Gadgets

How to use a VPN

While there’s no perfect solution for keeping your personal information safe from bad actors on the internet, using a VPN can help. Thieves don’t need to rifle through your garbage to find your most sensitive personal information any more, and even a computer protected by antivirus software can be susceptible to some kinds of information gathering techniques. A VPN is an easy, effective step to reduce those risks. Not only that, but it can also be a tool that expands…

Technology

TYLT CORD NOIR LIGHTNING CABLE REVIEW: BEAUTIFUL, STURDY, AND UBER-CONVENIENT PREMIUM CABLE

Tylt’s Cord Noir Lightning cable is exactly what a premium cable should be: Beautiful, sturdy, and uber-convenient. The most notable feature of the Cord Noir Lightning cable is its reversible USB plug, which lets you plug the cable into a computer or power supply without having to worry about double-checking that it’s facing the correct way. TyltTylt Cord Noir Lightning cable Amazing, right? Reversible USB Type-A connectors aren’t new, but they’re relatively rare in charging cables. This might be because they’re…

Software

ALPHA AUDIOTRONICS SKYBUDS REVIEW: A FRUSTRATING PAIR OF TRUE WIRELESS EARBUDS

If you’re looking for an inexpensive set of true wireless headphones, the $150 Alpha Audiotronics Skybuds cost about ten bucks less than a set of Apple AirPods. But after spending a week with them, I’ll tell ya that you’re gonna want to fork over that extra Alexander Hamilton. While they do have some redeeming features, Skybuds offer an anemic level of audio quality and an often frustrating user experience. Hardware Inside of each earbud, you’ll find a 5.18mm Knowles Balanced Armature Driver…

Computer

Mastering Mobility: ArubaOS 8

Sometimes, when you think life’s handing you lemons, it’s really serving you lemonade.   That’s how we felt at Swarthmore College when refreshing our Aruba network introduced us to the many streamlining and automation advantages in ArubaOS 8, the backbone of Aruba’s Mobile First Platform.   A Familiar Story, With a Twist   Like so many organizations, we embarked on our Aruba wireless network update a couple of years ago to meet the challenges of rising device densities and always-on mobility at our 425-acre…

Technology

Google now lets you hail an Uber straight from mobile search results

Google has updated its search engine for mobile users with a small but handy feature that lets you hail cabs straight from results pages. The next time you search for directions to a location in the Google app on your iOS or Android device, you’ll see options to hail a cab below the map, along with real-time fare estimates and wait times. Tapping through will launch the cab service’s app you have installed, so you can proceed to book your…

HARDWARE

A new app from Channels brings live TV to your iOS device

Channels has grown to become one of the more popular applications for cord cutters who want to watch, pause, rewind and fast-forward live television on their 4th-generation Apple TV. Now that same functionality is arriving on iOS in a new app,  launched this week. In addition to letting you watch live TV, the mobile application also lets you see what’s on in a full-grid TV guide. While Apple itself has been toying with the idea of making its Apple TV a platform for…

Smartphones

Don’t like the fingerprint-prone Moto Z metal back? The Moto Z Play’s glass back may not be better

The fingerprint-prone metal backs of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force may not be seen on the Moto Z Play. We’re already talking about the inclusion of some decent specs and a headphone jack, might as well add another material change-up. Well, this material might be just as prone to fingerprints as that metal that Lenovo utilized. Reddit is linking to some Imgur and Instagram samples of what appear to be the Moto Z Play in all of its… glassy…

Smartphones

Huawei G9 Plus makes discreet domestic debut with single 16MP rear cam, SD625

While leaving the dust to settle on the spectacular US launch of the upper mid-range Honor 8, and expecting a number of premium Huawei-branded phones to break cover, Mate 9 and Mate S2 included, our always pampered China-based friends can grab another 9-series Android with a solid quality – pricing ratio. This one’s called the Huawei G9 Plus, obviously improving on the specifications of the 5.2-inch standard G9, aka P9 Lite, but falling short of the raw processing power, smooth…

Smartphones

The Superbook: Will we finally live the dream?

One of my hobbies is browsing through KickStarter and Indiegogo to see what the brilliant minds of tomorrow are coming up with today. Or maybe that’s the other way around. Anyway. every now and then something grabs my attention for some reason. Of course, that’s the point. But this item, the Superbook is one of those items that someone is making that I’ve been wanting for some time. Or at least, I think I’ve been wanting it, but we’ll delve…

Smartphones

You can bet the farm now on the Nexus Marlin featuring SD820, 4GB RAM, 13/8MP cams

Mobile industry insiders have been known to make mistakes regarding high-profile unreleased devices, especially those manufactured by companies like LG, Huawei, Motorola or Asus with Google’s supervision and Nexus seal of approval. And pre-launch benchmarks can also occasionally be misleading. But it’s hard to imagine an assortment of the two different classes of reliable sources could so perfectly sync up to misrepresent the oft-leaked HTC-produced Nexus Marlin. This time, it’s AnTuTu that reveals the innards of the 5.5-inch N6P sequel,…

Smartphones

Leaked renders preview Fitbit Charge 2 with large screen, swim-proof Flex 2

Fitbit can’t really hope to snatch Apple’s wearable profit crown away anytime soon, as it remains focused on selling activity trackers at between $80 and $150, and pseudo-smartwatches for around $200, but copiously dominating the fledgling market in terms of volumes is no small feat either. To consolidate this leadership position, and keep the likes of Xiaomi or Garmin at bay, a couple of low-cost fall 2016 hardware releases have essentially been confirmed a little while back, and today we…

Smartphones

Honor 8 pre-orders in the US begin August 17 with a free $50 gift card

Remember the Galaxy Note 7? From that Korean company? Well, wash your mind from that and just look at this jewel of a phone that will bring your “eyes to the world.” It also brings Huawei and its affiliate, Honor, back to the US for another product launch. The Honor 8 was launched from an event in San Francisco and with a move in markets from China — where it sold 280,000 units in the first four hours of sales —…