Amazon’s virtual voice assistant Alexa can go virtually anywhere thanks to Amazon’s Gadgets API, but her next destination is still kind of surprising: It’ll end up in Big Mouth Billy Bass, the animatronic talking fish that you may have seen adorning the walls of the homes of people you don’t like. At a special event today at Amazon’s Seattle HQ, the company… Read More
Today’s the big day at Amazon headquarters in Seattle. The company promised a day of big announcements, kicking things with the announcement of a high end Echo, a long awaited replacement for the first generation device. The product is a higher end version of the original home assistant, designed to compete with Apple’s HomePod, but at the much more stomach able price point of $99. Read More
Tech companies continue to dominate the Best Global Brands list created by Interbrand. The brand consultancy has been releasing the list annually since 2000, and it says the rankings are based on a combination of the financial performance of the brand’s products and services, the brand’s influence on consumer choice and its ability to command a premium price or profits. With the… Read More
I’ve watched Elementary OS from a distance over the years. I loved the screenshots, but the experience wasn’t quite ready. For years, it came off to me as a themed version of Ubuntu. There was great work going on, but as long as I was opening the Ubuntu Software Center and having to install Personal Package Archives for anything Elementary-related, that feeling wasn’t going to change. That isn’t the case anymore. Elementary OS has really come into its own. If you’re sitting on the fence wondering if now’s the time to make the switch from your current Linux operating system,...
Read the full article: Want to Install Elementary OS? 7 Reasons Why You Should!
There’s a ridiculous quantity of good deals available on Amazon today including the new standard in home projectors, tons of Logitech PC accessories, a high-end subwoofer, and much more! Nebula Mars Portable Cinema Nebula Mars Portable Cinema, Home Theater, 150in HD Picture, 3000 (500 ANSI) Lumens, 4K and 3D support, with Wi-Fi, Two 10W JBL Speakers, 3hr Playtime, DLP, and Android 4.4 for Music, Movies, and More Nebula Mars Portable Cinema, Home Theater, 150in HD Picture, 3000 (500 ANSI) Lumens, 4K and 3D support, with Wi-Fi, Two 10W JBL Speakers, 3hr Playtime, DLP, and Android 4.4 for Music, Movies, and...
Read the full article: 18 Tremendous Deals You Can Get On Amazon Today
Facebook may have dropped the ball with the U.S. presidential election, but it was much better prepared for last weekend’s federal election in Germany. Today Facebook outlined all its efforts to prevent malicious actors from meddling in the election. “These actions did not eliminate misinformation entirely in this election – but they did make it harder to spread, and less… Read More
The GoPro is a fantastic action cam: it goes anywhere, films anything, and does it in style. And it comes with almost everything you need. Almost. There are a few accessories that will take your GoPro to the next level. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best accessories for your GoPro action cam. We’ve included a range of different accessories for every activity and budget. No matter what you’re filming, and no matter what you want to spend, we’ve got you covered. 1. GoPro Chesty GoPro Chesty (Chest Harness)(GoPro Official Mount) GoPro Chesty (Chest Harness)(GoPro Official Mount) Provides an...
Read the full article: Got a GoPro? You Need These 9 Accessories
Trump may have found a way to tie Facebook’s hands as it investigates Russian interference into the election. Without citing any evidence or even a reason, Donald Trump today declared that “Facebook was always anti-Trump”. That’s despite Trump’s campaign heavily relying on targeted Facebook ads during the election to rally citizens sympathetic to his brand of… Read More
Don’t trust that 5-star review or rating on Amazon to make up your mind about a product. There’s a good chance it’s a fake (i.e. a commissioned review by the seller). The only way to find a true opinion is to learn how to spot these fakes. Amazon has faced this problem for some time now. The online retail giant has even filed a few lawsuits against companies that provide these fake review services. But it’s an uphill battle, and one that Amazon probably won’t win. There is an entire world of scammers trying to manipulate Amazon’s reviews and ratings....
Read the full article: How to Spot Fake Reviews on Amazon
The big Twitter news currently may be the expansion of tweets to support 280 characters instead of just 140, but a number of Twitter users recently spotted another notable change, as well: the Twitter Apple Watch app has disappeared. The app’s iTunes App Store page no longer notes compatibility with the Apple Watch, and users who have updated to the latest versions of iOS and watchOS… Read More
Listening to music is a social activity. Topics for discussion abound, whether they center on lyrics, rhythms, or something else. However, what happens when your music-loving pals live far away? Thanks to the 10 awesome apps below, it’s easy to listen to music with your friends, even if they live far away. It should be noted that most of the apps here require access to a music streaming service such as Spotify Premium. That shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for most people though. Since 2012, Spotify users have asked for a feature that allows simultaneous listening among users. The streaming service...
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Starting October 1, passengers on most Delta will have free access to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage. To access the feature, a passenger will have to log into Delta’s in-flight wifi portal powered by Gogo. This is first time an airline has offered such a service throughout its fleet. Traditional SMS messages will not work. Only the aforementioned mobile messaging services… Read More
The Windows Store continues to improve. What was once a barren wasteland of fake apps and security issues is now a thriving community full of fun and useful software. You’ll find everything from productivity tools to games. You might even be surprised by the presence of some mainstream apps like Photoshop and Ubuntu. But, like any app store, we’re always striving for more, always looking for the next thing to sink our teeth into. So, in this article, we’re going to introduce you to some more cool apps. But we’re going to take a different approach. Rather than listing apps,...
Read the full article: The Best Windows Store App Developers You Must Try
Don’t expect the ARKit app rush to end any time soon. MojiLala, the betaworks-backed marketplace for emojis and emoticons, is today launching their second app. Meet Surreal, a marketplace that lets users buy virtual objects. The app opens up to an outward-facing camera and lets users choose animated virtual objects, which they can place in a photo or video. Right now, Surreal only… Read More
The inconspicuous LED notification light on your smartphone can do a lot more than it seems. From changing color to customizing the flashing frequency, there are a variety of ways that you can customize your LED notifications to your preferences. All you need is an app and some creativity. Here is how to change your Android phone‘s LED notification light to suit your needs. 1. Download an LED Notification App There are a variety of apps, both free and paid, that you can use to change up your notification light settings. There are a few major apps in this niche...
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Google is celebrating its 19th birthday today (September 27). And to mark the occasion it has published a new Google Doodle to the Google homepage. This new Google Doodle lets you access 19 playable Google Doodles, including a brand new Google Search easter egg called Snake Game. In 1998, a company called Google was born, and the internet has never been the same since. Google fostered the massive growth of the web, and now, in 2017, it’s seen as an essential part of our everyday lives. I mean it’s not as essential as food and water, but it’s certainly worth...
Read the full article: The New Google Doodle Lets You Play Old Games
Switching from Windows to Linux is remarkably simple. The problems arise when you need to perform a particular task, such as running an application or video game, and finding that the software isn’t compatible. One obvious example is Microsoft Office. We’ve already looked at how to install Microsoft Office in Linux, but what if you just want to use Microsoft Excel? Perhaps you have a particularly complicated spreadsheet you need to use. It might be an XLS or XLSX file that you’ve been working on for years, and requires you to use Microsoft Excel rather than a Linux-based, open-source Office...
Read the full article: The Easiest Way to Install Microsoft Excel on Linux
Our verdict of the Nebula Mars:If you need a portable cinema projector, this is the best in class. A weak software offering slightly lets it down, but the hardware is top notch.910 We're giving away a Nebula Mars. Keep reading to find out how to win!Until now, battery powered projectors just haven’t been worth the effort. Poor image quality, not bright enough, rubbish speakers, and barely enough battery to last a whole movie. But the Nebula Mars is the new standard in portable projectors. Nothing else comes close. Nebula Mars Portable Cinema, Home Theater, 150in HD Picture, 3000 (500 ANSI) Lumens,...
Read the full article: Nebula Mars: The New Standard in Portable Projectors
Late yesterday Twitter announced the unthinkable for time-pressed journalists everywhere by revealing it is testing doubling the character length of tweets. Farewell sweet brevity of 140chars. Hello pointless extra blah-blah-blah #280. Read More
Once you’ve learned how to make a website, and chosen a web hosting service, configuring your domain CNAME records should be one of your next priorities. Today I’ll be showing you how and why to configure the CNAME records for your domains. Let’s begin! What Are CNAME Records? CNAME stands for canonical name, and its primary purpose is to alias or redirect one domain name to another. For example, say you store your documents on your own server and domain name. Perhaps you already have this configured as a subdomain: my_private_documents.my_website.com This subdomain is all well and good, but it’s...
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By now, you hopefully know that using a VPN is vitally important for your security. Obscuring your IP address and internet activity keeps you safe from prying eyes. But when using a VPN, how can you be sure that the VPN provider isn’t intercepting sensitive information, like your bank login? Assuming your VPN is trustworthy (which you can’t be sure of with a free VPN), the answer is encryption. Whenever you use a VPN, the security that it offers builds on top of the security that’s already built into secure websites. Let’s take an example. When you visit Bank of...
Read the full article: How Do I Know VPNs Won’t Intercept Bank Login Details?
If there’s one keyboard shortcut that every Windows user should know, it’s Ctrl + C. It lets you copy anything to your clipboard in an instant and makes moving text and images between apps a breeze. But the shortcut does have a downside: sometimes it doesn’t work. And when it doesn’t, it can be hugely frustrating — especially if you’ve just had a five-minute battle with your web browser to select exactly the right bit of text. Alas, thanks to a new app called ClipboardNotifier, you don’t need to worry anymore. You will always know whether your clipboard copying was successful. ClipboardNotifier is...
Read the full article: Know When Ctrl+C Fails Copying to Clipboard With This Notifier App
Your Amazon browsing history can reveal a lot about you, not all of it you necessarily want to share. Fortunately, if you’re on a shared computer or simply want to reset your Amazon suggestions, getting rid of your browsing history is easy. When it comes to removing items from your Amazon browsing history, you can either just wipe the entire list or you can selectively remove items: Click Browsing History in the menu at the top of your home page. Click the Manage history button. To wipe your browsing history, click Remove all items. You can also turn off browsing history so that it...
Read the full article: How to Remove Items in Your Amazon Browsing History and Reset Recommendations
Why waste the next-gen powerhouse in your pocket for task tracking when you can just recycle an old smartphone and turn it into a dedicated chore tracker? Chorr is a free Android app that’s specifically designed for re-using old devices. The words on the tin say, “Give use to a retired Android and get motivated.” Velcro the device to the wall (recommended by the developer) and it becomes a central hub for tracking chores and tasks. Think of It as a Smarter Post-It Note It isn’t sentient, but all your chores will be there front and center once you stick the phone...
Read the full article: How to Turn an Old Phone Into a Chore Tracker
YouTube pulled a no-show on Amazon’s Echo Show today. Google pulled the video service from the smart speaker this afternoon, a move Amazon doesn’t seem too happy about. Echo Show owners weren’t given any advance warning previous to the removal. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the service had been pulled in a statement, also implying that the move came as a surprise to… Read More
Google Cloud announced today that it has acquired Bitium, a company that focused on offering enterprise-grade identity management and access tools, such as single-sign on, for cloud-based applications. This will basically help Google better manage enterprise cloud customer implementation across an organization, including doing things like setting security levels and access policies for… Read More
Alexa is now available right from within the Amazon Music app on Android and iOS. Previously, Alexa could control your tunes via one of Amazon’s many hardware devices, including its Echo range. But she has now been given a new home in the Amazon Music app on your smartphone as well. I use Alexa to play music every single day, and have done since buying my Amazon Echo. However, this is only possible when I’m at home, and when I’m out and about I have to resort to actually searching for songs by hand. Thankfully, this extremely first world problem...
Read the full article: You Can Now Use Alexa in the Amazon Music App
Bitcoin-powered cellphones – basically phones that can securely hold and send cryptocurrencies – have long been a fascinating if undeveloped concept in the crypto community. When phones talk to each other using BTC or other currencies – whether its to pay bills or send money to friends – you open up an interesting world of commerce. Finney is a new $799 phone by the… Read More
Bitcoin-powered cellphones – basically phones that can securely hold and send cryptocurrencies – have long been a fascinating if undeveloped concept in the crypto community. When phones talk to each other using BTC or other currencies – whether its to pay bills or send money to friends – you open up an interesting world of commerce. Finney is a new $799 phone by the… Read More
