Efficiency Rating Search Results

How To: Why & When to Evolve Your Pokémon in Pokémon GO

Like previous installments in the Pokémon series, as you progress through Pokémon GO you'll be able to evolve your Pokémon into more-powerful monsters with new and more-damaging attacks. However, unlike older entries in the series, your Pokémon won't simply evolve when they reach a certain level. Instead, you'll have to "feed" them a certain amount of character-specific candy to induce the transformation.

How To: Make Your Own Battery-Saving 'Lite Apps' for Android

Several major web services—most notably Facebook—have horrendous Android apps that occupy way too much space and drain battery life at an alarming rate. Such issues have led to a new trend where third-party developers create minimalist "lite" apps that are essentially the mobile website bundled into a native Android wrapper, freeing up storage space and saving battery life without sacrificing many features at all.

How To: Buy a USB Type-C Cable That Won't Fry the Battery on Your Nexus, MacBook, or Pixel

Ready or not, the USB-C cable is about to take over your electronics. The new industry standard is fully reversible and packed with enough power to serve as a laptop charger or an HDMI cable, so it actually has the potential to replace every cord, wire, and connector in your house. In fact, the conversion has already started: The latest MacBook, Chromebook Pixel, and Nexus phones are sporting USB-C connectors out of the box.

How To: Add Chrome Custom Tabs to Every App on Android

Android has a built-in browser called WebView that any app can use, which makes it easy for developers to display webpages without actually having to build an internet browser into their apps. But WebView is a stripped-down, bare bones browser with no ties to Android's default browser, Chrome, so none of your synced data like bookmarks, passwords, and history is available when an app is using WebView to display a page.

Cook Like a Chef: Use Parchment Paper Lids Instead

Simmering or poaching food is a total pain sometimes. The problems are numerous: a layer exposed to air often dries out and creates a gross skin that can ruin the texture of the sauce, the poaching liquid evaporates too quickly and causes the poached protein to burn, and so on.

How To: Reduce Browning in Avocados & Other Fruits by Switching Your Knives

Keeping apples or avocados from browning after being cut is impossible; within minutes of being exposed to air, these fruits (yes, avocado is a fruit) begin to brown. No matter what you try—adding lemon juice, keeping the pits in place, immediately sealing the produce in an airtight bag—brown discoloration always occurs. However, air is not the only reason that foods like apples, avocados, and lettuce brown: it's also due to the knife you're using.

How To: Perfect Your Eggs Benedict with These Foolproof Hollandaise Methods

In an age where restaurants can charge $20 for eggs Benedict at brunchtime (if you're lucky enough to even get a reservation on a Sunday), many people long for a way to create this classic dish at home. But once you've taken pains to perfectly poach an egg and gently crisp your sourdough, the problem of the hollandaise still lies before you. The key to any good hollandaise sauce is to apply enough heat to cook the egg yolks, but not enough to scramble them. The minute the eggs begin to solidi...

How To: Top Free Android Games for the Adventurous (No Couch Potatoes Allowed)

The increased sophistication of smartphones and apps have allowed us the luxury to never leave our homes. Everything from coffee to food to dry cleaning can be delivered straight to your door without ever leaving your couch, which can can be a godsend during the winter months when you'd rather not risk leaving your warm bed. But during the summer, you gotta ditch the comforter and go enjoy outdoors.

How To: Fall Asleep in Less Than 1 Minute

It can be pretty tough to fall asleep when your brain is thinking nonstop or anxiety has gotten the best of you, and it seems to only get harder when you're lying in bed listening to yourself breathe. Yet paying attention to that breathing may be exactly what you need in order to find a calm, easy entry into a good night's rest.

How To: Want to Appear Smarter? Stop Using Impressive Vocabulary

We've all been there: facing a lengthy, complex word that ignores the phonics we were taught in elementary school, unsure of not only its pronunciation, but also its meaning. These words, from autochthonous to esquamulose, are both terrifying and impressive. After all, if someone knows how to use them—and even say them—they must be quite smart. Yet before you begin stuffing every email and presentation with verbose prose, you might want to reconsider what others perceive to be intelligent.

Slow Down: Too Much Productivity Can Be a Bad Thing

Our workdays are typically filled with one thought: get as much completed as possible. Whether you face an inbox filled with tasks or just a project or two, both our bosses and our inner workhorses encourage us to knock out as many tasks as we can each day. But is being super-productive the best course of action for our minds and our employers?

How To: Increase Photo & Video Quality for Your HTC One M8's Camera

Although lacking in megapixels, the HTC One M8's camera can be considered a top-tier, flagship-level shooter. With the Duo Camera and UltraPixel technology behind it, it can make even the most inexperienced photographer snap pictures like a pro. There seems to be little missing for the average user, but for the more seasoned photographers, some of the standard settings may seem a bit too dumbed down.

How To: Make Soggy, Wilted Lettuce & Other Leafy Greens Edible Again

Sometimes you've got a head of lettuce that you want to eat but it lacks a certain youth. In other words, it's wilted and browning at the edges. Other times, you get to the grocery store near the end of day and the only lettuce or greens available look a little on the sad side. Never fear. You're not doomed to a meal of fast food or mouthfuls of soggy salad. You can easily revive those leaves and have something crisp, green, and delicious for your next meal, so don't dump it in the trash.