Windows 10’s “Focus Assist” feature is a “Do Not Disturb” mode that hides notifications. Windows automatically activates it when you’re playing PC games or mirroring your display—and you can have Windows automatically activate it on a schedule, too.
The Windows 10’s April 2018 Update is now available, but it may be a few months before every PC gets it. If you don’t want to wait, you can download the April 2018 Update from Microsoft right now.
Windows 10’s Nearby Sharing feature can be easily enabled with one click in the Share dialog, but can only be disabled from the Settings app. Here’s how to hide the “Looking for nearby devices” message and stop incoming share notifications.
Windows 10 collects a history of activities you’ve performed, including files you’ve opened and web pages you’ve viewed in Edge. You can disable this Timeline feature and remove the activities from Task View.
Windows 10 has a new, easy-to-use tool for freeing up disk space on your computer. It removes temporary files, system logs, previous Windows installations, and other files you probably don’t need.
Microsoft is making Windows 10’s telemetry more transparent with the April 2018 Update. You can now view the exact diagnostic information your Windows PC is sending to Microsoft. You can even delete it from Microsoft’s servers.
Microsoft is ready to release Windows 10’s “April 2018 Update.” It was originally going to be called the “Spring Creators Update” and was codenamed “Redstone 4.” This is Windows 10 version “1803”, and it will launch on April 30, 2018.
Multiple people I know are convinced that Facebook is listening to their phone calls and in-person conversations. Call it the Microphone Myth. But why do these myths continue to persist despite there being no hard evidence?
When MoviePass announced a $10/month subscription that lets you go to the theater every day, I signed up immediately. I knew it wouldn’t last, though. Less than a year later, the ride is already over.
If you recently added a new movie or TV show to Plex and it’s showing up incorrectly, there are a couple of things you can do to fix it. Here’s how to fix broken metadata in Plex for your movies and TV shows.
Whether you want to keep an eye on a musty basement, a cigar collection, a premium guitar, or your baby’s nursery, the line of Sensor Pus… Click Here to Continue Reading
Your eyes are important, and staring at a monitor all day does them no favors. There are a number of preventative measures you can take to avoid eyestrain—organizing a functional workspace and modulating light exposure, for example. Let’s take a closer look.
While most modern Android devices aren’t necessarily lacking storage options, there may come a time when you need to use a flash drive with your phone. Fortunately, this is easy—Android natively supports external drives.
Spotify offers two tiers: a free, ad-supported plan and a $9.99 per month Premium plan. But what are the differences between the two and is it worth upgrading? Let’s find out.
In 2018, VR headsets are better and cheaper than they’ve ever been. They were overhyped and they haven’t transformed the world, but they’re really cool toys. So are they worth investing in yet?
Sick of Apple’s update tool bugging you in Windows, but want to keep iTunes around just in case? Good news: you can now download iTunes on the Microsoft Store and get your updates that way.
There are a ton of Alexa Skills that you can get for your Echo, but now you can create your own basic skills quickly and easily using Alexa Blueprints.
Good value isn’t just about price—it’s about what you get for the price—and while Apple products are certainly expensive, they’re generally bett… Click Here to Continue Reading
Gmail’s new interface feels shiny and new on the surface, but something about it just stinks. Gmail’s new Tasks app is separate from Reminders, which are used by Calendar, Inbox, and Assistant. And Google has two other task apps—including one used only for your shopping list.
If you use Excel spreadsheets to collect data from other people, but find that they often fill your carefully-planned cells with the wrong kind of information, data validation can help.
I’ve you’ve been considering giving your phone new life with a custom ROM, LineageOS is one of the most popular ones available today. Here’s everything you need to know about flashing this ROM onto your phone.
The battery is often the first part to really fail in older MacBooks. If this is happening to you, you’ll be glad to hear that you might just be able to replace it yourself.
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is a huge change from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. This is the first long-term support (LTS) release after the massive changes of Ubuntu 17.10, which saw the end of the Unity desktop, Ubuntu Phone, and Ubuntu’s convergence plans.
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS features a new set of shiny color emoji. If you don’t want to see emoji in messaging apps, on the web, and elsewhere, you can remove them from your system.
You know what’s cool? Instant messaging with friends, family, and colleagues. You know what’s annoying? Having their face float above everything else on your phone. And that’s exactly how it is with Facebook Messenger—here’s how to turn it off on Android.
Amazon sends out a ton of emails. Some of those are useful—alerts that your order went through or about problems with an order, for example. But the rest can get on your nerves. Here’s how to banish every last one of them.
If you need more storage space on your iPhone, the easiest way to tack some on is with a special flash drive that features a lightning port on one end and a USB port on the other. You’ll use an app designed for that drive to actually manage files.
Having your Mac get stolen might seem like the end of the world, but there are some steps you can take to try and get it back, or failing that, make an insurance claim. Let’s have a look at what to do if your Mac goes missing.
Not all Ethernet is created equal. These days there are two available standards, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit, which are completely distinct speed interfaces. It’s important to understand the difference between them and which one you should choose.
Whether you’re running a Plex media server, virtual machines galore, or just maintaining your own cloud storage system, there are a handful of things aspiring home server aficionados should have in their arsenal.
By default, Excel doesn’t show the leading zero in any non-decimal numerical data set. But if you need to show the leading zero — usually because of some weird numbering system at your job, it’s easy to keep that zero in its place.
Everyone has that one friend who bought an Instant Pot and won’t shut up about how awesome it is and how you should get one—and th… Click Here to Continue Reading
You can now move the Ubuntu desktop’s launcher bar from the left side of your screen to the bottom or right instead. This works on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04, as Ubuntu now uses GNOME Shell instead of Unity.
Samsung offers a lot of tools, many of which you probably just ignore. Health is one of the tools you should probably take a closer look at, however, because it’s actually really useful.
Sitting is killing you. Sitting on it’s own isn’t inherently bad, but if you work at a computer, sitting for hours every day is ultimately hard on your body. Here are some simple exercises you can do to help, though.
There are plenty of security systems out on the market that come with professional installation and support, but what about DIY setups that offer many of the same features and are often much cheaper? Here are the pros and cons of doing it yourself.
It’s easy to brush your teeth ineffectively by brushing too hard, too little, or not giving each area of your mouth the attention it dese… Click Here to Continue Reading
If you’re on T-Mobile—or a smaller network that uses it, like MetroPCS or Google’s Project Fi—your cell service might’ve gotte… Click Here to Continue Reading
Voice assistants don’t deal well long sentences: you have to get to the point, with no niceties whatsoever, or there’s a good chance you won’t be understood.
Properly formatting bibliographies has always driven students crazy. With modern versions of Microsoft Word, though, the process is streamlined to the point of almost being automatic, and today we’re going to show you how to add citations and bibliographies to your Word documents.
There’s no shortage of podcast apps in the Play Store, so finding a good one can be a challenge—especially if you’re shelling out a few bucks for it. Here are a few deserving of your attention. And dollars.
Ubuntu 18.04 collects data about your PC’s hardware and software, which packages you have installed, and application crash reports, sending them all to Ubuntu’s servers. You can opt out of this data collection—but you have to do it in three separate places.
There are many ways to take screenshots on Windows. Windows 10 itself has quite a few built-in screenshot tools, and there are some excellent free options out there if you want more features. Here are all the best ones screen capture utilities.
Your various ROM collections, Steam games, and various other Windows games are, at the end of the day, all just games. Wouldn’t it make sense to launch them all from the same place?
Android is fun. Its versions are named after desserts, and Google often sprinkles little Easter eggs throughout. None are more popular than the Easter egg associated with each Android version, however, so here’s a bit of history.
Synology offers a plethora of NAS models to choose from, but the selection can be a bit dizzying if you’re not sure what all the differences are. Here are some things you should know to help you narrow down your ideal choice.
Google tried, and failed, to dominate messaging with Hangouts, Voice, Allo, Duo, and even Wave at one point. The next strategy: replacing SMS with the RCS protocol, and calling it “Chat.”
Lots of high-end smartphones have added multiple camera modules and lenses to the back of their designs. But why? The fact is that they do different things for different phones, so we’re here to break it all down for you.
Windows displays “Low Disk Space” notifications whenever any partition on your computer has less than 200 MB of space remaining. Here’s how to get rid of the notifications, even if you can’t free up the space.
In response to the Cambridge Analytica fiasco and the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Facebook has started making it easier for people to control who and what can see and use your data on Facebook. Let’s take a look at what you can do to protect your privacy.
I started using Android with the original Motorola Droid back in 2009, and I’ve been a hardcore Android user ever since. Four months ago, I got an iPhone 8 and have been using it alongside my main Android phone. This is an Android user’s take on using the iPhone.
GDPR, a new European privacy law, means users must explicitly give permission for most data collection. Facebook would like you to give them that permission.
Noise-cancelling earbuds deliver the benefits of noise-cancellation—so you can enjoy your commute or flight in peace—but in a tiny… Click Here to Continue Reading
Despite their names, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, Bitcoin Diamond, Bitcoin Private, and others are the same thing as Bitcoin. They’re based on Bitcoin, and are piggybacking on its name, but they’re different things. Here’s how to know which Bitcoin variant is which.
Shooter games dominate the medium, which can be discouraging if you’re not actually very good at them. Luckily for you, we’ve found quite a few great FPS games that are a blast to play no matter what your skill level.
There are times when you look something up in Chrome on your PC, but want to transfer it over to your smartphone. While there isn’t really a straightforward, built-in way to do that, we do have some other solutions for you for both iPhone and Android.
Your Facebook profile says a lot about you. It’s likely your most visible online presence, so it’s worth making it look good. Here’s how to pick a great cover photo.
If you need to pay someone back for dinner, send rent money to a roommate, or send someone cash when they need it, you can do it all easily from your smartphone. We’ve rounded up the best mobile payment apps that help you send money easily.
Having 24/7 professional monitoring of your security system might seem like a great way to keep your home safe and catch burglars in the act, but is it really? Or does it just provide a false sense of security on which you’re wasting a monthly fee?
Mechanical keyboards are loud. It’s just something you have to deal with if you like the feel of the keys. Or is it? Lately there have been some impressive developments in “silencing” mechanical keyboard mechanisms.
Apple has a “Find My AirPods” tool that lets you view their location on a map. You can even make your AirPods play a surprisingly loud beeping sound if they’re powered on.
Android updates always pose the same question: when will my phone get it? Here’s what we know about the most popular handsets and their current status for Android Oreo.
When you click “Shut Down” on your Windows 10 PC, Windows doesn’t fully shut down. It hibernates the kernel, saving its state so it can boot faster. If you’re experiencing computer problems and need to reset that state, you’ll need to restart your PC instead.
If your Mac is mysteriously no longer showing notifications, restarting your Mac will most likely fix the problem. However, here’s a quick way to remedy the situation without restarting.
Newer MacBooks are sorely lacking in ports, but you can easily upgrade your experience with a full featured and flexible USB-C dock that not o… Click Here to Continue Reading
GrubHub can save a party with a quick meal for everyone, but when it comes time to split the bill, it can be a nightmare. Click Here to Continue Reading
The Windows 10 April 2018 update, which includes the new Timeline feature, was supposed to come out last week, but Microsoft never shipped it. The reason: a blocking bug, discovered at the last minute, that created reliability issues.
Photoshop and Illustrator are powerful, but not exactly intuitive. That goes double for their text tools. If you’re tired of seeing the wrong default font at the wrong time, here’s how to set it manually.
A Comma Separated Values (CSV) file is a plain text file that contains a list of data. These files are often used for exchanging data between different applications. For example, databases and contact managers often support CSV files.
Chrome is the first app many people install on a new operating system, but you won’t find it in Ubuntu’s Software Center. Instead, you need to download and install a package.
In Bitcoin‘s early days, you could easily mine the cryptocurrency on your own PC. But now you need cheap electricity and a serious investment in specialized hardware to have any hope of making money.
Quickly transferring files from, say, a Mac to an Android is more complicated than it needs to be. Plover makes it simple for devices on the same network.
Sturdy and bulky cases are great if you live a rugged lifestyle, but how about if you just need some slim and simple protection for your iPhon… Click Here to Continue Reading
You know how much electricity you use overall each month, because you pay the bill. But, you can also figure out how much electricity each appliance uses individually and how much it contributes to your total usage.
Aiming with the mouse is essential in almost any PC shooting game, doubly so if you play online. It’s a simple and intuitive process, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement.
Samsung’s Smart Switch is a unique tool for transferring data from an old device to your new Galaxy phone, but it also offers a way to update your phone quickly and easily. Here’s how.
Google can feel pretty pervasive and, if you’re concerned about your privacy, that might worry you. So, if you want to get rid of all your Google services, here’s how you can do it and what you’ll be losing.
PC manufacturers often include recovery partitions. These are usually hidden, but sometimes become visible under This PC and elsewhere in Windows. Here’s how to hide a recovery partition—or any other drive.
Deleting your Facebook account is technically simple. Head to the account deletion page, click the “Delete My Account” button, enter your password and a captcha, and boom, it’s done.
Change is the only constant online (other than complaining about change). The Museum of Websites lets you explore how popular websites looked in the past.
iMessage isn’t just for texting your friends and family anymore. With Apple’s new Business Chat feature, you can now text businesses and brands with your questions right from iMessage. Here’s how it works.
Google badly wants to have an iMessage competitor, so it’s planning to bring one of its many messaging apps to the desktop. Click Here to Continue Reading
Upgrading and replacing PC components can be a little tricky, but it’s something anyone can learn to do. Let’s take a look at how to choose and install those upgrades.
Hate the stock font on your Samsung phone? You’re in luck, because you can change it up whenever you like. They even have font packs available for download.
Gestures make using your phone faster and more efficient—but only if you know the gestures in the first place. Here’s a collection of some of the best ones for Android that you may not already be using.
The best camera is the one you have with you, and most of the time that’s going to be your smartphone. You probably capture lots of important moments with your phone, so you also need to make sure you’re keeping those moments backed up.
Have you noticed how…weird YouTube thumbnails have gotten? They nearly always feature a human face looking at something, and that face is usually contorted into the most extreme emotion possible.
Most of the default settings for your SimpliSafe security system work fine. However, for full customization, you’re better off digging into the settings and changing some things around to meet your needs.
Cord cutters: you can subscribe to ESPN+ today, which costs $5 a month, and there’s even a seven day trial. Just don’t expect access to ESPN’s TV channels.
Adding memory is one of the easier ways to boost your PC’s performance. There are a few things to check before spending your money, though, so let’s talk about them.
It isn’t enough for a robot vacuum in 2018 to just clean your floor, it’s got to wow with some smart home integration—and tha… Click Here to Continue Reading
Because of the sheer number of Android phones out there, it can be a challenge to figure out (or remember) which handset you have. Here’s how you can find out.
Unlike with older feature phones, your iPhone’s alarm won’t sound if your phone is turned of or out of battery. The alarm will sound if your iPhone’s on silent or Do Not Disturb.
Microsoft still offers both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10. But, whether you’re installing Windows 10 or Windows 7, you should almost certainly skip the 32-bit version and get the 64-bit version instead.
If you’ve ever purchased a product with a dock for your iPhone, you know all too well the dilemma: sometimes you want to use the product… Click Here to Continue Reading
Alexa can be super useful thanks to the Echo’s always-listening capabilities that keep it ready for action at a moment’s notice. But how much electricity is that convenience costing you?
If you’re both a Spotify and a Hulu user, stay tuned: a $13 a month could get you both services by summer. A deal previously limited to students will soon be available for everyone.
So you want a new processor. The bad news is, you’ll probably need a new motherboard (and maybe RAM) to go along with it. The worse news is that it’s a real pain to replace all of that hardware.
Android One was originally an initiative to bring low-cost Android phones to developing countries. However, Google has shifted directions, making Android One a more user-focused program to bring more stock Android phones to market.
While Macs certainly aren’t as easy to upgrade as a typical PC, it’s surprisingly simple to upgrade some components like RAM—especially if you’ve got a Mac desktop or an older laptop. Adding more RAM can breath new life into an old Mac.
ARCore and ARKit are Google and Apple’s respective Augmented Reality frameworks for bringing more AR apps to their platforms. They use the smartphone’s camera to add interactive elements to an existing environment.
You know those “secret question” fields websites use to supposedly confirm your identity? Make sure you don’t give away the answers to them on social media.
Lutron’s Caseta dimmer switches are great, but if you’re having some issues with your lights flickering or turning off prematurely, you can adjust the dimming levels to eliminate these issues.
You know what could make the classic Super Mario Bros. better? A physics engine. Oh, and playing it in the browser could help, too. Click Here to Continue Reading
You don’t need any special software to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Windows PC. You don’t even need iTunes. All you need is the Lightning-to-USB cable you use for charging.
Macs have a reputation for being hard to upgrade or repair, but that isn’t always true. The hard drive (or SSD) is one component that you often can replace yourself, especially in older Macs. Let’s look at how to find out if you can replace yours.
More and more people are moving towards a one-device-life, with smartphones taking center stage. If you’ve considered such a move yourself, you should look hard at an Android phone. Here’s why.
Lutron Caseta dimmer switches are typical smart light switches with on/off buttons and dimming controls. However, there’s also a hidden pull-out tab at the bottom for disabling the switch and cutting power when you need to.
The power supply or “PSU” is the electrical heart of your PC. And if yours has recently stopped beating, or you’re upgrading your computer with more powerful components, you need a new one.
Amazon’s Fire Tablet, formerly known as Kindle Fire, comes in 7, 8, and 10 inch versions. Even if you know you have a Fire, Fire HD, or Fire HDX, there are several different generations of hardware. Here’s how to tell exactly which tablet model you have.
Search histories can tell a lot about you, and that’s especially true of Facebook’s search history. If you don’t want that sort of data left sitting around, here’s how to clear it.
If your Android phone’s battery always feels a little low, you can find out exactly where that power is going. Android’s Battery screen shows you what’s used battery power since your last charge, from apps to system services and hardware devices.
If you spend a lot of time surfing your phone on your patio or streaming music while you do lawn work, you need a decent Wi-Fi signal. Here are some things you can do to get the best outdoor signal from yours.
Super Mario Bros will never die. Nintendo always gets around to re-releasing the 1985 classic on every new console it makes, and people always buy millions of copies.
Facebook’s “On This Day” is mostly harmless nostalgia, but every once and a while it dredges up painful memories. You can stop this by manually excluding certain dates and people.
MacOS’s Time Machine backup utility lets you back up your entire computer to an external hard drive, but you can also back up to a NAS that’s on your local network. Here’s how to do it.
Echo users: your house has a PA system now. Just say “Alexa announce that it’s time for dinner” and your statement, “it’s time for dinner,” will be repeated by every Echo in the house, in your own voice.
You’ve added all your media to a Plex server and it’s great, but now you want to watch your favorite YouTube videos in the same interface. Is that possible? Yep!
Until recently you could search Facebook for a phone number or email address and find the Facebook account associated with it. That’s not true anymore.
Chain letters are nothing new—they’ve been around longer than many of us have been alive. They have, however, adapted to new technology. Facebook Messenger is the current hotness for chain letters, and it’s time to stop sharing them.
Facebook Lite is an Android app designed for low speed connections and low spec phones. It has been available outside the US for a few years, and now it’s available in the US, too. Here are the differences between it and the original Facebook app.
A Bitcoin wallet is basically a software program in which you store Bitcoin. An exchange lets you convert “real money” like US dollars to Bitcoin. Exchanges also provide a wallet—but you don’t necessarily have full control of that wallet.
Google Voice is adding a VoIP option on Android and the web; iOS support is reportedly coming soon. You can join the beta and test this new feature right now.
People love snarking at tech like smart fridges. While the price isn’t exactly affordable just yet, you can’t deny that smart fridges could actually be pretty useful.
Timeline is part of Windows 10’s Task View. It shows a history of activities you’ve performed and can even synchronize activities across your PCs. You can then easily pick up where you left off.
The Facebook news feed is public and Messenger is private…right? Not quite: Facebook routinely scans your Messenger conversations, and in some cases human employees may review them.
You may have pins on the back of your hard drive that nothing is connected to. These pins are called jumpers, and are used to enable specific types of settings. They’re not used so much with modern hard drives, except in some special circumstances.
You can restrict Windows Update’s download speed on Windows 10. Some applications also let you limit their bandwidth. But, for applications that don’t have that built in, you’ll need third-party software.
A travel router is great way to bring the power and features you enjoy at home or in the office with you while you’re on the road. Click Here to Continue Reading
If you want to keep your home safe from the occasional bad guy, but don’t want to pay the premium for a professional system, SimpliSafe is a security system that you can easily install yourself. Here’s how to get it up and running.
Disabling third party app permissions in Facebook is faster than ever, thanks to a new bulk remove option. Head to App Settings, check apps you don’t want to provide permission anymore, then click “Remove.”
Windows 10 PCs can now send files, links, photos, and more to nearby PCs over Bluetooth. This “Nearby Sharing” or “Near Share” feature works a lot like Apple’s AirDrop, and it’s new in the Spring Creators Update.
So you’ve found a sweet new case for your PC, brimming with LEDs and fan cutouts and acrylic windows all over. Now you’ve just got to get all the guts from your current PC inside of it. Here’s how.
Facebook killed their M chat bot a few months back because it was more artificially stupid than artificially intelligent. Unfortunately, it lives on as the equally unintelligent M Suggestions in Facebook Messenger. Here’s how to turn those off.
Every other platform—Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and Linux—offers full disk encryption. But, if your PC doesn’t ship with encryption, you’ll need the Professional version of Windows 10—a $100 upgrade from Windows Home.
macOS: Staying on task is hard, and productivity apps quickly become time sinks themselves. Effortless is a combination timer and task list that prompts you to get to work immediately.
It’s important to have different passwords for every site or service you use, but tracking all those passwords is a pain (so most people… Click Here to Continue Reading
People have strong feelings about which direction video should be oriented. There are good reasons for that, but in some contexts, vertical video is completely fine and you should stop complaining about it.
Microsoft is set to release the Spring Creators Update, also known as Redstone 4, at some point in April. You can pause the update to avoid receiving it immediately—as long as you’re using Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, or Education.
Instagram broke many third party apps over the weekend as it massively reduced the number of API calls clients can make, from 5,000 an hour down to 200.
If you’re looking for a fun photo accessory for your iPhone that brings back the feel of an instant camera with a modern twist, the Pryn… Click Here to Continue Reading