The 5 Toughest, Most Durable Portable Hard Drives and SSDs

Hard disk drives (HDDs) can get damaged when dropped. Solid state drives (SSDs) have limited read and write cycles. So what should you buy when you want a portable drive that’s tough and will store your data safely? The 2TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the overall best portable drive today, but it’s not rugged. Manufacturers have an entire class of different toughened drives, meant for people who travel a lot or lead adventurous lifestyles. Here are the best ones, depending on your needs. Waterproof SSD: ADATA SE730 ($120) Hard drives usually have open ports, so making them waterproof is...

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How to Get Admin Rights on Windows

Windows accounts are separated into Administrator and Standard levels. Standard accounts can make changes that only affect them on the computer, like making changes to the personalization options or installing software for themselves, but you need an Administrator account to change the clock, access protected system files, add users, and more. Perhaps you’ve just tried to access something and were told you don’t have administrator rights. If you need to get admin privileges, here are several scenarios and what you can do about them. Make Sure You’re Allowed Admin Rights It sounds obvious, but perhaps you don’t have administrative privileges...

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You Too Can Make Cool Infographics With Piktochart Templates

Infographics are hot whether you are into visuals or not. For business documents, educational materials, and even resumes, they are not only fun to make but display data attractively. If you have tried tools that are clumsy or are just worried making an infographic is tough, then you need to try Piktochart. Non-designers can rejoice. This amazing online tool is intuitive, full featured, and will have you creating the coolest infographic around in no time. Sign Up for a Free Account You can use Piktochart for free by signing up for an account using Facebook, Google, or your email address....

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5 Unexpected Hobbies You Just Might Fall in Love With

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a professor at Oxford first and a scholar second. The writing was his hobby. His scholarly work, A Middle English Vocabulary was more important than the “stuff” we know him for. We might not have had the pleasure but for the encouragement of his friend, C.S. Lewis. Only from him did I ever get the idea that my ‘stuff’ could be more than a private hobby. Take a second. Imagine The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion as someone’s hobby. Where are we with our leisurely passions? Have you found one yet? In our...

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Finished The Defenders? 8 Shows to Watch Next on Netflix

Let the Avengers fight the high-publicity battles against Loki and the Chitauri, Ultron’s army, and Thanos. There’s a team of heroes who will defend New York City against the street-level foes also capable of bringing the world to its knees. They are the Defenders, and they’re the subject of Netflix Original available to stream right now. Unfortunately, there are only eight episodes of The Defenders to enjoy at the time of writing. So after you’ve finished the first season, what should you binge on next? We’ve got a few suggestions. The Story So Far If you haven’t seen previous Marvel...

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Solve Your Audio Conversion Needs with FLAC to MP3 Mac

With dozens of audio formats available, you probably have lots of different ones floating around on your hard drive. FLAC is gaining popularity thanks to its combination of small file size and audio quality. But it’s not as widespread as MP3, meaning that you’ll probably need to convert existing tracks if you plan to use them on an older MP3 player (or if you need even smaller files). If you’re searching for a free and simple FLAC converter for your Mac, FLAC to MP3 Mac should do the job for you. Let’s take a look at what it can do....

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How to Save a Complete Webpage for Offline Reading

Save a complete page so that I can read it later? Why would I need to do that? After all, don’t we have those things called bookmarks? That unmanageable mess is within the reach of a click. That’s fine as long as the web connection holds. Even a simple thing as a journey from Point A to Point B could take us away from our 24-hour plugged in lives. We have got so used to the web, that the information so readily available is taken almost for granted. Then there are some webpages which have snippets of information that’s like...

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Can You Actually Speed Up Your Smartphone (Or Is It All Lies?)

Along with every new technology release is the promise of faster, better performance. This goal drives the entire industry along and is the reason for our insatiable appetite for annual upgrade cycles. You may not be able to or want to join the upgrade train, but a slow device is still undesirable. What is a smartphone user to do? Just as with PCs and laptops before, the internet is crammed full of advice to speed up your smartphone. Some of it ranges from easy tricks to software solutions. Sadly, you can’t trust everything you read, so how do you sort...

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New Facebook Watch Tab Introduces Original Programming to the U.S.

Facebook has officially opened the doors on its original video content to everyone in the U.S. After a limited rollout period conducted last month, and expansion to more users just last week, Facebook is now opening up the Watch tab to its native mobile app, desktop site, and TV apps. Watch Facebook Watch allows users to directly subscribe to their favorite content creators, receiving updates when a new video is posted. U.S. Facebook users will now see a new TV icon lurking in their navigation bar. It isn’t only content from existing creators. The Facebook Watch tab launch features original...

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How I Used Online Tools to Make Real Friends Online

“Bloom where you’re planted” is a rather common piece of advice given to young people. I remember people telling me that all the way through high school, university, and at every job fair I went to. And while there’s nothing wrong with this expression per se, different people from different cultures put their own meaning into it. For example, a Russian equivalent of the saying means, essentially, building your career in your hometown. But what if you’re not one to settle where you were born? The Cost of Freedom of Movement Image Credit: Urbazon via Shutterstock I’ve always considered myself...

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HTC U11: The Definition of Mediocrity (Review and Giveaway)

Our verdict of the HTC U11:The HTC U11 is an expensive flagship device that does a lot of things well, but it just can't compete with other high-end devices.710 We're giving away a HTC U11. Keep reading to find out how to win!HTC can’t seem to figure out what they want their flagship device to look like. Whereas Samsung and others tend to have a distinct look, this year’s HTC U11 is drastically different from last year’s HTC 10, which was in turn a good deal different from the HTC One M9. And don’t get me started on the bizarre...

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6 Free PS4 Games You Should Totally Play Today

While there’s a ton of great PlayStation 4 games that you should pick up, money is always an issue. After all, the hot new games are usually $60 a pop, and that adds up quickly. If you’re saving to upgrade to a PS4 Pro (our review), you probably don’t want to spend on every new game. If you’re a PS4 gamer on a budget, or just want some inexpensive fun, there are plenty of free games that are worth checking out. The only cost to these great games is your time, and maybe a few bucks for in-game purchases. 1....

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How to Take Screenshots in Firefox Without Any Addons

There are plenty of ways to take screenshots on your computer, but Firefox users now have an additional option. By enabling a new beta feature in Firefox, you can easily take and share screen captures from the browser with the press of a button. This feature is particularly useful if you’re planning on sharing screenshots online, or tend to take screenshots in your browser for sharing on social media. How to Enable Screenshots in Firefox Follow these steps to enable Firefox’s native screenshot feature: Make sure you have the latest version of Firefox. In the address bar, type about:config and hit...

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Clean Up Amazon Search Results With Trusty Search Assistant

Shopping on Amazon isn’t exactly the most stress-free experience. If you don’t know what you want, the near-infinite results can suck you down a rabbit hole of confusion and indecision. One solution is to start using Amazon’s advanced search tricks to narrow down your results. Another thing you can try is a Chrome extension called Trusty Search Assistant for Amazon, which can save you many scrolls and page clicks. I’ve tried it out for a bit and I really like it. Its simple approach to distilling Amazon search results actually does make shopping easier and less stressful. Better Filters and Sorting in Amazon Search...

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Make BSODs Easier to Troubleshoot by Enabling This Small Feature in Windows 10

The blue screen of death (BSOD) is one of the most frustrating issues a Windows user can encounter, and knowing how to identify the cause of the crash is one of the most important forms of Windows troubleshooting everyone should learn. Whenever a BSOD occurs, Windows dumps some information about it into a file on your PC — but trying to make sense of this dump file can be tough. One way to make it easier to comprehend and digest is to use NirSoft’s BlueScreenView, a free tool that finds these dump files and displays them in a more user-friendly form. If you’re...

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The Best Free Video Editors for Windows

Video has become a common part of everyday life. People take videos on smartphones, upload them via YouTube, and share them on Facebook. You’d think, then, that free video editors would be common. Free video editors have become serious rivals to the alternative, paid programs in both capacity and scope of editing. However, the selection remains somewhat limited. We present the absolute best free video editors available for Windows. If you’re looking for the best free MacOS video editors, we’ve got that covered as well. Keep in mind: The following software is only as effective as your know-how, and none of them are...

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New Amazon Alexa Functionality Will Suggest Third-Party Skills

Amazon is making it much easier for Echo and Alexa-powered devices to find and use voice apps designed to extend their virtual assistant functionality. More Power to Alexa When you ask Alexa a question it doesn’t know the answer to, the digital assistant is typically forthcoming with its “Hmmmm, I don’t know that” answer. Unfortunately, that isn’t very useful. Instead, now, Alexa will start to recommend relevant third-party skills that actually help you out. You’d then have to browse through the Alexa Skill Store to find a skill that suited your needs. And while there are now numerous skills to...

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10 Things to Consider When Switching to a Linux Smartphone OS

Because it’s a key component in the Android operating system (OS), Linux remains crucial to the mobile landscape. However, while Android employs a Linux kernel, it’s far from just another Linux distribution. But Linux for mobile devices offers a completely different experience. Learn why Linux mobile is a great option, as well as drawbacks to switching from your favorite mobile OS. 7 Reasons You Should Consider Mobile Linux OSes Linux for mobile devices range from Android which utilizes a Linux kernel, to Ubuntu Touch and Sailfish OS. Although it has yet to permeate the consumer space, there are plenty of...

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