These days everything and everyone seems to somehow get political – it’s hard to avoid. It’s even affected our technology, as an executive order was signed that grants the United States government the power to decide which foreign-produced telecommunications equipment is a potential national security risk and to then block U.S. companies from buying that equipment. The problem is that it will be affecting the consumers, perhaps people that don’t even have an interest in politics. It has now led to Google revoking Huawei’s Android license, meaning their customers will have to make do with an open-source version of Android. Android License Revoked While initially… Read more
7 Best Docking Stations for Your MacBook Pro
Laptops are great for taking desktop-class computing power on the go. They make life easier, as you get to take what you need, wherever you go, but when you’re back at home, the lack of legacy ports on 2016 and later MacBook Pros is an issue. Apple removed all legacy ports from these MacBook Pros. Connecting ANY device to any MacBook Pro with Touch Bar now requires a properly-equipped peripheral or a dongle. USB-C-based peripherals aren’t very common yet, and dongles make computing messy and complicated. Displays – actually multiple displays – are a particularly large problem. The best way to solve this is with… Read more
Fed Up with Facebook? Here are 6 Alternatives
So, you’ve finally had enough of Facebook – privacy issues, time drains, relationship-straining political debates, and all the rest. Still, social media is a valuable tool, so what are your other options? There are always Twitter and Google+, but if either of those appealed to you, you’d already be there. There are a few other options, though: social media sites that haven’t gotten much traction yet but that offer better privacy and more control and just might help you to partially fill that Facebook-shaped void in your life. Related: How to Delete Your Facebook Account (Or at Least Protect Your Data) 1. Sociall.io Sociall… Read more
How to Add a Customized Vibration Pattern to Contacts in Android
Have you ever answered your phone thinking it was someone else? That can quickly happen if you have the same ringtone or vibration pattern for everyone. To see who is calling you, you have to look at your phone. By giving a specific vibration to a contact, you can know who is calling you without having to take out your phone. Setting this up is easier than you may think, so even if you’re not very tech-savvy, you’ll be able to set this up. How to Give a Contact a Specific Vibration Pattern (Possible Stock Option) To know that it’s your mom calling without having to… Read more
How to Sign Up for an Apple News+ Subscription on Your iOS Device
Apple introduced its News app with the release of iOS 9, which featured a coverage of current events curated by editors and specifically personalized for users. The app and its features were well-received by users who liked the layout and news coverage offered by the app. We reported late last year that Apple was possibly gearing up to launch paid subscriptions for Apple News. This was finally released at a recent launch event in late March. Named “Apple News +,” this paid subscription service allows both newspapers and magazines to be offered, to be read on any Apple device. The subscription costs $9.99 and is currently… Read more