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Stock Up on New Logitech Gear with Today’s Amazon Sale

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 16:40

If you’ve been in the market for a new keyboard, mouse, headset, webcam, or speakers, today’s Amazon sale on a handful of Logitech products has you covered.

Granted, this isn’t the first time that a bunch of Logitech stuff has been discounted on Amazon, nor is it the largest Logitech sale we’ve seen, but it’s never a bad time to buy when you can get a good chunk knocked off the price of that one gaming mouse you’ve had your eye on for a while.

Case in point, you can grab the Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse for just $25, which is a steal considering the product that you’re getting.

Furthermore, if you need a cheap gaming headset, the G430 is just $30 right now. And if you need a basic wireless keyboard and mouse to just get you by, the MK270 combo is just a bit shy of $15.

Make your decisions quickly, though, since this deal will only be around today. Hit the button below to see all the goodies on sale today—some of it is going for up to 70 percent off, so it’s worth a peek.

Buy Logitech Gear on Amazon

Categories: IT General, Technology

UltraViolet is Shutting Down on July 31st, Here’s How to Transfer Your Movies

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 16:25

UltraViolet/Wayback Machine

UltraViolet, one of the largest digital rights locker for your movies (at one point, anyway), is shutting down on July 31st. You don’t have to lose your content though; you can connect VUDU and move your library to Movies Anywhere.

UltraViolet was all but the de-facto method for digital copies of your movies for years. Unless it was a Disney movie, chances are if you bought a disc that came with a digital code, that code was for the UltraViolet service. But all that changed when Disney unveiled Movies Anywhere, an expansion of its Disney Movies Anywhere service. Combined with the might of Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, and others, Movies Anywhere became an unbeatable service, as evidenced in part by this shutdown notice.

UltraViolet

UltraViolet states that you have until the July 31st to connect a partner retailer to preserve your library. The good news is that list includes VUDU, which means you can transfer your movie library to Movies Anywhere. Your TV shows will transfer to Vudu as well (but won’t make the jump to the other services with your Movies).

How to Transfer Your Library

First, log into UltraViolet and choose the Retailer Services option.

Then click on the Vudo option (if you see a checkmark, then you’ve already connected, so you’re finished).

Sign into Vudu.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Prevent Storage Sense From Deleting Your Downloaded Files on Windows 10

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 16:24

Storage Sense is the Disk Cleanup replacement for the modern world. It frees up space on your computer by deleting things like recycle bin contents, temporary internet files, and app temporary files. This also includes the Downloads folder, but you can change that if you don’t want Storage Sense emptying it.

We’ve mentioned before how the Free Up Space tool in Windows 10 will delete your downloads by default (though you can turn it off, too). Storage Sense is the automatic equivalent to that tool and is the intended replacement for the venerable Disk Cleanup tool. By default, Storage Sense treats your Downloads folder as a temp folder, deleting anything older than 30 days when it runs. If you use your Downloads as a more permanent storage area for downloads, you can prevent Storage Sense from deleting your downloads.

How to Prevent Storage Sense From Deleting Your Downloaded Files

Open the Settings app by pressing Win+I, then clicking on “System.”

On the left side of the System page, click the “Storage” category.

Under the “Storage Sense” section on the right, click the “Change how we free up space automatically” link.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Declutter Your Web Browser Bookmarks

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 15:00

Small Smiles/Shutterstock.com.

Browser bookmarks can become a mess over time. Do you need bookmarks to hundreds of web pages you never visit? Here’s how to back up your bookmarks, purge them efficiently, and keep a more organized browser going forward.

Back Up Your Bookmarks First

Deleting large numbers of bookmarks can be tough. What if you need some obscure web page you bookmarked three years ago?

To avoid this stress, back up your bookmarks first. Your browser can export your bookmarks to an HTML file. If you ever need some bookmarks you deleted, you can view the HTML file in your browser—or even import it and get all your deleted bookmarks back.

It’s easy to start deleting large numbers of bookmarks if they’re backed up. You can always find them again if you need them—and there’s a good chance you won’t need them.

Here’s how to back up your bookmarks in all the big browsers:

  • Google Chrome: Click menu > Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager. Click the menu button at the top right corner of the Bookmark Manager page and select “Export Bookmarks.”
  • Mozilla Firefox: Click menu > Library > Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks. In the Library window, click Import and Backup > Export Bookmarks to HTML.
  • Apple Safari: Click File > Export Bookmarks. Give your file a name and choose a save location.
  • Microsoft Edge: Click menu > Settings > General > Import or Export. Select “Favorites” and click the “Export to File” button.
  • Internet Explorer: Click the Favorites (star) icon on the toolbar, click the down arrow to the right of Add to Favorites, and select “Import and Export.” Select “Export to a File,” click “Next,” select “Favorites,” click “Next,” select the main “Favorites” folder, click “Next,” choose a location for the file, and click “Export.”

Save your bookmarks somewhere safe, such as a Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive folder.

After you’re done, you can double-click the .html file to view its contents. You can open the file and use Ctrl+F to search for bookmarks, or use your browser’s bookmark import function to restore the bookmarks into your browser.

Purge Those Bookmarks

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Categories: IT General, Technology

8 Portable Office Essentials to Stay Productive On the Go

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 14:00

AutoExec

Increasingly few of us are confined to the same location for work any more. That’s the beauty (and curse) of Wi-Fi and cell coverage. It might seem like all you need for a portable office setup is a laptop but there’s more to it than that: here are our favorite essentials.

We’ve looked back over some of our favorite devices and gadgets for making your portable office run at its most efficiently, then highlighted the pick of the bunch. You won’t be short of great options here.

Read on to find out more about creating a great portable office setup for your business or side hustle.

Best For Working On The Road: AutoExec RoadMaster Car Desk ($196) AutoDesk

Oftentimes, you’ll find yourself needing to work out of your car. Obviously, not while driving, it’s useful to be able to prop up your laptop and other documents and get to work easily. The AutoExec RoadMaster Car Desk is the best option out there thanks to its extensive file storage, hidden storage compartment and a dependable surface for writing or typing on. It easily fits on the passenger side of your vehicle, transforming that space into a portable office for your working needs.

It’s not cheap though, so we’ve also looked at the best car desks for any budget.

Buy on Amazon Best Portable Charger: Anker PowerCore Speed 20100 ($48) Anker

Without power, you won’t get far with most of your work. Buy the Anker PowerCore Speed 20100 and you won’t have to worry about tracking down power outlets in coffee shops or other venues. It utilizes both USB-C and USB-A so there’s no device it won’t charge. It has a capacity of 20100 mAh so, for a frame of reference, it’s able to charge an iPhone 8 6 times, an iPad Air 2 almost twice, and a MacBook once.

That should be more than enough power for your charging needs but if you feel like you need something a little different then check out our more involved look at the best portable chargers currently out there.

Buy on Amazon Best Travel Router: HooToo Wireless Travel Router ($20) HooToo

A travel router typically offers all the functionality of a regular home or office router or wireless access point, but with the flexibility of you being able to take it with you on your travels. It’s not a perfect solution but it goes a long way to solving your portable networking issues.

The HooToo Wireless Travel Router is our pick of the bunch. It’s inexpensive and easily converts a wired network to wireless, or enables you to bridge an existing wireless network. Streaming options are also there. Plus, it only weighs 1 oz and is powered by USB. It’s super portable like that. If you want more options for travel routers, check out our in-depth roundup on the subject.

Buy on Amazon Best Backpack Organizer: Hynes Eagle Universal Backpack Insert ($24) Hynes

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Categories: IT General, Technology

For a Better Instagram Experience, Follow Hashtags Instead of People

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 14:00

If you’ve been using Instagram for a while, you probably already know what a great place it is to find inspiration. But to see the best content, ditch following users and start looking at hashtags instead.

Following hashtags on Instagram isn’t a new feature, but it’s one you shouldn’t overlook—its hard to overstate their value. In my opinion, this is one of the best parts of the entire network. Why? Because it allows me two conveniences: first, it bypasses all the fluff most users post; and secondly, it lets me build a specially curated feed.

For example, I mostly use Instagram for my hobbies: guitars and bikes. Those are my favorite things to look at on Instagram because there’s just so much good, relevant content. These things inspire me to dig deeper into my hobbies and give me ideas for ways to improve technique, form, and so on. But here’s the thing: while there are many curated accounts out there, they don’t always show what I want to see. I fact, they miss the mark more often than not.

Let’s use bikes as an example. I’m a cyclist, and like so many other cyclists, I love looking at pictures of other riders’ custom builds—bikeporn, if you will. And while I follow several cycling-based accounts already, they don’t always post pictures of bikes. And even when they do, they’re not always bikes I care about. That’s not a problem, of course, as I don’t expect people I follow only to post content I like—they’re posting for themselves, not for me. I respect that.

 

So to see more specific content, I follow hashtags related to my specific interests. For example, I’m pretty into gravel bikes at the moment, so I follow the #gravelbike and #gravelbikes hashtags. I see some absolutely killer bikes that way.

But I can get even more granular, too. On the same topic of gravel bikes, I’m pretty obsessed with the 3T Exploro (the first aero gravel bike!) and would love to have one. There isn’t a single Instagram account that shares only pictures of Exploros, so that’s where the hashtag comes in. I follow both the #exploro and #3texploro hashtags and see all sorts of amazing Exploro content as a result. It’s great, even if a little disheartening because I don’t have one of my own to stare at.

 

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Bluetooth 5.1’s Presence Detection Could Be the Future of Smarthome

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 12:40

Dariusz Jarzabek

Bluetooth 5.1 lets devices track each other down to the centimeter. But Bluetooth 5.1 isn’t just for finding your keys—this precise position tracking will let your smarthome know who you are and where you are in your home.

Your Smarthome Doesn’t Know Where You Are

Smarthomes are great for automating lights, climate control, or your coffee maker on a schedule, but they don’t act according to your general behavior. That’s because smarthomes are all based on schedules and commands and, for the most part, lack presence detection. Your home doesn’t know your precise location; it’s not aware of what room you spent the most time in, and without that, it can’t do things for you. At best it can do things at your command (even if it’s a scheduled command).

If you’re outside your home, the problem only gets worse. When you leave or arrive, any knowledge of your presence relies on geofencing. But geofencing can be inaccurate and trigger too late, too early, or worst of all when you’re aren’t near home at all. That last possibility is why many smart devices restrict their capabilities with geofencing; most smart locks won’t unlock a door based on geofencing for instance.

RELATED: Bluetooth 5.1: What’s New and Why It Matters

Bluetooth 5.1 Could Make Your Smarthome Smarter

Currently, Bluetooth isn’t very good for finding and locating things (or people). It can help you find the room an object is in, but it won’t narrow the location down any more than that, which is why tracking devices like Tile and Trackr have audible alarms built into them. But the Bluetooth SIG has introduced version 5.1, which dramatically improves location awareness. A Bluetooth 5.1 connection allows for both directional pointing and positional locating down to the centimeter. This means you would know exactly where in a room an object is and in what direction. Or, if you happen to be carrying a Bluetooth 5.1 tag or phone, your smarthome could know exactly where you are and in what direction you are moving.

Bluetooth 5.1 isn’t just for finding your stuff; it could be the future of the smarthome.

Your Music Could Follow You Through the Home

If you start a song on a smart speaker in your living room and then need to go to the kitchen to get a drink, you can’t take your music with you—not without headphones, at least. The closest option is multi-room audio, but playing music throughout your home isn’t always what you want. If you’re home alone, you don’t need your music playing in the far corners of the house. But if your smarthome could follow your path from the living room to the kitchen and back your music could move with you with a graceful handoff from speaker to speaker. Or if you prefer, your music could stop or pause because you left the room.

Lights Could Be On Only in the Rooms You’re Using ShayeRyan

Similarly, as you step into a closet or bathroom, your home could detect you and turn on the lights for you. Late at night, this would negate the need to fumble for a light switch or pull chain. When you leave the closet or bathroom, the lights could turn off. As you walk through your home, your lights could follow. If someone else is already present, the lights can stay on as you leave.

Your preferred scenes, colors, and brightness levels could launch automatically when you arrive home, or enter a room. As you sit down on the couch to watch TV, the smarthome (with its ability to detect your location and direction to the centimeter) could realize where you are, that you are facing the TV, and automatically power up your electronics while turning down the lights.

Smarter Heating and Cooling

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Bluetooth 5.1: What’s New and Why It Matters

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 10:04

Bluetooth SIG

Bluetooth 5.1 brings new “direction-finding” features that will let Bluetooth devices pinpoint physical location to the centimeter, aiding in indoor positioning. This latest version includes features that will make for more reliable Bluetooth connections, too.

Bluetooth Devices Can Now Pinpoint Your Location

Current Bluetooth proximity systems can guess how far away a device—like your smarthome or smartwatch—is by using signal strength. They might know you’re a few meters away, but they don’t know the direction.

That’s enhanced with a new direction-finding feature in Bluetooth 5.1, which was just announced by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG,) the industry group that oversees Bluetooth. A positioning system can now determine the direction a Bluetooth signal is coming from. Combining distance and direction, Bluetooth devices can now figure out the precise location of a device down to the centimeter.

Bluetooth SIG

Bluetooth 5.1 offers two different methods for determining direction, named “Angle of Arrival” (AoA) and “Angle of Departure” (AoD). One of the two devices must have an array of multiple antennas, and the data received from those antennas can be used to identify the direction the Bluetooth signal is coming from.

If you’re carrying a smartphone around and that phone has Bluetooth 5.1, a positioning system can have a good idea about your exact location. This could be used to improve navigation indoors, find your lost keys, or enable smarthome hardware to better pinpoint your location.

Faster Connection Initiation With Less Power Spent

As you might expect from the version number, Bluetooth 5.1 isn’t a huge leap with a lot of changes, as Bluetooth 5.0 was. Its other changes are fairly minor, but are still helpful.

Bluetooth Low Energy devices use something called the “Generic Attribute Profile,” or GATT. Whenever a client device connects, it performs “service discovery” to see what the server device supports. This takes time and energy. Bluetooth 5.1 performs more aggressive caching, and clients can skip the service discovery stage when nothing has changed. These “GATT caching enhancements” mean the connection happens faster and less energy is spent.

RELATED: Bluetooth 5.0: What’s Different, and Why it Matters

Connection Advertising Improvements

Bluetooth 5.1 includes several improvements to advertising. The word “advertising” here refers to how a Bluetooth device broadcasts it’s available to connect, advertising its availability to other nearby Bluetooth devices. This should make connections work better.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Geek Trivia: The Screen Of Space Invaders Was Colored By What?

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/31/2019 - 08:02

The Screen Of Space Invaders Was Colored By What?
  1. Cellophane
  2. Semi-Precious Stones
  3. Lasers
  4. Holograms

Think you know the answer?

Categories: IT General, Technology

These New Chargers from Anker and RAVPower Offer More Power in a Smaller Package

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 22:08

Tiny wall chargers already exist, but they can usually only pump out 5-10W. With a new technology called gallium nitride, however, those tiny wall chargers can now pump out a lot more power.

Several months ago, Anker introduced the PowerPort Atom series of USB-C wall chargers, the smallest of which is just a tad larger than Apple’s 5W iPhone charger, but packs in 30W of charging power, which is quite incredible. This will let you charge up larger devices than just your smartphone or tablet—possibly a small laptop.

The secret? It uses gallium nitride (GaN) instead of traditional silicon, the latter of which is used in pretty much every electronic product on the market, thanks to how cheap it is. Anker says that gallium nitride allows for simpler circuitry and better efficiency (meaning less heat production), resulting in the smaller size.

The 30W model (called the PD 1) is up on Amazon right now for $29 (although it appears to be sold out currently). Two more from Anker will be available in the future, including a 60W two-port model and a 100W four-port model.

If you can’t wait for a more-powerful wall charger, RAVPower is also selling its own gallium nitride charger, which packs in 45W and is about the size of a deck of cards. For $55, it’ll cost you extra, but it may be worth it in order to charge your larger devices without needing a larger power brick.

via The Verge

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Link to Another Slide in the Same PowerPoint Presentation

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 21:00

If you know you’ll be referring to the content of a previously-viewed slide at some point during your presentation, it might be useful to insert a link pointing back to that slide for quick access. Here’s how to set it up.

Linking to Another Slide in the Same Presentation

Open your presentation and navigate to the slide that will contain the hyperlink. Once there, highlight the text, object, shape, or image to which you want to attach the link.

Next, head over to the “Insert” tab and click the “Link” button.

In the Insert Hyperlink window that opens, select “Place in This Document” on the “Link To” list on the left.

On the right, under the “Select a place in this document” list, select the destination slide.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Fitness Trackers For Kids

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 20:00

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Fitness trackers aren’t just for adults anymore. There are plenty of options for fitness trackers for kids, but how do you know which one is worth the money? Read on to check out our favorite fitness trackers for kids.

When it comes to fitness trackers for kids, you’ll have a few different considerations than you would if buying for yourself. You want to make sure that each fitness band is fairly hard wearing. After all, your kids probably aren’t too fussed about remembering to take their tracker off before hitting the pool, and they’re likely to knock it about a bit too. You also don’t want anything that needs regular charging because that’s just plain inconvenient.

And, naturally, you want it to be fun so your kids don’t feel like they’re suffering, right? Don’t worry. All these fitness trackers are good for all that. They’re sure to be seen as a fun toy of sorts by your child, rather than a way of you keeping tabs on their activity levels. They might even encourage a few healthier habits along the way too!

Here’s our pick of fitness trackers for kids.

Best For 4-6 Year Olds: LeapFrog LeapBand ($35) LeapFrog

The LeapFrog LeapBand turns active play and healthy eating into a game with virtual rewards tied to it. For each healthy action your child performs, such as jumping, running, wiggling, or dancing, they earn points that they can send on their beloved virtual pet. The LeapBand has 50 active challenges that are perfectly aimed at the younger market such as ‘pounce like a lion’ or ‘wiggle like a worm’, with parents able to set play times so that kids don’t get too carried away.

It’s a bulky looking wristband but thats because of rugged construction (if you’ve ever watched a kid use a LeapFrog toy as an impromptu hammer, you know how durable they build things). On top of all that, it’s water resistant. It also works as an analog or digital watch, so it’s good for teaching your kids how to tell the time.

Buy on Amazon Best For 6-10 Year Olds: Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 ($80) Garmin

The Garmin Vivofit Jr 2 is the kind of fitness tracker that I wish existed when I was a kid. Available in a variety of different guises, including Captain America, Minnie Mouse, Star Wars, and The Avengers, it’s instantly super appealing to kids.

It rewards their good behavior such as when they finish their homework or chores, as well as keeps track of their steps. Once your child meets their 60 minutes of daily recommended activity, they unlock a special themed mission in the companion app, so it’s a pretty neat reward.

Parents can easily set up chores and schedule alerts via the app too. In addition, it comes in a stretchy band option for kids who struggle with clasps, and it’s waterproof like all of Garmin’s other wearables. On top of all that, it rocks a 1-year battery life which completely eliminates charging hassles.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

You Can Get Meizu’s Portless Phone for $1299…On Indiegogo

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 19:32
Meizu

A few days ago Meizu showed off the Zero, a wild-looking phone with no ports or buttons. Today, the company is letting users pre-order the device. For $1300. On Indiegogo. Where do we even start with this?

The phrase “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” comes to mind when I think of this phone, because, while cool, having no buttons or ports is completely impractical. And paying a massive premium to do it is not at all economical. So it’s neither practical nor economical, it’s just…kinda neat, I guess.

To make things even more repulsive, Meizu is using Indiegogo to get the money ahead of the Zero’s release. I get the need for funding, but there’s just something about a company of this size using crowdfunding that puts a bad taste in my mouth. I’m sure many of you feel the same.

Indiegogo

But alas, if you don’t care about any of that and just want to get your hands on this button-less, port-less wonder, then you can head right here to hand Indiegogo/Meizu thirteen hundred of your hard-earned dollars. They’re trying to raise a big ol’ hundred grand over the next month, but the good news is that they’re already 17 percent of the way there at the time of writing. Turns out there may be a market here after all.

via Android Police

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Categories: IT General, Technology

1TB Phones Are Coming, Thanks To Samsung

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 18:31

Samsung just announced that it’s mass-producing 1TB storage chips for phones, which means your phone of the future may come with more storage than you could ever need. Say goodbye to the days of full-the-day-you-get-it 16GB phones.

Four years ago, Samsung introduced the first embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) device. It was a piece of hardware that could read and write files much faster than an SD card, and its 128 GB capacity eliminated the need for users to add additional storage to their phone.

It’s been four years since Samsung developed eUFS technology, and eUFS has expanded from 128GB to offer 256G and even 512GB storage options for mobile devices, which is just massive. To put it in perspective, the basic model of the iPhone X only has a 64 GB capacity, and the basic Surface Pro tablet, which retails at almost $1000, only comes with 128 GB of internal storage. But now, Samsung has been able to break the terabyte barrier with its newest eUFS chips.

Samsung plans to announce a new phone at its UNPACKED event on February 20th. With all the rumors about foldable phones and 5G technology flying around, this super-fast 1 TB storage device only raises more questions.

Cheol Choi, Samsung’s executive vice president of Memory Sales & Marketing, says that Samsung plans to bring a “notebook-like user experience to the next generation of mobile devices.” Will the next Samsung phone be a ridiculously fast, foldable, high-capacity leap into the future? Will it challenge the way that we think about smartphones? We’ll have to wait to find out.

Source: Samsung

Categories: IT General, Technology

GoPro Boosts Its Cloud Storage for Unlimited Video Uploads

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 18:11
GoPro

If you’re an avid user of your GoPro sports camera, GoPro would also like to sell you its video cloud storage platform. $5 a month for GoPro Plus isn’t much, but the company is now sweetening the deal with unlimited storage.

Yes, that’s real unlimited storage, according to the company’s CEO. “Unlimited means unlimited,” Nick Woodman told The Verge, stressing that there were no asterisks in regard to video size or image quality. The service won’t accept normal computer or phone files (sorry, you can’t throw three terabytes worth of Blu-ray rips on GoPro’s servers), but any video taken by a GoPro camera is fair game. All GoPro camera models new and old are supported, with video uploading at its original bitrate and resolution.

Previously the GoPro Plus service was limited to just “35 hours” of video storage, with a 20% discount on accessories from the GoPro online store and free camera replacements offered as a further incentive. The CEO said that more extras are coming for GoPro Plus subscribers, but wouldn’t elaborate. You can sign up for the service on the company’s website.

via The Verge

Categories: IT General, Technology

Lenovo’s 4K Yoga Chromebook C630 Is Available to Order

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 17:36
Lenovo

While certain Chrome OS devices already come with high-resolution displays—like the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate—there’s hasn’t been one with a 4K display. Until the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630, that is. And now you can buy one.

We can talk about whether you need a 4K display in your Chromebook (read: you probably don’t), but at the end of the day, there’s always an argument for just how damn good a display looks when it’s absolutely packed with pixels. I’m sure this one is no exception.

Lenovo

That 4K panel is part of the Yoga Chromebook C630’s 15.6-inch panel, which is pretty massive for a Chromebook. That big ol’ display is also convertible, turning this into a pretty huge tablet if you want it. A 4.2-pound tablet, to be exact. You won’t really be one-handing this one.

Otherwise, it has an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, either 64GB or 128GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.1, 2×2 AC, a pair of USB-C ports, a microSD card slot, and headphone jack. Pretty much par for the course here, especially on the higher end of Chromebook hardware.

Lenovo

The C630 will set you back $899.99, and is expected to ship “in more than 5 weeks” if you order today. That could mean five weeks exactly, or it could mean a lot more. Lenovo hasn’t announced an exact shipping date yet, so take that for what it’s worth. But if you’re looking to grab the first 4K Chromebook, now’s your chance.

via Chrome Unboxed

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Deal Alert: Grab An Entry-Level Surface Pro For Just $649

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 17:25

Microsoft’s line of Surface tablets have been extremely successful, but they’re a bit expensive. Now’s your chance to grab one for cheap.

Tablets have become more and more powerful over the past few years, and the line between tablets and laptops has started to dissolve. The perception that tablets are only useful for playing games and watching Netflix is no longer correct, these are serious devices that can be used for work, video editing, sound design, and graphic design. Apple users have the iPad Pro, but in the world of Windows, the Surface Pro tablet is the king.

Surface Pro tablets have gotten a lot of praise for their balance of power and portability. They have responsive touch-screens, a long battery life, and premium detachable keyboards. Right now, you can buy a basic Surface Pro tablet for just $649 from Best Buy—that’s a $310 discount. It’s the base model with a 12.3″ touch screen, 4GB of RAM, an Intel M3 processor, and 128 GB of solid-state memory.

If the basic Surface Pro doesn’t have enough power for your needs, then you’ll be happy to hear that Best Buy is also offering a big $330 discount on the powerful Surface Pro 6. Right now, you can buy the Pro 6 for just $999. This tablet runs on an Intel Core i5 processor, it has 8GB of RAM, and it sports a 256 GB SSD. That’s twice as much RAM and internal storage as the basic Surface Pro tablet.

It’s nice to get a $300 discount on any device, and the renowned Surface Pro tablets are no exception. Just keep in mind that this deal won’t last long, so don’t sleep on it.

Buy Now

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Create a Radar Chart in Excel

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 17:23

A radar chart compares the values of three or more variables relative to a central point. It’s useful when you cannot directly compare the variables and is especially great for visualizing performance analysis or survey data.

Here’s a sample radar chart, so you can see what we’re talking about. It’s likely you’ve run across them before, even if you didn’t know that’s what they were.

Creating Radar Charts in Excel is straightforward. In this article, we’ll show you how to create two types of Radar Chart: a regular chart (like the one above) and a filled chart (like the one below, which fills in the areas instead of just showing the outlines).

The Sample Data

Let’s first take a look at the sample data we’ll be using for our examples.

We have three trainers: Graham, Barbara, and Keith. We’ve assessed them in five different categories (Knowledge, Delivery, and so on) and our Excel table contains those ratings.

Create a Radar Chart in Excel

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Switcheroo Review: A Simple Lighting Solution for Switched Outlets

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 17:15

Craig Lloyd

If your house has outlets that are controlled by light switches, then you might just benefit from a neat product called the Switcheroo, which lets you easily change the outlet that your light switch controls.

These types of outlets are everywhere in my house (and pretty common in many homes). In fact, most of the rooms don’t have any built-in light fixtures at all. Instead, there’s a single outlet in each room that’s controlled by its own light switch. This is so that you can plug in a lamp and control it with the light switch, which is really convenient and all, but only if you wanted to put your lamp right where the outlet is.

That’s impractical, especially if you want a lamp on the other side of the room from where the switched outlet is. Normally, you’d have to use a long extension cord, which is unsightly at best. But a company called Switcheroo has a neat little that aims to fix this exact problem.

Not A “Smart Plug”

While it looks like a set of smart plugs, it’s really anything but—there’s no app needed and no connecting them to your Wi-Fi. It’s “smart,” but not in the traditional sense that you might be familiar with.

Craig Lloyd

Switcheroo comes a 2-pack for $42—you can also get a 5-pack for $92. If you buy more than two, you can use them in different rooms, or you can have one unit send its signal to multiple units so that you can turn on multiple lamps at once with the light switch. Also, each unit has two receptacles, so you can plug two lamps into one unit if you’d like.

Switcheroo

One thing worth noting here is that we’ve been talking about the Switcheroo in terms of home lighting and that’s how the company intends you to use it. Although each plug is rated for 8A/960W, Switcheroo is very clear in their product documentation that the plug is meant for lights and not, say, for space heaters, window fans, or other devices.

A No-Hassle Setup Experience Craig Lloyd

The setup is simple: you plug one into your switched outlet and then plug the other one into the outlet across the room that you want to plug your lamp into. From there, you match the letters on the dials, using the “Send” section on the one plugged into the switched outlet, and the “Receive” section on the other unit. If you’re old enough to remember the X-10 home automation gear from the 1970s and 80s, this dial-it-interface will seem quite familiar.

Then, whenever you flip the light switch, the first Switcheroo unit will power on and send that signal over RF to the receiving unit, which then turns on your lamp.

This really is a super simple solution. After deciding which outlet I wanted the light switch to control, the entire setup process took about 20 seconds, from the time I set the send/receive channels, plugged them in, and turned everything on—it was super quick and incredibly painless.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

iFixit Will Sell Its iPhone Battery Replacement Kits for $30 Through 2019

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/30/2019 - 16:35

If you still haven’t gotten the battery replaced in your older iPhone, the price to do so by Apple has gone back up. However, if you’re intrigued about doing it yourself, iFixit is still discounting its battery replacement kits at $30.

If you’re out of the loop, it was discovered a little over a year ago that Apple was purposely throttling down iPhones with old, degraded batteries to prevent random shutdowns and other problems. The fix? Replace the battery. But Apple didn’t tell anyone that until they were caught red-handed.

At that point, Apple began offering discounted battery replacements, which also led to increased wait times at Apple Stores. iFixit stepped in and discounted its battery replacement kits so that if you didn’t want to wait on Apple, you could do it yourself instead. And while it may seem daunting, it’s actually not too bad of a process.

If you’re not sure if your iPhone could use a battery replacement in the first place, you can check the battery health by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. From there, it’ll tell you whether or not you could benefit from a replacement.

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Categories: IT General, Technology
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