Overall Findings Both dedicated GPS personal navigation devices (PNDs) and smartphone navigation apps offer high-quality, accurate maps and directions. PNDs offer larger screens and dedicated mounts. On the other hand, because smartphones are always connected to the internet and have capacitive touchscreens, you might prefer their ease and flexibility. Some top navigation apps include Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps. Well-known PND manufacturers include Garmin and TomTom. User Interface: Bigger Might Be Better A smartphone offers a sharp, clear display with a capacitive touchscreen....

Popular Camcorder Video Formats There are numerous video file formats, and even camcorders that use the same one may not implement it the same way. For the most part, you only have to worry about your camcorder file format if you want to edit your video or burn a DVD. Fortunately, the software that’s packaged with your camcorder is designed to read and do some very basic functions with your video....

According to a report from Gizmodo, users first noticed their hard drives being remotely deleted on Wednesday. Since Western Digital is still investigating the incident, the only solution right now is to unplug your hard drive from the internet for the time being. “We have determined that some My Book Live devices have been compromised by a threat actor,” Western Digital’s Jolin Tan told Gizmodo. “In some cases, this compromise has led to a factory reset that appears to erase all data on the device....

I’ve owned nearly every iteration of the iPad, but this is the first time I felt like I could get real work done on one of Apple’s tablets. The new M1 processor makes apps snap into place without lag, and the screen is incredibly sharp thanks to its Mini LED technology. Paired with the new Magic Keyboard for iPad specific to this model, I quickly composed this article on the M1 iPad....

Because this program runs before the operating system is loaded, it can erase not only any operating system but even the one that you’re primarily using, like whatever you have running on the C: drive. More About HDDErase HDDErase is a text-only program, which means there aren’t any buttons or menus that you can use to work with it. To get started, select Download Freeware Secure Erase Utility on the download page to get hdd-erase-web....

All these factors provide information regarding the distance of the sound sources from your ears. HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) is how sound interacts with your head and ears. Besides HRTF, the characteristics of sounds coming at you change as you move in your environment, as well as moving objects emitting sound change their distance from you (resulting in The Doppler Effect). Sound in Your Head Unlike hearing sound in the natural world or via speakers, when listening to audio (either music or movies) using wired headphones or headphones connected wirelessly to your TV, the sound seems to originate from within your head....

Signal Strength When you’re at home, you’re not mobile. This means you’ll likely always have similar signal reception unless you change your cellphone carrier or they significantly enhance their network to improve a dead zone. If your cellphone signal is weak at home either because your carrier provides inadequate service or because the architectural structure of your home weakens your cellphone’s signal, deactivating your landline might seem like a poor decision....

“Tech companies are going to be a lot more conservative with the features they release and maintain,” Zaven Nahapetyan, co-founder of Niche and a former member of Facebook’s Engineering Leadership team, told Lifewire in an email interview. “Many existing products are going to get cut due to personnel decreases and refocus on the bottom line.” Going Down It’s not hard to find gloomy news in the tech world. Meta’s stock price is tanking, and Elon Musk’s recent takeover of Twitter has led to vast numbers of employees leaving....

A bill known as the CHIPS for America Act was introduced last year to provide incentives to enable research in the semiconductor industry and secure supply chains. In February, President Biden signed an executive order that involves assessing potential risks in the semiconductor supply chains. But some observers say that more needs to be done. “There’s nothing the US government can do over the next six months to a year to really alleviate this,” Mike Juran, CEO of Altia, an automotive user interface design company, said in a video interview....

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is when a TV or computer display shows a bigger range from dark to light, with blacker blacks and whiter whites, and an expanded range of colors. If you watch HDR-enabled movies, then you get to see this extended range. That’s cool and all, but what if you’re viewing a thumbnail of an HDR clip on a non HDR display? That’s where EDR comes in....

What Is Geocaching? Geocaching combines mobile tech with the thrill of a scavenger hunt. It refers to an activity where participants use their phones or handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to locate “caches” containing log books, trinkets, tradable goods, or even money. Caches are typically hidden and listed by other geocachers. There are more than 3 million registered geocaches hidden in more than 190 countries. Even Antarctica has registered geocaches....

Fake meat is so hot right now. Environmentally it’s way, way cleaner than growing cows, pigs, and chickens. It will also end up cheaper. And if you think to yourself, “I’ll never eat a steak grown in a laboratory,” you’re missing the point. Lab meat will probably end up filling hamburger buns and other mystery meat products before it makes its way to your backyard grill. It could up-end the entire food industry, and you’ll be happy about it....

However, the performance of these cellular connections may not meet every user’s needs. The theoretical maximum network data transfer rate supported by a cellphone modem varies depending on the communication standards your phone service supports. Performance Across Generations of Cellular Technology Modern cell network technologies fall under the 4G and 5G classifications. These include LTE, HSPA, EV-DO, and EDGE. 4G has a download speed of around 14 Mbps, while 5G can get between 1 and 10 Gbps....

Cuddled in her at-home office, a large casement window illuminates the room with natural light in the morning as her LEDs take charge at night. Affixed on her desk are a keyboard and a slew of study materials as she prepares herself, and her audience, for a day of properly productive work and a salve from the debilitating power of loneliness. “I’m so glad for the community that grew around StudyTme....

A new beach-cleaning robot called BeachBot rolls along the sand, picking up cigarette butts. It’s one of a growing number of autonomous robots that could help save the planet from trash and other contaminants. “Robots capable of moving along the shoreline, identifying trash, and collecting it could make a big impact on coastal environments by routinely performing this job,” Jeffrey Laut, the CEO of Manifold Robotics, which makes autonomous boats that collect environmental data, told Lifewire in an email interview....

Flores-Martinez is the founder and CEO of CASHDROP, a mobile-first contactless e-commerce platform targeted at small business owners. “The inspiration for CASHDROP is heavily rooted in my childhood,” Flores-Martinez told Lifewire. “I wanted to make it accessible for anybody to make an online business that’s quick and easy for people in the digital world to start selling their products.” CASHDROP’s app doesn’t charge sellers any monthly fees or take a commission....

More than 700 imaging satellites orbit the earth, but only governments and companies with wealth and expertise can access the data they produce. Now, researchers said in a recent paper that they have invented a machine learning system using low-cost, easy-to-use technology that could bring satellite analytical power to researchers and governments worldwide. “To plan infrastructure like roads and bridges or to target food aid, we need to know where people live and what their needs are,” Jonathan Proctor, a co-author of the paper, told Lifewire in an email interview....

In a grand display of growing technological capabilities, the Department of Homeland Security’s Biometric and Identity Technology Center unveiled new data on the efficacy of facial recognition software to identify subjects with masks and other face coverings. These developments are on pace to change the way facial recognition operates in society. “Through careful selection of camera systems and matching systems, it appears possible to verify most people’s identity without requiring them to remove their mask,” Arun Vemury, director of the Biometric and Identity Technology Center, said in a news release....

The new Custom Accessibility Mode—discovered inside the iOS 16.2 beta by 9to5Mac—does away with much of the iPhone’s user interface, removing clutter and making the icons huge. As the name suggests, this is an accessibility feature, and one currently only in testing, hidden inside a beta version of iOS. But it already looks like something many of us might want to use, especially if we sometimes find our phones overwhelming or distracting....

How to Create a Custom Border Creating a custom border around a slide in Google Slides is an excellent way to ensure a presentation looks professional. Here’s how to add a border. How to Change the Border Google Slides makes it easy to change how the border looks. Here’s where to go. How to Add a Border to a Picture in Google Slides If you want to add a border to a picture placed within a slide, rather than the whole slide itself, you need to follow a slightly different method....