Sunday, August 16

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10 Screenshot Hacks Every iPhone User Should Know
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10 Screenshot Hacks Every iPhone User Should Know

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While the Mac has the best screenshot tools of any Apple device, it's not quite the same story on iPhone. Your iOS device is mostly restricted to built-in tools for taking screenshots and screen recordings, which makes it hard to bypass apps that block those features. Having said that, your iPhone's screenshot tool is anything but basic, supporting editing, annotations, and even extracting text from images. If you want to take better screenshots on iOS, these 10 hacks can help. Use AssistiveTouch to take screenshots without pressing any buttonsI've always found it unintuitive to take screenshots using hardware buttons on a device with a touchscreen. There are two easy ways to avoid pressing those buttons to take scree...
10 Gboard Hacks Every Android User Should Know
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10 Gboard Hacks Every Android User Should Know

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Gboard is the default keyboard option for a staggering number of Android smartphones across the globe, and it's not just limited to Pixels. If you have an Android device, you've probably used Gboard for years without giving it a second look. The default setup is good, the predictive text suggestions work, and in a pinch, you can swipe to type. But like other seemingly basic Android apps and features, a lot more is hiding behind Gboard's surface simplicity. Explore the menus, tweak the settings, and learn some gestures, and you'll uncover a ton of useful features that can make it faster and easier to use—without switching to an entirely new keyboard. Here are my favorite tips, tricks, and hacks for Gboard.Pin frequently...
Microsoft Is Combining Its Two ‘Copilot’ Apps (and Ditching These Three Features)
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Microsoft Is Combining Its Two ‘Copilot’ Apps (and Ditching These Three Features)

Microsoft Copilot is a little messy. Unlike ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, the company's AI service isn't one universal product. Instead, there's "Copilot," the AI for consumers, directly competing with the aforementioned AI apps; and "Microsoft 365 Copilot," the AI for professional use in Microsoft's work suite. Unless you're totally immersed in Microsoft's AI culture, you might be understandably confused about Copilot, and what features and plans belong to which version of the AI. Luckily, you don't need to be confused any longer. This week, Microsoft announced its intentions to merge its Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365 platforms into a single app. If you use Copilot as you would ChatGPT or Gemini, you'll use this app. If you use Copilot with Word and Excel for work or school, you'll use ...
You Can Get This 5.1-Channel Surround Sound Setup on Sale for $399 Right Now
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You Can Get This 5.1-Channel Surround Sound Setup on Sale for $399 Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A soundbar is often the easiest way to fix thin TV audio, but a single bar can only go so far when you want movies and games to feel more immersive. That is where a fuller surround setup can help, and Amazon currently has its Fire TV Soundbar Plus bundle for $399.99, down from $489.99. Unlike the soundbar-only version, this package gives you a proper 5.1-channel setup, with the bar handling the front and center channels, the subwoofer adding low-end impact, and two speakers sitting behind you for surround effects. Its dedicated center channel should also make dialogue easier to follow when background music or action gets busy. The sy...
I Tried the Android App That’s Helping People Around the World Bypass Censorship Laws
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I Tried the Android App That’s Helping People Around the World Bypass Censorship Laws

If you've read our previous coverage on the Tor network and the Tor Browser, you'll know they're the best choices if you want to maximize your privacy and anonymity on the internet. Now, the Tor project has teamed up with the Bloco Android app studio to release another app focused on privacy and anonymity: Snowflake Volunteer.This isn't only bout keeping your own browsing safe and secure—if you install it on your Android phone, you're helping other people circumvent censorship restrictions in their current location, donating part of your connection to the web so that they can get online at all. Enabling Snowflake Volunteer on Android. Credit: Lifehacker ...
New Features Coming to the Pixel Watch 5
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New Features Coming to the Pixel Watch 5

We may earn a commission from links on this page. At first glance, you might think Google's new Pixel Watch 5 was actually the Pixel Watch 4. That's because it has the same "Actua 360 display" at an identical 320 PPI with up to 3,000 nits of brightness. And, just like the Pixel Watch 4, you can get the Pixel Watch 5 in either 41mm or 45mm models. If not for the new colors, you might think this year's watch is just like last year's watch. It doesn't help that many of the newest software features that Google announced along with the Pixel Watch 5 are compatible with older watches, too. Things like "Health Guardian," which tracks trends in insulin resistance, blood pressure, and sleep breathing, will be available on Pixel Watch 4 when they launch, just as they will be on...
This Google Pixelsnap Qi2 Wireless Charger Is 50% Off Right Now
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This Google Pixelsnap Qi2 Wireless Charger Is 50% Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been wanting to get a wireless charger for your Google Pixel Phone, this Google Pixelsnap Qi2 Wireless charger with stand is now $34.99, down from $69.99, making it the lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools. With its perfect angle and versatility, the stand allows you to dock your phone upright either vertically or horizontally, so you can continue to use it while it charges, including controlling your home devices. The magnetic backing holds the phone in place no matter if you’re using the dock or the charger on its own. It also reaches 25W, meaning you can get 50% of your phone’s power back in roughly 30 mi...
Five New Changes in iOS 27 Beta 5
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Five New Changes in iOS 27 Beta 5

Apple released the fifth beta for iOS 27 on Monday, Aug. 10. As we get closer to the update's official fall release, the number of features and changes Apple will introduce with each beta is certainly diminishing, and no one would call beta 5 a feature-filled update. However, there are some new features and changes worth noting, especially as they are things Apple didn't previously announce at WWDC. Before I get into what's new, a reminder: iOS 27 is not yet finished. As such, while anyone with a compatible iPhone can install it, know there are risks to running beta software on your device. Make sure to make a proper backup of your data, as you could lose everything on your iPhone in the event you need to downgrade back to iOS 26. Apple just updated five app icons with iOS 27 beta 5 ...
Current Trends Explained: The Matcha Filter? ‘UK Poo,’ and More
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Current Trends Explained: The Matcha Filter? ‘UK Poo,’ and More

This week's dispatch has it all: the indomitable spirit of internet perverts, a genre of music named for its awfulness, slang that didn't come from African-American vernacular English, and a couple of YouTubers who out-earned Star Wars. As always, I've done the deeply undignified work of digging into it so you don't have to. You're welcome.What is the matcha filter?TikTok is serious about keeping people from using its service to expose their parts, but the ingenuity of perverts should not be underestimated. Enter the matcha filter. Officially named "wild hearts whisper," unofficially named for the thick, hazy green wash it throws over videos, the matcha filter showed up on the 'Tok a few weeks ago and user quickly discovered it defeats the platform's nudity filters. Here's a non-nudie vide...
How to Run Meta’s Latest AI Model Locally on Your Computer
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How to Run Meta’s Latest AI Model Locally on Your Computer

On Monday, Meta announced its latest AI model: Muse Glimmer. The company isn't necessarily advertising this model as its biggest and best, however. While Meta has plenty to say about Muse Glimmer's performance potential, there are two key selling points for the model in the company's eyes: The fact that it's open-weight, and that it's designed to run locally on "consumer" Macs and PCs—though perhaps not on your computer.What is Muse Glimmer?According ot Meta, Muse Glimmer is a 30-billion-parameter AI model optimized for "always-on local agent workflows." What that means is Glimmer is designed to run autonomously directly on your machine, rather than outsourcing that processing to the cloud. Local AI is much more secure than cloud-based, as your data stays within your system. When you tap i...