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iOS 8 added support for third-party keyboards. Now iPhone and iPad users can finally swap out their keyboards and use some of the same keyboards available on Android devices. Swipe-to-type is now an option for iPhone users, too. Apple also added a “QuickType” keyboard that offers next-word predictions above the keyboard. In the future, if there’s a cool new keyboard feature — like word predictions or swipe-to-type — you can install a third-party keyboard to get it immediately....

Microsoft is heavily pushing their Windows 10-exclusive browser, Edge. Ads built into Windows 10 are now claiming that Edge is “safer” than Chrome and Firefox. How did Microsoft determine that, and is it really true? RELATED: How to Disable All of Windows 10’s Built-in Advertising Microsoft’s claim is based on a report by NSS Labs, a business that sells threat intelligence and risk mitigation guidance to companies. The report tested 304 examples of Socially Engineered Malware (SEM) and phishing pages....

Microsoft 365 used to be called Office 365, and its primary purpose is access to the traditional library of Office productivity applications. You get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and so on, but Microsoft has also added more services and applications to the package over the past few years. Now it has a grammar checker, a video editor, cloud storage, and a whole lot more. I know dedicating an entire article to praising a product or service can seem like unlabeled sponsored content....

Entering your online-banking or email passwords on an untrusted computer – particularly one in a public place – is risky. If you had a USB drive with Linux installed on it, you could log into your accounts without fear. Some bank and government officials have even recommended using a live Linux environment to do all your online banking, even on computers you may trust. Linux is immune to Windows malware....

Intelligent machines capable of speech are often the stuff of futuristic sci-fi movies, but you can turn any computer into a chatty Cathy. Even though we aren’t yet at the stage with computers where they can interact with us like people, there are a few tools and simple scripts we can write to make any computer that is running Windows speak to us. A Little (Visual) Basic History In 1988, the first iteration of VBScript or (Visual Basic Scripting Edition) appeared and was still a very primitive version of what we have today....

The current-day MagSafe is different. The one that Apple has built into the iPhone 12 onward is meant to facilitate faster cordless charging and uses a ring of magnets embedded in the back of the device to attach to a cordless charger and hold it in place. This magnetic ring also makes a handy mount for a variety of other accessories, some also charging your device. Apple assures users that MagSafe magnets are shielded and safe to store in your pocket with your debit card, but maybe think twice about throwing your hotel room key in there next to one....

CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show, is happening right now in Vegas, and How-To Geek has boots on the ground. The Pebble Smartwatch has launched a new version made from stainless steel instead of plastic. It’s stylish, sturdy, and does everything the old version did. RELATED: HTG Reviews the Pebble: The Best Bet in the Smartwatch Market The new steel model raises the price by another hundred dollars, so you’ll be dropping $250 on your Pebble Steel if you choose to get one — although that’s still cheap compared to most premium watches....

The free (ad-supported) application checks your location and lists all the HDTV stations within range. You can check signal strength, use compass bearings to help align the antenna with the stations you want to tune, and check additional information about the station and your orientation to it. It’s the kind of tool you won’t need everyday but when trotted out will save you tons of time and aggravation. Hit up the link below for more information and to grab a free copy for your Android device....

What Is a CRT? In the context of electronics, CRT stands for “cathode ray tube.” It’s a technical term for the glass picture tube inside of a vintage TV set or computer monitor—the kind used before flat-screen displays became common. CRTs are electronic image display devices that have the advantage of showing information dynamically without the need for moving parts. When someone says “a CRT,” they might also be referring to a TV set or monitor that uses a CRT instead of the actual cathode ray tube itself....

Miracast is a wireless display standard designed for mirroring a smartphone, tablet, or PC’s screen to a television without requiring any physical HDMI cables. It’s becoming more widespread with each passing day. Miracast is Like a Wireless HDMI Cable RELATED: Wireless Display Standards Explained: AirPlay, Miracast, WiDi, Chromecast, and DLNA Miracast is a standard that hopes to one day banish the need for HDMI cables. Rather than physically connecting your laptop, smartphone, or tablet to a TV like you would with an HDMI cable, Miracast provides a wireless standard that allows devices to discover each other, connect to each other, and mirror the contents of their screen wirelessly....

Mozilla recently released a new Developer Edition for web developers to use, but how much difference is there between it and the regular version of Firefox? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Saurabh Lprocks wants to know what is different between the regular and developer editions of Firefox:...

Canon sells regular and L-series lenses (the “L” stands for luxury). While the lenses may have similar specs, you can usually except L-series lenses to have better optics, build quality, and autofocus control, and a few more features. Let’s take a look. While there are great, affordable, Canon lenses available, you’ve probably seen lenses that have similar specs on paper but wildly different prices. For example, the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5....

“You may be a victim of software counterfeiting.” These messages pop up regularly if Windows thinks you’re using a pirated version of Windows. Microsoft wants to nag you until you go legitimate and prevent PC sellers from sneaking pirated copies of Windows onto their PCs. Microsoft recently announced that Windows 10 would be a free upgrade even for computers without genuine copies of Windows. But, even though they’ll let you install Windows 10, you’ll just end up with a non-genuine copy of Windows 10 that continues to nag at you....

The era of the $200 Windows laptop is back, and the HP Stream is just the first of many. These products are definitely better than the much-maligned netbook, but Chromebooks beat them in many ways. No, we’re not arguing everyone should buy a Chromebook. Chromebooks aren’t right for everyone, just as cheap Windows laptops aren’t right for everyone. They each have their audience. Why Cheap Windows Laptops Are Back Cheap Windows laptops are nothing new....

We’ve written about all the different ways cellular carriers are gouging you, from long, expensive contracts to $22,000 bills for roaming data. Believe it or not, some of these terrible practices are actually changing. Some of these examples are from Canada. If you live in the US or elsewhere and are frustrated with your own cellular carriers, seeing what Canadian cellular carriers get away with will make you appreciate your own local carriers....

Windows 8’s desktop hasn’t seen many improvements for touch use, but even 8-inch Windows tablets have a desktop. If you have to use the desktop with your finger, these tips will help you avoid frustration. The desktop will always be frustrating to use with touch, as it was never designed with touch in mind. That’s why those Windows XP tablets shipped with styluses. A stylus can be a big help for navigating the desktop today....

Safari is easy to use, but you may never find all of its useful features unless you go looking for them. iPads have many useful navigation tricks you may never stumble across, and Safari has its own tricks. The screenshots here were taken on an iPad, but Safari functions very similarly on an iPhone. Safari for Mac is a full desktop browser and works differently, although all versions of Safari sync with each other....

Not All Styluses Are Equal All it takes to be called a stylus, really, is to be a small pen-like stick held in the hand. The original styluses were ancient writing instruments that were just small pointy sticks used to scratch letters into wax tablets. Things have advanced a wee bit since then. While today you’ll still find styluses that are little more than sticks, there are also styluses with highly advanced and active connections to the devices you’re using them on—which certainly explains the price differences....

Cheap Android phones are quickly becoming commonplace—for as low as $99, you can get a reliable, initially-impressive handset that you’re free to take to a bunch of different carriers. While these bargain-bin devices are definitely appealing, you have to ask yourself: is it really worth it? What Makes a Cheap Phone a Cheap Phone? Let’s start with the obvious: cheap phones are cheaper for a reason. There has to be something that separates a $99 phone from a $700 one, and–in most cases–it’s probably a few things....

Backups and redundancy schemes are both data protection methods, but they are not interchangeable. Join us as we explore what makes them different, and why that’s important to you. Redundancy is a data protection method intended as a real-time fail-safe measure against hard drive failure. A common redundancy feature found in servers and NAS boxes to prevent data loss is RAID (which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks), which creates multiple copies of files across several hard drives....