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Download VideoProc V3.2.0 with Full License Code [Sponsored]

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 20:33

2018 Christmas is gone, but the holiday shopping season isn’t. It is still a decent time to find amazing sales and even giveaways. As it happens, there is a real good deal. During the event, all How-To Geek readers are eligible to score a giveaway license of VideoProc to unlock all features in version 3.2.0. Not only that, but there’s also around 55% off lifetime license which supports lifelong free upgrade and tech support.

VideoProc is a one-stop HD and 4K video processing program developed by Digiarty Software – the company which creates well-loved WinXDVD family of products. Although this is the debut on How-To Geek, VideoProc is a full-fledged program integrated with fully hardware accelerated video processing (e.g., transcoding, resizing, and editing), DVD conversion, video/music download, and screen/webcam recording.

Download VideoProc V3.2.0 with full license code >

Apart from above mentioned deals, Digiarty also holds “Win Your Holiday Wishlist” activity with prizes including GoPro HERO7 Black, DJI Spark drone, Canon EOS M100, Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones II, and $400 eBay Gift Card. Visit the page below to win 2 items of your choice:

Win Video Gears: GoPro, Drone and More >

You can watch the following video to learn more about this holiday wishlist giveaway.

In the video, there’re also 4 simple yet useful tips to help process and edit GoPro videos with VideoProc. But this doesn’t mean that VideoProc is only for GoPro footages. It can read and process videos shot with smartphones, tablets, action cameras, digital cameras, drones, and other devices of all brands.

Let’s dive deeper into the features of VideoProc

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Create a Questionnaire in Microsoft Forms

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 17:24

Microsoft has been busy adding new tools to Office over the last few years, and Forms is one you’ll find useful if you want to create a survey, poll, quiz, or questionnaire. Let’s take a look at how it works.

Forms is an online-only tool that’s free to use, though you will need to sign in with a free Microsoft account. You can export all the responses to the form into Excel (also free to use online) for viewing, filtering, and reporting. If you’ve never used it, open up the Forms site and click either the big green “Get Started” button in the middle of the screen or the “Sign in” link in the top right. Sign in to your Microsoft account or create yourself a new account.

Once you’ve done that you’ll see a splash screen if you’ve not created a form before, which you can go ahead and close.

How to Create a Form

Forms is pretty intuitive to use, but there are some bells and whistles hidden away if you know where to look. We’re going to keep it simple by creating a basic questionnaire, so click “New Form” to start.

This opens a blank form. Click “Untitled form” and type in a name for your questionnaire.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Ways to Read News on Your iPhone or iPad

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 16:00

The iPhone and iPad are great for consuming news, whether that’s current affairs or the latest on your favorite sports team. The iPad, in particular, is ideally suited to kicking back and reading, and we’re going to tell you how to make the most of it.

With the App Store filled to the brim with new apps for your iPhone or iPad, it can be difficult to know which to download and in some cases, buy. With Apple offering its own news reading app, Apple News, do you even need to try a third-party solution at all? We’d suggest that yes, you do, and we’re going to tell you about some of the apps we use to keep up to speed on what is going on around us, across many different categories.

Some of these apps will be free, and some will require a fee. We’ll let you decide whether reading news is worth paying for.

Let’s jump in!

Feedly

 

Feedly is an app and service that gained a lot of traction when Google closed down its Google Reader RSS service a few years ago, and with good reason. A free Feedly account gets you much the same functionality as the erstwhile Google Reader, and there are apps available for the iPhone and iPad that make reading a pleasurable experience. You can add your own sources of news, and Feedly will also offer up some suggestions if that’s something you’re into.

A free Feedly account gets you access to news from up to 100 sources as well as the iPhone, iPad, and web apps, with ads inserted into your feeds. If you want to get rid of the ads, as well as add unlimited sources, consider the $5.41 per month Feedly Pro subscription. If you read a lot, it’s worth it, and there are lots more features thrown in, too.

Download Feedly from the App Store

Nuzzel

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Wi-Fi Cams For Your Amazon Echo

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 15:00

If you have an Echo Show or Echo Spot, it can be paired with a compatible Wi-Fi cam to bring up the video feed on the display. If you’re in the market for a Wi-Fi cam and want it to work with Alexa, here are the best ones for the job

Amazon Cloud Cam ($119)

If you’re already knee-deep into the Amazon smarthome ecosystem and want to start equipping your home with Wi-Fi cams that are compatible with Alexa, you really can’t go with Amazon’s own Cloud Cam.

There’s really nothing too special about it compared to the competition, but seeing that it’s Amazon’s own concoction, you’ll know right off the bat that you’re getting the best seamless integration with it and your Echo devices.

It’ll work great with your Echo Show or Echo Dot, and it comes with night vision, And two-way talk. Plus, as with all cameras on this list, it’ll record in full 1080p HD.

It comes with 24 hours of video storage, but if you need more than that (as well as some more advanced features, you can upgrade to a subscription that will give you person detection (as opposed to just typical motion detection), as well as motion zones.

Buy on Amazon An Outdoor Option: Logitech Circle 2 ($179)

It’s a bit more expensive, but if you’re looking for Wi-Fi cam that you can set outside, Logitech’s Circle 2 is a great option.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Always Take Sharp Photos

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 15:00

A sharp photo is one where the subject is in focus with clear lines, crisp details, and no (unintended) blurring. It’s generally a sign of a high-quality, technically excellent image. Here’s how to make sure you always take sharp photos.

RELATED: What Does It Mean for a Photo to be “Sharp?”

I’ve explained in detail before what makes a photo sharp, but now we’re going to look at the practical side of things. To recap, sharpness is a combination of:

  • An in-focus subject
  • A static camera
  • The properties of the lens you’re using

The photo above is an example of a sharp photo I took. Notice how you can see every one of Kat’s eyelashes. Now, let’s look at it in the real world.

Understand Your Gear

One of the major factors affecting sharpness is the properties of the lenses you’re using. One of the reasons professional lenses cost so much more (and are so heavy) is that they’re designed to be as sharp as possible—and that takes a lot of work. If you’re trying to take a super-sharp shot with an old, cheap lens, you’re going to struggle; the lens isn’t capable of resolving the details clearly.

Similarly, your camera has a limit on how much it can resolve. If the details you’re trying to capture are projected smaller than the pixels on the sensor, then they won’t show. Here’s another portrait with a close up on the model’s eyes.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

[Updated] Google Drive Has a Serious Spam Problem, But Google Says a Fix is Coming

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 13:40

Google Drive has a pretty bad spam problem, and it seems Google doesn’t care. Spammers can share files that automatically appear in your Drive, and there’s no way to stop it.

Update 1/4/19 10:10 AM CTS: Google got back to us with a statement saying that changes are coming to Drive’s sharing features and they’re “making it a priority.” Here’s the statement in full:

“For the vast majority of users, the default sharing permissions in Drive work as intended. Unfortunately, this was not the case for this user and we sincerely apologize for her experience. In light of this issue, we are evaluating changes to our spam, abuse, and blocking features that will prevent this kind of activity from taking place on Drive. In the interim, users who are experiencing similar issues can remove themselves from the folder, and the folder should not reappear in either “My Drive” or “Shared with Me” unless they revisit it.” — Google Spokesperson

Here’s What’s Happening

Google Drive’s sharing system is the problem. Since it doesn’t offer any sharing acceptance, all files and folders shared with your account are automatically available to you in Drive—they just show up. To make matters worse, if you only have “View” permission, you can’t remove yourself from the share. It’s a mess. And to make matters even worse, this is far from a new problem, but Google still hasn’t done anything to fix it.

Here’s the scenario: a spammer (or anyone else) shares a file or folder with you. This file or folder immediately shows up in the “Quick Access” area of your Drive, as well as in the “Shared with you” section. You can’t stop this from happening—you don’t have to accept the share; it shows up whether you want it or not. The good news is that the files aren’t automatically added to your Drive, and are thus not downloaded or synced automatically to your devices.

These were all shared with us without request or permission. Yet here they are.

Now, you can right-click on the item and choose “Remove” to prevent it from showing up in the “Shared with me” section, but it will continue to show up in the Quick Access area and search results. If you accidentally open the file or folder, it will be added back into your Drive on the web.

Why Is This an Issue?

There are a few scenarios in which this is a pretty big issue. The first, as mentioned earlier, is for spam. Users can (and will) get bombarded with crap they don’t want—all the time.

Oof.

The second issue may be even more common: when you don’t want to be part of a shared file/folder any longer. Since there’s no way to remove yourself from the share, you’re stuck with it. This can be especially troubling if the shared file or folder is from an ex with whom you no longer have or want contact.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Geek Trivia: The Dendy Was A Soviet Clone Of Which Popular Game Console?

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 09:02

The Dendy Was A Soviet Clone Of Which Popular Game Console?
  1. Playstation
  2. NES
  3. Atari 2600
  4. Sega Genesis

Think you know the answer?

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft Wants to Kill Passwords, Starting With Windows 10

How-To Geek - Fri, 01/04/2019 - 03:38

The next version of Windows 10 will support passwordless Microsoft accounts. Microsoft will just text a code to your phone number when you sign in. It’s all part of Microsoft’s stated goal: “a world without passwords.”

This feature is available now in Insider build 18309. It will be stable and available to everyone in the next version of Windows 10, codenamed 19H1 and available sometime around April 2019. Passwordless logins debuted for Windows 10 Home back in Insider build 18305, but are now available on all editions of Windows.

Here’s how it works: You can now create a Microsoft account without a password. Instead, you just provide your phone number. When you sign into Windows 10 with that phone number, Microsoft will text you a code that you enter on the sign-in screen. After that, you can use Windows Hello to set up a PIN, fingerprint, or face login method. You never have to type a password—your account doesn’t even have one! And you don’t have to enter a code sent via text every time you sign in, either. You only have to receive a code on your phone when you sign in on a new PC.

To use this feature on the latest Insider builds of Windows, you’ll need a Microsoft account without a password:

If you don’t already have a password-less phone number account, you can create one in a mobile app like Word on your iOS or Android device to try it out. Simply go to Word and sign up with your phone number by entering your phone number under “Sign in or sign up for free”.

This latest build also features a streamlined PIN reset experience for Windows Hello and improvements to the Narrator.

RELATED: Windows 10’s Next Update Will Make Your PC Faster, Thanks to Better Spectre Fixes

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Add the Developer Tab to the Microsoft Office Ribbon

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 22:00

The Developer tab is not displayed on the Ribbon in Office apps by default, but it’s easy to add and gives you access to advanced features like macros, ActiveX controls, and form controls to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio. Here’s how to set it up.

Why Bother with the Developer Tab?

When would you need the Developer tab? You can use the Developer tab to:

  • Write or run macros
  • Use XML commands
  • Use ActiveX controls
  • Create applications to use with Microsoft Office programs
  • Use form controls in Microsoft Excel
  • Work with the ShapeSheet in Microsoft Visio
  • Create new shapes and stencils in Microsoft Visio

Once you add the Developer tab to the Ribbon, it will remain visible unless you clear the check box or reinstall a Microsoft Office program.

How to Add the Developer Tab to the Ribbon

In this example, we’ll demonstrate how to add the Developer tab to the Ribbon in Word. However, the steps are the same in Excel and PowerPoint. Note that you will have to enable the Developer tab in each app separately.

Open the “File” menu.

Click “Options.”

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Mozilla Says It Didn’t Make Any Money From Booking.com

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 21:20

Mozilla has been taking heat for promoting Booking.com via a snippet on Firefox’s New Tab page. Contrary to speculation, Mozilla told us that “zero money changed hands.” Also, Firefox didn’t share any data with Booking.com, and the snippet wasn’t targeted.

This is all very interesting because Mozilla’s previous statements didn’t do much to clear this up. Despite Mozilla claiming this “experiment” wasn’t an advertisement or paid placement, Firefox users speculated that Mozilla had an affiliate relationship with Booking.com and Mozilla was receiving payment whenever a Firefox user booked a hotel. Mozilla’s Ellen Canale told us that just isn’t true:

There are no loopholes here. This was not a paid placement or advertisement and Mozilla did not make money off an affiliate relationship. Again, this was simply an effort to provide unique value to Firefox users. Zero money changed hands in either direction.

Some Firefox users have also speculated that Mozilla was targeting this message based on users’ browsing activity, perhaps using the new “Contextual Feature Recommender” feature. However, Canale also told us that no targeting was going on:

The offer was provided to users with browsers set to the english language. There was no targeting based on user activity.

Ellen also clarified that Firefox never shared any data with Booking.com. The only data Booking.com gets is the data you type into Booking.com.

Similar to transactions on most websites, if a user clicked through to Booking.com Firefox page from the snippet, and then decided to book a hotel room, they would have provided their information to secure the booking and the discount. Only at this point is the user entering into a relationship with Booking.com. There was no sharing of user data between Firefox and Booking.com.

We asked whether Mozilla had any plans to accept payment for snippet messages in the future, but we did not receive a further response. We also contacted Booking.com for additional information, but it didn’t respond either.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Asus Enters the Small but Growing Chrome OS Tablet Market

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 18:47

Full tablets powered by Google’s Chrome OS are thin on the ground, but with the Pixel Slate now making its way to users’ hands, it’s growing faster. Asus, frequent Chromebook manufacturer, is introducing its first model at CES.

The Chromebook Tablet CT100—which, yes, is a tablet and not a “book” of any note-like description, and lacks a keyboard—shares a lot of similarities with the first Chrome OS tablet from Acer. Its 9.7-inch, 2048×1536 screen runs on top of a Rockchip ARM-based processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage, making its hardware closer to an entry-level iPad than a Pixel competitor. Expansion comes from a MicroSD card slot and a USB-C port.

Asus claims that it’s designed the CT100 with “young kids” in mind, and to that end has coated the body with rubber that can stand a drop from a meter. 2MP and 5MP cameras on the front and rear are nothing to write home about, but the included stylus slides into its own bay in the tablet, something that’s not always a given in today’s market.

The CT100 doesn’t have a price or release date yet, but given its specs and target, I’d expect this one to come in at under $400. We’ll probably see more of it after the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.

Source: Asus via Liliputing

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft is Working on a Privacy Panel to Control Your Personal Data

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 18:13

Corporations hold massive amounts of data on who you are. But most of them won’t let you see what they know. Microsoft is working on a project to add transparency.

First tweeted out by Longhorn, Microsoft is in the early stages of a project called Bali to give you greater control of your data. When pressed for more details, Longhorn was even kind enough to provide a screenshot of an image from Bali’s webpage.

As Mary Jo Foley reports, Bali aims to follow the concept of inverse privacy. First proposed by Microsoft Research, the fundamental problem described is one we’re all aware of: companies contain a massive amount of granular data about individuals, but those individuals rarely if ever have any control or even knowledge of the contents of that data.

A good example is grocery stores. Many grocery stores offer rewards cards which are used to track purchases. Through those purchases, the grocery store becomes intimately familiar with likes, dislikes, habits, preferences. Enough to glean the likelihood of buying a just-released item and send the perfect coupon. But few (if any) grocery stores give customers full access to this purchasing history and the data derived from it. There’s no reason they couldn’t. They choose not to.

With Bali, Microsoft is attempting to give its users greater access to the data Microsoft keeps. According to the About Page, users will be able to:

…store all data (raw and inferred) generated by them. It will allow the user to visualize, manage, control, share and monetize the data.

Bali describes itself as a personal data bank. The implication here is not only greater security, but greater interaction. You put into the bank, you take out of the bank.

The project is in early private beta, however. And most of the links go to Microsoft related pages that don’t specifically mention Bali and its intentions. It’s possible Bali may never make it out of the beta stage, and even if it does it could be a commercialized service. But seeing Microsoft experiment with giving users more transparent control of their data is a good start, and hopefully other companies can follow that lead.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Smart Locks For Your Google Home

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 18:00

Smart locks are a great way to add some convenience when coming and going from your house, and if you want one that works with your Google Home, there are some great options to consider.

There are a few different styles of smart locks to choose from, so the “best” one for you may be different than the “best” one for someone else, depending on your wants and needs. However, if you’re simply just looking for the best one that works well with your Google Home, we have you covered.

Nest x Yale Lock ($249)

If you want your smart lock to work with Google Home, there’s really no better choice than the Nest x Yale Lock. It’s made by a Google-owned company (Nest) in partnership with a reputable door lock company (Yale).

Since it’s a Nest product, there is no doubt that it will work seamlessly with your Google Home. However, be sure that you also get the Nest Connect, which will be an extra $30 (or if you already have a Nest Secure system, you can use that). Either one of these devices allows for the lock to connect to your Wi-Fi in order to control it with your Google Home, as well as remotely from your phone.

With the Google Home, you can lock the door from across the house or just check on its status to make sure if it’s locked or not. You can even add the lock to Google Assistant Routines.

Perhaps the only downside is that it doesn’t come with a traditional keyhole for manual override if that’s your thing. Otherwise, if the batteries were to die, you can hold a 9V battery to the terminals at the bottom of the lock and then enter in your passcode to unlock the door.

Buy Now Keep Your Existing Deadbolt: August Smart Lock ($150)

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Customize the Theme and Formatting for Outlook Mail

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 17:24

Bored of using “Calibri, 11pt” for every mail you send in Outlook? Default bright, white email background making your eyes hurt? Fear not, you can change the default email theme to be whatever you want, and here’s how.

Change the Theme for a Single Message

If you want to change the theme for a single message you’re creating, go to Home > New Items > E-mail Message Using > More Stationery.

This will open up the “Theme or Stationery” window, where you can pick whatever theme you want.

Select the theme from the left menu to see a preview in the right-hand panel, and when you’ve found one you like, click “OK” to apply it to your message.

Change the Theme for All Messages

To change the default theme for all messages you send, go to File > Options > Mail (or File > Options > Ease of Access) and click the “Stationery and Fonts” button.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Add Third-Party Locations to Turn the iOS Files App into Finder

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 16:00

The Files app was introduced to the iPhone and iPad with iOS 11 in 2017, and it brought much-needed file access to iOS. In typical Apple fashion, its real power is well hidden. Here’s how to turn Files into Finder for iOS.

If you’ve ever ventured into the Files app, you’ve no doubt seen it in its most basic form. Before you add any additional sources of files—which Files calls “Locations”—things can look pretty sparse. Sure, browsing files that are saved locally to your device is way better than what we had before, but things get super interesting once you start adding more locations.

Locations are areas of storage that iOS apps can present to the Files app, essentially allowing you to dip into those apps and the data they have stored, all from within Files. That doesn’t sound all that amazing until you think about the kinds of apps that support Files. Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive immediately spring to mind, and with any of those added as a location, you can browse the contents of those cloud storage providers right from within Files. Everything syncs just as it would from within the apps, so if you add a file to your Dropbox folder on a Mac, it appears in the Files app and vice versa.

It’s this kind of integration that goes a long way to making Files act like Finder, but there’s more, too.

Apps that you wouldn’t normally associate with storage can also present information to Files. One example would be the excellent Keep It, an app for organizing files such as PDFs, images, and more. Keep It also presents everything it holds as a Location in Files, giving you instant access to everything without opening the app. Want to add a file to Keep It to be processed at a later date? Just drop it into the Keep It location in Files, and it’ll be waiting for you no matter whether you open the app on your iPhone, iPad, or even your Mac.

So, how do you make all of this magic happen? It’s surprisingly easy!

Adding a Location in Files

To get started, open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Bags For One-Bag Travel

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 15:00

One-bag travel is one of the latest ideas to start to make the leap from niche online communities to Instagram to the mainstream.  Here’s what it’s all about and our top picks to get the most out of one-bag travel.

The idea is that you travel—often for extended periods of time—with just what you can fit in a carry-on backpack. A whole range of bags have cropped up to answer the needs of Instagram influencers, but which is the best? Read on to find out.

What Is One-Bag Travel

One-bag travel, like many #hashtag #labels, is pretty open-ended and really, nothing new. In its purest form, it’s traveling the world for extended periods of time with only a small carry-on backpack. The kind of people who pull that off only own one t-shirt and cut their toothbrush in half to save weight. They can, however, literally carry their life on their back pretty much anywhere.

Most people aren’t prepared to go that minimalist so a lot of people, myself included, use a bag that is the max legal carry-on size for most airplanes. It lets you bring a reasonable amount of stuff—I carry my camera, laptop, three days worth of clothes, gym gear, and toiletries, basically—while still being pretty flexible. You probably don’t want to lug everything around with you all the time, but you can get by, especially once you ditch the really heavy stuff in your Airbnb or hotel. This is the kind we’ll mostly be looking at.

At the far end of things, you’ve got rebranded backpacking bags. They have gigantic rucksacks, that definitely don’t fit in a carry-on bin, filled with everything they need to hitchhike around Europe for three months. All that’s new is the #hashtag; people have been doing this kind of travel for years. It’s really outside of what most people talk about when they say “one-bag travel”; it kind of carries connotations of minimalism and cutting back on the amount you bring, in the same way that sleeping in your car for a few nights isn’t really #vanlife. This isn’t to knock backpackers: it’s just that we’re not going to be looking at the heavy, load hauling packs they use. It’s the midsize bags where there’s been all the interesting developments.

What We’re Looking For In a Good Travel Bag

Before diving in, I’m going to lay out the criteria I used for selecting these bags. I’ve personally handled them all and talked to people who travel with them. I’ve also owned and used two of the three picks. So here’s what I was looking for:

  • It had to a backpack. No rollaboards or gigantic duffels.
  • It had to be big enough to carry a reasonable amount of gear. Most people have more than one t-shirt.
  • It had to be small enough that you could carry it for extended periods of time, even if it was heavy. No gigantic 100L trekking packs.
  • It had to be backloading or clamshell opening like a suitcase. These are travel bags, not ergonomic hiking packs.
  • It had to be able to carry a laptop safely. Again, travel, not hiking.
  • It had to be really well made. We’re talking great manufacturing and high-quality components. These bags are all expensive so they couldn’t skimp on anything.
  • People who used them had to love them. Different people have different needs so this isn’t a one-bag wins situation.

Now, let’s dig in.

My Favourite: The Peak Design 45L Travel Bag ($300+)

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Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Search All Streaming Services For a Movie or TV Show

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 15:00

Is the TV show you want to watch on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or HBO? And which service has the best price for a digital movie rental? The below solutions will answer those questions in an instant.

Search From Your TV’s Streaming Box

All the big modern TV-streaming boxes, including the Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV devices—have built-in search features. They search multiple apps at the same time, and you can type out the name of a show or movie using your remote control or speak it aloud with your voice.

  • Roku: Use the search feature on your Roku’s home screen to search for the name of a movie or TV show. You can also press the voice button on your remote control and speak the name of a movie or TV show to search for it. Your Roku will show you where the movie or TV show is available across multiple services, and you can select an option to start watching it quickly. Roku also lets you search for an actor or director’s name.
  • Apple TV: The Apple TV works just like the Roku here. You can either use the Search app on your Apple TV or ask Siri for the name of a movie or TV show. With Siri, you can also search by genre, actor, and other details.
  • Fire TV: Amazon’s Fire TV also lets you search for movies and TV shows, either with the search feature or via Alexa. If a movie or TV show is available on multiple services, you’ll see a “More Ways to Watch” option that shows you other services offering the same movie or TV show.
  • Android TV: Google’s Android TV also lets you search within apps. Just use the search box on the home screen, or press the microphone button on your remote and ask Google Assistant for the movie or TV show you want to watch. It’ll search multiple streaming platforms.

Each of the above streaming boxes is different, and some boxes may search more or different sources than others. You may want to try a different search solution if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Use a Website on Your Computer, or App on Your Phone

Several websites and applications let you search for the name of a TV show or movie and show you exactly where that media is available for streaming online. They’ll even show you where it’s included free with a subscription and where it’s available for rental or purchase, letting you compare prices.

This is particularly convenient if you’re using a streaming platform that doesn’t offer this integrated search—like a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Chromecast, or smart TV—or if you’re watching movies and TV shows on your phone, tablet, or computer.

We like Just Watch. It searches more than forty legitimate streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO, YouTube, and iTunes. Unlike some other options, it’s available for other countries, too—not just the USA.

Head to the website, search for a movie or TV show, and you’ll see exactly where it’s available. It’s a lot faster than searching several different services and comparing the price. If you’re searching for a TV show, you can even look at individual seasons or episodes to see where they’re available.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

10 Annoying Problems You Can Solve with Smarthome Devices

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 13:40

Smarthomes are easier to put together than ever. While they’re still not a necessity, what they are useful for is solving annoying problems around your home.

No More House Shouting

Smarthomes don’t always work well in family situations. Automation is particularly hard in homes with families and music integration can lead to account issues. But one area where Smarthomes shine is communication. If you’ve ever asked a child to tell the family there’s dinner, and all they did was yell “dinner” as loud as they can, you’ll appreciate both the Amazon Echo and Google Home’s intercom features.

Intercoms are normally annoying and difficult to install in a home, require wiring and sometimes making holes in the wall. But with an Echo or Home in different rooms, you can use either the Echo’s Announce or Google Home’s Broadcast feature.

The Echo’s announce feature lets you broadcast a one-way message to all the other Echos in your home (assuming they’re on the same Amazon account), but people can’t reply to the announcement. Google Home’s Broadcast feature is two-way, though; people can reply, and you’ll hear it on the Home device from which you broadcast.

Alexa’s does have a drop-in feature that lets you get a  two-way conversation going, but it only works between two Echo devices.

RELATED: Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: Which One Should You Buy?

Never Leave the Lights on Again

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Geek Trivia: Ethernet Superseded Which Network Technology?

How-To Geek - Thu, 01/03/2019 - 09:02

Ethernet Superseded Which Network Technology?
  1. AppleTalk
  2. Token Ring
  3. Fiber Optic
  4. Serial Cable

Think you know the answer?

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

How-To Geek - Wed, 01/02/2019 - 22:00

There are many ways to improve your PowerPoint presentation—adding animations to objects, customizing slide transition styles, and using interesting themes to name a few. In addition to all that, you can also add music to your presentation.

Adding Music to Your Presentation

PowerPoint makes it very simple to add music to your presentation. Adding music to your presentation may be a great idea, but there are also cases where it may be considered unprofessional. We’re not here to tell you when to do it, just how to do it, but make sure it’s appropriate for the situation.

Switch to the “Insert” tab and then click the “Audio” button.

A menu will appear, giving you the option to either upload music from your PC or record your own audio track.

If you’d like to record your own audio, select “Record Audio,” and the “Record Sound” window will appear. Go ahead and give your audio a name, then click the “Record” icon when you’re ready to start.

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Categories: IT General, Technology
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