Microsoft decided to give users a free upgrade to Windows 10 if they were previously running Windows 7 or 8—but it came with a catch. Their main motivation for knocking off over $100 from the normal going rate was to get more people using new Microsoft services like Cortana and the Windows Store. To bolster these services, Microsoft implemented a host of new tracking "features" in Windows 10.
Time takes its toll on your home screen. Before you know it, your clean app pages start filling up with social media, music streaming, video, and dozens of other kinds of apps. And let's face it, a lot of those apps are never touched after the first few times you use them.
Have you ever had one of your Android games post a notification in a lame attempt to remind you to play? This is becoming a common practice these days, and to me, it's about as annoying as a Best Buy blue shirt when I'm just trying to check out the latest TVs.
Yes, "Safer Internet Day" is a real thing, and it's actually been around for 12 years. This year, Google again will be commemorating the event by giving away a 2-gigabyte storage bump for their Google Drive cloud service if you simply run through a security checkup.
The Nexus 6 came with a hidden kernel module that allowed for double-tap-to-wake functionality, essentially letting you turn your screen on just by tapping it. A simple root app allowed us to activate this feature, which meant we were always two quick taps away from waking our device.
Auto-correction is a double-edged sword if I ever saw one. It's great because I'd have an abundance of typos without it, yet it's extremely frustrating (and embarrassing) when it doesn't actually work. Just take a look at the very recent example below from Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul. Funny for us, embarrassing for him. I have a particularly difficult time typing on small keyboards (i.e. fat-finger syndrome), so disabling auto-correction on my Samsung Galaxy S4 is a no-go. I'm willing to ris...
A recent security risk exposed by software engineer Szymon Sidor has raised a few eyebrows amongst the Android community.
Whether it's bad timing, or some trying-to-be-funny photobomber, it sucks having a photo ruined by someone or something getting in the way. While you can always retake the photo, it's simply impossible to capture the moment you intended, no matter how much restaging you do. But with an HTC One, there's no need to retake anything, as we have access to built-in features that will remove those photo intruders.
If you're a Febreze fanatic, you're well aware that the "odor eliminator" can be pretty pricey, and that's reason enough to stop buying it.
When it comes to blocking unwanted calls, your Android device comes stocked with a native blocking feature that allows you to reject certain phone numbers. That being said, the native blocking feature on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 isn't the prettiest or the smartest, with its non-obvious setup and lack of features.
I love getting notifications for every email received on my Samsung Galaxy S3 and whenever a download finishes, but there are some alerts I could definitely do without.
"Enter your email address. Confirm your email address." I absolutely hate seeing those two sentences when I'm signing up for something online, especially on my Samsung Galaxy S3. The less keyboard work I have to do on my mobile the better. Luckily, there is a way to enter your email address without having to type it all out, and I'm going to show you how it's done.
Many people are bored of the typical square-ish icons arranged in a uniform grid on their Android homescreen. I dislike looking at grids of buttons and sometimes I would like to have some really HUGE buttons for the applications that matter the most at any given time.
A certain selection of applications on your Android device (both system and downloaded) start running as soon as your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 turns on, laboriously hammering away at whatever tasks they have to do.
With iOS 7, Apple is finally fighting back against spam, offering the option to block certain phone numbers from sending you text messages or iMessages (plus, phone calls and FaceTime too).
A lot of computers come with a ton of pre-installed software from the manufacturer, some of which you need and some of which you could most certainly live without. And over time, you may have downloaded and installed a bunch of programs and apps that you probably can't even remember. Now, you could go ahead and uninstall everything that you don't think you need, but then you run the risk of removing something that could really mess up the system. When I open up my Programs folder, I feel like...
Some of my Facebook status updates are absolutely hilarious, and sometimes (though rarely) even my friends updates can get me on the floor laughing. And like most of you, I'm sure, when you come across something funny—you have to share it.
It's really no wonder why Christmas is the most popular and widely celebrated holiday of the year. Your whole family gets a chance to spend some much needed quality time together—and not just gorging on food like at Thanksgiving. But in all seriousness, that's not the reason at all... we're talking Christmas presents here.
If you're like me, getting as much sleep as possible is priority number one. With more and more time spent on or around our cell phones, it's becoming harder and harder to block out all the noise.
Robert Templeman from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana and several of his friends from Indiana University recently developed an Android application that is capable of gathering pictures and videos from mobile devices in order to reconstruct a user's environment in 3D. The malware would come coded inside of a camera application that the user would download. The malware, called PlaceRaider, would then randomly take pictures throughout the day and carefully piece them together ...
Always wanted to try skinny dipping but not sure quite how to get the ball rolling? There's not much to it but with a little bit of forward thinking you can make sure to get your friends on board while avoiding cops and an unwanted audience.
If you use Facebook more than you probably should, then you may have noticed all of those emails they send you. You'll get one when somebody comments on your wall, when someone comments on a comment you wrote on somebody else's comment, when somebody comments on a photo someone else tagged you in, when some… well, you get the idea… a LOT of freaking emails!
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to install and use Ad Block Plus in Mozilla Firefox. Begin by clicking on Tools and select Add-on. Then click on Get Add on and search for the extension in the search box. Now install the add on and restart the browser. Users will be able to selectively block out text ads or even just elements of web page that is not wanted to be seen. This video will benefit those viewers who use the Mozilla Firefox web browser, and would like to learn how to install...
Learn how to make crochet chain stitches to start rounds on a beanie cap with the help of "Shred Betties" Things you need: hook and yarn. Instructions: To start round 2 you need to chain 3 now. Insert your hook into the last loop you made making the yarn placed over. Pull yarn through the loop. Repeat the steps (yarn over, pull yarn through). Make sure the yarn hugs the hook comfortably. Pulling it too tight will make small stitches, making it too loose. It causes unwanted bagginess. Repeat t...
When you are tested for drugs, the drugs can be found in your hair and blood. There are three types of tests: hair test, blood test and urine test. The urine test, being the cheapest, is the most common drug test. Some ways to beat this unwanted drug screening is by drinking x-amount of water, this dilutes the drug within your system. The second method is to inform them that you are a user, or that you attend frequent rock concerts. (This method isn't recommended because of the outrageous amo...
In this video, we learn how to draw a basic wolf using simple shapes. First, draw the head of the wolf looking down with it's mouth open. Next, draw two circles to show where the front and back feet will go. Next, draw the fur onto the animal, then draw in the fur. Next, draw in the details of the face and the paws as well. Take your time while you are drawing this and make sure to erase any unwanted lines are you are going along. Add in the fur to detail the wolf and give it more personality...
We have all had a sticker stuck on something that just will not come off. No need you scrape all day. Use a handy science trick and apply some heat to loosen up the adhesive and remove that unwanted sticker.
In recent years, unwanted calls have become a top priority for the FCC. In 2016, analysts estimated that US customers received over 2.4 billion robocalls per month. As a result, the FCC has provided carriers new tools to combat this problem.
In our first part on software-defined radio and signals intelligence, we learned how to set up a radio listening station to find and decode hidden radio signals — just like the hackers who triggered the emergency siren system in Dallas, Texas, probably did. Now that we can hear in the radio spectrum, it's time to explore the possibilities of broadcasting in a radio-connected world.
Deleting text messages on your iPhone may seem like a pretty simple task, but it's those really simple tasks that usually end up causing headaches later on. Data can stick around, even if you asked it not to, so there's always a slight chance that embarrassing and incriminating texts you supposedly deleted may end up in the wrong hands one day.
With Apple's Photos app, you no longer need a third-party tool on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to blur or pixelate faces in your photos, helping you safeguard identities when sharing online.
In a world full of augmented reality camera effects apps, one app is going in a more social direction.
Google is an incredibly useful database of indexed websites, but querying Google doesn't search for what you type literally. The algorithms behind Google's searches can lead to a lot of irrelevant results. Still, with the right operators, we can be more exact while searching for information that's time-sensitive or difficult to find.
Those going on crazy off-road adventures, taking their inspiration from various SUV commercials, are likely to encounter many unexpected, all-terrain dangers.
While you might suspect your MacOS computer has been infected with malware, it can be difficult to know for sure. One way to spot malicious programs is to look for suspicious behavior — like programs listening in on our keyboard input or launching themselves every time we boot. Thanks to free MacOS tools called ReiKey and KnockKnock, we can detect suspicious programs to discover keyloggers and other persistent malware lurking on our system.
Absentmindedly or accidentally deleting your favorite Spotify playlist — which you spent hours or even days meticulously crafting — may seem devastating because there's no obvious way to bring it back. However, there is a hidden setting in the popular streaming service that can help you recover deleted playlists — you just need to know where to look.
CarPlay is no doubt the best way to use your iPhone when behind the wheel since you can safely drive without too many distractions. It gets even better with all the music and podcasting apps available, as well as third-party navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze. With more apps being added to CarPlay every day, it becomes more necessary to rearrange your home screen.
While Leap Motion has given makers a DIY solution for building their own augmented reality headset with Project North Star, a self-described "AR wonk" has taken the blueprints one step further by creating an untethered version.
Android has gotten significantly better at handling intrusive ads over the years. Things have gotten to the point to where these nuisances are largely a non-issue for most of us. However, there are still a few ad-laden apps that fall through the cracks — particularly the kind that bombard your lock screen with ads.
When you've exhausted your data plan, streaming isn't an option unless you want overcharges. While Apple Music makes it easy to download songs for offline listening, you need to add the music to your library first. This creates an extra step in downloading music, but it doesn't have to — Apple Music lets you automatically download any song, album, or playlist that you add to your library.
