The great thing about these apps is that you don’t need any special camera add-ons or microphones installed to use them. They work fine with your regular phone camera and mic, which is useful considering that desktop computers and laptops that want to deliver something similar in HD have to use a dedicated webcam and external microphone. When you first tap it, you’ll be sharing video with yourself, but you can change it to be public, with friends only, or with specific friends you choose....

What these sites do is let you test your upload and download bandwidth, giving you some idea about the quality of your connection to the internet. How accurate are they? Sadly, they’re often not at all accurate. Sometimes, an internet speed test isn’t accurate because the method the service uses isn’t great, but often it’s because of an overlooked detail. Below are the 5 things you should do to make sure the test of your internet speed is as accurate as possible....

The site lets its users add lots of information about themselves to their profile, and the inherent function of the platform is to bring people closer together through information sharing. You can leverage this to help you find someone on Facebook, whether it’s a friend you used to know, a family member, etc. Here are some tips to remember when using Facebook’s people search tool: When you’re searching for just people, select People to avoid finding business pages, events, and other content....

Renaming a PDF to a Word format like DOCX won’t work. You have to use a program or service that can perform the conversion before you can make changes to it. Once the changes are made, you can use a PDF converter tool to turn your Word document ​back into a PDF file…if you want to. There are several completely free programs and online services that can get the job done....

Physical Network Security One often-overlooked network security element involves protecting hardware devices from theft and physical intrusion. Corporations lock network servers, network switches, and other core network components in well-guarded facilities. These measures aren’t practical for homeowners, but you can keep your password-protected broadband routers in a private location, away from neighbors and houseguests. If you’re concerned about data theft through physical means, such as someone stealing a computer or router, consider not storing your data locally....

Solana Labs, the technology company behind the Solana blockchain, has unveiled plans to release a purpose-built Android phone for its cryptocurrency ecosystem. Not all blockchain experts, however, are thrilled by the announcement. “Cryptocurrency does not need crypto native phones,” tweeted Justin Bons, founder and CIO of crypto investment firm Cyber Capital. “It needs better software which can run securely on the phones we all already own!” If it Ain’t Broke Solana Labs’ CEO Anatoly Yakovenko launched the phone, dubbed Saga, at an event in New York....

Here’s a look at how Add Contacts works. How Add Contacts Works While adding contacts to Outlook is a simple process, it’s easy to miss some contacts, or lose contacts entirely if you receive a lot of email messages in your inbox. Add Contacts completely automates this process. Anytime you reply to a message or send a new message, Add Contacts automatically adds that email address to your Outlook contact folder or any folder you choose as the contact destination, either in your personal mailbox or in public folders on Microsoft Exchange server....

AirPods are fantastic little devices. They sound amazing, they integrate with all your devices, and they’re super easy to use. But imagine if they connected faster, sounded better, and got rid of that annoying delay when gaming or using music-creation apps. That might all be possible—if and when Apple ditches Bluetooth. “Believe me, we need a replacement for Bluetooth,” says Apple nerd and podcaster John Siracusa on his Accidental Tech Podcast....

Astro uses its capabilities for home monitoring and in-home care. The little robot supports the new Ring Protect Pro subscription plan, allowing Astro to patrol a home while the user is away. With a Protect Pro plan, users can review, share, and save videos and photos captured by Astro. The robot even will send notifications to a smartphone if it detects something strange, via the official app. Astro also has a periscope that expands its field of view to see over obstacles....

Overall Findings What both Luna and Game Pass have in common is the fact that users do not have to purchase games separately. While subscribers do not “own” the games they play through these services, they will have free access to these catalogs as long as their subscriptions are active. Where Luna and Game Pass diverge are the breadth and depth of their game libraries and on which devices these users can play them on....

Shuffle Music has become more of a backdrop to other activities, and this kind of setup fits that very well. But there’s another part to this: What about the musicians? Won’t You Please Think of the Musicians? This makes me wish for a whole-catalog shuffle on Apple Music or Spotify, a way to hear new music, instead of Apple Music’s poor algorithmically chosen New Music mix. And why stop here? There must be plenty of ways to present music when your streaming catalog includes pretty much every song around....

The company will hold a launch event on September 28 for these and other upcoming products, according to Bloomberg. The new Echo reportedly has a 15-inch display that can mount on a wall or simply be placed atop a table. The large smart speaker is for smart home control to let users activate appliances, lights, and locks throughout the house. It may also have a graphical interface with widgets that show the weather, appointments on a calendar, and photographs....

Microsoft revealed that Android apps on Windows 11 will function using Intel Bridge Technology, which is designed to bring support for more applications and experiences on Windows. The new tech will work using the latest Intel processors and will play a large role in how Microsoft wants to expand the offerings on the Microsoft Store. One of the apps shown off during the demonstration was TikTok, which has become one of the most popular social media video apps available throughout the world....

According to 9to5Mac, Apple released the latest firmware version for AirTags on Thursday as version 1.0.291 with build number 1A291a. Although Apple has not detailed what updates or improvements are in the new firmware, reports suggest the updates might include an Android app that will detect AirTags, other Find My-enabled accessories, and possible additional improvements in anti-stalking features. Alternatively, the update could simply be a maintenance release to fix minor bugs....

Earlier this week, automaker Polestar announced its first partners in its Polestar 0 Project. The automaker is working with suppliers like SSAB Steel and ZF to ensure that all aspects of a vehicle’s production are climate-neutral. It’s an important step, and while I’m sure Polestar has the best intentions, it and other automakers need to follow through on these plans. And as consumers, we need to make sure they’re keeping climate-based pacts with us....

What Is an AV File? Some files that use the AV file extension are documents created by Final Draft AV version 1. Later editions create documents with the .XAV file extension instead. Template files use the similar XAVT file format. Final Draft AV is a word processor program that simplifies the process of adding dialogue, scenes, character information, and other things necessary for a script. AV files are used by the program to store this information....

Free Up Space Your device will run faster if the memory isn’t being overtaxed. Evaluate the apps you have on your phone or tablet. Remove any you no longer need or use. This frees up space on the device. To delete an app you downloaded, go to Settings and look for the App Manager (sometimes it seems a bit hidden, so you may need to look around for it). Tap any app listed in the App Manager that you want to uninstall to open its info screen....

With dozens of companies, including biggies like Meta and Elon Musk’s Neuralink, engaged in research around the potential benefits of BCIs, security researchers at the NCC Group have published a whitepaper to examine the technology, outlining challenges it must overcome before they elevate our smart and connected life to the next level. “Despite the potential benefits of BCIs, the reality is that they involve integrating technology with our brains,” argue the researchers in the paper....

Go Mini Do you want to knock money off the price of the iPad? Don’t dismiss the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini 4 is the same exact tablet as the iPad Air 2 and the 2019 refresh in the form of the iPad Mini 5 keeps the same basic form factor. The only thing “mini” about it is the size, and that can actually be an advantage. The smaller 7.9-inch tablet can be much easier to use on the go than its 9....

That’s right: the company has introduced a live-calling feature that allows fans to purchase a ten-minute video chat with their favorite celebrity. The feature, called Cameo Live, is available as a one-on-one experience or as a shared group chat experience with up to ten people. Like traditional Cameo bookings, you can also gift these live chats to friends and loved ones if you want to add a bit of Hollywood magic to a birthday or anniversary....