14 October 2019

The 10 Best Wireless Gaming Headsets in 2019


best-wireless-headphones-gaming

If you love to game, then you should consider purchasing a gaming headset. Regular speakers or headphones will do just fine for a quick gaming session every now and then. But, if you play often then you’ll benefit from a headset with gaming features. This means access to an integrated microphone or lossless wireless audio.

We’ve rounded up ten of the best available for every budget to help you find the best wireless gaming headset for you.

1. Best Overall Gaming Headset:
HyperX Cloud II

HyperX Cloud II HyperX Cloud II Buy Now On Amazon $84.83

If you’re looking for a great all-round gaming headset, we’ll cut right to the chase and recommend the HyperX Cloud II. Yes, these are wired gaming headphones, but they are an affordable high-performance option. They are compatible with consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well as PC and Mac. The ear cups have memory foam. So, you can wear them comfortably for long sessions. There’s even a detachable microphone for chatting with teammates or competitors while you play.

2. Best Cheap Wireless Gaming Headset:
Logitech G533

Logitech G533 Logitech G533 Buy Now On Amazon $74.00

If you want solid performance without breaking the bank, the Logitech G533 have you covered. These headphones for PC or Mac have all the essential gaming features. There’s 7.1 surround sound to help you hear other players creeping up on you, a replaceable battery which lasts up to 15 hours, and long-range wireless audio of up to 15 meters. This means you can move around the room without losing audio quality. There’s also a noise-cancelling microphone so you can chat as you play.

3. Best Cheap Wired Gaming Headphones:
SteelSeries Arctis 1

SteelSeries Arctis 1 SteelSeries Arctis 1 Buy Now On Amazon $49.99

If you prefer a budget wired headphone option, try the SteelSeries Arctis 1. You can get these in a few different versions for PC and multi-platform, or specifically for the PlayStation or Xbox. The wired headset is a bargain, offering a similar audio experience to other headsets in the more pricey Arctis range. The headphones have gaming features like a noise-cancelling microphone and comfortable ear cushions with performance fabric to prevent your ears getting too hot. The headband is reinforced with steel so they should stand up to rough handling as well.

4. Best Mid-Range Wireless Gaming Headset:
Corsair HS70

Corsair HS70 Corsair HS70 Buy Now On Amazon $69.99

If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can get more features with a headset like the Corsair HS70. These offer low-latency wireless audio and precision-tuned speaker drivers, so you don’t have to sacrifice quality audio to go wireless. There’s a removable microphone, and with 16 hours of battery life, they won’t die on you mid-game. These are among the best wireless gaming headsets for PC, so they aren’t compatible with Xbox or PlayStation.

5. Best Mid-Range Wired Gaming Headphones:
Sennheiser Game Zero

Sennheiser Game Zero Sennheiser Game Zero Buy Now On Amazon $134.40

If audio quality is more important to you than going wireless, check out the Sennheiser Game Zero headset. This mid-range offering has excellent audio clarity, and its closed cup design helps to block out any external sounds which could detract from your gaming focus. The headphones are foldable, so they’re good for traveling. They have an eye-catching design and come in a range of colors for the style-conscious. There’s also a noise-cancelling microphone with an automatic mute feature.

6. Best High-End Wireless Gaming Headphones:
Astro A50 Wireless

Astro A50 Wireless Astro A50 Wireless Buy Now On Amazon $226.98

For a high-end wireless experience, the Astro A50 Wireless are the model of choice among serious gamers. These striking cans come with a base station for easy charging, and have 7.1 surround sound alongside a precise microphone. The headphones are tuned for gaming audio, but you can tweak the settings to your heart’s content with the Astro Command Center software. If you want to beef them up even more, there’s also a mod kit available. This kit adds noise-cancelling ear cushions and a padded headband for the ultimate luxury gaming headset.

7. Best High-End Wired Gaming Headset:
SteelSeries Arctis Pro

SteelSeries Arctis Pro SteelSeries Arctis Pro Buy Now On Amazon $119.95

For those looking to go all-out on quality wired audio, the SteelSeries Arctis Pro headset is a solid choice. These premium headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear for long periods, and they’re made from steel and aluminum alloy for strength and longevity. There’s a ChatMix Dial included which you can use to adjust the volume between gaming audio and chat audio. The microphone has exceptional voice clarity with background noise cancellation.

8. Best Wireless Gaming Headset With Long Battery Life:
HyperX Cloud Flight

HyperX Cloud Flight HyperX Cloud Flight Buy Now On Amazon $135.98

If you’re sick of your wireless headphones running out of juice mid-game, try the HyperX Cloud Flight. These can last for an impressive 30 hours of gaming at 50 percent volume, so long as you leave the RGB lighting feature turned off. That should satisfy even the most dedicated gamers. With a wireless range of up to 20 meters and a durable steel headband, they meet other essential gaming needs as well. They’re compatible with PC and PlayStation 4 but be aware that they aren’t compatible with Xbox One.

9. Most Versatile Gaming Headset:
HyperX Cloud Stinger

HyperX Cloud Stinger HyperX Cloud Stinger Buy Now On Amazon $43.98

For those who want a gaming headset that can do everything, the HyperX Cloud Stinger is a great choice. These headphones support all your devices, from PC to consoles like Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, plus mobile devices. They’re lightweight and comfortable with memory foam ears cup and solid construction. They also come with a microphone which you can swivel to automatically mute.

10. Best Headphones for Gaming and Other Tasks:
Bose QuietComfort 35 II

Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Noise-Cancelling, with Alexa voice control, enabled with Bose AR - Black Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Noise-Cancelling, with Alexa voice control, enabled with Bose AR - Black Buy Now On Amazon $349.00

When you’re looking for headphones which you can use for listening to music as well as gaming, you should consider looking beyond the gaming headset market. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones have fantastic sound quality along with solid construction. They come with support for Google Assistant, making them ideal for use with your mobile. The clear, crisp audio lends itself to gaming just as well as listening to your favorite tunes.

If you want to know more before you buy, check out our review of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.

The Best Wireless Gaming Headset for You

These headphones will make your gaming experience more immersive without disturbing your neighbors. If you can afford it, it’s a good idea to spend a little more to buy gaming headphones which sound great and which will last. However, if you’re on a really tight budget then don’t despair—we have you covered with a round-up of the best budget gaming headsets for under $25.

Read the full article: The 10 Best Wireless Gaming Headsets in 2019


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Check for Bed Bugs in Your Hotel Room or Apartment: 8 Tips and Tools


check-bed-bugs

Few things strike fear into the hearts of renters and holiday-makers like the words “bed bugs.” When you stay somewhere, you want to have a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, bed bugs are small, insidious, and pervasive. Your rental experience or dream vacation can quickly turn into a disaster.

Fortunately, technology has made it easier to avoid, identify, and destroy these pests. Here are the best websites and apps that will help you decide if your hotel room, Airbnb, or apartment has bed bugs.

1. How to Check for Bed Bugs

How to Check for Bed Bugs in Your Apartment or Hotel

Before we run through the websites and apps, we want to do a basic rundown on the best ways to look for bed bugs.

If You’re Renting a New Apartment

  • Try to find online reviews about this apartment building, to see if other renters have complained.
  • Ask the rental company or landlord if there is a history of bed bugs. It’s important to do your diligence.

If You’re Booking a Hotel Room or Airbnb

  • Read online reviews to see if previous guests have complained about bed bugs.
  • Read up on the cancellation policies of the place you’re staying at. If you find bed bugs, you’ll need to rebook your room.

In both of these cases, but especially when entering a room with a used mattress:

  • Do not put your luggage on the bed. Check for bed bugs first.
  • Get a small flashlight and check the headboard, the mattress cover, and the piping of the mattress for adult or juvenile bed bugs.
  • Check the mattress for tiny bloodstains. This is a sign of the bed bugs feeding.

If luck prevails, your accommodations will be clean. But what if you do find bed bugs in your hotel room or apartment? What are your options?

2. What Should I Do If I Find Bed Bugs?

What Should I Do If I Find Bed Bugs?

We’re going to keep this section pretty short, as there’s a wealth of information and resources further down on the list. That said, there are a few basic things you should know.

If Your Hotel Has Bed Bugs

  • Go to the front desk and inform the concierge. Either ask them to move you to a new room or book another room at a different hotel yourself.
  • Be warned: Depending on their cancellation policy, you may or may not be charged for this room.

If Your Airbnb Has Bed Bugs

  • Let your host know that there are bed bugs on the premises.
  • If you read the fine print on Airbnb’s TOS, you’ll notice that you may not be able to receive a full refund on your booking if you cancel last minute. This will depend on the Airbnb cancellation policy for that specific accommodation.

If Your Apartment Has Bed Bugs

  • Finding bed bugs in your apartment is both the easiest and most intractable situation on this list.
  • If you’re looking for a place to rent and you haven’t signed a lease yet, you can simply say “thanks but no thanks” to the landlord, then move on.
  • If you’re living in an apartment and you find bed bugs, you need to:
    • Record evidence of the infestation.
    • Immediately report the issue to your landlord.
    • Make sure pest control is called, and a date is set up to deal with the issue.
    • Follow the steps recommended by pest control to remove the infected materials from your apartment.

As you can imagine, all these steps can get expensive very quickly. On the flip side—if you’re a host—a guest bringing bed bugs onto the premises is one of the many risks Airbnb hosts might face.

This is why it’s so important to use tech-based tools ahead of time to rule out problematic buildings. Here are the websites and apps that you can use to make a more informed decision on where to stay.

3. Bed Bug TV

Bed Bug TV is a YouTube channel devoted to all things bed bugs. With new videos posted on a semi-regular basis, Bed Bug TV acts as a resource for people who learn better through visual cues.

Along with its incredibly useful videos on how to find bed bugs, they also run the website BedBug Central, where you can find additional information on how to detect and contain these small insects.

4. Bedbugger.com

Bedbugger.com Front Page

Bedbugger.com is a website devoted to everything and anything on bed bugs. It has been around for a long time, as you can probably tell from its very outdated “look.”

That said, you shouldn’t judge this website by its cover. It’s a useful tool for anyone looking to get a comprehensive understanding of how to get rid of bedbugs and how to protect yourself in the future.

On the website, there are links to useful tools to get rid of bed bugs, along with a community forum of fellow sufferers.

5. The Bedbug Registry

Bed Bug Registry Front Page

The Bedbug Registry is an outdated website that has been around since 2006, but it’s still a useful tool if you want to get an overall idea of “does my apartment have a history of bed bugs?”

Through self-reporting by users, the registry keeps track of bed bug incidents in the US and Canada. You can either look up specific addresses to see if there have been any reports, sign up for bed bug alerts, or check out the bed bug maps.

Please Note:

  • While users are still posting new alerts to this website, The Bedbug Registry website doesn’t look like it’s been updated in some time.
  • There have been extended periods where the search functionality and overall website have suffered errors.
  • The Bedbug Registry also doesn’t verify its reviews, as explained by its FAQ.

If you see multiple reports for bed bugs at the same location, you shouldn’t outright dismiss the report. But you should definitely check the date of the report, to see if it’s recent.

You should also double-check your sources when trying to determine the report’s veracity. The anonymity of the reporting system leaves The Bedbug Registry vulnerable to abuse from malicious actors or rival landlords.

6. TripAdvisor

Trip Advisor Search for Bed Bugs

We know, it seems strange to include TripAdvisor on this list! But TripAdvisor is one of the best, if not the best travel review website that you can use. It’s invaluable when looking up hotels and their issues with bed bugs.

The reviews on TripAdvisor—by and large—are strongly vetted. When you go into the comments section for a place that you want to stay at, chances are high that you can trust the information that’s there.

You can find out about the overall cleanliness of the building, along with any pest control issues that have been reported. Definitely use this website if the question “does my hotel have bed bugs” keeps you up at night.

7. BedBugs 101

BedBugs 101—run by the company Protect-a-bed—is a great little app for iOS and Android.

The app hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but it’s a handy reference if you’re actively searching for a new apartment, signing into a hotel room, or checking into an Airbnb. The app contains a lot of easy-to-understand information on how to spot, detect, and disinfect an area with bed bugs.

The only downside to this app? Protect-a-bed is a mattress company, so they have an obvious incentive to promote their products. This might throw you off if you’re looking for an “unbiased” source of information.

Download: BedBugs 101 for Android | iOS (Free)

8. Bed Bug Field Guide

A full-fledged field guide, the simply-named “Bed Bug Field Guide” functions as a mini-encyclopedia on all things bed bugs. It’s a great tool for anyone who wants to get into the details of how to identify these insects and locate them.

Download: Bed Bug Field Guide for Android | iOS (Free)

Beware of Bed Bugs

With these apps and websites on hand—and armed with common sense—you should be able to avoid all but the most unexpected of infestations. You’ll also be well prepared for anything that may go wrong.

However, bed bugs are not the only thing you have to worry about when apartment hunting. You’ll need to actually find the apartment itself: one that has the right location and amenities.

If you’re searching for a new apartment but have had no luck, you can narrow down your search by using some of the best apartment finder websites.

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The Best Marvel Apps and Games for Comic Book Fans


marvel-apps-games

If you’re a comic book fan who loves Marvel and love your smartphone, here are the best Marvel apps and games you need to install on your smartphone.

Marvel Comics was founded in 1939, meaning it’s been around for over 80 years. Whether you’re a longtime fan or have discovered the characters recently, this article is for you.

1. Marvel Unlimited

Avid comic book readers should already be aware of Marvel Unlimited, the Netflix for Marvel comics. By paying a small monthly fee, you’ll have access to a wide variety of comic books, from the latest Spider-Man issue to the iconic Infinity Gauntlet saga from 1991. And the best part is that they all live in your pocket.

There are also lots of new comics being added on a frequent basis, so if you somehow get tired of the 25,000+ issues available in Marvel Unlimited, there are always more on the way.

Download: Marvel Unlimited for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

2. MARVEL Battle Lines

MARVEL Battle Lines is an epic card game based off of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains. Captain Marvel, Dr. Doom, Thor, you name it—they’re all here and ready for battle.

In Battle Lines’ single player mode, you can embark on an adventure to protect the universe from evil and collect new cards as you go. And in online PvP, you can face off against fierce opponents using the deck you’ve built.

There are more than 300 cards to acquire, with even more being added through regular updates. We strongly recommend MARVEL Battle Lines for fans who like a good strategy game with lots of content.

Download: MARVEL Battle Lines for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases)

3. Marvel: Color Your Own

While it may seem child-like at first glance, it really isn’t. Marvel: Color Your Own is a sensational experience for people of all ages.

After a long day of stress, it’s a great way to unwind. There’s a wide gamut of brush types and colors to help you personalize your favorite Marvel heroes. And it can be a worthwhile educational experience for creative beginners looking to become more experienced when it comes to drawing on a device.

If you want to customize your favorite superhero, learn a bit about digital art, and relax a little, Marvel: Color Your Own is a great app to download.

Download: Marvel: Color Your Own for iOS (Free, subscription available)

4. Avengers: Endgame Stickers

marvel avengers stickers app

iPhone users: If you want to add a little super-heroic pizzazz to your iMessage conversations, Marvel’s official Avengers: Endgame sticker pack has got you covered. It features a bunch of adorable stickers, including an inspired Captain America, a motivational Black Widow, and a sassy-as-always Rocket Raccoon.

And of course, when you’re feeling arrogant or cocky, a snappy mini-Thanos is at your disposal. Just be careful to not erase half the universe when using him.

Download: Avengers: Endgame Stickers for iOS ($1.99)

5. MARVEL Strike Force

MARVEL Strike Force is an awesome strategy RPG that lets you assemble a huge array of mighty superheroes and villains.

Your task in Strike Force is to form your own collective to combat an assault from another world. This time around, the good and the bad team up. Characters such as Venom, Deadpool, and Dr. Strange join you in the fight against an all-new evil.

Strike Force has six different game modes to choose from; Arena, Blitz, Raids, Alliance War, and Challenges. Unfortunately, there’s no online mode, but we’ll let this omission slide as the existing modes are lots of fun. All in all, this is a great game for Marvel die-hards.

Download: MARVEL Strike Force for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases)

6. MARVEL Puzzle Quest

If you’re a fan of Candy Crush and Bejeweled, you’re going to love Marvel Puzzle Quest.

Marvel Puzzle Quest is a unique RPG built around a simple and fun Match-3 game mechanic. As you match tiles, characters attack and perform epic special moves. Keep racking up the matches, and you’ll be victorious in no time.

But don’t get too arrogant. Whether you’re playing as Star-Lord, Loki, or Luke Cage, Puzzle Quest gets super challenging and dials up the difficulty as you move forward. Not to mention, there’s an online mode with over 15 million players, so you’re sure to find some competition.

Download: Marvel Puzzle Quest for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases)

7. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

It’s a big download, coming in at 2GB, but it’s well worth it. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe In Peril features an action-packed, goofy, LEGO-ified Marvel story.

In order to stop a sinister alliance of super-villains from destroying the Earth, you must help the Avengers get through a variety of platforming stages to acquire the legendary Cosmic Bricks. But it’s not just the Avengers you can play as; there are more than 90 playable mini-figure heroes to choose from.

And if you don’t have an internet connection at hand, that won’t stop you from taking down evil. You can play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes even without Wi-Fi.

Download: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes for iOS | Android ($4.99)

8. Marvel Contest of Champions

If you’re like the Hulk, and just want to punch and destroy everything in your way, you should consider Marvel Contest of Champions.

Contest of Champions is a fierce fighting game in which the most powerful superheroes, anti-heroes, and villains in the universe face off in an intergalactic tournament. It’s easy to get the hang of the battle mechanics with its fun and intuitive touch controls.

It isn’t all about fighting, though; there’s an element of strategy. You have to collect, upgrade, and carefully manage your teams of fighters to ensure victory, whether it be in single-player or online mode.

Overall, we strongly recommend Marvel Contest of Champions for fans of brawlers like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Injustice.

Download: Marvel Contest of Champions for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases)

9. Disney+

disney avengers endgame

Disney+ is Disney’s streaming video service in the same mold as Netflix and Hulu. This is the new home of Marvel movies such as Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, Thor, and Iron Man 3.

Eventually, all Marvel Cinematic Universe films will be streamable from Disney+, alongside other content. Disney and Marvel are planning to release original series based on MCU characters, like Loki, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

It’s safe to say that Disney+ is a must-have for anyone who calls themselves a Marvel fan.

How to Read Comic Books Online for Free

We think you’re going to love all of these apps. The mix of games, sticker packs, and puzzles are essential for all Marvel fans. And for more superhero fun, here are the best ways to read comic books online for free.

Read the full article: The Best Marvel Apps and Games for Comic Book Fans


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3 Camera Apps You Should Uninstall on iPhone 11


iphone11-camera-apps

Apple’s iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max have made headlines since their release in September 2019. A primary reason for this buzz is the significant innovations in the iPhone 11 camera.

With the iPhone now including more features in its camera, certain iPhone camera apps may now become obsolete. These apps relied on certain shortcomings of previous iPhone cameras to capture interest.

Let’s identify three iPhone camera apps that you probably won’t need anymore after purchasing the iPhone 11. And if you’re still using an older iPhone model, these apps can help you replicate what the iPhone 11 does.

Key Capabilities of the New iPhone 11 Camera

First, let’s summarize some of the iPhone 11 camera’s standout features.

Something you’re likely to notice immediately about the design of the iPhone 11 camera is its camera bump. The reason for this is to house the third lens in the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. See our iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro comparison if you’re not familiar with the different devices yet.

Beyond the apparent design change, what do these lenses bring to your iPhone camera game?

  • Triple camera system: Easily switch lenses in-between zooms while maintaining exposure and consistent image quality.
  • Wider shots: The 120-degree 12MP ultra-wide lens makes it easier to increase the range of a shot.
  • “Slofies”: Apple’s new term for slow-motion video selfies. It’s possible to take selfies on the move thanks to the 12MP TrueDepth front-facing camera.
  • Dedicated night mode: This makes it easy to shoot in low-light conditions.
  • Close to accurate picture reproduction: The new camera makes it easier to capture images with faithful color representation and an impressive dynamic range.
  • Sensory intelligence: The iPhone 11 Pro camera can accurately judge lighting conditions and adjust exposures. This, in turn, boosts the shadows of images and reigns in highlights when needed.
  • QuickTake: Want to take a video while capturing an image? Just position your iPhone 11 camera, click to shoot an image, and keep holding for a video.

A final exciting feature of the iPhone 11 camera is the new Deep Fusion algorithm. This is Apple’s post-processing software meant to aid with enhancing the details of images shot on the iPhone 11 camera.

This automatically activates when you open the camera app. As you frame the subject of the shot, the iPhone takes both short and long-range exposure shots. Then, when you click the shutter, the algorithm combines the images taken to form a master image. The image created has lower noise and is highly detailed.

At the time of writing, this feature is expected to become available in late 2019.

3 Camera Apps the iPhone 11 Camera Replaces

Now that Apple has brought these revolutions to phone camera technology, what does that mean for specific apps? We’ve identified a few camera apps that will be affected. by the iPhone 11’s offering.

1. VSCO

VSCO is one of the best camera apps in the App Store. Apart from its editing capabilities, the app also offers a powerful camera that’s user-friendly.

If you’ve used the app before, you know that the transition from image capture to edit on the platform is smooth. In camera mode, you have an array of icons at the bottom of the screen. These display the various controls you have over the images you take.

To unlock certain advanced features, you’ll have to upgrade to the pro level subscription. However, now that Apple will make your photos look better than ever out of the gate thanks to the Deep Fusion algorithm, VSCO might not be as necessary.

Apple’s upcoming functionality requires little to no intervention from you to determine the best setting for an image. For most people, this means paying for VSCO won’t be necessary.

Download: VSCO (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. ProCamera

For iPhone users vested in taking quality videos, the go-to camera app has been ProCamera. But with the iPhone 11 camera, ProCamera may have stiff competition.

This camera app offers you in-depth control over the videos you shoot with it. It offers features like the preset camera mode for HDR. Also, you can set the frame rate, focus, geotagging, stabilization, file format, and resolution of videos.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 11 camera has its triple camera system with HDR. This easily allows you to juggle lenses, which enhances the depth of coverage in the video. Plus, QuickTake lets you shoot a scene without having to go through the process of opening the camera app.

In low-light settings, the dedicated night mode feature removes the need for ProCamera. And as discussed, Deep Fusion will handle much of the post-processing work.

Download: ProCamera ($7.99, in-app purchases available)

3. Camera+ 2

One of the top options for fun iPhone photography apps is Camera+ 2. As soon as you launch it, you’ll notice that it’s relatively similar to the native camera app. However, unlike the native camera, you have more controls and buttons at your fingertips.

For example, with Camera+ 2, you get to set focus and exposure points. You also have access to depth capture and editing. It’s possible to adjust the amount of blur on an image and also set the focus distance. These perks offered in the Camera+ 2 are found in the iPhone 11 camera, with its broader shot capabilities as well as the sensory intelligence.

Another standout feature of the Camera+ 2 app (which previous iPhone cameras did not offer) is the different shooting modes. For those who love to engage in long-exposure photography, the lack of this on the iPhone would lead to use of Camera+ 2 app, You won’t need this now, if you have an iPhone 11.

With the new iPhone 11 camera, the QuickTake and “slofie” features are similar to the slow shutter mode of the Camera+ 2 app.

Download: Camera+ 2 ($3.99)

An Improved iPhone Photography Experience

It’s important to note that camera apps don’t exist to replace the core camera of your device. Instead, they supplement its inadequacies or enhance existing features of your phone’s camera. In the case of the iPhone 11 essentially coming with the standout characteristics of these apps already built-in, it will be fun to see how these camera app developers innovate.

To improve your photos no matter what device you have, check out iPhone camera settings everyone should master.

Read the full article: 3 Camera Apps You Should Uninstall on iPhone 11


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Foodvisor automatically tracks what you eat using deep learning


Meet Foodvisor, a startup that has built a mobile app that helps you log everything you eat in order to lose weight, follow a diet or get healthier. You can add data by capturing a photo of your plate before you eat.

“We’ve spent a little over two years doing research and development before we launched the app in 2018 in France,” co-founder and CMO Aurore Tran told me. Foodvisor has raised $1.5 million so far (€1.4 million).

The company is using deep learning to enable image recognition and detect what you’re about to eat. In addition to identifying the type of food, the app tries to estimate the weight of each item.

Foodvisor tries to evaluate the distance between your plate and your phone using camera autofocus data. It then calculates the area of each food item. The company then tries to extrapolate the volume of each item depending on the type of food.

And of course, if Foodvisor got something wrong, you can manually correct it before you log your meal. Many people give up on nutrition trackers because it’s too demanding. Foodvisor’s technology is all about making the data entry process as seamless as possible.

After that, you get a list of nutrition facts about what you just ate — calories, proteins, carbs, fats, fibers, etc. You can then set a goal, log activities and monitor your progress over time.

The startup has managed to attract 1.8 million app downloads already. It is available on iOS and Android in French, English, German and Spanish. “We have adjusted our product, we’ve enriched our database to better target the American market,” Tran said.

It offers a premium subscription for $5 to $10 per month. In addition to more analysis and diet plans, the main feature of the premium plan is that you can chat with a registered dietitian nutritionist directly in the app. It turns out that artificial intelligence can’t replace real human nutritionists altogether.

Foodvisor Team


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Facebook should ban campaign ads. End the lies.


Permitting falsehood in political advertising would work if we had a model democracy, but we don’t. Not only are candidates dishonest, but voters aren’t educated, and the media isn’t objective. And now, hyperlinks turn lies into donations and donations into louder lies. The checks don’t balance. What we face is a self-reinforcing disinformation dystopia.

That’s why if Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube don’t want to be the arbiters of truth in campaign ads, they should stop selling them. If they can’t be distributed safely, they shouldn’t be distributed at all.

No one wants historically untrustworthy social networks becoming the honesty police, deciding what’s factual enough to fly. But the alternative of allowing deception to run rampant is unacceptable. Until voter-elected officials can implement reasonable policies to preserve truth in campaign ads, the tech giants should go a step further and refuse to run them.

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This problem came to a head recently when Facebook formalized its policy of allowing politicians to lie in ads and refusing to send their claims to third-party fact-checkers. “We don’t believe, however, that it’s an appropriate role for us to referee political debates and prevent a politician’s speech from reaching its audience and being subject to public debate and scrutiny” Facebook’s VP of policy Nick Clegg wrote.

The Trump campaign was already running ads with false claims about Democrats trying to repeal the Second Amendment and weeks-long scams about a “midnight deadline” for a contest to win the one-millionth MAGA hat.

Trump Ad

After the announcement, Trump’s campaign began running ads smearing potential opponent Joe Biden with widely debunked claims about his relationship with Ukraine. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter refused to remove the ad when asked by Biden.

In response to the policy, Elizabeth Warren is running ads claiming Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg endorses Trump because it’s allowing his campaign lies. She’s continued to press Facebook on the issue, asking “you can be in the disinformation-for-profit business, or you can hold yourself to some standards.”

It’s easy to imagine campaign ads escalating into an arms race of dishonesty.

Campaigns could advertise increasingly untrue and defamatory claims about each other tied to urgent calls for donations. Once all sides are complicit in the misinformation, lying loses its stigma, becomes the status quo, and ceases to have consequences. Otherwise, whichever campaign misleads more aggressively will have an edge.

“In open democracies, voters rightly believe that, as a general rule, they should be able to judge what politicians say themselves.” Facebook’s Clegg writes.

But as is emblematic of Facebook’s past mistakes, it’s putting too much idealistic faith in society. If all voters were well educated and we weren’t surrounded by hyperpartisan media from Fox News to far-left Facebook Pages, maybe this hands-off approach might work. But in reality, juicy lies spread further than boring truths, and plenty of “news” outlets are financially incentivized to share sensationalism and whatever keeps their team in power.

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Protecting the electorate should fall to legislators. But incumbents have few reasons to change the rules that got them their jobs. The FCC already has truth in advertising policies, but exempts campaign ads and a judge struck down a law mandating accuracy.

Granted, there have always been dishonest candidates, uninformed voters, and one-sided news outlets. But it’s all gotten worse. We’re in a post-truth era now where the spoils won through deceptive demagoguery are clear. Cable news and digitally native publications have turned distortion of facts into a huge business.

Most critically, targeted social network advertising combined with donation links create a perpetual misinformation machine. Politicians can target vulnerable demographics with frightening lies, then say only their financial contribution will let the candidate save them. A few clicks later and the candidate has the cash to buy more ads, amplifying more untruths and raising even more money. Without the friction of having to pick up the phone, mail a letter, or even type in a URL like TV ads request, the feedback loop is shorter and things spiral out of control.

This is why the social networks should halt sales of political campaign ads now. They’re the one set of stakeholders with flexibility and that could make a united decision. You’ll never get all the politicians and media to be honest, or the public to understand, but just a few companies could set a policy that would protect democracy from the world’s . And they could do it without having to pick sides or make questionable decisions on a case-by-case basis. Just block them all from all candidates.

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Facebook wrote in response to Biden’s request to block the Trump ads that “Our approach is grounded in Facebook’s fundamental belief in free expression, respect for the democratic process, and the belief that, in mature democracies with a free press, political speech is already arguably the most scrutinized speech there is.”

But banning campaign ads would still leave room for open political expression that’s subject to public scrutiny. Social networks should continue to let politicians say what they want to their own followers, barring calls for violence. Tech giants can offer a degree of freedom of speech, just not freedom of reach. Whoever wants to listen can, but they shouldn’t be able to jam misinformation into the feeds of the unsuspecting.

If the tech giants want to stop short of completely banning campaign ads, they could introduce a format designed to minimize misinformation. Politicians could be allowed to simply promote themselves with a set of stock messages, but without the option to make claims about themselves or their opponents.

Campaign ads aren’t a huge revenue driver for social apps, nor are they a high-margin business nowadays. The Trump and Clinton campaigns spent only a combined $81 million on 2016 election ads, a fraction of Facebook’s $27 billion in revenue that year. $284 million was spent in total on 2018 midterm election ads versus Facebook’s $55 billion in revenue last year, says Tech For Campaigns. Zuckerberg even said that Facebook will lose money selling political ads because of all the moderators it hires to weed out election interference by foreign parties.

Surely, there would be some unfortunate repercussions from blocking campaign ads. New candidates in local to national elections would lose a tool for reducing the lead of incumbents, some of which have already benefited from years of advertising. Some campaign ads might be pushed “underground” where they’re not properly labeled, though the major spenders could be kept under watch.

If the social apps can still offer free expression through candidates’ own accounts, aren’t reliant on politicians’ cash to survive, won’t police specific lies in their promos, and would rather let the government regulate the situation, then they should respectfully decline to sell campaign advertising. Following the law isn’t enough until the laws adapt. This will be an ongoing issue through the 2020 election, and leaving the floodgates open is irresponsible.

If a game is dangerous, you don’t eliminate the referee. You stop playing until you can play safe.


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13 October 2019

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold concierge service is live in the US for those who need it


Part of Samsung’s reboot of the Galaxy Fold was the announcement of a Premiere Service. Along with a reinforced version of the phone and a lot more warning labels, the company announced that it would also be a 24/7 care service…just in case something happened with the device.

I had some issues with my in just over a day, after not running into any trouble with the original version of the phone. Given how gingerly the company insists users act with the device, my issue doesn’t appear to be particularly widespread — good news for Samsung on that front. Even so, this sort of things feels pretty necessary for a $2,000 (and up) phone that is effectively in mass beta testing.

close fold

Two weeks after making the device available in the States, Premier Service has gone live. Sammobile noted the addition of Fold Concierge via a new software update, bringing with it support via phone or video chat. The list of potentially helpful features ranges from on-boarding with the device to a $149, same-day screen replacement service. That can be accommodated in person at a number of locations.

It’s a pretty unique offer from a big consumer electronics company — though the Fold is nothing if not unique, I suppose. I’ve got a fuller write up of my impressions of the handset here. The TLDR version is the I can’t recommend the purchase of what is very much a first generation device that’s double the price of a standard flagship. If you’re so inclined, however, Samsung’s got a hotline for you.


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Sublime Text 3 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet


File menu view in Sublime Text on macOS

Sublime Text is a slick, responsive cross-platform text editor that the developer community swears by. If you rely on menus and buttons to find your way around in this powerful program, you’re missing out on a faster, more seamless experience.

But you can fix that easily by switching to keyboard shortcuts to control Sublime Text.

You don’t have to do much to discover them all. We already have the most essential Sublime Text 3 shortcuts lined up for you in our cheat sheet below!

The shortcuts work on Windows and most of them work on Linux also. With a few modifier key replacements, they work on macOS too. (Swap out Ctrl for Cmd and Alt for Option when you use Sublime Text on macOS.)

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download Sublime Text 3 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet.

The Sublime Text 3 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Shortcut Action
Menu Control
Ctrl + Shift + N New window
Ctrl + Shift + W Close window
Ctrl + O Open file
Ctrl + Shift + T Reopen last file
Ctrl + N New file
Ctrl + S Save file
Ctrl + Shift + S Save file as
Ctrl + F4 Close file
Ctrl + W Close Sublime
Windows, Files, and Tabs
Ctrl + KB Toggle sidebar
Ctrl + Page Down/Page Up Move to next/previous open tab
Ctrl + Tab/Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move to next/previous open tab by stack (order they were opened)
Ctrl + Shift + T Reopen last closed tab
Ctrl +/- Zoom - increase/decrease font size
Ctrl + P Quick Open - Show file list of currently opened file
Shift + F11 Toggle Distraction-free mode
Ctrl + Alt + Up Column selection up
Ctrl + Alt + Down Column selection down
Ctrl + Shift + P Command Prompt
Ctrl + Shift + Alt + P Show Scope in status bar
F11 Toggle Full Screen mode
Split Window
Alt + Shift + 1 Split layout to 1 column
Alt + Shift + 2 Split layout to 2 columns
Alt + Shift + 3 Split layout to 3 columns
Alt + Shift + 4 Split layout to 4 columns
Alt + Shift + 5 Split layout to 2 vertical and 2 horizontal grids (4 Groups)
Alt + Shift + 8 Split layout to 2 rows
Ctrl + [NUM] Jump to group where NUM is 1-4
Ctrl + Shift + [NUM] Move file to specified group where NUM is 1-4
Ctrl + K, then Arrow Up (with Ctrl pressed) Open new pane, and move current window into new pane
Ctrl + K, then Arrow Down Close current pane
Ctrl + K, then left arrow/Arrow Right Move to next pane to the left arrow/ right arrow
Ctrl + K, then Ctrl + Shift+Arrow Right/Arrow Left Open new tab in pane to the left arrow/ right arrow\
Alt + 1…0 Jump to tab 1..10 in current pane
Navigation
Ctrl + Arrow Left/Arrow Right Move one word left arrow/right arrow
Alt + Arrow Left/Arrow Right Move one sub-word left arrow/ right arrow
Page Up/Page Down Move one page up arrow/down arrow
Home/End Move to beginning of line/end of line
Ctrl + Arrow Up/Arrow Down Scroll page up arrow/down arrow without changing cursor position
Ctrl + M Move to opening bracket of faction, repeat for closing bracket
Ctrl + R Show Function List and navigate
Ctrl + Shift + R Show Function List without changing cursor position
Ctrl+; Go to word in current file
Alt+ -/+ on Numeric Keypad Jump forward/backwards to/from previous positions or selections
Selection
Shift + Arrow Left/Arrow Right Extend selection one character left arrow/right arrow
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Left/Arrow Right Extend selection one word left arrow/right arrow
Alt + Shift + Arrow Left/Arrow Right Extend selection one sub-word left arrow/right arrow
Shift + Arrow Up/Arrow Down Extend selection one line up arrow/down arrow
Shift + Page Up/Page Down Extend selection one page up arrow/down arrow
Shift + Home/End Extend selection to beginning/end of line
Ctrl + Shift + Home/End Extend selection to beginning of file/end of file
Ctrl + A Select All
Ctrl + L Select Line
Ctrl + D Select current word, continue press D for expanding selection. Then continue in multi-line editing mode
Alt + F3 Select all occurrences of current word, then continue in multi-line editing mode
Ctrl + Shift + L With multiple lines selected - enter multi-line editing mode.
Esc Cancel selection
Ctrl + Shift + J Select lines in this indention
Ctrl + Shift + A Expand selection
Ctrl + Shift + Space Expand selection
Ctrl + Shift + M Select current function enclosed by brackets or parentheses
Ctrl + KU Change selection to upper case
Ctrl + KL Change selection to lower case
Cut, Copy, and Delete
Shift + Delete Cut
Ctrl + Insert Copy
Shift + Insert Paste
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + Shift + V Paste and match current indention
Ctrl + KV Paste from History
Delete Delete character to the right
Backspace Delete character to the left
Ctrl + Backspace Delete word to the left
Ctrl + Delete Delete word to the right
Ctrl + Shift + Backspace Delete from cursor to beginning of line
Ctrl + Shift + Delete Delete from cursor to end of line
Undo and Redo
Ctrl + Z Undo
Ctrl + Shift + Z Redo
Ctrl + Y Redo or repeat
Find and Replace
Ctrl + F Find
F3 Find next
Shift + F3 Find previous
Alt + F3 (After selecting) Replace every selection
Ctrl + H Replace
Ctrl + I Incremental search
Ctrl + Shift + F Find in Files
Ctrl + F, Alt + Enter Find then Multi Edits
Ctrl + E Use selection to find field
Ctrl + Shift + E Use selection to replace field
Line Manipulation
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Up/Arrow Down Move line or selection up arrow/down arrow
Ctrl + Enter Insert line after and position cursor at beginning of new line
Ctrl + J Join line below at end of current line
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Down Duplicate lines (on Sublime 3 on Windows this seem to no longer work, try Ctrl+Shift+D instead)
Ctrl + T Transpose
F9 Sort Lines (case sensitive)
Shift + F9 Sort Lines (case insensitive)
Ctrl + ] / [ Indent/unindent
Ctrl + Shift + D Duplicate line or selection
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Up/Arrow Down Move line or selection up arrow/down arrow
Code Folding
Ctrl + Shift + [ Fold selection
CtrlL + Shift + ] Unfold selection
Ctrl + K, Then Press 1 Fold all
CTRL + K, Then press J Unfold all
CTRL + 2/9 Fold level
Comments
CTRL + / Comment line
CTRL + SHIFT + / Block comment
Bookmarking
CTRL + F2 New bookmark
F2 Next Bookmark
SHIFT + F2 Previous bookmark
CTRL + SHIFT + F2 Clear bookmarks
Miscellaneous
F6 Toggle spell checking
Ctrl + F6 Find next misspelling
Ctrl + Shift + F6 Find previous misspelling
Ctrl+` Toggle Console
Alt + V, then W Toggle word wrap - View - Word wrap

More Tips for Sublime Text Editing

While keyboard shortcuts can transform your Sublime Text experience by themselves, there are many more ways to build a faster and more productive workflow. By the way, you can also use the program for taking notes. After all, Sublime Text has all the necessary ingredients to make a stellar note-taking app for programmers!

Image Credit: Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash

Read the full article: Sublime Text 3 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet


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Google’s Pixel 4 briefly went up for preorder on Best Buy Canada


The Pixel 4 is set to be unveiled at an event on Tuesday. This much we know for sure. We know a bunch more, too, (as outlined in this rumor roundup from yesterday), thanks to both official reveals and unofficial leaks. How much of this was planned is hard to say, but Google seemingly doesn’t mind building up the hype cycle.

Earlier today, Best Buy Canada made what may well be the most egregious reveal today (granted, there are three more days left to leak). The big box store posted up a preorder page for the upcoming smartphone. As expected, the listing was taken down, but not before 9to5Google managed to snap some screen shots.

From the looks of things, the rumors are pretty spot on. The device will come in both standard and XL versions, at 5.7 and 6.3 inches, respectively. Both models sport a Snapdradon 855, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, along with a new Face Unlock feature. There are dual camera on each, per the listing — 12 and 16 megapixels — in the iPhone 11-esque square configuration.

pixel 4 specs leak

There’s a single front-facing 8 megapixel camera on each, and a 2,800 and 3,700mAh battery on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Other highlights including the expected addition of “Quick Gestures,” which use use a wave of the hand to interact with the device — similar to features we’ve seen on other handsets before.

Conspicuously missing from the preorder, however, is the expected “Oh So Orange” color. Could be a preorder thing or maybe Best Buy Canadian customers will have to settle for Just Black and Clearly White. Maybe the company is saving some surprises for Tuesday’s event. Maybe.


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Google’s Pixel 4 briefly went up for preorder on Best Buy Canada


The Pixel 4 is set to be unveiled at an event on Tuesday. This much we know for sure. We know a bunch more, too, (as outlined in this rumor roundup from yesterday), thanks to both official reveals and unofficial leaks. How much of this was planned is hard to say, but Google seemingly doesn’t mind building up the hype cycle.

Earlier today, Best Buy Canada made what may well be the most egregious reveal today (granted, there are three more days left to leak). The big box store posted up a preorder page for the upcoming smartphone. As expected, the listing was taken down, but not before 9to5Google managed to snap some screen shots.

From the looks of things, the rumors are pretty spot on. The device will come in both standard and XL versions, at 5.7 and 6.3 inches, respectively. Both models sport a Snapdradon 855, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, along with a new Face Unlock feature. There are dual camera on each, per the listing — 12 and 16 megapixels — in the iPhone 11-esque square configuration.

pixel 4 specs leak

There’s a single front-facing 8 megapixel camera on each, and a 2,800 and 3,700mAh battery on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Other highlights including the expected addition of “Quick Gestures,” which use use a wave of the hand to interact with the device — similar to features we’ve seen on other handsets before.

Conspicuously missing from the preorder, however, is the expected “Oh So Orange” color. Could be a preorder thing or maybe Best Buy Canadian customers will have to settle for Just Black and Clearly White. Maybe the company is saving some surprises for Tuesday’s event. Maybe.


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12 October 2019

Alexa Can Now Speak Spanish in the US


You can now speak Spanish to your Alexa-enabled devices in the US. While Alexa would have previously replied with, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she will now be able to respond to your Spanish voice commands and reply in Español.

Amazon Teaches Alexa to Speak Spanish in the US

Given its proximity to Mexico, the United States has a high number of Spanish speakers. However, Google Home learned to speak Spanish in 2018, it has taken longer for Amazon to teach Alexa how to speak Spanish. But it has finally now happened.

In April 2019, Amazon announced that Alexa would soon be able to speak Spanish. In effect, the company had asked developers to “start building skills for Spanish-speaking customers in the US […] with the new Spanish for US voice model.”

How to Start Speaking Spanish to Alexa

With those skills having been certified, Alexa can now speak Spanish in the United States. According to The Amazon Blog, support for Spanish speakers runs deep, so there’s a “brand new Spanish voice, local knowledge, hundreds of skills, and more.”

There’s also a new Multi-lingual mode which allows users to switch seamlessly between Spanish and English. Once enabled, if you ask Alexa a question in Spanish she’ll respond in Spanish, but if you ask Alexa a question in English she’ll respond in English.

If you want to start speaking Spanish to Alexa and have her respond in kind, switch to “Español (Estados Unidos)” in the Alexa app. Or, alternatively, enable the Multi-lingual mode, which will be especially useful for multilingual households.

As a bonus for Spanish speakers in the US, Amazon has added a host of Latin music playlists to Amazon Music. These include a playlist full of urban artists and a playlist packed with dance songs. All of which you can ask Alexa to play in Spanish.

Is It Time to Learn to Start Speaking Spanish?

With 50 million Spanish speakers in the United States, this is long overdue. It has taken Amazon a while to catch up to the competition, but it’s better late than never. And if you’re not yet able to speak Spanish, here are the best apps to learn to speak Spanish.

Read the full article: Alexa Can Now Speak Spanish in the US


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6 Best Soundboard Apps to Create or Discover Free Sound Collections


best-soundboard-apps

A soundboard can spice up your podcast, or even add some pizzazz to personal conversations. Here are some great readymade soundboards, as well as apps to create your own custom soundboard for free.

Apart from the best apps and software to record podcasts, it’s a good idea to have a soundboard app. You can use it for things like your theme song or background music, or add zing to conversations by playing sound effects, movie one-liners, and so on. It’s all up to how creative you want to be.

1. Soundboard (Web): Huge Database of Sounds and Soundboards

Soundboard.com has a huge collection of sounds

If you’re looking to create your own Soundboard or browse those made by others, visit Soundboard.com as your first destination. This website has one of the largest collections of audio clips and soundboards you’ll find on the internet.

Soundboard claims its database holds over 500,000 sounds in several different categories like comedians, movies, animals/nature, politicians, prank calls, sports, etc. Choose a category to browse available sounds or search the website.

It also hosts several publicly available soundboards created by other users. Most of these are free for anyone to use by opening it in a browser or in the Soundboard apps. You can also download each audio file individually to save it to your hard drive.

With Soundboard, you can also create your own customized soundboard. It’s completely free, and you can upload as many audio files as you want. Create it, add a logo and a description, and upload the tracks you want. Each track can be given a name too. If you’re creating a professional soundboard, you can even charge for it per track or to download them.

The only place where Soundboard is lacking is an easy way to add a sound you find on the site to your own custom soundboard. Instead, you’ll need to download that audio file, and then re-upload it to your own board.

Download: Soundboard for Android | iOS (Free)

2. 101 Soundboards (Web): Large Collection of Soundboards

101 Soundboards has several readymade soundboards

101 Soundboards has one of the largest collections of free soundboards you will find on the internet. The best part is that this is among the few websites where you can control a sound’s playback, stopping it midway.

When you play any sound, especially a quote, you will see the full clip’s sound graph at the bottom of the screen, as well as the full quote. That way, you can decide if you want to stop the clip early or let it play out fully. It’s a tremendously useful feature, and I wish more apps had it.

The website is already populated with soundboards of all types, and you can check out the most popular ones, recently updated boards, or search through the collection. Chances are, you will find multiple soundboards for your favorite TV shows or movies.

And yes, you can register and upload your own sounds too. But there isn’t a handy mobile app, so I wouldn’t suggest this over Soundboard to create your own collection.

3. Myinstants (Web): Find and Add Sound Buttons to Your Board

Myinstants is the easiest way to find and add sounds to your own custom soundboard

The design is a bit garish for my taste, but Myinstants is such a good app that you can overlook it. This website has a large collection of small sound clips, ready to be turned into a soundboard of your choice.

It’s best to register for the website, as this will let you save sounds to your own Favorites board, and upload audio too. The website works well on mobiles, and a shortcut lets you turn it into a browser-based mobile app.

Find sounds by browsing categories like games, movies, television, viral, memes, music, politics, etc. Each button is a different color and describes the sound. There’s also a handy search button. If you like a sound, add it to your favorites with one click.

You can also upload custom sounds, give it a desired color and title, and add a short description. Myinstants is a quick and easy way to build a soundboard of buttons for any project, including your own clips.

4. Meme Soundboard (Web): Readymade Soundboard of Popular Memes and More

Meme Soundboard is a readymade soundboard of popular memes and audio files

If you’re looking for a readymade soundboard to use on a computer, tablet, or phone, Meme Soundboard has you covered. As the name suggests, it is populated with sounds from some of the popular memes, but look beneath the surface and it has a few tricks.

The main interface is a delight to use, especially on phones. Meme Soundboard presents the collection as a grid of tiles, which are easy to tap or click. Whether you want to rick-roll someone or get Simon and Garfunkel crooning Sound of Silence, you can perform a super-fast search or just browse to find it.

While the quick search is the best feature, you will also like the Loop button to repeat any sound infinitely. If you like something, click the star to add it to your Favorites. The only issue seems to be that there isn’t a pause or stop button to quickly end the audio.

Apart from memes, the website also has readymade soundboards for other common audio in the Non-Meme Sounds board. And if you don’t mind the foul language, check out the NSFW soundboard.

Psst, do yourself a favor and click the Harlem Shake button. It’s wild!

5. Soundboard Studio (iOS): The Best Soundboard App Ever

Soundboard Studio is, without a doubt, the best soundboard app for iPhones and iPads. In fact, it’s the best mobile soundboard app, and it’s a pity there isn’t an Android version.

The free version called Soundboard Studio Lite gives you all the features of the full-fledged app but restricts you to 24 tracks. It’s a good way to test the app before paying the hefty price for the full version.

What does it let you do? Well, the question should be, what doesn’t it let you do? Soundboard Studio supports a wide variety of audio file formats, can import from cloud storage, and record audio too. Plus, you can play two tracks simultaneously.

There are advanced settings for each track too. You can trim any track, adjust its volume, set it to loop, play it solo always and hush all other tracks, give it a fade in and fade out, and even set up automated actions. It’s just packed with features and looks great while doing it.

Download: Soundboard Studio Lite for iOS (Free)

Download: Soundboard Studio 2 for iOS ($59.99)

6. Custom Soundboard (Android): Best Free Soundboard Creator for Android

There is no Soundboard Studio for Android. The next best app is Custom Soundboard by Johannes Maagk. It’s completely free but ad-supported and lets you create unlimited soundboards with unlimited tracks.

You can add audio from a file on your Android phone, add multiple tracks at the same time, or record live audio. Each track can fade in or out, have its own thumbnail image or color, be looped a set number of times, and even trimmed.

The app also lets you create a backup of all your soundboards, which is a helpful feature that most others don’t have. If you take the time and effort to customize this app, it will serve you well, and you’ll never lose your data.

Download: Custom Soundboard for Android (Free)

Compress, Then Upload

The trick to creating a good soundboard is to use good quality audio clips for your collection. But often, the file size can become a bit much, especially if you use WAV files. It’s a good idea to compress your audio files and then add them to the soundboard.

Check out our quick guide on how to compress large audio files while retaining their quality. It can make a big difference for the listener, and you can store more files easily.

Read the full article: 6 Best Soundboard Apps to Create or Discover Free Sound Collections


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