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How ToHow to Keep Shady Apps From Screwing Up Your Computer
Not all applications and browser add-ons come in peace. So you need to know a few warning signs to look out for if you want to make sure that only legit software makes it onto your machine. Here’s how to avoid bad actors and weed out any shady apps that have already taken root. Desktop … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
Today’s Windows Update Finally Lets You Put Off Future Updates
It doesn’t matter if you’re pumped for Creators Update, the new version of Windows 10 that makes drawing all over you screen easier. Whether you like it or not, your Windows 10 device will be getting it, starting today with a slow rollout (and starting April 25th on phones). If you’re a part of Microsoft’s … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
How To
How to Avoid Unwanted Communications on Social Media
That recent tech innovation known as the internet has made keeping in touch with family and friends easier than ever—but it might also have brought you some unwelcome attention from people you’d rather not keep up correspondence with. If you want to minimize the chances of getting contacted out of the blue, here’s what to … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Copy Your Favorite Instagram Filters in Photoshop
Before it started obsessing about copying Snapchat, Instagram’s main goal was getting your phone photos looking their best. The app’s smart image processing doesn’t have to stay locked on your mobile though—you can replicate the effects in Photoshop or any photo editor with similar tools. There are dozens of Instagram filters to pick from, dozens … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Make the Dopest Videos for Snapchat and Instagram
Apple just pushed out its newest app, a mobile iMovie for the Snapchat generation—but it’s far from the only lightweight video editor you can get for your phone. Jazz up those clips of your pets and vacations before they hit Instagram and Snapchat with these mobile video editing suites, putting pro tools in your pocket. … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
The Secret to Free Music Is Internet Radio
If you want to enter the modern age and listen to all your music online then streaming is the only way to go. While iHeartRadio and Pandora have both become the poor man’s Spotify—demanding costly monthly fees for so so music selection there’s still genuine free music available online. Internet radio gives you an endless … Continued
By David Nield -
How ToMost of Us Don’t Need a Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers aren’t what they used to be. The fad gadget you strap to your wrist has seen a precipitous fall in the last year. Pebble closed its doors after releasing a solid fitness tracker, and Fitbit has struggled (though we liked its new Fitbit Alta HR). There’s also the fact that fitness trackers, while … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Make Your Social Media Accounts as Private as Possible
Maintaining social media accounts while staying as anonymous as possible isn’t easy—just ask the Director of the FBI—but you can put your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other accounts into a locked-down, private mode to evade detection. When your social media accounts are locked down people can’t see what’s inside without your permission. This is great … Continued
By David Nield -
How ToHere’s Why the Displays in New Phones Are So Weird and Wide
Most of the major smartphones of spring have been announced, and we noticed something curious. The LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 are both rocking big displays with an aspect ratio larger than the 16:9 you’re used to on your phones, television and desktop displays. These phones have some of the widest aspect ratios ever … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Hide Online Better Than the Director of the FBI
Until yesterday, FBI chief James Comey seemed like a pretty savvy internet user. The guy knows that you’re supposed to cover your webcam with tape to hide from the NSA and WhatsApp is a fantastic way to communicate securely—even if he hates you for using it. But when the numbnuts set out to make a … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
How To
How Not to Protect Your Privacy Online
Privacy advocates across the country let out a collective sob this week when Congress dismantled a set of Obama-era internet privacy rules. In effect, the Republicans just gave big telecom companies unfettered access to your browsing history and will even let ISPs sell that data for profit. As we’ve argued before: this sucks. There are … Continued
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How To
5 Uses for Gmail Beyond Sending Boring Old Regular Emails
Even if you don’t personally use Gmail, someone you know does. The service is perfect for people who need an email address independent of their work one, and a far better alternative than security nightmares like YahooMail. Yet Gmail, despite the name, isn’t just a great platform for email. Gmail makes use of the cloud, … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Get the Windows 10 Creators Update Early
You don’t have to wait around like a normal person for the Creators Update to drop—it’s available to download right now, if you’re a Windows Insider. The Windows Insider program lets you beta test advance versions of the OS for free, if you don’t mind the occasional bug, and here’s what you need to do … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
The Best Apps for Sending Money, From Least to Most Annoying
If you’ve got a debt to pay, a bill to split or a reward to give, you no longer need to dig out your wallet or bother with notes and coins—your smartphone is perfectly capable of sending money to friends and relatives with just a few taps. But the apps that let you send the … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
8 Apps That Actually Make the Most of an Android Tablet
So you’ve picked up a brand new Galaxy Tab S3 or any other Android tablet and your first thought is: how am I going to make the most of this extra screen space? The general consensus is that iOS is stronger in the tablet department, but there are Android apps out there that work particularly … Continued
By David Nield -
How ToYour Favorite Music App Has Higher Quality Audio Than You Think
Chances are you’ve signed up to at least one streaming service—but are you making the most of the best-quality music on offer? A quick audit of your apps can boost both streaming and downloaded bit-rates, so you’re always assured of the highest fidelity audio flowing through your pricy headphones to your eardrums. Which means you … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Get on the Internet When Your Internet is Down
Whether it’s a winter storm on the East Coast, or tornadoes in middle America, or just some simple rain in California, sometimes your power goes out and takes your internet with you. Any way you look at it, when the internet is down your life is effectively on hold until it’s back up again. However, … Continued
By David Nield -
How To
How to Buy Your Personal Domain Name Before Some Dumb Troll Does
It’s come to our attention that Martin Shkreli, the dagger-faced pharma bro who won’t leave the world alone, is buying up domains for the names of journalists who have written about him. He even targeted Gizmodo writers. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Of course, buying the domain that reflects your name isn’t … Continued