New Technology : How Easy Is It for a Chrome User to Switch to Firefox Today?

chrome-firefox

Google Chrome is a fantastic browser, but it has plenty of problems. How easy is it for a Chrome loyalist to switch to Firefox today? I quit Chrome cold turkey to see how it went. After two weeks, I’m back to Chrome on desktop… but Firefox for Android has won me over. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I feel trapped in Chrome because of extensions and features that are exclusively available to it. But after my colleague Sandy threw down the gauntlet and challenged all of us to break up with Google Chrome, I decided to give...

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New Technology : Here’s How the New SmartThings App Is a Major Step Backwards

new-smartthings-app

Smart home technology has matured a lot over the past couple of years, evolving from a novelty product into something that can be effectively and powerfully integrated into modern life. However, a process such as this puts forward a lot of difficult questions, many of which have to be answered by developers on behalf of their users. A recent update to the SmartThings app demonstrates that the California-based company might be departing from the course that has made it one of the most notable smart home manufacturers in the industry. This sort of tech is certainly changing — but it remains...

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New Technology : 9 Updates to Social Media That Happened When You Weren’t Looking

social-media-updates

Most of the time updates to social media come with a lot of attention, but new updates to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Snapchat may have passed you by! It seems like social media websites and apps are constantly updating to fix bugs, tweak performance issues, and occasionally to rearrange their features into slightly different formations (I’m looking at you, Facebook). Often apps and websites update automatically, so I rarely think to look into what has changed from month-to-month. If you’re anything like me, you probably get along just fine with this approach to social media. However, on occasion this lack of attention can...

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New Technology : How to Easily Remove Bloatware from Windows 10

remove-bloatware-windows10

Bloatware is truly awful. Manufacturers fill your shiny new laptop, phone, or tablet with pre-installed applications to put an extra dollar in their pocket, leaving you a bundle of oft-useless programs taking up space. If it is annoying on laptops with large storage drives, it is downright infuriating finding out your 32GB phone storage is 25% full at purchase. It is wrong, and we’ve seen some pretty appalling examples of bloatware this year; Lenovo’s SuperFish debacle springs to mind. Unfortunately, Microsoft is no saint, either. If you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 you may have noted a number of new applications appearing on...

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New Technology : Here’s Why Your iPad Needs a Bluetooth Keyboard

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I know of a comic book writer who, before the advent of the iPad, used to tap stories and dialogue into his smartphone while on the train. He naturally espoused the virtues of the iPad post-release, declaring it the perfect solution to his previous problem of a small screen and difficult typing. But in reality, typing on a larger display isn’t all that much better than typing on a small one. For productivity to be really achievable on an iPad, a physical keyboard is needed. Whether it’s the common Bluetooth keyboard that ships with an Apple Mac another device with the...

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New Technology : 85% Off Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit + $35 Drone Deal

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Today, we have two awesome deals that you are going to want to get your hands on. First, we have 85% off a giant Raspberry Pi 2 starter kit that comes with the device itself, the cables and cards you need to make it all work, and courses that will teach you how to use the Pi to its fullest. Then, we have an awesome SKEYE Pico Drone, which is a nimble nano drone that even beginners can have a blast flying around. Buy: The Complete Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit Buy: SKEYE Pico Drone The Complete Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit Have...

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New Technology : 4 Ways a Smart Garage Door Opener Will Simplify Your Life

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Garages are great, garage doors are frustrating. Smart garage door openers can help. If you’re lucky enough to have a garage at your home, you’ll no doubt appreciate the benefits they bring – they’ll keep your freshly washed car out of the bad weather, they help preserve your car’s paint job for longer (and reduce the likelihood of rust taking hold), and they provide a useful place to store years’ worth of your accumulated junk prized possessions. The only downside is the garage door. If you get home and it’s raining, the last thing you want to do is leave the...

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New Technology : Peeple Has Vanished, Google Launches Marshmallow… [Tech News Digest]

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Peeple goes missing, Android 6.0 makes its debut, Reddit gets curated, Apple Watch enjoys new ads, and Pepsi Perfect is a taste of the future. Peeple Has Been Taken Offline Peeple, the so-called “Yelp for People” which enjoyed a wealth of publicity last week, has seemingly disappeared. At the time of writing, the app’s website is down, and both the Facebook and Twitter account attached to Peeple no longer exist. All but one YouTube videos uploaded by the creators of the app has also been taken offline. The mobile app, which allows people to rate people they know, was unveiled...

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New Technology : If Your PrintScreen Key Isn’t Working, It Might Be Dropbox

print-screen-button-dropbox

Though there are multiple ways to capture what’s on your screen, the Windows PrintScreen button is a tried-and-true favorite that doesn’t require any extra software. However, Dropbox can hijack this button and keep it from copying a screenshot to your clipboard. Here’s how to disable this option and reclaim the key. Just installed @Dropbox for the first time ever. Likes to be involved, doesn't it? Even when I press Print Screen it's hijacking my session. — Peter Gothard (@petergothard) August 10, 2015 Start Dropbox if you don’t already have it running at startup and find its icon in the system...

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New Technology : What’s New on Netflix in October?

whats-new-netflix-october-2015-intro

Netflix doesn’t have a fixed schedule when updating their library of movies and TV shows. Each title is negotiated independently and added (or removed) as soon as possible, which means that updates might happen anywhere from once every few days to once every few weeks. Here’s all the new stuff you can expect to see on Netflix U.S. this month, with geeky titles highlighted and described for your convenience. Added On October 1: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Million Dollar Baby Wild Horses On the Town Some Came Running Take Me Out to the Ball Game Curse of Chucky The...

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