Apple has announced Apple Arcade, a new gaming subscription service for iOS, macOS, and tvOS. While details are currently thin on the ground, once Apple Arcade launches, it will let paying subscribers play over 100 titles across their Apple devices.
Mobile gaming is big business, and Apple has clearly noted how many people are willing to pay to play games on its devices. But why let developers make all of the money? Apple’s answer is Apple Arcade, a subscription service filled with exclusive titles.
Apple Arcade Kills Ads and In-App Purchases
Apple is billing Apple Arcade as “the world’s first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room”. Because unlike existing services such as PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass, Apple Arcade will work across multiple platforms.
Apple Arcade will be filled with new games from well-known names and companies. All of which will be exclusive to Apple Arcade. Subscribers will be able to download the games from the App Store, and play across their devices without ads or in-app purchases.
As if that wasn’t enough, all Apple Arcade games will be available to play offline, and many will offer support for controllers. You can also pick up where you left off in a game when switching between your iPhone or iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Apple’s Phil Schiller said, “The App Store is the world’s biggest and most successful game platform. Now we are going to take games even further with Apple Arcade, the first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room.”
Apple Arcade Offers New and Exclusive Games
Apple Arcade will be launching in 150 countries in fall 2019. It will be available on iOS, macOS, and tvOS, and accessed via the App Store. Apple is currently working with developers on “100 new and exclusive games”. However, there’s no word yet on the price.
In case you missed it, Apple Arcade is just one of three new subscription services Apple has launched. The other two are Apple News+, which buys you access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines, and Apple TV+, which will be filled with original programming.
Online dating scams continue to rise, costing unsuspecting victims millions of dollars each year. Rather than simply sending phishing emails, cybercriminals are playing the long game to cheat people out of their money.
If you are using an online dating platform, make sure to look out for these signs that the person you’re talking to is actually a scammer—and how to avoid online dating scams in general.
Who Do Dating Site Scams Target?
Scammers target people across different demographics on every dating platform possible. This means that regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or preferred platform; no one is off-bounds to a scammer.
However, they tend to target older people more often. Meanwhile, the biggest targets for long-term catfishing scams are people who are vulnerable or isolated.
Plenty of Fish (POF) scams are particularly prevalent due to the large nature of the network. However, scams exist on sites like Ashley Madison, Match.com, and the majority of other dating sites.
With the rise of dating apps, scammers cast an even wider net for potential targets and automate much of the process—using bots to lure victims into scams.
Ways to Spot an Online Dating Scammer
1. Profile Warning Signs
There are a few signs you should look out for when looking at a potential match’s online dating profile.
A few typical traits of a scammer’s profile include:
Profiles have very few images or images that seem to be model or glamour stock photos
Despite looking for singles in your area, they work or live in another country
Many scammers claim to be on military deployment in another country
On dating apps, scammers and bots will have very limited profile information. They also tend to only have one or two photos and do not link their profile to their Instagram or other accounts.
2. They Try to Take the Conversation Elsewhere
Online dating scammers, especially those catfishing victims, will quickly ask you to move to another form of messaging outside the platform where you met.
Often, scammers will want to communicate via written messages on Skype or Facebook. However, they may also choose to message you over SMS or an app like Whatsapp.
Be wary of anyone you haven’t met that wants to move the conversation to another platform.
3. Your Match Professes Love Early On
Online dating scammers tend to move very quickly in terms of professing an emotional connection. Within a short period, they may say they love you and that they feel a very deep connection to you.
This is all part of the emotional manipulation involved in catfishing while using online dating. It’s also why people who are vulnerable and isolated are such desirable targets—since they’re yearning for a connection.
You should look out for any matches that are overly flattering and overly devoted early on in your communication when you haven’t even met.
4. They Want To Meet You, But Something Always Comes Up
A common line among online dating scammers is that they want to meet you, but when the time comes, there is always some unexpected issue.
Since the scammer is not the person they claim to be, they don’t want to meet in person. This is also the reason why so many scammers claim to work in another country or be on military deployment since it provides them with an excuse for not being able to meet up. In fact, many scammers use photos of military personnel and soldiers on their profiles.
The inability to meet you may even be the supposed reason they first try to solicit money from a victim. They may claim to need money to buy a ticket to travel to meet you. Sometimes, they’ll say that border officials detained them and that they need money for their release.
5. They Avoid Video Chat Completely
According to the Better Business Bureau, the majority of romance scams trace back to people living in Nigeria. So, if a scammer is a foreigner from a country like Nigeria, Ghana, or Malaysia, they may avoid phonecalls or voice chat on programs like Skype, since their accent may give them away.
However, scammers are able to fake accents for victims that back up their claimed country of origin.
No matter what, a catfish will not appear in video chat since they use fake profile images. Be wary if your match is never willing to appear in video chat or always makes excuses about their camera being broken.
Most smartphones now have built-in selfie cameras, which makes video chatting relatively easy. Some people may initially hesitate to appear on video chat out of shyness. But it’s a red flag if someone professes love, yet won’t let you talk to them over video after weeks of communication.
6. They Request Money From You
Inevitably, a catfish will request money from you, as this is the ultimate goal of most scammers. There are a variety of scenarios that they may invent—from family emergencies, health issues, or travel problems.
Particularly inventive scammers may even trick you into sending them money by purportedly sending you a package that requires customs fees. Scammers don’t necessarily work alone, so you may receive a phone call or documents from someone posing as third-party to request fees.
Some scammers even request financial help or financial investment related to their fictional business.
If any kind of financial request comes from your suitor, or from something related to them (such as a package or business), this is the biggest sign that you are the target of a scam.
7. They Ask for Your Help With Financial Transactions
One of the newer online dating scams doesn’t request money from victims, but turns them into “money mules”. Rather than trying to get money from the victim, these scammers make you an accomplice in money laundering.
One example includes the scammer sending money to the victim, who then sends them an Amazon card or another kind of gift card. Other times they might send you money and ask you to send it to another account for them.
Sometimes, scammers may ask a victim to open a bank account for them.
If your online suitor asks you to get involved in these types of financial transactions and exchanges, it’s likely that they’re a scammer trying to lure you into illegal activities.
8. They Send You a Link to Another Service or Website
Some scammers don’t bother with catfishing, rather using more efficient ways to exploit victims. This is especially true on online dating apps, where bot profiles are prevalent.
If a match sends you a link to an app, game, service, or website they say they want you to try out; this is often a ploy to get you to supply financial information or download malware.
Besides spotting a potential scammer, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid online dating scams.
Firstly, use reverse image searches and tools like socialcatfish.com to verify a person’s online identity. You should check that the same image isn’t appearing across a variety of profiles under different names.
You should also keep up-to-date on the different types of dating scams emerging, especially those related to the platform you’re using. Not all dating scams involve prolonged catfishing, and certain mobile dating app scams differ from dating website scams.
Finally, never reveal too much information about yourself to someone you’ve never met. A catfish will use your financial situation and whether you’re vulnerable to determine whether you’re an ideal target.
If you receive overly flattering introduction emails or messages on an online dating site, simply don’t respond. On mobile dating apps, don’t match with profiles that seem suspicious.
Furthermore, never send intimate images of yourself to an online acquaintance—scammers are now using these types of pictures for blackmail and extortion schemes.
Finally, if warning signs pop up and you are unable to verify the person’s identity, cut off communication immediately.
Protect Yourself While Dating Online
One of the most important measures to date when dating online is to protect your privacy. This not only helps you avoid scams, but can also protect you from creeps and cyberstalkers.
From making sure you don’t share too much, to blocking linking between social media apps, check out our guide on protecting your privacy while using online dating.
Pranking your friends and family is the best sort of fun. And there is nothing wrong with a harmless prank, especially if the victim is anyone but you.
These days, we’re constantly plugged into our laptops, tablets, or smartphones. So, what better way to one-up your partner or siblings than seemingly destroying their hard drive with a fake virus? Although the following fake viruses may seem malicious to the unsuspecting, they’re wholly sanitized: no harm will come to the system they’re deployed on.
With so many types of viruses, there’s plenty of inspiration to imitate. It is time to sit back, and watch someone squirm!
1. How to Make a Fake Virus Batch File
There are numerous variations of this prank. A batch file can be easily programmed to spit out a long stream of nonsensical or malicious-sounding commands, displayed on screen for the victim to see. In that, it makes for one of the most effective pranks because it looks somewhat like serious system changes are taking place, delivered in the Command Prompt.
Start by downloading our pre-prepared code. When prompted, head to File > Save As. Set the Save as type to All Files. Then, give your file a nifty, intriguing name—remember, you want your potential victim to execute the file—and add the .bat extension. This extension turns your standard text document into a batch file whose commands will run when the victim opens the file.
The batch file will display the messages in sequence, then start an automatic shutdown sequence.
You can stop the automatic shutdown by hitting Windows Key + R, then typing shutdown /a.
Fake Blue Screen of Death
A fake virus might upset your victim, or confuse them. Another handy prank file is the fake Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). A fake BSOD simulates a full system crash, down to the final blue screen.
We’ve also prepared this code for you. Download bsod.txt, and rename the file, adding the .bat file extension.
Change Your File Icon
To add realism to your fake files, I would suggest changing the default file icon for the batch file. The “cog” icon is intriguing, but a sensible person will leave the unknown file well alone.
Right-click the fake virus batch file and select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). Now, head to your desktop, right-click the newly created shortcut and select Properties>Change Icon. Browse to your Google Chrome directory (mine is C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome), select Application, then Chrome.exe. Press OK.
You’ll now spot several Chrome icons. Use the “standard” Chrome icon, press OK > Apply > OK.
The next time the victim selects Chrome from their Desktop, the fake BSOD program will run… and hilarity will ensue.
2. EICAR Test File
This test file, while completely harmless, will trigger most antivirus suites and prompt the user to take evasive action.
The EICAR test file is an internationally recognized antivirus test. As such, your antivirus will act quickly to rid your system of the “threat.” Unfortunately, it will also immediately notify the victim that the virus signature matches “EICAR Test Signature,” somewhat removing the fun.
3. Fake Update
Windows 10 has taken some time to move past the bad press surrounding its enforced update system. Previous to Windows 10, users could choose the time and place of their update. Windows 10 changed all that and, in the early days of the new operating system, many users found their system updating without warning.
FakeUpdate preys on that background fear, allowing you to switch the victim’s browser to a slow-moving Windows 10 update. Head to the linked site, select the update screen you’d like (consider what their operating system is), then press F11 to enter full-screen mode.
Want an extra devious bonus? As you’ll be delivering this prank in person, when your victim exclaims that “the update is taking a long time,” you can helpfully suggest that pressing Enter usually speeds the process—only for that to trigger a fake BSOD!
The site includes old versions of Windows, as well as some common ransomware screens, too.
4. Create a Personalized Error Message Prank
Finally, you can create a personalized error message prank sequence for your victim. First, open Notepad.
Now, type the following:
x=msgbox("YOUR MESSAGE HERE", Button+Icon, "YOUR TITLE HERE")
Type your prank/scary/humorous message in the first section, and add a title for the dialog box in the second.
I’ll explain the buttons and icons now. In the code snippet above, the error message button and icon are represented by “o+48.” Buttons are the options available to the victim.
Select from the following:
0 — OK
1 — OK and Cancel
2 — Abort, Retry, and Ignore
3 — Yes, No, and Cancel
4 — Yes and No
5 — Retry and Cancel
Also, you can choose the icon that appears alongside the error messages:
0 — No icon
16 — Critical icon
32 — Question mark icon
48 — Warning icon
64 — Information icon
In the example “fake error sequence” above, the button option is “0” for OK, and “48” to add the Warning icon.
When you’re all set, head to File > Save As and choose a filename. Replace the .txt file extension with .vbs. Then, change the Save as type to All Files, and press Save. You can follow the icon change tutorial detailed earlier to complete your deceit.
Now, if you’d like to add another error message in sequence, add another line to your Notepad file, altering the message and dialog box title if required. In the image below you can see a new error message, using “0” to display the OK button, and “64” to display the Information icon. Play around with your favorite combinations, then save the file (as above) when you’re done.
When you execute the prank, I think it would be considerate to keep an eye on your victim (if you can). It’s all fun and games until someone has a panic attack and throws their computer through a window.
If you listen to a lot of music, you should be using Last.FM. It can help you discover new music and build your collection, as well as offer fascinating insights on your musical tastes.
Luckily, Spotify and Last.FM are compatible, which means you can scrobble Spotify directly to your Last.FM profile. In this article we’ll explain how to scrobble your Spotify music using Last.FM.
What Is Scrobbling?
Scrobbling is the process of tracking the music that you listen via a third-party app. The term is most commonly associated with sending your listening history to Last.FM, though there are a couple of alternative apps that perform the same function.
Last.FM works across your entire music collection. You can scrobble from your desktop music app, Spotify, YouTube, Google Play Music, Deezer, SoundCloud, Sonos, Tidal, and more. There’s also an Android app and an iOS app that can scrobble local music on your mobile devices.
The most significant missing app in the Last.FM line-up is Apple Music. If you dig around on the web, you can find some Apple Music scrobbling workarounds, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.
In order to scrobble, you need to give Last.FM access to your listening history. Sometimes that entails installing an app; alternatively, you may need to provide access from within a third-party app or from the Last.FM website.
How to Scrobble Spotify
There used to be different ways to scrobble Spotify to Last.FM, depending on the device you were using. In each case, you had to go into Spotify’s settings menu and enter your Last.FM credentials.
In June 2018, however, Last.FM and Spotify unveiled a new way to connect the two services. Now you need to set up Spotify scrobbling through Last.FM.
To begin the setup process, head to the Last.FM website and enter your login credentials. Once you’ve accessed your account, there are two ways to connect Last.FM to Spotify.
For the first method, click on your profile picture in the upper-right hand corner of the screen, then select Settings and open the Applications tab. To start scrobbling, simply click on the Connect button next to the Spotify logo. If it is your first time making the connection, you will need to enter your Spotify username and password.
The other way to connect the two services is to head to the Last.FM About page and click on the Track My Music tab at the top of the screen. Scroll down until you find the Spotify entry and hit Connect.
(Note: If you’re still using the old way to scrobble Spotify, make sure you fully disable the connection before setting up the new one. If you don’t, you run the risk of scrobbling the same track twice.)
The Benefits of Scrobbling Spotify to Last.FM
If you decide to scrobble Spotify using the Last.FM scrobbler, you’ll have access to a few unique benefits beyond the main features that Last.FM already provides:
Local Spotify Files: Spotify lets you add your locally saved files into the app. The feature isn’t as reliable nor as useful as the Google Play Music offering—but it does give you a single interface for all your music tracks. As of the June 2018 update, Last.FM can also scrobble any locally saved songs that you play through the Spotify app.
Offline Scrobbling: All the iterations of the app allow you to download Spotify music to listen to offline. Last.FM can scrobble the last 50 tracks you listened to while offline the next time you connect to the web.
Private Sessions: If you don’t want Spotify to log your play history (and thus not use the data for recommendations), you can enter a Private Session. If you start a Private Session on Spotify, Last.FM scrobbling is also suspended. It’s a great way to prevent your Last.FM data from getting clogged up with kids’ songs and podcasts.
Are There Any Downsides to Scrobbling Spotify?
Last.FM can seriously enrich your musical experience, but it’s not without its drawbacks.
The chief concern is the lack of privacy. Many people aren’t aware that Last.FM is owned by CBS Interactive; an entertainment company that already runs a massive network of brands including CBS News, CNET, GameSpot, ZDNet, and MetroLyrics.
Is it wise to provide your entire listening history so CBS can further refine its profile on you? Many would argue that the trade-off isn’t worth it.
Secondly, Last.FM has an element of permanence. Do you really want the music you were listening to five or 10 years ago staring back at you every time you open the app? This won’t necessarily be right for everyone, especially if you already use Spotify’s music discovery tools to find new music.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning security. Last.FM suffered a substantial data breach in 2012 in which 45 million accounts were compromised. The company did not make the details public until 2016.
Last.FM Alternatives for Scrobbling Spotify
Last.FM isn’t the only scrobbling service in the world. Here are three alternative ways to scrobble your Spotify music.
Universal Scrobbler helps to fill in the blanks that Last.FM leaves. It can scrobble music from sources that Last.FM doesn’t support. That includes the radio, your car stereo, and even vinyl records.
Open Scrobbler is a manual scrobbler that lets you control which songs you add to your Last.FM profile. Like Universal Scrobbler, it can also act as a scrobbler for vinyl records.
Our final recommendation is Vinyl Scrobbler. It uses data from Last.FM and Discogs to let vinyl lovers record their listening history and amalgamate it with their Spotify listening history.
Learn How to Do More With Spotify
Using the Last.FM scrobbler to track what you listen to on Spotify is just one of the many ways to get the most out of the music streaming app.
For some people, one monitor—maybe even the built-in screen of your MacBook—is enough. Other people need all the screen real estate they can get.
This extra working space for your Mac doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Most of the time, multiple monitors work just fine, but when you encounter trouble, sorting it out can be tricky. When you’re not sure what your problem is, there are some basic steps you should try.
1. Double-Check Your Connections
This may sound obvious, but it really can’t hurt to check. HDMI connections are notoriously finicky, so double-checking that everything is seated properly is one of the first troubleshooting steps you should do. This isn’t the only reason to check your connections though.
If, for example, you’re using an HDMI to Thunderbolt 3 cable, the order in which you plug them in is important. Make sure you plug the cable into the monitor, then plug the Thunderbolt 3 port in. Plugging in the other way around can lead to problems.
2. Check Your Cables
Speaking of connections, checking your cables is also a good idea. You may have everything plugged in properly, but that won’t matter if one of your cables has failed. If you’re using bargain-bin cables, this is especially worth checking.
A malfunctioning cable isn’t your only worry here either. Perhaps you have a functioning HDMI cable, but it could be too old to support the resolution you’re aiming for. This isn’t too common, but trying over again with a known good cable is a good way to rule this out.
Thankfully, you don’t need to spend much on a new cable. Have a look at the best HDMI cables if you need a replacement.
3. Don’t Use a Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Thunderbolt 3 docks can be handy if you have a recent MacBook model. Instead of plugging in two or three dongles alongside your power supply when you want to hook up your external monitors, you simply plug in one connection. This is especially handy if you like to use a wired mouse and keyboard at your desk.
When you leave your MacBook open and use one external monitor, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you prefer to run your MacBook in clamshell mode though, this can be a problem. It’s not ideal, but you’ll get the best results plugging directly into a Thunderbolt 3 port for each monitor you’re connecting.
4. Check Your Adapters
Along the same lines, if you’re using adapters, you’ll want to make sure everything is compatible. If you’re chaining multiple adapters, it’s possible that this is where your problem stems from.
Running a USB-C to HDMI adapter and then plugging in an HDMI cable to run to your monitor should work just fine. Running a USB-C to DVI adapter then a DVI to HDMI connector won’t work. Ideally, you want to make the signal path from computer to monitor as simple as possible.
5. Make Sure You’re Powered Up
This is another MacBook-centric tip. Depending on your computer model and the monitor you’re using, the computer may not have enough juice to power the connection to the monitor from the battery.
Fortunately, this is an easy fix. Plug your laptop in whenever you’re using it with your external monitor or monitors. Yes, it’s one more item to plug in, but it will help keep trouble at bay.
6. Check the Display With Another Computer
Once you’re sure that the signal path from your computer is properly set up, you want to rule out problems with the monitor. This is as simple as plugging the monitor into another computer, assuming you have a different machine handy.
If you don’t have another computer, you might be able to try with an Apple TV or other streaming box. Barring that, it’s time to get in touch with friends or family and see if you can get them to stop by with their laptop. At least you’ll know that your monitor is working properly.
7. Try Adjusting Your Resolution
Even after you’re able to get your monitor working, you can run into other problems. The most common is blurry-looking fonts. Your Mac does its best to determine the proper resolution to set, but it’s not right 100 percent of the time.
To manually set your resolution, open System Preferences and go to Displays on the second row. Hold the Option key while selecting the Scaled option, and you’ll see a full list of resolutions to try. It might take a few tries, but you could end up with a much sharper-looking display.
8. Calibrate Your Display
If your fonts aren’t blurry but something seems off about the colors, there are a few fixes you can try. First, you can look at some of the color profiles in the Color tab of the Display settings in System Preferences.
When all else fails, there’s one step left to do. Resetting your Mac’s SMC is one of those catch-all options that can fix a lot of problems. If something is wrong with your Mac but you’re not sure exactly what, this is always an option to consider.
This extends to issues with your monitor as well. Resetting your SMC can fix issues with display management and ports not functioning as they should. Your NVRAM stores a lot of different settings, including resolution. If manually setting resolution didn’t fix your issues, this could help.
After reading this, you might be put off on the idea of running more than one monitor. Don’t let this discourage you. Most of the time, running multiple monitors is as easy as plugging them in.
If you don’t want to run multiple monitors but are feeling cramped on your current display, you have another option. Instead of multiple monitors, you can run multiple desktops. Interested? Find out everything you need to know about multiple desktops on macOS.
Wish.com is an e-commerce site offering fantastic deals on a mind-blowing range of items. You can grab anything from night-vision goggles and underwear to Bluetooth adapters and dog seatbelts for your car.
The site, founded by former Google and Yahoo programmers, has caught the eye of keen deal seekers.
Something else caught my eye: microSD cards. MicroSD cards with massive volume sold exceptionally cheap. As it turns out, the vast majority of these cards are fake. They work in your device but show a fake volume. Sellers are scamming buyers.
Here’s how you avoid fake microSD cards.
What Does a Fake MicroSD Card Look Like?
The following image is an advert on Wish.com for a Huawei 512GB Class 10 MicroSD card. (Class 10 means it is really fast.) Now, there are a few problems with the image. Can you figure them out?
Huawei doesn’t make microSD cards.
That’s it; that is the issue with the image. Chinese tech giant, Huawei, don’t make microSD cards for general sale. They do make proprietary Nano-Memory Cards that work with their devices, but they’re a different beast altogether (and don’t come in this size, as far as I know).
Want another example? The next example is a Verbatim 512GB Class 10 MicroSD card. Why is this one difficult?
Verbatim does not make 512GB microSD cards (at least, they don’t at the time of writing).
The Verbatim 512GB microSD card is trickier because Verbatim does make memory cards. You can find their products on the internet, lending the fake advert some credibility.
Here’s your final example.
On offer is an “Original MicroSD Card.” The memory card doesn’t even carry a specific brand. However, the microSD card has been very carefully designed to mimic the design of another technology giant. See how the Wish.com Original MicroSD Card listing steals the design of the official Samsung EVO Plus memory card?
You should note that Wish.com is far from the only site selling microSD cards with fake memory. eBay is awash with counterfeit microSD cards. Even Amazon has sold (and occasionally still does sell) fake microSD cards through its third-party seller scheme.
Spotting a fake microSD isn’t always easy. Manufacturers are adept at copying designs. It isn’t just the design copy you have to worry about.
The advertised volume is also a complete fabrication.
The scammers modify the microSD card controller to falsify the card volume. When you plug the microSD card into your system it appears as a 512GB microSD. But once you start writing data to the drive, you’ll find:
There is not enough space for your data
Your existing data starts being overwritten
The card crashes or corrupts, locking you out
Simply put, these cards are dangerous for your data.
How to Check a Fake MicroSD Card
All in all, it sounds pretty bad. However, if you have already bought a microSD card from Wish.com, you can run through a few checks to figure out the true capacity of the drive in your hands. Here are three tools to help you out.
FakeFlashTest is a utility that checks the true capacity of a flash drive. The same team develops FakeFlashTest as USB multiboot tool, RMPrepUSB. There are many fake microSD testing tools out there, but FakeFlashTest is easily one of the fastest around. It offers a couple of different tests, too.
You can use the Quick Size Test to quickly ascertain if a drive is fake or not. The Quick Size Test writes and reads 512 bytes at random segments across the drive. If the write/read process fails, it displays in the log. If you prefer an in-depth analysis, the Test Empty Space option writes and reads to all available space on the drive, then compares the difference.
As mentioned, FakeFlashTest is newer than most other similar tools and therefore is optimized for the job.
H2testw is the go-to tool for most people when checking the status of a microSD. However, it was developed years ago, and with the increase in drive capacity, the primary test can take quite a while to complete. That doesn’t mean it is a bad tool. Far from it. H2testw remains one of the best options available for testing a fake microSD card.
Like FakeFlashTest, H2testw checks the free space on the drive by writing files to all available space on the device, then reading them back.
Chip Genius is different from the other tools. Instead of writing data to your device and reading it back, ChipGenius reads information directly from the flash memory inside the card. In that, ChipGenius is by and large the fastest option of all.
After you run ChipGenius, scroll down to the detailed information. Somewhere in the information, it will state “Total Capacity = 16GB” or whatever the real capacity of your microSD card.
If you bought a 512GB microSD card on Wish.com and paid $10, you might want to ask for your money back. Chances are they’ll offer a refund, and you can keep the fake microSD card. After all, they’re being sold in the knowledge they’re fake.
The fake microSD card isn’t worthless though. Once you figure out the real size of the memory using one of the tools above, you can set to work making that memory usable. After all, you have paid for it, and maybe even received the money back.
Fix Fake MicroSD Card Using DiskPart
DiskPart is an integrated Windows disk partition utility. You can run it using the Command Prompt, and it is an easy way to make the fake microSD usable.
First, open This PC. Make a note of the microSD card drive letter.
Input command into your Start menu search bar, select the best match, then right-click and select Run as administrator.
Now, type diskpart, then list volume.
Input select volume [your drive letter]. You’re now going to shrink the drive to the real memory size. Please note the following command works in megabytes. For instance, if you want to decrease the drive size by 1GB, you would type “1000.”
Input shrink desired [number of megabytes], and press Enter. For instance, if you bought a 512GB drive but its capacity is actually 8GB, you could type “shrink desired 504000.” The command will decrease the capacity by 504,000MB (504GB), leaving the 8GB of working memory.
Reduce the drive to just below the volume of working memory. So, if you have an 8GB drive, use the shrink desired command to reduce to 7.9GB. Even though the drive volume is now within its working range, the microSD card controller remains the same. Thus, if you hit the 8GB limit, your data could well begin overwriting the drive.
Once you have settled on a size, head back to This PC. Right-click the microSD card and select Format. Wait for it to complete. Voila, you have a working microSD card. Not quite the 512GB you thought, but better than nothing.
Avoid Deals That Are Too Good to Be True
If a deal seems too good to be true, there’s a solid chance it is.
As you have seen, there are hundreds of thousands of fake microSD cards on the market. It is easy to find them, too. It isn’t that people are clicking on dodgy adverts or using a shady online retailer. Fake microSD cards end up in the listings of global retailers, too.
Typography can make or break a presentation. You can work for hours on templates and colors but if you choose illegible or funky fonts, it can hurt your presentation.
In a professional setting, it’s important to choose fonts that convey a sense of seriousness while still being playful. This balance is tough to achieve. However, the following free Google Fonts are perfect for professional presentations.
Serif Fonts vs. Sans-Serif Fonts
Fonts (or typefaces) are mainly divided into two categories: serifs and sans-serifs. Serif means tail in Latin. A serif font is one which has strokes at the ends of the letters. Times New Roman is the best example of a popular serif font.
Sans stands for without. So, sans-serif font is a font without strokes at the ends of the letter (think Helvetica or Arial).
For a professional office presentation, it’s best to go with a sans-serif font. But some new-age serif fonts can also work quite well for title slides. They perfectly complement modern sans-serifs. If you’re curious, read our guide to typography terms to understand them better.
Playfair Display is a serif font with a bit of flair. It can be traced back to the Age of Enlightenment in Europe during the late 18th century when broad nibs were replaced by sharp steel pens. This gives Playfair a graceful, feminine twist. A stark contrast from boring serif fonts like Times New Roman.
Playfair Display makes for an elegant header text for presentation; especially when paired with pastel color backgrounds.
Arvo is a slab-serif font designed for perfection. It’s a geometric typeface that’s a mix between classic and modern. Arvo Regular is a thin, modern version of the slab serif, While Arvo Bold has a thicker stroke and sharp corners.
Arvo Bold works best in bigger font sizes, as a title for business or corporate related presentations. When paired with the right colors, Arvo can be quite powerful.
You can’t say this about many fonts but the Crimson font is quite simply beautiful. If you’re trying to dazzle your audience with a classy-yet-fun presentation, consider using Crimson for titles and subtitles.
Crimson is a sans-serif font inspired by the Garamond font, but it goes beyond that. It is a modern take on the traditional old style fonts and is designed from the ground up to look good on screens and websites. If you’re tired of using Times New Roman in a presentation, switch to Crimson.
When preparing to make a professional presentation the first rule is to avoid a wall of text. Even a list of bullet points can be a little too much. But if you need a couple of lines to explain something, or if you’ve got a long quote in the form of a slide, try using Open Sans.
Open Sans is an open-source humanist sans-serif font. It is the typical workhorse of a font and will work well in almost any circumstance when paragraph text is used. It is a comfortably legible font, even at small sizes. The semibold version of the font works just as well as a title font.
Lato means Summer in Polish and this font truly feels like a draft of the early Summer breeze. When you look at the font closely, it’s astonishing that a font with such attention to detail is available for free under the open-source license.
Lato was commissioned as a font by a large corporation which later decided to go in another direction. Lato was then turned into a free font. And you can see its corporate roots here. The font is playful with its semi-rounded details, but in a way that’s still professional. Lato font family is quite varied, starting from the Hairline version all the way to Heavy and Black.
Since Lato was designed to be a versatile font, it can be used as paragraph text and as title font as well.
Montserrat set in Extra Bold is the perfect way to convey youth and forward-thinking in a professional presentation. Montserrat is a font you’ll often find in the landing pages of technology startups. The font is inspired by old posters and signs from the Montserrat neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
Thanks to its geometric shapes, Montserrat is one of those fonts that pairs very well with other sans-serif fonts. For example, Montserrat in Bold will work well with Open Sans and Lato.
Merriweather is a serif font that was designed for reading on screens. It’s a traditional serif font but it has more room to breathe. The letterforms themselves are condensed, with a higher x-height, leaving more room between letters.
Abril Fatface is part of the larger Abril family which has 18 different typefaces ranging from Display to Text versions. The Fatface version is not for everyone. In fact, it’s more of a stylistic choice.
It has thick, swooping strokes coupled with thin serifs. This gives the font a unique personality and a powerful presence on the screen. Its serif roots give it gravitas while the tilting stokes give it a sense of playfulness. If you want your text to stand out while still maintaining a professional look, try using Abril Fatface as the title font.
Think of Ubuntu as the stylistic version of Open Sans. It’s also an open-source humanist sans-serif font. Its development was funded by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux (which is one of our favorite distros).
While Open Sans has symmetrically rounded edges, Ubuntu curves strokes from a single edge. This is most evident in letters like “u” and “n”.
Raleway brings the elegance of a serif font to a sans-serif font. It’s a thin font designed to be used for headings, making it the perfect font for title slides.
If you find the regular version to be a little too thin, then you can try out the semibold version.
Pairs well with: Roboto, Merriweather
Learn the Art of Font Pairing
The most important aspect of designing a presentation is not overdoing it. Just select one or two fonts and use them across the entire presentation. The same goes with color and the template as well. Keep things simple and consistent.
If you’re still coming to grips with the different types of typography, and you’re confused about serif and sans-serif fonts, just pick a simple sans-serif font like Open Sans and stick with it.
Once you’re comfortable playing around with type, you’re off to the races. Try different combinations of sans-serif and serif fonts. Pair Crimson with Lato or Playfair Display with Open Sans and see if it works.
Font pairing can be done quickly and easily online. You don’t even need to download all the fonts on your computer. Use websites like Google Fonts and Font Pair to find the perfect font pairing for a presentation.
Almost exactly 10 years ago, I was at GDC participating in a demo of a service I didn’t think could exist: OnLive. The company had promised high-definition, low-latency streaming of games at a time when real broadband was uncommon, mobile gaming was still defined by Bejeweled (though Angry Birds was about to change that), and Netflix was still mainly in the DVD-shipping business.
Although the demo went well, the failure of OnLive and its immediate successors to gain any kind of traction or launch beyond a few select markets indicated that while it may be in the future of gaming, streaming wasn’t in its present.
Well, now it’s the future. Bandwidth is plentiful, speeds are rising, games are shifting from things you buy to services you subscribe to, and millions prefer to pay a flat fee per month rather than worry about buying individual movies, shows, tracks, or even cheeses.
Consequently, as of this week — specifically as of Google’s announcement of Stadia on Tuesday — we see practically every major tech and gaming company attempting to do the same thing. Like the beginning of a chess game, the board is set or nearly so, and each company brings a different set of competencies and potential moves to the approaching fight. Each faces different challenges as well, though they share a few as a set.
Google and Amazon bring cloud-native infrastructure and familiarity online, but is that enough to compete with the gaming know-how of Microsoft, with its own cloud clout, or Sony, which made strategic streaming acquisitions and has a service up and running already? What of the third parties like Nvidia and Valve, publishers and storefronts that may leverage consumer trust and existing games libraries to jump start a rival? It’s a wide-open field, all right.
Before we examine them, however, it is perhaps worthwhile to entertain a brief introduction to the gaming space as it stands today and the trends that have brought it to this point.
Huawei held a press conference today in Paris. And the company just unveiled its brand new flagship phone — the P30 and the P30 Pro. In many ways, this year’s update is a continuation of the P20 series — but everything has been upgraded. I played with both devices for a bit of time yesterday, here’s my experience.
While Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has switched to a hole-punch design, Huawei is keeping the good old notch for its flagship device. But this year’s notch is a lot smaller. The company has switched from an iPhone X-like notch to a tiny little teardrop notch.
The P20 and P20 Pro were the last flagship phones to feature a fingerprint sensor below the display, on the front of the device. With the P30 series, Huawei is removing that odd-looking bezel and integrating the fingerprint sensor in the display.
The company could have used that opportunity to make the phones smaller. But Huawei opted for taller displays instead. The P20 and P20 Pro had 5.8-inch and 6.1-inch displays with a 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The P30 and P30 Pro have gigantic 6.1-inch and 6.47-inch displays with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
The P30 Pro is still narrower than the iPhone XR, but it won’t be for everyone. It definitely feels too big in my hand for instance.
The industrial design of the P30 series is in line with the P20 series. The phones feature a glass on the back with colorful gradients. The frame is made of aluminum. Overall, the devices feel slimmer on the edges thanks to curved back and front glasses. The company has flattened the top and bottom edges of the devices as well. Everything feels solid in your hand.
The P30 and P30 Pro are now closer when it comes to features. They both have an OLED display with a 2340*1080 resolution for instance. You no longer have to choose between an LCD and an OLED display.
The two biggest differences you can spot is that the P30 Pro has a Samsung-style display, slightly curved on the sides — the P30 displays is completely flat. Huawei is also bringing back the headphone jack, but only for the P30. It doesn’t really make sense to segment the lineup this way, but maybe Huawei considers you have enough money to buy wireless earbuds if you’re in the market for a P30 Pro.
Both devices come in five colors — Breathing Crystal, Amber Sunrise, Perl White, Black and Aurora. Amber Sunrise is a red to orange gradient color, Breathing Crystal is a white-to-purple gradient, Perl White is a white-to-slightly pink gradient, Aurora is a blue-to-turquoise gradient.
You’ll be able to buy the P30 for €799 ($900) with 128GB of storage and the P30 Pro for €999 ($1,130) for 128GB of storage — there are more expensive options for the P30 Pro with more storage. The phones will be available in Europe and Asia today, and probably won’t be released in the U.S.
Four camera sensors, because why not
When it comes to cameras, Huawei has always been one of the leading smartphone manufacturers on this front. There are only four brands that ship cameras that perform so well — Apple, Samsung, Google and Huawei.
It’s going to be hard to comment on the quality of the photos after so little hands-on time, but the P30 Pro now features not one, not two, not three but f-o-u-r sensors on the back of the device.
The main camera is a 40 MP 27mm sensor with an f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilization.
There’s a 20MP ultra-wide angle lens (16mm) with an f/2.2 aperture.
The 8 MP telephoto lens provides nearly 5x optical zoom compared to the main lens (125mm) with an f/3.4 aperture and optical image stabilization.
There’s a new time-of-flight sensor below the flash of the P30 Pro. The phone projects infrared light and captures the reflection with this new sensor.
Thanks to the new time-of-flight sensor, Huawei promises better bokeh effects with a new depth map. The company also combines the main camera sensor with the telephoto sensor to let you capture photos with a 10x zoom with a hybrid digital-optical zoom.
The telephoto lens uses a periscope design. It means that the sensor features a glass to beam the light at a right angle. Huawei uses that method to avoid making the phone too thick.
On the P30, the cameras are more or less the same, but a bit worse:
A 40 MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization.
A 16 MP ultra-wide angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture.
An 8 MP telephoto lens that should provide 3x optical zoom.
No time-of-flight sensor.
More than hardware specifications, Huawei says that software has been greatly improved to enhance the quality of your photos. In particular, night mode should be much better thanks to optical and software-enabled stabilization. HDR shots and portrait photos should look better too.
On the front of the device, the selfie camera sensor has been upgraded from 24 MP to 32 MP. And you can capture HDR and low light photos from the front camera as well.
Below the surface
Huawei has upgraded its homemade system-on-a-chip with the Kirin 980 that you can find in the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. It runs Android Pie 9.1 with Huawei’s EMUI custom Android user interface.
In addition to 40W USB-C charging, Huawei is integrating wireless charging for the first time in the P series (up to 15W). The P30 Pro has a 4,200 mAh battery. You can also charge other devices with reverse wireless charging, just like on the Samsung Galaxy S10.
The P30 Pro is IP68 water and dust resistant while the P30 is IP53 resistant.
You won’t find a speaker grill at the top of the P30 Pro because the company has removed the speaker. Instead, Huawei is vibrating the screen in order to turn the screen into a tiny speaker for your calls.
A note on the Huawei FreeLace wireless earphones
Huawei is also launching new in-ear earbuds today. The FreeLace looks more or less like the BeatsX with a cord behind your neck. You can disconnect the cord and plug your wireless earphones directly into your smartphone to pair them – no Bluetooth pairing required.
That hidden USB-C port is also how you’re going to charge the earbuds. For 5 minutes of charge time, you get 4 hours worth of playback. They’ll be available in four colors — Graphite Black, Amber Sunrise, Emerald Green and Moonlight Silver.
The earbuds are magnetic so you can wrap them around your neck. When you disconnect them, it automatically answers your calls, play your music. When you connect them again, it hangs up or pause your music. The FreeLace earbuds will be a separate accessory for €99.
Huawei held a press conference today in Paris. And the company just unveiled its brand new flagship phone — the P30 and the P30 Pro. In many ways, this year’s update is a continuation of the P20 series — but everything has been upgraded. I played with both devices for a bit of time yesterday, here’s my experience.
While Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has switched to a hole-punch design, Huawei is keeping the good old notch for its flagship device. But this year’s notch is a lot smaller. The company has switched from an iPhone X-like notch to a tiny little teardrop notch.
The P20 and P20 Pro were the last flagship phones to feature a fingerprint sensor below the display, on the front of the device. With the P30 series, Huawei is removing that odd-looking bezel and integrating the fingerprint sensor in the display.
The company could have used that opportunity to make the phones smaller. But Huawei opted for taller displays instead. The P20 and P20 Pro had 5.8-inch and 6.1-inch displays with a 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The P30 and P30 Pro have gigantic 6.1-inch and 6.47-inch displays with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
The P30 Pro is still narrower than the iPhone XR, but it won’t be for everyone. It definitely feels too big in my hand for instance.
The industrial design of the P30 series is in line with the P20 series. The phones feature a glass on the back with colorful gradients. The frame is made of aluminum. Overall, the devices feel slimmer on the edges thanks to curved back and front glasses. The company has flattened the top and bottom edges of the devices as well. Everything feels solid in your hand.
The P30 and P30 Pro are now closer when it comes to features. They both have an OLED display with a 2340*1080 resolution for instance. You no longer have to choose between an LCD and an OLED display.
The two biggest differences you can spot is that the P30 Pro has a Samsung-style display, slightly curved on the sides — the P30 displays is completely flat. Huawei is also bringing back the headphone jack, but only for the P30. It doesn’t really make sense to segment the lineup this way, but maybe Huawei considers you have enough money to buy wireless earbuds if you’re in the market for a P30 Pro.
Both devices come in five colors — Breathing Crystal, Amber Sunrise, Perl White, Black and Aurora. Amber Sunrise is a red to orange gradient color, Breathing Crystal is a white-to-purple gradient, Perl White is a white-to-slightly pink gradient, Aurora is a blue-to-turquoise gradient.
You’ll be able to buy the P30 for €799 ($900) with 128GB of storage and the P30 Pro for €999 ($1,130) for 128GB of storage — there are more expensive options for the P30 Pro with more storage. The phones will be available in Europe and Asia today, and probably won’t be released in the U.S.
Four camera sensors, because why not
When it comes to cameras, Huawei has always been one of the leading smartphone manufacturers on this front. There are only four brands that ship cameras that perform so well — Apple, Samsung, Google and Huawei.
It’s going to be hard to comment on the quality of the photos after so little hands-on time, but the P30 Pro now features not one, not two, not three but f-o-u-r sensors on the back of the device.
The main camera is a 40 MP 27mm sensor with an f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilization.
There’s a 20MP ultra-wide angle lens (16mm) with an f/2.2 aperture.
The 8 MP telephoto lens provides nearly 5x optical zoom compared to the main lens (125mm) with an f/3.4 aperture and optical image stabilization.
There’s a new time-of-flight sensor below the flash of the P30 Pro. The phone projects infrared light and captures the reflection with this new sensor.
Thanks to the new time-of-flight sensor, Huawei promises better bokeh effects with a new depth map. The company also combines the main camera sensor with the telephoto sensor to let you capture photos with a 10x zoom with a hybrid digital-optical zoom.
The telephoto lens uses a periscope design. It means that the sensor features a glass to beam the light at a right angle. Huawei uses that method to avoid making the phone too thick.
On the P30, the cameras are more or less the same, but a bit worse:
A 40 MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization.
A 16 MP ultra-wide angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture.
An 8 MP telephoto lens that should provide 3x optical zoom.
No time-of-flight sensor.
More than hardware specifications, Huawei says that software has been greatly improved to enhance the quality of your photos. In particular, night mode should be much better thanks to optical and software-enabled stabilization. HDR shots and portrait photos should look better too.
On the front of the device, the selfie camera sensor has been upgraded from 24 MP to 32 MP. And you can capture HDR and low light photos from the front camera as well.
Below the surface
Huawei has upgraded its homemade system-on-a-chip with the Kirin 980 that you can find in the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. It runs Android Pie 9.1 with Huawei’s EMUI custom Android user interface.
In addition to 40W USB-C charging, Huawei is integrating wireless charging for the first time in the P series (up to 15W). The P30 Pro has a 4,200 mAh battery. You can also charge other devices with reverse wireless charging, just like on the Samsung Galaxy S10.
The P30 Pro is IP68 water and dust resistant while the P30 is IP53 resistant.
You won’t find a speaker grill at the top of the P30 Pro because the company has removed the speaker. Instead, Huawei is vibrating the screen in order to turn the screen into a tiny speaker for your calls.
A note on the Huawei FreeLace wireless earphones
Huawei is also launching new in-ear earbuds today. The FreeLace looks more or less like the BeatsX with a cord behind your neck. You can disconnect the cord and plug your wireless earphones directly into your smartphone to pair them – no Bluetooth pairing required.
That hidden USB-C port is also how you’re going to charge the earbuds. For 5 minutes of charge time, you get 4 hours worth of playback. They’ll be available in four colors — Graphite Black, Amber Sunrise, Emerald Green and Moonlight Silver.
The earbuds are magnetic so you can wrap them around your neck. When you disconnect them, it automatically answers your calls, play your music. When you connect them again, it hangs up or pause your music. The FreeLace earbuds will be a separate accessory for €99.
