more flexibility and choice” in how they work, while still waxing nostalgic about the company’s iconic office complexes, long a symbol of what makes work in the tech sector distinct from more traditional jobs.

“Our campuses are designed to enable collaboration and community—in fact, some of our greatest innovations were the result of chance encounters in the office—and it’s clear this is something many of us don’t want to lose,” Pichai wrote.

“At the same time, we are very familiar with distributed work as we have many offices around the world and open-minded about the lessons we’ll learn through this period.”

Pichai still expects that the majority of Google’s workforce will be mostly working from home through 2020. To help Googlers adapt to the different needs of a home office, the company will allocate $1,000 in expenses to help employees buy furniture and home office equipment.

As a portion of employees do return to the office, Pichai warned that the company’s physical spaces will “will look and feel different than when you left” as Google implements necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Box will let employees work from home until at least 2021

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You Can Now Save More Than 10,000 Songs on Spotify

Since launch, Spotify has imposed a strict limit on the number of songs you can have in your library. This number was set at 10,000, and if you tried to add more than 10,000 songs to your Spotify library you’d be told that you’ve run out of room.

However, Spotify has now removed the limit of having 10,000 songs in your library. Which means you can save as many songs as you want. Unfortunately, Spotify has kept some other limits in place, which could lead to you getting frustrated in other ways.

Spotify Lifts the 10,000 Songs Limit

Spotify boasts more than 50 million songs. Which is more than the vast majority of its users will ever listen to. However, despite the impressive size of its library, Spotify has always limited the number of songs you could save to Your Library to 10,000.

While this may sound like a lot of songs, the longer you use Spotify the more more likely you are to reach it. Which led thousands of users to complain about the limit on the Spotify Community as long ago as 2014. And yet Spotify kept the limit in place.

This is no more. After today, you can add as many songs as you like to your Liked Songs on @Spotify

I've been working with a small team on the refactoring necessary to pull this off for a while now. Very happy to see this finally out. https://t.co/1nSExF5o3V

— Felipe O. Carvalho (@_Felipe) May 26, 2020

However, now, Spotify has announced that it’s lifting the 10,000 songs limit. In a Community Blog post, the music streaming service revealed that it’s rolling out an “unlimited library experience”. Which means you can now save as many songs as you want in your library.

This affects songs and albums, so you can now like/save as many as you want. However, the 10,000 songs limit still applies to offline downloads and playlists. So, you still won’t be able to turn your whole library into a playlist or download every song to your phone.

Making Spotify Less Frustrating to Use

If you’re still seeing the message which reads, “Epic collection my friend. There’s no more room in Your Library. To save more, you’ll need to remove some songs or albums,” don’t worry. Spotify is rolling the change out gradually, so it may some time to reach everyone.

Most users won’t even notice this change, as they never reached the limits of 10,000 songs. However, for those that hit the limit years ago, it will end a major frustration with the app. And they can now save or like all of the songs and/or albums they previously had to reject.

For more on Spotify, check out:

• Tips to manage your Spotify playlists
• How to create artwork for Spotify playlists
• Our (completely) unofficial guide to Spotify

Image Credit: Ivan Radic/Flickr

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10 Android Apps for Musicians to Record, Tune, and More

Due to the association of Mac computers with creative people like musicians, you might think that iOS is the only mobile platform suitable for music creation. But that isn’t true—Android has caught up rapidly in this department.

Whether you’re playing an instrument, singing, or creating electronic music, Android has some fantastic apps that can help. Here’s our pick of the best music recording apps for Android.

1. BandLab

BandLab is the closest substitute Android has to a proper GarageBand alternative. It’s part DAW (digital audio workstation) and part social network where you can share your creations when they’re finished.

With BandLab, you can make your own music. The app lets you record your singing with music, while the AutoPitch helps you stay in tune. You can also connect your own instruments to record live. There are heaps of beats and loops to enhance your compositions, or you can make your own through the more than 100 downloadable instruments.

The app is powerful and a whole lot of fun. It’s accessible even to those who have never made music before. If you’re looking for a paid alternative with a more professional edge, take a look at the excellent FL Studio.

Download: BandLab (Free)

2. Backtrackit

If you want to learn how to play the latest songs, or create backing tracks to play or sing along to, Backtrackit is the app for you.

It takes the music on your phone and breaks it down in several ways. It shows you what key a song is in and which chords are played throughout. You can slow down particular sections when you’re trying to master a solo or riff. It can also remove the voice or lead instrument from a track, allowing you to replace it with your own performance.

Backtrackit is great for learning new songs, or even for just spending an evening jamming along with your favorite artists.

Download: Backtrackit (Free, in-app purchase available)

3. HumOn

HumOn makes it possible to compose an entire piece of music merely by humming it into your phone.

Just sing into your phone, pick a genre (including rock, R&B, and classical) and the app will turn your melody into a complete composition. From there, you can play with the mix and arrangement and record vocals on top. Once done, save your masterpiece as an MP3.

There’s a serious side as well. By tapping the Score button, you can see both the musical notation and chords for your tune. The app lets you edit them and add lyrics as well. You’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version to export this as a PDF document. But as an effective way of turning ideas into actual songs, it’s well worth it.

Download: HumOn (Free, premium version available)

4. Pitched Tuner

For most musical instruments, keeping them tuned is a daily job. A manual tuner is good, but a digital one will give you a whole lot more precision.

While most tuning apps in the Play Store are geared towards specific instruments, Pitched Tuner stands out because it works with everything: strings, brass, wind, and whatever else.

It’s easy to use. Just play a note into your phone and the app measures it, accurate to one hundredth of a semitone. Keep tweaking your tuning until you get it spot-on. There’s also a special Instrument Tuner mode that simplifies the process of tuning stringed instruments.

Download: Pitched Tuner (Free, in-app purchase available)

5. The Metronome

The Metronome is the best way to keep time while you’re playing. It’s designed in part to work with the Soundbrenner Pulse, a vibrating metronome watch. But you don’t need one of those—the app works just fine on its own.

It’s a great-looking app, with all the features you need. You can select a time signature and dial in your required tempo, or just tap on the screen to set it manually. You’re also able to create more complex rhythm patterns using subdivisions and accents.

The app supports a song library where you can save your configurations, then combine them into a setlist for when you’re performing. You can even set the screen to flash on each beat instead of having to listen for the tones.

Download: The Metronome (Free)

6. Guitar Chords and Tabs

Providing access to an enormous database of guitar chords for songs, Guitar Chords and Tabs guarantees you’ll never be short of something to play.

The app has chords and tabs—a simplified form of musical notation for guitars—for over 800,000 pieces of music. It includes an interactive chord feature showing you the correct fingering when you need it. And if you upgrade to the Pro version, you can unlock the auto-scroll function that keeps your page of tabs moving up the screen as you play.

Each song has a lot of info to cram on screen, so Guitar Chords and Tabs is most useful on a big-screen phone or tablet.

Download: Guitar Chords and Tabs (Free, in-app purchase available) | Guitar Chords and Tabs Pro ($3.99)

7. Vocaberry

Vocaberry is a bit like Guitar Hero for singers. You get a series of songs in varying levels of difficulty that you must sing along with. The app rates your pitch and timing, scoring you as you go.

But despite the gamified approach, Vocal Lessons isn’t a game. It’s an effective app for learning to sing or improving your performance. In addition to the songs, you’ll find a series of vocal exercises that can warm up your voice before you go on stage. It’s packed with tips and guidance, akin to having your own singing teacher.

You can also use the app to measure your vocal range.

Download: Vocaberry (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. smartChord

smartChord is an absolute treasure trove for musicians. It’s mostly aimed at guitarists or those who play other stringed instruments, but there’s so much here that almost anyone will find it useful.

The app offers more than 15 tools. You get information on playing chords, arpeggios, and scales. There’s a transposer so you can easily change the key of any piece of music. An ear training game helps you learn the sound of notes and chords. The songbook lets you download sheet music for almost any song you can find online. The playground gives you a virtual guitar to practice on. And that’s just the start.

All the basic functions are free, and you can add even more with a paid upgrade.

Download: smartChord (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Remixlive

Mix beats, loops, effects, and samples on the fly with Remixlive. The app is easy to get started with, yet surprisingly powerful. You get over 50 sample packs included as standard, and you can buy more as you need them. There’s a built-in sample editor, plus support for finger drumming.

When you’re done, you can save your work in MP3 or other formats. The app can also upload your recordings to SoundCloud, and there’s integration with the desktop music app Ableton Live as well.

Download: Remixlive (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. RecForge II

Finally, here’s an app for recording your music. RecForge II is a powerful audio recorder with some advanced features alongside its great sound quality.

It works with external microphones, and offers real-time monitoring so you can hear what your recording sounds like as you play.

There are basic editing and mixing features, too. You can cut and join tracks, create loops, and easily change the tempo or pitch of your music. The app supports a massive range of file formats at any quality, so you can share your music without needing to use any other apps.

Download: RecForge II (Free) | RecForge II Pro ($3.49)

Make Music With Android

Android grows as a creative platform all the time. Once you move beyond the major music-creating apps, you’ll find some powerful niche tools that cater to more specialist users, including pro-level DAWs like Caustic 3 and Audio Evolution Mobile.

Your next step might be to start brushing up on your musical skills. Check out the best USB MIDI controllers for your computer or some of the best apps for learning guitar.

Read the full article: 10 Android Apps for Musicians to Record, Tune, and More

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How to Morph Faces Online and Create Face Merges With MorphThing

Browsing the web is a great way to find fun things to do. From games to joke sites, to Twitter accounts and subreddits, you can always discover something that is either really cool or will provoke a laugh. Face mashup tools will give you a mix of both.

If you’ve never tried out face morphing before, we’ve included a simple explanation of what it is below this. We’ve also put together a quick list of the best face merge websites that you can use for free.

What Is a Face Morph?

Face Morphing is the use of image manipulation programs to combine two separate images into a brand new image; usually, this image is of a face.

The earliest known version of a face mixer came from a practice known as “tabula scalata” that originated in the 1600s. It’s the process of constructing two images side-by-side over a bumpy or ridged surface. These images can then be viewed as a “picture” if you look at each of them from a specific angle.

In the current era, you can morph two faces together online for free via websites and apps. You can also try out a celebrity face morph through quick image generators. Additionally, there are also professional design programs out there that you can use to morph faces, including Adobe After Effects.

With that out of the way, let’s list off some of the websites where you can create your own face mash.

1. MorphThing

MorphThing is an online face morpher. It lets you take any two face images, it can be celebrity photos or your own, then morphs these two different faces into one.

While you can register for an account to use this site, you can also visit the site and try out its tools without one.

Here are some other features that you should know about:

• You can share your images with friends and family by forwarding them a link.
• Additionally, you can embed your creations on other sites.
• You can also check out the most popular morphs by scrolling down to Today’s Popular Morphs section.

Basically, try out MorphThing if you want to do a celebrity morph with a single click of a button. Please note, however, that this website is kind of old. It hasn’t been properly updated since 2015.

2. 3DThis

3DThis is another face merger website that you can use to create mashups. While it’s not as easy to operate as MorphThing, it does give you some options.

When you open up the website, you can upload two images to mash together. Once uploaded, the website will resize and reposition these images so they line up more cleanly with one another. Additionally, you can choose to publish your face morph as well.

Some important things you should know about using this website include:

• They do not “guarantee any confidentiality” to the images that you upload to the site.
• Content can be submitted to the site as Public, Unlisted, or Private, but you can only upload private content if you have an account.
• Public content appears once you’re done creating your face mash.
• By using the service, 3DThis can also upload your face merge to its own social media accounts.

In essence, while this website can definitely help you create a cool effect, its rules are somewhat overreaching and they don’t do enough for privacy. As such, it’s not the top choice on our list.

3. FaceSwapOnline

Next on our list of mashups? Try FaceSwapOnline, a simple composite editor where you can make funny pictures through simple selections.

FaceSwapOnline is different from the other websites on this list, in that it’s not focused on animated morphs so much as it’s focused on swapping out one face for another. To use this website, just upload your own image, or try out some of the pre-generated content already on the site. Once your edits are complete, you can download your creation.

Some other things you should know about using this site:

• You can only “post, modify, or distribute” content that you own the copyright to.
• When you upload your pictures to FaceSwapOnline, you grant them the ability to use your images “royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable,” as well as “worldwide,” as per the Terms of Service. Basically, they can do what they want with your images once you’ve uploaded them to the website.

So again, just be careful with these face mashup sites and how you use them. You should also be careful about what kind of pictures you upload, too.

Additionally, if you’re looking for other funny pictures to use online, check out this list of the best websites to find new memes.

4. Loonapix – Facer

Looking for a simple face merger website? Then you need to check out Loonapix’s “Facer” tool, which allows you to upload your face onto another person’s body using a “face in hole” template.

With Loonapix’s Facer, you can choose a template from a variety of different categories. You can then add your face by uploading a file. Once you’re done adding your picture to your creation, click Save Image. Choose from a variety of different options for what you want to do with your image, including saving the picture to your device or sharing that image with others.

Loonapix’s Terms of Service are less overreaching than some of the others on this list, so it’s a good in-between if you crave fine-tuned creation tools, but also want personal control over how you use your pictures.

Morph Things Online Using Apps and Websites

Now that you know where to face merge online, you can try out some of these websites yourself. While they won’t be able to give you the seamless results of a full-fledged design program, they should still be able to help you create a quick image manipulation for free.

If you prefer apps over websites, here is a list of the best face swap apps.

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Video Cable Types Explained: Differences Between VGA, DVI, and HDMI Ports

As technology has progressed, so, too, have the cables we need for our devices. Even though many manufacturers are moving to wireless solutions, you’ll likely always need some form of cable.

This is especially true for video devices. Televisions, monitors, and peripherals need a wide variety of cables and connections to work correctly. So, what are the differences between them all, and which ones do you need?

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular video cable types and when you may want to use each one.

VGA Cables

VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. The connection was developed by IBM in 1987, making it one of the oldest video connections still in use today. It was widely used for video cards, TV sets, computer monitors, and laptops.

VGA can support resolutions up to 640×480 in 16 colors, although you can increase the colors to 256 by lowering the resolution to 320×200. This is known as Mode 13h and is commonly used when booting your computer into Safe Mode. Mode 13h was often used for video games in the late 1980s.

VGA is capable of transmitting RBGHV video signals, which includes, Red, Blue, Green, Horizontal Sync, and Vertical Sync. The iconic blue adaptor comes with a screw on either side to secure the connection. The socket consists of 15 pins, arranged in three rows of five.

It has since been surpassed by digital connections like HDMI and DVI but is still popular thanks to the resurgence of retro gaming and its inclusion on cheaper monitors and displays.

RCA Cables

Image Credit: William Krapp/Flickr

The RCA lead is one of the most visually identifiable video cables. The red, white, and yellow plugs are synonymous with audio/visual equipment produced in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was also the primary connection for many games consoles, including the Nintendo Wii. Most televisions no longer support RCA inputs, but there are still plenty of ways to connect your Nintendo Wii to your TV.

The name doesn’t refer to the technology itself, but to the company that popularized it, the Radio Corporation of America. The red and white connectors provide audio, while the yellow offers a single channel composite video.

When used together, the three cables transmit stereo audio with video up to 480i or 576i resolution. Just as with VGA, the once-popular RCA cable has been superseded by the digital DVI and HDMI connections.

DVI Cables

The Digital Visual Interface, or DVI, was launched in 1999 by the Digital Display Working Group as the successor to the VGA cable. DVI connections can transmit uncompressed digital video in one of three different modes:

• DVI-I (Integrated) combines digital and analog in the same connector.
• DVI-D (Digital) supports digital signals only.
• DVI-A (Analog) supports analog only.

DVI-I and DVI-D can come in single or dual-link varieties. Single-link can support 1920×1200 at 60Hz while adding a second digital transmitter for dual-link means the resolution can be increased to 2560×1600 at 60Hz.

To prevent forced obsolescence of VGA devices, DVI was developed to support analog connections using the DVI-A mode. This meant that DVI connections and devices could be backward-compatible with VGA connections.

HDMI Cables

Image Credit: Lord_Ghost/DepositPhotos

The most popular digital video connection is the High Definition Media Input, also known as HDMI. This proprietary interface was created by a group of electronics firms, including Sony, Sanyo, and Toshiba. HDMI connections transfer uncompressed video and audio to computer monitors, TVs, and DVD or Blu-ray players.

There have been many iterations of the HDMI standard to accommodate advances in technology. The most recent is HDMI 2.1, which was launched in 2017. Among other technical changes, this update improved support for 4K and 8K resolutions and increased the bandwidth of HDMI up to 48 Gbit/s.

Importantly, HDMI cables are backward compatible, so that you can use a cable with the latest features on older devices. The reverse is also true, meaning you can use an older cable on devices made to the HDMI 2.1 standard. This is useful, as the HDMI Forum previously ruled that no HDMI cables or devices can display which standard they were manufactured to, making it impossible to determine your setup’s configuration.

HDMI uses the same video format standards as DVI, so the two are compatible through the use of an adaptor. As no signal conversion is necessary, there is no loss of quality either. Although, unlike HDMI, DVI does not support audio.

There are three commonly used HDMI connectors. Type A is the full-sized HDMI connection for use on TVs and home theater equipment. Mini-HDMI (Type C) is frequently used on laptops and tablets, while Micro-HDMI (Type D) is mostly used on mobile devices.

DisplayPort Connections

Image Credit: Davis Mosans/Flickr

DisplayPort is a digital display interface developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). DisplayPort can carry digital video and audio, making it functionally similar to HDMI. As of DisplayPort 2.0, these connections support resolutions up to 8K, High Dynamic Range (HDR) at higher resolutions, and better support for multi-display configurations.

However, HDMI and DisplayPort were designed for different markets. While HDMI is primarily for home entertainment, DisplayPort was designed for connecting computing devices to monitors.

Due to their similar functionality, it is possible to connect DisplayPort and HDMI devices together using a Dual-Mode DisplayPort adapter. DisplayPort operates using packet data transmission, most commonly used in Ethernet and USB connections. Thus, making it ideal for use in computing rather than home entertainment.

Thunderbolt Connections

Image Credit: Tony Webster/Flickr

Thunderbolt is an interface commonly found on Apple computers, iMacs, and MacBooks. Intel developed the standard with support from Apple as a means to connect peripherals to your computer.

The connection made its debut with the launch of the 2011 edition of the MacBook Pro and is still commonplace on the company’s hardware. If you own an Apple computer, it might be worth checking out the best Thunderbolt accessories for your Mac. Like other video connections, Thunderbolt cables integrate other technologies into a single device.

The connection combines PCI Express and DisplayPort, while also providing DC power, enabling up to six device connections on a single cable. To complicate matters, there is an overlap between Thunderbolt and USB Type-C. Thunderbolt specifications have been integrated into USB standards across the years.

With the introduction of Thunderbolt 3, all Thunderbolt cables share the same connector as USB Type-C cables. This means you can use the cheaper USB-C cable with Thunderbolt ports and devices. However, performance will be limited as USB-C cables don’t support the same rates of data transfer or power.

The Right Video Cable for Your Needs

When a new technology hits the market, manufacturers compete to make their version the global standard. This is why there are so many video cable connection types that are still in use today.

However, standardization is possible. In the mid-2000s, each cell phone would come with a proprietary charger. These days, it’s almost guaranteed your smartphone will charge via a micro-USB or USB-C connector.

The same is true of video standards, where HDMI has become the most common connection. If you need a new cable, then consider one of the best HDMI cables for Smart TVs and displays.

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