Posts

Quick Links Summary Google’s recent I/O 2024 conference was all about AI—the company proudly said “AI” 124 “times throughout its keynote (yes, you read that right). While the Mountain View giant showcased a ton of improvements to Gemini—its family of AI models—one feature caught our eye for its real-world usefulness: AI-powered scam call detection. Let’s face it:phone scamsare a pain. From annoying robocalls to sneaky impersonators posing as tech support or your bank, these scams can trick even the savviest users....

Quick Links Aside from the obvious benefit of being accessible offline, the Microsoft Word desktop app offers many tools you can’t use in its online counterpart. What’s more, many of those features are ones that, after using for years, I use every day and I simply couldn’t go without. I Struggle Using Word Without a Quick Access Toolbar I have become so accustomed to using the desktop app’sQuick Access Toolbar(QAT) that it just feels wrong when I’m faced with the plainness of Word for the web’s ribbon....

Movies have a complicated history with video game adaptations. I’m not referring to movies based on games—though they have their own spotty reputation—but rather licensed games attached to film franchises. While some movie games have become genre-defining icons, most fail to live up to their namesakes. The best games based on films aren’t directly tied to their source material, but instead come from less official sources. Some games walk a fine line between being fan-made homages and blatant knockoffs, but they capture the essence of their inspirations in ways that most licensed titles fail to emulate....

Summary The many revelations concerning Google’s privacy practices have had me—and possibly you, too—looking for an alternative to Google Workspace. I found it inProton’s suite of apps, and I’ll explain why I made the switch. Note that I’ll only be talking about Google’s productivity suite, so Google Drive, Gmail, and other related services. For web search, you should check outalternative search engines. The Problems with Google Workspace There’s no denying that Google Workspace, which has been through more names than I can mention over the years, is a great set of apps....

Summary If you’ve ever looked at your Mac’s storage settings to try and find out what’s using up all your space, you’ll have seen that it splits all your data into categories—apps, documents, photos, and so on. But there’s one category that isn’t obvious, and it’s often the largest of them all. So, what is System Data? What Is System Data on a Mac? First, to check how the storage on your Mac is being used, click the Apple icon in the top left corner of the toolbar and go to System Settings > General > Storage....

Quick Links Whether you had a rough time putting up your Christmas lights this year or you’re dreading taking them down after the holiday, there’s a solution to your problems: Permanent Christmas lights. Here’s what you need to know. What Are Permanent Christmas Lights? Christmas lights look lovely, and who doesn’t enjoy the look of homes festively lit in warm whites or multi-color strands? But not many people enjoy balancing on ladders, clipping lights to gutters and eaves, and all with the thought at the back of their mind that they might spend the holiday season banged up after taking a spill off the ladder,Clark Griswold-style....

Do you wish Google Photos had a few more features, like an easier way to manage your photos and cloud storage? If so, we have good news. This week, we learned that Google is working on a new feature that will let you better choose which content backs up to the cloud, helping you free up that important cloud storage space. Google Photos is one of the company’s most popular apps, and millions use it daily to back up their photos and videos....

Chances are that most of your favorite games involve you being the main hero of the story. Perhaps the playable character is meant to save the world, or maybe they have a unique talent or ability that no one else has. But what about the games where that responsibility falls to someone else? While it’s empowering to have such greatness thrust upon you, some of the most satisfying games are the ones where you impact the world indirectly or enable someone else to do so....

Quick Links Summary Getting a new Wi-Fi router is the perfect time to update your passwords, set up a guest network, and otherwise secure your router. You just plugged in yournew Wi-Fi router. Now what? It’s a perfect time to set things up with best practices right from the start and get the most out of your faster, better, and up-to-date hardware. Consider Starting with a Clean Slate Before we look at individual configuration options, let’s talk about starting with a clean slate....

Quick Links When the Phone Link app is linked to an Android device, you’re able to sync notifications, messages, and files between the two devices. However, the app has some features you may not know about and should be using. verify yousign into the Phone Link app on Windowsand theLink to Windows appon Android using the same Microsoft account. 1Control Music Playback If you are playing music on your Android device from an app like Spotify or Amazon Music while connected to the Phone Link app, you’re able to control the music playback....

Do you install a lot of different apps on your Linux computer? Are you worried that one of these apps might have a virus or malicious code that steals your data? Well, here are five security practices I personally follow to keep my Linux PC safe from these threats. Linux is a reasonably secure operating system, butit’s not virus-free. This is especially true for someone like me who installs and reviews different apps and software....

Summary While Windows offers a wide range of built-in tools, they often lack the features to meet our needs. Installing alternative software with advanced features can help streamline your workflow. From a versatile screenshot tool to a RAM-efficient browser, here are a few must-have apps for your PC. Firefox Microsoft recommends using Microsoft Edge as the primary browser on Windows. While Edge offers advantages such as seamless integration with Windows, Firefox is a compelling alternative due to its focus on privacy, security, and user control....

Are you new to Linux and feeling overwhelmed by all the jargon in the software stores, forums, and tutorials? Fear not, as in this article, I’ll explain essential Linux terminologies so you can confidently take part in Linux discussions. The Linux Kernel The Linux Kernelis the primary interface for all hardware-software interactions on your Linux operating system (OS). It enables software applications to efficiently utilize system hardware like processors, memory, peripherals, and more....