Gadget Hacks: Page 16

Having the right air quality can turn a room into an atmosphere. With a humidifier, you can see your skin dewy and your sinuses clear. Proper temperature control will keep you comfortable and content, and the right air purifier will give you clean air and peace of mind. If you're in the market for a humidifier, an air conditioner, a heater, or an air purifier but just need to find the perfect one to match your needs and your budget, then check out some of these great deals.

Python is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. Professionals use Python in virtually every field where coding is a requirement, whether it's game design or data science. If you're looking to learn Python, then get started with The 2021 Premium Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle for just $34.99.

The battery on your iPhone can go from 10% to completely dead in a matter of minutes, or at least it can feel that way. Apple does prepare you with an alert when you hit the 20% and 10% mark, but it's easy to forget to charge your iPhone before it dies even with those notifications. That's why you should also be notified when your battery's down to 5% remaining.

Next to spam calls, few things are more annoying than being inundated with spam, scam, and smishing texts. Your iPhone's Messages app should be a place for your friends and family to stay in touch, not a minefield of phishing attacks, malicious links, and viruses. Luckily, there are quite a few methods to block and report your way to a more spam-free iPhone.

Progressive Web Apps hope to one day bridge the gap between websites and apps by giving the former more access to your phone's features, but they're not very common yet. In the meantime, you can take matters into your own hands with an app that uses your system WebView to render websites in a full-screen, borderless window with a few extra features — a lot like a native Android app.

You don't have to be hearing impaired to appreciate one of Android's best audio accessibility features. This one can notify you when a baby is crying, a smoke alarm is going off, or when various nefarious sounds such as breaking glass are heard.

You might think that you have your microwave all figured out, but chances are you don't know all of its secrets. Some microwave tricks are truly hidden; obscure information nowhere to be seen in the user manuals. Other tricks are hiding in plain sight, often overlooked or tossed to the curb because a microwave oven is so simple that instructions aren't needed, right?

Apple released the fourth public beta for iPhone today, Monday, Mar. 15. The update (build number 18E5178a) comes three hours after the fourth 14.5 developer beta, and includes references in its code to a new "City Charts" playlist feature in Apple Music.

The iPhone doesn't stop at last year's excellent iPhone 12lineup. Apple's been developing its iPhone 13 models for a while now, and there are a lot of rumors already with eight or nine months still to go until a release. This year, we're expecting four new models with similar sizes and features to 2020's offerings. If you want to know what makes the 2021 iPhones so different, we've got answers.

When creating video content for social media, such as a story on Instagram, it's common practice to add captions or subtitles to the post so that people can watch it wherever they are on silent. Doing this by hand is time-consuming and frustrating, but Instagram has a solution: a feature to add automatically-generated captions to any story you make from your iPhone or Android phone.

Most of you probably hate ads on your smartphone, but they're a part of modern digital life. As long as apps like Instagram are free to use, then we'll need to pay by dealing with posts, videos, and pop-ups trying to sell us stuff. Well, not necessarily, so long as you're OK with a few compromises.

When you're checking out photos and video on Instagram, its default bright white layout can literally be an eyesore, especially in dimly lit settings where the bleached UI feels blinding. Luckily, there's a really simple way to switch from the normal light mode to a dark mode look in the iPhone and Android app.

Even as we look forward to returning to work in person, the last year has changed how work can be done. That means there will always be a demand for good programmers and coders who can support the digital infrastructure of the online working world. The Backend Developer Bootcamp Bundle can give you the expertise you need to become a highly qualified programmer for only $29.99.

It's getting harder and harder to escape ad tracking by the day. For the latest example, look no further than T-Mobile. The No. 2 carrier updated its privacy policy on Feb. 23, 2021, indicating that it would start sharing customer data with advertisers under the guise of more relevant ads starting April 26. If that's not something you'd like to participate in, there's a way to opt-out.

When an app needs to be absolutely sure it won't be cleared from RAM by Android's memory management system, it posts a persistent, ongoing notification. Another time you'll encounter non-removable alerts is when your phone or carrier really wants you to do something, like apply an update.

Apple just released iOS 14.4.1 for iPhone today, Monday, Mar. 8. The event marks 41 days since Apple released a public update for iPhones, with iOS 14.4 back on Jan. 26.

When we're young, learning a new language is as easy as learning anything else. There have been ample studies that show adults struggling to learn a new language are not alone. Learning a new language is hard, particularly when done outside the guidance of a teacher or a school setting.

You should feel relatively safe to watch and post videos on TikTok, but like with any online service, you're always at the mercy of hackers.

Apple released the third public beta for iOS 14.5 today, Wednesday, Mar. 3. The update introduces a new "Items" tab in the Find My app that hints at the company's long-rumored "AirTags," a new Apple Watch icon when unlocking your Face ID iPhone with your watch, as well as small UI updates.

Apple released the third developer beta for iOS 14.5 today, Tuesday, Mar. 2. The company promptly pulled the update from the developer portal, before finally making it available for all shortly after. The update was surprising to begin with, since Apple released it at an unusual time, and was only available as a download from the dev portal, without any OTA option.

Wireless headphones are convenient, comfortable, and more common than ever before. With the massive proliferation of wireless earbuds, it's hard to identify which ones are good and which ones just want to look like they're worth the price. Avanca T1 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds are high-quality wireless earbuds with excellent functionality and a low price of $29.95 now that they're 50% off.

URL tracking codes: you'll see them on almost every link you copy online to share with friends and followers. It could be tens or hundreds of extra characters appended to the end of a URL, which websites and marketers use to tell how you got to the link in the first place. These excess tracking tokens not only make the links you share look sloppy and spammy — they could even invade your privacy.

Apple released the second developer beta for iOS 14.5 on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The update comes 15 days after Apple seeded developers the first 14.5 beta, which included a slew of new features such as default music app support, compatibility with PS5 and Xbox Series X controllers, and more.

Apple released iOS 14.5 developer beta 1, and the update sports a list of interesting features and changes. Some of those include support for the Xbox Series X and PS5 DualSense controllers, the ability to unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch, AirPlay 2 support for Fitness+, 5G support for dual-SIM setups, and a refreshed Software Update page in Settings.

Have some sensitive information you need to share with somebody on Telegram but are worried it might fall into the wrong hands? You don't have to worry anymore because Telegram now sports a way to automatically delete all new messages in any chat of your choosing, not just end-to-end encrypted ones.

You're in a Zoom meeting, and you're click-clacking away at your keyboard, typing important notes from the call. More realistically, you're doing something unrelated to the meeting, such as browsing the web, playing a game, or messaging friends. Whatever it is you're typing, if your microphone is on, everyone on the Zoom call will be able to hear the sound of you typing.

In 2020, we had to learn that it's up to us to make ourselves stand out in our jobs or to future employers. Coding is a skill that won't just make you stand out — it'll make you indispensable. Due to the mass move to working online, there is more demand for strong, intuitive web design, and learning to code means you can be the person who makes that.

Night mode, which helps you snap great photographs in low-light environments, is a feature available only on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lineups. It's a useful tool to have in your arsenal, especially if you're fond of nightlife photography. Still, you don't have to purchase a newer iPhone to get Night mode shooting capabilities.

Your Apple Music subscription is tied to the Apple ID that subscribed, so you can stream content from any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS device that your Apple ID is signed in to. However, things get slightly more complicated when you want to listen to Apple Music on another device you use with a different Apple ID, such as a work iPhone. Complicated, but not impossible.

These days, there's more content than ever, and the sheer amount of titles out there can make picking something to watch seem near impossible. Netflix does provide suggestions based on content you've already viewed, which helps, and the company believes so much in its algorithms that it now gives you the option to auto-download videos on your devices based on your interests, no decisions required.

What's worse than trying to hear your music over the sound of someone else panting at the gym? Or maybe you're getting really into a movie, and it's finally at the moment everything has been building up to when a car alarm in your parking lot suddenly goes off, and the moment is ruined.

When we're kids, learning a new language is easy, but that's not the case when we reach adulthood. For all the times you've struggled with rote practice from apps like Duolingo or wished you could take language courses without enrolling in an expensive university, now there is The Ultimate Language Learning at Home Bundle for Beginners.

Google released the first build of Android 12 almost exactly one year after dropping Android 11, which is remarkable in the midst of a global pandemic. But you can tell the Android engineers have been hard at work while quarantining, because the latest OS version is absolutely packed with new features.

Apple just released the second public beta for iOS 14.5 today, Wednesday, Feb 17. The update comes just one day after the company seeded developers the second 14.5 beta. Because of that, we've had 24 hours to sink our teeth in beta 2's new features, like 217 new emoji, Apple Music lyric sharing, Apple Music UI updates, and new Shortcuts options.

Apple's password manager, iCloud Keychain, lets you securely save important login credentials for apps, websites, and services that sync up across all of your Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. One of its biggest highlights is that it can create strong passwords for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work, and in those cases, there are other ways to generate random, strong passwords.

TikTok is a video-platform first, and while visual content is critical to its popularity, what has carried many of these videos to millions upon millions of views isn't only what you see but what you hear.

HBO GO is quickly gaining ground on Netflix as a must streaming service for our wireless devices. Especially since it's the only way you can watch TV shows like Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, and Veep, since Netflix and Google Play do not offer them, and there is no Android app for Android Instant Video playback.

Apple's two iCloud storage plans have made it easier than ever to free up space on your iPhone to take more pictures, play more mobile games, and download more music. The plan prices range from $0.99 to $9.99, which isn't bad, but not everyone wants to pay for storage. So deleting items becomes a great option to free up storage — especially music and music videos.

If playing Metal Gear Solid didn't make you want to crawl on the floor of your living room throwing imaginary flash grenades, then I don't think we could be friends. Solid Snake was the man. Period.

Atari was one of the very first video game consoles, bringing the joy of arcades right into the living room. Now gaming consoles are a dime a dozen, but there's still something about those old retro systems that makes me want to travel back in time.