How to Gain Total Control of Your PC With Gentoo

Gentoo Linux is a Linux operating system with the Portage package manager as its foundation. It’s unique among Linux distributions (“distros”) for its locally compiled source code. Whereas Linux distros offer increased flexibility over traditional operating systems, Gentoo takes the do-it-yourself mentality to its fullest. A true Linux operating system for power users, Gentoo Linux offers full control over software installations. However, it’s not for the faint of heart. But with the right knowledge, you can gain considerable control over your PC with Gentoo Linux! What Is Gentoo Linux? Gentoo Linux is a minimal Linux operating system boasting total system...

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5 Best Apps to Track Flights With Your iPhone

It doesn’t seem possible, but air travel continues to become more stressful, even for run-of-the-mill flights. In the United States, the TSA may soon ban laptops in carry-ons. And let’s not even mention the security of your mobile devices and data while traveling. Then there’s actually getting through the security line with all of your belongings, and dignity, in tact. Once that’s done, there’s the small problem of your flight actually arriving on time. There is no worse feeling than getting the airport and realizing a flight has been seriously delayed, or even canceled. But there are a number of...

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Google Forms Can Do Anything With These Awesome Add-Ons

This one tool can help you gather information about anything. If you use Google Forms, then you already know that. But you may not have realized that you can take your forms to the next level with the right add-ons. Save time, reduce errors, and make your forms more dynamic with these amazing Google Forms add-ons. 1. CheckItOut Make a list better with check in and check out items. CheckItOut is an awesome add-on if you need a form for checking in and out items. You might use this for work equipment like laptops and projectors. Or you could use...

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How to Disable Google AMP in Google Search on Android and iPhone

AMP, short for Accelerated Mobile Pages, is an initiative by Google that aims to speed up the loading time of websites on mobile devices. Technically, it’s an open-source HTML framework that strips out most of the JavaScript, certain CSS styles, and other elements that may slow down the loading performance of a website. Today, we’ll examine the pros and cons of Google AMP, and how show you how to disable it. But before that, let’s see how you can distinguish AMP pages from regular ones. To see it in action, just do a quick Google search on your Android device...

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7 Lost Windows Features You Can Bring Back

As Windows grows, Microsoft prunes its list of features. Whenever a major version releases, some old features get replaced by new tools while others simply disappear. If your favorite Windows feature dropped off recently, don’t fear — we’ll show you how to get it back. Here are seven recently-deprecated features you can re-enable or simulate in Windows 10. 1. Windows Media Center You probably know that Windows Media Player is Microsoft’s basic audio and video player. Despite not seeing an update since Windows 7, it’s still included with Windows 10. However, the more powerful Windows Media Center — which came...

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Which Cloud Solution Is Most Secure for Your Documents?

When deciding which cloud storage provider to use, most of us prioritize convenience over security. Of course, convenience is important. If you can’t get your hands on your files when you need them, there’s very little point in having a cloud storage account. At that point, you’d be better using a USB stick. However, security is equally as important. In fact, it’s arguably even more important. If you use cloud storage a lot, you probably have a vast number of sensitive documents in there. You might use your account for everything from bank statements to passport copies. Clearly, you don’t...

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iPad Pro 10.5 Review: Is the Best iPad Good Enough?

Our verdict of the iPad Pro 10.5:The best iPad you can buy. Pair it with the Smart Keyboard or Pencil for a productive mobile powerhouse, just make sure the apps and software you need to be most productive are compatible first.810 We're giving away an iPad Pro 10.5. Keep reading to find out how to win!The 9.7 inch iPad Pro was the shortest lived tablet in Apple’s history, surviving only 15 months before being succeeded by the new 10.5 inch model. Rarely does Apple admit to mistakes, but 9.7 inches doesn’t give you a lot of room in which to get work done....

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7 Microsoft Office Tricks You Can Learn From Teen Champions

Ready to learn from the best? This year’s Microsoft Office champions share their tips and tricks. Today’s students have been using computers as part of their learning since day one. As such, they’ve had ample time to learn all kinds of Office tips and tricks that help them get the most out of their PC. Microsoft is well aware of this fact. That’s why the company hosts the Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship, an opportunity for the most talented students to show off their expertise in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. LifeHacker asked this year’s champions for their best techniques,...

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How the Amazon Echo Can Help You Fall Asleep

There are plenty of great skills you can add to your Amazon Echo to get more out of it. These skills can entertain, increase your productivity, and in the case of Sleep and Relaxation Sounds, help you fall asleep and get a good night’s rest! Once installed, you can enable the skill by saying “Alexa, enable Sleep Sounds skill.” You can also enable it through your Amazon Echo account in a browser or on your phone. Once enabled, you can get started by saying “Alexa, open Sleep Sounds.” You can then start playing sounds that are available through the skill. If...

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How to Fix the Nintendo Switch’s Battery Life Bug

The Nintendo Switch has been a big success in its first few months on sale. Our initial review had some reservations about the system, but thanks to a steady stream of awesome games the system is becoming an even more appealing package for gamers. But there’s a recent annoyance present with the Switch: a battery life display bug. This can cause the on-screen display of the battery life to drop from 100 to 0 percent in minutes, or show that the battery isn’t charging even when the system is on the dock. If you’re having an issue with this, here’s...

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How to Painlessly Schedule Calendar Meetings Using Cortana

Nobody likes meetings — especially ones that are poorly scheduled. Smart meeting schedulers have been helpful as they can look at your calendar and match it up with other participants. But now, there’s a better solution using Microsoft’s artificial intelligence. Calendar.help is a new tool that uses Cortana to schedule meetings with people outside your company. Calendar.help is the brains of the operation while Cortana is the “human-like” interface for the personal touch with its penchant for conversational assistance. How Does Calendar.help Schedule a Meeting? Calendar.help works with Office 365, Outlook.com, and Google Calendar. Cortana takes care of the back-and-forth messaging between...

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What We Know About the iPhone 8 Leak

When was the last time we were genuinely surprised by one of Apple’s “… and one more thing” announcements? It’s the phrase that gave us FaceTime, the iPod Shuffle, and Apple TV. At the time, nobody knew those things were coming. Today, we live in a different landscape. Every new feature has been leaked to the press months in advance. As a result, the Apple conferences don’t come with the same air of anticipation that they used to. It looks like this year’s iPhone update event — which is widely expected to be held in September — will be no different....

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Which Android Launcher Should You Use? We Compare the Best!

On Android, you don’t have to be stuck with the default look the phone ships with. All you have to do is install a new “launcher”, which controls how your homescreen looks. But given the plethora of such apps on the Play Store, which launcher should you use? Some launchers focus on getting things done, others let you customize them to the finest degree, and a few are about being lightweight. Heck, even Google lets you download its default launcher. As usual, there is no “best” overall app, and it depends on your needs. No-Nonsense, Lots of Great Features: Action...

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The Complete Guide to Rooting Your Android Phone or Tablet

The Android phone you’re using right now is running in a sandboxed environment. Unlike your Windows PC or Mac, you can’t go looking around or messing with system files. You can only operate within predefined parameters that are defined by Google and your manufacturer. Root access is the way to break free. In the simplest terms, rooting your Android phone means taking control of your entire device, right from the code that’s running the operating system. It is beautiful, dangerous, and super rewarding. Rooting gives you access to system files, folders, and system commands — things that are normally hidden...

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Why Online Privacy Matters and 5 Ways to Reclaim It

Privacy threats are all around us. Today, the impact and dangers of online privacy breaches are major. These few resources explain the pitfalls clearly and concisely.

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Apple Launches an Instagram for iPhone Photos

Apple now has an official Instagram account bearing its own name. The @apple Instagram appears to be entirely devoted to iPhone photography, with Apple launching the account with photosets celebrating the best iPhone photographers in the world. This isn’t the first time Apple has ventured onto Instagram. The company already runs Instagram accounts for various properties, including iTunes, Apple Music, the tiresome Carpool Karaoke, and the terrible Planet of the Apps. However, this is the first time Apple has used @apple. The iPhone Excels At Shooting Photos Apple is extremely proud of the iPhone’s camera. And rightly so. The iPhone...

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The End of Pipelight: How You Can Keep It Running on Linux

While Linux is awesome, not being able to run Windows programs can be a bit of a problem at times. Not having Microsoft Office on Linux, for example, can be a deal breaker for many people wanting to make the switch. Pipelight helped to solve this problem to some extent, letting you install Windows only browser plugins such as Silverlight on Linux. But this program is now deprecated. What Is Pipelight? Pipelight lets you use Windows plugins on Linux web browsers. It does this by running Wine behind the scenes, which recreates the Windows environment under Linux (in turn running...

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YouTube Adds In-App Messaging on Android and iOS

YouTube is making a concerted effort to keep you using its app for longer. In order to achieve this lofty ambition the Google-owned company is adding messaging to its mobile app. This means that you can now share videos with friends and then chat about them, all from within the YouTube app. YouTube is, and always has been, a website dedicated to videos. But with so many videos being uploaded every day YouTube needs to do all it can to help the best go viral. And the best way to do that is to make it easier than ever for...

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The Best Pomodoro Timer Apps to Rocket Your Productivity

If you’re the kind of person who hits a productivity wall after a few hours of work, a Pomodoro timer could help you keep your focus. Over the past couple years, the “Pomodoro Technique” has started to infect the world. And it’s all the better for it. This productivity philosophy essentially prompts you to focus on a task for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. Once you’ve completed four of these cycles, you take a longer 15-20 minute break. Confused by how something so simple can make much of a difference to your productivity levels? Don’t be. It works!...

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