We live in an age of prolific media streaming, with services like Netflix leading the charge. At the same time, we also live in an age where capped data packages for home internet is something that many people have to deal with. If you’re one of the millions of people with a capped data package, knowing how much data Netflix actually uses is crucial. Netflix’s Estimates and Quality Settings RELATED: How to Avoid Going Over Your Home Internet’s Data Cap...
A new feature in iOS 11, “Do Not Disturb While Driving” figures out if you’re driving or not and toggles Do Not Disturb accordingly. Here’s how to enable the feature. RELATED: What’s New in iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad, Available Now You might be vigilant about not looking at your phone while driving, but getting a notification can still be tempting to check while you’re on the road. It’s best to get rid of those distractions in the first place, instead of simply trying to resist the temptation....
Ubuntu asks you to choose a name for your computer — known as a “hostname” — when you install it. You can change this hostname later, but Ubuntu doesn’t provide a graphical interface for doing so. The process here will also work on Linux Mint and other Debian-based Linux distributions. Other Linux distributions — for example, Fedora and other Red Hat-based distributions — use different methods for specifying a hostname....
Every bit of camera gear you own has a unique serial number to identify it. It is what you’ll use to prove that a particular camera or lens belongs to you if you ever need to make an insurance claim or report something stolen. Here’s how to find your gear’s serial numbers. It’s best to write all your serial numbers down as soon as you buy a new bit of kit....
Depending on what you’re working on, such as an essay for a school assignment, you may have a specific word count you must reach (or not exceed). You can quickly tell what the current word count is in Microsoft Word. How to Check the Word Count in Microsoft Word for Windows You can get the word count for your entire Word document, or you can get the word count of just a specific section in Word for Windows....
Case Size This one is easy and obvious, but it still shouldn’t be overlooked. The first thing to consider is the sizing of your PC case. There are several distinct sizes for PC cases that include a full tower, a mid-tower, and smaller cases for mini-ITX and micro-ATX motherboards. The vast majority of PC builders go with a mid-tower since they aren’t too large, are widely available, and are built for standard ATX motherboards....
If you’re an Android user, Google is ubiquitous throughout the operating system. You can access Google Now on Tap from pretty much anywhere by long-pressing the home button, jump into Google Now directly from the launcher, or say “OK Google” to use your voice from pretty much anywhere in the OS. But each time you do one of those things, it creates a new search entry in your Google History....
With a tap of a button, you can change the color of your Philips Hue lights. While the Hue app comes with a few color presets built-in, you can also create your own custom scenes from your own photos. RELATED: How to Set Up Your Philips Hue Lights If you’ve been using Hue lights since the old “Gen 1” app, then this feature will look familiar. You can choose a picture from your camera roll and use it as a template for the color of your Hue lights....
When you’re using any of Apple’s computers, smartphones, or tablets, an Apple ID is integral to not only setting devices up in the first place but getting the best out of them as you use them, too. When you pay a premium to use an ecosystem that “just works,” not having an Apple ID cripples the experience. Note: For this guide, we are going to make the assumption that you already have an iPhone or iPad up and running, and that you need to create an additional Apple ID....
Apple Music is now sending out notifications for new albums, EPs, and even videos from artists that you’ve added to your library. The notifications show up on your lock screen, Notification Center, and also at the top of the app’s Library tab. If you have a vast library, this can get annoying fairly quickly. Fortunately, you can disable the notifications right from the Music app. Start by opening the “Music” app, and make sure that you’re logged into your Apple Music account....
If you share a Mac with family or roommates, you’re going to want to set up multiple macOS user accounts. Each account has its own documents, browser history, and saved passwords. RELATED: How to Set Up Multiple User Accounts in macOS Setting up multiple accounts is a good idea from a security perspective even when sharing your computer with people you trust. Whenever the Mac boots, or wakes up from sleep, or returns from being locked, people can decide which account to open....
Windows 10 still includes the classic Uninstall Programs panel, also known as the “Programs and Features” window. But it’s buried by default, as Microsoft really wants you to use the Apps > Apps & features page in the new Settings interface instead. Here are a few ways you can still access the old Uninstall Programs panel. Go Through the Control Panel You can easily find the old Uninstall a Program list from the Control Panel, but the Control Panel is hidden too....
Alexa may be your go-to assistant for smart home control, but you can do much more with it than that. Using Blueprints, you can create a skill of your own, like having Alexa count the days to an event. You might be counting down to the start of your vacation, your wedding day, or that milestone birthday. You don’t have to scour the Skills Store and install a third-party tool....
We often fixate on smartphone battery life, but most laptops still don’t have all-day battery life. Rather than tethering your laptop to an outlet, here are some ways to squeeze more life from your laptop’s battery. None of these tricks will turn a laptop without much stamina into an all-day workhorse, but they’ll help you go without an outlet for a while longer. Pay particular attention to your laptop’s display—that’s a big battery sucker....
The Kwikset Kevo is one of the most popular smart locks on the market, but if you’re a stickler for keypads, the Schlage Connect is an option to consider. Here’s how to install and set up the Schlage Connect smart lock. RELATED: Are Smart Locks Secure? The Connect isn’t an add-on to your existing deadbolt, but rather a full replacement. This can make the installation process a bit daunting for those who’ve never replaced a lock before....
If you’ve made a Facebook Group and it’s turned into an active community, you might want to bring someone else in to help you moderate and remove offensive comments. Here’s how. You’ve got two options: you can make someone an Admin or a Moderator. An Admin has all the same powers as you, while a Moderator can’t do things like change the group name. You can see a full comparison below....
Microsoft Office applications have a built-in Safe Mode feature. This helps when you can’t use Office normally. Perhaps Word crashes every time you open it, or maybe Excel crashes when you open a single file. You can start the application in Safe Mode and there’s a good chance it will work normally. What Is Office Safe Mode? When you start an Office application in Safe Mode, it will load without any add-ins or extensions, and without toolbar or command bar customizations....
With your two-or-more Echo speakers on hand, let’s dive right into the painless setup process. Make sure your speakers are powered on, connected to the same network, and have easy to parse nicknames, so grouping them is painless. If you’ve never messed around with renaming your Echo products from the default naming (which is ambigious like “Jason’s Echo Dot”, “Jason’s Second Echo Dot”), check out our guide to renaming all your Echo devices with more descriptive names....
Saving an Excel spreadsheet as a PDF can be confusing, and the finished file often looks different from how we want it to be presented. Here’s how to save a sheet as a readable clean PDF file. Excel Files as PDFs There are many scenarios when you may want to save an Excel document as a PDF file instead of a spreadsheet. For example, if you wish to send out only a specific portion of a larger sheet, or you don’t want it to be editable....
Modern Mac users have multiple ways to connect to a network or the Internet, including Wi-Fi and Ethernet. If you’re not careful, though, you might not be using the connection you think you are. But fear not, we’re here to help. Apple might be systematically removing ports from its computers, but if you own one of the company’s desktop Macs, or are a resident of Dongle Town, you probably have multiple different network connections available to you at any one time....
