Xbox Live Versus PlayStation Plus: What Do You Get With Each?

Today’s consoles do so much more than just let you play games. They’re portals to online platforms that let you connect to people to play with. They also offer games to purchase and movies to watch. Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 want to be your all-in-one connected living room media devices. Some of their features are available free, but many require that you sign up for their respective online services. The cost of an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription could, over the life of your console, add up to more than its original purchase price. So the value...

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PS4 vs. Xbox One: Which Is the Best Media Player?

We’ve come a long way since video game consoles simply played games. Now, it’s standard for modern systems to stream movies, play music, and even let you watch live TV. While some would argue that these enhanced features have ruined the fun of gaming, it means that consoles are a better investment than they have ever been before. Recently, we compared the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim for casual gamers, but now we’re going to take a detailed look at the two consoles with their media capabilities in mind. Let’s put the Xbox One and PS4 head-to-head to see...

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Are Any Of Amazon’s Deals Worth Buying Today?

Today, Amazon is featuring some pretty expensive JBL speakers. Are they worth buying at their discounted price or are they still too much? Rather than just list the deals (Amazon already does that), we analyze the value of the discount and the quality of the product. Here’s how we rate the deals to make it quick and easy for you to decide if they’re worth getting: Must-Buy: The lowest price ever and a deal that hasn’t been seen often. Good: At or close to the all-time low, but has been available at that price other times. Decent: If you need...

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9 Clever Slack Bots to Boost Your Productivity

Slack is a terrific team communication tool that offers a slew of integrations. But it also provides an assortment of bots that can help you and your team get things done. By using a bot, you and members of your team can keep working without opening separate applications. These awesome bots help you manage tasks and projects, get and provide updates, plan meetings, and create a knowledge base. 1. To-Do Bot for Managing Tasks Create, assign, and track your team’s tasks all within Slack using the To-Do Bot. When you create a task for a team member, they will be notified....

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How You Can Help Canonical Shape Ubuntu Today!

Aggrieved that your favorite operating system doesn’t feature the options you love? Reckon that your ideas for an improved desktop experience should be listened to? Well, so does Canonical. The developers of the Linux-based Ubuntu operating system have opened up two avenues for user feedback during 2017, and given the success so far, there could be more to come. But what’s it all about? How are Canonical reaching out to their users, and how is the data they collate used? Can you really influence the development of Ubuntu? Ubuntu 17.10 Feature Requests In early 2017, Canonical’s Ubuntu Product Manager Dustin...

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These Smartphones Have the Best Battery Life

A smartphone is only as good as its battery. After all, without any power, it’s just a good-looking brick. While most modern smartphones have decent battery life, here’s a list of the longest-lasting handsets today. Naturally, you shouldn’t buy a phone purely for the battery life alone. So for this list, we’ve also taken into consideration the general performance of the device. And of course, you can always buy any of the top phones you like. The Samsung Galaxy S8 series, the LG G6, the OnePlus 5, and other flagship phones all have good battery life. In case you need...

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Russia’s VPN Ban: What Is It and What Does It Mean for You?

Millions of people around the world use VPNs to protect their privacy while online. As many of you will know, accessing the web using a high-quality paid VPN service hides your IP address, encrypts your traffic, lets you access some geo-blocked content, and prevents you ISP from knowing what you’re looking at. Perhaps understandably, some of the most oppressive regimes in the world aren’t too happy about it. States that want to keep a tight control on what their citizens are exposed to see VPNs as a weak point. Residents can use them to bypass a state’s control over news...

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Why Your Crypto Coin Is Not as Secure as You Think

Bitcoin continues to hit new highs. Cryptocurrency newcomer Ethereum threatens to explode into its own bubble. Interest in blockchain, mining, and cryptocurrency is at an all-time high. So why are cryptocurrency enthusiasts under threat? Securing Digital Currency Cryptocurrency is extremely popular. The early rise and boom of Bitcoin piqued interest for casual miners and international investment firms alike. The appeal is clear: a currency with a finite reserve, decentralized, and entirely digital. Cryptocurrencies are easily associated with darknet markets — where they’re put to “good” use — but developers are shrugging that image off. Bitcoin, and the underlying blockchain technology,...

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8 Instagram Stories Tricks You Definitely Didn’t Know About

Instagram Stories is Facebook’s take on ephemeral photo-sharing. A couple of months ago, it reached 200 million daily users, surpassing Snapchat at its own game. Instagram is constantly updated with new features. Some of them are headline features, while others are neatly hidden. Let’s have a look at the not-so-obvious features of Instagram Stories you can use to level up your story game. 1. Access the Full Range of Colors By default, Instagram presents you with pretty limited color options. The color slider is accessible from the bottom of the screen, and you can select from a total of 27 preset colors....

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8 Assistive Technology Devices for Seniors Living at Home

Smart home technology isn’t just for tech geeks who want to kit out their abodes with fancy light bulbs. It’s also playing an important role in improving the lives of senior citizens. Some companies are specifically aiming their devices at older adults, whereas some mainstream gadgets offer benefits to seniors which might not be immediately apparent to younger generations. If used correctly, smart home technology can help people live at home for longer and perform tasks they might otherwise be unable to tackle. If you’re an older adult who’s wondering what technology is available, or you’re a middle-aged reader whose...

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Why Are Some Programming Languages Faster Than Others?

There are a number of programming languages out there, each with their own quirks and features. Due to different design choices and use cases, some are faster or slower than others. Of course, this speed (or the lack of it) usually comes at a price. Put simply, it’s these differences that cause these performance changes. What Is a Programming Language? No matter how programming languages look, they’re still doing the same thing: getting your computer to do something. All lines of code are eventually translated to a series of obscure numbers (also known as machine code). It could be said...

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How to Send Emails to Many Recipients in Outlook With a Distribution List

If you’re planning an event, sending out a pile of party invitations, or even trying the create a buzz about a new product, you might want to send an email to lots of people at the same time. But there’s a problem: it’s annoying to constantly paste all your addressees into the CC or BCC boxes. It’s far too time-consuming, and you’re liable to leave someone out accidentally. If you’ve got a copy of Outlook on your machine, there’s an easier way: create an email distribution list. Outlook 2013 and 2016 These instructions only apply to Microsoft Outlook 2013 and 2016 for...

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One Way to Improve Google Form Response Rates

Forms are usually boring, and nobody really looks forward to filling out a Google Forms  survey. But what if you could boost your form responses by making them more interactive and less of a nuisance? You can, with the help of a free chatbot called Fobi.io. Chatbots Are Little Programs With Big Brains Webopedia says that a chatbot is a computer program that mimics human conversation with the help of artificial intelligence. Cleverly designed chatbots could put pesky customer support guys out of a job very soon. But not yet. For now, chatbots are only replacing apps. Look at the popular Duolingo app...

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Listening to Podcasts on Amazon Echo Is Even Easier With One Skill

Up until now, the easiest way to listen to podcasts on an Amazon Echo was to connect using Bluetooth and play the podcast using your favorite app. But a new Alexa skill called AnyPod has made listening even easier. How to Set Up AnyPod You can enable the AnyPod skill from a browser or the Android/iOS Alexa app: In the app, tap the hamburger menu button and go to Skills. If you prefer to do this step in a browser, go to your Alexa account page and click on Skills in the sidebar on the left. Search for “AnyPod” and tap the Enable button. How to...

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The Easiest Way to Control a Friend’s PC in Windows 10

Connecting to a PC across the room or across the world is trivial thanks to screen-sharing software and remote desktop tools like TeamViewer. However, did you know that there’s a native Windows 10 feature that can do this? It’s been around since the Anniversary Update, and it’s called Quick Assist. You can open it by searching for Quick Assist in the Start Menu. Once opened, you’ll see two options: Get assistance and Give assistance. If you’re the one providing help, you’ll obviously want to click Give assistance. Then, sign in with your Microsoft account and you’ll see a short security code. This...

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5 Trustworthy Guides to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Everyone wants a magic way to lose weight quickly and keep it off. There is no easy way, unfortunately. And as we found out, science says diets are better than exercise if weight loss is the target (and not overall fitness). The question then is to figure out which diet is right for you. There are plenty of choices, like the ketogenic diet, paleo diet, intermittent fasting, and more. And these resources will make it simpler to choose. 1. Understanding Diets and Weight Loss Reddit’s /r/LoseIt is a community of people trying to lose weight. Recognizing the confusion around several...

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What URL Domain Extensions Stand For and Why They Are Needed

Before 1983, visiting a host on a network required typing in its IP address. The fledgling internet was much smaller, and reaching individual sites was only possible if you knew where to look. Fortunately, the Internet Engineering Task Force introduced their pioneering Domain Name System (DNS), allowing numerical IP addresses to be identified as specific domain names. Instead of having to remember a long sequence of numbers, like 69.171.234.21, you only have to remember a URL: Facebook.com. Along with the new DNS, domain extensions appeared. A domain extension is the top-level part of the domain name (TLD), such as .com,...

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How to Test Google Chrome’s Experimental Ad-Blocker

Google is currently testing an ad-blocker baked right into Chrome. And assuming you’re willing to download and install an unstable, experimental version of Google’s popular web browser you can test it out for yourself right now. We just hope MakeUseOf doesn’t get caught in the crossfire. We’re not fans of ad-blockers here at MakeUseOf. Like almost every other site on the web we rely on advertising to pay the bills associated with producing the content you read every day. And everyone who installs an ad-blocker eats into our ability to pay those bills and stay in business. However, Google is...

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18 Interesting DIY Raspberry Pi Case Ideas

The Raspberry Pi has been around for a few years now. This credit card sized computer has changed the world with its small size, and equally small price tag. With the countless possible ways it can be used, it is always a good idea to protect your Pi using a case. You might have got a case with your Raspberry Pi starter kit. If not, you can easily make your own for next to no cost. Today I’ll cover the various DIY cases you can make for the Pi and the Pi Zero. You will find many of these designs...

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8 More Awesome Chrome Apps to Stay Creative Offline

Creatives can be in a tough spot when they don’t have internet access. We previously covered some creative Chrome apps that you can use offline — great for artists, photographers, writers, and anyone else channeling their creative energy on a Chromebook or with the Chrome browser. And now, we’re back with eight more for musicians, designers, and more. Music and Sound Effects Working with tunes, notes, and sound effects can be rewarding as well as fun. But if it’s your business, you should make sure you can access those sounds anytime, anywhere. These Chrome apps keep your melodies moving on...

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The Complete Guide to Improving Your Online Security and Defending Your Privacy

In our always-on society we generate a lot of data, with some estimates suggesting 28,875 GB per second. With this massive trove of data we divulge a huge amount of personal information. From our cloud-based photo collection, to what websites we visit, it’s getting easier for malicious attackers to do the digital equivalent of rummaging through our garbage. Whether it’s Facebook selling your data to advertisers, overreaching government surveillance, or cyber criminals looking to make some fast money — there are a lot of people out there who want your data. Sadly, this invasion of your privacy doesn’t benefit you...

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Microsoft Kills Its Windows Phone Keyboard for iOS

Microsoft is removing Word Flow from the App Store. This means that the critically acclaimed keyboard app will no longer be available to iOS users who haven’t already downloaded it. And those that have face the prospect of Word Flow never being updated again. Because that’s how Microsoft rolls. The Windows Phone Typing Experience It should go without saying that Windows Phone didn’t exactly set the world alight. In fact, Windows Phone did so badly that 99.6 percent of all new smartphones are powered by Android and iOS. However, one of the few things Windows Phone got right was the...

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