12 May 2020

How The Bail Project is reforming criminal justice in the US | Robin Steinberg and Manoush Zomorodi

How The Bail Project is reforming criminal justice in the US | Robin Steinberg and Manoush Zomorodi

Nearly half a million people in the US are in jail right now without being convicted of a crime, simply because they can't come up with the money to pay cash bail. To try and fix this system, public defender and activist Robin Steinberg asked a straightforward question: What if we paid bail for them? In conversation with TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi, Steinberg shares how her nonprofit The Bail Project -- which uses a revolving fund to post bail for those who can't afford it -- is scaling up their efforts across the country and rolling out a new community-based model to fight mass incarceration. (This ambitious plan is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

The Wing is reportedly LG’s latest odd dual-screen smartphone concept


It seems like only yesterday that we were all complaining about the boring uniformity of smartphone designs. In the last couple of years, companies have worked to offer some alternative through dual-screen devices, foldables and a slew of concept form factors — few of which have really gained much traction. 

Even so, the LG Wing (its codename or now) offers a strange, new alternative to the push forward more screen real estate. The likely concept device have surface through Korean Herald and ET News reports, showing a 6.8-inch screen that swivels up horizontally to reveal a square four-inch display below.

This is still in the concept/leak phase, though it’s not entirely without precedent from Camp LG. Notably, the manufacturer released a bunch of of swiveling handsets over a decade ago, back in the days when phones still had buttons.

While the second screen would function as a keyboard some of the times, the versatility of the display offers interesting supplemental features like editing or viewing supplemental content. The handset would also reportedly feature a processor in the Snapdragon 7 family and a triple camera set up.

Certainly it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for LG to try something new. The company has performed its share of experiments in the past. Actually getting app developers to come along for the ride, on the other hand, is another issue entirely.


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The new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is now available, and it’s the connected smart lock to beat


It’s been a few years since August introduced any new hardware, but its August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which it debuted at CES this year, is now available. This is the new flagship in the August lineup, replacing the August Smart Lock Pro as the latest and greatest feature-packed connected lock from the company, and it brings an improved design along with built-in Wi-Fi. August’s existing locks are the market leaders in easy conversion kits for existing thumbturn deadbolts, and the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock improves upon that reputation in every way.

Design

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock has a great design pedigree already, since the company was originally co-founded by Yves Béhar. Béhar spearheaded the design of this generation as well, and the result is a look that is recognizably August, but with upgraded looks and tactile improvements, too. The satin nickel finish on my review hardware looked great and premium (it also comes in black) and the textured outer edge feels great when turning the lock to manually lock/unlock. There’s a slightly raised ‘pointer’ to provide a quick visual indicator of whether the door is locked or unlocked now as well.

The biggest design change vs. the August Smart Lock Pro, however, is that it’s quite a bit smaller. August says it’s 45% smaller by volume, in fact, and 20% slimmer front to back, and the size savings definitely show. The rather large dimensions of the Smart Lock Pro meant that it wasn’t even able to be installed on some doors, so there’s a practical, functional benefit to the change, but it also just looks a lot nicer and is less likely to stick out among the rest of your home decor.

The smaller design was made possible despite inclusion of Wi-Fi built-in in part due to the switch to CR2 batteries, which are a lot less common than the AAs used by the Smart Lock Pro, but which you should still be able to find pretty easily at a drugstore or via Amazon.

Size aside, the design still provides a great, easy to use manual turn for physically unlocking and locking your door. The install process is also still very easy, even if you’re not particularly handy. August even provides paint-safe tape in the box for securing the other side of your lock while you remove the thumb plate, and its app gives you easy instructions for matching the right included size adapter depending on your deadbolt manufacturer. Replacing my own thumb turn took about five minutes start to finish.

Features

The whole point of August’s technology is that it provides you with a way to lock and unlock your door with your phone. With the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, that’s a lot less complicated than it has been in the past because it has Wi-Fi built-in. Previous August locks relied exclusively on Bluetooth, and required that you also purchase and own a separate Connect dongle, which plugs into a standard wall socket, to connect to the lock itself via Bluetooth and act as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network.

Doing away with the need for a Connect means you connect the Wi-Fi Smart Lock to your network during setup, and then it’s reachable anywhere using the August smartphone app. You can easily tap to lock and unlock the door so long as you have an active data connection, and you can do a lot more besides, including granting others access.

August allows you to provision virtual keys to friends via email (they’ll be asked to register for an account if they don’t have one). This is a popular feature for Airbnb hosts, since you can also revoke permission once you no longer want someone to have access. It’s also great for letting in neighbors to feed your pets (once travel is an option again, of course) and for giving family an easy way to check in. Plus, you can share it with other members of your households and make them owners for top-level access and controls as well.

You can also set the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock to automatically lock once you close the door, either immediately or after a set time that you can customize. This works using DoorSense, which is facilitated by a magnetic sensor that August includes in the box and that you install in your door frame upon setup.

Auto-unlock for me has worked most of the time, though I have had a few occasions where upon returning, I get a ‘Welcome home’ notification from the August app, but the door doesn’t actually unlock and I have to do so by opening the app and pressing the button. In general, however, it works well, and is a great benefit when you return home with your arms full of groceries, for instance.

Performance

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock brings an updated design and integrated wifi, but it doesn’t change much in terms of the core functionality of August’s previous locks, and it also seems to be at least a match for prior generations when it comes to reliability. Using the app, I was consistently able to both lock and unlock the door, both within and outside of the home.

August also offers integration with voice assistants, including Alexa, Google Home and HomeKit. These I found a bit more unreliable, with at least one actual failed unlock attempt via HomeKit, but overall they also performed mostly well, with a bit more lag than doing things via the August app directly. You’re also able to unlock via voice command, though the app wisely forces you to register an authorization code to protect against manipulation, like someone trying to yell at Alexa through your door to unlock the unit.

August also offers the option to receive push notification about lock and unlock events, and stores a whole history of the lock’s usage, including door open and closed status, manual/automatic/remote locking and unlocking events, and more. It’s a great way to maintain peace of mind about who’s accessing your home, when and how.

Bottom line

August has a long history of building connected locks, and its reputation has earned it both accolades and a 2017 acquisition by leading international lock maker Assa Abloy, which operates a number of brands including Yale. This is the first lock that it has launched since that acquisition, and it’s a promising indicator that the deal hasn’t dulled their edge when it comes to August-branded product development. This is a great smart lock, with fast and easy installation and ergonomic, visually pleasing design and broad compatibility. Its auto-lock and unlock features really change the way you go about everything from running errands to walking the dog – it’s surprising how much a little convenience can make even the most mundane tasks more pleasant.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is available for $249.99 via August.com and Best Buy, and will expand availability to additional retailers beginning May 17.


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Spotify Kids app rolls out blocking, listening history features for parents


Spotify is expanding the capabilities of its parental controls on its Spotify Kids app, aimed at children ages 3 and up on a parent’s Spotify Premium Family plan. Before, parents could only select whether the child was directed to the experience for younger or older children. Now, they’ll be able to specifically block content from their child’s account when accessing the chid’s listening history.

These features had been hinted at when Spotify Kids made its U.S. debut in March. At the time, Spotify said it heard from parents testing the app in other markets how they wanted to have even more control over the app’s included content. Though the company didn’t detail its plans then, it did say new features would involve allowing parents making more specific choices over what their child could stream.

Both new features are now included in the PIN-protected “Grown Ups” section, previously called the “Parental Settings.” Once there, a parent can select which child’s account they want to to update or view.

The Listening History option will allow them to view every track the child has streamed on the Spotify Kids app over the past 3 months. From here, a parent can also opt to select a track and block it by tapping the “block” icon next to the track in question.

These blocked tracks are then removed from the child’s account and can’t be streamed. However, parents can unblock the track further down the road if they choose, by accessing either the Listening History section or the Blocked Tracks section and tapping the red icon next to each track.

Spotify says these new features are the first step in many planned updates for its Kids application, which today includes over 8,000 kid-appropriate songs, stories, audiobooks and sounds which are curated into 125+ playlists. Though app is aimed at kids young and old, many children will age out of it around their tweens, despite its support for an “older kids” experience. That’s because kids have established some favorite artists and musical preferences by then, and the more limited catalog on Spotify Kids doesn’t deliver. Plus, the downside of hand-curation means newly emerging hits — like, say, those blowing up on TikTok — may not make an appearance on Spotify Kids until later.

While it makes sense that Spotify would focus more immediately on parental controls catering to parents of the younger children, in time being able to go the other direction — perhaps a whitelisting option or the import of pre-approved playlists — would be appreciated by parents of older kids.

The Spotify Kids app is now live across 14 global markets, including as of today, Japan and Germany.


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The new August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is now available, and it’s the connected smart lock to beat


It’s been a few years since August introduced any new hardware, but its August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which it debuted at CES this year, is now available. This is the new flagship in the August lineup, replacing the August Smart Lock Pro as the latest and greatest feature-packed connected lock from the company, and it brings an improved design along with built-in Wi-Fi. August’s existing locks are the market leaders in easy conversion kits for existing thumbturn deadbolts, and the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock improves upon that reputation in every way.

Design

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock has a great design pedigree already, since the company was originally co-founded by Yves Béhar. Béhar spearheaded the design of this generation as well, and the result is a look that is recognizably August, but with upgraded looks and tactile improvements, too. The satin nickel finish on my review hardware looked great and premium (it also comes in black) and the textured outer edge feels great when turning the lock to manually lock/unlock. There’s a slightly raised ‘pointer’ to provide a quick visual indicator of whether the door is locked or unlocked now as well.

The biggest design change vs. the August Smart Lock Pro, however, is that it’s quite a bit smaller. August says it’s 45% smaller by volume, in fact, and 20% slimmer front to back, and the size savings definitely show. The rather large dimensions of the Smart Lock Pro meant that it wasn’t even able to be installed on some doors, so there’s a practical, functional benefit to the change, but it also just looks a lot nicer and is less likely to stick out among the rest of your home decor.

The smaller design was made possible despite inclusion of Wi-Fi built-in in part due to the switch to CR2 batteries, which are a lot less common than the AAs used by the Smart Lock Pro, but which you should still be able to find pretty easily at a drugstore or via Amazon.

Size aside, the design still provides a great, easy to use manual turn for physically unlocking and locking your door. The install process is also still very easy, even if you’re not particularly handy. August even provides paint-safe tape in the box for securing the other side of your lock while you remove the thumb plate, and its app gives you easy instructions for matching the right included size adapter depending on your deadbolt manufacturer. Replacing my own thumb turn took about five minutes start to finish.

Features

The whole point of August’s technology is that it provides you with a way to lock and unlock your door with your phone. With the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, that’s a lot less complicated than it has been in the past because it has Wi-Fi built-in. Previous August locks relied exclusively on Bluetooth, and required that you also purchase and own a separate Connect dongle, which plugs into a standard wall socket, to connect to the lock itself via Bluetooth and act as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network.

Doing away with the need for a Connect means you connect the Wi-Fi Smart Lock to your network during setup, and then it’s reachable anywhere using the August smartphone app. You can easily tap to lock and unlock the door so long as you have an active data connection, and you can do a lot more besides, including granting others access.

August allows you to provision virtual keys to friends via email (they’ll be asked to register for an account if they don’t have one). This is a popular feature for Airbnb hosts, since you can also revoke permission once you no longer want someone to have access. It’s also great for letting in neighbors to feed your pets (once travel is an option again, of course) and for giving family an easy way to check in. Plus, you can share it with other members of your households and make them owners for top-level access and controls as well.

You can also set the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock to automatically lock once you close the door, either immediately or after a set time that you can customize. This works using DoorSense, which is facilitated by a magnetic sensor that August includes in the box and that you install in your door frame upon setup.

Auto-unlock for me has worked most of the time, though I have had a few occasions where upon returning, I get a ‘Welcome home’ notification from the August app, but the door doesn’t actually unlock and I have to do so by opening the app and pressing the button. In general, however, it works well, and is a great benefit when you return home with your arms full of groceries, for instance.

Performance

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock brings an updated design and integrated wifi, but it doesn’t change much in terms of the core functionality of August’s previous locks, and it also seems to be at least a match for prior generations when it comes to reliability. Using the app, I was consistently able to both lock and unlock the door, both within and outside of the home.

August also offers integration with voice assistants, including Alexa, Google Home and HomeKit. These I found a bit more unreliable, with at least one actual failed unlock attempt via HomeKit, but overall they also performed mostly well, with a bit more lag than doing things via the August app directly. You’re also able to unlock via voice command, though the app wisely forces you to register an authorization code to protect against manipulation, like someone trying to yell at Alexa through your door to unlock the unit.

August also offers the option to receive push notification about lock and unlock events, and stores a whole history of the lock’s usage, including door open and closed status, manual/automatic/remote locking and unlocking events, and more. It’s a great way to maintain peace of mind about who’s accessing your home, when and how.

Bottom line

August has a long history of building connected locks, and its reputation has earned it both accolades and a 2017 acquisition by leading international lock maker Assa Abloy, which operates a number of brands including Yale. This is the first lock that it has launched since that acquisition, and it’s a promising indicator that the deal hasn’t dulled their edge when it comes to August-branded product development. This is a great smart lock, with fast and easy installation and ergonomic, visually pleasing design and broad compatibility. Its auto-lock and unlock features really change the way you go about everything from running errands to walking the dog – it’s surprising how much a little convenience can make even the most mundane tasks more pleasant.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is available for $249.99 via August.com and Best Buy, and will expand availability to additional retailers beginning May 17.


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LinkedIn ads polls and live video-based events in a focus on more virtual engagement


With a large part of the working world doing jobs from home when possible these days, the focus right now is on how best to recreate the atmosphere of an office virtually, and how to replicate online essential work that used to be done in person. Today, LinkedIn announced a couple of big new feature updates that point to how it’s trying to play a part in both of these: it’s launching a new Polls feature for users to canvas opinions and get feedback; and it’s launching a new “LinkedIn Virtual Events” tool that lets people create and broadcast video events via its platform.

Despite now being owned by Microsoft, interestingly it doesn’t seem that the Virtual Events service taps into Teams or Skype, Microsoft’s two other big video products that it has been pushing hard at a time when use of video streaming for work, education and play is going through the roof.

The polls feature — you can see an example of one in the picture below, or respond to that specific poll here — is a quick-fire and low-bar way of asking a question and encouraging engagement: LinkedIn says that a poll takes only about 30 seconds to put together, and responding doesn’t require thinking of something to write, but gives the respondent more of a ‘voice’ than he or she would get just by providing a “like” or other reaction.

But as with some of the other social features that LinkedIn has implemented over the years, its timing has not been quite right. With polls, you might say it’s been frustratingly late… or you might say it left the party too early.

The feature was first spotted by developer and app digger Jane Manchun Wong a couple of weeks ago, but it comes years after Twitter and Facebook have had polls in place on their platforms. I’d say it’s taken LinkedIn years to catch up, but actually it had polls in place years ago, yet chose to sunset the feature, back in 2014.

You could argue that LinkedIn miscalled the direction that social would go with engagement, or that it took too long to resuscitate the experience, or that the novelty of the concept that now worn off. Or you might say that LinkedIn has picked just the right time to bring it back, at a time when people are spending more time online than ever and are looking for more ways of varying the experience and interacting.

Two important distinctions as you can see above, however, are that you are polling a very specific audience of people in your professional circle, and those people can both respond to the poll but also include comments and reactions. Both of these set the feature as it works on LinkedIn apart from the others and should give it some… engagement.

The polls feature is getting rolled out (again) starting today.

The LinkedIn Virtual Events feature, meanwhile, falls into a similar placement as polls: it’s a way of getting people to engage more on LinkedIn, it taps into trends that are huge outside of the platform — in this case, videoconferencing — and it’s something that is coming surprisingly late to LinkedIn, given its existing product assets.

But is also potentially going to prove very popular because it’s filling a very specific need.

LinkedIn Virtual Events is a merger of two products that LinkedIn launched last year, a live video broadcasting tool called LinkedIn Live, and its efforts to foster a sideline in offline, in person networking with LinkedIn Events. The idea here is that while physical events have been put on pause in the current climate — many cities have made group activities illegal in an attempt to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus — you can continue to use LinkedIn Events to plan them, but now carry them out over the Live platform. 

Given how huge the conferencing industry has become, I am guessing that we will be seeing a lot of attempts at recreating something of those events in a virtual, online context. LinkedIn’s take on the challenge — via Virtual Events — could therefore become a strong contender to host these.

When LinkedIn first launched Events I did ask the company whether it planned to expand them online using live, and indeed that did seem to be the plan. LinkedIn now says that it “accelerated” its product roadmap — unsurprising, given the current market — to merge the two products for targeted audiences.

That’s why we accelerated our product roadmap to bring you a tighter integration between LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Live, turning these two products into a new virtual events solution that enables you to stay connected to your communities and meet your customers wherever they are. This new offering is designed to help you strengthen relationships with more targeted audiences.

This is not a simple integration, I should point out: LinkedIn is working with third-party broadcasting partners — the initial list includes Restream, Wirecast, Streamyard and Socialive — to raise the level of production quality, which will be essential especially if you are asking people to pay for events, and if you have any hope of replicating some of the networking other features that are cornerstones of conferencing and other in-person events.

It’s also building on what has been a successful product so far for LinkedIn: the company says that Live has 23X more comments per post and 6X more reactions per post than simple native video.


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Xiaomi spinoff POCO’s F2 Pro undercuts Android rivals with low price and flagship features


POCO, a brand that spun out of Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi earlier this year, today launched the POCO F2 Pro smartphone as it kickstarts its new journey as an independent firm.

The POCO F2 Pro, like its two-year-old predecessor Pocophone F1 smartphone, punches above its price class. It features an all-screen 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display (with 2400×1080 pixels), in-screen fingerprint scanner, support for 5G, quad-core rear camera setup, and a pop-up front camera that quietly tucks away when not in use. It also features a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The smartphone, which comes in two variants: one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage that is priced at €499 (roughly $540), and the other that features 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage that costs €599 (roughly $650). Both the variants run Android 10 and are going on sale globally starting Tuesday through Gearbest and Aliexpress e-commerce sites. The company said it will begin selling the phone on Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, Poco.net, and others in the coming weeks.

The dual-SIM card supported smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship octa-core Snapdragon 865 processor coupled with Adreno 650GPU. It has what it claims to be the largest vapor chamber to support LiquidCool, a technology that keeps the device cool even when high-end processor intensive operations such as games are being played.

On the camera front, the POCO F2 Pro features a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor, which serves as the primary camera, with 13MP ultra wide-angle lens, a 5MP macro and one 2MP depth sensor. The pop-up camera, that serves as the selfie sensor, is a 20MP lens.

The POCO F2 Pro, which comes in Neon Blue, Electric Purple, Cyber Grey, Phantom White, houses a 4,700mAh battery with support for fast charging and ships with a 33W charger in the box.

More to follow…

 

 

 

 

 


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Intraday Trading Calls for 13-May-2020

Intraday Trading Calls for 13-May-2020

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/intraday-trading-calls-for-13-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

Microsoft partners with Redis Labs to improve its Azure Cache for Redis


For a few years now, Microsoft has offered Azure Cache for Redis, a fully managed caching solution built on top of the open-source Redis project. Today, it is expanding this service by adding Redis Enterprise, Redis Lab’s commercial offering, to its platform. It’s doing so in partnership with Redis Labs and while Microsoft will offer some basic support for the service, Redis Labs will handle most of the software support itself.

Julia Liuson, Microsoft’s corporate VP of its developer tools division, told me that the company wants to be seen as a partner to open-source companies like Redis Labs, which was among the first companies to change its license to prevent cloud vendors from commercializing and repackaging their free code without contributing back to the community. Last year, Redis Labs partnered with Google Cloud to bring its own fully managed service to its platform and so maybe it’s no surprise that we are now seeing Microsoft make a similar move.

Liuson tells me that with this new tier for Azure Cache for Redis, users will get a single bill and native Azure management, as well as the option to deploy natively on SSD flash storage. The native Azure integration should also make it easier for developers on Azure to integrate Redis Enterprise into their applications.

It’s also worth noting that Microsoft will support Redis Labs’ own Redis modules, including RediSearch, a Redis-powered search engine, as well as RedisBloom and RedisTimeSeries, which provide support for new datatypes in Redis.

“For years, developers have utilized the speed and throughput of Redis to produce unbeatable responsiveness and scale in their applications,” says Liuson. “We’ve seen tremendous adoption of Azure Cache for Redis, our managed solution built on open source Redis, as Azure customers have leveraged Redis performance as a distributed cache, session store, and message broker. The incorporation of the Redis Labs Redis Enterprise technology extends the range of use cases in which developers can utilize Redis, while providing enhanced operational resiliency and security.”


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Window 10 Does Not Detect iPhone Hotspot & Cannot Connect


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Just like Android devices, the iPhone also allows users to create a personal hotspot and connect other devices to the hotspot to access the internet. The feature is handy when you want to share your iPhone’s internet with your laptop on the move. Connecting a Windows 10 laptop to an iPhone hotspot is a straight-forward […]

The post Window 10 Does Not Detect iPhone Hotspot & Cannot Connect appeared first on Into Windows. Content from IntoWindows website.


Big Think Edge Gives You Access to 200 Video Lectures from World-Renowned Experts like Tim Ferriss


The saying, “knowledge is power”, has been around in various forms for a millennium. In today’s information economy, this turn of phrase seems more relevant than ever. To help you build your own knowledge, Big Think Edge offers over 200 lectures from the brightest minds of the 21st century — from Elon Musk to Malcolm Gladwell. You can currently get lifetime access for $159.99 at MakeUseOf Deals, saving 36% on the full price.

The Ultimate Education

While learning new skills is always valuable, absorbing big ideas and hard-earned wisdom can be even more powerful. Big Think Edge delivers both by the bucketload.

Used by Pfizer and Citi, this online library offers over 200 video lectures and 60 deep-dive lessons from Ivy League professors, entrepreneurs, Nobel Prize winners, and other world-class experts. The videos cover a variety of self-improvement subjects, from emotional intelligence to creativity and leadership.

Along with the names mentioned above, you can learn from Andrew Yang, Bryan Cranston, Sharon Salzberg, Tim Ferriss, and Sara Blakely. Big Think Edge has a total of 150 experts signed up.

As a subscriber, you get unlimited access to all the lessons on mobile and desktop devices plus bonus content.

Save 36% on Lifetime Learning

Worth $250, lifetime subscriptions are now only $159.99.

You can also get three years for $69.99 (worth $150), two years for $49.99 (worth $100), or one year for $29.99 (worth $50)

Read the full article: Big Think Edge Gives You Access to 200 Video Lectures from World-Renowned Experts like Tim Ferriss


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Try These 5 Unique Productivity Methods to Break Out of Boredom


Bored at Work

Finding it difficult to be productive? Try these different motivational methods and productivity techniques to reignite your ability to get things done and break out of boredom.

When your routine changes, it’s difficult to stay as productive as you were before. You need to adapt to what life and work throw at you. From classic productivity methods to a psychological course that teaches happiness, these websites, apps, and ebooks promise to kickstart your output once again.

1. newDay (Web): Reimagine Time as a 10-Hour Day

newDay productivity app reimagines a 24-hour day into 10 hours of 100 minutes each

The newDay planner completely rethinks time as you know it. Instead of planning for a 24-hour day, you will now have 15 “hours” i.e. 10 waking segments and five sleeping segments. It’s a little out there, but maybe thinking about time differently might kickstart your productivity.

Here’s how it works. Instead of 60-minute hours, your 10 waking segments will be 100 minutes each. Your five sleep segments will be 88 minutes each, which is close to the average 90-minute sleep cycle. That’s a total of 440 minutes, meeting the recommended seven hours of sleep for a healthy schedule.

For each waking segment, set an intention and follow through with it. The app tries to ignite a new focus on what you’re doing by forcing you to ditch traditional time-based productivity methods. It’s best to make this your New Tab page if you use it to keep on top of each newDay “hour.”

Of course, you aren’t throwing away the traditional clock because that’s what the rest of the world works on. So when you wake up, set the first segment’s time, and newDay will adjust it for all ten segments accordingly.

2. The Medium Method (Web): Productivity Without Ditching Pen and Paper

The Medium Method strikes a balance between using paper and digital apps for maximum productivity

Most productivity methods implore you to adopt new apps and gadgets. It’s all about ditching pen and paper and going digital. The Medium Method is a proponent of a healthy balance. The idea is to use pen and paper while also adding the benefits of technology.

It’s ironic that the method leaped to fame on the blog of one of the best to-do list apps, Todoist. Contributor Chad Hall writes about how he uses two notebooks, post-it notes, and digital apps for to-do lists, notes, and calendars.

You should read the full post to understand the intricacies and thinking behind the method, but the basic takeaway is to use notebooks and post-it notes to jot down everything.

In a nightly review, you offload these into apps. Hall specifically notes that he uses a daily sticky note to always remind him of priorities for that day.

The Medium Method is the ideal productivity technique for those who use work desks but don’t have an app system yet. You don’t need to go fully digital and paperless. There is something to be said about the act of writing tasks on paper and crossing them out, or making a quick note without worrying about formatting.

3. Work The System (Ebook): What’s Your Biological Prime Time?

Sam Carpenter's productivity book Work The System is available as a free download in all formats and audiobook too

Sam Carpenter’s productivity book Work The System is a must-read for team leaders, managers, and business owners. The principle of the book is to understand systems, both personal and professional, and optimize them.

The book teaches you how to identify linear systems and maximize them, starting with yourself.

For example, Carpenter’s book gained a lot of headlines with the “biological prime time” method. In that, he talks about how each individual’s energy levels ebb and flow at different times of the day. This is one of your personal linear systems.

Once you understand your “biological prime time” and work with that in mind, you will be more productive. In fact, based on this system, we have a free spreadsheet to discover your most productive hours.

Work The System is available as a free ebook on the official website. The link displayed on the homepage doesn’t work at the moment. But we found an older link by which you can sign up for the newsletter and get the ebook for free.

You can download it in Epub, Mobi, and PDF formats. If you share Work The System on social media, you can also download the free audiobook.

Download: Work The System (Free)

4. The Science of Well-Being (Web Course): More Happy = More Productive

Multiple studies show a distinct correlation that happier people are more productive. But with gloom and doom surrounding you in the news every day, it’s hard to maintain a happy mood. Yale University offers a free online course to change your mindset, called The Science of Well-Being.

Psychology professor Laurie Santos teaches different aspects of happiness in the four-week course. Each week requires about two hours of course-work, while you learn about misconceptions about happiness, and how our mind tricks us with expectations and biases. Finally, you’ll learn about what actually makes you happy, and how to implement happiness strategies in your daily life.

The coursework is light and easily fits into busy schedules. Along with the weekly video, Santos offers recommended reading, but none of it is essential to move to the next week’s lesson. It’s more about assimilating and mulling over what you learn from the video and putting it into practice. You can start the course whenever you want, and take it at your own pace.

5. Fear-Setting and Dreamline Calculator (Web): Apps Inspired by Tim Ferris

Practice the Tim Ferris methods of Dreamline Calculator and Fear Setting as online apps

Motivational speaker Tim Ferris often talks about two game-changing productivity techniques: Fear setting and the Dreamline calculator.

In his book The 4-Hour Workweek, he talks about how both exercises boost motivation by giving you a plan for your worst-case and dream scenarios. Both these exercises are now available as interactive web apps.

In Fear-setting, the template puts you through the six steps of facing your fears.

You’ll define, prevent, repair, assess the benefits of success and costs of inaction, and finally summarize the whole process. It takes about half an hour to really think and answer each question, but you’ll be better off for it.

The Dreamline calculator is a map of six to 12 months to achieve the lifestyle you desire.

The template asks questions that you probably haven’t thought of while dreaming big. This forces you to assess and reassess practicality, and what sacrifices you’ll need to make. But once you set that plan, you’ll feel more motivated and productive because you know the exact benefits and losses of not taking action.

Productivity for Remote Workers

A lot of people find it hard to stay productive when they’re not in the office. Remote work has its own motivational challenges, which can be addressed with the aforementioned methods. But just in case those don’t work for you, try these tips to succeed at remote work.

Read the full article: Try These 5 Unique Productivity Methods to Break Out of Boredom


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Try These 5 Unique Productivity Methods to Break Out of Boredom


Bored at Work

Finding it difficult to be productive? Try these different motivational methods and productivity techniques to reignite your ability to get things done and break out of boredom.

When your routine changes, it’s difficult to stay as productive as you were before. You need to adapt to what life and work throw at you. From classic productivity methods to a psychological course that teaches happiness, these websites, apps, and ebooks promise to kickstart your output once again.

1. newDay (Web): Reimagine Time as a 10-Hour Day

newDay productivity app reimagines a 24-hour day into 10 hours of 100 minutes each

The newDay planner completely rethinks time as you know it. Instead of planning for a 24-hour day, you will now have 15 “hours” i.e. 10 waking segments and five sleeping segments. It’s a little out there, but maybe thinking about time differently might kickstart your productivity.

Here’s how it works. Instead of 60-minute hours, your 10 waking segments will be 100 minutes each. Your five sleep segments will be 88 minutes each, which is close to the average 90-minute sleep cycle. That’s a total of 440 minutes, meeting the recommended seven hours of sleep for a healthy schedule.

For each waking segment, set an intention and follow through with it. The app tries to ignite a new focus on what you’re doing by forcing you to ditch traditional time-based productivity methods. It’s best to make this your New Tab page if you use it to keep on top of each newDay “hour.”

Of course, you aren’t throwing away the traditional clock because that’s what the rest of the world works on. So when you wake up, set the first segment’s time, and newDay will adjust it for all ten segments accordingly.

2. The Medium Method (Web): Productivity Without Ditching Pen and Paper

The Medium Method strikes a balance between using paper and digital apps for maximum productivity

Most productivity methods implore you to adopt new apps and gadgets. It’s all about ditching pen and paper and going digital. The Medium Method is a proponent of a healthy balance. The idea is to use pen and paper while also adding the benefits of technology.

It’s ironic that the method leaped to fame on the blog of one of the best to-do list apps, Todoist. Contributor Chad Hall writes about how he uses two notebooks, post-it notes, and digital apps for to-do lists, notes, and calendars.

You should read the full post to understand the intricacies and thinking behind the method, but the basic takeaway is to use notebooks and post-it notes to jot down everything.

In a nightly review, you offload these into apps. Hall specifically notes that he uses a daily sticky note to always remind him of priorities for that day.

The Medium Method is the ideal productivity technique for those who use work desks but don’t have an app system yet. You don’t need to go fully digital and paperless. There is something to be said about the act of writing tasks on paper and crossing them out, or making a quick note without worrying about formatting.

3. Work The System (Ebook): What’s Your Biological Prime Time?

Sam Carpenter's productivity book Work The System is available as a free download in all formats and audiobook too

Sam Carpenter’s productivity book Work The System is a must-read for team leaders, managers, and business owners. The principle of the book is to understand systems, both personal and professional, and optimize them.

The book teaches you how to identify linear systems and maximize them, starting with yourself.

For example, Carpenter’s book gained a lot of headlines with the “biological prime time” method. In that, he talks about how each individual’s energy levels ebb and flow at different times of the day. This is one of your personal linear systems.

Once you understand your “biological prime time” and work with that in mind, you will be more productive. In fact, based on this system, we have a free spreadsheet to discover your most productive hours.

Work The System is available as a free ebook on the official website. The link displayed on the homepage doesn’t work at the moment. But we found an older link by which you can sign up for the newsletter and get the ebook for free.

You can download it in Epub, Mobi, and PDF formats. If you share Work The System on social media, you can also download the free audiobook.

Download: Work The System (Free)

4. The Science of Well-Being (Web Course): More Happy = More Productive

Multiple studies show a distinct correlation that happier people are more productive. But with gloom and doom surrounding you in the news every day, it’s hard to maintain a happy mood. Yale University offers a free online course to change your mindset, called The Science of Well-Being.

Psychology professor Laurie Santos teaches different aspects of happiness in the four-week course. Each week requires about two hours of course-work, while you learn about misconceptions about happiness, and how our mind tricks us with expectations and biases. Finally, you’ll learn about what actually makes you happy, and how to implement happiness strategies in your daily life.

The coursework is light and easily fits into busy schedules. Along with the weekly video, Santos offers recommended reading, but none of it is essential to move to the next week’s lesson. It’s more about assimilating and mulling over what you learn from the video and putting it into practice. You can start the course whenever you want, and take it at your own pace.

5. Fear-Setting and Dreamline Calculator (Web): Apps Inspired by Tim Ferris

Practice the Tim Ferris methods of Dreamline Calculator and Fear Setting as online apps

Motivational speaker Tim Ferris often talks about two game-changing productivity techniques: Fear setting and the Dreamline calculator.

In his book The 4-Hour Workweek, he talks about how both exercises boost motivation by giving you a plan for your worst-case and dream scenarios. Both these exercises are now available as interactive web apps.

In Fear-setting, the template puts you through the six steps of facing your fears.

You’ll define, prevent, repair, assess the benefits of success and costs of inaction, and finally summarize the whole process. It takes about half an hour to really think and answer each question, but you’ll be better off for it.

The Dreamline calculator is a map of six to 12 months to achieve the lifestyle you desire.

The template asks questions that you probably haven’t thought of while dreaming big. This forces you to assess and reassess practicality, and what sacrifices you’ll need to make. But once you set that plan, you’ll feel more motivated and productive because you know the exact benefits and losses of not taking action.

Productivity for Remote Workers

A lot of people find it hard to stay productive when they’re not in the office. Remote work has its own motivational challenges, which can be addressed with the aforementioned methods. But just in case those don’t work for you, try these tips to succeed at remote work.

Read the full article: Try These 5 Unique Productivity Methods to Break Out of Boredom


Reconnecting, reluctantly, with Facebook


Haje Jan Kamps is a founder, photographer and journalist who logged time as a TechCrunch writer years ago and who has since launched a platform for virtual conferences called Konf. In a recent catch-up with him about work and life during COVID-19, we wound up talking at some length about Facebook, which is seeing record use across its social networking, messaging and live-streaming platforms right now and will likely continue to do so throughout this pandemic.

We asked Kamps, who joined Facebook around 2006 — which is when it first expanded beyond its roots on college campuses to enable anyone over age 13 with a valid email address to join — if we could share some of his thoughts as a kind of snapshot. They represent only his views and opinions, but they underscore a broader struggle that many Facebook users around the world — currently isolated from friends and family — are experiencing as their relationship with the tech giant evolves, and its power accordingly grows at an accelerated pace.

Kamps’ comments have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

I take breaks from Facebook from time to time, because it’s a little bit much and occasionally, I think, they change your algorithm, so sometimes it just gets real depressing, [so] I’m just going to vote with my mouse cursor and get the hell out of there for a bit. And then I come back. And then it’s like more friends doing updates and stuff.

I want my friends’ life updates. I don’t necessarily want the weight of the world on my shoulders. I made a conscious choice a while ago to stop reading the news just for my well-being. And if it gets in through the back door through Facebook, I’m like, ‘Look, I don’t want that.’

Just a little vignette from this morning: I woke up, I overslept slightly, and I got on Facebook, and there was a friend who was doing a live stream because she decided to try and cheer people up a little bit. She was playing her ukulele and just singing for 15 minutes. She had, like, 20 of her friends watching and was like, ‘Hope everyone has a great day.’ That didn’t happen before everybody had to go into isolation.

There’ve been a whole bunch of groups that have popped up, as well as some older groups that became reactivated. I actually started one for the Human Awareness Institute, which has this concept of a large group share, where basically people stand up in front of a room of people and share something that is real and heartfelt and pertinent. They’ve had to cancel their workshops, but it turns out the digital version of that is juicy and beautiful and connected. And the outpouring of comments you get on those shares — people leap in with words of support —  is just not something I’ve seen on Facebook in such a long time.

My big realization, which I guess is kind of an obvious realization, is that it’s just a tool, and we get to choose what we use that tool for. And if we choose it to be a place to, to spread joy and share creative projects, and if I feel really good about seeing other people that do that, I might do that, too. 

I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I have signed off before for weeks, even months. I am grateful for the internet and the information that is available, but I feel like basic source criticism is something that isn’t taught at all in the U.S., meaning that when you read something on the internet, do you know whether or not it is real? In Norway, where I grew up, you get taught as part of history class to criticize the source itself, to ask: Is this a reliable source? Was this kind of the ‘victor writes the history’? How do you piece together sources to get a good feeling for what really happened?’ 

The fact that fake news has even slightly been able to take hold is terrifying to me. I was in a yoga class the other day, and the yoga teacher had this little spray bottle [to clean her mat] and she said, ‘There are essential oils in here. You can use it on your hands, on your mat, on your face — you can even drink it because it’s edible.’ It’s like, ‘Look, if it’s fucking edible, it’s not gonna do anything to a virus.’ I mean, maybe some essential oils might help get some viruses. I have no idea. But Lysol was invented for a reason.

People allow themselves to get so bubbled and so echo chambered into believing what they want to believe. I mean, the anti-vaxxer movement is one example. There’s a lot of other dumb news out there, to the point that now that if I really want to know what’s happening, I go to the BBC or maybe The New York Times or The Washington Post or any of the other big stalwarts of journalism, because I know they have some sort of process in place to make sure that what is published is actually relatively sensible.

That’s the big challenge with the internet. There’s more information available right now than there ever has been. You can find the best possible information if you want to. You can go to a medical journal and read about coronaviruses. But there is a lot of news that’s absolutely 100% made up and people still believe it. And I’m like, ‘Look, either everybody collectively is really fucking stupid, or we just want to believe.’

I don’t really have an opinion on whether Facebook is meant to police what is real and isn’t real. But the fact that it is so easy to share and spread misinformation is not helping us when there’s a massive pandemic going on. 


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How to Use an Animated GIF as Your Wallpaper in Windows 10


Video wallpapers can be quite extreme. Most of us prefer static high-definition wallpapers and love to download them in bulk. But there’s a third kind of wallpaper: the GIF wallpaper.

It’s easy on smartphones, but Windows doesn’t natively support this, so we must rely on workarounds.

How to Set a GIF Wallpaper on Windows 10

Rainmeter is one of the most popular desktop customization software. While it can be used to set up an animated GIF wallpaper on Windows, the process is complicated for the new user.

So, let’s go with simpler software to do the job for us.

Plastuer

Plastuer can help you set up GIFs, videos, and HTML5 webpages as your wallpaper. It is a no-installation standalone program. Plastuer is also a donationware where you just pay what you want (a minimum of $2 for PayPal fees) and download the 82 MB file.

There is no free trial, so purchase it with any amount you feel like and try it out.

The software uses WebGL and the Open Source Chromium browser to render animation on the desktop.

Unzip the downloaded Plastuer package and click the program icon.

The software supports multiple monitors. On launch, it detects the number of monitors and gives you a choice to select which monitor.

Plastuer multiple monitor selection

You can pick an animated GIF in many ways.

  • Use the URL field to point it to a source for a GIF.
  • You can also add several URLs with the Create Playlist field box.
  • Click on the Select File option to choose a GIF file from your PC.
  • Alternatively, choose Browse Gallery to select a GIF from the official gallery.

Plasteur select GIF wallpaper

Select the monitor to set the wallpaper and click Save to complete the setup.

You can disable the active wallpaper anytime by clicking the Disable Wallpaper button.

You might also want to get into the settings and set the behavior of the wallpaper when a full screen or a maximized application like a movie or a game is on. By default, Plastuer automatically detects full screen and maximized applications to pause animations and conserves your RAM.

Plasteur Settings screen

Download: Plastuer (Donationware)

BioniX Video Wallpaper Animator

BioniX has a bunch of tiny wallpaper management software. The all-in-one software is called BioniX Desktop Wallpaper Changer. The 250 unique features can add a lot of other enhancements to your desktop beyond setting up a GIF or an AVI wallpaper.

For instance, you can also project a webcam feed like a wallpaper.

Instead of downloading the complete package, you can also download one of the individual tools. For a moving GIF wallpaper, we will use the Video Wallpaper Animator.

The developer uses the “GIF Wallpaper Animator” name interchangeably. You don’t need to install the software and it can also run from a USB drive. But the best part of the software is its low RAM and CPU footprint.

Download the self-executable file and run it as an administrator.

BioniX Video Wallpaper Animator

The setup screen will ask you to choose a destination folder. You can choose it to run from a USB drive or any folder in Windows.

Select the Video Wallpaper tab. Browse to the directory where your GIF wallpapers are located. After choosing the folder, it will automatically list all supported files.

Choose the GIF animated file you want to use as a wallpaper from the list of supported files. Click the Start button to play the animated GIF wallpaper on your Windows desktop.

From the same screen, you can check the CPU usage and set the speed of the animation.

It is a simple piece of software with a few limitations. You can use only one GIF at a time and not a carousel of GIF wallpapers that switch at intervals. For that, go to the BioniX Desktop Background Switcher application.

But if you want to keep it simple, then this portable application is ideal.

Download: GIF Wallpaper Animator (Free)

Do You Make Your Own GIF Wallpapers?

One of the easiest ways to make your own animated GIF wallpaper is to start with a video. GIF tools like Giphy’s GIF maker can convert your videos to animated GIFs.

Alternatively, you can download them from sites like:

But do remember that animated wallpapers can eat away at your computer’s CPU to render the graphics. The richer the animation, the more resource-hungry it will be.

But if you have a capable graphics card and adequate system memory (at least 4 GB), then GIF and video wallpapers are a nice enhancement for your desktop. You can then go full throttle with these live wallpapers and animated background software for Windows too.

Read the full article: How to Use an Animated GIF as Your Wallpaper in Windows 10


You Can Now Start a Spotify Group Session With Friends


spotify-party

Spotify has officially launched a new feature called Group Session. A Spotify Group Session lets you listen to music with friends, with everyone able to control what’s being played. Thus preventing one person from controlling all of the song choices.

As good as Spotify is, its usefulness has been limited when listening to music with friends. Like at a party, for example. One person is in charge, choosing what to play and when to play it. However, Group Session means that’s no longer a problem.

How to Start a Spotify Group Session

A Group Session lets multiple people listen to music on Spotify together, with everyone involved in the session able to control what’s being played and when. And to start a Spotify Group Session, all you need to do is share your unique Spotify code:

  1. Open Spotify and play a song.
  2. Tap the Devices Available icon in the bottom-left.
  3. Look for your code under “Start a Group Session”.

To scan someone else’s Spotify code:

  1. Open Spotify and tap the Search button.
  2. Tap the Camera icon in the top-right.
  3. Point your phone at a Spotify code.

Once either you have scanned someone else’s code or someone else has scanned your code, you’ll be connected together in a Group Session. Which means you can all now play, pause, and skip tracks, and add more tracks to the joint play queue.

Group Session has actually been in testing for some time, but is now being rolled out as a beta. Group Session is only available to Spotify Premium users, but that includes Family and Student users. If you can’t start a Group Session, try updating Spotify.

Download: Spotify on Android | iOS

Other Ways to Listen to Music With Friends

Group Session is a great new feature for music lovers who live in the same house. However, the COVID-19 crisis means you may want to cast your net a little wider. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to listen to music with friends far away.

Read the full article: You Can Now Start a Spotify Group Session With Friends


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The 10 Best Wireless All-in-One Keyboards for Mac and PC


All-in-one keyboards integrate a wireless keyboard with a touchpad, combining two devices into one. They’re the ideal solution for anyone with a living room media center or someone who wants to lean back and use their computer from a distance.

There aren’t too many of these wireless all-in-one keyboards, though, and it’s not always clear which one would suit your needs. So, let’s take a look at the best all-in-one keyboards available today.

1. Microsoft All-In-One Media Keyboard

Microsoft All-In-One Media Keyboard Microsoft All-In-One Media Keyboard Buy Now On Amazon $31.13

The Microsoft All-In-One Media Keyboard is a well-spaced keyboard with a large touchpad where the number pad is usually found. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures for Windows 10, so you’ll be able to swipe and scroll with ease.

There are two customizable media keys above the touchpad and volume keys on the far left of the keyboard. You’ll need two AAA batteries to power it, which should last up to a month. Connect the USB receiver to your computer, and you’re ready to start using it up to a range of 10 meters.

2. Logitech K600 TV

Logitech K600 TV Logitech K600 TV Buy Now On Amazon $59.99

The Logitech K600 TV is designed for use with smart TVs. You’ll find the familiar, rounded chicklet keys from the current range of Logitech keyboards on the K600 TV. On the left are four buttons for quick access to the home screen, app switcher, search, and the back button.

On the right of the keyboard, there’s a circular touchpad, and above it, a d-pad for navigation. You can easily switch between up to three devices either via Bluetooth or the included USB receiver. The K600 TV is one of the few wireless keyboards with 15 meters range, as the standard is around 10 meters.

3. Huafeliz Mini Wireless Keyboard

Huafeliz Mini Wireless Keyboard Huafeliz Mini Wireless Keyboard Buy Now On Amazon $19.69

The Huafeliz Mini Wireless Keyboard is the perfect option if you need a device to manage your smart TV, streaming box, smartphone, tablet, and laptop. This small unit doesn’t look like a typical keyboard. Instead, the design more closely resembles a remote control. The glossy front of the device combines remote control and media functions via the central set of buttons.

Tap the Air Mouse button, and the controller will enable the six-axis motion sensor, allowing you to control the mouse cursor by moving the keyboard through the air. On the rear of the controller is a compact keyboard, laid out horizontally in QWERTY format. There’s no Bluetooth connection here, though, but you can connect wirelessly to your gadgets using the USB receiver.

4. Logitech K830

Logitech K830 Logitech K830 Buy Now On Amazon $71.78

The Logitech K830 is one of the best wireless all-in-one keyboards on the market right now. One of its most notable features is the backlight. A light sensor on the keyboard automatically adjusts the backlight based on the lighting conditions around you.

The backlight does require power, so the K830 comes equipped with a lithium-ion battery which can be charged via a micro-USB cable. A simple switch lets you flip the keyboard on and off as needed. Connection is a breeze using either the Logitech receiver or Bluetooth.

5. WisFox Wireless Touchpad Keyboard

WisFox Wireless Touchpad Keyboard WisFox Wireless Touchpad Keyboard Buy Now On Amazon $34.99

The WisFox Wireless Touchpad Keyboard is an affordable all-in-one keyboard. The 89-key device has 12 media shortcuts and five dedicated media controls for easy use. As is often the case, the touchpad replaces the number pad at the right of the keyboard.

The company has emphasized the portability and lifespan of its keyboard. It is powered by two AAA batteries but is also supported by two power-saving modes. After 20 seconds of inactivity, it’ll enter a shallow sleep, advancing to deep sleep after 15 minutes. The keyboard has a range of 10 meters from the USB receiver.

6. Fintie Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard

Fintie Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard Fintie Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard Buy Now On Amazon $30.99

Some habits are hard to break. If you’re used a laptop layout, with the touchpad beneath the keyboard, then it’s worth checking out the Fintie Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard. Unlike the other options on this list, the primary keyboard sits towards the top while the touchpad sits between the device’s handrest areas.

The unit is just 4mm thick, making it ideal for carrying around while out and about. That’s especially the case when coupled with the keyboard’s Bluetooth connection, allowing you to connect to most computers, tablets, and smartphones.

The Fintie Ultrathin Bluetooth Keyboard uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and includes an auto-sleep feature to keep your keyboard powered for longer.

7. AmazonBasics Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad

AmazonBasics Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad AmazonBasics Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Buy Now On Amazon $23.99

If you’re after a more affordable option, then you’ll want to consider the AmazonBasics Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad. The retailer’s Basics line has gained a reputation for quality at budget prices, and you’ll find the same experience here, too. The keyboard is marketed with Smart TVs in mind, but you could use it for any purpose.

There’s a full QWERTY keyboard, volume keys, and function keys that double as media controls. As you might expect at this price point, there’s no Bluetooth connectivity. So, you’ll need to use the USB receiver to connect to your device instead.

8. Rii i8+

Rii i8+ Rii i8+ Buy Now On Amazon $25.99

If you’re looking for a mini keyboard the size of a gamepad, check out the Rii i8+. It comes with a 92-key QWERTY keyboard, a d-pad, and a small touchpad at the top. The touchpad controls are one click for a left button press, two clicks for right, and two fingers for scrolling.

The i8+ is available in half a dozen different colors to suit your preferences. It comes with a rechargeable internal battery and enters a power-saving mode after three minutes of inactivity. It has a range of 10 meters and supports connections via USB or Bluetooth.

9. iClever BoostType BK08

iClever BoostType BK08 iClever BoostType BK08 Buy Now On Amazon $46.99

If you’re looking for a space-saving, compact all-in-one keyboard, then look no further than the iClever BoostType BK08. The keyboard can connect to up to three devices at once, making it perfect for on-the-go productivity. iClever has designed this keyboard with portability in mind.

When folded closed it is roughly the same size as an iPhone 7 Plus and weighs about the same too. When unfolded, the small Bluetooth device is compatible with most operating systems. Its long battery life is also a plus, offering 60 hours of use on just a two-hour charge.

10. Rii K18

Rii K18 Rii K18 Buy Now On Amazon $28.49

The Rii K18 is a full-sized light-weight keyboard with a large touchpad on the right-hand side. It is equipped with an LED backlight that can switch between red, green, and blue.

The keyboard comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and it connects to your device via a USB dongle. This is a good option if you’re looking for a full-size keyboard with a large touchpad that is light enough to use on the couch.

The Best All-in-One-Keyboard for You

There are many different all-in-one keyboard options out there, combining a wireless keyboard with a touchpad. Which you choose will depend on your preferences and requirements. Some of these keyboards are suited to particular applications, like the Logitech K600 TV, which is optimized for use with smart TVs.

You may find yourself using a keyboard heavily throughout the day, so you’ll want to make sure the experience is as comfortable as possible. If this is a concern for you, then you’ll want to check out these ergonomic keyboards to improve computer comfort.

Read the full article: The 10 Best Wireless All-in-One Keyboards for Mac and PC


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