Blogroll

Deal Alert: RAVPower Banks and Chargers Are Discounted Today on Amazon

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 17:12

If your phone keeps dying while you’re away from home, then you might want to invest in a mobile power bank. Luckily, some of RAVPower’s best products are discounted on Amazon right now.

In the world of mobile power banks, RAVPower is a confident leader. The company sells high capacity batteries at an extremely affordable price. Of course, a hefty discount makes those prices even more affordable. It’s like icing on the cake.

Even when a good deal like this falls into your lap, it can be difficult to spend almost $30 on a battery. But trust me, keeping your phone alive all day makes this well worth the investment. You’ll wonder why you didn’t buy one sooner.

Buy on Amazon

Categories: IT General, Technology

Energizer’s 18,000 mAh Phone May Be the Most Revolutionary Device of 2019

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 16:43
Darren Millar/Twitter

The most stunning reveal at MWC 2019 isn’t a foldable phone or a phone with five cameras; it’s an Energizer phone with an 18,000 mAh battery. Good luck folding this thing.

Clearly, Energizer’s head is in the right place. The people of Earth have no need for a phone that folds, or clamps to another phone, or whatever. They need a phone that can last for weeks without a charge, a phone that can hold the door open while you bring in your groceries, a phone that can charge other phones.

That’s why Energizer revealed the beautiful, star-studded Power Max P18K Pop. It’s a bludgeonous 18mm thick phone with an 18,000 mAh battery, a pop-up selfie camera, and three rear cameras. That may sound impressive, but the phone’s technical specs are a bit underwhelming. It has a weak Mediatek Helio P70 SoC processor, 128 GB of storage, 6 GB of RAM, and an outdated 1080p 6.2″ LCD screen. It also has two SIM card trays, and one of them doubles as an SD card slot.

Of course, there’s one big problem with the Power Max P18K Pop: despite its hefty stature, it doesn’t have a headphone jack. I hope you’re not too disappointed.

Energizer claims that the Power Max P18K Pop will come out in June of 2019. It might be the most revolutionary phone of all time, so get ready to see an 18,000 mAh bulge in every pocket.

Source: Androidpolice

Categories: IT General, Technology

What Is DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)?

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 16:00

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is integral to networks and controls what IP addresses devices receive so they can communicate with the internet. Usually, IP assignment is automated, but if you need static IPs, familiarity with DHCP is essential.

DHCP Can Handle IP Assignments

Every device that connects to a network needs an IP address. In the early days of networking, users manually assigned themselves an IP address, but that’s a cumbersome task, especially for places with many devices, such as a corporate office. DHCP, in part, automates this process, which makes connecting devices to the network far easier. DHCP servers or routers handle this process based on a set of defined rules. Most routers are set to use a 192.168.0.x range, for instance, so you’ll commonly see IP addresses like this in home networks.

The process is pretty straight forward. When a client (a computer, IOT device, tablet, cell phone, etc.) connects to the network, it sends out a signal (called DHCPDISCOVER) to the DHCP server (or router). The server responds with all the rules and settings for the network and an IP address for use (a DHCPOFFER). The client acknowledges the information and asks permission to use the assigned address (a DHCPREQUEST message). Finally, the DHCP server acknowledges the request, and the client is free to connect to the network.

DHCP Controls the Range of IP Addresses

You can configure DHCP to control the range of IP addresses available for use. If you state that range as starting at 192.168.0.1 and the end as 192.168.0.100, then all available addresses will fall somewhere within that range. You’ll never see a device assigned to 192.168.0.101. Also, bear in mind that the start IP (192.168.0.1 in this example) is reserved for the router. Some routers only list a starting address and then include an option for a maximum number of users (which determines the end address).

The upside to this is you can control how many devices connect to your network simultaneously (no more than 100 in this example). But the downside is if you set the range too small you can unintentionally prevent connection of new devices. To allow for a lower range of IP addresses, DHCP servers only lease out IP addresses to devices.

Dynamically Assigned Addresses are Temporary

When a DHCP server assigns an IP Address, it does so under a lease system. The machine retains this IP address for a set number of days, after which it can try to renew the IP address. If no renewal signal is sent (such as a decommissioned machine), then the DHCP server reclaims the IP address to assign to another device. When the renewal signal is detected, the device retains its IP address for another set of days. This is why your IP address may appear to change from time to time if you use the ipconfig option often.

It’s possible for two devices to end up with the same IP, such as a VM machine that spends most of its time offline. The VM machine won’t be able to send the renew signal, so its IP address will be handed out to another machine. When the VM is brought back up, it still has a record of the old IP address (especially if restored from a snapshot), but it won’t be able to use that IP address since it is taken. Without that permission, it can’t connect to the network until a new IP is assigned. But using dynamic IP addresses should prevent this type of scenario.

Static IP Addresses are Necessary For Some Devices

Read the remaining 5 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Logitech Powered Review: Stylish Wireless iPhone Charging for a Premium

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 15:00

Logitech

If you’re looking for a very stylish wireless iPhone charger and you don’t mind paying a bit of a premium, the Logitech Powered wireless charger not only looks good but functions as a handy landscape-friendly cradle.

The biggest inertia the Powered wireless charger has to overcome is resistance to the price tag. The design is sharp, but at $70—sold exclusively through Logitech’s website and Apple—you definitely want to be sure you’re getting your monies worth out of it. Let’s breakdown what we loved and didn’t love about the stand.

Designed for the iPhone

The Powered wireless charger is a Qi charger offering from Logitech that is styled, clearly, to pair with the iPhone platform. The stand features a pure white design with gentle curves that make it look like it was birthed directly out of a piece of Apple packaging.

In addition, the curvature of the cradle bottom is designed to make it easy to drop your phone in without fussing over placement (to that end it’s very useful).  It features a lightly rubberized surface to keep your iPhone seated in place, a cradle notch so you can place your iPhone vertically or horizontally (more on that in a moment), and 7.5w of charing power to hit the maximum charging capacity of your wireless-charge capable iPhone (which is any phone iPhone 8 and above including the X, XS, XR, and large variants.)

We’ve said iPhone a lot so far and that’s because unless you’re buying the Powered for anything but an iPhone you’re making a mistake. While you can put any Qi-capable phone on the cradle so long as its charging coils line up roughly with the center of the pad it only charges at 7.5w when paired with an iPhone and maxes out at 5w when paired with any other Qi-capable phone. If you’re looking for a wireless charging cradle that will work well for a multi-platform household the Powered is a poor choice because it’ll leave your Samsung, or similar, phone wanting for power.

Logitech

For an iPhone-centric household, however, the cradle is undeniable sharp looking and a compelling pick for anybody looking to get away from the black-on-black industrial look of many charging stands. Further, if strict adherence to Apple’s design standards is important to you the Powered is one of the few charging stands on the market, outside of some other premium options like the Belkin Boostup, designed with Apple oversight to ensure the charging coil design doesn’t interfere with the iPhone’s radios. Among other design considerations, the cradles leans back at not just a pleasant viewing angle but a great angle for smooth FaceID unlocks.

Landscape Is Surprisingly Practical

Speaking of viewing angles: I use the iPhone wireless charging almost exclusively for my iPhone by placing it flat on my nightstand at the end of the day and sitting in a cradle on my desk during working hours. While landscape mode charging isn’t high on my list of must-have features, the stand is designed very well for that end and I certainly appreciated how well it worked as a landscape-oriented cradle.

A lot of stands on the market offer landscape mode by placing two coils in the stand back (so that whether the phone is horizontal or vertical the internal coil in the phone lines up roughly with one or the other). The end result is that your phone is landscape but it’s sitting very lower to surface it is on, almost as if it’s propped up using a kickstand.

Read the remaining 9 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

What Is SD Express and How Much Faster Is It?

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 15:00

SD Association

SD cards are about to get bigger and faster. The new SD Express standard will increase the maximum capacity and speed significantly. SD Express cards are backward compatible with your current hardware, but you’ll need new hardware for maximum speeds.

SD Cards Are Reaching Their Current Limits

Since we use SD and microSD cards in 3D cameras, action cameras, ever more powerful smartphones, DSLR cameras, tablets, video game consoles, and even cars, there are ever-increasing demands for storage space, as well as faster read and write speeds.

SanDisk recently announced what it called the world’s fastest 1 TB microSD card, touting read speeds of 160 MB/s, which is enough to “transfer 1000 high-resolution photos and 30 minutes of 4K video (24GB) in less than 3 minutes.” Some cards have lower storage capacity, but higher write speeds, such as the Delkin 128 GB microSD card that boasts right speeds at 300 MB/s. But manufacturers are already pushing the limit of the current standards. The theoretical limit for SDXC, for instance, is 2 TB.

SD Cards Are Getting SSD Protocols For Faster Speeds SD Association

Through the incorporation of PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Expres) and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) protocols, SD cards will have a new theoretical limit of 985 MB/s, more than six times as fast as the 1 TB SanDisk cards. If PCIe and NVMe sound familiar to you, that’s because they’ve been used for SSDs for a while now, and SD Express cards will be able to serve as removable solid state drives.

The SD Association says these new speeds will allow for super slow motion, 8K video and add support for raw continuous burst mode, which will be a boon to digital photographers. Additionally, by incorporating PCIe 3.1, SD Express cards can consume less power than the cards came before it. In theory, this should contribute to better battery life on mobile products, how much though is unclear.

Overall, the idea is that leveraging existing technologies will speed adoption, as new testing equipment and development processes shouldn’t be needed. Manufacturers can use what they already know from creating solid state drives.

Storage Capacities Are Increasing, Too SD Association

As part of the transition, SD and microSD cards are seeing a size increase, pushing the upper limit from 2 TBs to 128 TBs. Cards capable of greater than 2 TBs will be marked as SDUC, adding to the SDHC and SDXC categories.

As always, read and write speeds are separate from storage capacity, so you will see SDHC and SDXC cards marked as SD Express and capable of faster write speeds. And all these benefits are coming to both SD and microSD cards, and SD Express cards are backward compatible with previous devices.

They’re Backwards Compatible, But You Lose the Speed

All of this amazing speed is due in part to a new row of pins found on SD Express (And SD UHS-ii) cards. Unfortunately, that means your current devices can’t make use of those pins, they lack the necessary hardware. But, according to the SD Association, you’ll still get the extra storage.

Read the remaining 6 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

What’s New in Chrome 73, Arriving March 12

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 13:40

Chrome 73 is set to hit the stable channel on March 12, 2019. Google’s new browser update features the beginnings of a built-in dark mode, tab grouping, media key support, and more picture-in-picture powers.

Before we get into the details here, it’s worth noting that none of this is guaranteed. While these features are expected (and even planned) to be part of Chrome 73, there’s always a chance something gets pulled before it hits the stable channel and may not make its way out of the beta (or even dev) channel until Chrome 74 or beyond.

Dark Mode (on Mac, For Now)

Dark mode is the new hotness on pretty much everything now, and Google should be bringing it to Chrome 73. This feature is available on macOS Mojave but will be making its way to Windows as well—perhaps in Chrome 74.

The biggest issue here? It looks an awful lot like Incognito Mode, which is probably not a good thing.

To use dark mode on a Mac, you’ll have to launch Chrome with the --force-dark-mode option, like so:

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --force-dark-mode

If you can’t wait to get a dark mode fix, however, you can always install one of Google’s new Chrome themes to add a little darkness to your browser in the meantime.

RELATED: Get Your Dark Mode Fix with Google’s New Chrome Theme(s)

Tab Grouping

Read the remaining 29 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Geek Trivia: What Was The Most Expensive Computer Of All Time?

How-To Geek - Tue, 02/26/2019 - 09:02

What Was The Most Expensive Computer Of All Time?
  1. Deep Thought
  2. Watson
  3. SAGE
  4. Earth Simulator

Think you know the answer?

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Close Multiple Tabs at Once in Safari on iPhone

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 22:00

Browsing the web on an iPhone is a great way to kill a few minutes, and it’s still the best mobile browsing experience around. If you’ve collected a bunch of open tabs, here’s an easy way to close just the ones you want.

There are, in fact, a couple of different ways to close tabs in Safari on iPhone. Whether you want to close all of the open tabs or just a select few, we’ve got your back. If you’re anything like us you have tabs upon tabs open right now and swiping across them all one by one is crazy making. Thankfully, the folks at Apple thought up a couple of ways to save our sanity.

How to Close Several Similar Tabs at Once

To close specific tabs at once, first, open Safari and then tap the Tabs button.

Next, scroll to the top of your collection of open tabs and search for the tabs you want to close. An example may be all tabs that have Twitter open, or maybe all tabs from the Apple Store.

When the tabs are selected, press and hold “Cancel.” You’ll be shown an option to close tabs matching the search you just entered. Tap it.

Read the remaining 8 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Here Are All the Foldable Phones Announced at MWC so Far

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 19:46

Folding phone screens are the next big thing…maybe. They’re certainly thick on the ground at Mobile World Congress, the yearly phone extravaganza in Barcelona. We’re rounding up all of the designs with folding screens we’ve seen so far.

Note that all of the folding screen designs, even the ones currently destined for a full release, were shown in strictly hands-off capacity, either behind glass or only accessible to a presenter. How these phones will handle in the real world is, at least for the moment, very much in the air.

Samsung Galaxy Fold Samsung

This is the big one, introduced at a pre-MWC press event last week. Samsung’s design actually uses two screens: a smaller 4.6-inch one on the front of the device and a 7.3-inch screen with a polymer cover that unfolds from the inside, book-style. The camera setup is disjointed: one on the “front,” two on the inside in a notch where the larger screen sits, and three on the back. The Galaxy Fold will be available in April with a price of $1980 to start, and there’s a 5G variant in the works as well.

Huawei Mate X Huawei

This design from Chinese giant Huawei takes more or less the opposite approach from Samsung, using a single screen that wraps around the front and back of the folding body. That one is 8 inches when open, with a relatively small 2480×2000 resolution. When folded, its primary screen is 6.6 inches, while the “rear” screen is 6.4. The phone looks more elegant, and the camera setup makes more sense with the form factor: three sensors hang out in the thick “lip” where the fold rests in its smaller configuration. This allows all three cameras to be either rear-facing or front-facing “selfie” cams, depending on how you’re holding it.

Huawei

Huawei says that the phone packs a 5G radio, its own Kirin 980 processor design, and a combined 4500 mAh battery. It will cost an astounding €2300 ($2600 USD, not that it’s likely to come to the US at all) when it launches in mid-2019.

Oppo Concept Oppo/Weibo

Another competitor from a big Chinese brand, this Oppo design looks a lot like Huawei’s Mate X but hasn’t been confirmed for a retail release at the moment. The hardware is only being shown on Weibo by an Oppo executive. It uses the same exterior folding screen with a single panel, a large grip that the phone folds into when closed, and holds the camera and external ports. Oppo says it may develop the design into a full release if it sees enough demand from the market.

TCL Concepts The Verge

TCL, the current owners and marketers of the Blackberry brand, is also working on folding designs. These concepts have no clear path to retail release—they’re the earliest in development of the bunch. But they’re worth checking out. One of them uses the interior, book-style fold of the Galaxy Fold, essentially trying to shrink a tablet into a phone size. Another has the larger interior screen plus a small external screen.

The Verge

The other design uses the fold to crunch a conventional smartphone-style device into a clamshell, folding over a vertical screen into something that looks like the hinged “dumb” phone designs of the late 90s and 2000s. Another concept shown to the press is a fold that goes in a circular motion, allowing a phone to be worn like a “slap” bracelet when not in use. It’s worth noting that TCL is a huge OEM seller of screen technology, so these designs may show up connected to other brands.

LG V50 ThinkQ LG

Read the remaining 4 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Sony’s New Xperia Phones Go Ultra Wide for Movie Lovers

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 19:35

This year’s Mobile World Conference is flooded with foldable phones and weird connectible phones. Sony wants to give you extra screen real estate too, but in a more practical manner.

Today, Sony announced the Xperia 1, the Xperia 10, and the Xperia 10 Plus. There are a few differences between these phones, but they share one key quality: they all have a 21:9 aspect ratio. For reference, most phones and home TV’s have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

What does this mean? Well, Sony’s new Xperia line is ultra-wide (or ultra-tall, depending on how you look at it). A 21:9 aspect ratio is perfect for watching films, and Sony suggests that the Xperia can even be used to record and edit films.

The Xperia 1 is the flagship of the new Xperia line. As you can imagine, it’s built for movie lovers. It has a 6.5″ 4K OLED display, a USB-C charging slot, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Inside of the Xperia 1 sits 6 GB of RAM, a new Snapdragon 855 processor, and 128 GB of storage with an expansion slot.

It also has three 12 MP cameras (telephoto, wide, and super wide) that are capable of filming 4K video at 24 FPS. Sony suggests that it’s the perfect device for watching movies, shooting and editing video, or taking high-resolution photos.

The Xperia 10 (6.0-inches) and the Xperia 10 Plus (6.5-inches) are only slightly less impressive than the Xperia 1. They don’t have 4K OLED screens, but they can still record 4K video, even though their cameras are more in the 8 MP range. They have less RAM at 3 GB and 4 GB respectively, slightly slower processors with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 and 636, and only 64 GB of internal storage, but they still have MicroSD expansion slots.

The Xperia 10 and 10 Plus will be released on March 18th, and they cost $380 and $480 respectively. But the Xperia 1 will come out sometime this Spring, and Sony hasn’t announced a price point yet.

Read the remaining 4 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Android Gets FIDO2 Certification for Quick, Secure Web Logins

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 19:05

You’ve long been able to log in to mobile apps like banking and credit institutions using biometric verifications, but with FIDO2 certifications, this same convenience is coming to the web on over half of all Android devices.

You know the scenario: once you log in to a specific app—like your bank, for example—it gives you the option to log in using your fingerprint in future instances. If you enable it, you only need to touch your phone’s fingerprint reader to log in from that point forward, which is great.

This isn’t just nice for convenience—it’s also a lot more secure. Since the fingerprint information is stored locally on your device and not in the cloud, there’s virtually zero chance of it ever being compromised. Now, this same functionality is coming to the web on Android devices running Android 7.0 and above.

It will require a Google Play Service update on all supported devices, which will roll out through the Play Store. On top of that, web developers will need to also enable the feature, so don’t expect it to work out of the gate on all sites that you log into. Baby steps, you know?

If your device doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner, this will also work with other forms of secure logins—like PIN or pattern inputs. And because it’s all on the web, users will be able to set up password-less logins from an app and have it also work on the web (and vice versa).

We’re getting closer and closer to a true password-less future every day. I can’t wait.

Globalnewsire

Categories: IT General, Technology

Qualcomm Quick Charge Goes Wireless, and Works Alongside QI Charging

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 18:41
The Xiaomi Wireless Quick Charge Pad

Qualcomm Quick Charge is the standard fast charging method for thousands of Android phones. But Qualcomm hasn’t made an effort to bring Quick Charge to wireless chargers—until today.

Wireless charging is becoming extremely popular, and some people think that it will eventually eliminate the need for wired chargers. But there’s one big problem. Manufactures build wireless chargers to inconsistent standards, and some wireless chargers work poorly or produce a lot of unnecessary heat.

There are also a lot of manufacturers that sell wireless chargers that “support” Quick Charge (if you know what I mean). These products aren’t vetted by Qualcomm, and they don’t always comply with Quick Charge standards for safety and efficiency.

Qualcomm is pursuing the most obvious solution to this problem. This morning, the company announced that Wireless Quick Charge will be added to the Quick Charge compliance standards. If manufacturers want to sell wireless chargers that support Quick Charge, then their products need to be tested for safety, efficiency, and universal Quick Charge compatibility.

Wireless Qi charging has been around for a while, and manufacturers are required to get “Qi-Certified” before they roll out any Wireless Qi products. Clearly, Qualcomm noticed this too, and the company announced that they want “interoperability” between Wireless Quick Charge and Wireless Qi. Basically, they want all wireless chargers to work with all cellphones.

The first official Wireless Quick Charge product will be released by Xiaomi later this year. Xiaomi is one of the biggest supporters of wireless charging technology, so it’s no surprise that the phone company is leading the way for Wireless Quick Charge.

Sources: Qualcomm, Xiaomitoday

Categories: IT General, Technology

Nokia 9 PureView Uses Five Cameras for Every Photo

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 18:16
Sarah Tew/CNET

All this talk about foldable phones can get a little overwhelming. Speaking of overwhelming, HMD just announced a Nokia phone that has five cameras.

Meet the Nokia PureView 9. HMD has been showing it off at Mobile World Congress, and it’s created a little buzz. The Nokia PureView 9 has five cameras on the back to produce brilliant photos that rival the Google Pixel and the iPhone. But these cameras work in tandem, they’re sort of like the eyes on an insect.

Essentially, the Nokia PureView 9 uses all five of its 12 MP cameras for every photo that you take. The images from these photos are pressed together in a process called “image stacking,” and a super high quality 60 MP photo is made. The Nokia PureView 9 also has GDepth capabilities, so it’s able to use those five cameras to create photos with depth (the subject is sharp, the background is blurred).

Once you get past the five cameras, the Nokia PureView 9 is relatively simple. It contains a Snapdragon 845, which is a year old processor that most new phones have already superseded. It only has one selfie camera, but it has a 6.41″ OLED display with a built-in fingerprint reader, 128 GB of storage, and 6GB of RAM. No, it doesn’t have a headphone jack.

This year’s Mobile World Congress has been exciting, strange, and excessive already. We’ve got foldable phones, phones that clip together (weird), and 1 TB SD cards. So HMD’s presentation at the MWC comes as a breath of fresh air, I guess.

While the Nokia PureView 9 may sound like an exciting technical advance, it might just be a weird gimmick. It’s going to cost more than $700, so consumers are faced with a funny choice: should you buy a powerful phone with good cameras, like the Google Pixel 3, or should you sacrifice processing power for the Nokia PureView 9’s five cameras?

Source: Arstechnica, Nokia/HMD

Categories: IT General, Technology

LG Shows Off the G8, G8s, and V50 Smartphones at Mobile World Congress

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 18:15
LG

Samsung may have stolen everyone’s thunder a week ago, but LG wants you to know it isn’t out of the Android game just yet. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company is introducing three phone designs.

V8 ThinQ

The LG V8 gets the company’s annoying “ThinQ” branding but otherwise looks like a solid if unambitious design. It’s equipped with the latest Snapdragon 855 processor, 6 GB of RAM, and a 6.1-inch display with the familiar rounded corners and notched cutout. That screen is OLED, by the way, with a generous 3120×1440 resolution. And that’s not its only trick: the flat surface of the display is used as an amplifier for the phone’s speaker, a neat extra.

LG

LG is hoping for a bit of differentiation with more hardware flexibility, including 128GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot, a headphone jack, and a choice between a fingerprint reader, face unlock, and “palm vein” biometrics. That unlocks your phone or apps with the unique pattern of blood vessels in your hand, recognized via a dedicated camera on the front. That camera can also handle hand gestures, which sounds less interesting. The conventional cameras are 8 megapixels and 5 megapixel wide-angle on the front, with a dual 12/16 megapixel setup on the back. Confusingly, some international market variations of the G8 will also get a third 12 MP telephoto lens. The battery is 3500 mAh.

LG G8s ThinQ

The company also announced the G8s, a cheaper alternate version of this model that will appear in some markets. It’s mostly the same, but uses a slightly larger 6.2-inch screen with a lower 1080p resolution. The rear gets three cameras, 13 and 12 megapixels main sensors and a 13 MP telephoto lens, while the front is only packing one (plus the vein and gesture sensor cam). Note that it omits the SD card slot and that speaker-screen is nowhere to be found. It also starts at “just” 64GB of storage.

LG V50 ThinQ

The LG V50 is the company’s new flagship in the main line. It has all the features of the G8 above, with a larger 6.4-inch OLED screen, the same camera setup plus a 12 MP zoom lens, and a boosted 4000 mAh battery. The biggest differentiation is that it will launch with ultra-fast 5G wireless support, which is probably what that bigger screen and battery are accommodating.

LG

To ostensibly compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold design, the V50 will also have an optional dual-screen add-on case. The “Dual Screen for G V50 ThinQ 5G” (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) packs an additional 6.2-inch 1080p OLED display, connecting to the main phone via POGO pins. It’s a secondary screen for apps, but it can also be used horizontally as a keyboard or game controller.

Prices and precise release dates haven’t been announced yet. Expect them to be competitive, more or less, with Samsung’s Galaxy S10, S10e, and S10+, respectively.

Source: LG Newsroom

Categories: IT General, Technology

HTC Announces a 5G Hotspot with Built-In Display and Battery Pack

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 18:03
HTC

HTC is partnering with Sprint to offer an unusual 5G hotspot. It has a display, runs Android Pie, and functions as a portable battery pack. It may look like an Echo Show, but don’t confuse it for a smart hub.

You probably shouldn’t buy a 5G phone in 2019, and along the same lines, it’s likely you shouldn’t buy a 5G hotspot either. But if you live in one of the few cities that Sprint is bringing 5G to, HTC has an odd proposition for you.

The HTC 5G Hub is a combination mobile hotspot, battery pack, and Android tablet. The device features Android Pie, a 5-inch display, and a 7,660 mAh battery. HTC claims that it has enough battery to last an entire day, though that depends on the number of devices connected to it and if the display is on.

Additionally, you can charge devices from it, plug it into a TV to get a larger display, and use voice commands to control it. In theory, if Sprint’s 5G service is good enough in your area, HTC says you could replace your Wi-Fi router with the hub. And in the office setting, the Hub can provide a corporate VPN.

It’s not a smart hub though, it doesn’t feature any Zigbee or Z-wave capabilities, and it doesn’t run the same interface as Google Home hub or other similar smart displays. HTC is primarily focusing on the 5G mobile hotspot feature and suggests it as a way to provide faster speeds to your 4G phones and tablets. The other features are there to increase the value.

In addition to everything else, HTC is promising eventual integration with the HTC Vive, stating:

In the future, you will be able to stream VR content from the cloud to your VIVE headsets via the HTC 5G Hub—no PC or unnecessary cables required—to enjoy a mobile, high-end VR experience in real time.

What HTC isn’t saying though is any form of pricing. Like the VR feature, you’ll have to wait on that.

Sources: HTC (1, 2)

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Wireless HDMI Products for a Tidy Media Center and Multi-Room Video

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 18:00

Want to watch your favorite movies and media without wires? Whether you want multi-room video or just want to avoid running wires across your living room, a wireless HDMI transmitter can help.

Wireless HDMI has been around for awhile, but it hasn’t really gained popularity. It’s a bit of a shame, because the HDMI cables that we’ve been using for over a decade have some drawbacks. They create a lot of clutter, and they restrict your TV shows and video games to a single room of the house.

How does Wireless HDMI work? Unlike screen mirroring applications like Apple AirPlay, Wireless HDMI doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection. A transmitter that plugs into your video source sends out a frequency that’s picked up by a receiver that you plug into a display. And some Wireless HDMI products even have built-in IR transmitters, so you can use a remote control in your bedroom to control a video source in your living room.

But there are a lot of things that you should think about before buying a Wireless HDMI product. What are you going to use it for, and how far is your video source from your TV? Sadly, you can’t just buy the longest-range Wireless HDMI product and go to town. You have to strike a balance between distance and latency. Wireless HDMI products with a long range usually have a high latency, and while they’re fine for TV, they aren’t great for video games. Here are our favorites for each situation.

The Best Long Range Wireless HDMI: J-Tech Digital HDbitT ($350)

If you want a powerful Wireless HDMI setup that can beam signals through walls and ceilings, then you should check out the J-Tech Digital HDbitT. It’s one of the most powerful Wireless HDMI products on the market, and it can transmit a lossless 1080p signal up to 660 feet.

This J-Tech product supports up to two receivers, so you could potentially send a video signal from a single BluRay player or streaming stick into multiple rooms. And since this Wireless HDMI setup has built-in IR transmission technology, you can use a remote in your basement to control a cable box in your living room.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks to the J-Tech’s 660-foot range. This device has a latency of 0.3-0.5 seconds, so it isn’t great for video games or interactive media. But a few seconds of delay time isn’t going to hurt your TV watching experience.

Buy on Amazon For Room to Room TV: Nyrius ARIES NAVS500 ($180)

Read the remaining 12 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

Grab a Current-Gen iPad or iPad Pro for as Much as $150 Off

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 17:49

If you missed out on some Valentine’s Day deals earlier this month, now’s your chance to snag a new iPad (the latest-generation models, at that) at a fairly decent discount.

The newest 12.9-inch iPad Pro can be had for as little as $899 for the 64GB model. That’s good for $100 off the retail price. The 512GB model, however, can be bought for $150 off, at $1,199.

If you don’t need quite that much screen, the newer 11-inch iPad Pro is selling for $699 ($100 off) if you go for the 64GB variant, and higher storage models also see the same discount.

If you just want the basic 9.7-inch iPad, the latest model is at its lowest price that we’ve seen (matching the Black Friday deals) at $249 for the 32GB model. You can also get the 128GB model for $389.

So if you just couldn’t quite bite the bullet on Black Friday, but are now fully committed, here’s your chance to grab a really solid deal on some new iPads.

Buy on Amazon

Categories: IT General, Technology

Deal Alert: Grab a Kindle Paperwhite for $55

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 17:34

There are a lot of tablets on the market, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still the king of e-readers. Luckily, Paperwhites are pretty inexpensive, and Woot has refurbished units at a discount.

Right now, you can buy a refurbished 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite from Woot for just $55. That’s a $45 discount. These Paperwhites have a 6″ display, and 4 GB of internal storage (which is plenty of storage for e-books). They also have special offers on the lock screen, and they’re Wi-Fi only.

Now, this is actually the previous generation of Kindle Paperwhites — that’s part of why they’re so inexpensive. But don’t worry, you’re only missing out on a waterproof display and some extra internal storage.

These are refurbished units, but Kindle Paperwhites are known to be pretty sturdy. Plus, Woot offers a 90-day warranty on products, so there isn’t much to worry about. Just don’t sleep on this deal, it’s going to disappear by the end of the day.

Buy From Woot

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Find the Percentage of Difference Between Values in Excel

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 17:24

You can use Excel to calculate the percentage of change between two values quickly. In our simple example, we show you what you need to know to be able to calculate things like how much the price of gas changed overnight or the percentage of a stock price’s rise or fall.

How Percentage of Change Works

The percentage of change between an original and a new value is defined as the difference between the original value and the new value, divided by the original value.

(new_value - original_value)/(original_value)

For example, if the price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.999 yesterday on your drive home and it rose to $3.199 this morning when you filled your tank, you could calculate the percentage of change by plugging those values into the formula.

($3.199 - $2.999)/($2.999) =  0.067 = 6.7% Let’s Look at an Example

For our simple example, we will look at a list of hypothetical prices and determine the percentage of change between an original price and a new price.

Here is our sample data containing three columns: “Original Price,” “New Price,” and “Percentage of Change.”  We have formatted the first two columns as dollar amounts.

Start by selecting the first cell in the “Percentage of Change” column.

Read the remaining 15 paragraphs

Categories: IT General, Technology

SanDisk and Micron Announce 1 TB MicroSD Cards for Ridiculous Amounts of Dollars

How-To Geek - Mon, 02/25/2019 - 16:59

If you own a GoPro or a Nintendo Switch, then there’s no such thing as a MicroSD card too large. SanDisk and Micron are both stepping up to the plate with humungous 1 TB microSD cards.

Mobile World Congress is in full swing and taking a break from phones that fold, Sandisk and Micron have both stepped forward to announce microSD cards. But these aren’t just any old microSD cards; they’re 1 TB microSD cards. That’s handy because some systems like the Nintendo Switch need expanded storage. Zelda: Breath of the Wild started at 13 GBs before DLC, which means it used up 40% of the Switch’s internal storage.

Games are only growing more massive, and camera needs are growing too. Every update to an action camera or smartphone leads to ever-expanding picture sizes. More and more smartphones support raw storage for photos, which take up more space than jpegs but provides more information to work with for editing.

1 TB microSD cards should take of the problem, but it will come at a cost. Micron hasn’t announced pricing yet, but Sandisk’s card will cost an eye-watering $450, the same price as a Switch, Mario Oddysey, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, plus one year of Nintendo Switch Online.

Which company you go with also depends on your preferences for read or write speeds. SanDisk is calling its card the “World’s fastest” and boats a read speed of 160 MB/s. Sandisk claims at that speed, you could theoretically “transfer 1000 high-resolution photos and 30 minutes of 4K video (24GB) in less than 3 minutes.”

Micron may not have the edge in read speeds, but it does bost a faster write speed, albeit just barely. Sandisk write speeds top out at 90 MB/S, while Micros boats 95 MB/S. It may be worth waiting to see Micron’s pricing as well. If it’s lower than $450, that could be a selling point worth considering.

If you can settle for a step-down, SanDisk also announced a 512 GB microSD card, for a more palatable $200. You’ll get the same read and write speeds, half the storage at less than half the cost.

Sandisk, Micron via 9to5Toys

Categories: IT General, Technology
Syndicate content

eXTReMe Tracker