Quick Links Summary “Built on Thread” logos and the related variations indicate a smart home device uses the low-power mesh network protocol Thread for connectivity. If you’re shopping for smart home gear, you’re bound to come across products with little logos that say “Built on Thread” often with adjacent text like “Required Border Router.” Here’s what you need to know. What Is Thread? Thread is a low-power IP-based mesh network protocol built from the ground up for the Internet of Things (IoT) smart home....

Quick Links For many years, Android was known for its quirky dessert nicknames. Froyo, Ice Cream Sandwich, Lollipop, Oreo, and more. It was a yearly tradition to find out the new name, but then that came to an end. What happened? A Brief History of Android Desserts The first version of Android—Android 1.0—was released in October 2008 on the T-Mobile G1 (a pretty ugly phone). Internally, it was codenamed “Astro Boy,” but there was no public nickname attached to it....

Summary While other desktop environments like XFCE and Cinnamon exist, GNOME and KDE are still the most popular options. Plenty of Linux users prefer KDE, but GNOME simply feels like home to me. GNOME’s Simplicity Is a Strength In most cases, once you’ve logged into a GNOME session, you see a gray screen with your desktop floating over the top of it. If you’re new to GNOME, you’ll see a short intro to how to make your way around, but even this tutorial is relatively barebones, considering this is a full-fledged desktop environment....

Summary Most webcams don’t have the high-quality camera sensors and high resolutions found in modern smartphones, so dark environments or a light source behind you can easily ruin your video quality. Before you rush off to buy a new webcam, though, you should try getting a light first. How Lights Affect Your Webcam The first thing to understand is that most webcams arebad. TheLogitech C920xis one of the top-selling webcams, and it’s just a slight revision of the modelLogitech introduced in 2012....

Summary As fighting games have evolved beyond their arcade roots, the truth is that you don’t need a fight stick anymore. Many players will benefit from innovations made in modern titles by using a standard controller. Despite all this, I still love mine. Modern Fighting Games Are Designed For Console Controllers Motion inputs, like rotating a joystick in a quarter circle and then pressing a button, have always been a barrier for newcomers to fighting games....

Quick Links Right now, there’s a good chance you’ve got a bright yellow or red flashlight in your junk drawer and, well, it’s a real piece of crap you can’t depend on. No time like the present to replace it with a super bright and reliable new one. Even If Your Old Flashlight Works, Toss It Listen, we get it. Nobody wants to be wasteful and that cruddy old flashlight you’ve had banging around in your junk drawer for years still works....

Are cables driving you around the twist? Not only are they unsightly, difficult to hide, and easy to tangle; they can be dangerous tripping or fire hazards too. Here are some tips for tidying, hiding, and better organizing cables around the home. Use Power Strips to Limit Cable Runs If you have more devices than power outlets you’ll be familiar with how essential power strips are. you may also use power strips (like theSuperdanny 10ft Power Strip) to reduce cable clutter, since they allow you to combine multiple power cable runs into one....

Quick Links Google offers many different services these days, and a single Google account spreads your information across a lot of them. There are some things you may do to lock down security and privacy on your account. We’ll show you. Turn On Two-Factor Authentication Let’s start with something everyone who has a Google account should do—turn on two-factor authentication(2FA). This is a simple thing to do, but it adds an important extra layer of security to your account....

Quick Links Whenever I become entirely engrossed in a video game, I seek out other forms of media through which I can try to capture that same feeling. Here are some of my favorite video game and movie pairings. 10Robocop Rogue City(2023) andRobocop(1987) I know, pairing the only goodRobocopgame with the bestRobocopmovie might feel a bit obvious—but hear me out. 2023sRogue Cityis a genuinelyworthwhile AA gamethat perfectly captures the feeling of being Alex Murphy in the futuristic and crime-ridden Old Detroit....

Quick Links When was the last time you really looked at your email address? If it’s been ages since you first signed up, it might be worth considering getting a new one, as it could come with some benefits worth exploring. Here are a few things to consider when deciding if it’s time for an email upgrade. Your Email Doesn’t Represent You Anymore Your email address likely holds a special place as one of your earliest digital identities....

You’ve probably used Linux today without even realizing it. From your phone to the cloud, it’s everywhere. Here are five surprising facts about Linux that most people don’t know. 5Linux Powers the Internet More Than You Might Think When most people think of operating systems, they picture Windows or macOS. But the OS quietly doing most of the heavy lifting online? That’s Linux. Technically, Linux falls under the broader “Unix-like” family....

Are you tired of Windows but scared of Linux? But what if Linux looked like Windows and offered a user-friendly terminal-free user experience? Here are five Linux distributions offering a Windows-like experience so you may smoothly make the jump to Linux! 1Q4OS: A Hidden Gem Among Windows-Like Distros Q4OSis a Debian-based Linux distro with a focus on stability, reliability, and delivering a Windows-like experience. It comes in two main versions—KDE Plasma and the lightweight Trinity Desktop environment....

Quick Links As our lives grow more intertwined with the internet, terms like “Wi-Fi 5” and “5G” have become commonplace. Despite their frequent use, you wouldn’t be alone in feeling unsure about what these terms indicate beyond the ability to connect to the internet wirelessly. Mobile Data Vs. Wi-Fi Both mobile data and Wi-Fi use radio waves to connect compatible devices to the internet. There are, however, many differences between the two in terms of how they operate and their abilities....