GoTrax Xr Is a Budget Electric Scooter You Won’t Outgrow

Our verdict of the GoTrax Xr Electric Scooter:
The GoTrax Xr isn't the fastest or the sleekest electric scooter on the market. That's exactly why it's a great choice for first-time scooter owners or anyone on a budget.710

If you’re a commuter who is sick of driving, walking, or riding the bus, you’ve got a few options. You could ride a bike, but then you’re more or less resigning yourself to showing up to work at least a little bit sweaty. Plus, you may not jump out of bed in the morning raring to go.

Electric scooters can make the commute to work or a quick trip to the store much quicker without the inconvenience of riding a bike. The only downside is that they can be expensive. That is completely untrue when it comes to the GoTrax Xr, which retails at $300. The question is, can a scooter with a price this low consistently get you where you’re going?

Specifications

• Motor: 250 watt
• Battery: 5.2Ah 36v, non-replaceable
• Handlebar: Fixed height
• Range: 12 miles per charge
• Max speed: 15.5mph
• Operation: two speed modes, cruise control
• Size when folded: 43.3 x 17.1 x 14.6 inches
• Weight: 26.45 pounds
• Maximum rider weight: 220 pounds
• Waterproof Rating: IP54

GoTrax Xr Features

The GoTrax Xr is a barebones scooter, but this simply means that the company focused on getting a few things right, rather than implementing a whole host of features poorly.

The built-in LED screen is utilitarian, but it tells you what you need to know. This means it shows you how fast you’re going, the remaining charge on the battery, and what speed mode you’re in. You also get a headlight on the front, but on the back, you only get a reflector, not a full tail light.

The GoTrax Xr features a built-in cruise control option, which is great for commuters. You also get a simple kickstand to help the scooter stand upright.

The brake line is exposed, which is unusual for an electric scooter. It’s more along the lines of what you would see on a bicycle. This is mainly an aesthetic issue, though I suppose it’s possible that the brake line could wear more quickly since it’s exposed.

Getting Started

The GoTrax Xr arrives mostly assembled. All you need to do is attach the brake line to the handlebars, then attach the handlebars to the rest of the scooter. Reattaching the brake line to the frame was slightly frustrating, but it still took less than five minutes to get fully assembled.

GoTrax correctly assumes that you’ll probably want to take the scooter for a ride as soon as you get it out of the box and assembled. The scooter arrives partially charged — actually close to fully charged in my case — meaning you don’t need to wait to charge the battery before you can head out for a ride.

Speed and Control

The GoTrax Xr has a maximum speed of 15.5 miles per hour. This might sound slow, and on something like a bicycle it would be. But when you’re standing on a thin platform a few inches above the road, it certainly doesn’t feel slow. It can actually feel a little scary, especially if you’re not used to riding electric scooters all the time.

To keep it from speeding away from you, you need to kick off and get the scooter moving a bit before it will accelerate. Once it starts, it picks up speed fairly quickly. There are two speed modes, which you toggle between by holding the red button near the display. The speed is limited to around 10 miles per hour in the first mode, while the second lets you go up to the maximum speed.

I’m not a small person, and I’m actually right at the GoTrax Xr’s upper weight limit of 220 pounds. Even so, the GoTrax Xr still accelerates impressively quickly. Of course, this is when you’re moving on a relatively flat section of road.

The Xr will handle minor hills, and will do so with gusto, but as things get steeper it quickly loses power. As I knew I was at the upper end of the weight limit, I had friends who weighed less try out the scooter, and it had the same issue with hills. Still, it was surprising how well it handled hills that would require some extra leg power on a bicycle.

What About Stopping?

The GoTrax Xr has two braking methods. One is regenerative, which uses the motor to slow you down and actually ever so slightly recharges the battery, hence the name. The other method of stopping is the disc brake, which is very similar to the brakes you’ll see on bicycles, right down to the style of the handle on the left side of the handlebars.

Many scooters have dual braking controls: one for the regenerative brake and one for the disc brake. The Xr simplifies things by automatically engaging the regenerative brake as soon as you activate the disc brake. At least I think this is what’s happening because the braking power is surprisingly good. Between the regenerative braking in the front and the disc braking in the back, the GoTrax Xr can stop fairly quickly.

I had worried that because I was near the top of the weight limit, slowing down would be less effective, but fortunately, this was not the case. One other thing worth noting is that the speed limiter doesn’t work when going downhill, so you’ll want to keep a hand on the brakes.

Ride and Comfort

The GoTrax Xr is meant for riding on smooth surfaces, ideally a road. You can take it elsewhere, but you’re not going to move very quickly or very comfortably.

Unlike more expensive scooters, the GoTrax Xr has no built-in suspension. That said, it does use air-filled tires where some other scooters are solid, so you do get some smoothing out of bumps from the tires. If you’re on a road, even a relatively rough one, the ride is smooth.

I tested the GoTrax Xr in a gravel parking lot, and this wasn’t nearly as comfortable as riding on the road. It was manageable, but I had to go slower, and I have a feeling that after a mile or so of bumping around like this I would have needed to take a break.

Trying the Xr on even bumpier turf like grass was basically impossible. Even with your weight as far toward the rear of the scooter as possible, even minor dips and divots can render the scooter stuck. If you were moving faster when you hit one of these, you could easily fall off.

Portability

When folded down, the GoTrax Xr is relatively easy to move around. At just over 25 pounds, it’s not the lightest thing to carry, but it’s not prohibitively heavy either. If you need to haul it inside your home or workplace, moving it is the easy part.

Actually storing the Xr is somewhat more difficult. This isn’t because of the overall size, but because the wheels mean you can’t stand it on its end to easily tuck into a closet. This means you need enough floor space to keep it, which is doable, but not inconspicuous.

Battery and Range

Testing range is tricky with the GoTrax Xr since it doesn’t have an odometer. That said, I took a few trips around a loop I know is roughly a 1.2 miles long. After six trips, there was still a fair amount of juice left in the battery, so while it may not always make the max range, you can safely make at least eight or nine miles.

According to GoTrax, the internal battery on the Xr (which isn’t replaceable, by the way) recharges in roughly four hours. In my testing, I never fully drained the battery, but the Xr always reached a full charge in less than four hours.

One thing to note is that the manual says that the included power supply has a light that will turn from red (charging) to green (charged) once the Xr is fully charged. I never actually saw this go from red to green, except for when I unplugged the charger from the scooter. I could have just received a defective charger, but it’s worth pointing out.

Are They Legal? Who Knows!

One important thing to know is that whether or not electric scooters are legal varies between countries. In the United States, laws vary between states and even towns and cities.

For example, in New York State, where I am, there are currently no state-wide laws regarding electric scooter operation. This is set to change in August 2020, when scooters will be legal to operate on roads with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less. This can vary by city, and electric scooters are currently illegal in New York City.

You may be subject to further restrictions depending on where you are as well. In some areas, you need to register the scooter as you would any other vehicle, in others you may need a license. Depending on where you are, you may be required to wear a helmet.

On that last point, for your own sake, you should wear a helmet when you’re using one of these.

Should You Buy the GoTrax Xr?

The GoTrax Xr is far from the most feature-packed or elegant electric scooter on the market. But for the price, it’s a great deal for a solid scooter. Spending more will get you more features, but especially if you’re buying your first electric scooter and you’re not sure about how much you’ll use it, this is a great place to start.

One thing to note is that the range on the Xr may be a problem if you’re looking to use it to commute. GoTrax makes a slightly upgraded version, the Xr Ultra, that bumps the range up to 16 miles. The two are the same in every way, except that the Ultra costs a little more due to the extended range.

Either way, the GoTrax Xr feels sturdy enough that I’m confident it will last you quite a while.

Enter the Competition!

GoTrax Xr Scooter Giveaway

Read the full article: GoTrax Xr Is a Budget Electric Scooter You Won’t Outgrow

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5 Free Multi-Game Apps and Websites to Play With Friends Online

There’s nothing like challenging a buddy to a game to get your competitive juices flowing. Here are some of the best multi-game apps and websites to play with friends online.

Instead of downloading several different apps or signing up for lots of websites, the simpler way is to use apps that already have multiple games in them. One account, many games, and the ability to play with friends—what’s not to like about that?

From playing card games online with friends to recreating tabletop games, strap in for some player vs. player action.

1. Plato (Android, iOS): Play Games and Make New Friends in Chat Rooms

You might enjoy playing games online with friends, but what do you do when they’re busy? Plato focuses on making new friends as you play with a strong and smooth chat messaging feature, and “social lounges” to meet like-minded people.

Social Lounges are Plato’s version of chat rooms. Scroll through the list to find people from your area, your country, or with similar interests. Join a room and you might just find a new friendship over the internet.

In each game, there’s a “type here to chat” window at the bottom. Press it to see your chat overlaid on the current game, and use your main phone keyboard. It’s the best implementation of chatting in mobile games that we’ve seen.

Once you sign up, you can join or create any game. Plato has more than 30 social games, including excellent versions of pool, table soccer, Ocho (same as Uno), and mini-golf. The physics, graphics, and gameplay are smooth as butter, so when the game is functioning well, it feels nice to chat along with the opponent.

Download: Plato for Android | iOS (Free)

2. PlayingCards.io (Web): Play Any Cards Game With Friends

PlayingCards.io is the best version of playing card games with friends online. The website has a few game templates ready, and you can customize the table and card deck to create any card game you want. No one needs to sign-up or download anything to use it.

On the canvas or table, you can add a standard 52-card deck, an empty cardholder, other types of card decks, a spinner for turns, a counter, and so on. Set it up how you want, and share the link to play with friends online. Once the friends join, they can control what is happening on the screen too. All movements are synced.

Now, here’s the catch. You need to know the rules of the card game, the website isn’t going to teach you or restrict wrong moves as many apps do. Think of it like having a deck of cards with you, just virtually. PlayingCards.io also doesn’t have built-in chat, so you’ll need to set that up in a second window or device.

Compared to a lot of other apps, PlayingCards.io is more work. But the simplicity and customization make it feel more homely, which is what you often want with card games, right?

3. Bunch (Android, iOS): Video Chat With Friends While Playing Games Online

Bunch combines video chat and video gaming into one slick app. You need to register with a Facebook account to use it and invite your friends to join before it can work. Once that’s set up, choose from one of Bunch’s built-in games or other games you have installed on your phone or tablet.

That’s one of the cool things about Bunch. By including support for other apps, it doesn’t restrict what you play. Many popular games already work with Bunch, including Monopoly, PUBG, Uno, Ludo King, Scrabble Go, and Chess. Of course, you and your friends will both need to have these games already installed on your phone.

You can have up to eight people on a video call in Bunch. The video calling is smooth, but low-resolution so that the gameplay and calling can work well simultaneously. The game itself plays just like normal, but only in a miniaturized window inside the Bunch app, while you also get to see your friends’ video calls.

Download: Bunch for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Board Game Arena (Web): Play Classic Board Games With Friends in Browser for Free

A large collection of classic board games is waiting to be played online at Board Game Arena (BGA). It’s the simplest way to play games with your friends in your browser. Create an account, ask your friends to create one too, and add them.

You can start or join a game for free. The collection of games at BGA includes Carcassonne, Connect Four, Battleships, Yahtzee, Terra Mystica, Lost Cities, Clans of Caledonia, and many more. In case you aren’t familiar with any game, you can learn the rules on the website itself, and even play a trial game against AI.

BGA allows both real-time games as well as turn-by-turn games which you can play at your own leisure. It also has a simple chat window, and tracks all moves played so far. You can disconnect and reconnect easily, and can also play against random strangers online.

Try it out, you’ll see why Board Game Arena is one of the best websites to play free board games online.

5. Couch Friends (Web, Mobile): Play Games With Friends on a Smart TV

Don’t have a video game console to play games against friends on the TV? Couch Friends makes games that you can play at a party, with as many friends as you want. Everyone plays on their phones, and all you need is a smart TV or a computer screen that all players can see.

Here’s how it works. Visit Couch Friends from the browser of the main screen, and choose from one of the five games: Bombergirl, Breakout, Space Shooter, Football, and Asteroids. They’ll all feel instantly familiar as they’re recreations of classic games. The chosen game creates a new room with a unique code.

Then visit Couch Friends on your phone’s browser and enter the code. The phones become remote controls for the game playing on the big screen. It’s like you’re playing on a video game console with your friends!

Free Browser Games to Play With Friends

When you want to quickly play a game online with friends, the best option is to go for a browser-based game. No one has to install anything, and most of them don’t even need you to sign up.

Here are some of the best free browser games to play online with friends, whether you’re on the same computer or miles apart.

Read the full article: 5 Free Multi-Game Apps and Websites to Play With Friends Online

Read Full Article

How to Create a Disposable Email Address with Gmail

A temporary email address is very useful when you don’t want to share your real email address with a website. There are a plethora of services - 10 Minute Email, Mailinator and MailDrop to name a few - that will mask your main email address behind a temporary alias and thus save your inbox from potential spam.

The only problem with using disposable email addresses is that it requires some work. You first need to generate a temporary address, paste it into the web form and then manually check the disposable inbox for any new email. And if you require another temporary address the next day, the whole exercise has to be repeated.

Disposable Email Addresses with Gmail

Here’s a new, simplified workflow that will let you use Gmail itself as a disposable email service provider.

You’ll have just one temporary email address to remember and every time your share that email on the Internet, you attach an expiry date. Any email messages sent to your disposable Gmail account after the expiry date are discarded automatically else they are forwarded to your main account.

Let’s say your temporary email address is amit@gmail.com. A website form requires your email address so you can put amit+mmdd@gmail.com in the sign-up field where mmdd is the month and date till when that disposable email will stay valid.

For instance, if you specify the email address as amit+0623@gmail.com - that alias will be valid until June 23 and any emails sent to that alias after that date are ignored else they are forwarded to your main Gmail address. You can only specify the year in your temporary email amit+12312020@gmail.com in mmddyyyy format.

Make your own Temporary Email System with Gmail

Follow these steps to set up your own disposable email system in 2 minutes. Internally, it uses the Gmail plus trick and some Google Apps Script magic.

1. Create a new Gmail address (link).

2. While you are logged into your new Gmail account, click here to make a copy of the Google Script in your account.

3. Inside the Google Script, go to line #13 and replace my email with the email address where you would like the temporary emails to be forwarded.

4. Next, go to the Run menu, choose Run Function and select Initialize. Authorize the Google script and your disposable email system is up and running.

The script will check your Gmail inbox every five minutes and process messages based on the expiry date in the message To field. You just have to set it once and forget about it.

Your disposable address will last forever and yet it will protect your main inbox from spam. That’s it!

Under the Hood - How it works?

The Google Script is monitoring the temporary inbox using the Gmail API. If it discovers a new email that has an expiry date in the future, it simply forwards it to your main email account else it archives the message.

Here’s the source code:

/** Check if an email message should be forward from the
 * temporary inbox to the main Gmail inbox based on the
 * date in the TO field of the incoming message
 */
const isAllowed = (email = '') => {
  const [, mm, dd, yyyy] = email.match(/\+(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{4})?@/) || [];
  if (mm) {
    const now = new Date();
    const date = new Date([yyyy || now.getFullYear(), mm, dd].join('/'));
    return date > now;
  }
  return false;
};

/**
 * Fetch the 10 most recent threads from Gmail inbox,
 * parse the To field of each message and either forward it
 * or archive the emssage
 */
const checkTemporaryInbox = () => {
  GmailApp.getInboxThreads(0, 10).forEach((thread) => {
    thread.getMessages().forEach((message) => {
      if (isAllowed(message.getTo())) {
        message.forward(RECIPIENT);
      }
    });
    thread.moveToArchive();
  });
};

5 Free Multi-Game Apps and Websites to Play With Friends Online

There’s nothing like challenging a buddy to a game to get your competitive juices flowing. Here are some of the best multi-game apps and websites to play with friends online.

Instead of downloading several different apps or signing up for lots of websites, the simpler way is to use apps that already have multiple games in them. One account, many games, and the ability to play with friends—what’s not to like about that?

From playing card games online with friends to recreating tabletop games, strap in for some player vs. player action.

1. Plato (Android, iOS): Play Games and Make New Friends in Chat Rooms

You might enjoy playing games online with friends, but what do you do when they’re busy? Plato focuses on making new friends as you play with a strong and smooth chat messaging feature, and “social lounges” to meet like-minded people.

Social Lounges are Plato’s version of chat rooms. Scroll through the list to find people from your area, your country, or with similar interests. Join a room and you might just find a new friendship over the internet.

In each game, there’s a “type here to chat” window at the bottom. Press it to see your chat overlaid on the current game, and use your main phone keyboard. It’s the best implementation of chatting in mobile games that we’ve seen.

Once you sign up, you can join or create any game. Plato has more than 30 social games, including excellent versions of pool, table soccer, Ocho (same as Uno), and mini-golf. The physics, graphics, and gameplay are smooth as butter, so when the game is functioning well, it feels nice to chat along with the opponent.

Download: Plato for Android | iOS (Free)

2. PlayingCards.io (Web): Play Any Cards Game With Friends

PlayingCards.io is the best version of playing card games with friends online. The website has a few game templates ready, and you can customize the table and card deck to create any card game you want. No one needs to sign-up or download anything to use it.

On the canvas or table, you can add a standard 52-card deck, an empty cardholder, other types of card decks, a spinner for turns, a counter, and so on. Set it up how you want, and share the link to play with friends online. Once the friends join, they can control what is happening on the screen too. All movements are synced.

Now, here’s the catch. You need to know the rules of the card game, the website isn’t going to teach you or restrict wrong moves as many apps do. Think of it like having a deck of cards with you, just virtually. PlayingCards.io also doesn’t have built-in chat, so you’ll need to set that up in a second window or device.

Compared to a lot of other apps, PlayingCards.io is more work. But the simplicity and customization make it feel more homely, which is what you often want with card games, right?

3. Bunch (Android, iOS): Video Chat With Friends While Playing Games Online

Bunch combines video chat and video gaming into one slick app. You need to register with a Facebook account to use it and invite your friends to join before it can work. Once that’s set up, choose from one of Bunch’s built-in games or other games you have installed on your phone or tablet.

That’s one of the cool things about Bunch. By including support for other apps, it doesn’t restrict what you play. Many popular games already work with Bunch, including Monopoly, PUBG, Uno, Ludo King, Scrabble Go, and Chess. Of course, you and your friends will both need to have these games already installed on your phone.

You can have up to eight people on a video call in Bunch. The video calling is smooth, but low-resolution so that the gameplay and calling can work well simultaneously. The game itself plays just like normal, but only in a miniaturized window inside the Bunch app, while you also get to see your friends’ video calls.

Download: Bunch for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Board Game Arena (Web): Play Classic Board Games With Friends in Browser for Free

A large collection of classic board games is waiting to be played online at Board Game Arena (BGA). It’s the simplest way to play games with your friends in your browser. Create an account, ask your friends to create one too, and add them.

You can start or join a game for free. The collection of games at BGA includes Carcassonne, Connect Four, Battleships, Yahtzee, Terra Mystica, Lost Cities, Clans of Caledonia, and many more. In case you aren’t familiar with any game, you can learn the rules on the website itself, and even play a trial game against AI.

BGA allows both real-time games as well as turn-by-turn games which you can play at your own leisure. It also has a simple chat window, and tracks all moves played so far. You can disconnect and reconnect easily, and can also play against random strangers online.

Try it out, you’ll see why Board Game Arena is one of the best websites to play free board games online.

5. Couch Friends (Web, Mobile): Play Games With Friends on a Smart TV

Don’t have a video game console to play games against friends on the TV? Couch Friends makes games that you can play at a party, with as many friends as you want. Everyone plays on their phones, and all you need is a smart TV or a computer screen that all players can see.

Here’s how it works. Visit Couch Friends from the browser of the main screen, and choose from one of the five games: Bombergirl, Breakout, Space Shooter, Football, and Asteroids. They’ll all feel instantly familiar as they’re recreations of classic games. The chosen game creates a new room with a unique code.

Then visit Couch Friends on your phone’s browser and enter the code. The phones become remote controls for the game playing on the big screen. It’s like you’re playing on a video game console with your friends!

Free Browser Games to Play With Friends

When you want to quickly play a game online with friends, the best option is to go for a browser-based game. No one has to install anything, and most of them don’t even need you to sign up.

Here are some of the best free browser games to play online with friends, whether you’re on the same computer or miles apart.

Read the full article: 5 Free Multi-Game Apps and Websites to Play With Friends Online

You Can Now Link to Specific Text on a Website

If you have ever wanted to share an article with someone but direct them to a specific part, you’ll love Google’s new Chrome extension. It’s called Link to Text Fragment, and it allows you to link to specific text on a website. Or, as Google calls it, a Text Fragment.

We’ve surely all been there. You have found a particular passage in an article that you want to share with others. As it stands, you would probably either copy and paste it into your favorite messaging app, or take a screenshot of it. Now, you can link directly to it instead.

How to Link to Specific Text on a Website

To link to specific text on a website, first, download and install Google’s Link to Text Fragment extension. Then, select the text you want to link to, right-click on your mouse, and choose “Copy Link to Selected Text”. If successful, the selected text will turn yellow.

You’ll now have a link directly to that Text Fragment on your clipboard. So, all you need to do then is share it in an email, via your favorite messaging app, on social media, or in an article such as this one. And anyone clicking the link will be taken to the Text Fragment.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing only Chrome and Edge (both Chromium-based browsers) support these links. However, if you click a Link to Text Fragment link in Firefox, Safari, or Opera, you’ll just land on the webpage as a whole, without any text highlighted.

This Chrome extension builds on the Scroll to Text Fragment feature first seen in Chrome 80. Making the whole process as simple as selecting some text and right-clicking on your mouse. For more information about the technology behind this, see this web.dev post.

Download: The Link to Text Fragment Google Chrome extension

Google Chrome Can Make You More Productive

Most people are unlikely to use the Link to Text Fragment Chrome extension often, but on the odd occasion that you need to link to specific text on a website, it should come in very handy. Just like these other Chrome extensions guaranteed to make you more productive.

Read the full article: You Can Now Link to Specific Text on a Website

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How to Create Your Own IRC Chat Channel

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a method of text messaging with people online in real time. It has been around since 1988 and is favored by many for its simplicity and efficiency. Users connect to a server, then can join channels within that server to chat.

We’re going to show you how to create your own IRC channel. With your own IRC channel, you can set your own rules, assign moderators, and talk about whatever you like. Creating your own IRC channel is a great way to hang out with friends, family, and like-minded people.

Here’s some more information about IRC and how to make an IRC channel.

What is IRC?

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It’s a way of chatting via text to other people online. IRC has been around for over three decades.

IRC was designed by Jarkko Oikarinen while working at the University of Oulu in Finland. It spun off from a bulletin board system to feature real-time discussions; it gave the ability to see other people’s messages appear immediately after they sent them and respond to them too.

Oikarinen continued to develop IRC for some years, before taking his career elsewhere. He has won several awards for his contributions to technology. Interestingly, he now works on Google’s chat applications, including Google Hangouts and Google Meet (what is Google Meet?).

IRC hasn’t really changed since its inception. While IRC’s popularity has been usurped by modern chat apps like Slack or Twist, it still has a place in the heart of many due to its barebones nature—it’s all about text chat, rather than video calls or streaming or anything else.

The amount of people using IRC is declining year-on-year. Nevertheless, it still has a dedicated community, especially with those in the tech community. IRC isn’t complicated to use once you get to grips with it, but it’s not as obviously user-friendly as you might expect.

How is IRC Structured?

Before creating your own IRC channel, it’s important to know how IRC is structured.

IRC is not controlled by a single company. It’s a protocol that people use to create IRC servers. It’s much like email, in that you can use different providers to achieve the same thing.

At the top of the hierarchy is an IRC server. This is a machine that runs the IRC protocol. There’s also an IRC network, which groups many servers together so that they function as a single server. While on a technical level you as a user still connect to a single server, the network means that you can seamlessly talk to people on other servers and that channels and usernames are shared.

A channel is a chat room. Channels are often centered around a theme or community. A channel name is preceded by a hashtag, like #makeuseof. You can join an existing channel to talk to the people within it. You can also create your own IRC channel, which we’ll detail below.

If you use Discord, this structure might sound familiar. Discord is inspired by IRC in that it splits into servers and channels. For more information on that, here’s how to create your own Discord server.

How to Create Your Own IRC Channel

Here’s all you need to do to make your own IRC channel.

1. Download an IRC Client

To participate in an IRC, you first need a client. This is like how you need an email client to send and receive emails. There are many decent free IRC clients available for desktop and mobile. If you’re reading this, there’s an IRC client for your device.

To help you decide which client to use, browse this list of IRC clients. You can also connect with web-based IRC clients, but installing one to your device is the best method if you’ll be using IRC regularly.

For this guide, we’ll use HexChat.

2. Join an IRC Network

IRC is split across many networks. Each network has its own rules, channels, and people. For example, some networks only allow channels to be created that fit within a specific subject. Some networks don’t allow you to create your own channel. Also, generally speaking, the larger networks are more prone to lag and denial of service attacks.

Networks cater to different subjects, audiences, and countries. Browse this list of IRC networks to find one that supports the type of channel you want to create. You should visit a network’s website to get information on what its policies are.

For this guide, we’ll connect to IRCnet.

Open your IRC client. For HexChat, the first window asks for your nickname choices. This is because nicknames are shared across the entire network. As such, common names are likely to be taken. In this window, you also need to select your network, which in this case is IRCnet. Once done, click Connect.

If you’re not using HexChat, your chosen client may not provide this interface. As such, to join the network type /server irc.ircnet.com (replacing irc.ircnet.com with whatever server you have chosen, if not IRCnet). Then, to set a nickname, type /nick username, replacing username with your choice. If your nickname is taken then it’ll automatically assign you a close variation. Feel free to change it again with the same command.

Some IRC networks will let you register your nickname. Others will not and will simply let you use the nickname until you disconnect. Refer to your chosen network’s website to find out their policies and how to register a name, if it’s possible.

3. Create an IRC Channel

Now that you’re connected to a network and have a nickname, it’s time to create your IRC channel. This is the easy part!

Type /join #channelname, replacing channelname with whatever you want your channel to be called. If the channel already exists, you will join it and see other people in it. If that happens, type the command again with a different channel name.

When you join your new channel, you will become the operator (known as “ops”). This makes you the owner of it.

Get your friends to type the same /join command and they will be able to enter your newly created channel.

Like nicknames, some networks let you register the channel as your own. Others, like IRCnet, don’t offer such a service, meaning if all the operators leave the channel then someone else can claim it as their own. It’s for this reason that it’s advisable to have a group of friends that are operators and for one of them to always be in the channel.

For help on how moderate your new channel, you should familiarize yourself with IRC commands. Here are some important ones:

• /kick #channel nickname – removes someone from the channel
• /mode #channelname +b nickname – bans someone from the channel
• /mode #channelname +o nickname – makes someone an operator

Add a Chat Room to Your Website

Importantly, have fun running your own IRC channel. It’s great to build up a community and be able to chat with others across the world that share your interests.

If you have your own website and want to support live chat, here’s how to add a chat room to your website.

Read the full article: How to Create Your Own IRC Chat Channel

Microsoft Edge Is Reborn: How Does It Compare to the Old Legacy Version?

Microsoft Edge has been around since Windows 10 launched in 2015, but it didn’t make an impact in the way Microsoft hoped. That’s why Microsoft has rebuilt Edge in 2020. It features a fresh logo and different technology under the hood.

But is the new Edge worth trying? Let’s see what the revamped version of Microsoft Edge has to offer and how it compares to the legacy version.

What’s Up With the New Microsoft Edge?

Starting in 2020, “Microsoft Edge” refers to a brand-new browser. Microsoft is calling the old one “Edge Legacy” and won’t actively support it.

The biggest difference with the new version of Microsoft Edge is that it’s based on Chromium. If you’re not familiar, Chromium is an open-source browser project made by Google. It serves as the backbone of Google Chrome, but is also free for anyone to adapt and use as they like.

As it turns out, many browsers are powered by Chromium. Opera and Vivaldi are examples of other popular Chromium-based browsers.

How Does Chromium Change Edge?

Because Edge is now Chromium-based, it supports Chrome extensions. This means that you can use your favorite add-ons from the Chrome Web Store in Microsoft’s browser—see below for a few caveats on this, though. Since the original version of Edge had a paltry collection of extensions, this is welcome news.

Notably, Edge now uses the Blink rendering engine, which is open source. The old version used Microsoft’s proprietary EdgeHTML engine, meaning that all major browsers now use open source engines.

Another major improvement is that Edge now updates on a regular schedule as Chrome does. This is much better than the old scheme, where Edge would only get updates a few times a year through major Windows updates.

Microsoft states that it took this path for better compatibility with both users and web developers.

How Do I Get the New Edge Browser?

You can download the new Microsoft Edge right now. It’s available for Windows 10, of course, but Microsoft has also made it available for Windows 8.1, Windows 7, macOS, Android, and iOS. The company plans to bring it to Linux in the future, too.

If you don’t install it manually, you’ll eventually get the browser delivered through Windows Update. You’ll need to have the May 2019 Update or later for this, so make sure you’ve updated your copy of Windows 10 if you’re running an old version. The new Edge should also come included with the May 2020 Update for Windows 10.

When you install the browser on Windows 10, it will replace the legacy version of Edge. Don’t worry; Windows 10 still includes Internet Explorer for compatibility reasons. The new Edge has a blue and green wave-looking logo instead of the old blue “e” that was similar to the Internet Explorer logo.

Exploring Microsoft Edge 2.0

When you first look around Microsoft Edge, you’ll definitely notice the similarities to Google Chrome, if you’re familiar with that browser. Most interface elements, such as the navigation bar, tabs, task manager, and three-dot menu are almost identical to how they look in Chrome.

Of course, Edge replaces the Google services in Chrome with similar Microsoft services. The Sync icon in the top-right will sync your data across Edge installs using your Microsoft account instead of your Google account.

Most of the Settings are the same as Chrome. The main difference is on the Privacy and services tab: you can choose from Basic, Balanced, and Strict levels of tracker prevention.

Collections

The Collections feature, which looks like a set of photographs next to the Favorites star, is one notable difference from Chrome. A collection allows you to gather links, images, and other web content in one place. It’s handy for creating a wishlist or Pinterest-like collection of items that are more flexible than bookmarking.

To try them, click Start new collection in the panel and give it a name. Now, with the collections page open, you can click Add current page, drag any link, or move an image to save them. There’s also an Add note button for bits of text.

Click the three-dot button in the collections panel for a few options, including exporting your collection to Word, Excel, or to open them all in a new window.

Using Chrome Extensions in Edge

Head to the Microsoft Edge Add-Ons page to browse the list of official extensions. It includes popular choices like Dark Reader and Grammarly, but you probably won’t find your favorite niche Chrome extensions there.

Thankfully, the new Edge is compatible with Chrome extensions. To enable them, open the three-dot menu at the top-right of Edge and click Extensions. In the bottom-left, enable the Allow extensions from other stores slider and accept the warning.

Now, you can visit the Chrome Web Store and install extensions from there. Some might not work properly in Edge, so make sure to test them after installing.

Should You Use Microsoft Edge Now?

There’s really not much more to using the revamped Microsoft Edge. If you’re familiar with Chrome, Edge is very similar, aside from the layout of the settings menu and a few options. So should you give it a try?

If you’re unsatisfied with your current browser for any reason, or just want to try something different, it’s worth a look. The new Edge doesn’t offer huge improvements over Chrome, but depending on your preferences, that could be perfect. Maybe you want a reliable and flexible browser that’s not tied to Google—as long as you don’t mind Microsoft’s integration with it.

It’s much more appealing than the old version of Edge, which really didn’t offer any great reasons to use it. While it did have an ebook reader and annotation features, those aren’t exactly game-changers. Plus, the new Edge has better syncing options since it’s available on all platforms.

Regardless of whether you use Microsoft Edge, this new setup is beneficial for almost everyone. People who can’t install a new browser get a much better experience from the preinstalled option, and Chrome will hopefully improve from the more direct competition.

Microsoft Edge Is Reborn

We’ve looked at the changes Microsoft made to Edge and what those mean for the browser. Whether you make it your new default or try it once and ignore it afterward, this is a positive change. We’ll see how Microsoft continues to differentiate the browser going forward.

If you want to try a different browser, have a look at our comparison of the various Firefox versions.

Read the full article: Microsoft Edge Is Reborn: How Does It Compare to the Old Legacy Version?

How to Play Unplayable Videos on Your PC: 6 Methods to Try

Found a video file you can’t play? It could be due to a poor media player, missing codecs, or be a problem with the file. Perhaps it’s an issue with Digital Rights Management (DRM) preventing a video from playing.

You might also run into problems playing videos online from a PC, such as on Amazon or other sites.

In many cases, you can overcome problems and get the videos running. Here’s what you need to know about dealing with error codes, codecs, streaming, and video playback errors.

Common Reasons for Video Playback Errors

It’s often frustrating to find a video file on your PC that won’t play, especially if it worked previously.

Various factors impact the playback of a video file:

1. Your media player cannot play it
2. Codecs are missing from your computer
3. The file extension is unrecognized
4. A DRM decryption key is missing
5. The video file is corrupt
6. The online video service has a problem

Some of these errors can be resolved; others cannot. Let’s take a look at how to play online and local videos on your PC and fix any errors.

1. Confirm the Video File Extension

Most video files feature recognizable extensions. For example, you’re probably familiar with WMV, AVI, MP4, or MKV. Many other file extensions are in use for video, however. (Some of these denote the format of the video files; others are merely container formats.)

In some cases, the file extension might have been changed. It’s important to find the correct file extension, although this might be a process of trial and error.

If your video file won’t play and you’re convinced it should, try changing the file extension:

1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Go to File > Options > View
3. Find Hide extensions for known file types
4. Clear the checkmark, then click Apply
5. Click OK to confirm

You can then see the file extensions of your video file. This will appear as described above. To change the video file extension, first make a note of what it is to start with.

Then use the right-click menu to find Rename and change the extension to another recognized suffix. When asked Are you sure you want to change it, click Yes.

Changing the file extension doesn’t work often, but it’s worth taking the time to ensure the correct extension is set.

2. Upgrade to VLC Media Player

Windows 10 features two media players pre-installed. First is the legacy Windows Media Player 12, which while regularly updated, was released with Windows 7 back in 2009. Second is Film & TV, a video playing app supporting a wide selection of video formats.

At first glance, the Film & TV app might be the smart option. After all, a modern video player should be able to play all file formats that came before.

However, this is not necessarily the case. To save money on licensing, Microsoft has omitted support for some video codecs from Windows 10. As such, a video that might have worked under Windows 7 or 8 might not play in Windows 10 using the preinstalled media players.

The solution to this is simple, however: use VLC media player instead. There’s a very good chance the video file will play.

Download: VLC media player (Free)

VLC isn’t the only solution, however. Other Windows 10 media players are available too.

3. Install the Latest Video Codecs

To play any video file that exists in the wildest corners of the web you need two things:

1. A media player (or the software)
2. A codec

You know what a media player is—but what is a codec?

In simple terms, it is software that knows how to convert the video into a viewable state.

Many codecs can be used to encode video. In some sense, the codec is like the key and your video is like a locked file. You need the same key or the codec to view the file that was used to encode the file.

This causes problems if you don’t have the right codec installed.

VLC media player is the solution to many video playback issues. It can play almost any video format, from XviD to Real Video, and even optical discs. Codecs are built into VLC media player, although other techniques are used to playback videos.

Furthermore, VLC media player can play partial files, which can prove useful in establishing the viability of a file.

If you’re already using a different media player and don’t want to switch, don’t worry. You can install all the codecs you need using the K-Lite Codec Pack. This is a bundle of free codecs that should allow you to play any video and audio file.

With the right codecs, video files should play smoothly. Choppy video playback can be fixed in several ways, including by updating to the most recent codecs.

Download: K-Lite Codec Pack (Free)

4. DRM Issues Are Preventing Playback

In other cases, some video files are locked to a specific media player.

This is most commonly the case with the M4V video format, a DRM-encoded version of the MP4 format. Unlike MP4, M4V can only be played on Apple’s media player software.

M4V files are purchased from the Apple TV app, and previously iTunes. So if you have used this service to buy video files and they won’t open in your regular software, use Apple’s media player software.

If the file has also corrupted, you may need a new copy of it. Check your purchases in iTunes to re-download the file.

5. Repair or Partially View Corrupt Video Files

In Windows 10 you might come across error messages that affect MOV and MP4 files. But with the right tool you can fix the 0xc00d36e5 or the 0xc00d36c4 error. It’s typically accompanied with the message “Item is unplayable, please reacquire the content.”

The tool you need to bypass this error? It’s the VLC media player again.

When Windows 10 is unable to play a video using the native tools, VLC is the alternative. Error codes can be overcome, and even corrupt and partially downloaded video files can be played back.

Of course, corrupted video files are ultimately useless. Where possible, you’ll need to replace a damaged file with a backup or download it again from a reliable source.

Be aware that the 0xc00d36e5 error can also occur due to other factors. As well as a corrupt file, the storage media might be corrupt. Power supply issues can cause the 0xc00d36e5 error as well.

There might also be an issue with the Windows Registry causing playback problems. Resetting the Windows Registry can help resolve this.

6. Resolve Issues With Your Online Streaming Service

It isn’t only video files hosted on your PC that can result in error messages. Unplayable videos from the web can also run into trouble.

Here’s an example: Amazon Prime Video error code 9074. Usually limited to Roku errors, it is one of several error codes that Prime Video displays, but they’re often interchangeable.

Prime Video playback error codes can be caused by:

• Server issues
• VPN and proxies
• An error on the playback device
• General service outage

In some cases, waiting will fix the problem. But it’s also worth rebooting your PC to be certain the problem isn’t at your end.

Unlike media player playback, streaming video from the web doesn’t require specific additional codecs. However, other issues preventing playback can be reset with a reboot—and who knows, by the time Windows 10 reboots, the Prime Video server could be back up and running.

You could also avoid problems with streaming video from Amazon. Simply download Amazon videos to your PC first, then watch at your leisure.

Now You Can Fix and Play Unplayable Videos on Your PC

If you’re running into any problems playing locally stored videos, on removable media, or on Windows 10, VLC media player should be your first solution.

For other problems, consider the file extension, DRM issues, and streaming issues.

At times, Windows 10 error messages can be caused by other underlying issues. Be sure to take the time to fix them. Failure to deal with these can lead to worse problems, such as the Windows 10 Black Screen of Death.

Read the full article: How to Play Unplayable Videos on Your PC: 6 Methods to Try

7 Ways to Bookmark Your Favorite Folders in Windows

The Windows file system can be complicated, with folders scattered all over the place and even buried deep under other, hidden folders. If you need quick access to a variety of folders scattered across your file system—or you just want easier access to one or two folders you frequently use—there are a variety of ways you can bookmark your favorite folders and make them more easily accessible.

Windows gives you different ways to do this, and that’s without even counting third-party file managers that offer their own ways to quickly access files. So, let’s look at a few different ways to bookmark folders on Windows 10.

1. Add Folders to Quick Access

The easiest way to bookmark folder is by using the Quick Access feature in File Explorer. Locate the folder you want to bookmark, then either drag and drop it into the Quick Access section in the left-hand panel or right-click and select Pin to Quick Access.

You can rearrange your bookmarked folder by dragging and dropping them. To delete a bookmark, right-click on the listing and select Unpin from Quick Access.

Unfortunately, the Quick Access section starts to become inconvenient if you want to keep track of a large number of folders, as you can’t create subfolders to organize the list. The inability to pin files to the list is also inconvenient; it feels like an oversight on Microsoft’s part.

2. Use Windows Libraries

The Libraries feature was popular in Windows 7 and 8. Although it’s now a less prominent part of the operating system, the feature is still there and works the same way as always.

For those who don’t know, Libraries allow you to combine multiple folders into a single view. You can add new folders to the default libraries or create your own custom libraries containing as many folders as you like. This can be a good way to organize related folders in a single place.

To make Libraries visible in File Explorer, open the app and go to View > Navigation Pane > Show Libraries.

3. Pin Files and Folder to the Taskbar

The jump list feature in Windows allows you to “pin” recently used documents to an application’s taskbar icon, thus acting as an effective way to bookmark a file.

To pin a folder, drag and drop it onto the taskbar. You can also right-click the File Explorer shortcut on your taskbar, hover over a recently used folder, and click the pin icon to bookmark a folder.

When you want to access a pinned file or folder in the future, right-click the on the app’s icon on your taskbar and select the folder you want to access. This works whether the app in question is open or not.

4. Pin Items to the Start Menu

For easy access to a folder, you could pin it to the Windows Start menu. It will appear in the list of tiles just as a Windows desktop application would.

To pin a file or folder to your Start menu on Windows 10, right-click on it and select Pin to Start from the context menu.

You can also choose which of the default Windows Library folders appear on the Start menu by heading to Settings > Personalization > Start > Choose Which Folders Appear on Start.

5. Create Shortcuts

You could also keep track of your important folders by creating shortcuts to them. Just right-click the folder you want to create a shortcut of and select Create Shortcut. Double-clicking the shortcut will take you to the folder associated with the shortcut.

This approach can be useful if you just need easier access to a folder or two—you could create shortcuts and dump them in your user folder so they’d be easily accessible along with your documents, downloads, and other standard folders.

If you have more folders, you could create a hierarchical structure for all your shortcuts. In other words, you could have a Shortcuts folder containing subfolders for shortcuts related to Development, Communications, Games, and so on.

6. Download a Third-Party File Manager

Some third-party file managers have a bookmark menu for files and folders. They allow you to pin as many files/folders as you need and arrange them into different categories, or subfolders.

Some of the best third-party file managers for Windows 10 include XYplorer, Explorer++, and Directory Opus. To learn about the three apps in more detail, as well as some other options, make sure you check out our article on the best File Explorer alternatives and replacements.

7. Bookmark Files and Folders in Your Browser

If you’re like most people, you probably spend most of your computer time in a browser. You could, therefore, bookmark your favorite folders directly in your browser, so they’d be accessible from your browser toolbar.

You could even store shortcuts to your folders in your bookmark folders along with your bookmarked websites.

To start browsing your C: drive, type file:///c:/ into Chrome or Firefox’s address bar, and press Enter. You’ll see a special view where you can browse your file system.

You can’t do much with this by default—just view your files in your browser. If you want to add a folder to your browser bookmarks, navigate to it using the special view then add a bookmark in the usual way (CTRL + D in Chrome).

Other Ways to Manage Files and Folders in Windows 10

Keeping your data organized has lots of benefits. It’ll save you time, will place less strain on your computer’s power, and will make it easier to create backups.

Using bookmarks, shortcuts, and pinned items are only a few of the ways you can manage your files and folders in Windows 10. If you’d like to learn more about how to keep everything under control, make sure you check out our other articles on apps that can automatically organize your files for you and our list of ideas for managing all the files on your computer effectively.

Read the full article: 7 Ways to Bookmark Your Favorite Folders in Windows

Microsoft Edge Is Reborn: How Does It Compare to the Old Legacy Version?

Microsoft Edge has been around since Windows 10 launched in 2015, but it didn’t make an impact in the way Microsoft hoped. That’s why Microsoft has rebuilt Edge in 2020. It features a fresh logo and different technology under the hood.

But is the new Edge worth trying? Let’s see what the revamped version of Microsoft Edge has to offer and how it compares to the legacy version.

What’s Up With the New Microsoft Edge?

Starting in 2020, “Microsoft Edge” refers to a brand-new browser. Microsoft is calling the old one “Edge Legacy” and won’t actively support it.

The biggest difference with the new version of Microsoft Edge is that it’s based on Chromium. If you’re not familiar, Chromium is an open-source browser project made by Google. It serves as the backbone of Google Chrome, but is also free for anyone to adapt and use as they like.

As it turns out, many browsers are powered by Chromium. Opera and Vivaldi are examples of other popular Chromium-based browsers.

How Does Chromium Change Edge?

Because Edge is now Chromium-based, it supports Chrome extensions. This means that you can use your favorite add-ons from the Chrome Web Store in Microsoft’s browser—see below for a few caveats on this, though. Since the original version of Edge had a paltry collection of extensions, this is welcome news.

Notably, Edge now uses the Blink rendering engine, which is open source. The old version used Microsoft’s proprietary EdgeHTML engine, meaning that all major browsers now use open source engines.

Another major improvement is that Edge now updates on a regular schedule as Chrome does. This is much better than the old scheme, where Edge would only get updates a few times a year through major Windows updates.

Microsoft states that it took this path for better compatibility with both users and web developers.

How Do I Get the New Edge Browser?

You can download the new Microsoft Edge right now. It’s available for Windows 10, of course, but Microsoft has also made it available for Windows 8.1, Windows 7, macOS, Android, and iOS. The company plans to bring it to Linux in the future, too.

If you don’t install it manually, you’ll eventually get the browser delivered through Windows Update. You’ll need to have the May 2019 Update or later for this, so make sure you’ve updated your copy of Windows 10 if you’re running an old version. The new Edge should also come included with the May 2020 Update for Windows 10.

When you install the browser on Windows 10, it will replace the legacy version of Edge. Don’t worry; Windows 10 still includes Internet Explorer for compatibility reasons. The new Edge has a blue and green wave-looking logo instead of the old blue “e” that was similar to the Internet Explorer logo.

Exploring Microsoft Edge 2.0

When you first look around Microsoft Edge, you’ll definitely notice the similarities to Google Chrome, if you’re familiar with that browser. Most interface elements, such as the navigation bar, tabs, task manager, and three-dot menu are almost identical to how they look in Chrome.

Of course, Edge replaces the Google services in Chrome with similar Microsoft services. The Sync icon in the top-right will sync your data across Edge installs using your Microsoft account instead of your Google account.

Most of the Settings are the same as Chrome. The main difference is on the Privacy and services tab: you can choose from Basic, Balanced, and Strict levels of tracker prevention.

Collections

The Collections feature, which looks like a set of photographs next to the Favorites star, is one notable difference from Chrome. A collection allows you to gather links, images, and other web content in one place. It’s handy for creating a wishlist or Pinterest-like collection of items that are more flexible than bookmarking.

To try them, click Start new collection in the panel and give it a name. Now, with the collections page open, you can click Add current page, drag any link, or move an image to save them. There’s also an Add note button for bits of text.

Click the three-dot button in the collections panel for a few options, including exporting your collection to Word, Excel, or to open them all in a new window.

Using Chrome Extensions in Edge

Head to the Microsoft Edge Add-Ons page to browse the list of official extensions. It includes popular choices like Dark Reader and Grammarly, but you probably won’t find your favorite niche Chrome extensions there.

Thankfully, the new Edge is compatible with Chrome extensions. To enable them, open the three-dot menu at the top-right of Edge and click Extensions. In the bottom-left, enable the Allow extensions from other stores slider and accept the warning.

Now, you can visit the Chrome Web Store and install extensions from there. Some might not work properly in Edge, so make sure to test them after installing.

Should You Use Microsoft Edge Now?

There’s really not much more to using the revamped Microsoft Edge. If you’re familiar with Chrome, Edge is very similar, aside from the layout of the settings menu and a few options. So should you give it a try?

If you’re unsatisfied with your current browser for any reason, or just want to try something different, it’s worth a look. The new Edge doesn’t offer huge improvements over Chrome, but depending on your preferences, that could be perfect. Maybe you want a reliable and flexible browser that’s not tied to Google—as long as you don’t mind Microsoft’s integration with it.

It’s much more appealing than the old version of Edge, which really didn’t offer any great reasons to use it. While it did have an ebook reader and annotation features, those aren’t exactly game-changers. Plus, the new Edge has better syncing options since it’s available on all platforms.

Regardless of whether you use Microsoft Edge, this new setup is beneficial for almost everyone. People who can’t install a new browser get a much better experience from the preinstalled option, and Chrome will hopefully improve from the more direct competition.

Microsoft Edge Is Reborn

We’ve looked at the changes Microsoft made to Edge and what those mean for the browser. Whether you make it your new default or try it once and ignore it afterward, this is a positive change. We’ll see how Microsoft continues to differentiate the browser going forward.

If you want to try a different browser, have a look at our comparison of the various Firefox versions.

Read the full article: Microsoft Edge Is Reborn: How Does It Compare to the Old Legacy Version?