Technology

7 tech gems that make life easier and save you time

Published

3 years ago

March 17, 2022

Press Room

7 tech gems that make life easier and save you time

Renderings of the iPhone X, finances iPhone, and iPhone X Plus (left to proper) (Ben Geskin)

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Our on a regular basis gadgets make life simpler, however they are often large time sucks.

Are you continuously checking your cellphone? You’re not alone. Faucet or click on for confirmed settings that will help you break your cellphone habit.

Possibly you’re slowed down and annoyed by an outdated laptop computer or desktop pc. Earlier than you hand over and purchase a brand new one, you’ll be able to possible pace yours up and get extra life from it. Faucet or click on for my five-minute tech repair for a quicker PC.

Doesn’t saving time really feel nice? Preserve going. Listed below are seven nifty methods tech can assist you streamline your life.

1. Measure your coronary heart price along with your cellphone

You don’t want a smartwatch to measure your coronary heart price. Cardiio: Coronary heart Charge Monitor is an iPhone app that makes use of your cellphone’s digicam to take a studying of your pulse. Place your index finger on the again digicam, and the app will measure your coronary heart price by detecting colour adjustments. Make sure you maintain your cellphone regular and hold nonetheless. It really works with iPads, too.

For Android, Coronary heart Charge Monitor works equally. Cowl the again digicam, keep nonetheless, and also you’ll get a studying.

Simply bear in mind, apps like this will not be a substitute for seeing a medical skilled or speaking to your physician in the event you’re not feeling properly.

For extra smartphone smarts, take a look at this improbable listing of 10 iPhone methods I exploit every single day, and you’ll, too.

2. Get extra legroom in your subsequent flight

Google Flights is terrific for determining one of the best and least expensive option to get from level A to level B. However would not or not it’s nice additionally to know if you are going to be scrunched in somewhat seat the entire time?

Get the Chrome browser extension referred to as Legroom for Google Flights. When utilizing Google Flights, you may additionally see how a lot legroom there may be per seat by the flight you chose.

One other stable possibility is SeatGuru.com. Enter your airline and flight quantity, and you will see a map of one of the best seats with essentially the most legroom, no obtain required.

Hitting the street quickly? Listed below are 10 journey ideas even seasoned vacationers can profit from.

3. Submit to all of your social media accounts directly

Social media is enjoyable, but it surely may also be a number of work. You’ll be able to spend approach too lengthy crafting the appropriate tweet, the appropriate Fb submit, an Instagram picture, then … properly, you already know.

Right here’s a secret that influencers and entrepreneurs have recognized for years: Social media scheduling apps streamline the method. You’ll be able to create a draft of a submit with textual content, photos, or anything your coronary heart wishes. Then, choose the time you need the submit to go up. You’ll be able to create completely different variations for every social media community, too.

I like Buffer as a result of it has a free possibility. You’ll be able to handle as much as three social media channels for free of charge. In case you run a small enterprise or have extra channels to handle, paid plans begin at $60 per yr.

RELATED: True or false: Folks can see the embarrassing belongings you “like” on social media

4. Observe your tax refund on-line

Anticipating your tax refund within the mail? Right here’s an insider secret to get the submit workplace to ship you an electronic mail with photos of your mail.

Your first cease is on the USPS web site, USPS.com.

Right here, you’ll see an possibility to join Knowledgeable Supply. This free service sends residential and P.O. field prospects grayscale photos of the mail arriving that day.

These photos embrace the entrance of the envelope, so your envelope will present the IRS because the sender if it is your tax refund.

With Knowledgeable Supply, you can too handle any packages arriving, depart supply directions or reschedule a supply.

Professional-tip: The pictures despatched through USPS solely present you the primary 10 items of your mail for that day. To see the remaining, register to your account at USPS.com or skip the e-mail altogether and use the free USPS app. Obtain for Android right here or get it for iPhone right here.

A truck carrying more than 100 packages in Maryland was carjacked by five suspects Thursday morning. The packages were unloaded and the two delivery drivers were unharmed, authorities said.

A truck carrying greater than 100 packages in Maryland was carjacked by 5 suspects Thursday morning. The packages had been unloaded and the 2 supply drivers had been unhurt, authorities mentioned.
(AP)

5. Promote your stuff with out assembly in a car parking zone

Craigslist was the go-to option to promote your outdated stuff on-line again within the day. Today, there are much more choices.

You should use Decluttr to promote tech devices, like outdated telephones, computer systems, tablets, and good residence gear. There’s no must create an inventory, write an outline, add pictures, or negotiate with patrons. Merely add details about the gadgets you wish to promote, and also you get a proposal.

You will not must dig out the outdated charger, authentic field, or any equipment. The worth you are provided is for the system solely. The payout is fairly good too. Faucet or click on for a direct hyperlink and a walkthrough of find out how to promote on Decluttr.

For native promoting, skip the yard sale and listing your stuff shortly on OfferUp. The app is free to make use of, and you may message others, so that you need not give your cellphone quantity or electronic mail tackle. If you wish to lengthen your vary, OfferUp enables you to promote nationwide. For a neighborhood sale, cash adjustments arms in individual. For items which are shipped, funds are made by means of the app.

Faucet or click on for obtain hyperlinks for OfferUp, together with 5 different Craigslist alternate options.

6. Conceal your electronic mail tackle

Among the finest methods to cease the fixed circulate of electronic mail spam is to not use your major electronic mail tackle for purchasing on-line, newsletters, and requesting data.

A hidden trick when utilizing Gmail is to arrange distinctive electronic mail addresses everytime you want one. Simply use your major Gmail electronic mail tackle and put a plus signal after your identify and add a phrase the place you’re signing up. Say your electronic mail tackle is bob@gmail.com. Once you’re signing up for my free electronic mail publication, you’ll be able to create an immediate electronic mail tackle that’s bob+komandonewsletters@gmail.com.

Yahoo will allow you to create a disposable tackle in your settings.

Utilizing Apple’s iCloud, you’ll be able to have three completely different electronic mail addresses. However in the event you pay for iCloud, you’ll be able to cover your electronic mail wherever you need.

7. Get all of your electronic mail delivered in a single place

Talking of electronic mail, yours is probably going unfold throughout a number of gadgets. Once you ship, obtain, or delete an electronic mail on one system, it’s vital to maintain that workflow constant throughout others as properly. That approach, you do not miss essential messages or confuse others.

To arrange syncing on all of your gadgets, go to your Gmail web site in your desktop and click on:

Click on the gear icon and click on Settings.
Choose Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
Underneath IMAP entry, Allow Pop for all mail, Allow IMAP.
Scroll down and choose Save Adjustments.

You will discover a hyperlink for configuring mail retrieval by means of different platforms in that very same menu. That is essential when making an attempt to entry your account by means of third events like Thunderbird or the native Mail app on an iPhone. It is a lot simpler to arrange utilizing the official Gmail app.

In case you use Microsoft Outlook at work, and the mailbox you wish to sync is in your firm’s Change server, it’s finest to take the gadgets to your IT division. They’ll give you the area identify and different data you might want to arrange the mailbox on different gadgets.

Inbox feeling cluttered? Listed below are 5 must-do cleanups on your electronic mail inbox, community, and devices.

Bonus Tip: How advertisers acquire your knowledge and goal you with adverts

Male, 38 years outdated, married, two youngsters below 5, watched a YouTube video about garden care, visited a house enchancment retailer within the final 10 days, listened to a podcast about lawns, earns $68,000 a yr in a administration place, and lives in a sure zip code. That is how particular promoting could be as we speak. On this episode, I sit down with promoting CTO Premesh Purayil from Freestar to be taught the way it works and find out how to opt-out of the info monitoring.

Take a look at my podcast “Kim Komando Explains” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast participant.

Take heed to the podcast right here or wherever you get your podcasts. Simply seek for my final identify, “Komando.”

What digital life-style questions do you’ve? Name Kim’s nationwide radio present and faucet or click on right here to seek out it in your native radio station. You’ll be able to hearken to or watch The Kim Komando Present in your cellphone, pill, tv, or pc. Or faucet or click on right here for Kim’s free podcasts.

Copyright 2022, WestStar Multimedia Leisure. All rights reserved. By clicking the purchasing hyperlinks, you’re supporting my analysis. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. I solely advocate merchandise I consider in.

Find out about all the most recent expertise on The Kim Komando Present, the nation’s largest weekend radio speak present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on as we speak’s digital life-style, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and knowledge hacks. For her day by day ideas, free newsletters, and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.

Technology

2024: a year in art on The Verge

Published

6 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

The Verge art team was busy this year, creating illustrations, photographs, and interactive designs to match stories about underwater sea cables, competitive Excel, parental anxiety, AI companions, and so much more. Here’s a look back at 20 of our favorite projects from 2024, with comments from those of us who worked on the project.

2004 was the first year of the future

In a special issue on the year 2004, The Verge looked 20 years back to examine how 2004 was “the year of the future,” setting in motion the internet as we know and use it today. Cath Virginia absolutely crushed the hub design (with three skins! Remember skins?), Graham MacAree built the smoothest pages, and Amelia Holowaty Krales took the early aughts photos of my dreams. This package is both a love letter to a time we all saw ourselves for the first time online and a capsule of what we hope it can become again: a place for play, creativity, and connection. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Photography by Go Takayama

For Josh Dzieza’s feature on the hundreds of thousands of miles of internet cables at the bottom of the world’s oceans — and the people who fix and tend to them — we created an immersive electric blue world of maps and schematics. It’s great to have an opportunity to mash up data visualizations and maps along with stunning original photography, and Go Takayama’s intimate photos of these seafaring men give a face to an essential but otherwise invisible job. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Photography by Stormy Pyeatte

The visuals for these pieces are one of my proudest Verge projects. Stormy Pyeatte’s ethereal style of floral photography and projection mapping makes for a rhythmic and mesmerizing feature design — it almost makes you want to fall in love. – Cath Virginia, senior designer

We started this story trying to figure out how on earth a bunch of Excel nerds ended up on ESPN. We ended up discovering exactly how powerful, versatile, and important spreadsheets really are and the power they confer when you can reduce the world to rows and columns. In the process, our brilliant design team found yet another way to build a spreadsheet: to use rows and columns to tell the story, and depict its characters, in their natural habitat. – David Pierce, editor-at-large

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales

Every once in a while, we go bananas on a special-edition print project, and for our subscription launch this year, we somehow convinced our colleagues to pose in 1980s office wear for our Content Goblins magazine. It’s an issue about the enshitification of the internet, so I basically lobbed as much goop and slime on top of the design as possible. Our A/V producer Andrew Marino was the real MVP of this project for letting us turn him into a literal goblin. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Today’s smart homes: the hopes and the realities

The occupant of a home filled with “smart” technology — speakers, lights, a robovac — sits by the window and ignores the tech in favor of gazing at the trees and clouds outside. Adrián Astorgano’s vibrant art gives us a moving (both figuratively and literally) picture of how today’s smart homes are useful and even preferable, but not an end in themselves. –Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Getting Kristen Radtke’s beautiful comic up on the site was an interesting challenge: how do we preserve the artwork and animation without compromising on performance? I think the amount of work done to optimize the piece ultimately paid off in the user experience. It’s our smoothest comic yet. – Graham MacAree, senior engineer

I love everything that Samar Haddad makes, especially how she breaks down complex topics step by step in clever visual ways. For this short series on AI in sports, she created a massive suite of graphics in a cool retro vibe. I hate sports, and I love this series. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales; design by Maeve Sheridan and Cath Virginia

Creating the lede images for our gift guides is a big job each year. We source all the products, create distinct sets for each guide, and try to keep things fresh for the whole suite. I love the joyful scenes photographer Amelia Holowaty Krales created this year with prop stylist Maeve Sheridan, with bold, poppy wrapping papers designed by our senior designer Cath Virginia. You can even buy your own custom Verge wrapping paper from our merch store. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Searching for color at Pantone’s all-brown party

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales

I was so excited to head to a party with Verge senior photographer Amelia Holowaty Krales: one, because it meant we were both off the hook for bedtime with our respective kids, and two, because she can communicate a vibe so sharply through her lens. Her photos from the Pantone Color of the Year party are visual arguments in themselves, and her use of double exposures throughout perfectly communicates the branded extravaganza of the evening. – Kristen Radtke, creative director

Art by Cath Virginia with photos from Getty Images

There’s a lot to call out in this great, cohesive collection of images that helped bring our physical media issue to life. But I have to put a spotlight on the floppy disk turned turntable, which is as clever as it is mesmerizing. – Andrew Webster, senior editor, entertainment

Art by Cath Virginia, assets from TurboSquid

The most recognizable part of Pitchfork — besides its logo — is its 10-point rating scale. How do you convey the diminishment of an august music publication? You just turn the volume down. – Elizabeth Lopatto, senior reporter

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales

Wearables — especially smart rings — tend to be small gadgets. So when it comes to art, it’s really important to think about how to make them pop on the page while also differentiating them from each other. (Let’s be real, watches and rings start to look an awful lot alike after a while.) Cue fun, colorful props and sparkly nails! – Victoria Song, senior reviewer

The Verge’s guide to the 2024 presidential election

Design by Mr.Nelson with photos from Getty Images

In one of the most depressing election cycles of all time, Wouter Tjeenk Willink, aka Mr.Nelson, did an apt job with these uncomfortably chaotic collages. – Cath Virginia, senior designer

Alexa, thank you for the music

When people grow old, they don’t stop being individuals capable of joy. Mojo Wang’s imaginative drawing of an older woman in celebration of her favorite music beautifully illustrates an article that explains how the writer’s mother used a smart speaker to enhance the final chapters of her life. – Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Google is further cracking down on sites publishing ‘parasite SEO’ content

Art by Cath Virginia with photos from Getty Images

I’ve spent the last few years writing about all the ways search engine optimization infiltrates Google, making for a frustrating experience for both users and website operators. This image perhaps perfectly encapsulates SEO at its worst: insidious, corrosive, and just plain gross. – Mia Sato, platforms and communities reporter

OpenAI searches for an answer to its copyright problems

Art by Cath Virginia with photos from Getty Images

Basically my favorite part of the story process is finding out what madness our art team has cooked up this time. In this case, I think I told Cath Virginia that I felt like the “it’s all Ohio” meme as I was reporting the story — it’s all copyright law and always has been. And she went galaxy brain with it. – Elizabeth Lopatto, senior reporter

How the Stream Deck rose from the ashes of a legendary keyboard

Richard Parry’s playful 3D animations perfectly express the cult status of the infamous Optimus Maximus keyboard. – Cath Virginia, senior designer

Vice was never as big and solid as Shane Smith made it seem, and the story had a cartoonish surrealness to it that was captured perfectly in Hunter French’s illustrations — whether that was the Buster Keaton-inspired lead art or Smith hawking the brand in secretive deals. Sure, there are a bunch of complicated financial details, but the art really gets to the heart of the thing, doesn’t it? – Elizabeth Lopatto, senior reporter

Photography by Liam James Doyle and Montinique Monroe

Mia Sato’s piece about a lawsuit involving two Amazon influencers is amazing, and the photographs of these two individuals are a perfect pairing. The portraits that Montinique Monroe and Liam James Doyle took in Austin, Texas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, respectively, were individually fantastic and worked so well together, it was really hard to choose which to use. – Amelia Holowaty Krales, senior photographer

Technology

The biggest Wi-Fi mistake you didn’t know you were making

Published

6 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

The biggest Wi-Fi mistake you didn’t know you were making

You’ve got dinner in the oven, you’re looking for extra glasses, and your cousin’s kid screams (again), “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” You’re juggling a hundred things at once, and the last thing you want to do is to spell out your password.

Here’s the good news: You can slap a printout on the fridge, and everyone can scan it with their phones to connect. But first, I’ll show you how to create a separate network so you don’t need to worry about little Billy getting into your personal stuff on your devices and computers.

SCAMMERS ARE TARGETING TEENS WITH THESE NASTY TRICKS

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Be my guest

When guests connect to your main Wi-Fi, they can potentially access devices like smart TVs, printers, and even your laptop or phone if file sharing is enabled. Worse, if their device is compromised, your whole network could be at risk. A guest network keeps everyone happy while keeping your private life private.

Most modern routers let you set up a guest network without having to be a tech guru. Warning: This will take you a few minutes, but it’s totally doable.

RELATED: Is your internet slo-o-o-w? Let’s fix that.

Step 1: Log into your router’s admin console. You’ll need your IP address. You can usually find this on a sticker on the bottom or side of your router. Seeing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 is common.

( Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

If you don’t see yours …

On Windows: Open the Start menu, search for “Command Prompt” and, with your Command Prompt open, type in ipconfig and press Enter. Look for the line that says “Default Gateway.” This is your router’s IP address.
On Mac: Go to System Settings > Network. Select your Wi-Fi network > Advanced. Your router’s IP address is under Router.

Step 2: Open your browser, type http:// and paste in your IP address. Hit Enter to open a login page. For the credentials, try the username admin and the word password for the password. If the defaults are different, they’re likely printed on your router. You can also check this site that lists default passwords for almost every router in use.

Step 3: Look for a setting called Guest Network or Guest Wi-Fi. Give it a different name (aka SSID) than your main network, along with a strong, unique password.

TECH TIP: SAVE YOUR MEMORIES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

If you have snoops in the family … When family and friends connect to your Wi-Fi guest network, you can block them from accessing your files or devices on your primary network. Turn off the local access setting.

Sorry, but dedicated snoops won’t stop at one closed door. Here’s a sign someone is poking around.

While you’re at it, a quick security check

Close-up of a young girl using a smart phone while lying alone on her bed at home

Before you finish, take these extra steps to lock things down:

BIOMETRIC DATA: IS IT SAFE TO HAND IT OVER TO ANY COMPANY THAT ASKS?

Change your admin password: If your router still uses the default login, update it.
Update your firmware, too: Check for software updates to keep your router secure from vulnerabilities.

Your network is a bigger target than you realize.

Now for the fun part

Create a QR code that automatically connects guests to your new guest network — no hassle, no drama. With the free site QIFI.org, all you need is three pieces of info:

SSID: This is your Wi-Fi network name. Find it on the back of your modem, in the admin console or on your network app.
Encryption type: Choose WPA/WPA2/WPA3. You can find this in your phone’s Wi-Fi section under the network details.
Key: This is your router password. It’s on the back of your router if you’ve never changed it. (Please tell me you’ve changed it!)

Hit Generate and your QR code is ready. Print some copies of it to hang around the house, or do what I did: Order this custom sign that looks classy. Now, when someone asks for the Wi-Fi password, you can just point.

Get tech-smarter on your schedule

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

Technology

The Apple Watch Series 10 has returned to its Black Friday sale price

Published

14 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

The Apple Watch Series 10 has returned to its Black Friday sale price

Whether or not you subscribe to them, New Year’s resolutions are a capital-T Thing for many people in the US. Thankfully, if your goals for 2025 revolve around health and fitness, the 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at $329 ($70 off), matching its Black Friday low. You can also pick it up in the 46mm sizing at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at $359 ($70 off), which remains the best price we’ve seen on the larger model.

While there are certainly better fitness trackers for hardcore athletes, none of them offer the kind of robust third-party support you’ll get with a flagship Apple Watch, nor do they integrate as well with Apple’s larger device ecosystem. The Series 10 is a pretty minor update over the previous model, but it’s still a solid bet for casual athletes, with a terrific wide-angle OLED display, sleep apnea detection, a thinner design, and a larger charging coil that lets you juice it from zero to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.

The more substantial fitness updates come in the form of watchOS 11, Apple’s latest software update for the Apple Watch, which brings a selection of new training features to the midrange wearable. These include the new Training Load feature, an app called Vitals that can contextualize a set of recovery metrics, and the long-overdue ability to pause your Activity Rings (praise be). I wouldn’t say any of them are revolutionary, but if you’re upgrading from an older model or you’ve never owned an Apple Watch before, they’re certainly welcome.